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I was creating a series of promotional ads for the holidays in Adobe Express this morning. I was thinking that I really never pushed puzzles, and how to promote them. So, I Googled the top 10 facts about puzzles to get some ideas. I found this :

'Puzzles are therapeutic tools for autistic children.
Autism is a behavioral condition that affects an individual’s nervous system. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has different symptoms in different people; it includes developmental disability to communicate, behave and interact with others. These symptoms typically appear during 18months to 3 years old.

Studies show, unlike other activities, jigsaw puzzles help left and right brain coordination. The left brain as the logical hemisphere and the right brain as the creative one. Therefore, puzzles are best for children with autism to build fine motor skills, reading and writing skills, even explore new textures and sensory input. It is a great brain exercise to enhance cognitive development. '

I hope this comes in handy for you folks in selling puzzels .

This morning, while enjoying my coffee, and doing a bit of creative ' pixel pushing' as usual. I was scrolling through analog 1996 images of Germany. I was still bit of a 'greenhorn' . My photo skills was still developing at that time. Some were a bit out of focus, underexposed and the like. Fast forward to today, this gargoyle image I took over 30 years ago is still my favorite image.
This was at a cathedral in Oppenheim. I remember that day so vividly. I alway love old churches, especially medieval cathedrals. I came across this gargoyle inside this cathedral and began to photograph this little fella and other breath taking structures . I was just 'snapping away', then suddenly I hear a clearing of throat. A priest standing at the entrance to the chamber. I embarrassedly stopped and left to meet up with my family.

Sadly, I can't just hop on a plane and reshoot this image. Look closely, it's a bit out of focus . So ,I took this image into Photoshop, added some painterly effects. Using the textured brushes totally transformed this image. I'm quite ed pleased with the results. Since my drawing and painting skill are somewhat lacking. Working on that.

Please let me know if you like more photo transformation like this.

The Fairy House (Springhouse in the Smokies ) has been selected for upcoming auction at the Tennessee Association of Utility Districts (TAUD) Annual Business Conference in Gatlinburg ,Tennessee . The event will be August 11& 12 2021.

The Fairy House (Springhouse in the Smokies ) has been selected for upcoming auction at the Tennessee Association of Utility Districts (TAUD) Annual Business Conference in Gatlinburg ,Tennessee . The event will be August 11& 12 2021.

Sun has decided to come out. Snow and ice beginning to melt. Perfect time to so some wet cyanotypes with all the ice and snow. Not sure what will be rendered. Stay tuned.
Have fun and keep creating!!

Mid-South has been dealing with 'Snowmageddon 2021' for couple of days now. Here in Lakeland Tennessee, we got 6 inches of snow and ice. Since my day job has closed due to the weather, It's s nice to take some time and reminisce through my photo archives.

I take those images into Adobe Fresco or Photoshop to create something new. Sometime I will choose and image that not so great ( ex: exposures off, or slightly out of focus). So far, I like using this app to fine-tune my sketching skills, and learning how to use the digital brushes. Little different compared to using my Wacom Into Pro, but not too much.

Don't get me wrong, there's nothing like experiencing the process of real watercolor painting. Hopefully one day, I will actually paint a real watercolor painting again. Its been many years since I did actual painting and drawing. But for now, I need to continue to practice and watch a lot of YouTube on watercolor techniques and how to translate that in a digital format.

Stay Safe and Warm out there!

Digital art of The Sunsphere, located in World’s Fair Park in downtown Knoxville, Tennessee, is a 266 ft high hexagonal steel truss structure, topped with a 75 ft gold-colored glass sphere that served as the symbol of the 1982 World's Fair.
This piece, I created digital brushes of newspaper articles when the World Fair opened in Knoxville. I plan on doing more versions of this. I would love some creative feed back.

This year, I will be participating in the annual Grindcity 2020 photo walk in Memphis,Tennessee. Every year, Photographers of all skill level converge, set aside our differences and and share our love for photography. Network and learn from each other.

I have to confess, I don't do the whole blogging
thing too well. It's a work in progress. Please don't judge. I do have a full time job, so updating my profile and collection is not as frequent as most. I do make a point to add new stuff each week. I'm in the process of adding new collections. Merging some collections that I find rather redundant. Check out my new collection with a focus on botanical gardens and Tennessee. I would love some feedback.
Stay safe everyone and keep creating!!!

There are a ton of unique spots throughout the Great Smoky Mountains you can get to by hiking. One of the lesser known spots is the fairy house along Twin Creeks Trail. We want to tell you all about this cool little spot and how to get there. Here’s more about hiking to the House of the Fairies in the Great Smoky Mountains:

History of the Fairy House
mill on a creek in the smoky mountains
Before we talk about how to get to the fairy house, we want to share the history of this spot with you. A man named Louis E. Voorheis bought and developed land from 1928 to 1944. He owned 38 acres of land in what is known as the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Voorheis wanted this area to be a mountain retreat to get away from crowds of people.

Voorheis enjoyed experimenting with water power, which is probably why he chose the property where two creeks run across it. Soon after he bought his land, he started working on a dam for hydroelectric power. He also built a water powered mill and many gardens where water features were prominent. Voorheis liked to use water features as part of the landscape, and he also built a pool, as well as the springhouse, known as the House of the Fairies.