#54 Tower

Watts Towers

The Watts Towers are a complex set of 17 separate sculptural pieces built on a residential lot in the community of Watts. Two of the towers rise to a height of nearly 100 feet. The sculptures are constructed from steel pipes and rods, wrapped with wire mesh, coated with mortar, and embedded with pieces of porcelain, tile and glass. Using simple hand tools and cast off materials (broken glass, sea shells, generic pottery and ceramic tile) Italian immigrant, Simon Rodia spent 30 years (1921 to 1955) building a tribute to his adopted country and a monument to the spirit of individuals who make their dreams tangible.

The Watts Towers are one of only nine works of folk art listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The site is one of only four US National Historic Landmarks in the city of Los Angeles. The site is now a unit of California State Parks and managed by the Los Angeles City Cultural Affairs Department.

Photo from Wikimedia Commons; background made with pieces from Cottage Arts and Encounter_Laura; PS brushes and filters applied.

#53 Life

We are Stardust...

Background made with layered photos of stars being born in distant galaxies, from the Hubble Telescope. Other images from Wikimedia Commons. The baby is from a page in a very old anatomy text, and the baby bird from the Graphics Fairy

# 52 Broken

Broken Spirit

Photo of Sarah Bernhardt,
Texture created with a texture piece from Shadowhouse and several PS brushes.

#51 Discovery

Discovery

There is nothing so gratifying as being able to open a child's mind to new discoveries.

Images from Google and NASA, background bit from Encounter_Laura, a blue gradient and some brushes

#50 Proud

SO PROUD

Image found on Google, background made with peices from Struck Dumb at Deviantart and from isourcetextures.com

#49 Stripes

Stripes of another color

Kind of a Dr. Seussian thing going on here, but I like it!
Made with one image of black and white tiger stripes, some physical manupulation of duplicate layers and lots of blending.

Sometimes I even amaze myself...

# 48 Childhood

Image and clock face from Google. Background pieces from Joycesphotoalbum and MBGrigby at T4l. Lots of filters, blending and photshp brushes used

#47 Mansion

Abode of the Maharajahs

Photo of the Taj Mahal resort in Atlantic Cityis mine. Peacock feather and backrgound texture are from Scrapbook Flair. Additional texture added with brushes.

#46 Male

BOB HOFFMAN - 1898 - 1985
Bob Hoffman - athlete, nutritionist, weightlifter, coach and philantropist - was born on a farm in Tifton, Georgia on Nov 9th 1898. His family stock was good. Bob was never the seven stone weakling claimed by other physical culturists. His father was a large strong man who liked to demonstrate the hardness of his tensed muscles. Given this it his easy to see how Bob was influenced in his formative years.
When Bob was 5 years old the family moved to Wilkinsburg near Pittsburgh where his athletic career started from a very young age. He was an exceptional athlete especially in aquatic sports - his favorite being canoeing.
The First World War saw Bob as a hero. He gained 3 Croix de Guerres with two palms and a Silver Star from France. From Belgium he was awarded The Belgian Order of Leopold and from Italy the Italian War Cross and the Purple Heart.
His business started in the 1920s, at first selling oil burners, before developing into the massive York Barbell Company.
Bob Hoffman, never a great coach or great weightlifter, was a man who influenced and guided weightlifting and bodybuilding for half a century. He died on July 18th 1985. (Gil Waldron)

The photo and information about Bob Hoffman came from Google. The background was made with bits from Rubyblossom and Shadowhouse. The Tribal tatoo brushes are by Red Lilith.

#45 Animal

Here, Kitty, Kitty

All images except the Siamese cat, which is a photo of mine of a cat named Suzy, were googled. Textures from Digitalyardsale and Shadowhouse. Lots of filters applied.

# 44 Two Roads

The Lady or the Tiger

This one had me stumped for a long time.
Glad to be past it...
Path image from Google, the lady and the tiger are brushes and the color texture is a piece from Encounter_Laura at T4L