Top o'the Morning to ya, Spring!

Adjusted my clocks around the house as I slipped into Spring mode this morning. I am already enjoying this change, as everything seems to sprouting a little bit earlier this year. Is it just my imagination or am I experiencing global warming up close and personal?

It was rainy and dismal most of the day, but I had picked up some daffodils at the grocery store--mine aren't yet up--and they provided just the energy lift I needed.

So, with a tip o' my Tam to St Paddy's Day, here are a couple iPhone shots of the green!

Happy Spring!

Featured by @jj_colorlove (Instagram) on 3/8/16 

Day 18 My Shoes

Day 18

My Shoes

30 Day Photography Challenge

My shoes? Sure why not. I slide open my closet door to a tumble of rights and lefts. A good start. Then I saw a dusty bag at the back and yanked it out from under some other shoes. My tango dancing shoes! Oh my, I haven't used them at all since moving to Spokane. I had so much fun with that.

Just beyond the dancing shoes you'll see the clod-hoppers I now wear in Spokane oh-so-very-cold-in-the-winter. Not good for tango.

It was nice to see the sexy black heels, reminded me of what once was. And who knows? I might get back on the dance floor. I see there's something starting Monday nights. I just might check it out.

Day 9 ... oh yes it is!

Today is Day 9 of the 30-Day Photography Challenge, the subject of which is Someone You Love. My sister, Mel, was babysitting her granddaughter Susan and I couldn't resist photographing them together. Lighting is terrible, focus is abysmal, but the someone loving someone is unmistakable.

Day 9

Someone You Love

30 Day Photography Challenge

Painting Activity, Too

As for other artistic activity going on, I provided about a dozen acrylic paintings to Park Place Apartments, an independent living community in Spokane, WA, for display during December. I think there are two other River Ridge Association of Fine Art members who are also in this exhibit. I am a standby alternate, so unfortunately, I just rushed everything over and don't know too much about the venue or the other artists.

The administrative staff take it upon themselves to install exhibits in their venue, so I plan to go over in a week or so to see how it all looks. Exciting!

This is one of the paintings I prepared that morning to take over. It's an acrylic on 9" x 11" canvas board, titled "Golden Leaves Red Wind."

Day 7 Changes to Come

Now that I'm sitting down to write this blog entry I realize I misread today's challenge subject. I thought it was "Change." I should be more careful when taking on a photography assignment.

I didn't photograph something today that would imply changes to come. I was out this evening to pick-up some burgers and French fried onion rings, but my usual foodie haunt was closed. I forgot it was Sunday. I noticed I was low on petrol, so drove to a shopping center to fill 'er up, where the lights of a restaurant caught my eye. I've noticed it before, but hadn't gone in.

My sister Melba likes to go to the same places, places she's familiar with, places she and Steve had gone to before he passed away. I usually defer to her when picking up dinner for the two of us.

Bless you for bearing with me, here is the point. I decided to go in. It was a change from my usual routine. As is said, if you don't change, nothing changes. I took a chance. If Mel didn't care for the cuisine, it was only one meal and she could fix herself a PB&J sandwich.

The name of the joint is Tecate, which I learned is also the name of a town in Northern Mexico about 40 miles from San Diego, CA. The city's claim to fame is Tecate Beer. I'm still trying to find a place for good Mexican food here in Spokane. I think I found one! I ordered the chicken flautas and the steak tacos al cabon. Alas, I did not have a Tecate beer, having some Pyramid ale at home, which I did indeedy have with my Mexican dinner. I think Melba enjoyed this change, too.

I changed my choices. Because of this, I can infer other changes might result. See! I did meet the challenge after all!

I like photographing images with light bouncing all over the place, with neon brights. I wish there had been more people, but I was there a little early for the dinner crowd. I also like the letters, visual lines, contrasts of dark and light, and variety of shapes.

Day 7

Changes to Come

30 Day Photography Challenge

Day 6 Obsession

A strange subject, obsession. It's a very strong word, that of something consuming, excessive, compulsive, bordering on frantic, neurotic. An interesting subject, one that I don't think I gave adequate time to mull over. I consider my obsessions, which I don't really feel I have. Although, I'm sometimes dogged in my pursuit of things. Perhaps an obsession of mine is to gather, to collect things. I gather shells and rocks. It might be called obsession.

I used to collect beads, but that period seems to have passed. When I told my sister about today's challenge topic, she immediately said, "Your vintage things." I had to pooh-pooh that one because I'm not obsessive about vintage things. That's strictly a business in order to make some income. Although the hunt for, or the gathering of vintage things to sell might bump hips with constituting a consuming activity. I gather, collect.

However, my first thought was my love of good coffee, of grinding the beans, smelling the resulting aroma that fills the air, of how that first taste of coffee in the morning sets the stage for a good day.

It's good, I'll go with coffee as fulfilling the challenge of obsession. Of course, I managed to slip a shell into the photograph, as well.

Day 6

Obsession

30 Day Photography Challenge

Day 4 Something Green

It's now the end of November and to my mind's eye there wasn't much that's still green. Although when I let out the dog to do her thing, I noted the grass was still green, the evergreen trees still green, albeit it more drab.

But, once one started specifically looking for "green," there it popped up hither and yon.

My first thought was to photograph a green GO-signal, but no, too easy. I kept my eyes peeled. Oh, there's something interesting, but it was something I normally would have photographed. I looked for something with a little more reach, stretch.

Not feeling well but still wanting to meet the challenge, I had photographed a green something nearby. Three things green nearby, to be more to the point.

30 Day Photography Challenge

Day 4

Something Green

Day 3 Clouds

Now here's a subject that I neverendingly love to photograph. There never ceases to be something about the sky and clouds to capture, whether stunning and awesome or gentle and dreamy.

Today's clouds over Spokane were few and more of the gentle variety, where they could be seen above the slight autumn haze. I took a couple of different ones and, as it often the case, I simply cannot decide which ONE to use for the challenge. There don't seem to be any attendant rules, nothing that stipulates I cannot use multiple shots. So, that is what I choose to do.

In the first photograph you can just barely make out a slight parhelion in the clouds toward the bottom of the sky. Perhaps with a better camera it might be more distinct.

For the first two photographs, I had to drive to a place where I could find unobstructed sky. It wasn't that far away, just a few blocks. The last photograph shows what I see when I step outside the house; electrical and utility wires everywhere, and generally a jet trail or three.

Day 3
Clouds

What the ... ANOTHER Challenge? Day 1

Yea verily, another challenge.

A Redlands, CA artist friend of mine, Lori Sandstedt, posted to her Facebook page that she was going to participate in a 30 Day Photography Challenge she came across on Pinterest. You can read the blog progress of that challenge at www.littlebennet.com. Lori, on the other hand, three days ahead of me, is posting her daily results on Facebook.

I was looking for another something to write about, and thought this challenge seemed, well, challenging. I've never worked within a framework of a specific subject each day. It should be fun.

Here's the format I lifted from Pinterest. Sorry about the quality, or lack thereof.

Day 1 Self Portrait

I must make mention that I'll do just about anything to keep from having my photograph taken. The camera is not my friend, I am not photogenic. BUT, in the spirit of the challenge, I'll do it.

It wouldn't be a challenge if it weren't challenging, so it's fitting that I'm being pushed to photograph subjects--people-- I wouldn't otherwise be drawn to photograph.

I admire photographers who work with images of people. I own several amazing photographs of people taken by other photographers, because I love the story conveying aspect. I enjoy looking at the person or people, they're in a setting, they're doing something. But I'm daunted by the act of me photographing people. Could it be because I'm too self-conscious, concerned about their approval?

I remember once being asked as a favor to photograph a friend for an artist bio she had to put together. I drove her completely bonkers with my slow, cautious endeavor to provide her with a photo. She ended up not using it--thank goodness--because it was too real, not at all flattering. I didn't use complimentary lighting to advantage, I didn't have the right composition, wrong, wrong, wrong. It was a mess.

So, perhaps I should to take more shots of people. I'll have to give this more thought. I will say I took the above self-portrait about 20 different times with my iPhone, rejecting all but this one. I found something disturbing about all of them, but this one I can sort of live with.

That's a point I'll make, too. All of the photographs I'm using for this 30 Day Photograph Challenge will be through my phone camera.

Autumn Leaves on a Windy Day Painting

A painting today.

I tend to look down when I walk along the sidewalk, always have. I see such interesting things. It used to embarrass my young sons because one never knew when I'd spy something incredible and have to stop and take a photograph of it ... pieces of gum, shoe imprints, rain ghosts of dusty leaves, odd tickets, candy wrappers. One just never knew. They could never prepare for the moment when their mother would abruptly stop, stoop, and shoot a photograph.

I'm glad they can laugh about it now, and that it has become the family point of pride in their artist mother. Wait! How did I get off on this tangent? Oh yes, I remember now.

Last week I was walking west on Garland and I noticed pretty little yellow and green leaves on branches that had fallen to the sidewalk in the brisk wind. My sister Melba commented they might be from some kind of locust tree. There were other leaves, too. I also went this week to a Japanese garden in Spokane and there were pine needles strewn all over the place along with more windblown leaves. I liked the wild randomness of it.

Working from photographs I--yes--stooped to take, I came up with this painting. The background is red (Alizarin Crimson and Burnt Umber) because the leaves looked so bright and pretty against the red bricks along the sidewalk. I have used windy brush strokes that I hope convey motion and not mish mash.

Windy Day Leaves
8" x 10" Acrylic on Canvas Board

Painting Day 25

The painting challenge remains in place to try new methods and directions, but at this morning's meeting I committed to showing some paintings with the River Ridge Association of Fine Arts group, so I'm painting on a larger scale in hopes of having something to exhibit. Obviously this new wrinkle will influence what I choose to paint only because I would like to put together about 5-10 works that share a commonality, but I hope not too much influence.

I want to maintain the playful, exploratory nature of the challenge. Time will tell if I succeed in that endeavor. However, because today was rainy and cold--Fall is knockin' at the door--I decided to try painting autumn leaves.

The photograph is of a work in progress. I've not worked out all the angles of the composition just yet. Working in a larger scale in the same amount of time has been interesting. I got further along today than I anticipated. Huzzah! BUT, the painting is not finished.

Work in progress for September 25 is acrylic on 11" x 14" canvas board:

Painting Du Jour 24

Another little departure for me. I acquired a much used pair of men's Tony Lama cowboy boots at a garage sale. Don't know why. Just liked the leather and the stitching and that they were very used. It seemed there was a story in those boots somewhere. So, why not start off the story with an illustration, eh what? First pair of boots I've ever painted. Who would've guessed?

Thus, September 24th painting exercise. Acrylic on canvas board about 8" x 10"

Du Jour 15 and they're starting to pile up ...

Awhile back I came across a small stainless steel fork, I think it may be a child's fork. I've wanted to do something with it, but was clueless as to how to incorporate it into an art piece. Apparently my mind went a little on the dark side, because today's painting is how I used it.

There could  be a story that accompanies this painting. Hmmm ... what would this painting say about your story?

This is acrylic, stainless steel fork on stretched canvas.

Du Jour 9

Day 9 and I'm almost a third of the way through my September painting challenge. I've more scribbles for today's painting in pink and yellow. I enjoy connecting the dots ... is it as simple as this, as metaphor? Hmmm, just thought of this. Interesting. I'll give that more thought another day. As well as the lines connecting, I like the open spaces relative to the connections. I think, too, the lines keep the viewer's eye moving and I like that movement in the painting.

So, here be it:

I've been matting and framing some small scale photographs to ship down to Redlands, CA for a show take-in on the 20th of this month. There is a theme: Redlands Celebration. I've tinkered with some of my original photographs so that they look like serigraphs. I'll upload those photographs tomorrow, along with the painting of the day.

Du Jour 8 and a return to non-representational composition

I've felt something missing with the representational paintings I've done in this challenge or a feeling of dissatisfaction. I keep going back to the non-representational. Maybe because it for me then becomes only hue and composition. I rather enjoy that.

I've always wanted to render some of my Bondo Series photographic images (macro shots of distressed and damaged metal of cars, trucks, buses, tractors, what have you--metal) in paint. So, today I used a recent Bondo Series photograph just to get the juices going. As you can see, the photo and the Shiva ArtistStik painting have little in common other than a starting point. Once I started I didn't want to include the rust spots, which I so like in the photograph. The painting exercise took on a softer effect rather than the sharp lines of the photo.

It was a fun workout.

After stopping work on today's painting, I was feeling much more at ease, more satiated, than after I had finished, say, the driftwood or the seascape paintings. Perhaps I'm making progress in finding my own voice in my renderings in paint. One can only hope.

Crackling Eruptions in Green Aqua
Photograph, Bondo Series

Bon Jour ... Du Jour 6

Well, kiddies, today's exercise is an example of a painting overdone! I should have just stopped messing with it, but kept adding and subtracting and adding. (I still want to do something else to it--will I never learn?)

But, alas, it is what I have for today.

Again, Shiva Artist's Paintstiks on canvas board. This one is, I think, 6" x 8." Tomorrow's another day, another painting :o)

Du Jour 5 ... continued ...

Because this painting exercise is all in the spirit of exploration and trying to push my own bad habits, I took the photograph of yesterday's painting exercise and applied a couple of effect filters to see what the same painting would look like if I had used a different technique or approach.

These two were fun and I like the relative loose quality. I would have had difficulty achieving these effects with the medium I was using, but fun to see possibilities for exploration.

Painting du jour (Day 1)

This is another 5" x 7" Shiva Oil Paint Artist's Paintstik painting.

I didn't really notice when I bought the "mini assortment" that all the colors were iridescent. It makes for a different overall appearance when everything is iridescent. Que sera ...

I'm going to have to take the photographs of the paintings during the day to take advantage of natural light, or rig up a more effective lighting arrangement, as the colors in the photograph don't convey the brights or deep color saturation of the painting. I've also put the 5" x 7" in an old wood frame I had sitting around--really old--because the painting seemed to convey better framed.

(I'm trying not to get too picky. These blog entries are just to keep a running chronicle of the daily paintings. Jeez! Maybe my photographic endeavors will result in better product photographs by the end of the month, eh? Much room for necessary improvement.)

In any case, here's today's painting ... (drum roll)

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!