275/365: tuba keys
Instruments have a beauty and character all their own. Craftsmanship and design that make them beautiful objects even before they make a sound. When they are old, they bear the marks of so many notes, so many hands, so much beauty lost to the air. I can’t help but get caught up in the reverie of all that’s been and all that will be.
273/365: blue sky / yellow leaves
An autumnal companion to this spring reflection. I never tire of the play of light, color, and movement on the water. This image to me shines with all the intensity of a bright, sunny fall day, full of unbelievably intense color.
272/365: lights/camera
I keep adding lights to the studio – a necessity for the many, long, dark winter months ahead (if I want to work past 5pm). The latest is an LED strip to light up the last remaining black hole. I like that it looks like I’m lighting up a marquee, ready for showtime, because that is where I’m at these days…ready to rock.
262/365: green ware with straw hat
Last week I got the chance to chaperone Sawyer’s 6th grade field trip. It was an ‘old-time’ affair called River Rendezvous, a temporary city of tents set up to demonstrate life in the 1800’s. We ended the day with a pottery demonstration.
Wheel throwing is something I can get completely lost in. I took a class once while I was in grad school – just for fun – and was instantly obsessed. Watching a vessel rise up and take shape as if conjured from the clay just never ceases to amaze me. I guess I’m not alone; even the antsy kids were spellbound.
257/365: abstract with peeling paint
Sometimes in photography there is a compulsion to adhere to the documentary aspects of the medium. To be factual. Truthful.
Since I’m ‘just’ making art, however, I am not beholden…
255/365: early autumn riot
This image expresses the tangled mess of nature and the absolute profusion of life that exists anywhere the natural world is left undisturbed if even a small space or a limited time. The energy and chaos and intermingling of so many different life forms, colors, textures – to me this is what nature is all about. It’s not an idealized concept of ‘landscape’ but it’s very real. For me, these scenes are full of hope – a testament to the how strong, robust & resilient nature can really be.
see ‘beautiful mess, part one’ here.
250/365: zinnia
Zinnias are a beautiful but humble flower. Planted by haphazard handfuls of seed, they spring up cheerfully wherever they’re thrown. It’s never about choreography, just a riot of joyful color.
The spotlight changes everything.
248/365: vintage camera
I am not a hater when it comes to digital photography. I credit the digital revolution with my own artistic career. Honestly, I never would have taken the time or the risks to discover my own vision with film; I wouldn’t have been able to afford it!
Digital photography gave me the freedom to explore and to fail. It was OK to take 200 photos – just to see what would happen – and then throw them away. It still is.
Nonetheless, I wax a little poetic when I see vintage cameras. There is a beauty to the object that makes me feel nostalgic, appreciative, and itchy – like I want to go buy some film and just see what happens.
241/365: wild mushrooms
Any mycologists out there? We came across these gorgeous mushrooms the other day in the woods. I kind of thought they looked like oyster mushrooms…and wouldn’t THAT be a yummy find! But I would have to be 200% certain before I ever threw them in a sauté pan.
238/365: aisle closed
The horse shows – specifically the draft horse team competitions – are easily my top entertainment at the Minnesota State Fair. But it’s possible I love the behind-the-scenes part as much as the show itself.
I always wish I was a horse person, moving with familiar ease among the gentle giants. Braiding their manes with ribbons or just standing close enough to feel their awesome power and catch a good whiff of horse scent mingled with leather.
I always wish I was a horse person.
avant garden 365 