Fall Classic

Three layers in the background make for a big file! I found a great site with free textures. I'm a crazed woman when it comes to textures. Three fonts too. Myriad Pro, Kunstler Script and ...well, I can't remember the third. I'll have to look it up before I send it to the printer.

Sketches

I was asked recently to provide sketches for a magazine client. I'm competing for a monthly comic strip. I have to admit that trying to put the required information into a square roughly 3"x 3" was a DAUNTING task, akin to writing good children's literature. I did 6 panels and this one is my favorite.

Caribbean Rite

I love the way this poster came together. For the background I began with an image I had saved on my computer just waiting for the right application. I duplicated it so I had two of them, flopped one of the duplicates and put it on top of the other. I moved them around until I began to see a "face" come together in a very subtle way. On top of that I placed another image which I hope the viewer will recognize - but not too quickly. All of these layers have a bit of transparency so that texture from each layer adds to the final version. Then the whole thing gets flattened into one finished background.

Finding the right font is always fun. I have used two, Blackadder and Tw Cen MT Condensed -one serif and one sans serif to compliment each other. The color for the fonts are "picked" out of the background.

It's always a challenge to include all of the text that Darrell asks for without destroying the background underneath, but I think it works here.

Colored Up

I hope this isn't too colorful for you all. Let me know. I have the other files ready to send.

2010 Summer Band Camp

Darrell, this is just a beginning idea. The individual letters could be different colors, I could add more little viking guys with musical instruments or scrub the whole thing for something else.
I also need to know if you want a date on the poster...I may have missed that on your email. Let me know what you think. I think the date would look great in the middle of the "d".

Changes made to the dates...and a small font change made.

2010 Composition Symposium

Hard to believe a whole year has come around since the last symposium! What'dya think of this new image? Pretty fun. You'll have to imagine the right side edge. Because it's white without any box around it, it doesn't show up. Same size poster (11x17) as always.

The Cannon Ball

Sometimes on Saturday Matt takes me "garage sailing". I call it sailing because we sail around looking for sales. Matt has a nose for this kind of thing. Last Saturday we went to an estate sale in Del Rio. I found a few pieces of art that I really liked and...a cannon ball. After a little internet research I discovered that an etching Matt bought me for $10 was worth $150 and the cannon ball that he bought for $5 was worth about $375. What FUN!

My mother's things

I received such a nice gift in the mail today. My brother and sister-in-law sent me some of my mother's things - some jewelry and a scarf. Jewelry wasn't too important to her but what she had was nice. It brought her memory into sharp focus. It took me by surprise and I have to admit, made me a little teary. Robyn asked to see it and so I've taken a couple of pictures. I think she liked this leaf motif neckless because it covered up the scar left from her thyroid surgery. I remember her wearing it in the early years of the Murray home. I'm going to wear the scarf to church tomorrow. I'm wearing the camp neckless as I type.

THANK YOU Jon and Renee.

Originals band poster

The background was inspired by Paul Rand, one of the great graphic artists of the 50's 60's and 70's. He did many wonderful book covers - very clean look.