Artists Down Under - Australia and New Zealand - July 2022

DOWN UNDER Australia and New Zealand

Issue 64

| july 2022

| digital ar tistr y

40- K A R E N WA A LW Y K 41 - A d r i f t

04 E D I T O R ’ S R E P O R T

By Pam Henderson

05 P H O T O S H O P A R T I S T RY

By Sebastian Michaels

06 K AY L E N E H E L L I W E L L 07 M AU R E E N M A X W E L L - All That Glitters Is Not Gold

- E s c a p e To W o n d e r

09 S U E M A S T E R S O N - C h l o e ’s B e a c h O u t i n g

- Angel Or Devil?

47 M I C K R O O N E Y - My Boys

- Our Universe

48 B E V T E R R AW S K YJ

08 M E AG H A N P RYO R

- Emergence

49 K Y E T H O M P S O N

- I n To o D e e p

- W h e r e A r e A l l T h e B a t s?

- Brown Wren

10- M A R K PA S S F I E L D 11 - L i b r a r y A b s t r a c t I I

50- S H A R O N R A N K M O R E 51 - D i f f i c u l t T i m e s

12 PA M H E N D E R S O N

52 G I TA M A DAY

- Cute Owl

- Sharmen

13 CAT B E AG L E C R E AT I O N S - Headless

53 B A R B A R A D U D Z I N S K A - Por trait In Half

14 K I M R I C C I

- Butter fly

54 S A N D R A DA N N

- One Step At A Time

- Love Is In The Air

15- A R T I S T S M O N T H LY 30 AC H I E V E M E N T S

55 H E L E N M C L E O D

31 LO U I S E S M I T H

56 C H I N E S E W H I S P E R S # 5 6

- Sinropa

57- F E AT U R E D A R T I S T M A RY K N AG G S 65 - Cream Per fection

34 J U L I E P O W E L L

- Awesome Foursome

- Whispers

- A H a r d D a y ’s W o r k

35 M A R G A R E T K A L M S - Cross In Primar y Colours

- Cross In Mandala

- A Splash Of Colour - W h a t ’s F o r D i n n e r ?

- Lavender Lovely - Robin Red Breast

36 A N N W E H N E R

- Calm Sea At Seaford Beach, Victoria

- T h e D r e a m i n g Tr e e

- Empty Armour

37 C H R I S T I N A B R U N T O N - D r a g o n ’s D a d

- The Apothecar y

- By Maureen Maxwell

32- S O N I A P U S E Y 33 - I f I C o u l d F l y

- M e e t Yo u r A r t i s t

- A n n a ’s D r a g o n

38- D E A N H O H N 39 - W e d g e Ta i l e d E a g l e

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46 G E O R G E KO N C Z - Enjoying The Sunset

- O n T h e Ta b l e

- Smile

42- S O M E P H O T O S H O P I N S P I R AT I O N 45 B y A n d r e w H a y s o m

66 M I C H E L L E B A K E R Art II

- Zeus

67 R O S A P E R RY

85 E L E N O R G I L L

- H a p p i n e s s I s A W a y O f Tr a v e l - Dif ferent Point Of View

86- D E N N I S R I C K A R D 87 - J a m a k e E s p r e s s o

68- I N G R I D JA KO B S E N 69 - O u t O n A L i m b

88 A L B A M A S S

70 C O L I N K I L L I C K

- B &W Threads

- Escalators

89 J U L I A R A E

71 LY N E T T E PAU L

- C h e s h i r e Te a

- Daisy

90 H E M A N T KO G E K A R

72 CA R O LY N J E N S O N

- Landscape Leaves

- Flower Fair y

- Elec tr ic Eye

- Meditation

74- P E N N Y D E J O N G 75 - Tu r m o i l B e h i n d T h e S m i l i n g

- Summer Garden

91 A N D R E W H AYS O M

73 K E V I N S I M S - After Dark

- Man In A Straw Hat

- A l l T h a t Yo u S e e

92 C O L I N CA M P B E L L - Hard Rain Mask

76- P R U E W R I G H T 77 - S m o k o 78- I N T E R V I E W MARGIE O’HAR A 83

By Maureen Maxwell

84 I LO N A A B O U - Z O LO F

- Fossils

93 G E R A R D W H E L A N - Zebras

- Lioness And Cub

94- M O N T H LY A R T I S T I C P H O T O 104 C H A L L E N G E 105-A R T I S T S B U S I N E S S 109 A DV E R T I S E M E N T S

- Cat Fight

F R O N T C OV E R

by M A RY K N AG G S - Springtime

Kaylene Helliwell - Poppy Bud Rosa Perry - The Little Things

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a r t i s t s DOWN UNDER Australia and New Zealand

Welcome to another edition of Artists Down Under.

I have just became a qualified Mental Health First Aid Officer for where I work, and I must say it is extremely alarming to see so many youngsters struggling with Mental Health. One thing they teach you is that you have to learn to shake it off and not take the problems home. They recommend relaxation and what better way to relax than to create art. Works for me :) We have some amazing images to share with you this month from our artists, I hope you enjoy them all.

Our Featured Artist this month is Mary Knaggs. Mary has been with the group since the very beginning and has some beautiful art and photography to share with you. A very talented lady.

Andrew has kindly shared another Photoshop tip with us, this month on Knockout Layers, something I had never heard of before but found very interesting.

Maureen Maxwell had the pleasure of interviewing another of our very talented artists, Margie O’Hara. Margie has held many an exhibition and has also published a series of storybooks for children. I know you are all going to find this interview very fascinating.

We have another of our Chinese Whispers Series to share with you, what fun the girls have.

This month I tried to challenge our artisits with the Monthly Artists Challenge set as “The Path To ...”, they certainly didn’t disappoint.

Well that’s it from me, until next month, stay safe & care for each other.

Pam Henderson

Ann Wehner - A Crown Of Knowledge Backgrounds: Foxy Squirrell Laitha’s Designs - Jai Johnson - White Lane Studio Copyright 2017 ©

Gitama Day - Loved

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Artists in this publication are responsible for any rights appertaining to their work.

HTTPS://PROPHOTOSHOPARTISTRY.COM

Image by: Sonia Pusey, Photoshop Artistry Student

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O N T H E TA B L E

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KAYLENE HELLIWELL ( NEW ZEALAND )

( AUSTRALIA )

MAUREEN MAXWELL A L L T H AT G L I T T E R S I S N O T G O L D

http://www.artistsdownunder.com.au/artist-3/maureen-maxwell/

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( AUSTRALIA )

MEAGHAN PRYOR

SMILE

E S CA P E T O W O N D E R https://www.theartinspires.com/ http://www.artistsdownunder.com.au/artist-3/meaghan-pryor/

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( AUSTRALIA )

SUE MASTERSON

C H LO E ’ S B E AC H O U T I N G

IN TOO DEEP

https://www.facebook.com/Sue-Masterton-Digital-Artist-1662189864018110/ http://artistsdownunder.com.au/artist-4/sue-masterson/

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( AUSTRALIA )

MARK PASSFIELD https://artistsdownunder.com.au/artist-3/mark-passfield/

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L I B R A RY A B S T R AC T I I

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( AUSTRALIA )

PAM HENDERSON

CUTE OWL

https://www.facebook.com/snapnshootdesigns/ http://www.artistsdownunder.com.au/artist-4/pam-henderson/

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( AUSTRALIA )

catbeagle creations

HEADLESS

https://artistsdownunder.com.au/artist-3/lynsey-stirland-mitchell/

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( AUSTRALIA )

KIM RICCI

O N E S T E P AT A T I M E

https://artistsdownunder.com.au/artist-3/kim-ricci/

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artists down under monthly Achievements 15

artists down under facebook

Hemant Kogekar - Bushfire

page

Helen McLeod - A Cliff Hanger

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!

Hemant Kogekar - End Of The Journey

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Christina Brunton - Time Is On Your Side

Rosa Perry - Calling Home

Bernice Fargus - Flame Coloured Tanager Feeding Juvenile

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 $10.00 voucher for one very lucky member to spend in her on-line shop.

The JUNE lucky winners are Teddi Rutschman (Foxy Squirrel) Gift Voucher of $10.00 - Rosa Perry Diane Stafford (WhiteLaneStudio) Texture & Overlay Kit - Colin Campbell - Julia Rae

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 JUNE. Two artists will receive a Diane kit each.

Diane Stafford can be found at

https://whitelanestudio.co.uk/biolinks

Helen Mcleod - The Cocoons

Rosa Perry - Home Sweet Home

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LIVING THE PHOTO ARTISTIC LIFE https://issuu.com/thephotoartisticlife/docs/issue88-final?fr=sNGIwNzI1ODEw Congratulations to the following artists for having their images chosen to appear in the International magazine “Living The Photo Artistic Life”.

Gitama Day - Mycelium Kim Ricci - Where Will Your Dreams Take You? Lynette Paul - The Beginning Rosa Perry - Happiness Is A Way Of Travel - Ocean View Julie Powell - Wicca - Wild At Heart Louise Smith - A Midsummer Night’s Dream - Keesha Julia Rae - Labour Of Love Barbara Dudzinska - Beauty In Blue - Portrait In Half Meaghan Pryor - Beyond The Threshold Sonia Pusey - If I Could Fly Maureen Maxwell - Hello Christina Brunton - Dr Who Penny De Jong - Laura’s Return - Laura’s Wish

Meaghan Pryor - Beyond The Threshold

Julie Powell - Wild At Heart

Lynette Paul - The Beginning

Christina Brunton - Dr Who

Gitama Day - Mycelium Sonia Pusey - If I Could Fly

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LIVING THE PHOTO ARTISTIC LIFE

Kim Ricci - Where Will Your Dreams Take You?

Julia Rae - Labour Of Love

Barbara Dudzinska - Beauty In Blue

Louise Smith - A Midsummer Night’s Dream Barbara Dudzinska - Portrait In Half Louise Smith - Keesha

Rosa Perry - Happiness Is A Way Of Travel Maureen Maxwell - Hello Rosa Perry - Ocean View

Penny De Jong - Laura’s Wish

Julie Powell - Wicca

Penny De Jong - Laura’s Return

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LIVING THE PHOTO ARTISTIC LIFE featured artist Helen McLeod

Warped By The Moon

A Turn Of Events

The Journey Home

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LIVING THE PHOTO ARTISTIC LIFE

A Place Of Learning

Clocking On

They Call It Progress

The Hot House Effect

A Sink Or Swim Day

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light space and time “Animals Exhibition” https://www.lightspacetime.art/animals-art-exhibition-june-2022/

Congratulations to the following artists for their special achievements in the June 2022 Light Space & Time competition.

Overall

3rd Place Lyn Darlington - “What’s Down There?”

Photography & Digital

2nd Place - Lyn Darlington - “What’s Down There?”

Special Merit

Ilona Abou-Zolof - “Tiger Warrior” Lyn Darlington - “One Eye On You”

Special Recognition Lyn Darlington - “Cheetah”

Lyn Darlington - What’s Down There

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light space and time

Ilona Abou-Zolof - Tiger Warrior

Lyn Darlington - One Eye On You

Lyn Darlington - Cheetah

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shift art

June 2022 Theme

“The Four Elements” https://shiftart.com/shift-art-photoshop-challenge-results-june-2022/

Congratulations goes to Honorable Mention

Penny De Jong

Noticed Bev Terawskyj

Penny De Jong - Floating Amongst The Elements

Bev Terawskyj - 4 Elements In Harmony

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whats on Grey Cube Gallery Online https://greycubegallery.com/shows/2022/june2022.html

Congratulations goes to

Margaret Kalms For being a Finalist with her image “Cross In Primary Colours”, in the Colours Online Art Show, through the Grey Cube Gallery Online, which was held in June 2022.

Margaret Kalms - Cross In Primary Colours

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exhibitions Christina Brunton and Ilona Abou-Zolof

By Ilona Abou-Zolof and Christina Brunton

We have recently finished two exhibitions in May and June: Time Warp and Blue Square.

About us: We have been instrumental in setting up the Meraki Artists, which is a small group dedicated to collaboratively working to produce fine art and to exhibiting them. We like to work on a ‘project of passion’ over a number of months and then exhibit the finished body of fine art.

“Meraki” is a Greek word which means “to do something with soul, creativity or love; when you leave a piece of yourself in your work”. This is the approach of the artists and the result they endeavour to produce in their works. It gives each of them a challenging personal benchmark by which to assess the quality and success of their art.

Time Warp exhibition Three of us (Debra Phillis, Ilona and I) from the Meraki Artists group exhibited our work at the Corner Gallery in Stanmore in May 2022. The name we chose for this exhibition was Time Warp. We had two rooms to fill at the exhibition so we each had produced distinctly different art for each room. Ilona had digital paintings of Hybrid (Animal heads and human bodies) and Art Deco women. Debra had images of shadows and reflections she had done whilst in lockdown over Covid times. Christina’s main art was about ‘Time and clocks’. The art has quotes on the artwork which was to do with time as well. In the second room I also had some art of flowing flowers and birds.

Blue Square Exhibition Blue Square was the May/June exhibition. There were 300 art pieces that were all square and had to have some blue in the images. It was held at Bowral Art Gallery in the Southern Highlands. The exhibition was run by Sonja Millis, the owner of Arthead. The exhibition was all in the cause of Can Assist Southern Highlands for cancer patients in the local community. There was a packed crowd, lots of entertainment, some great art and it was nice to see some little red dots on our artwork.

Christina Brunton

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exhibitions

Time Warp Exhibition Christina Brunton

Christina Brunton & Time Warp Exhibition

Waiting On The Platform

On Your Side

Time And Tide

Christina Brunton & Flowers Exhibition

Time For Love

Creme De La Creme

Time Travel

Dancing In The Wind

Extinction

Hello Gorgeous

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exhibitions

Time Warp Exhibition Ilona Abou-Zolof

Ilona Abou-Zolof & Art Deco Exhibition

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Ilona Abou-Zolof & Hybrid Exhibition

The Pirate

No Thank You

Red Ear Clips

I Am Shy

The Protector

I Am Waiting

Reading My Book

In Shadow

The Purple Hat

Come And Get It

Cat Fight

Let Me Show You

Foxy Lady

Ninja Turtle

Who Is Next

Let’s Get Moving

exhibitions Blue Square Art Exhibition Christina Brunton & Ilona Abou-Zolof

Christina Brunton - Lilac Breasted Roller

Christina Brunton - Sweet Music

Ilona Abou-Zolof - Glowing Mushroom

Ilona Abou-Zolof - Mosquito

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exhibitions Matariki Exhibition Judi Lapsley Miller New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts 1 Queens Wharf Wellington 18 June – 24 July As a kid, I was drawn to the night skies. I was in the local astronomy club at age seven, staying up way past my bedtime! As I got older, I would snuggle into a sleeping bag on the lawn staring at the stars and learning their names. I was sure I would grow up to be an astronomer, but I ended up studying inner space (human psychophysics) rather than outer space. I felt so lost when I moved to the Northern Hemisphere, with a new sky to learn. Seeing the Southern Cross on our return made things right in my world. It’s no surprise that the night skies often appear in my art, though not Matariki - yet!

It brings me great joy to finally officially celebrate Matariki. An indigenous holiday, not an imported one with mixed-up seasons or somebody else’s history. Matariki links us to our Antipodean seasons, the history of Aotearoa, and to our insignificant and humbling place in the universe. A chance to start new and meaningful traditions. Celebrating through our art is a great way to start!

In these pieces, an ecstasy of tūī gather to plot under the “Sign of the Southern Cross,” and tiny toutouwai welcome the dawn in “The Early Birds.” The starting point for these artworks are wild life and astro photographs, but that’s only the first step. Through digital photo-artistry, I layer and mask photographs with scanned ephemera, textures, and digital effects and brushstrokes to create works of art.

Includes a 10% donation to Zealandia EcoSanctuary.

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The Early Birds (toutouwai)

The Sign of the Southern Cross (tūi)

( AUSTRALIA )

LOUISE SMITH S I N R O PA

https://www.facebook.com/lksmithphotography/ https://artistsdownunder.com.au/artist-3/louise-smith/

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( AUSTRALIA )

SONIA PUSEY https://www.instagram.com/soniapusey/?hl=en

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I F I C O U L D F LY

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( AUSTRALIA )

JULIE POWELL

WHISPERS

https://www.juliepowellphoto.com/ https://artistsdownunder.com.au/artist-2/julie-powell/

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( AUSTRALIA )

MARGARET KALMS

C R O S S I N P R I M A RY C O LO U R S

C R O S S I N M A N DA L A

https://artistsdownunder.com.au/artist-3/margaret-kalms/

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( AUSTRALIA )

ANN WEHNER

THE DREAMING TREE

https://artistsdownunder.com.au/artists-1/ann-wehner/

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( AUSTRALIA )

CHRISTINA BRUNTON

D R AG O N ’ S DA D

A N N A’ S D R AG O N

https://artistsdownunder.com.au/artists-1/christina-brunton/

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( australia )

DEAN HOHN https://www.facebook.com/Dean-Hohn-Photo-Artistry-247723325687722/ https://artistsdownunder.com.au/artist-2/dean-hohn/

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W E D G E TA I L E D E AG L E A R T I I

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( AUSTRALIA )

KAREN WAALWYK https://www.flickr.com/photos/88165766@N05 https://artistsdownunder.com.au/artist-3/karen-waalwyk/

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ADRIFT

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a Dr t Oi sWt sN U N D E R Australia and New Zealand

SOME PHOTOSHOP INSPIRATION IT’S A KNOCKOUT

By Andrew Haysom

A while back I downloaded a Photoshop template and really struggled to see how it was working.

It seemed to have masks but didn’t have any masks. It used Knockout layers. I truly didn’t realise the power of these until I watched a few more videos (one linked at the end of this article). I am constantly amazed at the amount of “stuff” hidden in plain sight in Photoshop.

A Knockout layer is a layer that can act like a mask and “knock out” areas of the layers underneath it.

Whereas a layer mask uses black and white to mask, a knockout layer uses opaqueness and transparency, so any transparent part of the layer has no effect on the layers below and the opaque areas are “knocked out” of the layers below.

To create a knockout layer, create a new blank layer, and place something on this layer that represents the area you wanted masked out. This can be simply brushed on pixels, or it can be a shape, text, vector and even a texture where you have converted the background of the texture to transparency.

Then on this layer go into the Layer Style dialog and change the Knockout setting to either Shallow or Deep (we’ll discuss the difference soon), and also set the Fill Opacity to 0% (see Figure 1).

[Figure 1 – Layer Style dialog box]

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SOME PHOTOSHOP INSPIRATION (CONT....)

In the example shown in Figure 2, we have an image of an echidna that is a Background layer, with a second layer that is a white rectangle shape layer covering the right hand side of the image. This layer us set to 40% so that the image is slightly visible through it. The top two layers are both knockout layers, the first is a vertical type layer, the second another slightly smaller rectangle shape that only has a stroke (no fill). You’ll see that both are acting as masks and punching a hole through the white rectangle, revealing the Background layer.

[Figure 2 – Knockout with a Background layer]

The example shown in Figure 3 is the same, but the bottom layer is not a true Background layer, you’ll notice that without a proper Background layer, the knockout layers punch right through creating transparency.

[Figure 3 – Knockout with no Background layer]

Remember, if you want to convert a layer into a proper Background layer you can use the Layer / New / Background from Layer command.

The example shown in Figure 4 illustrates a useful feature when using knockout layers. Even though the contents of the knockout layer are not visible (because Fill has been set to 0%), you can still use other Layer Styles to accentuate the knockouts, in this example a narrow white stroke has been added to the knockout layers.

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SOME PHOTOSHOP INSPIRATION (CONT....)

[Figure 4 – Using Layer Styles on Knockout layers]

Ok, so what is the difference between Deep and Shallow?

If a Knockout layer is set to Deep, it will always mask or knock out all layers below it, right down to the Background layer. If there is no Background layer the knockout will create transparency.

If a Knockout layer is set to Shallow, and is in a group, it will only mask or knock out layers that are also included in the group.

The example shown in Figure 5 consists of a fiery image as the Background layer with a pink gradient layer as the second layer. The third layer is a knockout layer with two unevenly sized white rectangles on either side revealing the background layer, leaving the pink gradient in the central section. Because it is not in a group, the Deep or Shallow setting is irrelevant for this layer as either would have the same effect of knocking out through to the Background layer.

[Figure 5 – Deep vs Shallow knockout layers]

The next element in the layer stack is a group containing a dark yellow circle on top of a lighter yellow circle with a knockout layer containing a “sun ray” graphic above them both. This knockout layer is set to shallow so it only knocks out through the two yellow circles in the group.

Then sitting atop the layer stack are two more knockout layouts, both set to Deep, a text layer and a texture layer. Both of these knock through right to the Background image. I hope that this simple example (of some “not so great” art) helps to illustrate the effect of deep vs shallow knockout layers.

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SOME PHOTOSHOP INSPIRATION (CONT....)

Another way to limit the depth of the effect of a knockout layer is to clip it to the layer to be knocked through. In this case there is one additional step, you must uncheck the “Blend Clipped Layers as Group” check box in the Layer Styles dialog of the base layer (the one being “knocked through” not the knockout layer).

You can also clip multiple knockout layers to a single layer if you need multiple “masks”.

The example shown in Figure 6 shows a simple example of this. The text layers “Horizontal” and “Vertical” have a single knockout layer clipped to them to knock out the horizontal and vertical lines respectively. The “Both” layer has copies of both of the knockout layers clipped to it to give the checkerboard effect. In this example, each of the text layers must have the “Blend Clipped Layers as Group” checkbox unchecked.

[Figure 6 – Clipping Knockout layers]

This last example demonstrates one of the big advantages of Knockout layers. As they are just layers they can be converted into SmartObjects. In the example there are four Knockout layers used, but they are all copies of the same SmartObject, with two of them rotated 90 degrees. This means that the file size is a lot smaller than it would be had multiple masks been used (remember a mask is just a pixel layer that is as large as your image, so adding a lot of masks can significantly increase file size).

Also, using SmartObjects means that if your image is resized they will retain image quality, this is not always the case with masks that can pixelate.

Obviously, any text layers or vector shape layers used as Knockout layers remain fully editable throughout, another huge advantage. If using masks you would have to rasterize these (again increasing file size) and you would need to recreate them if you need to change the text or the shape.

If you’re interested to see a great live demonstration of using Knockout layers, I can highly recommend the following video from Brady of TextureLabs.org https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0YLdHpZPUg Knockout layers have the potential to drastically change your workflow and offer a lot more flexibility. Give them a try.

Andrew Haysom

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( AUSTRALIA )

GEORGE KONCZ

E N J OY I N G T H E S U N S E T

A N G E L O R D E V I L?

http://www.artistsdownunder.com.au/artist-2/george-koncz/

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( AUSTRALIA )

MICK ROONEY

M Y B OYS

OUR UNIVERSE http://www.artistsdownunder.com.au/artist-3/mick-rooney/

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( AUSTRALIA )

BEV TERAWSKYJ

EMERGENCE

https://artistsdownunder.com.au/artists-1/bev-terawskyj/

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( AUSTRALIA )

kye thompson

W H E R E A R E A L L T H E B AT S ?

BROWN WREN

https://artistsdownunder.com.au/artist-3/kye-thompson/

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( AUSTRALIA )

SHARON RANKMORE https://www.artistsdownunder.com.au/artist-4/sharon-rankmore/

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D I F F I C U LT T I M E S

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( AUSTRALIA )

GITAMA DAY

SHARMEN

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

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( AUSTRALIA )

BARBARA DUDZINSKA

PORTR AIT IN HALF

B U T T E R F LY

https:// www.SmartArtPlace.com

https://artistsdownunder.com.au/artists-1/barbara-dudzinska/

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( AUSTRALIA )

SANDRA DANN

LOV E I S I N T H E A I R

https://www.sandradimagery.com/

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( NEW ZEALAND )

HELEN MCLEOD T H E A P O T H E CA RY

https://www.2-galleries.com/

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artists DOWN UNDER Australia and New Zealand

DIGITAL ARTISTS GROUP A COLLABORATIVE GROUP OF PHOTO ARTISTS

CHINESE WHISPERS #56 “THE MAKE-BELIEVE PATHWAY” STAGE 1

STAGE 2

Pam Henderson

Maureen Maxwell

Pam started this month’s collaboration.

When I saw it, I thought it could go in many different directions, however, I decided to stay with our theme for this month - ‘THE PATH TO …’.

My muse made the decision to take it into a fantasy fun pathway.

ENJOY! Maureen

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M A RY K N A GGS

CRE AM PERFECTION

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AW E S O M E FO U R S O M E

A H A R D DAY ’ S W O R K

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A S P L A S H O F C O LO U R

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W H AT ’ S FO R D I N N E R ?

L AV E N D E R LOV E LY

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ROBIN RED BRE AST

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CA L M S E A AT S E A FO R D B E AC H , V I C T O R I A

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EMPTY ARMOUR

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Meet your artist MARY KNAGGS Perth Western Australia

Website:

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www.facebook.com/MaryK-Photographic-Art

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

I was born in New Zealand but moved to Australia as a 19 year old wanting to widen my view of the world! I lived in Melbourne for over 40 years, marrying and having two children. Two years ago we made the leap and moved across the country to Perth for a bit of a different life. Our daughter, her husband and our two grandkids live here so it seemed like a good change to make. We are loving it here.

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

I saw the advertisements for PhotoArtistry (Grunge) online and thought I would give it a try as I had never been able to unravel using Photoshop! I loved it and everything fell into place for me.

Then I decided to enrol in the larger course and learn even more skills!

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

I love photographing what is around me. There is always something that is worth capturing in my mind. I photograph things with my camera and also my phone. The items I see and photograph are what inspires me to create. Each individual memento speaks to me in a different way and that is the way my art then goes.

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

Not all of my photos are composited or manipulated – some (to me) are perfect as they are with just a little tweaking to bring out their best. I am usually inspired by something I have captured.

This will lead me to sitting down on the computer and visualising how it would look with edits, background changes, layers of texture, etc.

5. What does your art mean to you?

My art means a lot to me – it has carried me through tough times and brought me much joy. I love losing myself in the work and having hours speed by while I am creating.

6. Is there anyone that you draw inspiration from?

I love the work of Brooke Shaden. The way she sets up her photographs is incredibly creative and most of them can be done with a limited budget and small resources.

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

At the moment I create pretty much for myself though I occasionally have pieces in the local gallery. I am happy to continue as I am – I take advantage of opportunities offered to me but generally just potter along enjoying creating.

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( AUSTRALIA )

MICHELLE BAKER

ZEUS

https://artistsdownunder.com.au/artist-3/michelle-baker/

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( AUSTRALIA )

ROSA PERRY

H A P P I N E S S I S A WAY O F T R AV E L

DIFFERENT POINT OF VIEW https://rosa-perry.myportfolio.com/artwork https://artistsdownunder.com.au/artist-4/rosa-perry/

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( AUSTRALIA )

INGRID JACOBSEN https://artistsdownunder.com.au/artist-2/ingrid-jakobsen/

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OUT ON A LIMB

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( AUSTRALIA )

COLIN KILLICK

E S CA L AT O R S

www.behance.net/colinkillick https://artistsdownunder.com.au/artists-1/colin-killick/

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DA I SY

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LYNETTE PAUL

( NEW ZEALAND )

( NEW ZEALAND )

CAROLYN JENSON

FLO W E R FA I RY

https://www.cjensonimages.com/ https://artistsdownunder.com.au/artists-1/carolyn-jenson/

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( NEW ZEALAND )

KEVIN SIMS

A F T E R DA R K

M E D I TAT I O N

www.kevinsims.co.nz www.lightaviator.myportfolio.com

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( AUSTRALIA )

penny de jong http://www.artistsdownunder.com.au/artist-4/penny-de-jong/

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TURMOIL BEHIND THE SMILING MASK

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PRUE WRIGHT ( AUSTRALIA )

S M O KO

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a Dr t Oi sWt sN U N D E R Australia and New Zealand

INTERVIEW WITH

MARGIE O’HARA

By Maureen Maxwell

Thank you, Margie for participating in our interview series. You’ve been a member of the Artists Down Under Group since we started in 2017. In that time, we have seen significant growth in the creativity and skill of our members. You are a wonderful example of how dedication to your photo artistry impacts your life in such a positive way.

You recently held the Opening Night of a solo exhibition in Townsville. It was a huge success.

CONGRATULATIONS! You sold 78% of your canvases, plus obtained orders for several prints, on the 1st night. That is an outstanding achievement.

I think many of our members and readers will be interested to hear about your exhibition. Holding a solo exhibition is a complex project requiring many skills apart from creating the art. Let’s explore some of the details involved in your exhibition.

Margie O’Hara

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INTERVIEW - MARGIE O’HARA (CONT....)

WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO HOLD A SOLO EXHIBITION? I had a body of work consisting of 30 different images after creating my affirmation cards and the opportunity came up to exhibit during the Northern Australia Festival of Arts. I thought it was a great opportunity to showcase my ladies on small and large canvases and to experiment with a couple of new pieces.

CAN YOU PLEASE TELL US ABOUT THE THEME AND CREATION OF YOUR EXHIBITION PIECES? ALSO, YOUR PROCESS TO FINALISE YOUR ART WORKS? The title is Transcendence and the theme is about us all learning to look within ourselves for acceptance and not to rely on what others say or think, something that I’m still working on my self. The ladies all represent things in my life that I have had to overcome such as self-belief, confidence and loneliness and presents them in a healing and positive way to empower others to do the same. I create a one-word affirmation on the base layer and use colour phychology to choose the background colours. I then create intuitively until the piece is finished.

My process to finalise the artworks is to have them printed on canvas stretched over board so they don’t sag over time. They are also treated with a colour fastener to preserve the vibrant colours longer. The 01/12 are framed in a floating white frame.

I’M SURE THAT CREATING SUCH AN EXHIBITION INVOLVED MANY HOURS TO BRING IT TO COMPLETION. CAN YOU GIVE US AN IDEA OF HOW LONG YOU WORKED ON THIS PROJECT? I started planning the theme and the overall feel about 12 months ago. I ordered 200 magnetic butterflies and knew they would be displayed to raise money for charity. I choose the Butterfly Foundation who helps people with eating disorders. I also partnered Mentally Healthy Cities Townsville.

Beauty

Courage

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INTERVIEW - MARGIE O’HARA (CONT....)

I UNDERSTAND YOUR EXHIBITION WAS ALSO AN IMMERSIVE ARTISTIC EXPERIENCE. YOU WORKED WITH AN ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE SPECIALIST TO DEVELOP AN ENVIRONMENT OF VIRTUAL BUTTERFLIES FLYING AROUND THE GALLERY AND YOUR GUESTS. THAT SOUNDS SO EXCITING! CAN YOU TELL US MORE ABOUT THIS PART OF YOUR PROJECT? I have always used butterflies in my artworks and wanted to enhance the user experience. I worked with an app developer to create a Free app that people could download on their phones which recognizes the face in the pieces and allows the butterflies fly from the canvas. On opening night, we filled the room with 100s of different coloured butterflies through people’s phones.

It was a magical experience.

YOU MUST HAVE FACED OTHER CHALLENGES IN STAGING A SOLO EXHIBITION. WOULD YOU PLEASE OUTLINE SOME OF THEM? My main challenge was financial. As I didn’t secure arts funding, I had to self-fund my project and hope I sold my works. I went down the sponsorship road but wasn’t as successful as I’d hope. I intended to have the programs available for free but ended up selling them at cost. The install took a lot longer than I had expected to get everything how I wanted. In general, the whole process was quite smooth and came together beautifully.

Happiness

Optimistic

DO YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE FOR OUR READERS CONSIDERING HOLDING AN EXHIBITION? AND THEN TAKING IT FURTHER WITH ADVICE ABOUT AN IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE PROJECT?

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My advice would be to allow 6-12 months to plan your exhibition especially if you want to include an immersive experience as this takes some time to get right. Investigate all options for your venue, think creatively and ask yourself where you can hold it other than a traditional gallery to save 30-50% commissions. Next year I may do a one-day exhibition along the river that runs through our city, or in one of the shady parks or possibly in an abandoned building to activate the space. Now that I have had my first exhibition, I think it will be easier to hold one elsewhere.

INTERVIEW - MARGIE O’HARA (CONT....)

Get creative adding other elements to the exhibition such as hiring floral arrangements from other local creatives. Working and promoting other local creatives that match the theme of your exhibition can add value to your overall exhibition.

My other piece of advice someone gave me was if you’re going to the expenses of having a solo exhibition hire a professional photographer to take some shots for you. I know most of us in this group are professional photographers but trust me you won’t have time on the day. I did a contra deal with a young videographer and can’t thank him enough. These photos / video will be used to show other galleries down the track what I can do and makes great promos. It elevates our work to the next level.

WHAT’S NEXT MARGIE? The next logical step for me is to venture into the web3 space. A week after my real life exhibition I launched my Genesis (1st) NFT collection selling 6/10 on the first night. This is new territory for me and many other digital artists in Australia and New Zealand. The benefit of this is that there are no commissions to galleries and also the artist receives royalties every time the NFT is on sold for the rest of its life.

Freedom

Helpful

PLEASE TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF, YOUR BACKGROUND AND YOUR OTHER INTERESTS. I live in sunny Townsville, in North Queensland with my husband and beautiful dog. I started learning digital art when I wrote 6 children’s books in 2017 and wanted to illustrate them in my own style. I enrolled in the Awake program and my work and style have changed and developed over these last few years. When I find time, I will re-do the Awake course again as I know I’ll pick up so much more second time around. As the first time I was completely new to PS and also to Mac, so my learning curve was intense.

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INTERVIEW - MARGIE O’HARA (CONT....)

When I’m not working fulltime or creating my art I love to go bushwalking and exploring new places. I love travelling and learning about new cultures. I call myself the Meraki Polymath- Meraki- adding soul and love to what you create and polymath- mastering more than one thing.

Most creatives are polymaths as we experiment with many different mediums. (Not sure if we master them all but we give it a damn good try).

Creativity

Transcending

Empowerment

CLOSING COMMENTS This is a most absorbing and interesting interview. Thank you, Margie, for participating in our interview series. Apart from creating a superb collection of art works, you have obviously delved deeply into other parts of the art world including NFTs, the web3 space and using technology to create an immersive experience at the exhibition. (For those people who may not be aware, NFTs are Non-Fungible Tokens developed as a way of selling digital art – it is a little like the BitCoin platform).

I recall with pleasure a series of children’s books Margie published a few years ago. Stories and illustrations about a little girl, Elly Rose, who visited many different towns and countries.

I’ve included links below to various platforms where Margie’s books and other offerings are shown below.

Maggie O digital Art website Maggie O’Hara Instagram https://www.maggieoharas.com https://www.instagram.com/maggieodigitalart/ Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/maggie-o-hara-25622713b/ Maggie O FB https://www.facebook.com/maggieodigitalart/ YOU TUBE- video for exhibition https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCv9MBQEmqU

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INTERVIEW - MARGIE O’HARA (CONT....)

Aussie Essence

Believe

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( AUSTRALIA )

ILONA ABOU-ZOLOF

CAT F I G H T

https://www.zolof.net/ https://artistsdownunder.com.au/artist-2/ilona-abou-zolof/

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( NEW ZEALAND )

ELENOR GILL M A N I N A S T R AW H AT

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( AUSTRALIA )

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

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JA M A K E E S P R E S S O

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( AUSTRALIA )

AL BAMASS

B &W T H R E A D S

https://artistsdownunder.com.au/artists-1/al-bamass/

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( NEW ZEALAND )

JULIA RAE CHESHIRE TEA

https://juliaraephotography.com/

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( AUSTRALIA )

HEMANT KOGEKAR

L A N D S CA P E L E AV E S

SUMMER GARDEN https://photos.kogekar.com/ https://artistsdownunder.com.au/artist-2/hemant-kogekar/

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( AUSTRALIA )

ANDREW HAYSOM

ELECTRIC EYE

A L L T H AT YO U S E E https://andrewhaysom.myportfolio.com/ https://artistsdownunder.com.au/artists-1/andrew-haysom/

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( AUSTRALIA )

COLIN CAMPBELL

HARD RAIN

FO S S I L S

https://colincampbell.myportfolio.com https://artistsdownunder.com.au/artists-1/colin-campbell/

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GERARD WHELAN

ZEBR AS

LIONESS AND CUB

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( AUSTRALIA )

artists down under monthly artistic photographic challenge theme:

the path to ...

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Pam Henderson

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Christina Brunton

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Bev Terawskyj

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Colin Campbell

Prue Wright

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Karen Waalwyk

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Andrew Haysom

Penny De Jong

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Al BaMass

Sandra Dann

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Kim Ricci

Rosa Perry

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Dave Simpson

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Julie Powell

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artists DOWN UNDER Australia and New Zealand

adu artists s s e n i s u b s t n e m e s i t r e v d a 105

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Australia and New Zealand

FOREST & BIRD Online Store Bird Art by Judi Lapsley Miller

From Whence Cometh Evil

At What Cost Forever

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Helping Women with Endometriosis

Art

by Margaret Kalms

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.

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

Kalms

Margaret

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!

Bunch Of Butterflies On Grevillea Sweatshirt

Butterflies False Colour Grey Stripes

Bunch Of Butterflies On Grevillea Pencil Case

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WEBSITE:

http://artistsdownunder.com.au/

http://tinyurl.com/artisitsdownunderpublic