one-of-a -kind

[Dennis Bishop]

The Industrial Revolution and the accompanying interchangeable parts brought about many positive changes, but I still like handmade one-of-a-kind things whether they are only a piece of art or something utilitarian. If both, so much the better. This tool box was made years ago by the worker who installed the carpet on which it is sitting. I'm not sure that it has any beauty beyond its functionality and the fact that the tool holders on the side were made from carpet remnants, but I was drawn to it immediately. It seemed to reflect its owner in many ways.





Nikon D3s, ISO 400, f/11, five-exposure HDR in 1 EV increments, zoom lens at 40mm

processing highlights

• Because I needed to rotate the image to make the corner of the walls vertical, I lost some width and added canvas on the left side.
• The walls are made of wide pine boards so were distracting. A Belle Fleur texture was used to replace them, and it was warped to flow around the corner.
• Topaz Simplify -- saved watercolor preset
• Alien Skin Snap Art -- saved watercolor wash preset, Hard Light blend mode
• Belle Fleur texture -- (not the same as the previous one) applied over the entire image with different blend modes on two successive layers: Hue, and Linear Burn
• Nik Color Efex -- Tonal Contrast
• Fractalius -- three saved black & white presets; Multiply, Divide, Multiply
• Simplify -- black edges on white, Multiply
• Snap Art -- dark brown edges on white, Multiply
• Alien Skin Exposure -- conversion to B&W (It's becoming my go-to instead of Silver Efex for that.), toning, vignette, and aging effects; applied at slightly reduced opacity to allow just a bit of color from the lower layers to show
• another application of Simplify black edges, Multiply

[Cheryl Slechta]

Beautifully simple image, Dennis. Two very small, picky notes - I would remove the dot below the baseboard near the left side of the image and I would like a little separation between the piece of wood (ruler?) and the vertical molding in the corner.

[Dennis Bishop]

Thanks, Cheryl. That dot is part of the aging treatment, I think, but you're probably right about removing it. That's a metal square that's impinging on the vertical molding. Once I looked it the Raw files -- long after it was possible to re-shoot them -- I wished I'd moved the tool box. With the shadow and the texture of the carpet, moving it in Photoshop didn't seem feasible.

[Nancy Bell]

Your superb & creative processing made this old collection of functional tools into a work of art! I remember my 92-year old mother-in-law exclaiming that old farm stuff that she used everyday is now appearing as "art" inside the house! It's about perspective and emotion. Your processing gives this a big dose of both.

[David Cowling]

You have turned something very simple into a very interesting image. I like the way that you have brought out the textures of the box and carpet. The water colour wash gives the image an ageless feel.

[Dennis Bishop]

. . . I remember my 92-year old mother-in-law exclaiming that old farm stuff that she used everyday is now appearing as "art" inside the house! . . .

Thank you, Nancy. Old farm stuff and old tools in the house as art . . . I plead guilty to doing that.

[Diane Miller]

Classic! I love it! Wish I had more of my grandparent's old "junque."

[Anita Bower]

I like the simplicity of this image. Perfect colors for the subject. What a clever idea to warp the texture for the wall! Works really well. Your processing simplified the image, but kept enough textures and details to provide interest. This is a nice tool box. I especially like the wood patterns and the carpet tool holders. I only wish the ruler didn't merge with the corner of the room. Lovely work.