Transforming ordinary items

The image is a shadow created from the patio table.

Art can be found in virtually anything. As I’ve said many times, it’s only limited to your imagination. In a time of recycling and helping the environment there are some things we can use to make beautiful works of art. When I was in Hawaii, one of the wineries made candle holders out of the wine bottles. All wine drinkers have purchased wine that had beautiful decorative bottles and we didn’t want to get rid of the bottle after the wine was gone. You can buy a candle globe that can go over the bottle and put a small candle in the opening and you have a candle. You can also turn wine bottles into lamps. You can buy cords and drill a small hole into the bottle to run the cord. Had the socket for the bulb and you’ve created a unique lamp. Make several and give them as gifts or sell them. You can also take the plane bottles and remove the labels and then take some of your favorite scrapbook paper that matches the décor in the room and decorate the bottle with various strips around the top, center and bottom. Add some glitter or beads and sit on a window sill and let the light create art within the art on the walls and ceiling.

http://www.artbydlonzo.blogspot.com/

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=54325957

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=54365247

http://www.filmloverpg.blogspot.com/

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=38275088

http://www.n4cersworld.com/

http://www.whitehouse.gov/agenda/civil_rights/

Check out the above links if you haven’t already. Watch for new links.

Time to get back to reality. Rebuilding my life, one step at a time.
Thanks for stopping by; keep an open mind. What is meant to be…

Scrapbooking a life

This digital photo is called (2headsrbetta)

I started putting together a scrap book of my life story this year. This project inspired me to write as much of what I could remember. I’m glad I can remember a lot of things and I can make sense of what brought me to the place I am today. Therapy comes in all forms, but art is the greatest therapy of all. The choice of colors, the flow of words or the doodles that we create while we are just staring off into space all mean something.

Although I can remember many events, the dates are the problem. I may recall that something happened in first grade which allows me to pin point a year, but not the exact date. If something happened in school it would normally fall between August and May. That only matters if I really want to get detailed. The fact that I remember an incident should overshadow when it exactly happened. I’m also realizing I have photographs of people that I can’t remember their names. At some point they posed in front of my camera, but they didn’t make a big enough impact for me to remember who they were.

I’ve also discovered journal entries about certain people and I can’t place a face to the name. I’ve met so many people in my life which I guess makes it hard to remember them all. That’s one of the reasons I started keeping a journal for those little encounters. The people you see in passing. You may have a conversation in the grocery or at a local bar. The conversation was long enough to get a name, but not enough to form a friendship.

That could be an interesting exercise to take all of the pictures of people I don’t know and create a collage. Maybe it will trigger a memory.

http://www.artbydlonzo.blogspot.com/

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=54325957

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=54365247

http://www.filmloverpg.blogspot.com/

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=38275088

http://www.n4cersworld.com/

http://www.whitehouse.gov/agenda/civil_rights/

Check out the above links if you haven’t already. Watch for new links.

Time to get back to reality. Rebuilding my life, one step at a time.
Thanks for stopping by; keep an open mind. What is meant to be…

Dryer Sheets

In this age of recycling and finding uses for items and saving money. Dryer sheets can have a new life. They can be used more than once in the dryer. You can use them to make stuffing for animals for children or if you save enough you can stuff pillows. They can be used to dust furniture and they can be used as small pieces of canvas. You can also use them to wrap small gifts that might break. Everything that we use can have a second or third life. Get in touch with your inner artist.

http://dlonzo-OpenYourMind.blogspot.com

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=382758088

http://filmlover4pg.blogspot.com

Addicted 2 Art

The drawing to the far right is a drawing from my archives of something I did back in the early 80’s.

That’s when my art started to take off. This was before I became a professional photographer.

I had begun doing designs for business cards and letter heads. I was designing posters and had even done a few shows. It’s just one of the many doors I have opened in my life and walked through to see what adventure was waiting. Now I wait for a door or window to open for a new adventure.

I question my abilities and whether or not I am good at what I do. As an artist I’m always pushing that button and trying something new. Many times I’ll go into a store and I’ll see art and I’ll think about purchasing it and then I get a wake up call. That little voice says, “You’re an artist and you can create that yourself.” I just have to push myself every now and then. Of course anything I create these days I have to sell or give away because I don’t want to clutter up the walls. I do have an area set up for work that is for sale, but most of the pieces are not finished. I want to work on a catalog and price the items. One of the hardest things for an artist is to put a price on the work. If your selling your work yourself it’s a little easier than if you have an agent. You have to include the cut for the agent and you want to make sure the price you’re asking includes your time. Sometimes works can take months even years and you just have to ask yourself what is your time worth?

My latest project is butterflies. I created my own stencil and I made the butterflies out of foam sheets and cut them out. Then I scanned them and used the hues to create colors. Now I can print them on canvas sheets, put them in a frame and voile its ready for sale. I can also take the original foam butter flies and frame them in a box style frame individually or together.

http://dlonzo-openyourmind.blogspot.com/

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=382758088

http://filmlover4pg.blogspot.com/

Thanks for stopping by; keep an open mind.

Stimulate Art

I have three dollars left on my Borders gift card. I was going to go to the movies and then head over to Borders, but I got delayed. I like going to the first showing of a movie for several reasons. Usually there aren’t a lot of people in the theater so its like watching a movie at home. Usually the first showing is a discounted showing so you don’t have to pay full price, just in case the film is a bomb. Rarely do I go to see a film that I don’t come away from enjoying some part of it.

I’ve been reading and looking at a lot of books and magazines to get inspiration for the various forms of art that I create. Video, photography and scrap booking are now taking top priority and I’m trying to incorporate them all into one project.

The digital art form is unique, but what I don’t like about it is that it really isn’t the same as creating with your hands. When I took pictures with my 35mm camera, I took my time because film costs and I didn’t want to take a lot of unnecessary shots. I got to know my subjects quite well and knew what worked. With digital, you can just shoot forever and if you don’t like something you can manipulate it on the computer or just hit delete. Colors can be enhanced so much that the image is unreal. You can also drop an image in a place where it never existed. Of course its still an art form, but it would be great if photographers shared their secrets and stop making people believe it’s the original shot. Last year I was reading one of my artists magazines and there were some techniques in a previous issue that blew me away. I was dumbfounded because I couldn’t recreate the images. A few weeks ago I was reading the last issue and found out the secret to creating those images was not all original. What the artist had done was created a drawing and scanned it into the computer and then printed it out. The artist then colored on top of the image which created some intense imagery and colors. I tried it and guess what, it worked. It pisses me off, that they could have told me that to begin with and then I wouldn’t feel like I was missing out on something. I don’t have a problem sharing my techniques with others. There are many easy ways to create something even if you get a little help in the beginning. I create my own master drawings which allow me to use the same characters over and over as I see fit. I also make my own stencils. As an artist, one is only limited by ones imagination.

www.artbydlonzo.blogspot.com
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=54325957 www.dcinemafile.blogspot.com
www.filmloverpg.blogspot.com
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=38275088
www.n4cersworld.com
http://www.whitehouse.gov/agenda/civil_rights/

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=54365247

Check out the above links if you haven’t already. Watch for new links.

Time to get back to reality. Rebuilding my life, one step at a time.
Thanks for stopping by; keep an open mind. What is meant to be…

Be Creative

The Green Living show is going on in Austin, but I don’t think I will attend this year.

I’ve been implementing recycling since the mid 80’s. That’s one of the reasons why I can’t throw anything away. LOL.

There’s always another way that a magazine or book can be used. Wine bottles have now become vases and works of art. Magazines are becoming envelopes and small gift bags can be turned into waste baskets that can sit next to the bed out of view.

Tin cans are now pencil holders and I’m working on turning wine bottles into picture frames. My journal has always been like a scrapbook, but only the size of a regular book. I’ve noticed the colorful 12 x 12 sheets that you can buy and so I’ve gotten a few bargains at Big Lots and other craft stores using coupons or catching a sale. I read the craft books and magazines and get inspired to create my own pages.

I recently found a unique scrapbook at Marshalls for $5.99. Most of the 12 x 12 books I’ve seen are priced between $15.00 and $25.00.

I’m putting together a scrap book about my life in the form of art. Highlighting the good, the bad and the turning points that have gotten me where I am today. It will include my favorite photographs of those that have posed in front of my camera and stories of how the photograph came to be. That should give you something to inspire you.

Take some time and be creative.

http://www.artbydlonzo.blogspot.com/
http://www.dcinemafile.blogspot.com/
http://www.filmloverpg.blogspot.com/
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=38275088
http://www.n4cersworld.com/
http://www.whitehouse.gov/agenda/civil_rights/

I’ll add more links soon.

Time to get back to reality. Rebuilding my life, one step at a time.
Thanks for stopping by; keep an open mind. What is meant to be…

Art from High School

In my senior year of High School my art began to be seen by the public. I had always drawn for my own enjoyment and other than my family, no one else, but a few close friends knew I even had that talent.

The drawing to the right consists of ink dots to form the picture entitled disasters. I had a fascination with the disaster films of the 70's and it was the inspiration for this picture.

In case you don't remember the films: Tidal Wave, Earthquake, The Towering Inferno, The Hindenberg, Airport and The Poseidon Adventure. Some of the other images were just added for effect.