Friday, May 31, 2013

Braden's Hope







Braden is a little guy that has been fighting cancer for several years now. He was just three years old, a toddler, when diagnosed with Stage 4 neuroblastoma. In 2009, he suffered a relapse. The odds were against him as the medical community indicated that people rarely, if ever, survive a relapse of this cancer. Here we are in 2013, and this little fighter is still here. Praise the Lord!

There is so much more to the story. They are a family of fighters. You see, during Braden's battle for life, his mama was diagnosed with Stage 2 breast cancer. Their story is one of a mama who won't take no for an answer and a little boy who has a life to live and won't let the "c" word stand in his way.

Braden's mama, Deliece, has written a book about their journey thus far, how important the detours of life are, and how, through faith, you can face anything.

Please help to support Braden's Hope by clicking the button at the top of this post or over in the sidebar. Read their story. His mama can tell it better than anybody. Most of all, please pray for healing and restoration for Braden and for his mommy.


Disclosure: Art and Photography Unleashed will not receive compensation of any sort because of this post. The link above is not an affiliate link. I just want to do all that I can to spread the word for Braden and others like him. Thank you!

Monday, January 23, 2012

Announcement

Due to failure to thrive, the following three blogs will be closed on or about February 1:

Art & Photography Unleashed
Texas Art & Photography Unleashed
Reviews by Suz

Reviews by Suz will be absorbed into my other blogs:

Random Thoughts by Suzanne
and P.S. Annie!

The Artist Spotlight posts from Art & Photography Unleashed and Texas Art & Photography Unleashed will be moved to Random Thoughts by Suzanne.

Thank you and have a wonderful day!

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Happy Thanksgiving!

I want to wish all of you a happy and blessed Thanksgiving, full of laughter, love, and family.

Have a beautiful day!

Thursday, April 7, 2011

J P M Photographs

What type of photography or art do you do? (For example: portraiture, landscape, still life, oil painting, watercolour, woodwork, sculpture, etc.):

Landscape.


What attracts you to this form of expression?

I love landscapes, for the light, as the light changes every time you go out to capture a photograph.


Do you remember the first time that you realized that this was your passion? What brought about that realization?

I kind of fell into this hobby after having an ice climbing accident which left me with a paralyzed left arm, I just used to doodle about with photos. Then the realization came into play when I won a competition with one of my photographs.


Who do you look up to the most in your field?:

Colin Pryor.


How has your art or photography changed since that first moment behind the camera or canvas?

It has changed in so many ways, just remembering your rule of thirds and all the other mumbo jumbo things you need to think about before capturing your shot.


What is the most interesting piece of artwork or photography that you have created?:

I’m not sure. Really, I’ve got that many photographs, but I suppose the photograph that won me my first competition.


Where do you expect to be with your photography or art five years from now?:

Hopefully a better photographer that I am now.


Do you have any parting words of advice for someone desiring to enter this field?:

Yes, read read read and more reading about photography and it will take you onto a magical journey.


Sel.
J. P. M. Photographs

Winning Photograph:
http://www.jpmphotographs.co.uk/assets/Landscape%20Album/index.html

My Website: http://www.jpmphotographs.co.uk

Thursday, March 31, 2011

Mike Matenkosky - Images in the Backcountry

What type of photography or art do you do? (For example: portraiture, landscape, still life, oil painting, watercolor, woodwork, sculpture, etc.)

I'm a nature photographer, which to me includes landscape and wildlife photography. But my passion is landscape photography.

What attracts you to this form of expression?

I've always liked the outdoors. I love hiking and backpacking and for me it was a natural progression.

Do you remember the first time that you realized that this was your passion? What brought about that realization?

I always seem to have a camera. I would take my camera on my hikes and backpacking trips. Back then, I just took pictures to document my trip. Around 1998 I created my first website called The Backcountry . I just wanted to post my pictures and trip experiences for the hiking/backpacking community.

In passing one day, I mentioned to a friend of mine about some of the pictures I saw on line....they were great. I told him I wish I could take photos like that. He told me "You can do it too"....or something like that.

Who do you look up to the most in your field?

Probably Ansel Adams and Galen Rowell are probably the most popular landscape photographers.

How has your art or photography changed since that first moment behind the camera or canvas?

I would like to think I'm getting better. Some of my earlier work lacks composition, or a strong composition. I'm not saying I'm now "there" yet!

What do you do to get yourself ready mentally for a photo shoot or an art session?

Make sure the battery(s) are charged in the camera and plenty of memory cards. If it's a nice day, make sure you have sunscreen and in the spring, make sure you have plenty of mosquito repellent! Oh yeah, make sure to pack lunch and plenty of water.

What is the most interesting piece of artwork or photography that you have created?

In August of 2007 I decided to stay up and photograph the different phases of the lunar eclipse. I selected 11 different photos and using Photoshop I created this: Lunar Eclipse. It's one of my best sellers.

Do you have any parting words of advice for someone desiring to enter this field?

Have fun with it. If it becomes work, you need to re-think why you started in the first place.

--
Mike

Images in the Backcountry - Nature photography by Mike Matenkosky
California Nature Photographer


The Backcountry: “Hiking and Backpacking in and around Yosemite!”
The Backcountry: “Hiking and Backpacking in and around Yosemite!”


Editor's Note: Please also read the Guideposts article about Mike at:
Finding God Through His Camera Lens

Monday, March 28, 2011

Suggestions, Please!

Please use the contact form to send any suggestions that you may have for potential Featured Artists or Photographers.

Thank you, Jess, for being our first Featured Artist!

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Painted by Jess

Our first featured artist is photographer and painter Jess Richardson. Welcome, Jess!


What type of photography or art do you do? (For example: portraiture, landscape, still life, oil painting, watercolor, woodwork, sculpture, etc.)

I use various Virtual Paint mediums (oils, pastels, charcoal, acrylics, chalk, and occasionally pencil) to create custom portraits from existing photographs, using Corel Painter 11. My favorite medium is probably oil, though I am becoming quite fond of pastels as well.

What attracts you to this form of expression?

I think what I love the most about painting is that you can take a simple snapshot -- something that many photographers would either delete or at the least never print due to various technical issues such as poor lighting or focus -- and transform it into something that you would be proud to display on your walls. I love that I can look past any technical defects of a photograph and allow the underlying emotion to become the focal point.

Virtual Paints also allow a lot more freedom since you don't have to worry about drying times, or things like young children getting into your art studio and destroying your paints!

Do you remember the first time that you realized that this was your passion? What brought about that realization?


I discovered Digital Painting a few years ago on one of the photography forums that I frequent, and after following a few tutorials, I realized that I could tweak various techniques and create my own brushes to make something that was entirely my own. When I first began with Digital Painting, I was a Photographer first and a Digital Artist second. I began to get frustrated with the field of photography, both due to the changing economy and the frustration of working with children, who, as you know, are not always the most cooperative subjects. As soon as I discovered the world of Virtual Painting, I knew that I had found an outlet for my creativity that didn't rely as heavily on outside sources; I could transform mediocre photographs into something that could easily be passed down for generations as a family heirloom. I also realized that this was something that had much more flexible hours than photography, which was especially important at the time as I had two small children and my husband worked third-shift, making it difficult to schedule photography sessions with clients.

Who do you look up to the most in your field?

I'm completely in love with the work of Jill Garl. I love that she has such a distinctive style while still retaining the photorealism of her subjects.

How has your art or photography changed since that first moment behind the camera or canvas?

My techniques have evolved, and I've definitely developed a much better workflow that allows me to complete my creations in a much more timely manner. I started Digital Painting using Photoshop, but quickly realized that my particular style required the flexibility of a dedicated painting software, which is why I upgraded to Corel Painter. I also find myself becoming more selective with my subjects as time goes by, and tend to choose images that speak to me rather than random images that I thought would be good for practice studies.

What do you do to get yourself ready mentally for a photo shoot or an art session?

I turn on some music! I truly believe that without a soundtrack, I wouldn't be able to create. My favorite music to listen to while painting is what I like to call "Epic Classical"; heavy on the strings and percussion, and often with choral accompaniments. I also tend to change the tempo depending on the style of painting. For my Painterly Style paintings, which have much looser brush strokes and less fine detail, I definitely prefer music that is fast and loud. I often listen to Apocolyptica, Escala, and Within Temptation for this style of painting. For my Classical Style paintings, which have a much higher emphasis on fine detail and porcelain skin, I tend to listen to music that is much gentler, such as Yo Yo Ma, Yurima, and slower ballads from Broadway.

What is the most interesting piece of artwork or photography that you have created?

I'm not certain about interesting, but one of my absolute favorite pieces is an early work of my youngest son when he was in the PICU shortly after he was born. The original image was of him holding my finger, and you can see all the wires that he was connected to in the background. I loved it as a photograph, but I loved it even more as a painting. I'm also inordinately fond of a full-length nude female that I painted when I first got Corel Painter. The original stock image was a snapshot, and I was very happy with the final transformation.

Where do you expect to be with your photography or art five years from now?

I hope to have my name be more well-known, and to have a wider client base. Regardless, I see myself still curled up with my computer and my tablet, jamming to classical music, making magic on my canvas.

Do you have any parting words of advice for someone desiring to enter this field?

Paint because you love it, not because you have to. Never be afraid to ask questions. You are never done learning. Invest in a good tablet for your PC (I love Wacom myself), and don't skimp on the software or the computer processor that you plan on using. Always, always, always back up your work and save often! Share your knowledge with others if they ask, and always remember that you were once new at this yourself. Remember to be patient; I've done paintings that have literally taken weeks to complete, so don't try to take shortcuts or rush through it. Know when to stop; sometimes you can ruin a beautiful painting by over-tweaking it. A painting should be a living, breathing thing. Never ever burn any bridges; you never know if that one person you want to strangle today might turn into your best patron in the future!

Jess Richardson
Artist, Paintedbyjess.com
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