Sunday, November 29, 2009

November 29, 2009


Late November is always a period of contemplation for me. I am not a big fan of extravagant holiday events and if I didn't have a daughter and a mother I would probably disappear to a remote retreat site in December. Or at least take the phone off the hook. My current longing for down time is made more acute by the many weeks spent on the road this fall. I love teaching and I love the people I meet through my classes. I spent eight months on a book project this year. I am blessed. But I guess I need time to appreciate my blessings.

This week photo blogging has felt stilted. I think it is an indication that my project has come to its natural conclusion. I believe all good things DO come to an end, and if we could only acknowledge that fact without being threatened by it, many of us would live better lives. Friendships, marriages, critique groups and organizations all run their course, leaving participants better than they were before, if they will only allow it. A graceful exit is an admirable skill.

I have other projects in mind. I am devoting a considerable amount of energy to my new position as a vice president of the Surface Design Association. There is a great deal to be done to rework our services to our membership. This is something I care about passionately, and I intend to make myself useful.

I have two opportunities to show new work in 2010. The digital fabrics that were stacking up in my studio are in a process of transformation and I am totally jazzed at this point. I can hardly wait to get out to the studio in the morning. December WILL be the retreat month I crave.

I am very grateful for the comments and participation each of you contributed to make this year of blogging a success for me. I am especially grateful to Jackie Manley, who amazingly stepped up to the plate - offering comments on my photos almost every day for the whole year. I did not know her prior to this project. Now we've met for dinner and shared ideas about art! Life is a surprising gift.

When I decide to pursue a new on-line project I'll post the information to connect to it here. Keep your follower status, and you'll be alerted when a new project has begun. Here's to the projects you are pursuing yourselves. Stay in touch.

19 comments:

ShirleyB said...

Appropriate photo for the "moving on" message...it's been a great ride...my morning coffee time just won't be the same without the morning visit to "Daily Visuals". Thanks for a great year!

Anonymous said...

Jane your block this year has been a wonderful inspiration for both my picture taking and my quilting.
Jackie, I have loved your comments and missed them when you weren't there.
Ricky in Winnipeg

Diana Parkes said...

Thank you Jane. I agree with your comment on a graceful exit. Moving on, from the good and the bad, is highly recommended.

Sue Dennis said...

Jane congratulations on your daily postings & best wishes for all your future involvements. I agree it is good to have an end point in sight. Growth, development & challenges come throughout our lives- they are the teachers.
cheers, Sue

Anonymous said...

What a way to go!
Great subject, fabulous photo.
I will miss having coffee with you too, but will keep your blog in my reader so I will follow whatever you do in the future.
All the best in that future, make it a good one!
Judy B

Jackie said...

Dear Jane, I've been away for a few days again, a sad time unfortunately, but being home always feels good to get back to--kind of a convoluted sentence, isn't it? Thank you for the lessons in seeing this year. I am grateful for the insights. I've decided to begin a blog of my own, starting simply with a couple days a week. Who knows yet what it will be or become, but I'm excited and have to learn how to do it! Thank you, thank you for recognizing and validating me, it feels good! Someday I'll arrive at your doorstep and you can teach me to dye and print and stamp and all.
Love,
Jackie

Virginia said...

Thanks for a great year Jane, You've helped me 'see' in a more focused way.

I'll miss checking in - your seasons are the opposite of ours, so every so often that was a shock too,

Virignia

Anonymous said...

Jane, it has been fun to follow your vision for this year. Like so many more, I find I am paying better attention throughout my day. Thank you for your leadership and inspiration. I will miss these daily offerings, but look forward to moving on. Gay

Anonymous said...

I will miss opening your pictures everyday. I have used it as a reminder to look closer at my everyday life to see the beauty in the world. Thanks! Jan King

Kathy said...

Jane:

Thank you so much for opening my eyes to look at the world around me in a totally different way. It has been a great year and I have also enjoyed Jackie's comments to help me understand why I found an image so compelling. Kathy Williams

Estelle Virgen said...

Dear Jane,
Thank you so much, it's been a delightful journey throughout the year.
All the very best of everything to you and yours
Love
Estelle

Fay's Fun said...

Hi Jane
Thank you, Congratulations, and keep soaring........ You are Inspiring.
Hugz Fay Dunstan

Jennifer said...

For the past year my day has begun with a cup of coffee and viewing your latest photo. Thank you for such a lovely way to start the day.

Good luck with SDA. I'm a member and am happy to have you on the board. Good luck with your art as well.

Enjoy December.

Unknown said...

Thank you Jane for the visual feast each day. As always you convey your thoughts so well in your words and images and I shall miss these insights into a beautiful mind.
How lucky SDA is to have you join the committee and I wish you all the best for this and hope that you still have plenty of creative energy to put into your own work.
take care
Lorinda

Lynne said...

Thanks so much for these daily photos, looking at them every day has been an opportunity to pause, if only for a moment. Good luck with future projects.

Ingrid Duin said...

Hi Jane, Did I understand it correctly, that you'll stop blogging on daily visuals? Just today I discovered your blog and I share with you practice make progress in whatever you do.
I am glad I discovered your blog. Thanks for sharing your beautiful pictures.
I hope to be able to join you in one of your workshops. For me it's a matter of time if it will come this far. Whenever it fits in my life.
Thanks again

Kat said...

Thanks for all the lovely images, and for exemplifying the value of practice. Can't wait to see/hear more about your next adventures...

xxx
kat

Minka said...

Thanks for the inspiration and beautiful images! I look forward to seeing what you do next!

Frieda Anderson said...

I thank you for your honest comments. I particularly struggle with this too - Friendships, marriages, critique groups and organizations all run their course, leaving participants better than they were before, if they will only allow it. A graceful exit is an admirable skill. - This statement helps me. I too wish I could retreat into my studio for a month and let other people do the care giving etc..
I hope you find inspiration.

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