I am excited to participate in an upcoming online course for still life photography - you can join too, if you're interested, by going HERE to Cheryl McCain Photography.
it looks fascinating :)
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
frosty start
november is a frosty month...
(image above enhanced with Kim Klassen's 'touch of 1' texture,
along with Pixel Dust's golden bokeh and FABrique textures)
until the sun comes out and melts the frost...
sharing with "Texture Tuesday"
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
a november slow-down...
November has always been a crazy busy month.
lots of family birthdays, thanksgiving get-togethers, and 80 hr work weeks at peak season...
it was intense and made a man out of me :)
this year was different.
i wished for 'different' in a big way...
and i got it.
it was a lay-low kind of time.
as the world transitioned from the end of autumn
to the beginning of winter,
i transitioned too...
i took rides,
cooked stuff to eat (barely edible but hey...)
nested, read, sat, walked.
i retired.
then it snowed.
i was going to eat soup (from a can) and light a fire.
but instead, i ran to the beach because i could.
and it was softly beautiful.
the snow revealed the shapes and concealed the shit :)
i need more snow in my life
and so it went...
i am wandering through the month of my slow-down
with an openness to whatever may come.
some moments are harder than others to let go of the controls
but i hope to move forward loosely...
so here's to November
and here's to transitions...
a time to grow and expand
to embrace and release
go forward and retreat
to wander and ponder
and always, god willing
to dance in the moonlight
images were enhanced using elements and snapseed,
pioneer woman's actions,
and textures from kim klassen, french kiss and jessica drossin...
Monday, November 11, 2013
looking back...
for years, i volunteered at a cat shelter in Connecticut.
i spent hours at the place each week, feeding the cats,
cleaning floors, scooping litter, cuddling with homeless cats...
the amount of work that goes into running a shelter is endless,
the constant need is mind-numbing, and there is never enough money.
however, the volunteers get the job done - here in Connecticut and all across the country.
if ever an animal rescue organization needs help, i do whatever i can to provide whatever i can -
the need is huge.
i worked for 8 yrs at this shelter and it was extremely rewarding.
i now have eleven inside cats, all rescues
and three cats that we feed on our decks whenever they show up...
in an effort to shine more light on a never-ending need,
i put together a calendar of some of the images i had shot at the shelter.
this is for sale on my etsy shop (see link in right sidebar or click HERE)
and all proceeds will be donated to the cat shelter in hopes of saving many more homeless cats.
here are some images of the cats i knew at the shelter.
some had a home and lost it.
some never had a home.
some are feral and the shelter will be only home they ever know,
and they are the lucky ones. they will be warm and fed and cared for...
please help all homeless animals whenever you can.
thank you.
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Wednesday, November 6, 2013
inspiring artists...
mona at http://monaspicturesque.blogspot.com/ has challenged her readers to list their inspirational artists...
I did not post photographs or images, because i'm not sure if they would be okay with that.
however, if you follow the links, you should see what makes them so inspiring...
1. kim klassen...
she is an excellent teacher, a fabulous artist and an inspirational businesswoman. I've taken a lot of her courses and learned a tremendous amount from her. I admire her art, and also her generosity when it comes to sharing.
this is the first image of hers that I saw and I remain in awe of it...
2. erins arts and gardens...
I love her style, her photography and paintings inspire me and she stretches with honesty and bravery. her blog is beautiful and can be found here -
3. lisa Gordon...
a fabulous macro photographer...after stumbling on her somewhere online,
I went and got a macro lens...
4. sue Bryce...
how she makes women feel is priceless...
how she teaches, generous...
how she opens up and shares all, courageous...
5. Dianne poinski...
a true artist in every medium she touches, from painting to iphones...thanks to her, I have found most of the others on my list. she shares her techniques so generously.
6. mona's picturesque...
her work is distinctive, with a fantasy, ethereal feel...love her portraits, collages and flowers... :)
7. pixel dust art...
this website gave me 'permission' in my head to transform photos into digital art. she takes it to a whole new level and when I am bored with myself, I visit here and come away inspired...
8. French kiss...
she has some of the most beautiful textures, I love every one of them
9. paint the moon...
love her blog, I always learn a lot from a visit...I scroll back on all the entries til I catch up.
then I go shoot something :)
10. sue gary...
found her on flickr one day. her images of nature speak to me, love them all...
Friday, November 1, 2013
hellooo november :)
today is my mom's birthday, she would have been 84 yrs old.
she died of lung cancer 11/13/08 and I miss her terribly every day.
when she died, my sisters and I divided up her plants.
I have one of her Christmas cactus plants.
and in honor of my mom's birthday, it has this beautiful flower today
:)
this is also the first November since 1979 that I am not overloaded with retail stress.
I am going to see this month and all it's beauty :)
I am going to see the gray stuff,
the temperature drop, the election signs,
the wilting pumpkins,
the rusty dried leaves
and smile...
hellooo November, I hope to enjoy the hell out of you this go round
:)
one more image to add -
I bought an annual for the front step this spring, and it barely made it through the season.
I brought it inside a couple of weeks ago and it now has a few buds!
it feels like an omen, a message of new life...
:)
so hellooo November :)
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