Introduction to Mobile Artistry Workshop

Introduction to Mobile Artistry Workshop with instructor Tracey Grumbach, artist.

I am so happy to announce that registration for my newest class, Introduction to Mobile Artistry, is now open! The class will be held on Saturday, January 27, 2018 from 9AM-12:00PM at Arts By the Bay Gallery in beautiful Havre de Grace, MD. In this class I will be teaching how to use apps on your iOS device (iPhone or iPad ONLY) to create the three pieces above. I will provide the files and step-by-step instruction while giving you some insight into my artistic process, thought, and tricks. After completing this one day workshop, participants in Introduction to Mobile Artistry will be able to apply the knowledge learned to their own mobile photography to create art.

Introduction to Mobile Artistry requires participants to have an iOS device and the list of required apps loaded onto their device prior to class. Cost of apps is NOT included in the registration fee and is the responsibility of the participant. A list of apps needed for Introduction to Mobile Artistry is listed on the registration page.

The Introduction to Mobile Artistry class size is limited to 15 so please register early! Seats are filling up quickly! I am looking forward to meeting everyone and having a wonderful time creating art. 

For more information and registration for Introduction to Mobile Artistry, please visit my Nine Acres Designs, LLC website Workshop page.

Using Vintage Photography in Mobile Art

Larceny

I have an obsession with looking through old mug shots. It's weird, I know, but over at Flickr Commons you can browse through vintage mug shots that were taken over in Europe and I have wasted plenty of time doing just that. Many of the mug shots come along with the story behind the person's arrest. I love reading the circumstances behind these mugshots. I noticed that many of the crimes had to do with larceny, theft of personal property. Many of the stories indicated that the perpetrator was either trying to steal to feed their family or themselves. I found myself feeling sorry for them. Many were orphans with no source of income. They just ran the streets and tried to get food when they could. So tragic and sad.

Anyway, I was inspired to create this digital collage art piece after browsing those images. I took 4 mugshots of 4 boys who were accused of larceny (thus, the title of this piece) and used various parts of the 4 faces to create a collaged face of a young man in Photoshop CC. 

Then, I imported the above image into my iPhone 6S Plus and used 4 different apps including Snapseed, Distressed FX, Trigraphy, and Fragment to create the vision I had in my head for this piece. I ended up with the piece below.

I still wanted to add some moths to the background and add a triangle connecting the eyes and while I could have done this on my phone, I chose to import it back onto my computer and use Photoshop CC to do this. I added the vintage moth texture and then drew in the triangle, finishing the piece.

I hope you liked this glimpse into artistic process! Have a wonderful day.

xo

30/365- Cactus Country

Cactus Country by Tracey Grumbach

“He'd always had a quickening of the heart when he crossed into Arizona and beheld the cactus country. This was as the desert should be, this was the desert of the picture books, with the land unrolled to the farthest distant horizon hills, with saguaro standing sentinel in their strange chessboard pattern, towering supinely above the fans of ocotillo and brushy mesquite.” ― Dorothy B. Hughes, The Expendable Man 

29/365- The Herd

The Herd by Tracey Grumbach

The human race is a herd. Here we are, unique, eternal aspects of consciousness with an infinity of potential, and we have allowed ourselves to become an unthinking, unquestioning blob of conformity and uniformity. A herd. Once we concede to the herd mentality, we can be controlled and directed by a tiny few. And we are. -David Icke

--------


An evening walk along a faux western town at a resort in Scottsdale, AZ brought me to this wall of bull skulls.

xo

Nevermore- Digital Art by Tracey Grumbach

Nevermore- Digital Art by Harford County artist Tracey Grumbach

Canon 5D MarkIII
Canon EF 100mm-400mm IS USM zoom lens
400mm focal length
1/250
f/5.6
ISO 640
Edited on various iPhone 6S Plus apps

'Tell me what thy lordly name is on the Night's Plutonian shore!"
Quoth the Raven, "Nevermore."'
-Edgar Allen Poe; The Raven 

For a completely different black and white, slightly more sinister looking version of this image, please check Nine Acres Designs Facebook page later today! I took this image while spending the day in Winter Park by myself. I was looking out over a pond, searching for alligators when two ravens landed nearby on the cypress knees around the pond. I happened to be in the right place at the right time to grab this shot.

Have a fabulous Wednesday. xo

Eye of the Boardwalk- Digital Art by Tracey Grumbach

Eye of the Boardwalk- Digital Art-Mobile Art-Tracey Grumbach

Five of my favorite things this week...

1.  Stamps- If you know me, you know I love mail. There is something about getting a hand written note or postcard from someone unexpectedly in the mailbox. I also love sending mail, just to say hello to a friend. Recently, I have noticed that the USPS is offering some really cool stamps (and they should be cool at a ridiculous $0.49 each!). It is fun to add a bit of color or cuteness to the envelope in the form of an adorable or beautiful stamp. Have you sent a handwritten note to someone you care about recently? On my path of running errands today, the post office is one of my stops for this very reason.

2.  The Foundling: The true story of a kidnapping, a family secret, and my search for the real me by Paul Joseph Fronczak- This book was simply enthralling. If you like true life mysteries, ancestry, or are interested in genetic genealogy, this book is for you. If you are an adoptee, an adoptive parent, or a birth parent, this book is for you. If you like memoirs, this book is for you. Deeply moving, emotional, and fascinating, this book will take you on a roller coaster ride of emotions. Being the mother of adopted twins, it pulled at my heartstrings and made me look at a few things differently about how they will feel growing up. In addition, one of my friends, Allison Demski, who actually fostered my twins before I adopted them and saved my life (she was a paramedic at one time and saved my life when I was in anaphylactic shock), is in the book as one of the genetic genealogists helping Paul along his journey of discovery.  She is an amazing woman and has helped so many people in life. She is an angel on earth. Get this book! You can also watch the 20/20 program about his case.

3.  Feather bookmarks- I don't have these yet, so I can't vouch for their quality, but these simply look adorable. I always have a book and I love feathers, art, and watercolors. So, this totally makes my heart sing.

4.  Be still my heart-Football Season is upon us! Y'all know I love me some football! Go Ravens (I say this with all trepidation because of our ridiculous injury list before the stinking season even starts)!  Time to bust out the purple jersey!

5.  I am totally obsessed with the total solar eclipse that is happening on August 21. At first I was going to be in an airplane traveling back from Florida when it happened, but my plans have changed and I will still be in Florida during the event. I will be in the path of 85% totality that day and Winter Park, the area where I will be, is hosting viewing parties...so, I just may need to make plans for that! So exciting!

Have a fabulous Wednesday! Hugs to all.

xo

Happy Camper- Get On the Road Series

Tracey Grumbach-Baltimore Area Artist
This digital painting is based off a photograph in the public domain by Karen Arnold.  

I LOVE Airstreams. I think they are adorable. I have a fantasy that when Brian and I retire, we will cruise the United States towing an Airstream trailer, setting up "home" near various National Parks, staying as long as we feel we need to fully explore the area and then moving on to the next. Instead of our children coming to us with the grand kids, we will come to them.

There is only one little problem. Brian isn't digging the Airstream idea. He is not opposed to RVing at all. As a matter of fact, he loves that idea. But he just doesn't like Airstreams. So, in celebration of the idea of freedom, wanderlust, and all things traveling, I've decided to add to several series I am doing right now (including Portrait of a Flower, a Bird Series, and a Hat series-which I have not posted yet), I am also doing a "Get On the Road" series about camping, VW's, Airstreams, and RVs. This is the first one, Happy Camper. And I love it. I may have to blow it up huge on one of may walls and maybe, just maybe, Brian will come around one day to the idea.


Brenna leaves in just 4 days for college. Last night she went to dinner and a movie with three of her closest friends and came home very sad at the realization that life for all of them is changing dramatically and that she will be so far away. As a parent it is difficult to watch these growing pains as she enters adulthood. I wish I could take away the sadness, apprehension, and fear of the unknown so she can only feel the good parts about choosing a college so far away. Transitions in life are never easy and almost never comfortable. I know it is good and healthy for her to feel these growing pains, to be homesick, and to conquer it becoming a stronger and more independent person in the process. Only, as a parent, it is not easy to watch and it breaks my heart when she is hurting.

Anyway, today I am focusing on being a Happy Camper- and will meditate on this digital painting when I feel the urge of wanderlust creeping in. Oh, to be free in a field of wild grass and wild flowers under a blue sky right this minute...

I hope you have a fabulous Tuesday.

xo

Out of the Fog- Digital Art by Tracey Grumbach

Out of the Fog-Digital Art-Mobile Art-Tracey Grumbach

I was planning on sharing some awesome career news with you all today, but instead I am devastated to change the theme of this post to just how unpredictable life really is. In the long run my career won't mean much in the wide scheme of the world, but the lives of two young people do make a difference and when they are lost, the entire community grieves.

In the last week both of my oldest children have lost childhood friends, one to unspeakable violence and the other in a car accident. My heart is aching with the weight and heaviness of imagining the hell the parents and siblings of these two young people are in right now. My heart aches at the injustice of it. It aches for the young, tender age at which both of these young men died, one 20 years old and one 18 years old. My heart aches for the communities that are grieving right along with the parents and siblings. My heart aches at the quickness and randomness of the deaths. My heart aches because I simply cannot imagine burying one of my children. My heart aches for my kids and all the other friends of these young men out there for having to experience and deal with loss at such a tender age. My heart just aches.

In the last few days I have turned to prayer in a desperate attempt to somehow help these two families cope with losing their sons in such a sudden and unexpected way. I don't have any words or meals or gifts that could possible ease their pain and so prayer is the only remedy I can offer. I pray for their strength to get through losing a child. I pray for the Lord to comfort them in this unimaginable pain. I pray for their peace of mind knowing that one day they will be reunited with their beloved children.

Last night at dinner it did not escape me that I was sitting there having a meal with my husband and four children while these two families will never be able to do that again. The incredible feeling of thankfulness overwhelmed me because truth be told, none of us are guaranteed that...ever. Not one of us is ever guaranteed the day. So, hug your loved ones tighter and longer NOW. Spend time talking NOW. Pray together NOW. Tell them you love them NOW.  As I was driving yesterday the song Last Time For Everything by Brad Paisley came on. I NEVER listen to the radio, but weirdly, I had it on yesterday just after I heard the news about Brenna's friend passing and that song came on. It made sense like never before and spoke directly to my heart. There is a last time for EVERYTHING so be thankful for EVERYTHING NOW.

Please, would you add your prayers for the Pizanis family and the Berrell family? Truly, it is the best thing we can offer them right now. Thank you.

xo

I Heard the Fog Horn Sound- Digital Art by Tracey Grumbach

Bass-Harbor-Head-Lighthouse-Maine

Taking the old and making it new again. I've been falling in love again with photographs I took in Maine years ago and reworking them using some methods and apps I've learned over the last few years. The morning of this excursion to the Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse in Maine is forever sketched into my mind. The mist hitting on my face, the sound of the seagulls, the fog horns in the distance, scrambling over the huge rocks...it is like it was yesterday.   I'd love to go back one day. I have such wanderlust in my soul to see and experience all the amazing things this country has to offer and it seems like I can't get out of this house even for a weekend.

I'm feeling trapped and sad lately. It feels like groundhog's day over here. All the fun plans I had for me and the kids have not come to fruition. The summer is almost over and here we sit...in the house. So frustrating and lonely.

Anyway, I am sure I will be feeling better emotionally in a day or two. It is just frustrating to see all of my hopes and plans for the summer go down the drain. But you know me, the ultimate optimist, so I will get over it soon.

Everyone has been asking about Brenna...she was still very very sick yesterday for most of the day but once I pulled her off pain meds and switched her to milder anti-inflammatories and alternate pain control methods, she began improving. Those drugs are nasty! She actually was able to get up and shower last night. I didn't hear from her all last night so I am hoping that means she had a great night's sleep. I think she is finally turning the corner. Thanks again for all of the prayers and well wishes. 

Silent Finger to the Sky and Stars- Digital Art by Tracey Grumbach

An instinctive taste teaches men to build their churches with spire steeples

which point as with a silent finger to the sky and stars.

-Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Just as I have an obsession with barns, I also have an obsession for the architecture of churches. The subtle differences in details between each of them intrigues me. I am particularly fond of steeples and bell towers. One day I plan on making a collage of all the different barns I've photographed and separately, all the churches I've photographed. I think it will be cool to see them all together. I don't have any clue just how many different ones I've taken. Probably dozens!

I have my monthly doctor appointment today with my Lyme specialist. Except for last week, my pain levels have been a lot better while on this restricted diet, which is a plus. I am still dealing with ridiculous levels of exhaustion, but hopefully I can find answers to that at today's appointment. He will be presenting the results of my ALCAT blood test and helping me fine tune my diet so that I can avoid trigger foods for my system. Frankly, I am petrified that my digestive tract is so screwed up that all I'll be able to eat is lettuce and cucumbers. I will find out for sure today and let you know on tomorrow's blog. I will also find out the results of my liver function tests. I pray that my liver is holding up to the onslaught of antibiotics I am still on. I would appreciate any prayers for the doctor's wisdom and my patience as we move through this difficult process.

I found out late yesterday afternoon that Brenna needs to go in for emergency oral surgery to remove her wisdom teeth today. Please say a prayer for her as well. I hope the surgery goes smoothly and her recovery is swift. Poor thing got back from Canada Sunday night, had a emergency dentist appointment yesterday afternoon and surgery scheduled for 11:00 today. I am sure this is the home coming she was hoping for!

I'll see you here tomorrow with updates on my doctor visit and Brenna's surgery. Happy Tuesday, y'all.

xo

Baltimore County Rural Landscape- Mobile Artistry by Tracey Grumbach

Tracey Grumbach- Barn Art

I had rather be on my farm than be emperor of the world.

-George Washington 

This quote says it all...I don't have a lot of words today other than to say my daughter made it safely home from Canada last night after the trip of a lifetime. She truly was blessed to have this life experience and we are so grateful to her friend's family for inviting her along on this adventure. Brenna only has 3 more weekends here at home before moving away to college, so I'm glad to have her back to spend some quality time with her before she leaves again. 

This barn is one I admire greatly and pass frequently along my route to and from where I see my doctor and get blood work. The barn and the property are just magnificent and I would love to explore further but I don't know the owners. I am thinking about putting together a collage of all the many barns I have photographed over the years. I truly have an obsession with them!

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend and I look forward to sharing more images with you in the coming days.

Have a great Monday!

xo

Mobile Art Created on iPhone Apps- Don't Limit Me

Mobile-Art-Created-on-iPhone-Apps-Tracey-Grumbach

My newest figurative piece is titled "Don't Limit Me". I am still struggling to find just the right feel with this style of art, but I keep trying! I still haven't completed the third lesson in the Figurescapes class as I have been not feeling well most of the week, but I am starting to get antsy to finish it and start my second class about teaching online classes. So, my goal is to find time and feel well enough this weekend to complete the first course. So far I have completed 5 different pieces inspired by or required by this class: Dixie and Go Figure, No Fear, On the Edge, and this one. I was honored that On the Edge was chosen on Instagram as a featured piece by @ig_artistry. 

Speaking of Instagram, have you all heard about Chatbooks? They are these adorable little books that are printed from your Facebook or Instagram photos. I've heard so much about them and since I usually only print one copy of my art, I decided to have my Nine Acres Designs Instagram account printed so I could have a record of all the images I've created since opening that account. Well, yesterday I received 4 Chatbooks in the mail and I was in total love. It was so cool to see all of my Instagram posts bound together in a tiny picture book. My twins went crazy for them and immediately sat down looking through each one. They are decent quality for the value price you pay and it is nice, like I said, to have all of it printed. Each time you get 60 images on your Instagram you can print a new volume. Later today I will take a picture of the ones I received and put it up on Facebook. Look for that if you are interested!

Tonight is a special night because it is the artists' reception for the Art Without Boundaries exhibit in which I have two pieces showing. All the art was divided between Bel Air Library and Havre de Grace Library but both of my pieces of art are showing at the Bel Air location. I am looking forward to seeing the entire installation and meeting the other artists!

I'm also thrilled to receive the news that The Mighty, the online magazine which I am a contributing author for, is publishing my 4th article soon! I will for sure let you know on Nine Acres Designs Facebook page when the article has been published. I imagine is should be sometime today.

This weekend, if I am able to, is an exciting one. Tomorrow my son has a rugby match in Washington D.C. Then, on Sunday, my daughter has a performance at a local church for a play that she has been working on all week in VBS camp. Also on Sunday I get to pick up my oldest daughter from the airport after her amazing trip to Seattle and Vancouver. It will be good to support my kids this weekend and have my girl back home.

I hope you all have a fabulous weekend. Be safe and have fun! See you back here on Monday!

xo

Starry Crown- Mobile Art by Tracey Grumbach

When my son and I took a walk Tuesday morning, I saw this barn and the song Down to the River to Pray popped into my mind.  One of the lyrics says, "And who shall wear the starry crown" and a starry crown is exactly what I thought of when I saw this majestic, huge barn standing in the morning sun with the star near the peak.  It was such a beautiful morning and I felt like I had enough energy to do a short (and I mean short) walk, but now I've been paying for it. I'm not sure if it was the walk or not but Tuesday night and all day yesterday the pain in my legs has been unbearable.  This after my pain has been controlled really well for most of the month. My next appointment is Tuesday, so I am anxious to hear how my labs turned out.

My youngest daughter LOVES this song and sings along every time she hears it. I love it too, so I will share it with you...

Down to the River to Pray
Alison Krauss

As I went down in the river to pray
Studying about that good old way
And who shall wear the starry crown
Good Lord, show me the way!

O sisters, let's go down,
Let's go down, come on down
O sisters, let's go down
Down in the river to pray.

As I went down in the river to pray
Studying about that good old way
And who shall wear the robe and crown 

Good Lord, show me the way!

O brothers, let's go down
Let's go down, come on down
Come on, brothers, let's go down
Down in the river to pray.

As I went down in the river to pray
Studying about that good old way
And who shall wear the starry crown
Good Lord, show me the way!

O fathers, let's go down
Let's go down, come on down
O fathers, let's go down
Down in the river to pray.

As I went down in the river to pray
Studying about that good old way
And who shall wear the robe and crown
Good Lord, show me the way!

O mothers, let's go down
Let's go down; don't you want to go down?
Come on, mothers, let's go down
Down in the river to pray.

As I went down in the river to pray
Studying about that good old way
And who shall wear the starry crown
Good Lord, show me the way!

O sinners, let's go down
Let's go down, come on down
O sinners, let's go down
Down in the river to pray.

As I went down in the river to pray
Studying about that good old way
And who shall wear the robe and crown
Good Lord, show me the way!

-Songwriter- Philip Anthony Lawson
-Lyrics- Hal Leonard Corporation 

 Hope you all have a fantastic Thursday!
xo

Southwest Terminal- Photo Artistry by Tracey Grumbach

Southwest Terminal- BWI Airport- Mobile Art by Tracey Grumbach

On Sunday I had the opportunity to take a few pictures outside my normal realm of country scenes and barns. We took my oldest daughter, Brenna, to BWI airport where she was taking her first solo flight to meet a friend and her family on vacation out in Seattle and then from there driving over the border into Vancouver. She was nervous about navigating security and finding her gate prior to her flight but she did great. It was good practice for her to spread her wings a bit before she heads off to college in August. As I was riding the moving sidewalk (do they have an official name?) back to the parking garage, I looked out the windows just to my right and I saw this scene. The lines and lighting caught my eye and I immediately knew when I edited I wanted to create a futuristic feel. I left swiped my iPhone 6S Plus and grabbed a photo. Editing came later when I had time to concentrate and complete the final look.

I am pleased to announce I have been asked to be the featured speaker at the Chester County, PA Camera Club in November of this year. They have asked me to speak to their club of approximately 100 members for about an hour and then stay for some Q&A. I am quite honored to be asked and I am very much looking forward to doing this in the fall. I am not sure what topic will be most appropriate for me to discuss yet...it depends on their interests and needs. I am still in discussions with the VP of the group about details, but whatever the topic, I will be thrilled and excited to share my love of photography and digital art.

I'm also actively working on the details of my very first Introduction to Mobile Art Class in September. Right now the tentative date and location is Saturday, September 16 at Bel Air Library. These details are NOT confirmed, but please, if you are interested, pencil it in as tentative.  A class description and sign-up will be coming out soon.

I've also been asked to do an Understanding Exposure In Photography class as well. This will probably be a bit later in the fall and will be scheduled over three separate Saturdays, one for going over each of the three elements of exposure- ISO, aperture, and shutter speed. I am so excited to get back into the teaching groove as soon as the fall hits!

I also have a few other class ideas brewing...Creative Exposure in Photography, and Introduction to Black and White Photography are in the future as well. Now that the my older kids are heading out on the next phase of their lives and my younger kids are heading back to school, it is time for me to focus on healing completely and accomplishing my goals as an artist and teacher.

It's Hump Day, y'all. The weekend is within sight. I am heading to Ikea today if I can summons enough energy and stamina. I'm in the market for a large art table for my studio! Yippee...somewhere I can practice drawing, painting, collage, and mixed media instead of my teeny, tiny, wobbly, warped, crooked table I have now. I hope I can find one that will work well for me!

Hugs and lovin'

xo