My Art - Smiling Cats & Grinning Jacks

Happy Hump Day Everyone! I must say I got a kick out of reading every one's reactions to the bizarre Pumpkin Dance post yesterday. Glad you all watched it, as it is now becoming somewhat of a personal tradition for me to view this every October for a good chuckle. :o)
Today's post is some artwork I created this year for Hallowe'en. Some of my art is strictly graphic illustration work from start to finish. But some of it begins with a photograph, which is the case with these two pieces. The Grinning Pumpkin Man and the Grinning Black Cat are two Hallowe'en figures from my vast collection. They were set up on the dining room table where they were 'styled' and photographed.

In addition to Lifestyle Stock Photography and Portraiture...I also enjoy shooting various still life shots that I have styled. So these were in that category, and I especially love shooting Still Life Photography of Hallowe'en items. Go figure! I like to think of it as taking one person's wonderful art that was cast in one form, and then translating it into a second art form and media type. This is a way to keep the art alive and growing and transforming it into more art. Perhaps a way for art to 'reproduce' or 'multiply'! So I took the initial shots which I liked just as they were, but then I sat down and used my favorite tool, Photoshop, to work a little "Wendy Magic" on them. (I often prefer things to look a bit old or weathered, instead of shiny and new.) Then I wrote some verse to add to them and they were done. (Click on images to view larger.) I like these enough that I will probably print them out on my large format printer and frame them up to hang on the wall as Hallowe'en decor. (The art images above were created from similar 'styled' stock photographs like the one below, of both figures together.)

In fact, I think this is one of the big reasons why I love Hallowe'en so much....because I view it as a fun and creative holiday. One that is about 'creating' and 'frivolity', instead of 'buying' and 'getting'. From our costumes, to our masks, to our yard haunts and house decor....Hallowe'en gives us the perfect excuse to BE CREATIVE!Photography, Art & Writing © 2009 Wendy A. (All Rights Reserved)