Stretched a bit thin ...

Ironic. I wish I were thinner, stretched or otherwise. Alas, not so much!

But I have had too many irons in the fire for the last year. Overdue for a over-hauling of priorities. My camera has been pointed at and focusing on product and items for upload and sale at www.westasthecrowflies.etsy.com. Not a bad thing, by a long shot. But that and winter weather have had direct bearing on my lack of creative photography.

So, with the Vernal Equinox right around the corner, and crocus abundantly blooming all around, it is time to focus on art for art sake, not necessarily for commerce.

I'll keep you posted with my endeavors. No photographs today, as this is a new computer and I don't have anything on it yet!

Just you wait ... (pretty please!)

An Old Dawg Tryin' a New Trick ...

I've often thought a solid background was best for photographs of my jewelry. In a more formal situation, that may still be the case, but I was bored with white today when shooting photos of some new earrings. I've admired those jewelers who use intriguing backgrounds as a complement for their jewelry. Some are overwhelming, but some get it just right. I'm not much of a weaver of enchanting stories about my jewelry. I'm a fairly simple woman. I like seeing it successfully done by others, but don't seem to have the knack.

However, I thought I would photograph the earrings against an art quilt I purchased from Cindy Rinne a goodly number of years ago. It's entitled "Fire" and is dated 1996. I love the quilt, so took it down from my wall and photographed my earrings on it.

I think the photographs turned out quite nicely. The earrings have been uploaded to www.birchbaykay.etsy.com, and if you want to see more of Cindy Rinne's fabulous art quilts, please go to http://fiberverse.com.

She often incorporates her poetry into her quilts. As she terms her art, "Nature's edges in stitch and verse." You'll be glad you take the time to check out her work. She's also on Facebook, for the latest in places where she's performing her poetry or exhibiting her "stitches." My apology to Cindy that her quilt isn't better photographed here, but I wanted to share with you the whole.

Fire 1996
by Cindy Rinne

Bouy, oh bouy!

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/NTA5NTY3OXwyNzIwMzgxMDg5/fishing-fanatics-dreamin-of-the-catch

Click on the above link and you'll see the latest, and VERY cool, Etsy Treasury in which one of my photographs is featured.Must be nigh unto Father's Day, as many of the Etsy treasuries are more of a masculine approach. It's ALL good!

I love that this photograph was featured. It was taken in Birch Bay, right across from the water. I miss the water tremendously. At least I have memories, and photographs, to enjoy again and again.

Fishing Nets n Bouys

Curator: Paula of www.OMGILoveYourJewelry.etsy.com

Treasury: Fishing Fanatics Dreamin' of the Catch


Latest in my attempt to find a place to sell my photo cards. I've encountered another gallery that has several too many photographers and they just aren't interested in yet another one. So solly! The search continues.

Curtains ...

I was included in another Etsy Treasury. No, that's not quite correct. Linda Hawkins was drawn to one of my photographs. She put together a treasury entirely of curtains. It struck me that me, myself and I wasn't chosen, but Linda's perception of story held forth in my photograph of curtains at an open window.

How many seemingly common things serve delightfully as metaphor? Some are universal and others very, very personal. Imagination is awesome, thank goodness for this!

www.etsy.com/treasury/MTAyNTAwMjB8MjcyMjkzNDI0NA/its-curtains-for-you

It's Curtains For You
Linda Hawkins, Curator
www.dragonswire.etsy.com

Waiting At the Curtain

Linda creates intriguing masks. It makes sense that a maker of masks would have an affinity for  curtains, doesn't it? Talk about metaphor!

The Language of Flowers

I recently finished reading Vanessa Diffenbaugh’s novel “Language of Flowers.” Story about a contemporary young woman, orphaned as a baby, with unsavory experiences through state adoption agencies/orphanages, and how she deals with life outside of the system once she turns 18. In one of many foster homes, she had acquired knowledge of flowers and their use during Victorian Era as messages, and memorized the meanings of flowers. She’s ill equipped to interact and communicate well with others, but unerringly knows just the right flower a person needs. The concept intrigued me.

Since I seem to take a lot of floral photographs, I thought it would be interesting to find out the meanings of the flowers around me in my sister Melba’s garden.

Right now on my desk next to my computer is a vase of exquisite peonies in full blossom. They take away my breath; they are so elegant and magnificent! There is a sense of abandonment to their full out blooming!

I googled peony and found several different meanings. For thousands of years the Chinese have revered the peony as representing Riches and Honor. The Japanese, too, have a similar meaning.

On a different tangent, there is a long history of use of peony in Japanese tattoos, where peony takes on a connotation of masculine disregard for consequence, or a devil may care attitude. However, it strikes me as odd that, as an element of tattoo, the peony is sometimes a reference to the Virgin Mary in Catholic societies. Although in retrospect, I suppose the Virgin Mary had to have extraordinary bravery in her time and society in carrying and nurturing Jesus.

Then in the Victorian Era, with its exchange of notes and letters, the meaning of peony became one of bashfulness or shame. One look at a peony and you’ll see there is nothing bashful about a peony, more like unabashed. I don’t understand the shame connotation, except maybe the flower is so lush, it was deemed that it should be ashamed.

I look again at all of these meanings that have been attributed to the peony and I can see similarities in meaning colored by context of different eras and social conventions.

The peony is going to be what it is, regardless of the era, regardless of cultural mores and human labels.

Then ... the Poppy ... I wonder about its back story ...

what? white, white, white!

A very recent photograph listing has been featured in an Etsy Treasury:

www.etsy.com/treasury/NjcwMzcyNnwyNjYzNzkwOTQ2/white-wash
Curator: Sarah Giannobile
Photo: White on Wood

It continues to amaze me that the all-time most frequently featured photographs of mine happen to be WHITE. The most popular ones are shown here:



White on Wood




White on White




Bouy, Oh Bouy




Arc on White




Don't Rain on My Parade

Okay, so the last one is more colorful, but I have over 100 photographs listed on my Etsy shop, and these shown above are the ones featured over and over again ... and over again, and again.

I might add, none of them have sold. Go figure!

I'll keep trying to figure out the logistics. It's frustrating, BUT, it doesn't diminish my zeal for clicking that shutter!

Photo Albums of Yesteryear ...

This afternoon the collective family in Spokane held its birthday bash for February-born members. It snowed, we were all bundled inside a small abode, photographs were being snapped by proud grannies amid the chaos and conversations. To which, someone quipped that the photographs would simply end up in some dog-eared old photo album.

It brought to my mind an interesting question. With digital photography and social networking as prevalent as they are, how many people still actually print out their family snapshots and stick them in a photo album, or even a shoe box? And generations from now, who and how will our progeny stumble across these old family photographs?

The times they are a-changin'

Today I was tinkering around with some shell photographs I had taken a couple of years ago. I wanted to see how various effects changed the visual impact of the image.



Watercolor Effect




Dry Brush Effect




Watercolor Effect




Contrast, No Effect Filter Used