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
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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 (25)
zil2008
Cool image.Love the steampunk bird.
three_grrr
Utter coolness! Awesome sky, love that dragon .. or is it a bird? The hot red behind the man and the dragon beasty looks like there's a lava flow just behind that ridge they are on. I love the freaky multi colored toxic fumes rising everywhere. A fantastic toxic world you've created!
stevey3d
Excellent colour and style Cathy!
blankfrancine
Fabulous steampunk to warm up the New Year!Wonderful work,Cathy. The background is fantastic. Happy New Year!
e-brink
Mandi is right about the background - I love it too - the sky is great. I also love the rusty looking trees, excellent for the steampunk theme. Brave use of colour too, it puts some heat and fantasy into the whole thing.
magnus073
Cathy it is a super cool image and all the work you put into it really paid off in the final result here. The atmosphere you created here is something else and so colorful.
magichild2
Fantastic action piece. I especially love what you did with the background.
mgtcs
WOW...Great composition, perfect background!
tulipe
Love that fire bird, almost looks alive!
lucindawind
wow awesome work !
SIGMAWORLD
Excellent scene!
farmerC
This is Fantastic.
Miska7
Really nice scene. Great character, sky and colours! Very nice work.
psyoshida
You did a wonderful job! I love the whole composition and colors but that bird-dragon(?) is something else, it really stands out! Excellent work!
amota99517
This turned out so great! Your lighting really makes this piece.
KarmaSong
Creative and inspiring work! I wish you a Happy New Year and may everything you wish to yourself come true.
anahata.c
well I just looked up "Steampunk" because my knowledge of these things is a little above that of a newt. (No offense to newts. They're a warm & loving species...) So it's a Victorian type of milieu with modern technology thrown in, and a lot of play between the two time periods. That's just cursory; but if I'm close, it seems like a great playground for your wonderful subtle humor & your own sense of play. You have a big 'burst' with the dragon-like machine, every thing radiating outward into space, including the fire. It really is a spill of an image, and it comes right at us in the foreground. (I keep saying it, but there's your design sense again: Here, being very dramatic.) It's an inventive creature, and I can see where the fun of this genre comes in (there's something tongue & cheek about its design to my eyes). And there's the trusty rider: He kneels in fidelity, I like his outfit (well done!), and he's carrying some kind of blue thing---a jersey? a sweatshirt? a flying scarf? Looks like something he wears in the air...And I see the steam, and there's a cactus-y thing to the right of the man (I can't tell if those are water drops or actual cactus, though I like it in either case). And that wheel half sunken into the ground: Has a pagan feeling to it, don't ask me why. Maybe the shape...And you have to know: Your landscape, though primal & bleak, is dappled with the most vibrant colors. Whether they're from the steam or some cauldron under the ridge or just the atmosphere of this world, they give the whole piece a big glow and uplift. And the cloud patterns add to the "burst" of the piece. It's bright & exuberant & a lot of fun. I assume it's hard & time-consuming to make this, but it feels "whooshed" onto the frame in seconds; and its a surprise for me, because I don't remember too many images like this in your gallery! Will we see more? (Only the shadow knows...) (Boy, old radio. I don't think I was even born when that show aired!) Really fun, Cathy, and I admire you for doing pieces like this. They look like a lot of work, but it feels like a wonderful romp! The burst just dominates our sight!
Jollyself
nicely done... love the rainbow colors in all those earth tones
popeslattz
Seems like these guys are looking for trouble or about to create some. Very adventurous colors and scene. Love those clouds. It will be interesting to see what sort of antics this duo get themselves into.
Jean-Luc_Ajrarn
Very cool. :)
faroutsider
Super combination of elements and colors. Like Joe (popeslattz), I'm curious to know what these to rebel rousers are up to.
JaneEden
Wow how amazing is this, and yes I hear a lot about steampunk these days, and I love your steampunk dragon very much. A very interesting and well thought out work, very well done! hugs Jane xx
Zazou
Excellent SciFi scene !
giovanino
Absolutely stunning work, excellent done.
myrrhluz
Excellent image! His trusty steam looks like a very goofy and affectionate mechanical dragon. I can see him hanging his head in dejection when he develops a fault and his rider has to make repairs. He looks a little heavy to fly, but then so do airplanes. I love the details and rusty quality of him. Wonderful background, color and atmosphere. A humorous and inventive render!