Artists Down Under - Australia and New Zealand - April 2023

DOWN UNDERartists

Australia and New Zealand

Hi everyone,

April is here, time to turn back the clocks for those of us still in Daylight Savings mode, and get ready for the Easter Bunny to hop on in and leave us all with that delicious chocolate that we all crave for once a year (well I do anyway .. lol).

This month we share another of our favourite segments, “Photoshop Tips” by Andrew Haysom. Andrew has put together some helpful hints on getting better Vignettes.

This month Maureen has organised a special interview with one of our favourite artists, Ilona Abou-Zolof. Ilona is a very gifted artist and I know you will all fall in love with her art and her journey as an artist.

The girls from the Redlands Digital Group share with you another of their Chinese Whispers Series, this one called “Into The Unknown”.

Our Featured Artist this month is Barbara Dudzinska from the Gold Coast in Queensland. Barbara has an amazing artistry style that I know you will all enjoy

This month’s artists challenge was set as “Penguins”. What an amazing job our artists did on this challenge. Hope you enjoy their entries.

Well that’s it from me for this month. Stay safe and take care of each other.

Backgrounds: Foxy Squirrell Laitha’s Designs - Jai Johnson - White Lane Studio Copyright 2017 ©

Andrew Haysom - Time Is Running Out

Ilona Abou-Zolof - Giraffe

Pam Henderson

https://faerietasticphotography.co.nz/

NIGHT MOVES

NATURE’S WAY

https://artistsdownunder.com.au/artist-3/kevin-sims/

( NEW ZEALAND )

KAYLENE HELLIWELL

TAKE ME WITH YOU

artists Achievements monthly down under

artists down under facebook page

The Artists Down Under Public Facebook page has been set up to allow the artists in the group to showcase their work and to enable them to share promotional information about themselves, e.g. exhbitions, awards etc...

You can find the Artists Down Under Public Facebook page at this address; https://www.facebook.com/groups/ArtistsDownUnder/

So, if you are an artist in the group, don’t forget to regularly share your work and information here, and to let your friends and family know about the page if they are interested in viewing the latest art and news from the group.

If you are a reader of the magazine who does not have access to the page, please click the link above and request to join. When you request to join you will be asked to answer three simple questions that will allow us to determine if you are an eligible artist who may wish to join the group and therefore be able to post on the page, or a member of the public who can view, comment and like the work on the page. It’s a great place to see some great art from this vibrant group every day!

Rosa Perry - White Butterfly Oasis

Hemant Kogekar - Night Of The Full Moon

Julie Powell - Audrey

Louise Smith - Spruce It Up

Penny De Jong - City Streets

Three ADU members receive a special gift

Our very good Awake friends Teddi Rutschman of Foxey Squirrel and Diane Stafford from WhiteLaneStudio continue to give gifts as a reward for members of the Artists Down Under group who contribute to the ADU Facebook page by regularly posting their artworks and supporting other members with their comments.

Teddi, from Virginia, USA, is well known for her fantastic sets of digital designer backgrounds, masks and all kinds of wonderful elements ready for designers to add to or build a wondrous creation.

Teddi Rutshman can be found at http://www.foxeysquirrel.com/ http://www.oscraps.com/shop/Foxeysquirrel

Teddi has given a 50% off discount voucher for one very lucky member to spend in her on-line shop.

Diane Stafford from Chester, UK, designs Photoshop textures and overlays for photo artists and photographers to use in their digital artworks. Diane has created another special kit just for Artists Down Under for the month of APRIL.

Two artists will receive a Diane kit each.

Diane Stafford can be found at https://whitelanestudio.co.uk/biolinks

The APRIL lucky winners are

Teddi Rutschman (Foxy Squirrel) 50% off Gift Voucher

- Jane Tovey

Diane Stafford (WhiteLaneStudio) Texture & Overlay Kit

- Dave Simpson

- Donna Richards

Rosa Perry - Princess Lamb

Karen Waalwyk - Tookie

Rosa Perry - Annabel The Alpaca

Karen Waalwyk - Sergio

LIVING THE PHOTO ARTISTIC LIFE

https://issuu.com/thephotoartisticlife/docs/issue97-final?fr=sZDRjYTI1ODEw

Congratulations to the following artists for having their images chosen to appear in the International magazine “Living The Photo Artistic Life”.

Louise Smith

- Spruce It Up

Rosa Perry

- Peculiar Bird House

- Mystical Sea

Gitama Day

- The Divination

Sonia Pusey

- The Cello

- The Piano

Christina Brunton

- Tango Spin

- Stairway To Heaven

Helen McLeod

- Bird On A Wire

- Rounded Hills

Lynette Paul

- Hellabore

Ilona Abou-Zolof

- Confined

Carolyn Jenson

- Galaxymind

Maureen Maxwell

- A Touch Of Whimsy No. 1 & 2

Kim Ricci

- Let Your Light Shine

Sandra Dann

- Dreaming Of Venice

Julie Powell

- The Ice Princess

Christina Brunton - Tango Spin

Ilona Abou-Zolof - Confined

Maureen Maxwell - A Touch Of Whimsy 1

Rosa Perry - Mystical Sea

Kim Ricci - Let Your Light Shine

Maureen Maxwell - A Touch Of Whimsy 2

Rosa Perry - Peculiar Bird House

Sandra Dann - Dreaming Of Venice

LIVING THE PHOTO ARTISTIC LIFE

Christina Brunton - Stairway To Heaven

Lynette Paul - Hellabore

Julie Powell - The Ice Princess

Louise Smith - Spruce It Up

Sonia Pusey - The Cello

Helen McLeod - Bird On A Wire

Sonia Pusey - The Piano

Helen McLeod - Rounded Hills

Carolyn Jenson - Galaxymind

Christina Brunton - Lady In Red

Christina Brunton - Tango Spin

Christina Brunton - Pixie Queen

Christina Brunton - Love Gannet Pair

Christina Brunton - Friendly Dragon

Christina Brunton - Snow Queen

Christina Brunton - Black Swan

light space and time

“CityScapes”

https://lightspacetime.art/cityscapes-art-exhibition-march-2023/

Congratulations to the following Artists for their special achievements in the “All Women” Light Space & Time competition.

Honourable Mention

Penny De Jong - “Electric City”

Penny De Jong - Electric City

exhibition

https://www.galleryontrack.org/

Congratulations goes to Christina Brunton and Ilona Abou-Zolof on their exhibition Portraits - Art Deco Style.

Held at the Gallery On Track, 5 Blackshaw Road, Goulburn NSW from 1st April 2023.

exhibition

https://happeningnext.com/event/artexpo-new-york-2023-eid3a09p4sxc2

New York Artexpo23

Pier 36, Lower East Side, 299 South Street, New York, NY 10002

30 Mar - 2 Apr 2023

VIP / PRESS PREVIEW

Thursday, March 30, 2023 | 4 PM – 5 PM

OPENING NIGHT PREVIEW

Thursday, March 30, 2023 | 5 PM – 8 PM

Public Show Hours

Friday, March 31, 2023 | 11 AM – 7 PM

Saturday, April 1, 2023 | 11 AM – 7 PM

Sunday, April 2, 2023 | 11 AM – 5 PM

Congratulations goes to Margaret Kalms for having four of her images chosen for the New York Artexpo23 Exhibition

ATHLETES OF THE GODS

https://artistsdownunder.com.au/artist-2/gitama-day/

MELBOURNE UNI OLD ARTS QUAD

DOWN UNDER

Australia and New Zealand

SOME PHOTOSHOP INSPIRATION

BETTER (i.e. Subtle) VIGNETTES

By Andrew Haysom

I think the vignette tools that exist in Adobe Camera Raw and many other products/filters are a little restrictive and inflexible, they usually result in an elliptical or rectangular shape in the centre of the image, and offer little ability for adjustment later if required.

Here’s my usual method for creating a subtle but effective vignette.

Please note that I use the Vignette button in the Lumenzia panel for doing this, which does it in a single click, the below are the manual steps to do it in Photoshop, without Lumenzia.

I will use one of my bird images as an example.

First use the Lasso tool to create a rough selection containing your subject (in my case the bird) – see Figure 1.

[Figure 1 – Create a rough selection with the lasso tool]

SOME PHOTOSHOP INSPIRATION (CONT.......)

Invert the selection using the Select / Inverse command.

Add a curves adjustment layer – Photoshop will automatically create a mask on the curves layer which will have harsh edges, click on the mask and in the Properties panel slide the Feather slider a long way to the right to feather the edge of the mask.

See Figure 2, where the mask icon has been [Alt/Opt] clicked to show the feathered mask.

Now click on the adjustment layer icon so that the Curve properties are displayed in the Properties panel and drag the curve down to darken the outside of your image (see Figure 3).

[Figure 2 – The feathered mask]

[Figure 3 – The Curves adjustment]

SOME PHOTOSHOP INSPIRATION (CONT.......)

If you find that the darkening of the image has caused a shift in colours – which is often the case – you can change the blend mode of the Curves adjustment layer from Normal to Luminosity.

If you have parts of the vignetted area that are already dark, and the vignette makes them too dark, you can protect these from the vignette using the Blend If

layer –see Figure 4.

Adjust the curve layer opacity and Blend If sliders until you are happy with your vignette.

As I mentioned at the start of the article, using the Lumenzia panel I can select the area of the photo and then create the vignette with a single click (choosing to hold the Shift key to protect the shadows, and/or the Cmd key to choose Luminosity blend mode). For me, this feature alone makes the Lumenzia panel well worth its cost as I use it on nearly every photo I process.

Remember, a good vignette is one that nobody recognises as a vignette.

[Figure 4 – The Blend If sliders protecting the shadows]

[Figure 5 – Before and After the vignette]

Figure 5 shows the “Before and After” of the example used for this article

sliders on the Curves

DOWN artistsUNDER

Australia and New Zealand

DIGITAL ARTISTS GROUP

A COLLABORATIVE GROUP OF PHOTO ARTISTS

CHINESE WHISPERS #65 “INTO THE UNKNOWN”

STAGE 1

STAGE 2

Pam delights in giving me a challenge with our collaboration efforts, and this occasion was no different.

After a few Oh! No! Comments and different attempts, I came up with this rather grungy mysterious image.

ENJOY!

Pam Henderson

Maureen Maxwell

Maureen Maxwell

BARBARA DUDZINSKA

WAITING FOR THE PRINCE

KISSING THE PRINCE

FRACTALS ELEGANCE

PORTRAIT IN BLUE LIGHT

RAIN IN VENICE

LADY WITH WHITE WINGS

VENETIAN PORTRAIT

VENETIAN MASK

Meet your artist BARBARA DUDZINSKA

Gold Coast Queensland

Website: https://SmartArtPLace.com

https://SmartPetArt.com

1. Tell us a little about yourself and where you live?

I live on the Gold Coast, Australia, a beautiful sunny area with white sandy beaches, magical coastline and the perfect climate.

My passion for art started early in my life when I was studying Architecture, but I never expected that later in life, creating art will become an almost obsessive passion for me. When I became involved in photography, I discovered the emotional and creative expression available through this art form. Being a member of Gold Coast Photographic Society for many years, my photographic skills expanded into solid knowledge of how to best use my camera to capture the world around me. Whilst capturing the beauty of the world around me, I soon realized that taking photos is just the beginning and that I can achieve even greater creative output by mixing my photographic work with other media. That was when I started to experiment with digital photo manipulation in which I use the photographic images as just one of the elements of my artist’s palette.

I was very fortunate to become a mentor and assessor in the Australian Photographic Society for CAPA competitions and I learn how creative other photographers are.

2. How did you become interested/get started in Photo Artistry?

Being an Architect, I was always involved in many forms of design in my professional life and when I retired I was looking to fill a big new gap in my life. That’s when I came across Photo Artistry images and Sebastian Michaels’ courses and I knew that this is the perfect match for my interests. I joined the other Artists to become an artist myself.

I then became fascinated with learning the various tricks of trade needed to take my skills and creative output to the next level. This led to studying the courses “DIGITAL ARISTRY”, “AWAKE” and “KAIZEN” together with the group of fantastic people and great artists from around the world. The knowledge gained through coursework and personal experimentation allows me to create new types of art using multiple images, blending and manipulating them, to create new surrealistic scenery using my imagination and sense of composition.

The personal expression available through this blended art form, drawing from photography coupled with digital image creation and manipulation has become my sustaining passion which I work on every day. Through this beautiful world of art I try to communicate my feelings and emotions and to share a message with everyone who connects with it. Being able to follow other fantastic artists through Sebastian’s courses was a blessing for me in all my next steps.

3. What inspires you or gives you inspiration to create your art?

Watching Sebastian’s other artists, following their work and seeing how they flourish, it’s a huge inspiration for me. It tells me that it’s possible to enjoy what I do and to constantly improve my skills.

I love to create imaginative portraits and also some surrealistic images of any subject. I constantly look through my libraries and try to use my imagination how to use and combine them.

4. Do you have a certain approach to creating your art?

My art and creativity depends on my mood and what is happening in my life. My approach is to look through my images and libraries first and to find some inspiration in my mind.

5. What does your art mean to you?

Creating art means a lot to me, it’s my everyday lifeline. It brings me happiness and relaxation.

6. Do you think since starting in photo artistry it has changed you and if so, how?

Joining Artistry courses was the best choice for me after retirement. Through the courses I became part of the great artistic community and artistic movement created by Sebastian.

7. Is there anyone that you draw inspiration from?

Great masters of “deception” and great masters of “surrealism” like Salvadore Dali were always my inspiration. Creativity of our artists in our art community through AWAKE and KAIZEN is another inspiration and motivation for me.

8. Where do you see (or hope to see) your art taking you in the future ? What are your next steps?

I would like to see my art displayed in galleries more often. My artworks were on display at the former Heaven Art Gallery located in the prestigious art district of Scottsdale, Arizona, USA, and I won a few prizes there. Awake artists get this opportunity through Sebastian’s courses. I also had an exhibition in One Arts Gold Coast at Isle of Capri. I find being able to participate in exhibitions is very rewarding.

https://www.instagram.com/janhannasky/?hl=en

DOWN UNDER

Australia and New Zealand

INTERVIEW WITH ILONA ABOU-ZOLOF

By Maureen Maxwell

Ilona, you’ve been a member of the Artists Down Under Group since it was first formed in early 2017. You’ve also been actively involved writing articles for the magazine and contributing to our Zoom sessions with your presentations.

The ADU Group has now published over 70 monthly high-quality magazines. You have art works published in every edition. This is an achievement to be very proud of.

Prior to Covid, you and Christina Brunton, organised a very successful 4-day Annual Meeting for our members in the mountains at Katoomba, NSW. We had people from many parts of Australia and New Zealand take part. It was an inspiring and motivating few days.

You’ve been published in many international magazines, including the monthly ‘Living the Photo Artistic Life’ magazine published by Sebastian Michaels.

WHAT GOT YOU INTERESTED IN PHOTOGRAPHY AND PHOTO ARTISTRY?

After I slowed down a bit with work, I sorted our old family photos, and I became aware how important those photos were to me. I bought myself my first digital camera. I enjoyed taking photos of my children and grandchildren. It became my hobby, I went to evening classes to learn photography post processing.

YOU COVER A NUMBER OF GENRES IN YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY AND PHOTO ARTISTRY. DO YOU HAVE A FAVOURITE?

My photography developed over quite a few years. I started off with portraits of children and animals, ventured into macro photography, landscapes and seascapes. I think after I mastered photography, I wanted to learn different ways of how to process my images. I started to create composite images and digitally paint my images. Currently, I paint in Photoshop and on my iPad in Procreate. I not only paint using my photos, but I also create digital paintings from scratch. I can’t say that I have a favourite subject. I just like to push myself and learn new skills every day.

THE iPad IS EASY TO TAKE OUT, OR USE WHEN AWAY FROM YOUR MAIN COMPUTER. DO YOU NOW FIND YOU USE THE iPad MORE FREQUENTLY? IF SO, WHY?

For many years I would use my iPad only when I was travelling overseas. It was easier to take with me. When COVID hit us, I started watching tutorials on Procreate. Now, I use my iPad more than I use my computer. I think that using the brushes in Procreate feels like using proper paint on proper paper or canvas. I can use my iPad anywhere, on the terrace, in my lounge, even in my bed.

WHEN YOU CREATE YOUR ARTWORKS ON YOUR iPad YOU USE AN APP CALLED PROCREATE. YOU ALSO CREATE IMAGES ON YOUR COMPUTER USING PHOTOSHOP. DO YOU HAVE A PREFERENCE? IF SO, WHY? AND IS ONE APPLICATION EASIER THAN THE OTHER?

I prefer using Procreate on my iPad with my Apple Pen. The brushes are much easier to use, and it feels like I work with real paint. I can use Oil, Acrylic, Watercolour, and any other version I like to try. I don’t have any messy splashes all over me, nor do I have these horrible smells.

Spring Stroll

Butterfly Magic Hippo Little Panda

INTERVIEW WITH ILONA ABOU-ZOLOF (CONT....)

YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY IS OFTEN BASED AROUND MODELS IN DIFFERENT SITUATIONS AND COSTUMES. HOW DO YOU APPROACH SUCH A SHOOT?

We are a group of female photographers, each of us comes up with a handful of schemes and we decide which scenes we want to shoot for. We also collaborate with our models. Before any of our shoots we will create a mood board. This makes it easier for models and photographers to remember various shots that we want and might need.

YOU REGULARLY PARTICIPATE IN EXHIBITIONS IN SYDNEY AND COUNTRY NSW. HOW DO YOU APPROACH EACH EXHIBITION? AND DO YOU PREFER TO PRINT ON A SPECIFIC SURFACE?

We have two exhibition venues and secure a time in the gallery for our next year’s exhibition. We think of a theme and start working on a body of work. I like to work on a body of work. If we have lots of room, we might each produce two different themes. We meet once a month to critique each other’s work and help if one in our group gets stuck. The last meeting before our exhibition date is always our dress rehearsal – we must have printed and framed our work as we would like to hang it in the exhibition.

As for the printing surface, it depends on the type of image. I will mostly print on archival fine art matt paper. I frame my images but take the glass out of the frame to display the perfectly printed artworks. We are always proud of our work and would never use 2nd grade work.

Out In Space

Queen Of The Night

Serenity

WHERE DO YOU SEE YOUR CREATIVE JOURNEY TAKING YOU IN THE FUTURE?

I always look for new inspiration. I see myself studying and trying out new techniques until I am too old to do so – still a long way to go.

PLEASE TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF.

I am now 66 years young, and I see the world in a positive way. I have my beautiful family to keep me happy and wanting to be able to move and enjoy life. My two children gave me eight grandchildren. My grandchildren love my artworks and think their grandmother is cool.

I feel content with the life I have now and can’t think of a hobby that would suit me more. I want to say thank you to all my friends from the Artists Down Under Group. You are all like family to me.

CLOSING COMMENTS by Maureen

Thank you Ilona for doing this interview. I have always found your art to be interesting, creative, and motivating. Your model shoots, and the resulting images are inspirational.

I’m sure our readers will enjoy reading your interview responses.

https://artistsdownunder.com.au/artist-2/dennis-rickard/

monthly artistic down under

Pam Henderson - Penguins On Ice

Karen Waalwyk - King Penguins

Penny De Jong - Performing Penguins

Ilona Abou-Zolof - Snowboarding Penguin

Andrew Haysom - Penguin

Colin Killick - Out Of Ideas

Christina Brnton - Penguins Beach Party

Prue Wright - Where’s Our Snow

Maureen Maxwell - A Gathering of Penguins

Julie Powell - Poppins Penguins

Rosa Perry - Emperor Penguins

artists

DOWN UNDER

adu artists business advertisements

Helping Women with Endometriosis

50% of profit donated to endometriosis research

When I first heard about endometriosis I felt a deep compassion and need to do what I could to help. Women with endometriosis suffer debilitating pain, disruptive symptoms and often endure multiple operations simply to function normally. Few people are patient when listening to descriptions of pain, symptoms or illness. This can have the effect of silencing people who are ill.

My compassion inspires my photoart which I show in presentations to raise awareness. I joined Awake to teach me advanced Photoshop skills, specifically to expand my photoartistic skills to create imaginative and dramatic images.

My photoart opens dialogue enabling freer expression of hidden feelings, experiences too private to mention in ordinary conversation. I create photoart inspired by the concerns of women with endometriosis. Several women have said that the process of imaging their suffering has helped them to face their pain and illness. There is immense strength in being heard. I want my photoart to become visual screams!!

26 women with endometriosis have told me about their experiences. They spoke to me about their concerns and collaborated during the photo session. We explored meanings of body, ideas of self and impacts of illness together, agreeing which ideas we would explore photographically. My photos are often carefully arranged, but that doesn’t mean they are fake. They represent the personal truth and experiences of 26 women with endometriosis. These women are remembering and acting out their OWN experiences. They choose their own stance and facial expression. Women with endometriosis are the only people who truly know what endometriosis FEELS like.

Unfortunately endometriosis is relatively common; an estimated 1 in 10 women living with endometriosis, being over 175,000,000 women worldwide! And an estimated 500,000 women in Australia! Their experiences are heart-breaking. Regular illness and debilitating pain result in missed education and poor career opportunities leaving them women vulnerable to poverty.

Women with endometriosis need real medical progress to reduce their suffering. I passionately desire to raise money for endometriosis research so that faster diagnoses are made and more effective treatments are found. To raise money for endometriosis research, I host events and sell products on Redbubble. Recently I gave $3,000 to Canberra Endometriosis Centre!

Art by Margaret Kalms

Share ‘EndoWomanArt’ with your friends on social media to raise awareness and money for women’s health!

We all need clothes & household goods. Buy yourself a treat or buy a special gift for your friends. Make your shopping count!

Remember 50% of profit goes to endometriosis research!

https://www.redbubble.com/ people/EndoWomanArt/shop

Follow ‘Life with Endometriosis’: https://www.facebook.com/ LifeWithEndometriosis

See Margaret Kalms photoart, ‘Life with Endometriosis’: http://www.endowomanart.com

Margaret Kalms

Bunch Of Butterflies On Grevillea Sweatshirt

Butterflies False Colour Grey Stripes

Pencil Case

WEBSITE: http://artistsdownunder.com.au/ http://tinyurl.com/artisitsdownunderpublic