2012.12.29 You already are

You have a lifetime to learn technique.

But I can teach you what is more important than technique,

how to see;

learn that and all you have to do afterwards is press the shutter.

~ Garry Winogrand

The key to living your dream life is simple:  realize that you already are.

Christen Olivarez

as quoted in Desire to Inspire by Christine Mason Miller

The God of peace will be with you.

~ Philippians 4:9

So, what is in this photo?

I have a rag rug on top of my desk.

I had mis-placed a paper

and thought I might have slipped it between the rug and the desktop.

When I lifted the rug, the sunshine came through with this pretty pattern.

But, no missing paper.

~ Me

2012.12.21 Marvelous things without number

Finding beauty in the stains of life . . .

~ Me

The world is full of magic things,

patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper.

~ William Butler Yeats

Autumn is a season followed immediately by looking forward to Spring.

~ Anonymous (could have been said by me :)

HE does great things,

and unsearchable, marvelous things without number.

~ Job 5:9

2012.12.16 Purpose for your life

Finding beauty in the shadows of life . . .

~ Me

God knows your value; He sees your potential.

You may not understand everything you are going through right now.

But hold your head up high,

knowing that God is in control

and He has a great plan and purpose for your life.

~ Joel Osteen

Trust in him.

~ Psalm 37:5

2012-12-09 Renew a steadfast spirit

Finding beauty in the murk of life . . .

~ Me

I think the best pictures are often on the edges of any situation,

I don't find photographing the situation

nearly as interesting as photographing the edges.

~William Albert Allard in The Photographic Essay

Peace of mind is that mental condition in which you have accepted the worst.

~ Lin Yutang

Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

~ Psalm 51:10

2012.12.01 Say you are well

This photo is my life . . . with cancer.

Treatment is starting.

I'll be in touch.

~ Me

Difficulties are meant to rouse, not discourage.

The human spirit is to grow strong by conflict.

~ William Ellery Channing

Talk happiness; talk faith; talk health.

Say you are well, and all is well with you,

and God shall hear your words and make them true.

~ Ella Wheeler Wilcox

I will sing unto the Lord
because He hath dealt bountifully with me.
~ Psalm 13:6

In everything, give thanks.
~ 1 Thessalonians 5:18

2012.11.19 Explore

Explore rather than expect.

~ Mary Anne Radmacher

as quoted in Desire to Inspire by Christine Mason Miller

2012.11.17 Beauty unfolding

There is so much about this crazy life to be grateful for -

so much goodness, so much support, so much life.

Even when the steps take great effort and the breath is labored,

there is beauty unfolding,

in shadow and in light.

~ Tracey Clark

as quoted in Desire to Inspire by Christine Mason Miller

2012.11.11 What the world needs more of

The world has enough beautiful mountains and meadows,

spectacular skies and serene lakes.

It has enough lush forests, flowered fields and sandy beaches.

It has plenty of stars and the promise of a new sunrise and sunset every day.

What the world needs more of

is people to appreciate and enjoy it.

~ Michael Josephson

For the beauty of each hour 

of the day and of the night, 

hill and vale, and tree and flower, 

sun and moon, and stars of light; 

Lord of all, to thee we raise 

this our hymn of grateful praise.

~ For the Beauty of the Earth, verse 2

2012.11.10 Succeed in loving

The more you succeed in loving,

the more you'll be convinced of the existence of God . . .

~ Fyodor Dostoyevsky, The Brothers Karamozov

2012.11.08 Everything looks worse

And everything looks worse in black and white...

~ Paul Simon, Kodachrome

I disagree.

~ Me

2012.11.07 Those nice bright colors

Kodachrome, it gives us those nice bright colors

Gives us the greens of summers

Makes you think all the world's a sunny day, oh yeah!

I got a Nikon camera, I love to take a photograph

So momma, don't take my Kodachrome away...

~ Paul Simon, Kodachrome

2012.11.05 Find its way back to me

And somehow

seeing that clear light break over the city

reminded me

that if clear skies can find their way back after Sandy's wrath,

then light

will surely find its way back

to me as well.

~ Adrienne Scanlon

Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord is the rock eternal.

~ Isaiah 26:4

Please go visit Adrienne's original post here:  My Memory Art - Stormy

2012.11.01 After it is found

Creativity is not the finding of a thing,

but the making something out of it after it is found.

~ James Russell Lowell

And what did I find?  Trees and grass.

~ Me

2012.10.31 A brief moment

The creative act lasts but a brief moment,

a lightning instant of give-and-take,

just long enough for you to level the camera

and to trap the fleeting prey in your little box.

~ Henri Cartier Bresson

2012.10.30 It is in us

Joy is not in things; it is in us.

~ Richard Wagner

The goofy photo when we let our insides show on the outside.

I am so blessed to have family who are also my friends.

~ Me

[ photo by Theresa, on the far right in the photo ]

2012.10.29 Joys come

Joys come from simple and natural things:

mists over meadows,

sunlight on leaves,

the path of the moon over water. 

~ Sigurd F. Olson 

. . . one bright yellow mum in a pot of orange.

~ Me

2012.10.28 What I might yet become

Every human being is making a request of their friends,

though it usually goes unspoken.

Here's what they ask:

Motivate me, call out the best in me.

Believe me.

Encourage me.

Speak truth to me and remind me of my deepest values.

Help me achieve my greatest potential.

Inspire me.

Tell me again what God called me to be, what I might yet become.

~ John Ortberg

Thank you, kiddo . . .

you are among those who are essential to my core being.

~ Me

2012.10.27 Simplify your life

As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler;

solitude will not be solitude,

poverty will not be poverty,

nor weakness weakness.
~ Henry David Thoreau

2012.09.27 The inability to notice

All the technique in the world doesn't compensate for the inability to notice.

~ Elliott Erwitt

And then . . . imagine.

~ Me

[ my son's pickup truck bed . . . filled with water, seeds, a leaf, and cloud reflections . . .

mouse-over for the "before" photo ]

2012.09.25 See a rose

You can see a rose in two ways.

First, through its beautiful petals.

The other, through its thorns.

~ Aries Eroles

The glass is always half-full.

I walk on the sunny side of the street.

Clouds have silver linings.

Things are always better in the morning.

And . . .

I choose the beautiful petals, not the thorns.

~ Me

2012.09.22 Make a fool of yourself

When in doubt, make a fool of yourself.

There is a microscopically thin line between being brilliantly creative
and acting like the most gigantic idiot on earth.
So what the hell, leap.
~Cynthia Heimel

Leaping . . .
~ Me

[ from a wall at an abandoned car wash . . . mouse-over for the "before" photo ]

2012.09.20 There is nothing lacking

A Thursday photo-dump of recent, personal photos . . . 

people and things for which I am extremely grateful.

First up is my Anne.

Her Oregon summer job for the USDA has ended

and her job with the U.S. Forest Service doesn't start for a couple of weeks.

So my sweet daughter is "vacationing" at home.

We went for a visit to neighbor and friend,

Libbe of Willowfield Lavender Farm . . .

Wouldn't you just love to have a studio for your art?

Here is one room of Monrovia Mudworks where I took my pottery class . . .

The light caught my eye

when I was standing in the breezeway looking through the garage

and towards the slightly open garage door.

One of Jewel's ubiquitous tennis balls can't decide between inside or outside . . .

Sad or just a natural frown?

This should bring a smile to all the library patrons . . .

Mare's tail (wispy cirrus) clouds with moon . . .

A double reflection of me . . .

(I didn't realize it was a double reflection until viewing on my PC)

Be content with what you have, rejoice in the way things are.

When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you.

~ Lao Tzu

Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name.

~ 1 Chronicles 29:13

It isn't what you have in your pocket that makes you thankful,

but what you have in your heart.

~ Anonymous

2012.09.19 Composing the beauty

Beauty can be seen in all things,

seeing and composing the beauty

is what separates the snapshot from the photograph.

~ Matt Hardy

This beauty is a scooter just beyond the fence at Starbucks.

~ Me

2012.09.13 Without leaving home

Art is the only way to run away without leaving home.

~ Twyla Tharp

I would love to run away full-time :)

~ Me

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This past August, I participated in Kat Sloma's 2012 postcard swap.

The details are here:  Liberate Your Art description

Today is a blog hop for the participants (almost 200 of us).
The link is at the end of this post. [link removed]

Below are the 5 cards I received from 5 artists.

Kat also sends each participant one of her postcards.

She organizes, exchanges, and mails all the postcards.

Thanks, Kat!

From Kat Sloma at Kat Eye Studio . . .

From Shannon Joyce (no blog) . . .

From Dotti Rinehart at Camper KY . . .

From Jen Erbe Jennifer Erbe . . .

From Meg at Tangerine Meg . . .

From colleen e monette (no blog) . . .

These were my contributions

which are available for download by clicking on the Freebie Tab . . .

2012.09.10 The reality of the force

The artistic image is not intended to represent the thing itself,

but, rather,

the reality of the force the thing contains.

~ James Baldwin

Sometimes the photograph is more forceful and vibrant than the reality of the thing itself.

Other times, the photo is but a pale shadow of the reality.

Each of us decides which is which.

~ Me

[ pottery plate by Jolee at Monrovia Mudwords . . . mouse-over for the "before" photo ]

Shared with Sweet Shot Tuesday

2012.09.08 Take for granted

To think creatively,

we must be able to look afresh at what we normally take for granted.

~ George Keller

I have lived in the same house for 24 years.

Same front steps.

Same siding.

Same downspout.

But something about the ivy this year caught my eye.

~ Me

2012.09.06 The best and simplest way

My aim is to put down on paper

what I see

and what I feel

in the best and simplest way.

~ Ernest Hemingway

. . . except I use photographs.

~ Me

These tomatoes are from our farm-share . . . local, organic produce ready every Friday.

Shared with A Rural Journal and This Heavenly Life and Share the Joy

2012.09.03 I see in color

In my photography,

color and composition are inseparable.

I see in color.

~ William Albert Allard

And in texture.
And in contrast.
~ Me

Once again, I tried "mouse-over" HTML code . . .
and, once again, I failed.
NO . . . W A I T . . . IT WORKS!
(It took 4 attempts.)
You have to be on the blog for the effect (not email or RSS feed).
Wow.
Hope I can do this again :)

2012.09.01 Arrange the unexpected

The marvels of daily life are exciting;

no movie director can arrange the unexpected that you find in the street.

~ Robert Doisneau

Or, in the side yard.

Standing in the shelter of the garage overhang,

a strong breeze preceded and then accompanied a quick summer shower.

The sunlight to the south never left.

It was lovely . . .

feeling the breeze and the mist blowing in . . .

watching the wind and light play with the wet leaves and grasses.

~ Me

Shared with A Rural Journal

2012.08.30 Always on his doorstep

The artist's world is limitless.

It can be found anywhere, far from where he lives or a few feet away.

It is always on his doorstep.

~ Paul Strand

Or, next to an abandoned car wash.

~ Me

Shared with Share the Joy and Bigger Picture Moment

2012.08.28 Illusion of reality

Photography, as we all know, is not real at all.

It is an illusion of reality with which we create our own private world.

~ Arnold Newman

Welcome to my world.

~ Me

Shared with Sweet Shot Tuesday and Tones on Tuesday

2012.08.26 The observation of nature

The observation of nature is part of an artist's life.

It enlarges his form [and] knowledge,

keeps him fresh and from working only by formula,

and feeds inspiration.

~ Henry Moore

. . . a reflection of a tree

whose roots have been exposed because of the drought.

It was captivating in person; it still captivates me as a photograph.

~ Me

Thanks to A Creative Harbor for the Henry Moore quote.

2012-08-23 Give thanks

Inspired by TexWisGirl at The Run*A*Round Ranch Report

who posted a "Photo Dump" last Sunday . . .

this post is a collection of recent, personal photos,

a what's-going-on-in-my-life kinda thing . . .

all things for which I am grateful.

 My county in Indiana is at about 60% of normal rainfall for the year.

Gratefully, we've had almost 4 inches in August.

Once, there was enough for an actual puddle near the mailbox . . .

Three generations at work,

my husband near the red truck prepping for the next week's work,

my son cleaning out his Cherokee,

and my grandson helping me spruce up the front garden . . .

Three projects from my pottery class, all completed.

There is a basket with a dark green and blue glaze,

a pot with zen-tangle-like decorations,

and a tree of life wall-hanging. . . in rainbow.

Thank you again, jan and Greg, for giving me this class.

I love learning . . .

At one of Vince's job sites . . .

Wyatt, Jeremiah, Vince, Barry, Alan,

and my Sweet Lee is somewhere over the roof edge installing something.

(See how much I know about construction?)

The above photo . . . from ground level . . .

And last, a self-portrait, taken at the county fair . . .

For all these things, and many more, I am grateful.

Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed.

Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude.

~ Denis Waitley

In everything, give thanks.

1 Thessalonians 5:18a

For those of you in a humorous frame of mind . . .

Let us rise up and be thankful;

for if we didn't learn a lot today, at least we learned a little,

and if we didn't learn a little, at least we didn't get sick,

and if we got sick, at least we didn't die;

so, let us all be thankful.

~ Buddha

Shared with:  Share the Joy and A Bigger Picture Moment