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Showing posts from 2015

A Season of Reflection - Happy Solstice

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I am a winter baby. This is my favorite event of the year - the Winter Solstice - a time to be still with yourself and your gratitudes and ground yourself for the next round. May this season of going within find you present, at peace, and enveloped in the warmth of all Life's Blessings... (artist unknown)

Under the Tuscan Sun

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Greetings dear readers....I've finally gotten around to thinking about writing again after a whirlwind many months of changes and adventures. I felt a little stumped on what to write about and post, but the blockage is slowly clearing after giving myself permission to just "be" instead of "do, do, do".... Italy, northern Italy in the Tuscan hills to be exact, was exactly what I needed. Born a European and a traveler, I needed to feel that earth beneath my feet again and experience the rich traditions of art and food and architecture and the people of my past.... What's really cool is that I am still in touch with nearly all I met along the way - including some generous and kind Italians who opened their home to me and shared a bit of their life.  The world doesn't feel so huge and cruel and empty (as much of the internet will tell you) when one travels and discovers that, while we may speak different languages and wear different skin, our hearts seem to

The other side of transition

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Never underestimate the work that goes on in life's transitional phases. When my last 'baby' left home in the fall for college, I thought I would just easily flow through that dreaded 'empty-nest' syndrome typical for so many parents, single parents in particular. I found myself simultaneously feeling stagnant and catapulted through either not quite knowing what to do with my 'free' time or having a staggering amount of opportunities and decisions to make. In just a few short months, I planned and booked a trip to Italy with the sole purpose of expanding my artistic trade and developing a stronger portfolio, cleared out physical stuff , quelled out fair weather friends and acquaintances, and left my workplace of 18 years. None of which was a foreseeable blip on the horizon until I was standing smack dab in the middle of it. My life is nothing that I knew of it - kids grown up and gone, day to day habits have made a 180 degree to the west turn, the faces of

Capturing the love

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Day 3 of the 3-pieces-of-art-a-day-for-5-days I have been challenged with. This time I decided to post portraits I've done. Is that considered "art"? My photographer friends would say yes. There is always a debate about photography being "art". It's not done with paints or brushes or canvas or drawn by hand so many in the art world would argue it is not art. The word photography is made up of 2 ancient Greek words meaning "light" (photo) and "drawing" (graph). Drawing with light. The camera is our tool - our brush if you will. And the surface we place our images on - fine papers, wood, glass, fabric, metal, ceramics, and yes, canvas. Can that not be "art"? It all started about 6 years ago when colleagues of mine asked me to take their family photo with another family they were close with. They were moving back east and wanted a memento. Since then, I've been privileged to photograph many families and artists. Each time,

Weather makes us giddy.

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So, I've been challenged by a fellow artist to post 3 works a day for 5 days. This is Day 2. Going back in the archives, I am sharing (again) some unique desert weather shots. I know I've mentioned this many, many times - but, we desert dwellers get really giddy whenever there is any kind of precipitation - especially drizzle/rain accompanied by fog. Fog is a super unusual occurrence in our desert. This year, we've had literally days and days of it. Once for 3 days in a row - the pea soup kind. Of course, I was teaching on those days - not conducive for chasing great fog shots. But I did manage to go out and play for an hour after school, before dark. There is something eerily special about standing out in the desert, enveloped in the thick quiet of fog. The best part? The smells! Oh my. Sage, desert lavender, cedar, pinion pine, creosote - all mixed with granite (yes, rocks have smells) and wet earth. Heaven. This shot was taken in January, 2 years ago. Not phot

Look closely

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Looks like there is no slowing down in 2015. Thought I'd pop in and let you all know what's been up in my absence. Besides the throes of a working girl, getting over a lively holiday season, and spending spontaneous fun-time with my adult kids, I'm preparing for my works to hang in the local county courthouse offices; planning a trip to Tuscany; prepping for a photography class I get to teach in Joshua Tree National Park; and playing with polaroid film and sun sensitive papers. I've finally finished up a slew of portrait shoots over the holidays so now I have time to hunker down and hone a body of work that has been dancing around in my head for months. I've been such a hermitess lately - work > home > dog walk > work > groceries > home > dog walk  > work > family > work... Ever have those times when you just hole up for long periods of time and people start to forget about you?  I like to think of it as reflective, decompressing, crea