One more from the coast trip. I’ve been to the Charleston Marina many times but I’m usually looking at the boats. I was just about to put Cody back in the car when I spotted this wall of old fishing floats crying out to be photographed. So, Cody got a reprieve and we met a Corgi lover in the bargain.
And from Matthew Fox:
The artist is to the community or body politic what the liver is to the human body: a cleanser and recycler of waste and toxins.
The Dutch Iris were also in bloom at Shore Acres. I thought I may have made a mistake in ordering the 28mm Lensbaby Velvet lens, but then I was watching a video by one of my favorite flower photographers and she pointed out that it focuses as close as 2 inches away. Which means you can get right up on the flower and have the who flower in focus while the background drops off in a dreamy blur. It should also be very helpful in my tiny studio where I never seem to have enough working space to get the composition I’m after. I guess it was a good investment after all.
Today from Matthew Fox:
Creativity requires the darkness as well as the light, suffering as well as joy. Could flowers grow if they were in the sun twenty-four hours per day?
It’s been a long day of driving and photographing. But the highlight of the day was visiting Shore Acres Gardens. I’ve never been there before when the Rhododendrons were in bloom and all I can say is Wow, just Wow. I tried to chose the photo that best told the story. I was working with my Lensbaby Velvets so yes the focus is a little soft. That is intentional. But like the Rhodies in front and the color around the little caretaker’s cottage. I also like the mist filtering through.
So, Matthew Fox is downstairs and I am tired so I turn today to Julia Cameron who is close at hand:
Allowing art to move through us without impediment means resigning as its author. The work must be allowed to author itself, to take on the shapes and colors that it prefers.
Cody and I finally escaped for a day and a half at the coast. I had wanted to go “glamping” in Coos Bay but the place I had in mind had a two night minimum so I turned to old reliable Bandon Inn which has pet friendly rooms and even greeted Cody with a toy and a treat. He is a bit exhausted from his first road trip so I decided to forego the beach until tomorrow and we just took a camera walk around Old Towne. I was surprised to find giant Calla Lilies all over town. But I especially like the texture of the leaf that had landed on this one. I may have to go back a work it a little more to bring out a little more texture in the lily. But for now I think I will follow Cody’s example and have a little lie down.
Today’s quote is from Dr. Clarissa Estes:
It is the love of something, having so much love for something–whether a person, a work, an image, an idea, the land, or humanity–that all that can be done with the overflow is to create. It is not a matter of wanting to, not a singular act of will; one simply must.
I had an idea to shoot again in the studio this morning but while walking the dog I noticed the ladybugs on my neighbor’s flowers. She buys them special to keep down the pests. So I grabbed the 180mm macro lens and went at it.
Today from Matthew Fox:
Built within every creature is this yearning, this drive to communicate itself to others. Creativity will not be denied. It lurks deep within.
My Hydrangea is just starting to bloom. I took the Omni and a couple of crystals out to play but in the end I liked this image without any special effects best, though I did have to crop it from the original.
This week I am turning again to Matthew Fox for my Creative inspirations. In today’s offering Fox quotes writer Anais Nin and expands on her words:
Anais Nin once said: “We write to taste life twice.” I agree. I think we write to taste life twice, and we paint and dance and sing and compose all art “to taste life twice.”
Here’s another one from yesterday’s studio session. I snagged my Mom’s old typewriter a couple of years ago for no other reason than to use as a photography prop. The Lensbaby Spark added some cool effects to the keys and I added a couple of textures for some much needed punch of color.
Today’s quote is from Erich Fromm:
Creativity requires the courage to let go of certainties.
Well, I had my three hour zoom watercolor class this morning and by the time I could get outside it was too windy to do any serious photography. So I headed into the studio and just started playing with things I’ve been accumulating to photograph, including these type blocks, and the Lensbaby Spark which is not really at it’s best for closeup photography but I kind of liked this image. I then added a texture to give the background some color and a vignette to darken the edges. It still needed something so I took it into Topaz Studio for a grungy look.
Our quote today is from Ralph Waldo Emerson:
To the attentive eye, each moment of the year has its own beauty and in the same field it beholds, every hour, a picture which was never seen before and which shall never be seen again.
Today I took the third tool from the OMNI system out to play. It is called the Crystal Seahorse because it is a crystal in the shape of a seahorse. It has the affect of creating a kind of ghost image reflection. Sometime in composing it is hard to tell what is real and what is reflection. I added a texture to this one for a little more richness and I’m pretty happy with the result.
Another quote from Nancy Rotenberg today:
Magic happens when you give yourself permission to de-emphasize intellectual thinking and to wander without plan or map.
It’s another busy day so I want to share another image I got with the stretch glass yesterday. I really love this one. I have some lavender growing in a pot on the patio so the concrete made a grey background and the stems of the lavender created some green streaks and made the flowers appear to be dancing in mist.
Today’s quote is from Albert Einstein:
There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.