Shades of Green

Woah, been a while. Sorry about that, things get in the way, you know? April was actually a really busy month for me - in Florida, it pretty much wraps up the art festival season, so I had one final push before the summer.

Anyway, I have big news! My main “site” has moved to www.LodestarArt.com! This blog will stay here because I still want a place to play and experiment and it just has a good “feel” to it (although don’t be surprised if there are a few visual changes here and there, for continuity’s sake). Good blog juju, my mom would say (actually, she says “jeejee”, but that’s really for a different day).

When it comes to art, I’ve been experimenting a bit more with back-end photo editing. I have a film background, so my knee-jerk reaction when it comes to photography is to compose my photo in camera and only do minor editing in my “digital darkroom” (photoshop). Lately, though, I’ve started trying to push myself further because I think that one of digital photography’s strongest assets is its maleability, and I really want to explore that aspect.

I was honored to have my photo “The View from Here” featured by Cricket of Just Three Things fame in her treasury “…ghosts be here…”. I love the concept of her treasury - her overall eerie feeling was perfectly articulated and I was really excited to be included amongst such great works.

What better way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day than with a photo of some pretty oriental lamps I took at our local sushi house?

I’d like to thank Michelle of Nature Manipulated for featuring my photo (black and white rosary) in her spotlight of black and white photos from Artfire. I was touched that she included my work in a collection of such beautiful photos.

It’s said that art imitates life, and recently I’ve really found that to be true. I’ve been in a strange, dreamy place lately… very there and yet not. My photos have started to reflect that state of mind. Without really meaning to, I feel like I’ve started journaling through my lens.

Holy cow - is it March already?! Where did February go?

I don’t have any new photos today; I’ve been working through my archives and closing out February’s books and time ran away with me.

I did pick my favorite shots from February that will be added to the Etsy and Artfire stores this week. The winners:

Please NOTE: Everyone’s tastes differ. If you see an image that I didn’t pick that you’d like to order for no extra charge, drop me a line and I will gladly list it just for you.

There are so many beautiful things to be seen in the neighborhood. I keep wanting to do some urban photography, but lately I’ve felt a pull toward natural things. Sometimes we have control over what we create, but other times the soul will lead us on its own path.

I was honored to be chosen by fragiacomoglassart for a gorgeous treasury inspired by the color pink. Thanks, fragiacomoglassart!

I haven’t posted in over a week! I know that I’ve barely started keeping this blog, but it already feels routine - I’ve been aching for just enough time to post a few recent photos.

I always thought it was amusing to see bushes and trees growing into fences - it was like Nature was thumbing her nose at manmade boundaries. This fence was completely inundated with plant life. It even looked like the bushes and vines were fighting each other just to get at it.

In the tough economic times, I find myself changing in interesting ways. Whereas I used to go out to the movies, I now save my money and stay at home playing board games with friends. While I used to think nothing of driving over to visit loved ones across town, I now plan my outings and do the best I can to conserve fuel.

I also write letters. It’s something I’ve never really practiced before (e-mail was popularized in my youth, and the art of letter-writing was lost to me), but it’s surprisingly rewarding.

The mere act of putting pen to paper is calming and meditative. There is no sound of keys clicking and there are no flashing icons to distract me in the background. When I’m writing to my friends and family, I’m completely in the moment and focused on what I’m doing. I plan each sentence - there is no backspace key. I smile just thinking of how it must feel to open a mailbox and find a letter, a real letter, instead of only junk mail and bills (which are a rarety; even those are mailed to me online these days).

In my zest for letter-writing, I’ve been seeking out pretty paper and lovely pens to write with. These tools become inexpensive luxuries that I indulge in when I can no longer afford a spa visit or new shoes. I’ve discovered that there are many wonderful artists who’ve designed print-ready stationary templates that can be printed at home with whatever color cardstock happens to suit my fancy.

Some of my favorite examples: littlebrownpen’s dandelion design, littleTstudio’s love in bloom, deersweetheartstudio’s heart baloon design.

During hard times, I’ve come to enjoy the simple, basic things in life. In a world when the newest gadget is too much to budget for (sorry, iPhone), the simplest media suddenly becomes a more than suitable replacement. I hope that those who receive my letters get as much pleasure from reading them as I did from writing them.