Renewal

Just wanted you all to know I am away from my computer this week. Remember the very nice gift I received for my birthday last year? I am off enjoying it. I am at the John C. Campbell Folk school studying metalsmithing all week long in the beautiful surroundings of the north Carolina mountains. I'm having a wonderful time here but I miss you all too. I ll tell you all about it when I return.

release

solo post - L, Nikon

I've been holding on to some burdens. Today I released them to the wind.

I took this image today while at an art festival. A little girl lost her balloon and cried out as it floated away - gone. But to me it represented something different... burdens (all those things/thoughts bringing me down) – released to the wind... gone. The day was glorious - the first good sunny day in quite a while and I soaked up every bit of sunshine I could. While I was sitting there in the sun enjoying the music and watching people, I read some of the comments on my last post. Your words, your love, touched me... deeply. The fact that you took time out of your day to make mine better, means more to me than you know. Thank you so very much.


“Let your mind start a journey thru a strange new world. Leave all thoughts of the world you knew before. Let your soul take you where you long to be...Close your eyes let your spirit start to soar, and you'll live as you've never lived before.” - Erich Fromm

loneliness / solitude

solo post - L, Nikon

“Language... has created the word "loneliness" to express the pain of being alone. And it has created the word "solitude" to express the glory of being alone.” - Paul Tillich

I go in and out of both - pain and glory. I sort of hate to admit that (makes me seem weak), but this year is harder than last year for some reason. Has anyone else with college age children experienced this same feeling - that sophomore year is somewhat harder even than the freshman year. (I guess to relate completely you have to be a single mother of an only child.) The newness has worn off and it's so very real, now, that I am indeed alone. It's time to stop sitting on that wire, looking over the edge in fear, and just take flight.

patience / focus

L - Nikon 200mm / T - Nikon film camera

There's been a lot of rain here – a lot – but if you're patient the rain lets up and you can walk outside. Yesterday I spent some time in Chattanooga and enjoyed the art galleries during the rain and a walk along the river when the rain let up. I didn't take many photos but my patience paid off and I was able to get this shot after waiting for it to stay still long enough for me to find it through my lens and focus. (and btw, I even got a bird on a wire shot like I've always wanted.) / this is a little bit of how i'm feeling right now- i don't know where to look - where to focus. it's weird how you associate your first year of college as finding yourself and figuring out who you are. but i'm still in that stage of self-consciousness. i feel like this photo is very representative of change and alteration to oneself and one's views on things. this way and that way - there are so many things to focus on here it's hard to choose just one. there are so many things going on all at once it's hard to move through and calmly complete them without losing your head.

ahead / behind

L - iphone / T - Nikon film camera

"What lies behind us and what lies ahead of us are tiny matters compared to what lives within us." - Henry David Thoreau

I had one rainy day photo, four photos sent from T, plus this quote. I chose this photo of hers - they all seem to go together to me. In my head it sort of all goes in different directions but makes sense. I imagine your thoughts about it are probably more concise than I can write it, so I'll leave it be. / photo assignment 2 - light as the subject. i knew just the place i wanted to go for this assignments. the other day i drove past an abandoned service station and i was struck by how the light was hitting it mid afternoon, so i took my friend there. i'm happy with the images i got. luckily the sun was shining that day, unlike it has been for the past few days now.

uptight / excite

solo post - L (unfinished painting)

"Have as much fun as you can and don't feel that the edge of your canvas confines you – let your vision go right on." - Charles Hawthorne

I started a painting this weekend - brushing one color next to another to make form. But I got too tight – uptight really. Maybe it's because of the small canvas size, the long time I've been away from the brush... whatever it is needs to change. I want to paint with freedom – without a care. I want to feel the same excitement in looking at my painting that I feel when looking at the way light plays on my wall - now that excites me. My cousin and I were talking a few weekends ago and I told him I wanted to take a canvas and paint it the way that's natural for me, then paint maybe 3 more of the exact subject, each time with a bigger brush and bolder strokes and see what happens. Maybe then I'll loosen up. And it's ok if I come back to my original style of painting, but at least I'll have broken free for a time.

"Paint with freedom. It gives you more mastery of the nature of paint." -Charles Hawthorne

By the way you should check out my cousins work if you get a chance. He paints with pure passion.

vacant / unattended

L - Nikon / T - Nikon film camera

The other day I drove to Watkinsville to go to a huge pottery sale and after I drooled over the beautiful pottery that I couldn't afford to splurge on I drove around town. It's really a beautiful town and there were a lot of interesting places to explore and take photos of, but I was wishing T was with me. She much bolder than I about getting the shot she really wants. One place I have been wanting to visit is the Main Street Yarns and Fibers that I learned about through Maya at Springtree Road, but because of the holiday weekend it was closed. I should have felt completely comfortable exploring and having the place (outside) all to myself to photograph whatever I wanted to of this charming little shop, but all I got was a few photos of these old blue chairs. I should definitely go back with T - it's so close by. / just another shot from my morning class visit to downtown athens. i think my uncle will like this one.

treasure

solo post - L

Two days in a row - signs of happiness - the smiley face staring at me in the morning and now these xx's carved in a tree. I had a thought maybe there was treasure below, after all x marks the spot right? But I have a feeling they were put there by two people who adored - treasured - each other. Maybe even professing their love for each other at the very moment of engraving - it's a sweet thought anyway.
The shot seemed appropriate for Happy Love Thursday. Hope everyone finds a bit of love and happiness in their day today.

smile

solo post - L

"A smile can brighten the darkest day." - Author Unknown
Sometimes it's hard to get motivated for work after a long weekend of relaxation, but I couldn't help but smile when this appeared while brushing my teeth - greeting me to a new and bright day.
Hope you all had a good day back after the holiday weekend.

self / self

L - Nikon / T - Nikon film camera (click for a better view)

Even though this weekend was not the holiday weekend I had planned, I guess it turned out OK. The thing I was most excited about was meeting a blogger friend in Birmingham for the first time and going on a photo adventure together - that failed and sort of threw my whole weekend off-kilter. I guess I shouldn't put so much weight on any one thing to make a weekend. It's not that it was all bad - it wasn't really. I had a nice visit with a favorite cousin and talked about painting; I enjoyed time reading a new book in my hammock; I did some needed cleaning and felt good about that; I drove to Watkinsville to a pottery show and then got an ice cream cone and explore the little town by myself; I went on a pleasant walk with Evee and watched her splash in the creek; I went out to eat with a friend at a quaint little cafe and enjoyed the night air; and most importantly I started a new painting. It's just that I was out of sorts off and on all weekend. Discontented for a number of reasons really... and I don't like that feeling. / we're starting film now. we all went downtown as a class and shot... which was alright i guess. there just wasn't much out to take pictures of since it was 8am. i passed a cool abandoned place when i was coming back from jefferson the other day. i want to shoot there for the first requirement in our next set of assignments. i'll share more later.

neat / organized

post - L / photos - T

T designed this computer desk and my dad made it for her. He built it according to her specifications and then she sanded, painted it white, stained and varnished the top the color of her floors and added the little glass pulls. Doesn't it look nice and neat? It will be something she can use for years to come. Just as my mom used this drawing table that my dad built for her when they were first married. She used it many years as an illustrator for the Baptist Sunday School Board, and later as a painter. I used it in my paint studio when I went off to college and now T has it to use. When something is made well, and and taken care of, it can last a lifetime and more. Maybe T's children will one day use this desk that she and her Opa built.
These are the markers here... those were mine back when I did markers comps - you know before computers. I was shocked that they still worked - they have to be at least 15 - 20 yrs old.
I thought it was kinda funny... I took these supplies to T last weekend when we met half way for lunch and before I even got home she had sent this photo of it all set up - the colors in perfect order. I know she couldn't stand it until they were in the proper order - she's kinda OCD like that ; ). It brought back memories to see this all set up in working order - the t-square and triangles, ellipses and french curves, and all the colors of the rainbow. Now let's see the work, T.