July 14, 2013: Jephyr's Latest Digital Painting

Hi!

Hope yer feeling great today!

I call my latest digital painting (posted below) "Consider The Ravens"...after the biblical quote from Luke 12:24:

 

²⁴ Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom
or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds.

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As I wrote in my last post...I have a number of unfinished digital paintings I've been tinkering around with and have decided it was high time to finish some of them.

I keep a file of these "works in progress" and so after I finished my last painting I went back through some those images and came across a crow "photo study" I'd started long ago.

(find info on the reference photo I used below *)

As you might note, I've decided to challenge myself to create more involved backgrounds in my images...something I haven't done a lot of but know I really need to work on.

"Consider The Ravens", Digital Painting, Copyright 2013, Jephyr (Jeff Curtis), All Rights Reserved

So as I painted the crow I began adding desert background behind it...echoing landscapes  I've seen on hikes up the Lost Dutchman's Trail just a few miles east of where I live.

I worked a lot to balance the "dark and light" values I wanted.  Even so, I was disappointed to find that exporting it from a Photoshop .psd file to a .png file for the interent completely crushed a LOT of details in the darker areas.

*sigh*

So I tried to balance the image you see above by using different layer groups and level adjustments in Photoshop in an effort to match my original painting as much as possible.

This is one of the downsides to sharing art on the internet for sure.

Note:  The reference I used to paint the vultures circling over head came from a photo I took at the Salt River just east of Phoenix last summer.

Anyway...hope you like my latest digital painting!  I'd be very happy to receive feedback on it!

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* Thanks to "SalsolaStock" found on deviant art who provide reference images for artists...and allow them to be used royalty free when you meet their "rules of use":

http://salsolastock.deviantart.com/journal/Crayon-2-0-License-240625459

Direct link to the image I used:

http://salsolastock.deviantart.com/art/Creepy-Crow-96657023


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Purchase this image on prints of all kinds, posters, greeting cards etc on Fine Art America:






Thank you for stopping by!

 

117 Degrees In Phoenix...And Jephyr Gets A New Home A/C Unit

Hi all,

After a week or two of some nice cool weather here in Phoenix, the weather people had begun forecasting some VERY HOT temps were on their way.

Sure enough last Friday, 6-28-13, we hit a SCORCHING 116 degrees and then Saturday we FRIED under 117 degree skies! 

The last two days it has been a blistering 113...and today it's supposed to be triple digits PLUS again! 

^ ^ ^  That's a screen shot I took off the TV on Saturday, 6-29-13 showing 117 Degrees (top left corner).

I inserted the image of the Psychiatric Hospital over that part of the screen...because you might just have to be crazy to live here!

hahaha

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A bit before this massive heat-wave hit...I'd noticed that my A/C unit was struggling to keep the house cool.

I'd had a problem with it last year, and Kevin Anderson from In-Phase Air Conditioning (Contact Information Below) had come out to take a look at it.  He thought then I might get another year or two out of that faltering unit. 

So I crossed my fingers and hoped for at least another two years.

Chris, Karen and Kevin from In-Phase Air Conditioning 

But this summer when the ole A/C started struggling once more, I called Kevin again, and this time after a diagnostic look, it was suggested that a new unit would be the best move.

So Kevin gave me a quote for a Trane with a lot more cooling ability than my old one.

I thanked him and told him I'd let him know my decision soon and got to praying...and researching that model...and comparing it with past quotes on different units etc.

Fairly quickly I confirmed that he had given me a very good price for that unit, and felt good about having him do the install...and began putting funds together etc.

A number of days passed before I could call Kevin again...but when I did...he agreed to do the install for me the NEXT day!



In-Phase Air Conditioning at my home:  The old unit off the roof and in the left foreground...the new Trane going up

So, last Thursday morning, when temps were already beginning their forecasted climb, Kevin and company showed up with my new Trane unit and a crane.

I'm sure for them, working in the hot sun, it seemed a lot slower...but to me...it felt like only a moment later they had the old unit off the roof and the new one installed...and cool air filling my home once again.

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Now after several days of use during triple digit temperatures I can say for sure that I love this new unit!  It has kept my home comfortably cool even when it was 117 degrees outside.

While my old unit started and stopped abruptly...the new Trane "ramps" on and off...so it's much quieter too.  And the thermostat stays rock solid on whatever temp I put it on.




In-Phase A/C's Chris and Kevin on the roof with the new Trane

If you need A/C work done...I'd definitely make Kevin and In-Phase A/C your first call!

He is extremely knowledgeable and each person on his team is very personable and hard-working!

After dealing with one questionable A/C company after another...it's great to feel like I found someone who can be trusted!

BTW...Kevin didn't charge me for either of the two service calls before the installation...and I understand that this is an In-Phase policy.

Karen and Chris from In-Phase with my new Trane prior to installation

Contact Kevin Anderson at:

In-Phase Air Conditioning
Refrigeration
Appliance

2551 East Lockwood ?Street

Mesa, AZ  85213

602-418-5049

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Thanks as always for stopping by my blog!


More artwork coming soon!