Hiboux: One of my four rescued friends
"If you talk to the animals they will talk with you and you will know each other.
If you do not talk to them you will not know them, and what you do not know you will fear.  What one fears one destroys."
--Chief Dan George (1899 - 1981)
The avatar I use is a photo of a kitten who adopted me last fall. She came to my door one night, hungry and cold and in need of shelter. I had already adopted a rescued dog and 2 fostered cats (I have a friend who works in animal rescue), but another friend told me that being chosen by a cat was a special thing, so, here she is in her new home. I called her Hiboux (French for owl for those who don't already know), since she reminded me of a snowy owl tapping on my door.
Sorry I need a new digital camera. The one used for this photo was one of the first ones ever made that utilizes a floppy disc. I am attached to it, but thought it was more important to show off my kitty here since this is merely my "home" page and not a display of my digital art. I'll update it as soon as I can.
I live in the US Midwest, have a degree in landscape design, compete nationally (only in the US so far) in dancesport, and choreographed contemporary dance for over a decade. I've been writing since childhood--mainly for my own amusement. A few of my poems have been published in obscure places and I used to write many interviews which were published online for years. None of my novels have met the public eye yet and that's OK because for me "the joy is in the journey." ÂÂ
I'm hooked on creating digital art. I stumbled upon it when I worked online for 11 years as a content editor and became intrigued watching the medium grow. 3D art feels like a good niche for me combining movement, landscape, my love of nature, history, art, technology, myth and storytelling . . .  I love to experiment with software and hope to continue to grow as an artist. I'm in awe of many of the beautiful works shared on this site. I've also begun a blog here called "A Novelist's Adventures in Digital Art" where I list useful sites and tools I find along the way:
My Blog
ÂÂ
I consider myself a beginner at digital art. We all have to start somewhere. I try to encourage other creatives on all skill levels as often as I have time. I learn a lot from the artists I favorite here and even from private emails with tips if you feel so inclined. I dont allow ratings in my gallery anymore, because I don't believe in "grading" art--it doesn't fit into my personal philosophy. That said, I do often admire many of the talented professional artists and am happy when they are showcased on the art charts here and feel the rating system--though it has flaws--is important to honor excellence.  I do appreciate any comments and appreciate constructive criticism and suggestions.
ÂÂ
ÂÂ
"Every artist was first an amateur."
Ralph Waldo Emerson
 Thank you for visiting my gallery!
ÂÂ
Comments (33)
e-brink
What's not to like? There's a great bit of story-telling here and a wonderful atmosphere. There's also a nice timeless quality to it. I like the subtle expression on the gravedigger's face - wonderfully understated.
Vanadis11
I really like this one. Great amtosphere and a story-telling image. Excellent work!
doarte
Wondrous scene!!!!!
twistedpixel
I really like this image. Allot of work and detail given to it and well worth your while. Great job!!
NekhbetSun
I like it ! ....really put together well Cathy...have fun with the jury duty :o)
Jollyself
Wow Cathy...you did a FANTASTIC job on the composition of this. Its full and lively without the feel of chaos. Brilliantly composed and your lighting is so realistic, so BRAVO on this
ledwolorz
Fantastic composition and lighting.Wonderful work.
Kyronimos
excellent composition!
SSoffia
EXCELLENT WORK & SCENE !!!!!
KarmaSong
Superb composition, I very much like the mood of this wonderful scene. Excellent work!
wannes
Great concept, very well crafted!!! Excellent!!
Platin
Very imaginative and good mix of different applications!!!
FS
Fantastic scene and composition!Amazing work!!!
kitzie21
Lots of things going on in this image. It's very evocative and the composition is well thought-out. I can see where one would be tempted to tweak an image like that to death. You didn't though, and I think the result is really strong. Great job!
magichild2
The piece has great pieces of work collaged ...I like the theme of it Oh you too were on jury duty...isn't it the pits? LOL
Janiss
Wonderfull composition with splendid details!
kimariehere
wonderful ghostly compo that tells a story !!! REALLY spectacular work !!!
Zazou
Stunning composition ! Excellent !!
three_grrr
I'm liking this very much. It suits me mood right now. Quiet, comtemplative, looking at life.. and death. Feeling that death is just another beginning to a different life .. And I agree with kitzie21, it would be easy to tweak this to death, and you didn't. PS: post a photo of your pup? I got mine scattered around all over my gallery.
mtc
A successful mood. What a work!
amota99517
Excellent work!!!!
Electralena
Superb composition, atmosphere, work!!!
tofi
Such truly fascinating, mystical and marvellous scenes of your creation! It's eerie, yet mysterious! Excellent mist effect and the detail is absolutely stunning! A stunning and most original composition!
Elcet
Really impressive image. Excellent! It was wortth the time you spent on it!
cmcc
exquisite.
stevey3d
Fantastic image! Superb composition and detail! BRILLIANT!
zoren
great mysteries of the past, nice work.
Mousson
wonderful atmosphere!!!!!!!!
LBJ2
Wonderful work, Cathy. Love this composition. A beautiful and peaceful scenario. Many fine details in this. The misty garden looks fantastic. The ghostly Madonna dancing at the foot of the tree is a strong component too. It feels like this, when they move our dead relatives on a cemetary, for what ever reasons. Sometimes they have to.
marcopolinski
excellent composition!!!