the 53 project : week 6

The trees have been speaking to me again.

inspiration

I was so honored this week to discover that one of my photos (you'll recognize it from the header of this blog) was the inspiration for a painting by a complete stranger.  The day after I opened my redbubble shop, my photograph September Sea was (amazingly) featured on their front page.

An artist from Germany,  Eckhard Besuden, saw my photograph and wrote to me.  He said it brought back memories of his brother, who died at the age of 16 but who loved the summer sea.  "He loved the summer waves and you have made a shot of just that summer sea with blue and yellow. That impressed me very much and touched my heart."  And so he re-envisioned the blue and yellow and created his own summer sea.

I've been so inspired by the amazing photographers and artists I've met here in blog-land and on flickr, and I'm so humbled that my work has touched someone else.  That's what it's all about.  Thank you!

You can find some of my work, and Eckhard's, along with thousands of other photographers, artists, writers, and creative souls, on redbubble.  Support your favorite photographer or artist by purchasing their work.  It puts beauty in your hands and dinner on our tables. xoxo

the 53 project : week 5

I'm not a birdwatcher with a capital B, but I do love to observe birds doing their bird-thing.  Besides the obvious attractions of their beauty and their amazing flying skills, birds are kind of quirky and funny, aren't they?  Skinny legs.  Knobby knees.  Handless, as my pal Michel says. 

And birds are everywhere we go.  When I lived in New York City, there was a pigeon who persistently came in my (screenless) bedroom window and tried to build a nest on my desk. One day I came home and found a perfect pigeon egg on my pillow.  I kept that egg for many years before it finally broke to pieces.

Here are some of the birds I saw with this week. 

 A winter robin in bird-berry heaven.

 Bird stop.

It's like some kind of bird morse code.

 A big puddle of rainwater and snowmelt attracted lots of seagull action.

Farewell!

You can see lots more bird photos here.

I'll leave you with a stanza of Wallace Stevens' 13 Ways of Looking at a Blackbird:

I do not know which to prefer,
The beauty of inflections
Or the beauty of innuendoes,
The blackbird whistling
Or just after.

the 53 project : week 4

My 365 project, which wrapped up in December, was focused mainly on words and signs.  I've been having a little withdrawal from that project, so I decided to look around me at work this week and see if I could find some words that inspire or amuse.  Here's what I found.

 Men reading books.  We like them.

 Chocolate.  We like that too.

 A little self help.

 What keeps it all together.

 Historic lifesaving.

 Modern lifesaving for that woman of a certain age.

 And a little extra advice never hurt.

 That's me.

 Find your roots.

 Slugs and princesses -- we have it all.

The end.

What words sum up your week?  Share some with us in the comments.

two updates

A couple of changes took place in my photography/blog world this week.  First, I opened up a little online shop on redbubble, where you can purchase prints and cards with my images.  Also, since I've gotten requests, you can also purchase prints and cards with illustrations by Chester Loomis, my great-grandfather, who was a listed artist and illustrator, noted for his Mother Goose illustrations.  I just have a small collection up now, but will be adding more in the days ahead.  Check it out!

Second, I've just posted my last regular post on the Mortal Muses blog.  For those of you who've been following along, Mortal Muses launched this summer as a collaboration of 9 female photographers.  It was a wonderful experience, but this year I'm taking on other projects, and want to free up some time to hike and read and travel.  Thanks, Muses, for a great time!

 If you're in need of some photo-inspiration, both the Mortal Muses and Shutter Sisters provide wonderful, supportive communities for female photographers.

the 53 project : week 3

A snow-covered Sunday.  Sharp, bright, crisp, and cold.  And a spot of color here and there. 

And a snowy smile.  Happy week!

workers of the world unite

Work is beautiful!  Let's celebrate it.

Real success is finding your lifework in the work that you love  --David McCullough

Barber

Artist

Carriage driver

Traffic director

Docent

Firefighter

Children's Librarian

Line painter

Dollhouse maid

Oil changer

Photojournalist

Railroad man

Stonecutter

You can see more hard workers here.

I'm a Library Director -- what do you do?

the 53 project : week 2

New Year's day dawned warmer than usual, with a hazy sun.  Everyone ventured out doors and down to the sea to clear their heads, spend time with family, and think about their resolutions.

Have you made any resolutions?  I made some last year, but this year I think I'm going to take a leap of faith and wing it.  I have a few plans and ideas, but they'll reveal themselves as the year progresses.  All in good time, my pretties, all in good time.