Tuesday, December 16, 2008

December 16, 2008

 I went to the post office and the grocery store yesterday, and everyone seemed to be in a bad mood. It was unnerving to push a cart through the aisles, listening to endless holiday carols, while people around me grumbled. I've always wished I had the nerve to break into song, or do a funny dance in the aisle, and invite everyone to join in with a hearty "Sing along with me!" I imagine laughter and loud outbursts of singing - just like in a movie. Perhaps I'll have the courage to try it some day. What would it take to be that confident and daring?

At home, the onions were roasting. Hot from the oven, the simple forms and crisp, papery skins invited study. This season always moves too fast to suit me. Contemplating a simple still life of three onions was the perfect antidote.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Your post reminds me: my late father-in-law, a surgeon at a Catholic hospital, told us of a nun who was a nurse in the emergency room, and who, after a busy Christmas eve in the E.R, treating many knifing and shooting wounds, was heard to say, "Thank God that Christmas only comes but once a year!" This season seems to bring out the worst in people—as well as the best. By all means dance & sing in the aisles. It couldn't hurt.
Love your pictures!

Cate Rose said...

Luscious-looking onions, I can almost taste them. Inspiring, as well, for the textile translation possibility!

Anonymous said...

As I contemplate the world today -- the holidays/economy etc.....I try to remember what I have control over and do not.....so I take refuge in the things that nourish me.....family, fiber, weaving, spinning, artcloth and cooking.

Thank you for the onions.

I'm also considering journeying on a year long commitment to take daily pictures --- but limiting it to our 2 acres in Houston

Louise

Anonymous said...

Probably a mixture of alcohol and drugs might help, but certainly not recommended! I don't understand why so many people do so much food shopping when we don't eat that much more over the holidays. Why not keep it simple, like 3 onions I can almost smell over breakfast Down Under.

Lora Martin said...

The street just beyond where I work closes for the annual Christmas parade. I can always hear folks honking and shouting, along with squealing brakes, and know it is time to celebrate the joy of the season. I've often thought I should be on the corner passing out hot cocoa, but haven't done it yet. Maybe next year.

Anonymous said...

I want to do that too - burst into song. It's no fun singing under my breath and trying not to be heard so as not to be thought crazy. Let's go shopping together and SING AT THE TOP OF OUR LUNGS.

A question that sometimes drive me hazy;am I or are the others crazy? - Einstein

Anonymous said...

I'm one of those weirdos who DOES sing along, out loud, with the music in stores. Usually with a big smile on my face. I don't have a really great voice but it isn't horrible either....I have been doing random acts of kindness the last couple of weeks...today I WAY overpaid a lobsterman- here in Nova Scotia they are only getting $3.25/lb at the docks so the fishermen are taking their catch and selling direct- in parking lots, roadsides, etc at $5/lb. Still way too little- it's break even price for them. The look on his and his wife's face as I drove away (and they realized how much I had given them) was (as the Mastercard commercial says) priceless. I hope they get themselves something nice with it....

teri

Jane Dunnewold said...

I think what we really need is an acts of kindness blog where we could share our own experiences and share ideas for others.

Anonymous said...

These three onions just thrill me! like a poem somehow. keep it up dear. i am learning so much and AND enjoying your images. mary lance

November 20, 2008

November 20, 2008

November 20, 2008

How does color set a mood? The soft gray and white of the carpet, the cat Marshall, and the sunlit window contribute to to the sense of calm repose. What does blue mean to you or me? We all have symbolic associations for colors; some based on personal experience and some instilled culturally. 

The cobalt blue of the vase provides a point and counterpoint to the composition, in addition to providing elements that balance.
Keeping the cat in the lower third of the composition weights the image and is another visual door into the picture world.

November 19, 2008

November 19, 2008

November 19, 2008

This picture tells several stories. It references the human desire to order the world around us - the lettering on the wall establishes the alley as a No Parking zone, and the broken glass-  jutting out at the top - is another message of fear and frailty. Whoever lives behind this wall wants to be left alone.

But there is beauty in the contrast of the rough brick surface and the smooth translucency of the broken glass bottles. A contrast of textures makes for an interesting composition. And the abstract nature of the printed letters against the structure of the bricks would be worth emulating in another sort of composition.

There is as much beauty in decay as there is in a bouquet of fresh flowers. And aren't decay and fresh growth just two different spots on the same continuum?



November 18, 2008

November 18, 2008

November 18, 2008

The Hydrangeas offer a lesson in the effective use of color. The pale blue and lavender are roughly the same value, so they balance each other beautifully. I am challenged to mimic that combination of analogous colors on silk Habotai!

This photograph would be considered beautiful even without the red-orange and yellow flowers at the bottom. But the addition of the complements to the blue and purple creates a focal point and generates some nice contrast because of the complementary pairing. And imagine how different this composition would be, were the red-orange and yellow at the top instead of at the bottom. The current placement adds important visual weight.

November 17, 2008

November 17, 2008

November 16, 2008

November 16, 2008
Being and Non-being

Substance and Light

November 16, 2008

We join spokes together in a wheel,
but it is the center hole
that makes the wagon move.

We shape clay into a pot,
but it is the emptiness inside 
that holds whatever we want.

We hammer wood for a house,
but it is the space inside
that holds whatever we want.

We work with being,
but non-being is what we use.

Tao te Ching; Verse 11
Stephen Mitchell translation