Reno

 

This is a tribute to my childhood in Reno, Nevada. Featured are images of my parents, the house we lived in, and the Reno arch. This was actually Reno's second arch it was in place when we moved here in 1968.  It was replaced by the third arch in the early ninties.  The shadow figure in the image is yours truly.

Georgia

        I started this project more than two years ago.  Without going into detail, chronic illness was mainly to blame.  I am just glad it is finally done.  Bless the broken road that has led me back.

Art by Rhonda Giron 1958-2013

This is an example of artwork created by my sister-in-law and dear friend Rhonda Giron, who passed away on New Years Eve, about a week ago.

Renee Memorial

This is a memorial image I created of my wife, Renee, on the anniversary of her passing in August. It is the merging of two photos. One is a wedding picture of Renee, and one I took at the Idlewild Park rose gardens in Reno. I merged the images with the GIMP app on a PC. I then added a frame with the Pics-art app on the android. I am still trying to get the hang of using the art apps on the Android. A rather ambitious goal will be to draw a bird with my finger using the Sketchbook app. This will be for the Georgia State bird project. 

Pop Tart

After a four month hiatus, I am up and running again. Three months in a homeless shelter, then a transition to a graveyard shift job put a damper on my art hobby. It has been difficult finding time to go use the computers at the library. However, my sister-in-law, gave me an android tablet after she bought herself a new one. I have slowly been learning the art apps. that are available since then. This image was created from a pencil sketch of myself that was then altered by using the Pics-Art app.

I have also downloaded the Sketchbook app., and I am beginning the process of learning how to draw with my fingers. Other projects I am working on are the Georgia state bird image, and I am putting a collage together from previous photos and drawings.

The Duke of Duct Tape

  This is my Dad. He was an eccentric character. Life was never dull when he was around. Dad considered himself a self-taught jack-of-all-trades. Duct Tape was one of his favorite tools for all purpose use. Dad's Rube Goldberg approach to home improvement projects has made him a family legend, who I am sure will go down in history for generations to come.

     In all seriousness, though, Dad was a very talented artist. He was actually a professional artist of a sort. He worked as a cartographer for the U.S. Forest service for 30 years. He worked during an era when maps were still being drawn by hand. My Dad really excelled at his craft. He also liked oil painting as a hobby and he created some very nice paintings. Unfortunately they all were destroyed in a house fire. I miss my Dad a lot. He was a real hoot!

This image is a very simple merging of two photographs. I have been focusing a lot of my efforts lately at merging photos and drawings together using GIMP. I am still in the learning process of using the applications. I hope to create more complex collages for future projects.

Mom

This is my mother.  She passed away in 2011 at the age of 94.  She was a wonderful mother whose love and forgiveness were always unconditional.  She was someone who was always there to stand by me through thick and thin. Mom was very talented artistically also. She was a very good writer and she also made beautiful prize-winning homemade dolls. She left quite a legacy, living long enough to see great-great grandchildren. May God rest her soul always.

This is just a simple pencil sketch jazzed-up a bit with GIMP.