withering rose

I'm experimenting with layers that I paint and am having fun making the image look like a painting. This one has three layers of the same violet painting, each with a different blend mode and opacity. I sometimes use a gaussian blur for the background if I didn't do it with the camera. This is an image from last summer that I've reworked.

plum blossoms#3

The harbinger for spring in my backyard is the ornamental plum tree. It's the first plant to blossom and sends me running for the macro lens. I'll have a variety of bulbs opening within a week, but I always have to have lots of photos of those delicate pink flowers clustered among still-tight buds with their contrasting plum-colored leaves. Although I'm still bundled in thick sweater and boots, these sweet blooms make me smile warmly.

books, books, books

I'm always moving stacks of books: photography books, historical fiction, art books, books on creativity. I've filled my bookcases, lugged boxes of books to the used book store, and now, I resort to making stacks (by category, of course). The stack I'm currently working on includes iPhone Artistry by Dan Burkholder, Dan Marcolina's iPhone Obsessed, Viviene Maier: Out of the Shadows, the current copy of UPPERCASE, and Eight Girls Taking Pictures by Whitney Otto. I highly recommend  all of them. I'm finding inspiration to create all around me these days. I guess I can live with stacks of books.

watercolor succulent

These colorful succulents make the perfect subjects for the app Aquarella. I love playing with the color washes and bloom that can be manipulated. It's like painting but in high speed.

succulent

I'm loving the app Aquarella for changing photographs into watercolors. You can make so many adjustments, making your work resemble a painting: style, color intensity, bloom, wet edge strength, wash, and paper type to name a few. I work daily with my iPhone these days because of the immediacy of the processing and variety of apps. I'll be posting examples of photos processed in the phone, but to see daily posts, follow me on instagram @deevlasak

postcard swap

Want a fun way to connect with other artists while receiving artistic mail? Check out the postcard swap.