So far, I’ve only used YouTube to share videos of my son with family and friends. Now that I have the iMac, however, I can easily, as I discovered, record myself as I work/paint in Photoshop CS5. So, behold, I unleash my very first video:

If you can’t watch the video above, click here to view it on YouTube.

I have some exciting news! I got a brand new iMac!

Here you can see it next to my old PC. Look at the difference between the two. Since taking it out of the box, plugging it in, and turning it on, which, btw, was so ridiculously easy, my three year old probably could have done it, I have been blown away by everything on this new mac.

I’ve worked on Macs before, and wasn’t impressed. They were no better or worse to me than PCs. But these new models… Wow! Everything about these new iMacs is elegant and easy. You can even feel the difference in the quality of materials they used, from the softness of the keyboard keys right down to the power cord!

But the biggest and, for an artist like myself, difference that I’ve noticed was when I fired up my brand new copy of Photoshop CS5. I’m using an old Intuos 2 Wacom tablet (and luckily I was able to download the drivers from the wacom site), and let me tell you, using the tablet on the mac with CS5… it was, as Barbara would say, “like butter!”

I could not believe how responsive and fluid my brush strokes were. Geek art heaven! Also, CS5 has some new brushes that mimic some of the Painter brushes, with tips that change when you tilt, etc. Very freaking cool. I wonder what an Intuous 4 would be like on here… LOL.

Needless to say, I’m thrilled, and I’m going to have a very hard time going back to my old PC ways…

-k

ps: You’ll probably never see my desk this clean again, although, it’s a crime to surround that pretty iMac with clutter, so I’m going to try and keep it clean.

Been busy working on several projects lately, which include an illustrated ad for a non-profit organization, several writing projects, and of course my latest hobby, jewelry making.

I’ve been trying to figure out why I’m so connected to the jewelry right now. I’ve already got my creative plate full, so why did I feel the need to add more projects?

I’m sure the answer is multifaceted (oops, was that a bad pun?), but I figured out one tiny part of the allure this morning.

I subscribe via email to Heritage Key, which sends daily updates, blogs and articles about the ancient word – from museum openings to lighting Hadrian’s wall, and the latest on digs, research, and ancient history. For example, did you know that the ancient Chinese used sticky rice in their mortar to make it extra strong? No? Neither did I until this weekend. But thanks to Heritage Key, now I know. LOL. SO, if you love archeology and ancient cultures, I highly recommend you check Heritage Key out.

So, anyway, this morning I received an email about the Top 10 Minoan Treasures to See at the British Museum, and they featured this Minoan earring:

(photo by Ann)

This earring was created sometime between 1850 and1550 BC, and is part of the Aigina Treasure, which was discovered at Aigina, about 30 kilometers from Athens. Apparently large earrings are often seen in Minoan art, but this pair of gold hoop earrings are the “largest and most elaborate examples actually discovered.”

Okay, thanks for indulging my geekitude. So, looking at this earring this morning, not only was I just blown away by just how cool it was, I felt a connection with the artisan who made it all those centuries ago. Now that I’ve been working with metal wire and beads, I can envision the artisan creating it. It became more alive to me now that I know a little bit about the techniques involved in making it.

Plus, it’s amazing how so many of the techniques I’m learning today have aparently been used since ancient times. How cool is that?

Lastly, I’m figuring out why I’m drawn not to glass beads, but rough looking opaque semi precious stones and simple wire techniques. There’s part of me that likes to imagine that I’m squatting on a mat in a hut, just like an ancient artisan, making treasure out of rock and metal.

LOL. So there you have it. Some pre-coffee insight into the depths of my geek tendencies. As I’ve been learning more about jewelry and my own design preferences, I’ve realized that this affinity for rocks and metal is something I want to strengthen as I continue to learn and develop my voice in jewelry.

Luckily I’ve got a big shipment of new stone beads on the way this week. I’ll see if I can channel my inner Minoan as I work with them.

-k.