Sky

Every morning I look out my kitchen window and I think I am the luckiest girl on the planet. I am greatful for waking up and seeing the beauty that lies before me. This is a photo I took close to this time last year.

Kat Sloma's Exploring with a Camera is about Capture the Sky. I have to say that we've been a little challenged here in Seattle for good sky opportunities lately.

I found I had to browse the archives to see what sky photos I have taken. I was a little amazed to see that really I don't have a lot of sky photos. I have sunrise photos like the one above. But real cloud play photos - not too many.

This made me question if we look up enough? Or are we so focused on our feet and where we walk that we fail to look up to the beauty above? So is this question of sky deeper that just looking at clouds? What does the sky really say to us when we see the beauty that is above our heads every day?

These are all interesting questions for me to ponder. I realized through this exercise, that I need to look up more. I need to incorporate more photos of the gift of beauty that lies in sky..

To find Kat's Exploring with a Camera series check out the button on the side bar.

The Start of Something Bigger

I found inspiration today. So, why does it take so long to realize that what you've been looking for has been here all along?
I took a photography class this past month. Find Your Eye with Kat Sloma. Not only did I learn about my camera - the biggie was that I began to find my eye, my style.
I went on a photo walk this morning to capture the sun on the newly fallen snow. So... what did I photo? The same stuff I always photo.. trees, plants, just nature in general. I have scads of photos of the same stuff.
This is where Kat's class comes in... when I look at all these photos I have taken over the past year they pretty much have the same common thread. Line, color and texture - specifically based in nature. OK, I recognize this... time to embrace it and stop searching for something else. Seems like I keep trying to paint something that isn't me. And, yes... I'm not happy with it in the end.
Today I came across Bridgette Guerzon Mills. I actually discovered her about a week or so ago. Today, I really studied her work. I visited her blog, I browsed her photo stream and I soaked it in. Bridgette... Thank You! Thank you for the inspiration that you gave me to try some new stuff today. To actually see in myself what I have been missing - or overlooking all this time. I'm super excited to try again and let this evolve. Today was fun.
My take away from Bridgette's work is she is really good at sectioning off her panels into small bite sized pieces. This is something that I had been thinking about based on some pillow cases I bought in Thailand. But, today, Bridgette brought this together for me. She creates little pictures within a picture. If you really look at each little section, they stand on their own in color and compostion. They also come together to form one big happy painting. Brilliant! I've been struggling with the compostion of a bigger piece. Breaking it down is HUGE for me. This allows me to color block in black, white and midtones. Today I overlapped these little sections. Next I'll try picture within a picture and see how that feels. First, I think I'll map out in a sketch book the color blocks and how the shapes lay out. Then I'll put together the theme idea and I'll work on some drawing stuff and some photography to incorporate.
Wow, beginning to think like an artist :)

it snowed today*

Black and white photography. I really do love it. But what makes it good? I think its the striking difference of having really black/black and really white/white in the photo. I'd like to learn more about it. So many times photos don't really translate to b&w. I think its because they are nothing but midtones when set to gray scale and they lack that deep contrast. I'm not sure that I nailed this one, but its not bad. Stuck pretty close to the rule of 1/3s here for the compo. It really does seem to work in keeping the composition in line.

My Dad always told me that a good painting has 1/6 black and 1/6 white - the rest is midtones. So does the same rule apply to b&w photography too?

I like the high key overexposed portion of this photo. The textures really show up. f/4.5, ISO 2500, exposure +.7 I let the camera chose the ISO.

It really did snow today. It didn't stick here at our house, but it did to the north of us. It is February, afterall. However, I do have to say - the weather is really confusing me. I'm still trying to warm up.

Little Pink Houses

Little Pink Houses

encaustic and mixed media on panel

6x6

Pink houses seemed like a happy thing for today.

Still trying new things. Drew on the ground before starting the medium. I think I kinda like that look.

Honestly, I can't help but to smile when I look at this one. I especially like the spotty house.