Diane Clancy's Art Blog

I know I entered one the last 2 days, but I had so much fun that I wanted to make another entry that would feel very different! I like to enter the 2 Things Challenge each week. This week is Dead & Alive. It was fun once I thought of the concept of live emerging from death!! I thought you might like to see last week’s entries …. they are here. Anyone can join in, and I hope you give it a try!! We would love more people playing with us! Details are at this link above.

Renewal Dead & Alive, Digital © Diane Clancy

I have done 12 versions of this … 6 of them in this color scheme. I was going to show you the 6, but … I make these in Bryce and Bryce creates a tif file that is a Preview type (a generic graphic program.) I open the Preview file in Photoshop and do my prep work there, make it bigger, add a signature and generally make it mine.

This morning I had the 6 Preview files open trying to decide which I liked the best … to show you. I was going to show you all 6 because I thought it would be helpful to see the difference … but then I opened all 6 in Photoshop and it changed the color drastically. So there were sort of 12 versions … Then I went back to Bryce and the color looked different yet there …

Saturated Renewal Dead & Alive, Digital © Diane Clancy

So I got discouraged and decided instead to write about color shift from program to program. I knew the colors shifted between Preview and Photoshop … but usually the more vibrant color in Photoshop is what I like. This time it reduced the subtleties and differences between the images.

I am learning so much about Bryce as I am working on these paintings … shifting fog and seeing what happens … shifting haze and seeing what the difference is. I learn the most when I have a picture almost where I want it but not quite .. so I tweak and tweak.

I have now gone and reduced the saturation in Photoshop so I like the painting better – it was irritating me. But I have decided to show you both versions so you can see the difference.

OK, now I have gotten both versions up online and they don’t look all that different to me … and!!! they are less saturated than they were on my computer screen.  Yet I am looking at them on my computer!! But even between browsers there is incredible color shift. Well, you have a post about color … and perhaps that is interesting to you. I sure hope so!

Yesterday I made it to my Remicade day for the Crohn’s Disease I have. They were a little leery about giving it to me since my lungs are still not very good … but they decided it was ok. It had been hard to walk for about a week from arthritis, and the Remicade helped immensely!! The initial use of Remicade was for Rheumatoid Arthritis – I guess the 2 diseases have a lot of similarity because we with Crohns often get their medications after they get them.

I got a higher dose than I have ever had because it was being less effective … so hopefully I will notice a great difference and start to feel more energy than I have in months!! Thank you for all your caring and healing thoughts!!

~ Diane Clancy

Technorati Tags: 2 Things Challenge, Bryce, color, color shift

You asked for more bubbles, so here is another one. To me this has a very different atmosphere from the others. To me, this has a very peaceful feeling .. and I still need some rest and rejuvenation from how hard I have been working lately. I would love to hear how you are doing!

Contemplation at Dusk, Digital © Diane Clancy

ACEOs are Art Cards Editions and Originals. They (also called ATC – Art Trading Cards) are 2.5 x 3.5″ big. (You can read about ACEOs here and here.) When I mentioned I was going to put some ACEOs in my Etsy Shop, you suggested that I make “bubbles” ACEOs. So I thought I would try something that Lisa Call has done – offer them for sale right on the blog.

In the Zone, ACEO Edition © Diane Clancy

If anyone wants to have this, it’s yours for $7 including shipping. It is titled and signed on the back. It is enclosed in an archival sleeve and then enclosed in a 3 x 4″ rigid topload card holder for safety and display. I had never heard of them until a month or so ago. And seeing all these little pictures I have printed out in archival inks and paper, I now understand why people do collect them.

I have tended to collect greeting cards of other artists’ work to have art to be inspired by at a reasonable price. But I now see the allure of all these pretty paintings, nice and small and all the same size. So I am a convert!

Technorati Tags: rejuvenation, ACEO, ATC, Lisa Call

Some of our most faithful readers and commenter’s are very active in the 2 Things Challenge. The deal is that anyone can participate and enter your own entry. This week the challenge is Elegant and Gaudy in one image. I think this is very bright, ok, ok, gaudy … and it also has an elegance that I love. I think it is classy. I have been wanting to join in on some of the different challenges that blogs sponsor to network and connect more with other artists. So this is another step – after my World Card Day entries.

In the Zone, Digital © Diane Clancy

Follow-up to Blog Action Day – there was a fantastic show last night on CNN – Planet at Peril. Very powerful viewing. It will be available for renting soon. The second part is tonight. I highly recommend it! A wild combination of very scary info about how fast things are degrading and very inspiring with success stories and what work people are doing. In other words – like life – in other words – life itself – what allows us to live!!

Thank you for your support of me as an artist in yesterday’s post. I would love to hear how you are doing!

Technorati Tags: challenges, network, connect, World Card Day, Blog Action Day, Planet at Peril, 2 Things Challenge, environment

Another day with the computer here … As you know, shortly I will be setting up blogs for a couple of friends. So I have to know what I am doing and what the choices are. Toady I set a blog up at WordPress – they are hosting it. The address is dianeclancy.wordpress.com and the other new one is dianeclancy.blogspot.com (yesterday’s work.)

Bucky in Butterflies, Digital © Diane Clancy

It has actually been quite fun seeing the differences among the 3 choices. On this WordPress blog, that I host on my site, I can make lots of adaptations very easily because I can get right in to the guts of the code and tweak things to my heart’s content.

But on the Blogger blog, there are drop and drag templates that are quite simple to use. They have a lot of flexibility and you don’t need to know html to use this site. – (You don’t need to know html to host WordPress on your own site either – I want to make that clear.) – But I was frustrated at various times when I tried to make things happen that just weren’t going to happen. And I had to learn exactly how to work within its quirks – and when to give up.

The blog that is hosted on the WordPress site is interesting. They give you a dynamite set of templates right there. (So does Blogger) It is widget based so you can tweak the sidebar to your full delight. But I couldn’t figure out to add the little symbol for being on the Esty Sellers Ring. I don’t think I can do that there … I will have to make a widget (if I can) to make that happen.

So, it has been quite a journey going into the 3 cultures of these blogs. Thank you for traveling with me. Thank you to those who commented on the other blogs!

~ Diane Clancy

Technorati Tags: WordPress, Blogger, html

Angels and other non-physical guides are part of my everyday life. I meditate in the morning – every morning – to align myself with the Life Force. I ask angels and my higher self for guidance throughout the day (I need it!). There is a new website, Angelic Letters, where Jessica Bernard brings “messages of love and peace from your guardian angels.” I have found Jessica’s messages very loving and intuitive – I have known her for over a year.

Watching Over I, Digital © Diane Clancy

Usually when I am painting, I am asking my Muse and angels to guide me to hear and see the essence of the image so I can bring more light, love and beauty into the world. This is my purpose as an artist – to inspire – myself and others.

Bryce is a computer program that creates 3D worlds and universes – it creates environments. Poser is a program that with 3D models – human, animal and other. In playing with these programs to learn them, I took a girl from Poser, made her crystal and brought her into a vibrant Bryce sea. I decided it looks like an angel coming down to be with us here … so I decided it was worth saving.

I like the vibrancy … I love the color of the sea. I hope you have enjoyed hearing about my creative process.

~ Diane Clancy

Technorati Tags: angels, Jessica Bernard, Bryce, Poser, color, creative process, inspiration, Angelic Letters