Chuckanut Ridge Hike

This is one of those songs I can listen on repeat for much longer then I should.



Went to Chackanut Ridge over the weekend.  Took my camera along, these are my experiments.

Altered Realities

Things seen through the dreams of cats.

Rockenbach Productions

In preparation for starting a company, I thought it suitable to design a logo.  It is based on a goldfish named Honeydew.

It was when I was sitting in my kitchen talking to my fish when I realized that he would make a perfect logo.  I'm not sure what instinct told me that, but I decided to go with it.

It wasn't unti later I finished the drawing that I looked up some information on fish/goldfish as a totem. Here is what I found:

Fish:

Independence, Potential, Adaptation Fish can teach us to adapt to all environments; they can teach us to streamline our lives; they can give us protection when we need it; and connect us to the creative element of life: water.

A Fish swimming down symbolizes the involution of spirit, while a Fish swimming up is the evolution of the spirit. They reveal the strength of the currents of our lives and  see clearly in the murky waters of the future. When Fish entered your life as a Totem, it will often signal one of the senses being awakened: visions, prophetic dreams, or clairaudience is possible. There will be greater contact with the spiritual realm. Goldfish: This Totem brings peace and prosperity to those who have it.  Look for new opportunities and take advantage of them.

Cool, its a good thing I listen to my intuition. Goldfish:

This is what the drawing looks like.  I use this as a template to create a Vector image that I can safely use for any occasion.

At one point I though having a more graphic oriented image would be better, but the translation from drawing to vector became sloppy.  This is still a Vector image, but with less of a blur.  I was happy with this translation and might keep it around for a while.

Design for a Divination Deck

Before I left on my Around-the-World journey, I worked on a Divination Deck for Jody Bergsma Press.  I took me three months to complete all the design work and has a total of 44 cards plus the back-cover image.

There are 11 different background colors which make 4 images on each color.  The main design for the layout follows that of a Mandala, which is a circle from the center point.  The center images are made by Jody Bergsma while I used a mixture of painting with watercolor by hand, and the two computer programs Photoshop and Illistrator to create all the effects for each card.  The last image is the backside for all the cards and the pattern represent the 4 directions and the manifestation grid.

Rebirth
No matter what happiness you can find new wings.
Rise from the past.
Accept the positive change that is coming.

Kindness
Live with compassion.
Open your hearth to all life forms.
Be an angel with hands.

Dance
Find your heart's rhythm.
Step lightly and swing with the melody.
Close your eyes and let joy lead the way.

Pilgrimage
You are on a journey to your own greatness.
Your soul is longing to find the way.
Only you can choose your path.

Strength
You have courage.
You can endure.
Find your center and spiral into your power.

Quest
Be bold and mighty forces will aid you.
Take action,
Good luck favors the brave.

Happiness
Immense delight can be found
In the smallest of things.
Cultivate fluttering moments of joy

Change
You are transforming.
Let go of the past.
Embrace the light and joy of this new day.

Prosperity
Focus on the positive, more good will come.
Give thanks for blessings, they will multiply.
Prosperity begins in the mind.

Expectation
Be open for whatever comes next.
It might just be the music
your heart's been waiting to hear.

Elegance
It is rarely found today.
It is a lotus waiting to bloom.
Be the swan on the waves and glide.

Background image on every card.

The Idea

Hidden elements in this deck are that of the four directions, chakras, Plato's ethics, and manifestation.  If you are highly educated in Geometry or Occult Philosophy then a lot of these elements will appear obvious.  For those less informed it will appear to the viewer on a different level.  To enjoy this deck you do not need to be aware of any of this!  But the deck does act as a great starting point to learn about these ideas.

Like all mandala paintings, the purpose of the image is to help the viewer focus their attention.  Each card acts as an encouragement to aid you in your decisions with which path to take.  Using ideas of manifestation and being, the deck helps individuals choose virtuous actions in their personal reality.  Everybody has control over the way they choose to live, either believe in the miracle or live in the darkness.

The Creation

How I went about designing these cards took multiple steps  Most designers work in a group, I however work by myself and have to get "okayed" by the Artist.  This means I have to come up with many ideas on my own and slowly work it back to one final look.  

The first step for me was to create the background image.  This element is mostly forgotten about but a very critical part of the image for me.  I made several watercolor paintings using salt washes to create a gritty texture that would add contrast.  After they dried I worked in Photoshop to create mirrored 4 directional images so that any way they face it will reflect each other.  This not only gives it symmetry, but it follows the regulations of most card decks so you cant tell one side from the next.  Next I created the 4-directional circle grid in Indesign and worked with many different options until I found a composition that worked best.

Next I used the same background for the inside of the cards behind the image, but had to alter the colors.  We went though several different drafts and ended up with these 11 combinations.  It had gone from the 7 colors of the rainbow/chackras, then to the 12 zodiac colors, and finally rested on choosing 11 colors so that we could follow the 4-directions pattern by having 4 colors for each image.  The word and images on each color have been matched based on energetic meaning.  Thus all the words on the red cards are masculine such as Action, Confidence, Energy, and Rebirth.  Whereas the words for the light purple are feminine such as Elegance, Healing, Partnership, and Sacred Space.  If you look up the meanings behind the different chakras, a greater understanding behind the words can be found.

For every painting I worked with, different measures had to be taken depending on the image itself.  Some images cropped into a circle perfectly, while others had to be altered.  Such as the card called Rebirth, I needn't take any extra energy to alter the image in any way other then cropping and cutting out the wings for the bleed over the background.  Whereas Elegance was too rectangular and I was forced to rearrange the image and recreate areas to still look like a watercolor image but using Photoshop.  The ratio for this was about 1:1, so much more effort was taken then originally expected.

The words to go along with the images took much revising.  It was a mixture of bouncing back and forth between the artist and I to revise each other's work until we came to a resolution.  If you know visual artist's, you may have noticed writing is not their strong suit.  That's one of the reasons I do this blog, to keep up the ability to write well.  So in other words, the writing alone took many weeks.  There is also a book that will go along with these cards.

The Product

The product will be sold by Jody Bergsma Press and the company who has licenced her work for this deck.  Other popular divination decks from this company include Medicine Wheel by Jamie Sams.  Overall I'm happy with the final product, and find this is my most professional looking work yet.  I spent many hours staring at a computer screen to complete it and it is what funded my wonderful journey around the globe!  I appreciate the opportunity to be part of such an amazing experience.

Brochure Design about Microlending

A brochure to be passed out by Susan Bradbury during the 56th "Commission on the Status of Women" conference held by the UN at their headquarters in New York where she will be speaking. The theme for the conference is "The empowerment of rural women and their role in poverty and hunger eradication, development and current challenges."

Susan asked me to design a brochure that she could hand out as an inspirational prompt of what people can do to help multiple communities by working together. Her work for The Soundessence Project has lead her to Burundi, Israel, and Mongolia, along with starting International art shows for children. Sustaining Cultures, Changing Lives is their motto and desires to create an international network of resources and partnerships to achieve sustainable advances promoting peace, gender equality, and eradicating extreme poverty and hunger worldwide.

It was a joy and a pleasure to be a part of this project.

Coffee in the Morning, Wine after Five

I'm doing some work on the computer for a card deck. Creating drafts for the back image, trying to come up with several different compositions. Just made this this morning, I think its great, but it might not make the cut. The artist who is in charge of the card deck is in love with the four-point circles I've been painting for the last two years, not the classic 6-point flower of life symbol you see so often. Might I add this is my mom I work for, so we get to steal each others idea and fads. The deck is called "Magical Times," its good I get to make images for work that is as cheesy as me!

My Future Tree House

Something I uncovered today, I really loved this project. Made it about 4 years ago. I can't remember what the assignment was, but I defiantly wasn't supposed to spend as much time on it as I did.

Ode to the Smokies

I'm cooking up something exciting!!!

Weekly Image #3

This week I have been working on a large painting, Drawing a picture for a friend, shooting and learning how to edit films on how to paint, along with many other things. As i realized last night it was time for another weekly image, I scrambled to assemble something. Its a bit more fem then usual for me, but I like it! So there it is.

One fish, two fish...

Red fish, blue fish. Or in my case, white fish, gold fish, the kind with round puffy cheeks.

In my dream I had been followed around by two goldfish, one was pure white, and one was gold, not to be confused with orange. that dream inspired me to create this Image. Although I did not create it this week, it captures the sense of what my weekly posts will represent. A mixture of drawing, photo, and digital manipulation.

So this is the first in the series, and hopefully the start to something fantastic!