Easter Variations - The Edge of Reason (Second Act)

As I spent more and more time toying with Photoshop after meeting a deadline at work last week, I accidentally came across what seemed like a "magic" function that just so happened to turned an image of pussywillow branches festooned with decorated Easter eggs into ONE SINGLE MONGO-HUGE EGG (ok, egg-shaped thingamajig).

Easter decorations at the Neue Galerie New York (Photos by Karen Carstens)

Easter decoartions at the Neue Galerie New York (original, unadulterated, image).

The same image, now encased in "plastic wrap" (Photoshop).

"plastic wrap" - liquified (by moi, using Photoshop function "Liquify")

"plastic wrap" - liquified - egg (using Photoshop functions "Polar Coordinates" + "Liquify")

Et voila - POLAR COORDINATES seemed to somehow flip around my original image into an egg-like shape with weird, inverted, mirror images. Coincidence? Perhaps. It was interested that I stumbled upon this Photoshop function just a few days before Easter! By using other functions, notably "clouds" and "swirl" - as well as by changing the "hue" of these images - I came up with a new "series" of colorful Easter eggs.

I also created some decidedly darker, more psychedlic-looking versions in this egg series, also all based on the "polar coordinates" effect available in my version of Photoshop (which the long-suffering graphic designer at my not exactly ultra-innovative workplace, at least in terms of IT/multimedia capabilities, calls "Photoshop Light.")

I repeat, please nobody tell me to get a life. I find this kind of thing fun, and view it as part of my current Spring Awakening style Gen X multimedia learning curve - minus any desire to wade into deep water until I can go no further, that is ... Go ahead and laugh out loud at me, all you "digital native" Millenials. At least I can confidently claim that I cannot check Facebook for up to four - yep, FOUR - days and still be OK. (Although I did that recently - over the Easter weekend - and missed a dinner invite from a friend I had not seen in ages - darn! Note to self: Never ignore Facebook again for more than four days!!!)