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. Â 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)Â 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." Â
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
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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.
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"Every artist was first an amateur."
Ralph Waldo Emerson
 Thank you for visiting my gallery!
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Comments (31)
Burpee
I love these characters and such a pretty garden.
Osper
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
beatoangelico
marveolus and lovely scene...Bravo..!!!!
tulipe
Really cute, great work!
adrie
What a very lovely and cute image, lovely character excellent work.
blankfrancine
Wonderful characters and use of plants! Get well soon.
e-brink
I like the way the characters are only subtly relating to each other, while one of the birds is checking up on them... it's like 'caught in the act' by a bird. "It wasn't me - it was her!". Nicely set up, Cathy. I can see quite a bit of work went into this. Wish you'd put a backdrop picture in for that little bit of sky, top left - a minor detail though. Nicely presented. I suppose with a broken swing there's only mischief left!
faroutsider
Wonderful impish expressions tell a host of stories - most of which we probably don't want to know! Great image!
Miska7
Very nice image. Great characters, lighting and vegetation! Well done.
lyron
Very cute image!!
MarciaGomes
MARAVILHOSA CENA EU AMEI OS CARACTERES FANTÁSTICAS POSES,MAGNIFICO JARDIM.++++5
stevey3d
Soooo cute Cathy :) Excellent image! Wonderful colours! Get well soon ;)
Zazou
Toooooooooo lovely !!
Juliette.Gribnau
adorable !!!!
Cimaira
Beautiful scene and great characters. I rather like a "wild" looking garden myself :) at least that's what I keep telling myself each spring, when I play on the computer instead of weeding my flower beds, lol
magnus073
Uho Cathy, looks like someone is up to no good for sure ;) Take care and finish healing my friend I'll keep you in my prayers.
Fidelity2
Very well done.
JaneEden
Cathy you did a great job here, I am amazed at all the detail included in this fabulous work. Sorry to hear you are just getting over surgery, I wish you a speedy recovery my friend. hugs Jane xx
novelist
Thanks, everybody for your comments and well wishes! I also appreciate your advise about the sky, e-brink, so, I revised it a bit. I hope it's more menacing and obvious now than the orignal. I uploaded it here tonight (refresh your browser if anyone needs to see it again). Suggestions are always welcome here at my gallery. I may not always redo images, as I'm still learning, but I take everything people say to heart and apply your ideas to my next project. : )
Jollyself
I love the whole scene... it brings grins and giggles to the face...bravo
kitzie21
I like the bright and whimsical mood of this particular piece. It calls out for better days and kind of puts me in a good mood just looking at it. Wonderful work!
marcopolinski
wonderful ... they look like characters that have walked out of a novel!!!!!!! Excellent job!
lucindawind
awww this is so sweet!!
magichild2
Oh how adorable this is...excellent piece of work.
amota99517
Marvelous image. These little guys are so cute!
ledwolorz
Wonderful work.
three_grrr
And I like that little bit of sky in the upper right. There's a bit of broken fence there, allowing the sky to peek through, it fits with the rest of the garden, a little bit gone wild, perfect for the fairy folk. I adore that they keep water in the bird bath, so that little bird could splash around in there! This is just the most charming render Cathy!
clam73
really cute and well composed work....excellent DS scene!
JeffersonAF
Very beautiful work.
Cgaynor
A beautiful scene.