An idea for some porch decorations ended in a “happy accident.” I am always on the lookout for goat-themed art for the various seasons. I came up a little short on the spring decor. I decided that I would paint a slate of a goat portrait surrounded by flowers. However, time eluded me for painting projects. The idea remained just that, an idea.
Then came an invite from Rafi And Klee Studios to be a part of an art exhibit titled “Emergent Petals.” The show opened April 29 and continues until May 19 at The Exchange, 100 Seneca Street in Oil City, Pa., during business hours. Again, the yearning for spring goat art came to the forefront. And again, painting time was limited. I turned to a more immediate artform, photography.
Photoshop has some features that allows one to cut and paste photos. This meant, I didn’t have to wait for the paint to dry. I found a photo of a straight-on shot of a gerbera daisy bloom and a full-on face shot of a younger, cleaner Earl. Earl is a one-year-old Nigerian dwarf buck who was not wethered or fixed. I decided not to get him fixed because of the possibility of urinary stones which can be deadly.
The Earl of today’s fur is tinged yellow from urine. He sprays his “boy cologne” on to attract the neighbor’s female goats whom he is forbidden from meeting. Hence, the Earl of yesteryear — or a year ago — was a lot whiter. The completed project turned out very well. It made me giggle every time I viewed it. It is for sale at the show and I hoped it would bring a smile to anyone who sees it.
However, I couldn’t leave Milo out of the picture. A few free hours and some photoshopping resulted in a preliminary draft of “Milo in Bloom.” I haven’t printed it or had it printed, yet.
Spring is one of my favorite seasons for photography. Every bloom is beautiful. This results in a lot of potential wall art available to print. I have a Square account and can take credit cards, but don’t have this site set up for online ordering. I can be reached by email at saapple@zoominternet.net. An example of pricing would be $40 for an 8×10 photo matted to an 11×14. That price does not include shipping.
I love to photograph flowers in the sun. Cloudless spring days — of which we haven’t had a lot of here in western Pennsylvania — provide excellent opportunities for high contrast photos. “Darkness and Daffodils’ is an example of how the brightness of blooms stands out.
“Earl Unfurled” and “Darkness and Daffodils” are on exhibit and on sale at The Exchange in Oil City, Pa., until May 19.
Applegate Slates and Prints 