WHERE IS HEAVEN ON EARTH? When that question was put to 82 world-renowned photographers of National Geographic, their answers came back as varied and surprising as life itself. Visions of Paradise (Oct. 21, 2008; $35) features 155 spectacular images divided into three themes - land, water and air. Enriched by the photographers’ own recollections, each image is a compelling reflection of what is most divine in the world—and an inspiration for us to protect our beautiful and threatened planet.

Now, National Geographic invites the general public to submit images that best represent their unique vision of heaven on Earth to the Visions of Paradise Photography Contest, October 21-December 21, 2008. Each week 20 Editor’s Picks will be selected from all qualified entries and posted on the site, where viewers can vote on their favorites. At the end of the submission process, Editor’s Picks will also be judged by an expert panel of photographers and art directors, who will select a final list of 20 official winners. The winning photographs will be posted on the site and
each winner will receive a customized copy of Visions of Paradise with their winning photograph as the cover image.

To enter and for complete official rules, go to the National Geographic “My Vision” site.

At last, a class for enthusiastic learners who are ready to dive into the world of Adobe Photoshop. Working on individual Mac computers, you’ll spend a fast-paced weekend exploring the fundamentals of this powerful image editing application. In this class, you will learn how to:

• Fix images by removing what’s not wanted and adding what wasn’t there before
• Apply quick and easy techniques to brighten, sharpen, and improve the color of your images
• Combine images in creative ways, replacing backgrounds and warping and reshaping image elements
• Enhance your images with silhouettes, vignettes, and drop shadows
• Understand color modes, file formats, and resolution

Ready to learn? This class, taught by Mara Sachs, will be held Saturday, September 6 & Sunday, September 7, 10 am-4 pm in Midtown West, NY. Visit the site to learn more and to register.

The top entrant, as chosen from the publicly voted shortlist, will have the Sackboy or Sackgirl included in the nationwide marketing campaign for LittleBigPlanet on the PlayStation 3. Don’t Panic also offering a copy of the game and a PlayStation 3 to sweeten the deal. There are 185 entries with 243 votes tallied. The top 10 designs will qualify to be judged. Go to Don’t Panic (bottom of page) to view the entries and to vote.

Discover the Fine Art Galleries of California

Previewing art galleries online helps visitors select the right galleries to visit

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 17, 2008 — The Radiante Guide has announced their new Website and print versions of their guide to the premier art galleries of California.

There are over 4,000 art galleries and private art dealers in California. The Radiante Guide provides residents and visitors to California with information (including pictures of art) on the foremost 250.

The Radiante Guide is published online –
RadianteGuide.com — and also in print versions (Northern and Southern California editions). Organized by cities and counties within California, the guide is useful for California residents as well as visitors to California from all regions of the United States and internationally. The guide is read by those just becoming interested in art as well as knowledgeable collectors, art dealers and artists.

The Radiante Guide provides art gallery/art dealer descriptive information, including: gallery/dealer history, special interests and areas of expertise, artists represented, contact information, addresses, telephone numbers, and more. The online version additionally includes images of gallery artwork, hyperlinked e-mail addresses, hyperlinked Website addresses and interactive maps and directions.

The Radiante Guide spans a wide range of art galleries and art dealers who are remarkable in their interests, expertise and art inventory. You will discover emerging artists just starting their careers as well as mid-career and established artists. You will find Egyptian art from 716 BC, early Asian
art, Albrecht Durer engravings, Rembrandt etchings, 18th century Russian religious icons, Pierre Auguste Renoir prints, Nadar photographs, Eadweard Muybridge and Ansel Adams photographs, early California paintings, Pablo Picasso prints, Marc Chagall prints, Robert Motherwell paintings, leading-edge installation art, and much, much more.

The guide includes galleries and dealers specializing in:
African Art, African American Art, American Art, Art Nouveau, Asian Art, Book and Printing Arts, California Art, California en plein air artists, Chinese Art, Classicism, Contemporary Art, Crafts, Decorative Arts, Early
Civilization Art, Eastern Art, Egyptian Art, European Art, Folk and Outsider Art, French Art, Greek and Roman Art, Impressionism, Indian Art, Japanese Art, Latin American Art, Mayan Art, Middle Eastern Art, Modern Art, Native American Art, Near Eastern Art, Oceanic Art, Persian Art, Postmodern Art, Renaissance Art, Pre-Columbian Art, Religious Art, Romanticism, Russian Art, Surrealism, Tribal Art, Vintage Art, and more.

Examples of media displayed at the galleries includes:
drawings, engravings, woodcuts, wood engravings, linocuts, etchings, mezzotint, aquatint, drypoint, monoprints, monotypes, lithography, screen-prints, serigraphs, digital and Giclee prints, foil imaging, collage, oil paintings, reverse glass paintings, pastels, watercolors, photography, photograms, Le Tirage Au Charbon method photographs, sculpture, masks, paper cutting and paper sculpture, ceramics, glass, textiles, mixed media, livres d’artistes books and portfolios, murals, new media art, computer art, multimedia art, video art, holograms, graffiti and unauthorized signage art, robotic art, interactive art, installation art, and more.

The Web site can be viewed at: www.RadianteGuide.com

Press contact:

Marie Thompson, 815-346-2503

Things are looking rosy around here lately. As of tomorrow (10th), I’ll be without cigs for 3 months. The worst is over! Plus, I’m now going to manage my personal trainer (trying to recoup my costs for her training!). Now I’m thinking I might need a vacation. I know Pinky is ready to take flight.

Heads up: Renovation of The Center for Fine Art Photography’s new facility is almost complete and the target date for opening is Friday, 1 February. The Center’s new home is contiguous with the Poudre River Art Center, home of individual artists’ galleries as well as the F-stop Cafe and an outdoor pavilion all furthering the artistic enjoyment for visitors. Visit the site to learn more, see the new floor plan, and to remember their shows.

Hey! Have a great weekend.

What fun. I was in my blog’s back end when I happened to notice a link to my feed from an outside source. It turns out that some silly dog had subscribed to my feed and then posted it on his blog.

Now, I’m not that concerned about copyright issues, as just about everything I post on this site has been retrieved from Web sites and from press releases with little to no changes (unless they come from third-party sites, in which case I credit those sites). So, copyright - meh.

But, I did punish the dude, simply because he was foolish enough to post a graphic blog on a snowboard site. I simply unsubscribed him at the bottom of his post. Then, I received a note from Feedburner that gave me the dude’s email address. Then I wrote him an email to tell him about his problem.

So, what’s his problem if it’s not about copyright? You figure it out. Have fun. And, have a great weekend while you’re at it.

The Three Stooges above are visiting from Love Like a Dog. Right.