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This morning as I was dropping kids off at school late, I saw a sight so beautiful it made me feel like kicking myself for not having my camera. Luckily I DID have my cell phone on me; so, I was at least able to get some pictures. These are so beautiful. I wish I’d had my good camera on me to get a higher resolution since the difference between 2 megapixel and 3 is NOT small.
Misty Morning Sun #1
The light layer of fog and clouds makes the trees fade away to nothing in the distance and creates a golden glow around the sun in the sky.
Misty Morning Sun #2
Sunlight shimmers on the silvery gray mist above the trees.
Misty Morning Sun #3
Like yin and yang the shadowy dark forest creates opposition to the bright glowing sunrise in the sky. In this last picture the barely visible traces of the modern world are juxtaposed against the beauty of nature. These are available for sale as greeting cards, post cards, and small prints at Zazzle (please ignore the “Z” watermark here, it will NOT be on the actual prints–it’s embedded in the link by Zazzle to deter theft) All Rights Reserved. DO NOT COPY IN ANY FORM. You are of course welcome to share a link to this with anyone 😉
While I was designing this postcard I realized that the zoom feature on my blackberry phone is not a true zoom. It essentially just crops the image, giving you the illusion of zooming in when you look at it on your phone, but in reality giving you a smaller image in pixels. 😦
I do like how this post card turned out though. The golden colored background complements the glowing haze surrounding the sun in my photo, and I was able to create a kind of poetic frame around it: Beautiful rainy, misty, mossy, dank, damp, wet. drip drop drizzle gray, cloudy, overcast with chance of sun, lush verdant green rainforest can you see the forest for the trees in the middle of the rain? Oregon.
misty morning sun #2 by dlmtleArt
Browse more Dawn Postcards
Images and content on this blog are the intellectual property of Dawna Morton.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Do not copy.
Dawna’s 
Gallery of Greeting Cards, Matted Prints, and T-shirts at RedBubble 
Gallery of Greeting Cards, Matted Prints, and T-shirts at RedBubble 
Dawna’s Zazzle Gallery of items featuring her Art and Photography
Visit Dawna’s fan page and become a fan on facebook!
see Dawna’s art & photography with the poetry of Glennis Roper
http://PoemsProseAndArtistry.imagekind.com/
http://www.zazzle.com/poemsproseartistry*
http://www.redbubble.com/people/poemsproseart
You can also find Dawna on flickr
Double Crested Cormorant #1
These photos were taken at Trojan pond this summer. At first I thought this was a duck. It does look a little like one in the small viewfinder on my camera LOL . However as I prepared to post these pictures for sale, I realized that it was a type of bird I was unfamiliar with.
It took me quite a bit of time to figure out what it was. I tried looking up all sort of different waterfowl on wikipedia with no luck. Finally I decided to check out the website for the Audubon society, which led me to the web page of their Lincoln City, Oregon chapter where there was a section on birds that are likely to bee seen in Oregon. When I was the image of double crested cormorants there, I thought that might be what I had photographed. After looking them up on Wikipedia to see more photos, I was sure.
I love how wistful this double crested cormorant looks standing all alone on the log above his reflection. He seems to be pondering his lonesomeness and looking for a friend as he gazes into the distance. In reality, if you zoom in close, he appears to be munching on something 😉 . Perhaps this is just his favorite fishing spot.
For sale as prints and greeting cards at and zazzle. All Rights Reserved, do not copy in any form.
Double Crested Cormorant #2
All Rights Reserved. Do not Copy.
Dawna’s Gallery of greeting cards and Matted Prints.
Images and content on this blog are the intellectual property of Dawna Morton.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Do not copy.
Dawna’s Gallery of Greeting Cards, Matted Prints, and T-shirts at RedBubble
Gallery of Greeting Cards, Matted Prints, and T-shirts at RedBubble Dawna’s Zazzle Gallery of items featuring her Art and Photography
Visit Dawna’s fan page and become a fan on facebook!
see Dawna’s art & photography with the poetry of Glennis Roper
http://PoemsProseAndArtistry.imagekind.com/
http://www.zazzle.com/poemsproseartistry*
http://www.redbubble.com/people/poemsproseart
You can also find Dawna on flickr
Heart of Stone
I took this photo during a recent trip to Cle Elum, Washington. While walking along a gravel road I happened to look down and spot this heart shaped rock. I had to snap a picture for my DH. Back when we were dating we used to love pointing out naturally occurring hearts in rocks and other places to each other . We had a bit of a romantic notion that it was evidence that our love was meant to be 😉
Images and content on this blog are the intellectual property of Dawna Morton.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Do not copy.
Dawna’s Gallery of Greeting Cards, Matted Prints, and T-shirts at RedBubble
Gallery of Greeting Cards, Matted Prints, and T-shirts at RedBubble Dawna’s Zazzle Gallery of items featuring her Art and Photography
Visit Dawna’s fan page and become a fan on facebook!
see Dawna’s art & photography with the poetry of Glennis Roper
http://PoemsProseAndArtistry.imagekind.com/
http://www.zazzle.com/poemsproseartistry*
http://www.redbubble.com/people/poemsproseart
You can also find Dawna on flickr
Squirrel Penseur
I was looking through my photos this morning and came across this one taken on a bright sunny day during early spring at Husdon- Parcher Park, Rainier, Oregon. It reminded me of the statue “Le Penseur ” (the thinker) by Auguste Rodin. I wonder is he contemplating the meaning of life and other great questions? It is available for purchase both as a print and as a greeting card at zazzle and redbubble.
Images and content on this blog are the intellectual property of Dawna Morton.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Do not copy.
Dawna’s Gallery of Greeting Cards, Matted Prints, and T-shirts at RedBubble
Gallery of Greeting Cards, Matted Prints, and T-shirts at RedBubble Dawna’s Zazzle Gallery of items featuring her Art and Photography
Visit Dawna’s fan page and become a fan on facebook!
see Dawna’s art & photography with the poetry of Glennis Roper
http://PoemsProseAndArtistry.imagekind.com/
http://www.zazzle.com/poemsproseartistry*
http://www.redbubble.com/people/poemsproseart
You can also find Dawna on flickr
Masking the Frame
Last week I decided it was time to pick out the stain for my framing project. So, I took my frame and artwork with me to Home Depot. Choosing the stain took a long time. There were three different stains I thought might look good with it, but it was hard to tell which would be best based on the little swatches up on the shelf at the store. I finally went up to the paint desk and asked the sales clerk if she had some that I could hold up to the frame. She did have some, but not all 3 of the ones I wanted to see. Finally I chose Bombay Mahogany because it leaned a bit to the purple end of brown which I felt would complement the mat. The other 2 colors I had considered were Red Mahogany and Accents Antique Red. I really liked the antique red, but since it had to be mixed custom, it would not be returnable if I tested it and did not like it. Bombay Mahogany was only available in a 1 step formula (which would have been great except I was planning on leaving part of the frame unstained, and so I needed to put a coat of gloss on anyway).
Checking the Stain On Scrap Wood
I read all the instructions, and following them I shook the can before I opened it. Using a staining cloth which I already had on hand, I tested it on a small scrap leftover from the frame ( making sure to mask the lighter colored decorative molding first because I wanted to leave that part unstained). After applying 2 coats of stain I held it up next to the mat, deciding I liked it. Then I masked the frame and started working on it outside on the back porch with plenty of newspaper underneath (make sure you do this in a well ventilated area and wear gloves, goggles and cover any surfaces you don’t want stained). Following the instructions I let it dry over night and then got some 000fine grade steal wool to buff the surface before adding the second coat. The next day after the second coat had dried I removed the masking tape from the decorative molding. I was dismayed to find that a few drops had leaked through under the edge of the masking tape. The instructions
Some Stain Leaked Through
said to use mineral spirits for cleanup. Since I was out of money for now, and had some gasoline (for my lawnmower) I used some of that instead dipping q-tips in it and scrubbing. I don’t know whether the mineral spirits would have worked better or if it had something to do with the polyurethane in the one step stain–but it left the wood slightly discolored. I think it was probably the gas, so I would not recommend it. Using an X-acto knife around the edges (where I had not tried to clean with gas) I was able to scrape or shave paper thin strips of the unwanted stained areas off with no problems as far as discoloration underneath. On the face of the molding I scraped the discolored areas that had been cleaned with gas. It helped a little, but not as much as I would like. I have had at least one person say they did not notice it, but I am contemplating painting
Leak through on the edge
the discolored areas to match the natural color of the decorative molding. I don’t know if it will work or be worth it. I went ahead and sprayed it with multiple coats of clear glaze for now. I will definitely use a different method for cleanup next time.
This has definitely been a learning experience. I originally started this as a review of how well Bob Villa’s frame plans (see part 1) would work for someone with very little woodworking experience, and on a tight budget. So far I have had to change some things and experiment on my own because he did not explain all the steps and go through all the way to the end of the completed project.
custom framing part 1, custom framing part 2, custom framing part 3, custom framing part 4, custom framing part 5
stay tuned for part 7 coming soon…
Dawna’ Fine Art Prints at Imagekind.com
Dawna’s Art and Photography at
Dawna’s Zazzle Gallery of items featuring Dawna’s work.
Stained and Glossed
Images and content on this blog are the intellectual property of Dawna Morton.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Do not copy.
Dawna’s Gallery of Greeting Cards, Matted Prints, and T-shirts at RedBubble
Gallery of Greeting Cards, Matted Prints, and T-shirts at RedBubble Dawna’s Zazzle Gallery of items featuring her Art and Photography
Visit Dawna’s fan page and become a fan on facebook!
see Dawna’s art & photography with the poetry of Glennis Roper
http://PoemsProseAndArtistry.imagekind.com/
http://www.zazzle.com/poemsproseartistry*
http://www.redbubble.com/people/poemsproseart
You can also find Dawna on flickr
