Yesterday I finally went to buy the foam board I needed for my framing project. I had priced an approximately 30X 40 sheet of acid free foamboard at Michael’s for about $10. They do also occasionally have 50% off coupons in the paper, but these exclude framing supplies. It turns out they did have an even larger size of foamboard for $15.99. Since it was about twice as big (about 40×60), I decided I would buy that one and have lots left over to frame some of my other art.

As with the matt board, I traced the outline of the glass onto the foamboard and cut it with the matt knife. Even with the knife blade fully extended, it did not go all the way through. I flipped it over and traced and cut it on the other side to get all the way through. If the foamboard does not quite fit in your frame, then try flipping it over from side to side or top to bottom or both. I still had to shave a little off one side after doing this to get mine to fit.

Bob Villa’s frame plans (see part 1) did not go into how to add the matboard and foamboard backing and secure them. i was planning on just using staples along the inner edge of the frame to wedge them into place, but my molding was to thin. The foamboard was flush with the back of the frame instead of leaving a little extra depth where I could stick some staples.

I need to come up with a different plan. I thought about just leaving it as is, because the foam was cut in such a way that it was so snug it would not fall out even when turned upside down and shaken. I went back to Michael’s thinking they probably have something designed to twist and lock the foamboard in place; however, I could not find anything. One of the ladies at the custom framing desk said since the foam board squishes that it would probably work to just squish it a bit and hold it in place with staples anyway.

I think before I secure everything in place I will select a stain and finish the frame. I’m thinking a nice cherry would look good. I am hoping to get some samples and stain some of the scraps first to make sure before i stain the whole thing.

In the meantime, here is an interesting article I found on framing watercolors.

low budget framing part 1,
stay tuned for part 6…

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All photos in this post are the intellectual property of Dawna Morton. All Rights Reserved. Do not copy in any form. Prints are available for Purchase in Dawna’s Zazzle Gallery.

I recently took a hike down into the forest beyond our property with my family. Of course, a hike just isn’t a hike without taking along my camera and getting some pictures on the way!

Sunlit forest reflections shimmer in the water of Fox Creek as it meanders past banks of moss covered rocks and boulders, under the fallen log bridge, on through the ferny forest towards the radiant sky overlooking the unseen Columbia River.

I love how the eye is drawn through the photo: the rocky creek bed visible through

the clear, rippling water, on to the tranquil reflections of forest and sunlight, ending in the shimmering light of the sky seen through the trees in the distance.

I also played around with the macro function on my camera for the first time. I am not including my first attempts here, but I do like this close up of a moss covered rock in the middle of the water. For those who like optical illusions, try clicking on it and take a look at the amber colored pebble just to the lower left of the big rock which looks like a face.
I came across and interesting tree with ferns growing in the moss all the way up the trunk. Notice there is no ivy on it anywhere . Luckily the ivy has not invaded this far down into the forest. The trees are much prettier without it. and there is a great variety of native species where the ivy does not choke everything else out.

I have spent hours daily on the backbreaking work of pulling the ivy out on my property, with slim results so far. There is now about 4 square feet of ivy free dirt now. the roots have runners and I have found i have to soften up the ground with a shovel really good and yank hard! LOL.

So if you are thinking about planting English Ivy as ground cover–yes, it works great; however, unless you want to spend hours of labor keeping it from taking over everything and then have somebody 50 years from now wishing they knew who planted it so they could curse your name –DON’T DO IT!

I have found out from my neighbor who was kind enough to call the county extension office for me, that the best way to remove ivy is to cut the runners that are climbing the trees at a little over a foot off the ground and then make sure to get every scrap of roots that are clinging to the tree. The part up the tree is what flowers and makes seeds, so if you don’t get that first you’ll never get rid of it permanently. depending on the weather it may take up to several weeks for what remains on the tree to wither and die. Then, once you have it off the trees you can effectively remove it from the ground.

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I noticed several people found my series of posts about how to build your own custom frame by searching for how to cut an oval mat. so, I thought I would write a more detailed article about how to draw or cut an oval. the easiest way would be if you already have an oval that you can trace. there are also several products available at art and craft stores that will cut a perfect oval; however, these are a bit expensive unless you need to cut a lot of ovals and need them perfect.

With some practice and a few simple tools you can get a pretty decent oval without breaking the bank. Most people probably already have all the necessary tools at home. You’ll need a pencil, ruler, scissors, eraser (optional), and some paper to practice with.

First fold your paper in half. Then Fold it in half the other way. Measure half the width you would like your oval to be from the folded corner and mark that distance on the lower edge with your pencil. Next measure half the height you would like your oval to be, and mark it on the other fold. now this is the part that will take practice. draw a curved line that connects you two marks and then unfold your paper.

If it does not look right there are several ways ways to fix it. You can either trim it slightly or place another paper under it ( or put tracing paper over it), then make corrections to the uncut paper and try again. I usually end up trimming a little to round it more where the paper was folded.

This does not always produce a perfect oval, but with some practice you can make one that looks pretty good. Once you have a satisfactory oval, simply trace it onto the surface where you wanted it, and VOILA–you just saved $80 on not having to buy a contraption to make one for you

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I have received some requests for information about the weather conditions at the time I took the “Early Morning Sun Rays” photographs, so I thought I would post some pictures of the sky that I took out from the road that morning.

The weather was frosty and cold with a light, misty fog, but not rainy. The sun was brilliant with a white silvery light behind an extraordinarily thin layer of cloud cover. My original idea was to capture a photo of the sun because it was so pretty and silvery like the moon; however, by the time i got home and could whip out my camera the clouds had thinned a little more and the trees were in the way (fortunately for me ) Now I wish I had taken more pictures, but I got too cold and went inside. I think if I ever get another opportunity like that I’ll take a hike further down into the forest.

All images contained in thes blog are the intellectual property of Dawna Morton. All Rights Reserved. Do not copy in any form. Prints are available for purchase in Dawna’s Zazzle gallery.

Last night I went to a really great women’s meeting at my church. It was to celebrate the birthday of Relief Society which was organized in 1842.

One of the activities was to paint a 5×5 canvas. The teacher had prepared a demonstration on how to paint a lemon with “When Life Gives You Lemons, Make Lemonade”on it. Some of us decided to paint something else. Since one of the ladies asked me how to paint an apple, I decided I would paint one too and try to talk her through it. I don’t think I do a good job of explaining and painting at the same time because she gave up and went to a different activity.

Anyway I think It turned out pretty well so I thought I’d post it here. The canvas was already primed, so I started out with a coat of purple paint. Purple is one of my favorite colors, and I also thought it would complement the apple’s red color nicely. Next I added a red apple shape and began adding the highlights and shadows. It needed to dry for awhile before I could go any further with the apple so I laid in the green foreground–being careful to let some of the purple underpainting show through.

Next I added the white apple blossoms and put in a little light yellow highlights and some purple shadows.Adding the branch and apple stem next. It was to wet to do any fine tuning on the blossoms, So I went back to work on the apple deepening the shadows and brightening some of the highlights. Adding the shadows beneath the apple and blossoms was next, using a mixture of purple and a touch of black. Normally I would just use a bluer shade of purple but I did not have a dark enough blue available for that. Then It was time to dry brush the final highlights and shadows on the apple and retouch the blossoms. The background needed a bit more life and brightened up a bit. Adding a light behind the apple and fading it out really made the apple “pop.” At first I put too much yellow in it, so I lifted it out with a damp napkin and reapplied a lighter shade, and then dabbed it again to create a slightly mottled effect. Before signing it I added a few touches of red around the edges and softened it with the napkin as well.

I did get frustrated with it at times because acrylic is not a medium I use frequently and I also did not have my good brushes with me. working with larger brushes is a good learning experience though. It is a good idea to try new things an push outside of our comfort zones. You might just like the results ( when frustrated I find it helpful to get up and walk around the room and come back to it a few minutes later with fresh eyes.) I think I’ll try this exercise again . It’s fairly inexpensive since canvases this size can be found in the dollar section at Michael’s

Photographs contained in this post are the intellectual copyright of Dawna Morton. All Rights Reserved. Do not copy in any form. Prints are available for purchase in Dawna’s Zazzle gallery.

Early Morning Sun Rays #18

I love how the silhouettes of the forest trees and foliage in this photograph create a semblance of a stained glass window.

The Bright sunlight creates a high contrast photograph, almost like a black and white, except for the hint of green in the edges of the leaves and branches. There is also a small green sunspot followed by a larger red sunspot in the lower right corner.

The branch across the lower left corner resembles a fallen beam in an abbey of the ancient ruins of a ramshackle church. The warm glow of the sun speaks of hope, renewal, and restoration as it shines through the tangle of vines and branches.

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Early Morning Sun Rays #19

The early morning sun beams its rays from the azure winter sky through the leafless maples to the cedars and forest below.

The sky is a pristine light blue with a hint of thin white clouds in the background. Darkened outlines of bare branches in the foreground and cedar trees in the background provide stark contrast with the early morning sun.

As the rays travel from the sun through the forest, several large sunspots a of lighter and darker red radiate from the sun. One small green sunspot floats like a small orb in the midst of the trees.

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Morning Sun Rays #26

The sun appears like a bright star floating in the midst of the forest as it shines through the translucent ivy on the trees. I love the warm coral half circle like a corona with sun rays streaming through it.

The air seems to sparkle with light and life as the green sunspot hovers like a remote star to the left of the sun, and the sun rays shine all around.

If you squint a little and look at it with eyes half shut and focus on the left of the photo, all the lighter areas where the blue sky peeks through the cedars look like a glimpse of stars in the galaxy surrounding the sun, or perhaps a white giant.

Early Morning Sun Rays #25

Brilliantly the sun beams it’s rays through the shadowy center of the forest, creating 4 red sunspots near the corners of the photo. Beyond is seen the blue and white of a cold winter sky silhouetted by the cedars and ivy covered maples.

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Early Morning Sun Rays #28

The early morning sky is tranquil and blue, and the bare branches of the maples stalwartly await the coming of spring. The air seems to sizzle with energy as the sun’s rays stream through the forest ending in a burst of transparent red sunspots.

The sizzling effect is actually an optical illusion created by the wavy outline of the tree on the far left. When you look at it just right (look slightly to the right and don’t focus completely) it makes the sun Rays look as if they are wavy and dancing with energy.

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Early Morning Sun Rays #31

Softly radiant, the sun illuminates the forest from the calm winter sky. A solitary maple seems to shelter and guide the young saplings encircled by the evergreen foliage of the cedars.

Part 1, part 2, part 3

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Dawna’s Zazzle Gallery for prints, cards, and more…

Photographs contained in this post are the intellectual copyright Of Dawna Morton. All Rights Reserved. Do not copy in any form. Copies are available for purchase in Dawna’s Zazzle gallery.

Here is my next installment of Early Morning Sun Rays Photos. I hope you enjoy them. If you like these pictures you may also enjoy part 1 and part 2.

There is a variety of evergreen trees here. We have quite a few fir or pine trees, as well as a good number of cedar and maple. Interspersed sparingly are some holly. We have ivy everywhere and climbing up everything. Ivy is not native to Oregon, but for some reason we have it climbing up all the trees at my house. I plan on borrowing some goats, who love to eat ivy (yay ), seeing as I don’t want to weed 1/4 acre worth of forest by hand. I have a hard enough time keeping up with every thing else I’m doing (such as getting the garden ready to plant and keeping up with the other 1/4 acre of yard).

Aside from the ivy, the other issue that needs to be addressed, although thankfully enough, not apparent in these photos, is the garbage that people have dumped down there over the years. Most of the time the Ivy covers everything so it’s not visible, but around February and March the ivy has died back enough that I can see it all . I went down there last week and spent quite some time hauling up buckets of bricks, broken bottles, scrap metal, and several tires.It hardly made a dent in what is down there. I am trying not to get discouraged and apply Flylady’s principle of “I can do anything for 15 minutes.” It was exhausting hauling the tires up my steep ravine. They were only about 5 feet down there, but you would not believe how heavy they felt trying to push, pull, shove, roll, flip and basically wrangle them up that hill. I was worn out enough that I did only one tire on one day and the other several days later.

On the long term what I would love to do is to make some hiking trails down there for the kids (and myself too of course ). It’s going to be a long and slow process, but it will be worth it. Hopefully I can find some native plants that will provide good ground cover and keep the hill from eroding, without being invasive like the ivy.

I’ll be posting updates as I continue to make progress. In the mean time please enjoy some more photos in part 4…

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These photographs, and other blog content, are the intellectual property of Dawna Morton. All Rights Reserved. Do not copy. Photographic prints are available for sale in Dawna’s Zazzle Gallery. Those who are interested in using Dawna’s photos in the media or other ways may contact Dawna by leaving a comment and she will respond to you privately. Thank you.

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As I mentioned in part 1, once I was satisfied with the photos I had taken of the sunburst through the trees, I then moved on to capture some of the more subtle effects of the sun rays on the forest.

I love how the sunbeams create a heavenly light in these pictures. Lighting really does make all the difference in the mood and feeling of a photograph. It can make an ordinary scene into something truly spectacular.

Notice how the focal point is not the forest, but the light itself. It seems to radiate a peace and joy and warmth as its radiant glow illuminates the forest. Soft and ethereal, the sunlight turns an ordinary forest scene into something truly glorious.

These images seem to beckon, inviting a quiet morning walk of tranquil reflection and spiritual reawakening. Moments like these stir a desire to find the divine within us and to strive to attain a higher level of excellence. feeling at peace and harmony, we can then be rejuvenated and re-energized in our efforts to become better.

More Photos in part 3,part 4

If you liked these you may also like my post, sunlight in my forest.

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These photos are the intellectual property of Dawna Morton. All Rights reserved. Do not copy without permission. To purchase prints visit my zazzle gallery, or contact me via comments for terms if you would like to use my photos for reference or in the media.

I suppose I have to thank my kids for missing the school bus the other week.

Why? Because, on the way home from the school I noticed the sun shining through the fog and decided to whip out my camera. ( Luckily I had my camera on me. I am trying to get in the habit of taking it every where. I can not count the times I have missed a great picture because I forgot to bring it along, like the morning on the way out of the school parking lot when it was foggy and the sun came out and illuminated the fog behind a grouping of trees. I was kicking myself all the way home for having forgotten my camera that day). You never know when you will come across something that moves you and the artist in you demands you take a photo for reference later.

The sun was so bright streaming through the trees that I had to shoot virtually blind on most of these. I would aim as best as I could toward my desired focal point and click hoping I’d gotten it, without really being sure because all I could see through the viewfinder was a bright glare.

It is really important to make sure to check the settings on a digital camera. I normally leave mine on the highest resolution setting as possible, however I had recently put it on low resolution for some

pictures I took with the sole purpose of illustrating my blog posts on framing and for my post on recycling candles. I had already taken several pictures when I realized I had not returned the settings to high resolution. which is too bad because the second of these is one of my favorites of the ones I took that day.

I love how the sunburst causes such a contrast with the deep early morning forested shade. It is all so peaceful and ethereal in its beauty. The light is not often so perfect for taking such great photos. I got a bit carried away and took around 40 in very short order. The refracted light in the camera lens also caused interesting patterns of red and blue hexagons to appear in the sunburst images.

Once I had several images that I felt captured the gloriousness of the bright sunburst I hiked in a bit further and started taking pictures of the more delicate effects of the sun rays themselves.

more of Dawna’s photos in part 2,
part 3part 4

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I had a lot of fun recently designing some T shirts to sell on Zazzle.com . I originally signed up with them in order to sell greeting cards featuring my artwork, but have decided to offer other items for sale as well. Here is a shirt for babies that I completed a few nights ago. The great thing about Zazzle is that the customer can decide which shirt they would like my design on. Many designs are also customizable, giving the opportunity to create a truly one of a kind gift.

This was inspired by a baby I happen to know who really really likes making raspberries ( and does NOT like peas!).

On the back it says:

I have discovered

the secrets of

Alchemy

turn me around

and follow my instructions…

and I’ll show you!

On the front it says:

Give me some PEAS

and I’ll show you

how to make

Raspberries!

The design on the front is bordered by peas in the upper left corner and raspberries in the lower right. I drew the border at baseball practice with colored pencil and pens from one of my kids’ art kits ( hey I was in a hurry on the way out the door). I find it important to maximize my time as an artist, making good use of both the time and supplies I have available.

To see the front of my shirt, Alchemy and the Raspberries!,visit my Zazzle Gallery, or click on the image above.

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