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 (27)
blankfrancine
Fantastic,creative sci-fi scene,Cathy. The background is wonderful.
AlphaWolf007
Very well done!
pops
This is terrific work
faroutsider
Wonderful futuristic city backdrop and great moody character (your trademark). Excellent!
stevey3d
Excellent Cathy! Superb concept and presentation!
Jollyself
stunning ..the luminosity really makes the image
Rainastorm
It is beautiful...sure is a pretty bg. She looks just in the mood for thought with that atmosphere:-) Well done!
magnus073
Cathy I think you did a great job here as I love the futuristic city so much and your concept of time travel
lucindawind
wow this is fabulous !
Cimaira
Beautiful! Wonderful city background and great colors
tulipe
You do amazing work with Artmatic Voyager.
mgtcs
Excellent scene, perfect colors and great theme! Love the tittle!
SIGMAWORLD
Excellent image!
JSGraphics
Awesome work! Very Well Done!
Miska7
Very creative scene. Great lighting, pose and background! Really well done.
amota99517
I really like your lighting in this piece. Super creation!!!!
magichild2
That's a pretty creative scene. Great lighting.
adrie
Fabulous scene and work, excellent done.
popeslattz
Amazing image. Very thought-provoking. You have to wonder where her driver got to and what sort of being it might be. Love the color and lighting as well as all of the details.
e-brink
Excellent use of colours lights and powerful textures. I like the background you created to.
anahata.c
more of your subtle & masterful sense of humor. I was going to say this was a big change of pace from the last image, but in a way it's not. There's something very 19th/early 20th C about that woman and her rick-shaw/gay 90s/19th C Parisian time machine, and that wall behind her like she's waiting & pondering whether to step through to the 28th C...Where'd you ever come up with the ideas here, to put these wild things together? That head dress: Almost roaring 20s mixed with fiberglass art of the 60s & 70s! (Man, that's a hat!) And those old spoked wheels—on a time machine! Great touch! And she's wearing a modern gown, she's barefoot (!) and she's waiting for someone to pick up the carrying end of the carriage and take her. (That's truly not a modern technological device.) I'm not sure how the machine is standing upright, btw, but I'll leave that up to you. If she falls, she has your number, lol...The world outside is a big futuristic city with glass domes, connected corridors & a big tower-conglomerate in the background like a big architectural sundae, and you have a futuristic galaxy sky, replete with a big purple moon/orb and purple paintstrokes sweeping across the horizon. Great city: It's serious, true to form & also tongue-in-cheek. Also, with the gridded walkways, it looks as if it were pieced together from a humongous erector set. (I'm not making fun here, it's conceived with wonderful play & seriousness.) And the round entry way of the wall almost looked Islamic when I first saw it (Islamic architecture could make rounded doorways & archways), but it's just plain circular, like the iris-shot of the old silent films—this iris being wide open here. And the posture of your reluctant traveler is done with real style & panache, like someone waiting to go to a ball but who'd rather be home in her robe watching a good flick because, let's face it, her date—in this case the 32d C—is kind of a dork. Very funny, very finely done, and more of your subtle play with time & character & design. A wonderful piece, Cathy. (And btw: When I see credits at the tops of images, like yours, I think: What am I missing? Should I do credits? "Swirl by me. Big stupid red blob? Me...The long sweeping line on the right—you guessed it, moi. The sun—well, part the sky & part me, though the sky had a lot to do with it. Those little dots? I have no freakin' idea. That big blue thing? My dog mostly." You get the idea. We traditionals can't do credits. And don't think I wasn't offended when you used 'shaders' instead of the original textures. Irks me everytime, buuuut———I'll let it go...)
three_grrr
Wow .. Cathy .. stunning background .. absolutely fantastic city in the far, far future. The sun here looks to be a dying sun, giving almost no light to the city, allowing the stars to be clearly visible even in early afternoon. The reluctant time traveler may be looking for new home world. I love the contrasts between the very old mode of transport against the new world beyond the round opening. Perhaps it's a gateway between this world and that one. Is she debating whether to go in? or to leave. Does she live there in this city, and is she sorrowful about perhaps having decided to move on to a more hospitable world? I love the contrasts .. and the colors .. and the mood.
Elcet
Impressive, extremely well done and original scifi scene.
kftate
Fantastic image! Wonderful character and colors. Superb!!
Joko-Style
wonderful creative work!
SAMS3D
Wonderful colors!
vapo
Wonderful concept, it's such a beautiful scene...