“We walked always in beauty, it seemed to me. We walked and looked about, or stood and looked. Sometimes, less often, we would sit down. We did not often speak. The place spoke for us and was a kind of speech. We spoke to each other in the things we saw.”
~ Wendell Berry
There is not a “fragment” in all nature, for every relative fragment of one thing is a full harmonious unit in itself.
~ John Muir
I recently began a photography class with Kim Klassen. “My Still Sunday” is all about carving time out for yourself, taking nature walks, gathering organic materials and using them to create beautiful still imagery. When I read the description I thought, this is the class for me!
While I love the impromptu still shots of everyday life, I also enjoy the process of designing and setting up a still life image. The beauty of this is that you can use so many different elements, from things found in nature, to food, to clothing…anything really. It’s also a wonderful way to tell a story, create a mood, or just display some of your favorite things.
I know many of you are familiar with Kim’s classes and beautiful work. If not, I encourage you to check out her site HERE and be inspired!
“summer, after all, is a time when wonderful things can happen to quiet people. for those few months, you’re not required to be who everyone thinks you are, and that cut-grass smell in the air and the chance to dive into the deep end of a pool give you a courage you don’t have the rest of the year. you can be grateful and easy, with no eyes on you, and no past. summer just opens the door and lets you out.”
~ Deb Caletti
..and some random ramblings
Spring reminds me of an impressionist painting, as little dots of color start appearing here and there. Seems the color around me is mostly yellow at the moment, as the rabbits have eaten all my purple crocus. I wonder if the purple ones have a sweeter flavor..maybe the yellow is too tart?
Been listening to an old favorite. Debussy seems to go perfectly with Spring and Impressionism.
My little chipmunk friend, Cheeky, has returned. She waits by the deck door most mornings for her handful of peanuts. Sometimes she follows me out to the bird feeder in hopes of catching a few sunflower seeds that spill on the ground.
Amazing how many seeds she can squeeze into those cheeks of hers.
Enjoying these longer days and loving the golden hour light through my dirty windows.
Still avoiding much of the political news on television and social media. Scary and depressing.
Thankful for those little empty spaces in time..
It’s Ours
there is always that space there
just before they get to us
that space
that fine relaxer
the breather
while say
flopping on a bed
thinking of nothing
or say
pouring a glass of water from the
spigot
while entranced by
nothing
that
gentle pure
space
it’s worth
centuries of
existence
say
just to scratch your neck
while looking out the window at
a bare branch
that space
there
before they get to us
ensures
that
when they do
they won’t
get it all
ever.
– Charles Bukowski
I have loved the last two books I’ve read recently-
“My Name is Lucy Barton” by Elizabeth Strout
“All the Broken Things” by Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer
Just started “Pilgrim at Tinker Creek” by Annie Dillard
Perfect timing as it’s an exploration on foot in a region of Virginia and we will be heading there and beyond in a couple weeks.
Excited to meet a photographer friend and his family from Scotland this weekend. They will be visiting Boston for a few days. Been following his work on Flickr for a few years now. I find it pretty amazing to think of all the wonderful people – photographers, writers, artists – I’ve met through photography. An incredible, supportive and generous community.
So I’ve rambled enough for now…time to catch up with all of you.
Wishing you a wonderful rest of the week.
“Beyond the edge of the world there’s a space where emptiness and substance neatly overlap, where past and future form a continuous, endless loop. And, hovering about, there are signs no one has ever read, chords no one has ever heard.”
~ Haruki Murakami, Kafka on the Shore
