rock-painting table top

[Dennis Bishop]

There's an art center in Lakeside, Ohio, where there is such a demand for many of the classes that attendees are chosen by lottery. Over the years, probably more than a thousand children aged three and older have sat at the sturdy wooden tables on the front porch to paint rocks. Kids, rocks, paint . . . Not surprisingly, the tables bear a delightful witness to it all.

Nikon D3S, 105mm macro lens, f/8, 1/6 sec, ISO 200

processing

• Topaz Simplify -- Watercolor II preset, reduced opacity
• a total of four b&w layers from Topaz Simplify, Alien Skin Snap Art, and Fractalius -- all at Multiply blend mode and three at reduced opacities

[Nancy Bell]

This is a fun abstract with a delightful story. The simple, smooth diagonal line adds a great contrasting compositional element, and is somewhere for your eye to rest from all the abstract color forms. I'm going to experiment with those b&w layers and blending. I really like the effects you get.

[Hazel Grant]

What a great story! So glad you captured these memories in such a beautiful way. Thanks for the idea of using the bw layers in this way. Gives me some ideas!

[Michael Gerald-Yamasaki]

Dennis,

Greetings. This is outstanding. The color and underlying wood texture, but the lines accentuating the individual color blobs and strokes are superb. Maybe it struck me because as I was looking at this I was also listening to a recent Paul Simon album and ...

Kodachrome
You give us those nice bright colors
You give us the greens of summers
Makes you think all the world's a sunny day, oh yeah!
I got a Nikon camera
I love to take a photograph

;-).

Cheers,

-Michael-

[Dennis Bishop]

. . . as I was looking at this I was also listening to a recent Paul Simon album and ...

Kodachrome
You give us those nice bright colors
You give us the greens of summers
Makes you think all the world's a sunny day, oh yeah!
I got a Nikon camera
I love to take a photograph

;-).

Cheers,

-Michael-

Thanks very much for your comments. I've always liked that song, but -- as is often the case when I look at art (in a relaxed way, at least) -- I pay more attention to the whole thing than to the details. Consequently, I knew only some of the words. Consequently, I searched and found a great YouTube version. Near the end of the song, there's a line that goes something like, "Everything looks worse in black and white." So I just had to try it and see.

[Hazel Grant]

yep.....the song was right. This is definitely a "no" in bw.

[Anita Bower]

Great colors, shapes, textures. I've mixed feelings about the white diagonal line, but I think I like it. As always, appreciate the description of your process. I just tried converting filtered layers to B&W and then blending--something to explore further. Thanks. :-)

[Dennis Bishop]

. . . I just tried converting filtered layers to B&W and then blending--something to explore further. Thanks. :-)

Anita, you've given me an idea. I'll try it out and -- if it works -- report back on it. Thank you.

[Diane Miller]

I like everything except the line cutting things in two.

[Barry Ekstrand]

Great colors, great texture and shapes. I agree, if you can lose the white line it will be a plus.

Barry

[Dennis Bishop]

For those who don't like the line, or aren't sure, here's a quick version without it. Ideally, I'd have digitally pushed the two boards together and, then, redone all the processing because it would've looked better that way. Because I'm too close to it, I may never know for sure, but I think I prefer it with the space between the boards.

[Diane Miller]

I love it this way, but if you want to preserve the space / line, how would it strike you to make it a light brown, with some texture (so easy to say...) so it looked more organic?

[Barry Ekstrand]

Taking out the line came out great. Diane's idea sounds good too, I'd be curious to see it.

Barry

[Michael Gerald-Yamasaki]

Dennis,

Greetings. I personally like the OP best. I like the line since I can imagine the picnic table (?) that it is. The merged one, while the work is good, pushes this toward an abstraction and to me is less compelling.

Cheers,

-Michael-

[Anita Bower]

I like both versions.

[Dennis Bishop]

I love it this way, but if you want to preserve the space / line, how would it strike you to make it a light brown, with some texture (so easy to say...) so it looked more organic?

I had the same thought, Diane. In fact, I got as far as the light brown part. That still didn't do it, and I decided to continue working on another image instead of tackling the texture.

Everyone's comments -- one way or the other -- were certainly appreciated. It's good to see things through someone else's eyes.

[Kerry Perkins]

Dennis, I like the original version best for all the reasons stated by others. I think it tells the story that you intended and makes for some pleasant abstraction as well. I've always loved color and never could see the obsession that some have for b&w, but then I did spend some years working for Technicolor... As for the more abstract version without the dividing gap, it looks too contrived to my eye and the altered area looks, well, altered... Love the original!

[Jackie Schuknecht]

I don't mind the line, it give a contrast between organic and structured. Makes for a wonderful abstract shot, and your story reflects hours of child's play!