The Silhouette Collection
The Silhouette Collection
Over the past few years, I have created several digital paintings that have become part of my “Silhouette Collection.” “Nelly Korda in the Morning,” which is my cover image on my Facebook Page, is a digital painting that is part of my “Silhouette Collection.”
The “Silhouette Collection” was a photography project from years ago, when I combined a photo of a girl walking on the beach in front of a setting sun. That photo combination won me a March 2003 cover on Peterson’s Photographic magazine. There are other silhouette images inside illustrating my article called “The Art of Putting the Sun in Your Photographs.”
During my early days of Photoshop, I spent many hours combining images. It was during this time that I attended a seminar presented by Faye Sirkis. She introduced me to digital painting along with online workshops from Karen Sperling and Tim Shelbourne.
Since I took many photographs of sunrise and sunset during my days living on Cape Cod, one of my favorite digital painting subjects was to use a sunrise photo as a reference for the background. Then, place a subject as a silhouette as a counterbalance.
While reviewing my digital painting files, I discovered a few digital paintings that I may not have been shared. Enjoy.
Marketing and Selling of “Golf à la Cart”
Since May 28, 2025, Memorial Day Weekend, Amazon accepted my manuscript and published “Golf à la Cart: Selected Adventures on Golf Courses.” I’ve been trying to promote my new book. Once I had the cover finalized, I had large postcards made to hand out to golfers to promote my book while I’m playing golf. I got the idea when I found an old postcard from my brother, John’s book, “The Schoolmaster’s Daughter.”
Reading marketing books, they advise talking it up on social media. Well, I’m not very adept at social media. I have a Facebook and LinkedIn page. I’ve joined several writer and golf groups on Facebook. I’ve tried to be as active as I can in those groups, but it’s time-consuming to read, write, and post responses. I have limited time (remember, my primary job is taking care of Linda, my wife, who has a long-term illness).
It’s just me, myself, and I doing the work. One of the challenges of being a one-person company is that I serve as President, Publisher, Marketing Manager, author, and illustrator for my company, P.B.S. Studios. Being retired and living on a fixed income means my promotion budget is limited to promoting my book on social media and sending emails to golf influencers and local golf courses to try to set up book signings.
Since publishing “Golf à la Cart,” in the past month, I have been getting offers from people who want to promote my book. Of course, they want money up front, which I don’t have. So I’m going to have to go it alone for the time being. Unless I sell a lot of books, which, according to my business bank account, hasn’t happened yet, I have to decline those inquiries.
How do other Indie-authors get their book known? According to publishers who reviewed my digital painting book proposal and rejected it, the audience was limited. Publishing “Golf à la Cart,” I thought I would have a broad audience. There are a lot of golfers in the world. But after more than a month, it appears that I have sold more books in person than through Amazon. Go figure!
P.B.S. Studios
P.B.S. Studios is a writer/photography/digital painting company that has written and published over a hundred articles for newspapers, magazines, and online publications. I’ve also published many other photographs as illustrations in commercial and textbook publications. As a digital photo-painter, I’ve had my work displayed in Galleries, libraries, restaurants, and on the streets of the City of Manassas. Visit the gallery section on my website, www.pbsstudios.com, to see digital photo paintings and other examples of my work.