Above is a rather ordinary naked tree not unlike a simple raw clay pot. But, to the artist's eye there is a great deal more hiding amongst the shapes and colors. Just like the potter, we'll gather together our clay, tools, materials, and imagination to transform this mundane tree into an inspirational amphora.

The first thing that our spartan clay pot needs is some texture and detail. Rather than slips of clay, modeling tools, wire brushes and the like, we'll incorporate two more images. One of a broken, rusty old piece of concrete (above left) and a full moon extracted from a larger photo (above right). Let's also use the digital equivalent of a wire brush to texturize the concrete (above center).

Now that we've added some provocative contours it's time to sweeten our evolving vase with a vibrant facade of tints and shades. To the potter this means painting on glazes. To the enhanced photo artist it means assembling a pallet of appropriately colored spaces and shapes.

We'll start by isolating certain elements from the original image, altering the color and/or highlighting their silhouettes (above, clockwise from the left). Then, how about some random, rusty orange brush strokes and a special effects highlight?

If you've ever seen pottery glazes you'll know they are usually muddy, clay like hues that have little if any semblance to the robust colors of a the kiln fired pot. So, let's fire up the oven and see what magic materializes.

While we're waiting, perhaps some insight into the works of the "digital kiln" would be in order. Two important concepts need to be conveyed.

First, each image above is rendered with microscopic, differently colored dots called pixels. Not too dissimilar to film grain, just mathematically organized and all of the same size.

Secondly, each exists on it's own editable layer. Think a stack of semi-transparent sheets of clear plastic.

Any layer can be moved up or down throughout the stack. The fun part is that the "blending mode" of each layer can be altered in a number of ways to affect one or more of the underlaying layers. In other words the pixels of one layer can influence the color, intensity, opacity and even the very existence of what lies below. In many ways this is precisely what happens in the kiln with overlapping glazes, the water colorist's washes, and many other artistic mediums.

Well, I just heard the oven's timer ring. Got your fingers crossed? Time to open her up and visit the:

While we were waiting my baby sister's favorite playmate snuck into the studio and, just as our pot came out of the oven, proclaimed in a whimper that the Forest was too dark, scary, and cold at midnight.

Well, not to worry young Marcus, remember our stacked layers and editable blends? Let's reshuffle the deck and sprinkle some magic, time travel, fairy dust over the top. We don't even have to start over with a new pot.