Sunday musings

its been a tough week here in the states...
     so much conflict, confusion and chaos...
          how can we turn the tide...

Sunday musings

the noise of public discourse has become loud and destructive...
the sound of silence can speak volumes...

Sunday musings

Yesterday I was able to spend most of the day working in my studio...I was so happy...a place to call my own, where I could work in peace and be surrounded with the supplies/tools/objects that inspire me.  
Virginia Woolf had it right...a woman needs a room of one's own...

In another life of mine...many years ago...this would not have happened...I wouldn't have a room of my own...I put my key in someone else's pocket...luckily that was not for long...

I hope you have your key and hold on to it tight... 

Sunday musings

a gray quiet day after a sunny week devoted to much gardening...
not my favorite activity but I do enjoy the end results...
plenty of new art projects underway, plenty to keep me busy...

Sunday musings

the tools of the trade might be paper, paint and scissors...
but without direction and decision, the path is obscured...

spring awakening

the lilacs are blooming...

Sunday musings

the first light of morning...the quiet hush of the house...the warmth of my coffee cup...
this is the simplicity of stillness...

Sunday musings

I seem to have a pattern here...been posting a creative art photo on Sunday for the last couple of weeks...
I guess I should make this a regular feature...so here is today's posting...

Cold, rain and gray today...but I am hopeful that spring will come...

because...

because I enjoy telling stories with pictures...because it's good to be reminded...

a thought to consider...

whatever it might be, wherever it may lead...however long you can...

Love to you...

Happy Valentine's Day! 
Thank you for the love you show my blog by stopping by...hoping you receive some love your way today...

hope...

a brave little crocus popped in the garden this week...hopeful that it will soon be joined by others...

a thought for today...

a life less ordinary

Yesterday I actually got out my real camera...as opposed to my phone...and shot some still photos.  I'm on deadline for a magazine article about holiday gift wrapping (yes, its August, its hot and dry but I'm trying to get in the Christmas spirit as I write this piece due on Monday) and I needed a couple of pictures to complete my tutorial.

I decided to play around a bit after I got the shots I needed...I was reminded this week of a book I own when I saw a shot on Instagram by Barb of Keeping With the Times, where she used the book "A Life Less Ordinary" as a prop...I was inspired...

Its a beautiful book...filled with simple and uncluttered images...and attests to the beauty of friendship between two women...

And it made me think...about my own life...it is a life less ordinary...for the last 15 years, I've been pursuing my ambition to be an artist...and though I am not rolling in the dough, I am rich in other ways...deciding how I spend my time, determining how my energy will be used, discovering a wealth of talents...

And I too have some wonderful friendships that have formed along the way...both within my local community as well as online...others who support what I am doing, offering encouragement along the way, building a network that strengthens all who participate...

One of which is Barb of Keeping With the Times...today I'm linking up to her Instagram post Sunday Sundries...which encourages each of us to celebrate whatever we wish...today I celebrate my life less ordinary...and the friends who are a part of it...

the slightest provocation

it doesn't take much...as I was rummaging through a stack of papers and ephemera looking for pieces to include in a giant collage I am working on, I spied it...an old library check-out card...

my mind started spinning...putting the card aside, I kept it out of the pile so I could return to it...

and spin the tale that spoke to me...

Having a few days off due to the holiday here in the US has given me hours of time in the workshop studio...which in the middle of winter is too cold to work in, but during the heat wave we are having, it is pure heaven...

Creating new pieces for my next summer show, Fresh Paint, at the Everett Marina, August 15 & 16...

And I must apologize for my tardiness in responding to comments...once again, there's a glitch with Blogger which is sending all my comments to some nether world that I don't have access to...I'm trying to tinker with it, but please bear with me...I do appreciate that you not only stop to read my blog, but that you take the time to comment...thank you!

Slipping away

it seemed like it was just yesterday...it was April...spring buds were blooming, the days were getting longer, 
the temperatures warming...

And now it is June...the time slipped by so fast...how did that happen...

I knew that I was going to change the pace of my blogging posts...but all of a sudden I notice that almost a month has gone by since the last one...

It hasn't been for lack of thought...but somehow it always got pushed to the back...

Maybe it was my subconscious telling me to take a break...from blogging that is...there's been plenty of activity on the creative front...new collage work, upcoming summer art festivals, photography fun...
And of course, preparation for Art Party Portland (a few spots remain...get all the details here...)

And now Summer is upon us...my garden is flush with green...the sunsets extend well past the dinner hour...
the temperatures are maybe a tad too warm...

Though I am off to visit my sister for a couple of days, when I get back, I'll fill you in on my creative work...
until then, enjoy a few of those lingering evening rays yourself...

Just one thing

A recent lesson in bestill52, my online creative class with kim klassen, was to take one thing and see how many different ways you could photograph it.  At first, nothing came to mind to really motivate me to do a series...

but this past weekend...as I was cleaning up the garden bouquet that was now withered and dying, this one tulip caught my eye...and persuaded me to play...

Different settings, changing light, varied filters and editing...it was a good exercise in seeing how a mood or a feeling could change with the slightest adjustments...

and while we're talking about one more thing...
Early Bird registration for Art Party Portland ends May 1
for details, information and registration, click here

joining the group over at kim klassen's for texture tuesday...
used kk textures enlightened and monday in my editing work of the tulips...

Following the thread...

I love old things...and the stories that they tell...

Some people see a pile of useless junk...I see a former life, a past event, a fleeting thought, a momentary wish...

Sometimes I let my imagination run ahead...and spin a tale...pulling the thread of the story...seeing where it may lead...

Last week I participated in the 7 vignettes challenge on Instagram.  Sponsored by Interiors Addict, there's a list of 7 prompts for you to follow and post your photographic inspiration.  I had such a grand time chasing down my story that I thought I would share with you here...

Day One - Blush
I can't say exactly what prompted me to pull out these things...most likely it was the large spool of linen thread in a dusty pink color sitting on a shelf that caught my eye...and then the photo on my inspiration board behind my computer screen...it was the start of the tale...

"blush...the color that rises in a young girl's cheeks when an admirer notices her in all her beauty..."

Day 2 - Bloom
"the fresh lilac blooms brightened her outlook that spring had arrived on this first day of April"

Day 3 - Light
"and so she had a thought...an inkling of an idea...perhaps this young man who made her blush...and brought her such lovely blooms...was the one...her face lit up with anticipation..."

Day 4 - Soft
"she felt like she could soar...her heart unfettered...but if she fell, she knew she would have a soft place to land...is this what one calls love..."

Day 5 - Easter
"rebirth...a new awakening...a fresh start...could this be the direction she sought...the path to follow...her heart guides the way...

Day 6 - Weave
"she remembered him hanging around her father's auto shop...never saying much but always tinkering...papa passed away while she was away at nursing school and now he had taken over the shop...their lives had been intertwined at the edges for years...perhaps it was time to strengthen the weave..."

Day 7 - Gold
"tied up with hopes for the future, a home filled with love and a promise of time eternal, the circle of gold on her ring finger signifies, not a closed chapter, but a new beginning..."

Pulling the thread of imagination, you never know what you might find...
joining with others over at kim klassen's Friday Finds...

and I invite you to follow me on Instagram, you'll find me as four corners design...
let me know if you're on IG, I'll follow back

April in Paris

lilacs blooming...the air fresh with scent...a breeze lingers and stirs memories...
my head in the clouds...like a faded polaroid print, the image is clear but the details are fuzzy...

a composition from my online creative class...
I will be off on an adventure next week...but not to Paris...at least, not this time...

the first signs

edited with kk texture scripted edges

It begins with the sprouts of green among the dead leaves and withered grass from last fall...and then those first pops of color...little beads of purple...the grape hyacinths are blooming...

and then the light of day changes...it becomes brighter...and lingers longer...

The assignment for this week's bestill52 class was to capture this lightness...using elements of white and glass...my collection of small glass bottles put to perfect use, complemented by a swath of white linen and lovely afternoon light...

both photos edited with kk texture hughes

This spring awakening inspired me to clear out the dust and the cobwebs and 
to brighten the dark corners of the house...

edited with kk texture rainyday

hope and dream...the promise of spring...

joining the group over at kim klassen's Texture Tuesday...