Pecking

"Pecking"
10" X 20"
Oil on Hardboard

I saw this photo over at Renee Lammers blog and wrote and asked her if she cared  if I painted it.  She graciously said I could.  I will be attending Renee's art retreat in  three weeks.  I am really looking forward to it.


For my art friends:

I saw this blog post at The Sweet Adventures of Sugarbelle and thought it had cross-over appeal.  It seems I am always struggling with photographing my art.  I want it to be as close to reality as I can.  i.e., this painting is showing up  more yellow than the painting is in real life.  I bought a painting recently that was VERY different than what showed on the monitor.  The color saturation seemed to have been "jacked up" on the computer.  To say the least I was very disappointed in the painting.  While it was still a nice painting I had been drawn to it for the "color".  I considered returning it.  And I did contact the artist.  She seemed to think it was my computer.  I seriously don't think so.  Needless to say I will not be buying any more of her art.  But the good news is I have bought several paintings now, and I have to say I am THRILLED with most of them.  They were professionally presented, professionally wrapped, and the best part, they were even MORE beautiful in person.  So I won't let one disappointing experience keep me from buying more!

So anyway, I thought  these tips were worth trying out.  My big camera won't download pictures to the computer anymore.  :(  I think it was affected by a lightening storm.  It was attached to the computer at the time.


Here is something I am trying.  I have decided to try and use outdoor lighting for my pictures.  One of the problems I have is having to lean the painting because it is usually still wet when I photograph it.  This leaning causes distortions and I am always trying to match the lean angle with the camera angle.

This morning I made a picture holder that I can hang on the side of the house.  It is on a north facing porch so there is no direct sunlight.

Here is what I made.

I made sure to use a level to make sure it was square with the world.  I did not use a tripod but I think that would help.  I would be able to line it up center.  There is some distortion in this photo.

First off, the color is much more true.  Second, because I'm using outdoor light, that is more intense even though it was early morning on a cloudy day, I got a much higher resolution.  That is important if I ever want to make prints of any of my paintings.  I will continue to play with this.  I think it is going to help.

 If you have any photo tips, I 'd love to hear them.

Contact me if you are interested in this painting.  You can also see more of my available paintings HERE. Or, to see other paintings available at auction simply search Karla Uphoff in Art on eBay.   Auctions start at just 1¢.