Artists Down Under - Australia and New Zealand - May 2023

DOWN UNDERartists

Australia and New Zealand

Welcome everyone to the May edition of Artists Down Under.

I cannot believe how quickly the year is flying past, it only seemed like a few weeks ago that Christmas was here and now it is nearly the middle of the year. Thank goodness our artists can keep up as someone needs to keep me grounded.

Our artists have been very busy entering competitions and holding exhibitions this month with very successful results, well done to all.

Andrew Haysom delights us all with another of his informative Photoshop tutorials. This month he explains all about Multiple Exposures - In The Round.

The Redlands Digital Group share with us another of their images from their Chinese Whispers Series, is there no end to these girls talents.

The interview that Maureen Maxwell has kindly organised for us this month is with Hemant Kogekar. Hemant has come leaps and bounds over the past few years and has developed a style that he should be very proud of.

We welcome our Featured Artist this month, Tracey Perrin. Tracey has an amazing style with Bird images, I know everyone is going to enjoy what she has put together for you.

Winter is almost upon us so I have set this month’s Photo challenge with a “Snowman” theme, enjoy.

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

Backgrounds: Foxy Squirrell

Laitha’s Designs - Jai Johnson - White Lane Studio

Copyright 2017 ©

Ilona Abou-Zolof - So Unexpected

Julie Powell - The Goose Is Cooked

Pam Henderson

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

END OF LIFE

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

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!

Julie Powell - The Blacksmith

Julie Powell - Old Police Station At Tailem Bend

Kaylene Helliwell - Night Encounters

Maureen Maxwell - Portrait Of A Bearded Man

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 MAY.

Two artists will receive a Diane kit each.

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

The MAY lucky winners are

Teddi Rutschman (Foxy Squirrel) 50% off Gift Voucher

- Anthea Scotte

Diane Stafford (WhiteLaneStudio) Texture & Overlay Kit

- Lynsey Stirland-Mitchell

- Sharyn Walker

Elenor Gill - Extinction II

Rosa Perry - Giraffe And Friend

Hemant Kogekar - Tree House

Rosa Perry - Flossie

LIVING THE PHOTO ARTISTIC LIFE

https://issuu.com/thephotoartisticlife/docs/issue98-final?fr=sMmQ3NjI1ODEw

Congratulations to the following artists for having their images chosen to appear in the International magazine

“Living The Photo Artistic Life”.

Rosa Perry

- Vixen

- Giselda The Goose

Helen McLeod

- The Helping Hand

- Putting On A Brave Face

Julie Powell

- Enclosed

- The Violin

Kim Ricci

- The Power Of Friendship

Louise Smith

- Flamingo

- Ailith

Lynette Paul

- Thames Door

Sandra Dann

- Fabio

Christina Brunton

- Dawn Waking

- Early Morning Plunge

Sonia Pusey

- Perfect Pitch

- Stop Dragging My Heart Around

Ilona Abou-Zolof

- My Little Girls

Christina Brunton - Dawn Waking

Kim Ricci - The Power Of Friendship

Rosa Perry - Giselda The Goose

Louise Smith - Flamingo

Louise Smith - Ailith

Sonia Pusey - Perfect Pitch

LIVING THE PHOTO ARTISTIC LIFE

Julie Powell - The Violin

Helen McLeod - Putting On A Brave Face

Sandra Dann - Fabio

Lynette Paul - Thames Door

Christina Brunton - Early Morning Plunge

Julie Powell - Enclosed

Ilona Abou-Zolof - My Little Girls

Sonia Pusey - Stop Dragging My Heart Around

Rosa Perry - Vixen

light space and time

https://lightspacetime.art/abstracts-art-exhibition-april-2023/

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

Ilona Abou-Zolof - “Cold Morning”

Ilona Abou-Zolof - “Autumn Scene”

Ilona Abou-Zolof - Cold Morning

Ilona Abou-Zolof - Autumn Scene

Prue Wright - Game Over

https://www.qprc.nsw.gov.au/Community/Culture-and-Arts/Rusten-House

Rusten House Art Centre

87 Collett St, Queanbeyan NSW 2620

6 May at 10am and 27 May at 4pm

Exposed (2023) is a multimedia exhibition created by artists of the Marsden Art Group, featuring works centred around the theme - Exposed.

As a group exhibition, it features a broad range of interpretations, each member bringing their own perspective and history to this exploration of ideas relating to exposure, vulnerability, and revelation.

Congratulations goes to Margaret Kalms for having four of her images showing in the Rusten House Art Centre “Exposed 2023” exhibition.

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Australia and New Zealand

SOME PHOTOSHOP INSPIRATION

MULTIPLE EXPOSURES IN PHOTOSHOP - IN THE ROUND

By Andrew Haysom

Layering multiple photographic exposures in Photoshop to create a single composition can be quite simple and effective.

The technique I want to describe today is often attributed to Catalan photographer Pep Ventosa and is called “In the Round”. It involves picking a subject (in the two examples I’ll use today, I’ve chosen a tree and a fountain), then walking around the subject (360 degrees if that is possible) taking photos of it all the way round, then blending the photographs together.

How many exposures you take as you walk around your subject is up to you, it also depends on the subject. In the first example of the tree, I actually took over fifty photos, but chose to only use twenty of them, in the second example of the fountain I took only five.

The more images you use, the more “impressionist” or painterly your image will look, you see the tree looks much more painterly, while the fountain takes on more of the look of a traditional multiple exposure.

[Figure 1 - Fitzroy Gardens Tree – “In the Round” technique]

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

[Figure 2 – Fitzroy Gardens Tree – Three of the twenty original images used]

[Figure 3 – Fitzroy Gardens Fountain – “In the Round” technique]

[Figure 4 – Fitzroy Gardens Fountain – The five original images used]

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

You can achieve this effect “in-camera” if your camera has a multiple exposure mode, but this article discusses doing the blending in Photoshop.

One advantage of this technique (as with any multiple exposures) is that the processing loses a lot of the precise detail and sharpness of the image, so you don’t need pristine images. You don’t even need to use a camera, both of the examples I’m showing here were taken using my iPhone.

When taking the photos do your best to position your subject (eg the tree trunk) in the same place in each photo, but you will obviously be able to align them in Photoshop later too.

The easiest way to load multiple files into layers in Photoshop is to use the File / Scripts / Load Files into Stack command (see Figure 5). Use the browse button to find your files and check the “Attempt to Automatically Align Source Images” checkbox if you want Photoshop to try to align the images. You may need to manually adjust the alignment of some of the layers using the Move tool as sometimes the layers are quite different for “In the Round” sets of images and Photoshop does not always do a perfect job.

Now that you have your images as layers in your Photoshop file you want to blend them together, and there are many different options. Many of the layer blend modes could be used, such as Lighten, Darken, Multiply, Screen, Overlay or Soft Light but the best starting place I have found just leaves them all at Normal blend mode and uses the layer opacity to blend them in.

Let’s call it the “Inverse Layer Opacity” method. The opacity of the bottom layer should already be set to 100%, then as you count up from the bottom layer set the layer opacity to the inverse of the layer number, so the second layer is set to 50% (1 divided by 2), the third layer is set to 33% (1 divided by 3), the fourth layer is set to 25% (1 divided by 4), the fifth layer is set to 20% (1 divided by 5) all the way up to the twentieth layer (in my example) which is set to 5% (1 divided by 20).

[Figure 5 – File Scripts Load Files into Stack]

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

This will give an effective blend of the images, but you can alter the layer opacities to suit your images, for example if you have certain images that have elements in them you want to emphasise or de-emphasise. You can also use layer masks to include or exclude elements of certain layers. If you have significantly moved some layers for alignment for example you might need to use a soft black brush on the mask to get rid of any noticeable harsh image edges. Changing the order of the layers is worth trying too, which may require a revision of the opacities.

Don’t be disheartened if you think your blended image looks a bit muddy, or like it’s lacking contrast – it’s often the case, but there are a hundred ways to fix this in Photoshop. Two of my favourite ways of improving the detail and contrast in the images are two of the presets in Nik Color Efex Pro, Detail Extractor and Pro Contrast (using the Dynamic Contrast slider). If you don’t have Nik then use the contrast, highlights, shadows, texture, clarity or dehaze sliders in the Adobe Camera Raw filter or a Curves adjustment layer, or a self-blend layer set to Soft Light blend mode.

The ”In the Round” method is fun to try, and the “Inverse Layer Opacity” blending method works well as a starting place for any multiple exposure project.

You can see more examples of Pep Ventosa’s work on his website

https://www.pepventosa.com/

Andrew Haysom

https://www.facebook.com/snapnshootdesigns/

THE WAITING GAME

DOWN artistsUNDER

Australia and New Zealand

DIGITAL ARTISTS GROUP

A COLLABORATIVE GROUP OF PHOTO ARTISTS

CHINESE WHISPERS #66 “CITY LIVING”

STAGE 1

I started this month’s collaboration with Pam and apparently gave her a tough challenge.

As usual, Pam rose to the challenge and created this wonderful image.

It is always a delightful surprise to the person who starts the collab each month to look at the outcome.

ENJOY!

STAGE 2

Maureen Maxwell

Pam Henderson

Maureen Maxwell

TRACEY PERRIN

SEA BREEZE

ALONE, I STEP

SOLITARY

Meet your artist TRACEY PERRIN

Christchurch New Zealand

Website: https://traceyperrinartisticphotography.co.nz/ https://faerietasticphotography.co.nz/

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

I live in Christchurch, New Zealand, which is still recovering from the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes. I have beautiful mountains and scenery on my doorstep.

My passion for photography started back in the mid 1980s. Back then it was an extracurricular class and I did not have a SLR camera, and my family was unable to afford to buy one therefore I couldn’t join the class. I left school at the end of that year and went into the workforce and managed to buy my first camera. I did a few courses in photography so I could learn how to use my camera and develop my own black and white film. I used to carry around a notebook and would document my settings so I could look at them once my film was developed.

When digital cameras came out I got a cheap Fuji point and push camera which I played around with until I could afford a DSLR. Once I started using a DSLR camera I also became interested in learning how to use Photoshop, starting with Photoshop Elements until Adobe started the subscription based Creative Cloud.

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

About 8 years ago I was inspired while watching the NZIPP IRIS Awards Creative category. This led me to research how to create composites. The journey into creative photography led me to Photo Artistry and other online creative learning platforms such as Brooke Shaden, Karen Alsop, Creativelive and Youtube etc.

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

Photography has been a passion of mine for so long, I think about photography and edit photos in Photoshop pretty much everyday! I get inspired by many things, nature is one, especially birds! This has become a new passion of mine since I bought my Sigma 150-600mm lens. It is pretty much the only lens I have on my camera these days and I carry it in my car everywhere I go. I also find inspiration through different Facebook groups like Artists Down Under and The Awake Group.

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

Sometimes I do have an approach when creating my art, it will always start with the bird. I will often have an idea after going through my photos.

I like to capture all the elements of my images myself, preferring not to use stock images.I even create my own brushes and textures which I paint. This means I can also enter into competitions. Last year I won the champion image in the North Shore Salon, which was a great surprise!

When it came to creating the 3 Amigos composite, I had an idea in mind. I started by opening up the three images of the Royal Spoonbills dropping and dragging two of the images into the first image. I then played around with the arrangement of the birds, using a rough mask. After this the rest of the image came together. Not all of my images start like this, sometimes I start with a blank layer and start with the background elements.

5. What does your art mean to you?

Art is who I am, even from a young age I remember getting lost in drawing and colouring. I have a need to create and express myself. My mood often comes through, when I am feeling low my images have a darker feel to them and vice versa for my lighter images. I can become completely lost in my creations and will lose track of time.

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

Since I started creating my composites I have become more focussed and connected to my images. I now also have goals I want to achieve.

7. Is there anyone that you draw inspiration from?

I draw a lot of my inspiration from nature, especially birds and I am lucky enough to live so close to some great estuaries and wetlands which have a wide variety of birds. I also get inspiration from some of the wonderful artists in the Awake Group and Artists Down Under Facebook pages.

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

I have just had a couple of my images in a gallery and sold my first one, so in the future I would like to sell more of my work and have more exhibitions.

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

artists

DOWN UNDER

Australia and New Zealand

INTERVIEW WITH HEMANT KOGEKAR

By Maureen Maxwell

Thank you for doing this interview, Hemant.

You’ve been a member of Artists Down Under since 2019. We’ve seen many of your images in our monthly magazine and on our Facebook page.

One of the reasons for doing a series of interviews for our magazine is to enable our members to get to know each other a little better. I also think our general readers will be interested to hear more about your creative journey.

You are also a keen photographer.

DO YOU FIND DIGITAL ARTISTRY MORE ADVENTUROUS THAN YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY?

I think they are different genres. Photography can be adventurous in some ways, for example, climbing rocks for outdoor photography or dealing with people for street photography can be challenging. Bringing different points of views or perspectives to regular photography too has its own challenges.

On the other hand, you can push boundaries in almost all aspects of digital artistry. There is more scope for experimentation with styles and subjects. I found that digital artistry allowed me to stand out more than I could have as a conventional photographer. It enabled me to try different techniques and approaches. There was a sense of playful adventure where failures were a learning opportunity.

YOU CREATE ACROSS A NUMBER OF PHOTO ARTISTIC GENRES - FROM THE MINIMALIST TO THE GRUNGY AND STORY TELLING COMPOSITIONS. PLEASE TELL US ABOUT YOUR APPROACH TO CREATING THESE IMAGES, AND IS THERE A PARTICULAR STYLE YOU PREFER?

I start creating images based on some inspiration. Sometimes based on an interesting image I came across or an artist who appeals to me. Initially, I tried to recreate a similar composition or a feel. But with practice, I am getting more confident in developing my own ideas and compositions.

I typically start with an idea and then assemble key elements in a composition. I use my own images and don’t use stock images. This can be a challenge at times. There is a fair bit of trial and error to get the composition right. Once I have my main elements in place, then I start adding details and more background elements. At times, the image takes a different direction during this process. Finally, I add the finishing touches and colour toning.

I have been doing mainly landscapes over the past couple of years. But I am experimenting with some surreal/ whimsical images in the recent times.

ARE THERE ANY ‘GO TO’ TECHNIQUES YOU PREFER WHEN DOING YOUR PHOTO ARTISTRY? IF SO, WHAT TECHNIQUES WOULD YOU USE MOST FREQUENTLY?

My composite images are created from cut-outs. I am constantly capturing interesting objects to add to my library. I find that using cut-outs helps me to quickly put together the basis of an image.

Ravaged

Autumn Branch

House In Woods

I create my own brushes, especially for natural elements such as grass, leaves etc. They help me create realistic effects and fill gaps in the image.

I use several textures in the image to add interest, colour, and contrast to the images. I also use DXO/Nik and Topaz studio for the finishing touches in the image. Both the textures and the thirdparty products help unify the composition.

WHERE DO YOU FIND INSPIRATION FOR YOUR CREATIVE COMPOSITIONS? ARE THERE PARTICULAR ARTISTS YOU FIND INSPIRATIONAL?

There are many places I find inspiration. The internet is a good source for ideas. Both ADU and Awake groups are a good source for ideas. I am constantly impressed by the work of other artists in these forums. There are artists such as Jamie Haiden, Glenys Garnett and others, who are also a source of inspiration.

IS COLLABORATING WITH FRIENDS AND/OR FELLOW ARTISTS PART OF YOUR APPROACH ON ART PROJECTS? IF NOT, IS THIS SOMETHING YOU’D LIKE TO EMBRACE?

I have not tried to collaborate on art projects. However, I seek feedback from a couple of friends. If an image does not work or is missing something they usually point it out. I am not sure about collaboration beyond feedback. Art is so individual for me so I am not sure how collaboration will work.

Ducks

Fantasy House

WHERE DO YOU SEE YOUR CREATIVE JOURNEY TAKING YOU IN THE FUTURE? ARE THERE SPECIFIC PROJECTS INCLUDED IN YOUR PLANS?

I am planning to put together a portfolio of images as a part of our club exhibition. I have not yet finalised the subject or the theme. I am currently working on a series of images using the same background image. I am also experimenting with creating ‘conceptual’ or ‘surreal’ images. So, there are a few experimental undertakings, but no firm plans yet.

WHAT DOES BELONGING TO ADU MEAN TO YOU?

Belonging to ADU means you are amongst other creative people, who are all trying to experiment and advance their art. They provide encouragement and share techniques. Many of the works by ADU artists are amazing and inspiring.

PLEASE TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF, YOUR BACKGROUND AND YOUR OTHER INTERESTS.

I live in Sydney. My background is in Information Technology, mostly in management/consulting roles. I retired a few years ago. At the age of 60 I took up photography as a hobby and then embarked on digital artistry a few years later; mostly because of doing Sebastian’s courses.

I like to travel. The last photo trip I did was to Scotland and Iceland where the landscapes were just amazing. We also visited Rajasthan in India early this year. We saw some magnificent palaces and forts during the trip.

Autumn Morning

INTERVIEW WITH HEMANT KOGEKAR (CONT....)

YOU HAVE BEEN A FEATURED ARTIST IN THE LIVING THE PHOTO ARTISTIC LIFE MAGAZINE SHOWING SEVERAL OF YOUR ARTISTIC ART WORKS. WHAT DOES LIVING THE PHOTO ARTISTIC LIFE MEAN TO YOU?

Living a photo artistic life has given me a new creative outlet. Creating art has become an integral part of my life. It has given me a great deal of pleasure and satisfaction.

Since starting my photo artistry journey, I think I have now more freedom and confidence to take risks in creating art. I am more willing to try different techniques or styles. Some are successful and others are not, however, there are always new and exciting possibilities.

I feel that my work is improving and has matured. Being featured as an artist in magazines means that my art is getting better, and people are noticing. You are only as good as your current work. The awards or accolades are nice, but I do art for my satisfaction, so, as long as I get joy out of my work and it is improving, I am content.

Cattle Grazing Clowns

Sheep Grazing

High Density

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

( AUSTRALIA )

PRUE WRIGHT

VIEW FROM GREAT WALL OF CHINA

NEW ZEALAND )

(

DON’T GIVE UP

monthly artistic down under

Andrew Haysom - Snowman

Rosa Perry - Bluey From Jindabyne

Christina Brunton - Snow Globe

Ilona Abou-Zolof - Snowman

Bev Terawskyj - I Won’t Be Here Long

Maureen Maxwell - Beware Of The Yeti

Julie Powell - Snowman

Pam Henderson - Mr Snowman

Karen Waaleyk - The Night Snowman

artists

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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

Bunch Of Butterflies On Grevillea Pencil Case

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