You have to wait on snow here in the south, even in the mountains.  But when you get lucky enough to see some of the white there are boundless opportunities for a photo op.  Hope everyone is enjoying their holidays and Christmas celebrations.  Might as well make Peace with God , Yourself and Everyone else because life is so short on earth.....

Remnant

It is almost unfair to just simply give you the settings used for a digital photograph.  There is so much altering possible in a photography software program that can drastically change the original image.  It will help so much to get it right in the first place though.  I have gone full circle now.  Less is more when it comes to the alterations.  Don't overdo the sliders my friends.  Shoot manual.  Experiment with different settings.  Learn how each of the controls on your camera works.  Sleep with your manual!  Keep your compositions simple and remember what you are trying to say with each one, leaving all the rest of the distractions out in anyway possible (most likely-a good cropping will do).

Obsessed

Didn't take the photo of course, but it still told me alot.  I love my car and my camera.  Is that wrong?  I've never loved a car before...careful Kathy, don't hold on too tight.  It's just that they were a long time coming.

When We See Him Face to Face, We Will Know He Was One of Us

f 5.6, SS1/640, iso 250, Center weight fill flash, Focal length 70mm, close crop, off center focal point.
Thank you Jesus.

Happy Birthday Jesus!

A photo of our little ones during VBS in Munkacs, Ukraine.  What a great way for them to learn the wonderful story of just how much God loves us.  A heartfelt thank you also to our cool interpreters.... you guys have to know how important you are to everyone.

Danube River, Budapest, Hungary

Young Buck

Showing you now a sample of my reference material and then the finished painting.  The freedom to change certain elements of the original photograph is not just your right but in fact becomes necessary in order to make a simpler statement, which of course is stronger than reality.  The photo shows the face at an odd, rather oblique angle.  I prefer a profile, three quarters, or frontal.  That would be more familiar in terms of how the painting might be appreciated by the viewer.  No need to paint every blade of dried grass to get the message across either.  There should be an obvious focal point if I have done my job and it should be in a pleasing spot on the canvas.  All of this is just my opinion, mine and hundreds of other artists that is.  But I also believe we should not back ourselves into too many rules or corners so to speak.  I have tried so hard to learn the traditional methods of painting but I also envy some of the more contemporary painters of our day and only wish I knew where to begin without seeming foolish or lazy in my methods.

Come On Snow!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Pumpkin Pie anyone?  Not too soon to plan the menu you know.  A still life with found things around the house...

Old Friends

Couldn't believe it, but it was for real.  Any other time and you would think I had to hire actors to portray another era.  Tricky lighting here, and the dog wouldn't be still (the old gentleman was eating a slice of bologna)!  Surprised myself when I looked at the metadata:  f/2.8, 1/6shutterspd, iso 140, centerweight metered.  No tripod even with slower shutter speed, but I was sitting and my elbows on my knees.  This was some time ago before I knew shutter speed controlled the background exposure so the light source was pretty blown out.  Many thanks to the subjects for their cooperation.

My Kind of Shot

Just a simple Cades Cove everyday occurance.  They are very used to our brand of paparazzi.  No flash photography here.  Just metered more or less for the sky to make sure I had a blue background.  The darks were lightened in PS CS4 Raw and then some minor sharpening due to the fact that I was shaking as usual.  He, of course, could have cared less that I was aware that a Buck has been known to charge.

When God Paints the Sky

Nature, the best teacher of all.  This is Sevierville at Twilight (and you haven't even gotten up into the mountains yet).  Most visitors come here for the unbelievable shopping, but my favorite reason is for what you see now.  Not that I don't enjoy giving my money away as well.

Elkmont Retreat

In another era, when the mountains were new to us, there began the tradition of a great escape.  Turn right at the Sugarlands visitor center and follow the signs to Elkmont Campground, follow the little dirt road to the left and stroll into a time gone by.  I felt like I walked into a time warp.  There are many structures like this one, but all are empty now.  Yet with every turn I  hear the echoes of laughter and the language of happiness when children explored  nearby creeks.  I am beginning a series of paintings based on these little buildings.  I hope to capture what I feel about this special place.

Ms. Cleo

There are volumes of stories in a person's face.  This is my wonderful neighbor.  She agreed to stop working

in her garden long enough for me to take a portrait of her.  The honesty I was able to capture here is

breathtaking.  I'm not bragging, just telling you how gracious she is.  I feel so honored and blessed when

someone looks me straight in the eye.  F 4.5  1/200  iso250 center weight metered, fill flash.  I was down on

my knees looking up at her.  Spend a little time here.  I personally believe that photography is about detail

moreso than painting.  I strive for those little messages in photographing and I will spend the rest of my

life trying to lose the detail when I paint.

Village Princess

Children are the same everywhere.  My granddaughter is her age, so therefore, I know her personally.
Why does my heart ache?
Used some creative license in PS CS4.  Black and white filter. Tint. Density slider adjustments. Distort
filter. lens correction, vignette.  But I doubt anyone needed any of that to have her reach out to you.

The Gatekeeper

Gatlinburg, Tennessee is known as the "Gateway to the Smoky Mountains".  I have visited here multiple times as a child and now I call it home.  I have stayed true to my lessons on this and a few other paintings  in that I'm not creating an image of anything I have not seen in reality.  This big MaMa had three cubs with her and they were feeding at the top of a steep hillside.  Of course there was a crowd peering at her from a sane distance but I decided she was going to be the subject of my next canvas, sooooo, I began my little trek up upwards armed with my

70-200mm lens.  Fifty yards is the legal distance I am allowed but I figured if I could not look into her eyes there would be no point in even opening my paints. I could only hope 200mm would give me the detail I needed.  I then heard someone say, "Look at that crazy lady with the Nikon!" (hence my blog name minus the adjective).  She agreed with the onlooker and finally looked down at me and in so many bear language sounds let me know I should back off.  I respected her space and fired off a few quick snaps of the shutter and then practically fell back down the mountain.  Just in time...here came the park rangers.  I cropped out the mountain behind her to reveal the vastness of a typical Smoky Mountain scene.

Out of the Blue

The number of black bears in the Great Smoky Mountains has grown substantially in the last decade.  I have seen several just this year and I have not even done a lot of hiking.  When I do see one, I have to tell
you that I am just mesmorized.  I hate the traffic jams they cause when one is spotted, but that also has to tell
you that we all want so desparately to connect with nature in an intimate way.  Our responsibility at that point is to respect the wild animal's space.  I say this at the risk of alienating myself from my "hunter" relatives.  My

grandfather was one of the first Game Wardens during The Great Depression (what was so great about it you say).  He was a hunter himself and walked The Tellico Mountains on a daily basis.  The game he hunted and killed ended up saving his family for sure.  His roots on both sides of parents came from Germany and Native American Indian stock - from the north and the south of our country.  I miss his stories.....

Ebony and Ivory

Just my neighbors bovines doing their thing and checking me out.  My job is to just tell the truth and paint the
light, nothing else.  It is challenging for me to stay true to that.  Now, where is that light coming from and what

temperature is it?  Warm or cool is the decision to be made first, middle and last.  Did it bounce off of something and "color" the thing next to it?  This has got to be 90% look and 10% put!

Fair and Balanced

Humble yourself today.  This villager is literally digging out a meager existence from the landfill his village sits on.  A small "cottage" industry, the bricks made from the soil are used in the gypsy ghettos to build  dwellings that provide some shelter from the coming winter.  Our team and a few village children walk ahead and I stay behind to survey the sight.  My title is tongue-in-cheek of course because I know I should be the one to carry the water also.

First Impressions

So, this was the first sign I wasn't in Kansas anymore.  Taken out my van window, we were not
far from New Life Church in Munkacs, Ukraine now.  Believe me when I tell you that the Travel Channel and National Geographic Channel have got nothing on Foreign Missions!  If only every young person
growing up today could spend time abroad in service of somekind, we would have a different future to look
forward to.

Eye Candy

Enjoy!  The last shot was taken by my oldest son, Ben.

untitled

The best pictures for me seem to be the ones that are not directed.  It's my job to be there and

be ready to capture that fleeting moment that never returns.  Thank goodness for the "continuous"

mode on my camera.

Legend

A painting doesn't have to be difficult or all that important in the grander scheme of

things....just make it from something you love and all will be fine.

Lunch Break

"Paint only what you truly see."  These words have been repeated to me more than I care to say.

Easier said than done, it is the fundamental tool written about in so many art instruction books.  Can

I get my preconceived notions about what I think something actually is, out of the way - in order to

have the truth revealed?  Even if I truly see what is there I become afraid when it makes no sense.

Can I really trust my eyes only?  And what about the ability to copy that with paint?

My father was a brilliant engineer and he had some fine advice when I would copy something or make

templates.  "Always go back to your original measurment for copies."  For everytime I created something, it

would have it's little incorrections and be unsuitable for use in creating future designs.

A strange occurance happens when you try so hard to see the truth of tangible things:  You start to

look for the truth EVERYWHERE - in people, what they say, the themes of movies or books, motivations,

and heaven forbid ....MYSELF!!!  God help me.

Safe Space

Never far from MaMa, this little Cades Cove fawn dodges my lens.  Wish you could
"hear" the quiet of this place.  Just turn off the car and walk out a few feet through the

pasture and take a deep breath.  Thank you God....
F5.6   1/125  iso800 Center weight metered, cloudy white balance, no flash, 70-200mmVR lens
so no tripod to lug around, scares the wildlife too.  If you have Photoshop, play around with
"Render" filter and experiment with some "lighting effects".  This is Portrait One style, omni light
type and then adjust all those sliders to your liking.

Cream and Sugar

Her first tea party, my daughter-in-law's neice already has the gift of service.  BTW, this painting
was done from a photograph taken on the same day as "Sparkle Plenty".  What a magical afternoon!

Can You Help Us?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBWY1zF2WIE

Please watch this video of Greg Tucker's first experience with the gypsies in Munkacs, Ukraine.  You can make a donation if you feel led, to NC Baptist Men and designate all the money

is to be used for "The Gypsy Project". http://www.ncmissions.org/

Chestnut

OK, so I broke a few "rules" here.  Still, the comp feels right to me somehow.  Maybe
because I love the subject so much it just seems to work.  She's looking me square in the eyes, or

rather, the lens. That's the sun in her cornea if you are wondering.  F4, 1/640, iso125, no flash, centerweight metered.

Blackberry Bear

One of my fantasy bears.  When I feel like pretending, I put these local fellas in all kinds of
backdrops.  Don't tell my teachers.  I shouldn't paint anything I don't actually see you know.

Used the wonderful palette knife and lots of juicy paint!

The Artist

The original is in a museum and was painted by Irving Ramsey Wiles.  Studying and copying the
work of a master will help you grow by leaps in your work.  I don't believe in ghosts, however I
can tell you that I felt Wiles standing over my shoulder as I worked, encouraging me and perhaps

sharing some techniques with me.  Doing this helped me to see how clever these guys were.

Twilight Colors

You can see scenes like this one just off the Motor Nature Trail in Gatlinburg, Tn.
Each month is a different palette, depending on the weather of course. F11, 1/60
Used a Tripod for slower shutter speed.  Metered the sky which gives rich sky

colors and turn the foliage into a nice silhouette.

In Her Father's Shadow

Yes, I am one of THOSE grandparents.  Can't get enough of my babies.  She is wondering about her Daddy's shadow she is about to step on.  Another one

that just flew off the brush!

Please

There really are no words I can put down here to describe what my heart is feeling.  I can
only say that when you treat God's precious ones like kings and queens, He will show

Himself to you.

Stars and Stripes

She's not just a photo to me.  Her image is real and right here in the room with me.  It is morning for
us now but she faces the night.  Will she be warm as the cooler weather moves in?  The fabrics in the
window are the same as my own Flag of Freedom in America.  Just a window pane between us, not

the miles of land and water.  My prayers go out to her, carried by the wind of the Holy Spirit.

The Fruit Vendor

I passed his way most every day that year during the fall.  On this particular day I gathered
a little courage and stopped.  He had most of what I needed for my pantry: honey, pickles, etc.
But the thing I really wanted most of all was to paint him.  He agreed to sit for a portrait and

I was grateful.

Upper Room

I guess I suprised this little one as much as it surprised me. Some creatures prefer the attic to the alley.  F4 1/60   ISO360 Centerweighted fill flash.  Pushed levels in PS RAW

Time To Settle Up

A beautiful fall day sees two fellas catching up on a payment.  We are left to guess just what
the money was for.  I didn't have to look long for a subject that day.  Ten minutes out of the

house and there they were.  How unusual to see horseback riders near my neighborhood.  I'm reminded that my debt has been paid in full, and that has made all the difference.  This one just flew off the brush.

Sparkle Plenty

A warm sunny back porch and complimentary colors.  Alex is her name and she
was sitting still just long enough that I could see this as a painting, thereby taking
the photo of her to the next level.   Careful Kathy, try not to make it look like a
photograph!  That has already been done.  Put your own spin on it now.  It is

your right.

Sand in Your Toes

Back from the beach in Destin, Fla.  Yes, the sand really is like sugar.  That is

my grandaughter's feet and her Grandaddy's.  F4  1/3200  ISO 500 Spot metered

Baptize Me!

Standing in a cool river in The Carpathian Mountians of the Ukraine, I was photo journaling the first
ever Hungarian Gypsy Baptism in this country.  I wish you could hear his shouts of joy.  70-200mmVR,
F/4  1/640 iso 1250, polarizer filter, no flash

About the Cover Photo

The photo on my home page was taken this summer in the town of Munkacs in the Ukraine. I
was fortunate enough to spend a couple of weeks there on a foreign mission. I worked with and
photographed a precious group of people known as Hungarian Gypsies. In one of the villages a
little boy was running past me with a bird in his hand. I stopped him and asked to take his picture. He obliged and the result you see here reminded me of the song, His Eye is on the Sparrow. F/7.1 Speed 1/200 Auto white balance 70mm Center-weighted fill flash