Tomfoolery on the eve of April . . .

. . . but NOT an April Fools joke! 

Guided (or mis-guided) by a butterfly mind flitting from flower to flower tasting different flavours of nectar in search of that elusive ambrosia which seems always to be just one step away, my thoughts turn today to a brief mixed media period, and this portrait of my favourite cat Sparky, in the garden we shared with three other cats - Phaideaux, Phred and Schmoedipus - in Dartford, Kent. But this picture, like much of the output of creative artists everywhere (if I dare place myself in that bracket) is a fake  (or perhaps deceptive would be a kinder word) - not 'Photoshopped', because that would be far too difficult for me to handle, but a simple snapshot of Sparky sitting not in the garden but in front of my painting of it in acrylics.

The only digital trickery was that I had to clone one of his eyes from the other because it 'caught the light' and needed equalising.  This was easily achieved  with the free online photo editor iPiccy.com which I sometimes use in conjunction with my favourite, Google's Picasa (also free!) because that user-friendly package lacks a clone tool.

I enjoyed painting for a few years as the 20th century drew to a close, but with no immediate prospect of becoming another Hockney or Michelangelo I have since settled on the more convenient combination of camera and laptop as they need no preparation before or cleaning-up after each session  --  which excuse is also easier for me to accept than an admission of failure!

Thank you for reading my little ramble, which I hope you found at least slightly amusing or entertaining - but please, no pity! 

The original painting which now hangs on my wall is in my Extra photos today.