Hoping all of you have had a great holidays and the new year brings much happiness!  I'll be updating my gallery and prints soon! Stay tuned.


Be well my friends.

Skinner

~~~~~

hey folks!

Just a quicky-journal to get some honest opinions and feedback about this new calendar project I'm working on ... here are 3 pages:



Since many of my best shots are vertical ' portrait ' format, I've decided to use the space remaining on each page to include my writings for each photo.

I'm not sure if the dA print shop can do black 'date' pages to match these photo pages.  If not, I may have to settle for just selling locally (my print shop here in town can do this). Either that, or I suppose I could re-do these pages with a white background.

Your thoughts about this style would be greatly appreciated!



~~~~


contest news!

I've agreed to feature the winner of Abandoned Places, a contest being hosted by ~otsego-amigo and *Karakuji. The deadline for this contest is November 11, so get your urbex-loving asses over there and submit a photo!

Also I will be a judge in the Big Cats contest being hosted by ~leocbrito.  The deadline is November 7 and there are some very nice entries already.  What are you waiting for?

~~~~

I just want to say a HUGE thanks to all the people who have supported my photography, bought my prints, and added me to their watch lately.

Love Y'all!

Skinner

~~~~~




'A Gift of Seasons - 2009'
a brand new calendar featuring some of my better landscape-format prints suitable for the seasons.  I hope you will consider it as a gift for a loved one perhaps... a gift of seasons.


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hey folks!

First, some contest news.

I've agreed to feature the winner of Abandoned Places, a contest being hosted by ~otsego-amigo and *Karakuji. The deadline for this contest is November 11, so get your urbex-loving asses over there and submit a photo!

Also I will be a judge in the Big Cats contest being hosted by ~leocbrito.  The deadline is November 7 and there are some very nice entries already.  What are you waiting for?

~~~

Ok here's my soapbox issue today... and please remember I'm not trying to piss anyone off.

I've been watching with great interest the election campaign in the United States.  My interest stems from the fact that the rest of the free world looks to America for solid leadership on global issues... not always because they are morally or even ideologically correct... but because they have the biggest gun... and used to have the fattest wallet (they apparently still have the biggest credit card).

My main issue? ... Global warming.

I was greatly appalled by something I heard during the vice-presidential debate the other night.  Sarah Palin, governor of Alaska and Republican running mate of John McCain, managed to (between her cutesy winks and scripted lines) utter some of the most incredibly ignorant rhetoric ever to leave the mouth of a politician.

When asked about global warming and its causes she denied that man was playing a significant role.  She went on to blame the cyclical effect of planetary climate swings.

Well I thought she had just blown it right there.  Game over.  But then as the news organizations replayed the debate, they showed a room full of Republicans actually BOOING Joe Biden (Palin's opponent) when he stated flat out that the problem was man-caused.

...eyes wide shut.

So my question is this:

If one doesn't believe that global warming is caused by man, then what is one's rationale or motivation for trying to curb emissions and take the world down the green path?

In other words, does the Republican ticket take global warming seriously?  Do they believe it can be solved?  Do they even want to TRY to solve it!?

Maybe all they offer is lip service.

Food for thought, my American friends (at least those of you who care about solving global warming), to consider when you walk into the polling booth in November.

For more on this issue please check out this interesting and informative journal my dear friend =jocarra wrote back in April: A few notes on global warming

_{...end rant.}</sub>

~~~~

Well it sure is nice to be back and able to spend more time here at deviantART.  I just want to say a HUGE thanks to all the people who have supported my photography, bought my prints, and added me to their watch lately.

Love Y'all!

Skinner

~~~~~




'A Gift of Seasons - 2009'
a brand new calendar featuring some of my better landscape-format prints suitable for the seasons.  I hope you will consider it as a gift for a loved one perhaps... a gift of seasons.


.

my feet brush the freshly fallen leaves of autumn forest and my thoughts turn melancholy.  always this season brings change for me... always it burrows into my soul and creates within me a sense of longing for all other seasons.

if a year were a day, autumn would be dusk.

~~~~

_{prints for the season:}




'If You Leave'

available as a photo print up to 16x20"

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'Autumn in the Aspens'

available in canvas 30x40" and photo print up to 16x20"

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'When Summer Surrenders'

available as a canvas or photo print up to 16x20"

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'Sun and Autumn Forest'

available as a canvas or photo print up to 16x20"

~~

_{and a few others...}





~~~

thank you for your kind support my friends! Canada sends its love!


..

hey everyone.

still quite busy IRL ... a few minutes here and there for my favorite website.

so many things on my mind lately ... big move coming and an extension of my work contract.  But these things are dim in comparison to the thoughts which dominate my mind tonight.

I'm legitimately worried about affairs south of the border in the USA ... world events which will shape the future of mankind are unfolding right this very minute.

I see it all changing .. and I can only pray for the better.  The world my daughter will grow up in will be different than the one I knew.

Remember this: 2012.

I can't explain it but I feel something large on the horizon for mankind.  Something good?  Something bad?  I dunno.

Oh what a mood overcame me as I watched George Bush's frightened eyes on the telly tonight...  He seems to know something he isn't telling.  He seems defeated, like he knows this is just the beginning of something large... and something he can't control.

I was overcome by a strange and unfamiliar emotion tonight.  The need to brace myself for impact while holding on to those I love.

be well my friends...

Skinner

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~~  BY FRIENDS  ~~



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~~  BY ME  ~~













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hey y'all!

no time to

so here's some art for lovers of the traditional mediums.  Or for the folks who haven't explored that side of dA yet.

.. some lost treasures of deviantART in there mixed with some recent and little known traditional art.  Spread the joy and don't forget to search the archives once in awhile.

Check out the artists and tell them I sent you.

enjoy! ...and be well my friends

Skinner


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hey y'all!

I'm back! ... well ... sort of.  The fires around here are over for the most part, so I'll be home more often and have a bit more time for online stuff.  From now on in I'll be turning my comments back on and have more time to converse with friends here in the art world.

Unfortunately, photography is taking a back-seat to other more pressing issues in my life at this time.  I'll be packing up for a move in October, which is going to make life very hectic for the next few months.  Right now, in the calm before the storm, I'm still working 8-hour days at the fire-base until the end of September.

I'm looking forward to my annual lay-off and settling in to my new place, (which is going to be my studio also) so I can start peddling my prints on a full-time basis around the local galleries again.  Although my job takes me away and into the great outdoors, fire fighting is all business with very little time for play.  During my winters, however, my time with nature is MY time.

Changing the subject to dA:  I've noticed in my brief visits to the site lately that photography ...in particular nature photography... is making a come-back at this site.  A resurgence of quality photographers seems to be giving new life to what was once being over-run by crappy popularity-driven fridge-scribblings.

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I want to just say a few words about a subject I brought up in one of my recent deviations, If River Could Speak.  About offshore drilling, which has become a campaign issue for my southern neighbors.  A friend and I were debating the issue and he said to me "nobody has a reason why they shouldn't drill"

I told him to give this a read: Offshore Drilling – It's NOT the Answer to High Gas Prices at the Pump

Then he came back the next day and found this to support his argument: Drill Here, Drill Now.

What struck me as odd is how the drilling advocates are confusing wind power and electricity creation with oil-burning.  This is confusing because both have to do with energy creation, but in different ways.  We don't burn oil to create electricity... we burn it to power various modes of transportation and heat our homes.  Electricity is a whole different ball game.  Comparing oil-burning and wind-farms is ridiculous.   Instead, we should be comparing oil to hydrogen and other cleaner fuels.  How about comparing wind power to coal power?  

Why has the issue of global warming has been re-labeled 'Energy Independence' by the political world?  Is it to muddle public opinion and avoid the REAL issue?

And why... please tell me why... do politicians want to drill in an Alaskan game preserve?

Skinner


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'Sunrise in a Bottle'




..

hey y'all!

Well the forest fire season is upon me once more and time here at dA is at a premium for me... limited to a few minutes a day due to the real world issues (mostly work) consuming most of my waking hours.

This will probably be my last journal until the end of the summer so I just want to say a huge thanks for all the support you guys and gals continue to honor me with.  I still have time to visit friends here occasionally and look at some great art too ... but I'm afraid I'm 3012 deviations behind on the ol' watchlist and that number increases 100 per day.

.. I never wipe it clean though because someday when I have oodles of time I'll look at all of it.

For now, the time I spend here is mainly to update my gallery and print portfolio.  Several of my prints have been picked up by an art distribution company and I've had to remove them from deviantART as per contract agreement.  They are still in my gallery, but not for sale here.

I've removed my 'Recent Wows' section for the season... sorry but I just don't have time to go hunting for art until next October. However, I'll continue to showcase artists I feel are great picks for anyone's watchlist.  There's a few new artists there for you to check out ... show them your love and tell them I sent ya!

If you'd like to contact me for any reason feel free to send me a note.

Be good to yourselves my friends, and thanks for dropping by!

Skinner


~~~~~

FAQ#1: Why are Skinner's comments disabled?

Most of you know that I am a forest fire fighter by trade ... 18th year!  I'm an Incident Commander level 3 and run my own helitack (helicopter initial attack) crew.  I work from April until October and my job takes me all over the continent for weeks on end, so you can expect the odd break from my submissions when the fires start to rock.

When the season gets hot and the fires take me away, it has been my custom to disable all comments on my work.  I do this only because I just won't have the time to reply.  I've always felt it is important to acknowledge all comments left with my work... and I'm batting about 95% in that department.

You can expect that submission rate to slow to around one per week as the season progresses, but I'll still be posting the work I'd like to sell throughout the summer since I carry tons of new stuff around on a memory stick and take advantage of internet connections while on the road.

thanks for your understanding ... and your great support!



















'Bluejean Melancholy'




..

hey y'all!

I just got back into town from a Forest Fire Division Supervisor workshop I attended in Dryden, Ontario last week.  It was a real blast to meet up with a few dozen of my fellow veteran fire fighters again and swap old war stories.

My time at dA has been limited of late. I've carried a bit of my last journal over (below) which explains why.

The weather has seen a bit of everything lately and winter still clings to the shore of Lake Superior outside my window.  The geese are back though, and the odd tidbit of grass is starting to show.  Still things look drab and not very exciting for photography yet. That suits my busy schedule, though, so I'm actually very upbeat about the whole changing of seasons!

~~~~

I want to showcase the fifth painting done of one of my photos! ~gillianlee did a great job with this painting based on my 'Reach for a Summer Sky' photograph:



Thanks Gillian... it's beautiful!

~~~~

Most of you know that I am a forest fire fighter by trade ... 18th year!  I'm an Incident Commander level 3 and run my own helitack (helicopter initial attack) crew.  I work from April until October and my job takes me all over the continent for weeks on end, so you can expect the odd break from my submissions when the fires start to rock.

When the season gets hot and the fires take me away, it has been my custom to disable all comments on my work.  I do this only because I just won't have the time to reply.  I've always felt it is important to acknowledge all comments left with my work... and I'm batting about 95% in that department.

Now that I'm back to work, my submissions have slowed from one per day down to about two per week, but I'm still kicking around my hometown prepping equipment, training my crew, and waiting on the first fires of spring.  Thus, the comments are still activated and appreciated!

You can expect that submission rate to slow to around one per week as the season progresses, but I'll still be posting the work I'd like to sell throughout the summer since I carry tons of new stuff around on a memory stick and take advantage of internet connections while on the road.

~~~~

I've removed my 'Recent Wows' section for the season... sorry but I just don't have time to go hunting for art until next October. However, I'll continue to showcase artists I feel are great picks for anyone's watchlist.  There's a really good (and fairly new to dA) American nature photographer added to the list there... go check out his work and tell him I sent you!

Be good to yourselves my friends, and thanks for dropping by!

Skinner



















'November Rush 4'

hey y'all!

Wow a quarter million page views!

My thanks to all you great people who made that happen... and a specials greetz to all my new friends.  The month of March has seen my work frequent the front page which has lead to some great exposure for my photography, print sales ... and 600 new watchers!  I usually get around to thanking those who add me to their watchlist or fav my work, but I'm afraid my message box has been a virtual landslide and I'm currently 12000 thanks you's behind.. so here's a collective glomp for y'all:



~~~~

Most of you know that I am a forest fire fighter by trade ... 18th year!  I'm an Incident Commander level 3 and run my own helitack (helicopter initial attack) crew.  I work from April until October and my job takes me all over the continent for weeks on end, so you can expect the odd break from my submissions when the fires start to rock.

I just did my annual physical testing today and I'm just a piece of rubber tonight because of it ... at 41, and having smoked since I was 16, my lungs had a tough go of it during the 'shuttle run' today.  Good thing I do a lot of hiking and keep my weight down, because otherwise I may not have made it!

When the season gets hot and the fires take me away, it has been my custom to disable all comments on my work.  I do this only because I just won't have the time to reply.  I've always felt it is important to acknowledge all comments left with my work... and I'm batting about 95% in that department.

So anyway ... when I go back to work on Tuesday, my posts will become less frequent immediately, but generally April is a month of preparation and rural grass fires which don't take me away from home.  It'll probably be May before I disable the comments.

I'll still be posting the work I'd like to sell throughout the summer however, since I carry tons of new stuff around on a memory stick and take advantage of internet connections while on the road.

~~~~

I'm in the middle of re-uploading my entire gallery right now ... instead of standard .jpg submissions, my work (deviations) will be in the .png format ... not much larger in file size and much better image quality! You'll notice my images will no longer load from top to bottom but rather in a interlaced blurry-to-clear fashion.

I've featured a few more artists below, and there's a new batch of 'Recent Wows' to check out as well.  I had a bunch of other things to tell you ... but they're eluding me now so they'll have to wait for the next journal.

Be good to yourselves my friends, and thanks for dropping by!

Skinner

























'Winterbridge'

hey y'all!

I wish to extend my apologies to everyone about posting a political journal last night.  Those who commented in it were for the most part very civil, intelligent, and mature... however I've reconsidered the potential such a debate has to divide people in ways which do not belong here at deviantART.  This is a site where people go to AVOID political debate, and I'm afraid I succumbed to my passion for it last night.  ... my bad.

I've deleted the whole journal, but I want the people who read it or participated in the conversation to know I read all the comments and learned a few things myself.  I'm truly sorry for bringing such an opinionated view to the table in the first place.

I'll be keeping the journal a little lighter from now on ... no religion or politics.

Thanks for understanding.  Now I'm off to bring my daughter back to her mothers place.  8 hours of driving... 4 of it with a heavy heart ...

Take care everyone, and have a great Easter weekend!

Skinner

























'The Nature of Decay'

hey y'all!

Ok, first let me say thanks to the people (all 16 of you!) who alerted me to the fact that my work was being wrongly displayed on Flikr and Photobucket.

As I explained I wasn't overly concerned about it since the pieces still had the frames, titles and my name intact.  In fact even the filenames still had my name on them.  I've concluded that it is just a case of misguided intention... these people were just ignorant of the 'rules'... not looking for credit or attention, but simply posting their favorite art.

Under the copyright license I choose here at dA, (Creative Commons) I allow people to post and share my work anywhere they want as long as they include credits, leave the photo and its border intact, and post a link to where they got it from.  Not doing this was the mistake in this case... but it's not really something I'll lose any sleep over.

Here, on the other hand, is a case of blatant ripping in which the frame has been removed and the title has been changed ... [link] . Again I find myself tiring of trying to have things like this removed, so screw it ... let the culprit suffer the embarrassment of being caught and never being taken seriously again.  I will still sleep soundly.

On a different note I found myself organizing and revisiting many of my old favorites last night ... I really like the new 'collection' system!

Looking at all that great art again has given me a little pause for reflection on my own art.  I feel that a style-change is coming for me and I'd like to try more conceptual work rather than nature.  We'll see...

In the meanwhile, I've decided to thin my own gallery out a bit and slow down with my submissions.  I need to re-evaluate the artistic direction I want to go in y'know?

I'll update my features in the next week or so..

Be well my friends!

Skinner

























'Vapour'

hey everyone!

First journal of the new year for me.  I wanna start out with a HUGE thanks for all the great comments, favs, devwatches, notes, etc. I've received lately... very cool.

I've recently made several additions to my own watchlist! I'm currently watching 216 very talented artists who've provided me with SO much great art to drool over... so I'll say thanks to them too!

My daughter is back home with her mom again and I was feeling that pretty heavily the other night... it always hurts to say goodbye.  Her and I don't even use the word 'goodbye' ... we always say 'see ya later'.  My old friends who know my situation will understand, but I'm not going to delve into that right now.  I'll just say that everything is fine now.

The weather here in northwestern Ontario has been dull and overcast for several weeks  now and my shutter-finger is getting itchy.  I can't wait to get out there again!  The weather man is calling for good weather starting on Wednesday ... so I've mapped out several shoots (hiking trips).

Someone once asked me how I seem to always be in the right place at the right time.  Well the truth is I like to find a good scene or subject while hiking ... take a picture ... and then think about how the scene could be better.  Different time of day maybe? ... better sky? Then I'll return to the same place when the conditions are right.  I do a hell of a lot of driving, but to me it's worth it just to find another beautiful place I've never seen or return and capture that scene at the just the right moment.

I'm very lucky to have an abundance of beauty with driving distance of home... in ALL seasons too!  This area has mountains, lakes, rivers, streams, cliffs, caves, forests and a very scenic shore of Lake Superior.  Every day I count my blessings... and where I live is definitely one of them.

Anyway, a change of subject .. check out these canvases done by ~Keira-Sama and ~Enigma-thats-me  from my photos 'Cold Winter Blue' and 'Shadows in the Mist' :

from

from

I love to see painted interpretations of my photos, so if you'd like to do this just ask!

I'm a bit exhausted right now (gotta get some sleep), so I'll update my 'recent WOWs' within the next few days.  I did, however, discover a brand new dA talent featured below.  His gallery is small right now but I'm sure this nature photog will be providing us with some great scenes.

So anyhoo .. I'll cut this (rather uninspired) journal entry short now and say goodnight.


Be well my friends and don't spend any wooden nickels!

luv y'all!

Skinner






Hey don't forget to use these great links once and awhile!:
RANDOM DEVIANT
RANDOM DEVIATION</u>












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'The Edge of Frozen 2'
this photograph was shot during a particularly surreal sunrise on a very cold morning on Lake Superior.  The 2nd of 3 in the matching series.  





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UPDATE DEC 21, 07</u>

An update on this current journal to feature another couple of astounding artists and a big new batch of 'recent WOWs'

I'm still plucking away at the great comments that were left here concerning watermarks and artist directories ... a huge thanks to all for that!

Tomorrow I drive to Sioux Lookout, Ontario to get my 6-year-old daughter from her moms place and bring her back to mine for the holidays .. that means we'll have 3 little girls around here (Deb's are 6 and 8) laughing and screaming and making Christmas fun

anyway .. scroll down to the featured art and enjoy! ... and best of the season to all of you from the Skinner-man!

(end update)

~~~~~~~


Hey everyone!

Christmas just around the corner and things are going nicely around the home front ... the weather has started cooperating with my photog impulses and I'm getting very excited about the upcoming holiday visit from my daughter Lauren!

Again I want to thank those who bought my prints in time for the Christmas rush ... hope you (or whomever receives them) enjoys them!

On a heavier note there are a few things on my mind concerning my photography today that I wanted to speak about.

The first issue is concerning watermarking my photos (which I DON'T).   For a few years now I have been avidly stating I would never watermark them because I felt it really effected the feeling or quality of a piece....and, to me, was like a giant mouth screaming 'Look at my watermark .. I'm important!' ... ego tripping if you will.

My theory was that my images are only 600 pixels wide and could not be reproduced for financial profit.  I've encountered blatant rips of my work several times and often ignored them.  Most were shitty photo-manips where somebody had cut+pasted a fairy flying around or some such crap... and just recently a friend directed me to a 'rip' she had found on Flikr which was exactly what I described.  This got me thinking so I did some cruising around that site looking for more of my work.  Quite by fluke or accident I found a few of my works that had the frames, titles, and my name deleted from them only to be re-framed with the same title and another persons name on them.... and then a copyright symbol on it also  This was blatant theft of artistic property IMO and I took action to have it removed.  This experience was enough to open my eyes at how rampant the whole 'ripping' thing is getting on these awful photo-sharing sites.  In the wide scheme of things I suppose it really won't effect my artistic efforts in the least ... but it sure was enough to turn my coffee sour, y'know?  

So anyway, I'm still mulling it over and was wondering what others opinion of watermarking is ... and whether it would effect how you guys and gals view my photos.  Does it seem egotistical to you too?

<insert>I've decided to leave my images unmarked! .. the thieves generally make fools out of themselves when they are caught and humiliated. That... plus the agitation only usually lasts until the anger subsides

The other issue is concerning a note I received from `Lilyas stating the addition of my name to her list of top dA artists found on this page: #TOP-ArtistsDirectory. There is a current news article concerning it here : [link]

I've declined her offer and asked to have my name removed for several reasons which I had initially written here in this journal in an open letter to `Lilyas.  I left the letter up for a day and had my name removed from the list but have now decided I've made my point and removed the actual journal entry.  My initial reason for writing my open letter is discussed within the journal thread as are my reasons for declining ... I want to thank my friends for offering their opinions on the matter and assure them I'll continue the conversation (which turned into a VERY lengthy one) as I get time to reply.

In the meanwhile, everyone enjoy the holidays!! ... oh and guys? don't leave Christmas to the last minute like I do .. it's a real stress-builder

luv y'all!

Skinner






Hey don't forget to use these great links once and awhile!:
RANDOM DEVIANT
RANDOM DEVIATION</u>








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_{updated periodically}

Another quick update to add some more talent to my 'featured artist' and 'recent WoW's' section!  I've added another nasty scroller-thingy so from here on all my featured artists will remain in that section.
scroll down to the features and enjoy! </u>

_{end update...}





Hey everyone!

A new look for the ol' journal ... I'd love to hear your thoughts!

About my photography... despite the good reception, there are always true purist photographers who have a hard time accepting the HDR techniques I use.  I explained to many people that I've developed certain techniques of post-processing which are unique and not just standard HDRI.  My methods of tone-mapping single-image motion photos have raised quite a few inquiries... folks want to know the secret.  Now if I told everyone how I do it then it wouldn't be a secret anymore!

But seriously, the best advice I can give on HDRI is to start with a well taken photo in the first place.  Of course lighting is the key ... timing is everything.  Just remember that you have to seek out places of interest when shooting nature.  Post processing can give a photo it's eye-appeal.. but not it's substance.  You have to get out and do some hiking... and not just through the local golf course.  You won't capture the essence of wild nature where the land is manicured by humans.

So anyway, I've been out with the kit quite often lately... at least until we got a foot of snow dumped on us the other day.  I was glad I made it out to the mountain stream last week to shoot my 'November Rush' photo series while the ice was still visible!  Those four prints (2 available here) were shot with utmost care to keep the exposure levels and color saturation uniform amongst them.  That way they will look great on the wall beside each other.  I'm very proud of the way they turned out.

I've been re-framing many of my prints as well as organizing my gallery.  The new gallery features are great but still leave much to be desired.  I'm trying to figure out how to add CSS to the mini-galleries.  Can anyone help me with this? .. and why can't we add CSS to the main 'featured' gallery?... or to the rest of the profile-page for that matter? hmmmm...

There is a featured artist and some 'recent WOWs' for you to check out there.  I'll be updating the journal more frequently now that I'm settled back at home for awhile. I'll also try to find time to be more responsive to my comment replies (I read and cherish every one).  I always get the feeling that folks get ' put off ' when they don't receive a reply, but I also realize there is just not enough time in this world to answer everyone... that wouldn't leave enough time to take photos!  Other than checking my devwatch (I watch 198 people) and the daily popular page, the way I enjoy finding good art is to visit those who have commented or faved my own work... then I have a peek at their gallery.  It always floors and humbles me to see all the talent out there.

I'll leave you with those thoughts and just say I hope everyone is gearing up for the holiday season without too much stress.  My daughter is coming to Thunder Bay for three weeks and I can't wait! Be good to yourselves and those around you ... hug your kids ... and respect nature!

luv y'all!

Skinner







Hey don't forget to use these great links once and awhile!:
RANDOM DEVIANT
RANDOM DEVIATION</u>








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_{updated periodically}

Hey everyone!

Again it's been a long time since my last journal update.  I've been away for most of the past month working.  I had a good time up in some very remote areas... in the past week I finished the job up north of Armstrong, Ontario and traveled to the Sioux Lookout area to burn the slash piles north of there.  This worked out very nicely since that is the town where my 6-year-old daughter Lauren lives with her mom.  This meant I was able to visit with her at nights while I was back in town   I have some decent fire photos to share from my experiences out there also.

The book cover deal I mentioned in my previous journal has gone through and I'm very excited about it... I thought I'd give you guys and gals a peak at the results:



A publishing company has purchased my photo Beware This Eve to use as the book cover for the German version of the Norman Partridge novel 'Dark Harvest' which will be available in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.  Once again my thanks go out to ~hakahanna for discovering the shot here at dA and doing the preliminary artwork you see here... thank you Hanna!

I also want to send out a huge thanks to my dear friend *Buble for actually mailing her oil painting of my daughter to me!:



I can't describe how full of joy I was to receive this precious piece of art... It's hanging above the mantle now where I can see it and be reminded of my precious little girl every day.  Thank you Karen ... I haven't forgotten my obligations to you

My prints continue to sell both online and locally and I just want to remind you deviantART members that if you purchase any two of my prints (8x10 or larger), I'll buy you a months subscription ... just note me that you have done so because dA does not reveal the buyers identity.  Also could whoever purchased the 16x20 print of 'Faith' contact me?  I'm eager to get some feedback as to it's quality at that size since I've only seen an 8x10 of it....thanks!

A bit of contest news: I've picked my three favorites from the submissions to  ... We're just waiting on the results from the other judges.  I'll be featuring the winner in my journal... to all those who entered: Good Luck!

So I'm miserably behind on my comment replies as usual and I hope you understand .. but I should be around for awhile now and can hopefully catch up soon ... If you've sent me a note in the past month and haven't received a reply it's because I'm currently about 60 notes behind ...those are my first priority!  In the meanwhile take care of yourselves and I'll be talking with you soon!

luv y'all!

Skinner






Don't forget to use these great links once and awhile!:
RANDOM DEVIANT
RANDOM DEVIATION</u>






My latest prints:</u>

:shop1684753::shop1556613::shop1839367:
:shop1252411::shop1391751:

~~

From my gallery:</u>

Hey everyone!

Another long time has passed since my last journal!  Fire season is finished for the year and I'm currently enjoying a week of time off before my next job begins on Wednesday.  

Every year the forest industry companies here in Ontario contract the job of burning the debris left over from their operations.  This entails igniting thousands of barn-sized piles of tree tops and brush left over from the de-limbing process.  The job can be grueling and involves a lot of long hours in remote areas riding ATVs from pile to pile to ignite them using drip torches.  Since I have my Incident Commander level 3, I will be overseeing the burning ops for my 8-man crew.  Time is of the essence and we will be hard pressed to finish the job before the weather craps out up north near Armstrong, Ontario.

So because of this 3-week sojourn, I won't be around dA or even have access to the internet from the 11th to possibly the end of October. (yes! you'll finally get a break from my ambitious posting schedule! )

I plan to bring my camera along to hopefully capture some flame pictures such as the ones above and below I took a few years ago.  While fighting forest fires fires I don't have much opportunity to do this because we're generally too busy putting the fire OUT ... but since I'll now be lighting the damn things, I should be able to pause long enough to 'capture the beast' in all its glory!

Some news concerning my photography: I've been selling my prints both locally and online and the ongoing battle to promote my passion from hobby to business continues.  I'm working to put together both a calendar and a coffee table book.  I owe a lot to my dearest love Debrah for being so understanding and supportive when I disappear with my camera.

Looks like I scored a book cover deal also.  I've been contacted by a German publishing company about the possible usage of one of my photos for the front cover of a paperback!  I'll let you guys know if this all pans out.  I found this pretty exciting ... thank you Hanna

~Inebriantia has asked me to sit on the panel of judges for his ongoing 'Earth' photography contest.  He's been very understanding of the fact I'll be away during the end of the contest and says I'll still have time to throw my vote in.  Read all about it here: 'EARTH' photography contest and check out ~Inebriantia's journal for updates and further details. Lots of goodies being given away there as well as features in many journals... my own included.

Many people have been featuring my work around here and I just want to say a heartfelt thank you for all the wonderful support this dA community has shown me.  I just broke the 4000 watcher mark since my last journal too! .. so it's time to revive my 'Recent WOWs' section of the journal and return the favor. It's a selection of my very favorite deviations found lately while surfing the site.

So anyway, it's time for me to hit the road on Wednesday ... I just want to wish you all the very best and I'll be back in action by the end of the month.  Until then...

luv y'all!

Skinner







Don't forget to use these great links once and awhile!:
RANDOM DEVIANT
RANDOM DEVIATION</u>




_{updated periodically}






My latest prints:</u>

:shop1684753::shop1556613::shop1839367:
:shop1252411::shop1391751::shop1171369:

~~

From my gallery:</u>

Hey everyone!

It's been several months since my last journal and some of you may be wondering what I've been up to.  Well between my firefighting, home life, and photography, I've been quite busy... for the most part traveling around various areas of my own province living in basecamp or on the fire line.  I just returned from a week in British Columbia (western Canada) where we lent a hand with the fire situation out there.

I've been lucky enough to have had some time to explore with my camera as well.. from the canyons north of Nipigon to the beautiful lakes of Quetico... and just recently the Rocky Mountain rivers near Nakusp, B.C.  When I'm on the road I take advantage of any internet connection I can find to upload pics to my dA gallery from my trusty memory stick

You are all aware that for the past 4 months I have had the commenting feature disabled for my photos.  I only did this because of time constraints and the inability to reply to the comments. (that always leaves me feeling guilty).  Well I've decided to enable the commenting feature again in hopes that I can find some time to reply as fire season winds down.  I'll also be restoring my 'featured artists' and 'Recent WOWs' section to my journal next month.

Some contest news also:  The very talented ~Inebriantia has asked me to sit on the panel of judges for his ongoing 'Earth' photography contest.  Read all about it here: 'EARTH' photography contest and check out ~Inebriantia's journal for updates and further details.

Recently `wroth and `insaneone have contacted me and asked if I could put together some stock images for the highly respected stock group #resurgere.  I'm very honored by this and will be working on that soon.

About a month ago I recieved my 5th Daily Deviation! The piece concerned was one of my conceptual portraits and not a nature shot.  This made it extra special for me

The other thing I must take care of here at dA is my message box which can be summed up by saying 'The cup overfloweth'   I was planning to get around to all who had faved my work this summer, but considering the 23,674 visits I'd have to make, let me just shout a BIG thanks to everyone for all your support! ... especially those who have just recently added me or purchased my prints

When I have some lounging time I plan to drink in all the wonderful art piling up in my message box as well ... currently 2,804 deviations behind ... can't wait to check that beautiful art out!

Anyway, you all take of yourselves ok?  I'll be kicking around dA more and more frequently as winter approaches and look forward to revisiting with all of you.

Skinner





Don't forget to use these great links once and awhile!:
RANDOM DEVIANT
RANDOM DEVIATION</u>



My latest prints:</u>

:shop1657158::shop1556613::shop1657122:
:shop1252411::shop1391751::shop1171369:

~~

From my gallery:</u>

Hello my friends!  I'm a bit sad right now because my time here at deviantArt is going to be very limited for the next 6 months.  I will have time to keep my gallery current and put prints for sale occasionally ... and I also intend to finish my 'Industrial Nightmare' over the next few weeks.  However, my ability to fully participate by commenting on the art of the 171 wonderful artists I watch (or even to respond to comments on my own art) will be cut very short by the demands of real life.

The way my day is divided now that I'm back to work has forced my spare time to be devoted less to photography (or at least displaying it here on dA) and more to my girlfriend, her kids, my kid, and the household in general. ... I'm always very active, but now even more so.   Our training blitz at work will be rigorous and will see me away from home for periods of days and sometimes weeks.  And then the fires begin lol!

Having said all this I hope you can understand that for this reason I will be disabling the comments for my entire gallery until the day arrives when I have the time to reply to them.  Also the browsing of lots of galleries to find the rare gems (my favorite thing to do on this site) is going be effected ... thus I won't be able to update my 'Recent WOWs' or the featured artists until next October.  I'm just going to remove those sections until then.

.....but I'm still gonna fav'n'run and you can't stop me!

Anyway! I love every last one of you art-nuts!  Behave yourselves and note me if there is anything you'd like to ask about (except cameras ... can't stand those things! )

Skinner





Don't forget to use these great links once and awhile!:
RANDOM DEVIANT
RANDOM DEVIATION</u>



My latest prints:</u>

:shop1368032::shop1556613::shop1561655:
:shop1252411::shop1391751::shop1171369:

~~

From my gallery:</u>

Hey Y'all!

It's been awhile since my last journal and I have to tell you it seems my time spent on the internet grows shorter each day as I draw closer to returning to work (next Monday) and my life gets busier..

Some of you may have noticed that I'm not as vigilant with my 'thank you' rounds, but I still reply to every comment.  It is just becoming too time consuming and I don't think I can always get around to visit as many pages as usual. I suspect my time will be even more limited once work starts, and those of you who know me will remember how I disappear for weeks at a time once the forest fire season gets under way.

Anyway on a brighter note, since the weather and general conditions outdoors around here are at their worst for nature photography right now, I've revived my passion for 'urban exploration' ... crawling around in abandoned and decaying buildings.  This time my goal is to not just document these places (although I will continue to do so with my ~CellarDweller account), but to use these natural 'sets' to create various types of conceptual photos as I have recently with 'Self Perception' and 'Told Ya Teddy':



and my effort to pioneer the 'HDRI Graphic Short Story' with my ongoing series 'Industrial Nightmare':


This series is an attempt to combine my 'Urbex' fascination with my desire to create conceptual or surreal photos ... and maybe hone my storytelling abilities also.  I'm finding it to be a most enjoyable and artistically challenging project and I want to thank all the wonderful folks who have shown me support and offered their critiques and advice to me during this deviation from my normal forte. (yes even you Thomas for hating HDRI.. and especially Tami for inspiring some of my plot ideas and Victor for helping me with grammar issues) The whole thing has been shot so far in a huge abandoned grain elevator complex where they used to empty trains from the prairies and load freighter ships.  Here is a picture of my 'Nightmare Realm' :



This place is massive ... see the little doors in the bottom center?.. thats where the trains used to enter!  In four visits of several hours each I've still only seen a fraction of the rooms..

Although my photography is taking a little detour for now,  I'll continue with my nature shots as well, making sure to keep a nice mix in the ol' gallery..

So anyway! There is a new batch of 24 'recent WOWs' for you to look at as well as three new featured artists... check them out and send the artists my love

as always my friends, be good to yourselves and one another,

Skinner

ps. what do you think of my new webcam shot?






NEWS</b>

Interview with Skinner

~~

My favorite painting EVER</b>


Daddy's little girl by *Buble

The first painting ever done of my daughter.

Karen based her work on my photograph Walk in Fields of Gold

I am forever in your debt. ... thank you Karen

~~

Don't forget to use these great links once and awhile!:
RANDOM DEVIANT
RANDOM DEVIATION</u>



<sub>updated periodically






updated periodically</sub>