Sunday, May 31, 2009

Saturday, May 30, 2009

Friday, May 29, 2009

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Monday, May 25, 2009

May 25, 2009


A question of balance.

Sunday, May 24, 2009

Saturday, May 23, 2009

Friday, May 22, 2009

May 22, 2009

MINDFUL
Mary Oliver

Every day I see or hear something that more or less kills me with delight,
That leaves me like a needle in the haystack of light.
It is what I was born for - to look; to listen, to lose myself inside the soft world-
To instruct myself over and over in joy and acclamation.
Nor am I talking about the exceptional, the fearful, the dreadful, the very extravagant -
But of the ordinary, the common, the very drab, the daily presentations.
Oh good scholar.
I say to myself,
How can you help but grow wise with such teachings as these -
The untrimmable light of the world,
the ocean's shine,
the prayers that are made out of grass?

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Monday, May 18, 2009

May 18, 2009


A thorn plant detail shot, put into a repeat pattern at spoonflower.com. I have three yards of it!

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Saturday, May 16, 2009

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Monday, May 11, 2009

Sunday, May 10, 2009

Saturday, May 9, 2009

Friday, May 8, 2009

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Monday, May 4, 2009

Saturday, May 2, 2009

Friday, May 1, 2009

May 1, 2009


Thanks to veterans, laborers and military personnel everywhere. May 1 is Labor Day in many parts of the world, so why not take the opportunity to express gratitude to those who work on behalf of their fellow citizens in difficult, dirty and often dangerous jobs? These are the folks who bring us automobiles, strawberries, solid foundations, street clean up, public transportation, and peace. Bless each of them today.

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