dj pettitt - gentle whispering hues

book finished for class sample

I'm so excited about teaching at An Artful Journey in July. I taught during the February retreat, and the entire event was amazing. The venue is dreamy, and this time, I plan to find time to walk in the woods and shoot some photos.

I saw some of the photos that students took of deer and beautiful forest paths that I want to explore while there. I saw an abundance of beauty in February, but had no idea how much more there was to see.

beauty and light full of splendor and joy

glorious dreamings

things cherished

beloved friends

laughing

discovering

each hour more bright

golden echoes sweet

lovely moments

gentle thoughts

bathed in clouds of rosy light

such a lovely day

misty dreamy days of summer

 

more bee photos!

The apple blossoms will be gone soon, so I grab my camera and take my breaks out under the apple tree with Tulla and the bees.

I really want to get a bee in flight that is sharply focused, but I have no idea how people manage it. It's incredibly difficult to press the shutter just as they take off and keep them in focus. I haven't been successful yet, but will keep trying.

...and they never seem fly toward me, so I get a lot of bee backside shots :-)

This beautiful lady bug made me smile when she raced across the branch right where I was shooting. I never would have seen her if I hadn't already been focusing on the bee.

I love how the pollen sticks to the hairs on their body, and they stop periodically to groom and move it to the pollen baskets on their legs where it is stored until they return to the hive. 

signature wraps

The term "signature wrap" isn't an official book making term (as far as I know anyway), it's just a name that I made up to describe the layers of fabric and lace that I wrap around each signature in my books. Normally, I use a lot of lace and vintage textiles in my signature wraps, but for this book, I'm doing it a bit differently. There will still be laces and treasures, but I'm painting the wraps using some of the techniques I'll be teaching in my July class at An Artful Journey.

 

   

...and love, in tender dropping showers, nourished the blue and dawning hours

The sun finally came out today!

I took a break this afternoon and enjoyed photographing wild flowers in our field, while laying in the grass, soaking up as much sunshine as I could. 

photo class lesson

I'm taking an online photography course specific to my camera so I can better learn what all those buttons are for. Part of the assignment this week was to take a photo of white on white, and get correct exposure using settings that were talked about in the lesson. I think I failed on the white part, because I didn't use bright white in my subject, and I used available window light plus an OTT lamp for lighting. Even if it isn't truly white, I learned a lot about exposure, and I sure had fun dressing up my mannequin with vintage laces!

on the wings of spring

Ahhhh the Tree Swallows were so much fun this morning!

 

the bees are back!

I'm loving that we're finally getting some sunshine and color!

 

tulips and daffodils

 

book pages

a little more progress on the book pages... just need some words and put it all together.

 

 

book progress

Here are a few progress shots on the class sample book I'm working on for July. They aren't finished, but I thought you might like to see the progress...

I'm also trying to learn all I can about my camera. That's a big order since all I've ever done was shoot on auto. It's been raining nearly every day, making it a challenge to get out and shoot, but I managed to practice a bit with depth of field and setting correct, custom white balance when needed. So much to learn...

finished the bird painting

I added a mono print transfer, some water soluble pencil, and a few splatters and he's ready to become a book cover. I'm loving this transfer technique and will be teaching it in my July class at An Artful Journey.