For the holiday season, here’s another of those dreamy, ethereal and mysterious photos:

Dreaming of Better Times

Click here to see the image in the gallery.

The image is one of obvious decay. Blue paper intended to cover a window in a disused building is flaking and peeling to reveal some sort of wood (shelves?) behind. In the midst of this neglect, a ghostly image of a modern and clearly  well kept building is reflected like a dream of what might have been (or might be in the future). (This image is pretty much straight out of the camera, BTW – in case you thought it might have been a combination of images in Photoshop)

Is it just me, or do you see a sleeping face in the center?

Happy holidays everyone!

I don’t often do a mass emailing – but this is one of those exceptions. Here’s what I sent out:

Happy Thanksgiving everybody!

Super-Secret “Black Friday” sale!

Everyone’s doing it …so I’ve decided to join in!

If you’ve always wanted an artist-signed limited-edition print, but were afraid to ask, now’s the time. My website is too primitive to take discount codes (that’s another story… watch this space!)  so until midnight on December 3rd you’ll be able to find a special secret copy of my website where all the prices are 33% less – that’s right, 1/3rd off the usual prices for signed, limited edition art! That includes every image on the site!

All you need to find this strange alternative universe is the special URL:

http://absoluteblank.com/secret-sale/gallery.html

It’s a secret, but feel free to pass it on …only to people you deem worthy of a special deal, of course!

As ever, all prints are made using Epson K3 archival quality pigment inks and 100% cotton rag acid free papers from Hahnemule.  Every print is made, signed and numbered by me – larger sizes are in limited editions (see the site for details). The price includes a professional quality mat (all mat materials used are also 100% acid free and archival quality). Framing is up to you (ie not included), although I can also help with that if you need – just ask,

Ordering is handled by PayPal’s shopping cart so it’s 100% safe and you can use credit cards if you prefer.

Email me if you have questions or experience any problem.

Notecards:

Did you miss out on notecards last year? Fear not – they’re back! Six art quality notecards with envelopes for just $15! Woo hoo!

All the details here: http://absoluteblank.com/notecards/

Calendars:

As some of you know, I make a limited edition calendar every year for my family and a few friends, with images that represent a new body of work each year. (If you are one of the people who usually get one, don’t worry, it’s on the way!)

For the rest of you, you too have a chance to own one this year! Due to the small quantities I print, the price is higher than a commercial calendar (although it should be less than $20, depending on volume). Just let me know your interest ASAP (in the next week or so), so I have numbers before I place my order with the printer. I’ll let you know the final price at that time.

My 2011 calendar will feature a series of images of wall surfaces which (to me) seem to be contemporary abstract paintings. I like them a lot and hope you will too. (Examples:)

Blog

I continue to post regularly to this blog, so PLEASE subscribe ( you can specify “news only” if you like). I don’t post often, so you won’t be spammed! For those who live on Facebook, everything on my blog gets copied over to my Facebook page. You just have to be my “fan”, to follow what I’m up to. (you can link to it directly from the logo on the right.).

Have a wonderful, safe holiday season!

Having now spent a little time with the Mac, here are some final observations:

Engineering:

I know I shouldn’t care as long as it does the job, but build quality and engineering design DO matter. It puts a smile on my face every time I use it. This thing is simply light years ahead of the typical PC and gives me confidence that it’s not going to break (although, of course, it’s still “just a computer”!)

The Best Platform for Windows:

Here’s a surprise: A Mac with VMware Fusion is the best platform to run Windows! Virtual machines let you snapshot your “machine” at any time, so you can easily go back to an earlier state to recover from problems, viruses (or programs you wish you hadn’t installed!). You can even use snapshots to create separate configurations dedicated to specific applications. Initially I thought I’d have to keep the PC around, but it look like I’ll be able to do everything I need using VMs.

Making Spaces:

A common problem these days is the proliferation of open windows on your computer desktop. It can get quite messy! Apple addresses this with a tool called “Spaces” – essentially you have not one, but multiple desktops which you can switch between. I love being able to quickly check email and flick back to exactly where I was in an instant.

Mouse Trouble:

Not everything Mac is perfect. The Apple “Magic Mouse” – a sort of cross between a mouse and a trackpad – was a disappointment. It’s looks cool, has clever engineering, and is a great idea …but it’s triumph of form over function – a bit like those “modern” 1960s chairs that looked great but were hell to actually sit on. I eventually reverted to my old Logitech mouse. It fits my hand and is easier to control fine movements for photo editing.

Integration:

Another thing Macs do better than PCs is work together. Sharing files, sharing screens. I just got a Mac Laptop for work and love being able to sit in the lounge in front of the TV and work with my Mac Pro in the study as if I was right in front of it.

PhotoShop Differences :

Photoshop CS5 brings many changes – mostly common to both platforms. However one “feature” is simply a long standing Mac/PC difference – and one I’m having trouble getting used to: The application background in the Mac version is transparent (you see the desktop and any other windows behind what you are working on), so accidentally clicking outside the image takes you out of Photoshop …sometimes to another application. Hopefully I’ll get used to it.

Sleepy Time:

My favorite thing? No more reboots! Starting my PC used to be a case of “press the button and go make coffee”. Remembering something I wanted JUST after I’d shut down was a frequent source of frustration (and occasional swearing!) – and that’s if the darned thing shut down properly. Now, I just put my system to sleep and when I need it, it wakes up in seconds. What’s more, everything is there just as I last used it. Brilliant!