Minimalism

Winter embraces a minimalist spirit.

She paints her vision with a broad brush,

striking out extraneous detail.

Form stands out in stark relief and sometimes,

negative space tells the story.

Winter's color palette may be rich or subtle,

but is always limited in its variety.

Winter is a minimalist's dream.

Wishing you a happy and creative week!

Linking at The Creative Exchange.

Endless Winter

Late afternoon light,

shoreline tree shadows dancing out across the lake,

cold temps,
nasty windchill,

frozen footprints,

glint of sunlight from behind the clouds,

momentary magic,

trudging home,

hot tea ~

the story of a winter's afternoon.

The Note

The roses arrived with a note written in elegant script.

It read ~

"You have bewitched me body and soul, and I love, I love, I love you. 

I never wish to be parted from you from this day on."

Jane Austen fans will recognize my slip into fiction,

 as these are Mr Darcy's words from Pride and Prejudice.

What could be more perfect for Valentine's week?

Pride and Prejudice is such a timeless love story with classic characters.

Did you know?

* Jane Austen was born December 16, 1775.

* She wrote her first novel, Love and Freindship [sic], at age 14.

* In her early twenties, Jane wrote the novels that she later re-worked and published as 

Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, and Northanger Abbey.

* During her lifetime, Jane's books were listed as written "By a Lady."

* Jane Austen died at the age of 41, on July 18, 1817.

Jane Austen quotes ~

"A woman, especially , if she have [sic] the misfortune of knowing anything, should conceal it as well as she can."

"It is always incomprehensible to a man that a woman should ever refuse an offer of marriage."

"Nobody minds having what is too good for them."  Mansfield Park

"Happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance."  Charlotte Lucas to Lizzie - Pride and Prejudice

"The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid."  Northanger Abbey

Information sources - janeausten.org, jasa.net, and brainyquotes.com

These images were made with a Lensbaby - link.

Wishing you a week filled with love and creativity!

Linking at The Creative Exchange.

Focus

People talk about focus all the time -

we want to live focused lives, we focus on building healthy relationships, 

we tell our kids to focus on good grades, we focus on work project deadlines, 

and on... and on.

So, focus is a good thing - 

we're bringing elements of our lives into sharp perspective,

 improving them, or working toward positive outcomes.

But, what about photography?

Is sharp focus our ultimate goal?  

Do we want sharp focus throughout our images, selective focus,

 minimal focus, or dreamy impressionistic blur?

What type or amount of focus will best tell the story,

capture the mood, or make our viewers know how we feel about the subject?

I certainly don't have all the answers to these questions, 

but I do know I enjoy playing around with the possibilities!

Since I love to experiment, my guess is I'll be using all types of focus in my future captures.

How about you, what type or style of focus do you like to use in your photography?

Wishing you a wonderful week focused on creativity!

Linking at The Creative Exchange.

Size Small

My world is bathed, enveloped, encased in snow.

This time of year, I especially appreciate walking from my front door to the woods -

no warming up the car for a photo venture.

While out shooting, I try all the different views on for size.....

the large full view, the medium sized one, and the small close-up version.

Somehow, the small size always seems to fit just right.

I like the intimacy, the detail, 

the feeling of walking into a world that others may just pass by unnoticed.

When you're out shooting what size view fits you?

Wishing you a happy and creative week.

Linking at The Creative Exchange.

Creative ADD?

Someone told me I have Creative ADD.

I think they may have Tourette's Syndrome.

Seriously though, I will own up to finding joy in working in a variety of creative mediums.

I make art quilts for national shows and beadwork, too.

VanDemark Designs 

quilt photo by Steve Tiggman

(painted face on fabric)

I am fascinated with writing haiku and 

learning historical embroidery techniques.

I am totally in love with photography!

I don't see all this variety as a problem,

 but instead feel each medium informs and enriches the others.

It's like one happy, creative family working together.

So, where do you stand?

Do you enjoy one creative medium, or are you mistress to many?

Please tell!

Wishing you a wildly creative week!

Linking at The Creative Exchange.

Winter

Today, I'm excited to be the guest contributor at Lisa Gordon's, The Creative Exchange.

My post is all about winter and is illustrated with a collection of recent snowy captures.

I hope that you can stop by and say hi.

Thanks Lisa!

Linking at The Creative Exchange.

The Antique Shop

Santa brought me this lens for Christmas.

Thanks Santa!

I decided to test it out at a large antique shop.

I figured there I would get lots of shooting variety
in the form of natural and artificial light on many different surfaces - 

matte, shiny, smooth, textured, reflective, etc.

I actually got more than I bargained for as the shop was busier than usual and 

they had more junk - ooopppsss..... I mean more antique treasures

 than I remember from my last visit.

Anyway, it was great fun and time slipped away as I was caught up in the moment.

That's the beauty of photography, isn't it?

Wishing you a happy and creative week!

Linking at The Creative Exchange.

Outsider Art

Outsider art, quirky, creative, unusual -

all of these words could be used to describe the 

Wisconsin Concrete Park in Phillips, WI.

Retired lumberjack, Fred Smith (1886 - 1976) was the mastermind

 behind this menagerie of 237 concrete sculptures.

A "green" artist ahead of his time,

 Fred used shells, glass shards, beer bottles from his tavern - The Rock Garden Tavern, 

and other junk art materials to create a cast of historical characters.

You'll find larger than life cowboys, miners, Indians,

soliders, horses, oxen, wild animals, and gigantic fish

standing against the backdrop of a pine forest.

Built over a period of 14 years,

 this self-taught sculptor said of his obsession,

"It's Gotta Be In Ya to Do It".

As they say in northern Wisconsin,

"Yeah Ya Betcha!"

Wishing you a Blessed Holiday Season

and a wildly creative New Year!!!

I'll be taking a holiday break......

see you on Monday, January 2, 2012!

Linking at The Creative Exchange.