And I Wish You, LOVE - (enlarge)

It's 11:28 pm where I live right now, and my thoughts while working

on this composition have been about the past year. All the things that

I thought were so IMPORTANT, but in reality, when you get down to

the NITTY GRITTY, they were not so IMPORTANT at all. All the

moments when I did not pay as close attention as I should have, for

in retrospect, they truly were moments to treasure. All the moments

when I formed 'thoughts' that in the end, were truly a WASTE OF

TIME. The many times I PREJUDGED a person, and those times

were fewer than in the past, but I still caught myself doing it - I do

hope that in this New Year I will have even fewer. I have been

thinking about all the times, and there were far too many, when I

grieved for so many who were touched by tragedy. Many even here

on PN. While it is amazing, it is so sad that it takes the senseless

and unthinkable act of a 'mentally ill' individual to UNITE a NATION,

even the WORLD in their GRIEF over the loss of such Innocent

Children and Adults. I am here at the brink of another New Year with

no sense of what to expect in the days to come. But I do know ONE

THING. I wish for all of you here on PN who have become such good

friends, at least to the extent you can on this Forum, and all those

whose lovely and skillful work I have admired, (so many I have never

had the opportunity to even tell you), - I wish you LOVE. For it is the

one thing that can enter into all we do if we just ALLOW IT. For

myself this Year I hope that LOVE is one of the MAIN

INGREDIENTS that comes into play in all that I do. In every decision

I make, and word that I speak. When all else is gone, I hope we all

have someone's face we can look into, (whether it be a soulmate, a

child or a dear friend) and know without a doubt, that 'we are loved'.

Bless you, each and every one. With Sincere Regards, Gail

Lovely image Gail.  I like the composition and the detail in the main part of the flower.  The subtle theme in the texture overlay compliments the main subject well and I like the overall colour and presentation.

 And thank you for sharing your thoughts as you approached the beginning of the new year.

 All the best

 Mike

Gail,  Your work always has a wonder to it, but more than that your messages are eloquent and have a wonderous way of touching the soul and the heart. I want to say thank you for the beauty of your heart and soul that you have shared.   Wishing you the best for the New Year.

Excellent work! (6)

Really a beautiful creation Gail. Nice image to start the new year with!!

This image conveys very well a message that you aptly wrote, Gail. A very delicate well chosen flower to present with all its loveliness, magnificence and grace. The flower is well placed in the composition and the texture appropraitely chosen is just perfect. Beautiful shot. Happy New Year!

Gorgeous texture work in this superbly processed image Gail! Thanks for the kind wishes in 2013! Hope you have a wonderful 2013 Gail!

Happy New Year,
Neil

Very beautiful work, Gail.

--Lannie

This single flower reflects all of those words you have expressed...a happy flower regardless of its surroundings.

Love and happiness do go together...it is our choice to LOVE and BE LOVED...and to be HAPPY.

Best wishes for 2013!

Beautiful work and original too. And I appreciate your comments. Put those together and you get a treasure.

great picture.  best, jamie

Really beautiful work with very nice colours and lighting, Gail!

With best regards and a Happy 2013,

Ruud.

Dear friend, thanks for your kind words and your wonderful art. 

God bless you and give health, love, joy, peace and many more to come.

Abrazos, Mari

Pretty work...the texture you are using, elevates the image even further...Happy New Year....David

A true work of art, Gail, to complement your precious message of hope and love.

Like usual by you a great and artistic composition! Ciao, "amica mia"! Mau.

Wonderful image. Well done!  All the best and a fantastic New Year!

beautifully captured and then textured. the petals dissolving into the foreground is a great idea-- it becomes a flower scape. then with a squint of the eyes one can imagine a glowing nebula from the heart of deep space. 

Hi, dear Gail! Thank you for your wonderful thoughts and intentions to embrace and to give love to the whole world - you are a beautiful person! I think that is why evil exists - to show us Beauty. There's a beautiful creation of yours here for us to admire, to feel better, to do more... Thank you for all this.

Warm regards, Tamara

P.s I love your floweres. Still have no idea how to change the background :(

Many thanks for your lovely comments Tamara. The background area is all layers. I will try to hunt up one of my easiest books on layers and Blending Modes. I hat a 'brick wall' at just the mention of the word LAYER for so long. I am still learning, just tried out a selective adjustment layer for the first time the other day, and folks have been using them for years. Once you grasp how simple they can be it is not so hard. I'll write soon. ;-) Gail

What a lovely compliment, and many thanks for visiting, for it took me to your Portfolio which is a Creative and Artistic DELIGHT. Your Website as well is marvellous. I found it to be a real treat to visit, and enjoyed your Photo/artistic endeavours to be very much to my liking. I wish you much success with all that you do, you certainly work hard enough. All the best, Gail

Many thanks for your visit Tony, always appreciate hearing what you feel about any of my images.

Many thanks for your visits, kind words and support, I always appreciate hearing from you both!

My sincere thanks to each one for your encouraging comments on this composition, and for your sincere words for the New Year.