The Opposite of Snow

[Cheryl Slechta]

I've been too busy with Christmas projects to participate this week but I took this image several weeks ago and thought it might brighten the day for all of the snowbound people up north:) I used a cooling filter on the sky to get some blue (it was cloudy and gray), then DAP Benson and usm to get some texture.
Stay warm!

[Julie Kenward]

I'm not exactly "north" but I'm far enough to be sitting in the teen's temperature-wise and we got our first dusting of snow last night so THANK YOU for this, Cheryl!

One thought I had was that your blues are more to the warm side and your yellows are more towards the cool. I wonder if moving the blues away from the red end towards the green might make this a little more harmonious color-wise?

I also think taking the sky down just below your signature so it's more 1/3 sky and 2/3 flowers - if that might strengthen the beautiful comp you have here already? Just a thought...

Again, thank you...my heart is singing spring even if I'm wearing boots and drinking a hot cup of tea to keep warm!

[Jay Sheinfield]

Comments on color already made..................I really like the layers and textures. A pleasure to look at.

[Paul Lagasi]

I'm far enough north and go figure its raining here...nice work Cheryl...agree with some of the suggestions above...DAP really does a great job, nice effect and colors, both in the flowers and the sky.

[denise ippolito]

Cheryl, I just love sunflowers -especially lots of them! This is beautiful. Jules makes a good point regarding the color but to be honest I probably wouldn't have noticed w/o her saying something. I was too caught up in the painterly feel to this one.:)

[Christopher Miller]

Beautiful work, Cheryl! Reminds me of Van Gogh. Personally I think the color is fine, but I do agree with Jules on taking a bit off the sky.

[Roman Kurywczak]

Hey Cheryl,
I'm a bolder color guy.....so Jules recommendation for the colors would probably appeal to me......but I also like the softer more muted look that you have in the OP! Dreary here in NJ.....so this image definitely brought a bit of sunshine to the dreary day!

[Andrew McLachlan]

Hi Cheryl, very nice to see these flowers after clearing 4 foot snow drift from my roof before the rains came and then temps dropped to freeze car doors shut. Nice to be thinking of summer again.

[Cheryl Slechta]

Thanks everyone for your comments - I hope it brightened your snowy day:) Jules, I wasn't sure what you meant about the color, especially since I had used a "cooling" filter on the sky and also used Foliage in Nik Color for the sunflowers. I have Elements 7 so I'm not sure I can do what you are suggesting.:confused: Here's a different version - I used a levels adjustment twice - once for the sky and once for the flowers. This is much brighter but I wonder if it is headed in the direction you suggested. I also cropped. Thanks!