Gerbera

Today,

 the Gerbera Daisy.

I find them to be simple, yet elegant -

simply elegant!

Wishing you a joy filled, creative week.

Hydrangea

On a cold, grey, winter day,

 some beautifully colored hydrangea seem like the perfect choice.

Hope your new year is off to a colorful and creative start.

Speaking of new starts, I'm now on Instagram. 

You can find me at http:instagram.com/annavandemark

Winter Haiku

The stillness and simplicity of winter has set in here.

Wishing you a wonderful New Year filled with happiness and wild creativity!

Mississippi Autumn

Tomorrow is an exciting day for us, as we're finally moving into our new home!

It's such a beautiful area, which I've started to explore with my camera.  

Loving the Mississippi river,

 from its grand views to intimate backwaters.

Looking forward to the future as the river reveals its secrets to me.

After the boxes are unpacked and the dust settles,

there'll be more of the Mississippi showing up here :)

Happy autumn to you! 

The Great Dakota Gathering

This fall, we went to the Great Dakota Gathering in Winona, MN.

It was so inspiring...

the color, the craftsmanship, the generations together - 

it was a perfect day!

Happy creating to you.

Orchid Wonder

Today, a beautiful orchid to mark the birthday of our daughter,

Katrina Rose.

The sapphire blues remind me of her September birthstone.

Happy creating to you!

M.I.A.

Sometimes life gets extremely messy...

Messy isn't necessarily a bad thing, it's just the way things roll.

Our messy has been good - we finally have an accepted offer on our lake home :)

So, there's been packing to do....

Our daughter moved out East.

So, there's been more packing to do, and apartment cleaning, and good-byes :(

And then, my parents bought a townhouse.

Which involved house hunting and a move yet to come :)

So, that's my messy world of late.

I think that my image titled, Divine Light, 

serves as a nice counter point to all of the changes

 that we've been experiencing.

Wishing you joy in your creative ventures and

 hoping your life isn't too messy at the moment!

Spring!!!

Hope you're all enjoying glorious spring weather.

It's wonderful here. 

 We moved a bit farther south in the state of Wisconsin,

 and it's like being in a whole different world.

It's WAY warmer and has a lot more happening. 

 For example, I joined the La Crosse Camera Club 

and we've had two group shoots already -

 one at night at the beautiful Shrine of our Lady of Guadalupe.

Such fun!

I've also been exploring the genres of still life and street photography.

More on that as I finish a backlog of photo editing :)

Happy creating to you!!!