ThePianoGuys - Let It Go (Disney's "Frozen") Vivaldi's Winter

If you have read my blog over the years, you have had a chance to see the Midway Utah Ice Castles from their first event .  Over the years I have visited the castles in day and night and they never fail to astonish me.



This morning I saw the video that was filmed at the Ice Castle here featuring The Piano Guys playing a mash up of Vivaldi's Winter and "Let It Go" from Disney's movie "Frozen. 



Wow!



Don't miss the icicle encrusted piano and the cello created from a block of ice in the video.  The over head scenes were filmed using a small remote controlled helicopter. 



And would you believe this year I have MISSED seeing the Ice Castles?  Our unusually warm winter meant that the Midway Utah Castles were shuttered Feb. 17.  There are still Ice Castles to visit in Colorado and New Hampshire though.  If you live even a slightly bit close to either of those venues, go see them!  HERE is a link to information, directions and on-line ticket purchasing too.



This year the ice is lit with LED color changing lights too. 



I am so bummed out that I missed seeing that lovely element!

Ap-it-tite.

Oh dear!  I have suddenly developed a raging appetite for iPhone art aps!

All it took was one sweet photo of a quick toe snack...

Which was then morphed in to  MobileMonet...

(LOVE this look!)

Then I took the original  photo into an oil painting via Oil Painting Effect...

Then the original photo got put through the Waterlogue water color ap...

Then the oil painting version photo got another layer via the Monet ap.photo.

I even put the paint version photos through my iphone enhance feature to pop the colors.  Oh boy...this could get to be a serious bit of artistic gluttony!  

I suppose it says something about one's personality if one prefers oil or water color or pen and ink. 

 I am not going to think too much about that...I've got several thousand photos taken over the years to play with.   It is snowing like crazy with clumpy flakes right now; I think I have found a fun way to enjoy my day!

Which version do you like the best?

Any guesses why you prefer the one you do?

(And does anyone have any bright ideas how these photos could be printed on watercolor or canvas???)

Vee's Notecard Party

I am linking to Vee's Monthly Notecard Party!

I wonder if people would like snow better if the snowflakes were each the size as you are seeing them in my photographs.

I know knowing what snowflakes really look like has made me much more a fan of snow!

 

***

 



We have had little snow this year.

I am hoping for some more snow soon as all of ours has melted and I am eager to keep practicing snow flake photography.

 

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Different lighting and different lighting angles brings different looks to snowflake photos.

This purple background snowflake for instance was photographed using a LED flashlight angled overhead and to the side.

Yes, this is a real snowflake, not jewelry!

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These snowflakes were photographed using a standard flashlight lighting from below the snowflakes on a glass table top that had a broken layer of ice.

 

Each time the snow falls with defined clear flakes (and believe me, most snowflakes are not clearly defined, most are wooly grapple form or clumped or needle shaped or simply shattered by landing) I am outside shooting away.

You can see the original posts of these photos and many more HERE and HERE.

Waterlogue

I am joining in on Rhondi's Waterlogue Wednesday Link Party today.



I noticed fellow blogger Rosella had a cool winter garden scene photo for a header awhile ago.
Then her photo header suddenly changed to a water color of the same scene.
Wow!
I commented on it, and she graciously clued me into another blogger Rhondi post about the iphone/ipad application called Waterlogue that turns photographs in to water colors.

Talk about some kind of wonderful fun...

It only cost $2.99 to load the ap onto my iphone and minutes later I was getting the water colors that I had always been itching to do, once I had time and talent in my life.

This Waterlogue painting was from the photo below.

I suspect that if I loaded the water color into Picasa I could touch up a few "painter-ly" details like the small spot on my lower lip and the wrinkle lines on my chest, ahem.

Bernie toting five month old grandson about...a favorite photo of ours takes on a new sweet life.

Our living room.  I like how the lampshades came out sketched.

This is my absolute favorite "painting".

The photo is of my cousin's enclosed porch, taken last summer in Wallingford CT.

Springtime feeling come alive in the watercolor version.

My cousin cuddling her cat Murray

A self portrait.

I have taken watercolor course work and let me tell you...this is a whole lot faster and much more fun.
Now if I can only figure out how to print the pictures on watercolor paper...

Thanks Rhondi!

Gallery Stroll: Farmington

Hey...would you like to go see an art exhibit with me? 
It is a show of mostly painting of children and childhood; it is going to be so wonderful!
(Please say yes and come along...)

 I went to the show by myself last week and just imagined that  my blogging buddies came along with me.

 

Doesn't this painting of a family with ten stair step children and family dog just make you smile?

The Bountiful/

Davis Art Center gallery is in the City of Farmington inside a city owned building where not only is there an art gallery, there is also several rooms devoted to both adult and children art classes.

I will admit it.

So Jealous.

I had no idea what "shows" I would find as I strolled along all by my lonesome.

I found this series absolutely fascinating.

Painting of Orphans were done from photographs taken of the Orphans Home children back in the 1920s.

How beautiful, somber and sad each child was dressed in their "Sunday Best".

The details of the girl's dresses and bobbed hair cuts...who sewed their dresses and cut their hair in the latest style of the era?

Essie Adams looks like she needs a hug and a kiss...

Each child's name was noted beside the painting.

Wonder why Lovie got to hold daisies as she wore her sweet yellow dress.

Reminded me of my friend with a similar name who also loves yellow.

I hope the children grew up to have reasonably happy adulthood, and perhaps their children and grandchildren have seen those photos and are pleased with the artist's portraits.

The artist husband grew up in that Orphanage, and it was while attending a reunion there with him that the artist came upon the photographs.

 

Then...

as a contrast....

The same artist painting of children nearly 100 years later.

So happy, so proud!

 

Doesn't he look like a handful?

And I wouldn't want to mess with this girl once she grows up.

The  painting title...

Isn't that fun?

Oh my...Mr. Coolness.

I'd love to talk with this guy.

The faces on those green galoshes!

This one about stopped my heart with its sweetness.

Title...

Sweet sigh.

The trusting look on that little face.

Next was another facet of childhood, this time as being experienced in the Dominican Republic.

I believe it rains a lot in the DR;  I wondered how this lass acquired an umbrella to hold while she was in a fancy trimmed dress.

Details of the dress and the "bling" the girl wore.

And her graceful hands...

Childhood being experienced behind a barb wired fence.

Wish you could see this photo without my reflection.

Then from the seriousness of Dominican Republic life to imaginary childhood life.

Childhood frolics...

Simple fun...

Boys being boys...

No guess what the boys have found but obviously whatever it was it caught the attention of all the boys in the area on a warm summer day.

 

Painting title:

Then...

Another look at childhood with parental love as a theme:

I loved this quiet love and the title:

Then childhood captured via cut paper.

 

Title:

Another cut paper work.

This one was titled "Forgiveness".

What a brilliant subject choice.

The artist's statement:

Emily King: http://www.emilykingart.com/

Artist Statement: Creation has always been a huge part of my life no matter the medium. The human experience remains at the forefront of my work and motivates my concepts. It helps me absorb moments in life and define relationships. I am drawn to forms simplified and unique color palettes despite the medium. I don’t wish to be labeled by a particular media, I prefer to have them all at my disposal.

The minimal paint usage of this artist let the child appear to float.

Another curious boy...

I wonder if Eli is related to the artist.

Well that is enough art for today.

I finished my gallery stroll feeling quite satisfied with my outing.

Outside the air was warmer than usual for February and the snow was melting on the Farmington area hillside.

The only thing that would have been better would have been if you, dear reader, had been with me and we could have gone out for tea afterwards and discussed the art that we saw.

If you'd like, perhaps you could enjoy a cup of tea or coffee now and let me know:

 

 what you thought of the art

 

 and

 

which painting you liked best

 

 of those that *we* saw together, blogger style!