day

316:365

(photo by Elaine A. Russell)


Tomorrow, November 13th, is World Kindness Day.
In honor of it, fellow bloggers Anyes and Se'Lah are co-hosting
A Random Acts of Kindness Day out here in blogland.


I am a big fan of the whole "pay it forward" concept.
For the past 4 years, I have challenged myself to: do something nice for someone...
or give away an item...
for every day of the year ( and so far, I have met my goal ).
I do this by donating to local charity sources, giving spontaneous gifts to friends, listing on Freecycle,
doing kind acts when I can ... and even sneaking surprises onto people's doorsteps.

There are so many ways you can help someone else out... the ideas are endless.
The point is ... do it. Not only will you help someone else out...
but the feeling you get from it?
Fabulous.

41:365


Today was an odd day. I've been sicker than I thought... and not really getting much done. Makes me feel rather useless....and so I edited some older photos. ... this one is from Feb 2009, taken through the windows of Off Broadway on Central Ave.... I love the way the colors create a mood...


I contemplated this.... when I discovered this photo in my archives... taken 12-08. I love the weathered and worn church pew... and the contradictions it evokes with the book....



I spent alot of time on the phone today ... different family members & friends are not doing well.... and I was reminded of this photo, taken 7-09... somewhere in the midwest when I was traveling.....



And I thought about life and death issues as a very close family friend is passing. I took this photo last summer at Eulalia Cemetery in PA. I love the old look to this place... the feel... the colors... in what most people consider to be a dark place....


And got excited when I found this one.... a photo taken December 31st, 2009 on the first full/ Blue Moon. It makes me feel like there is still hope and a brightness to the future. A bit of majik.... a bit of sparkle....
And so... til tomorrow.....


(all photos by Elaine A. Russell)

stev-o

photo by Elaine A. Russell

Sometimes you need signs. Like the other day when I was roaming about downtown near UNM. I found this fabulous graffiti on the sidewalk "Stev-O... follow the arrows."

Woudn't it be great if the powers that be gave us such explicit directions to follow thru life ?
Course, I realize that having such clear direction might take some of the adventure out of it all.. but there are days when I wish I had the "owner's manual" or signs on the sidewalk to help out ....

yes, hollyhocks


According to Wiki: The hollyhocks comprise about 60 species of flowering plants in the genus Alcea (Ál-ce-a) in the mallow family Malvaceae, native to southwest and central Asia. They are biennial or short-lived perennial plants growing to 3.5 m tall, with broad, rounded, palmately lobed leaves and numerous flowers, pink or yellow in the wild species, on the erect central stem.

I noticed that I have been taking lots of flower shots as of late. This is nothing new for me... I have always done alot of botanical oriented photography. Just "new" as in "again."
I think alot of it has to do with the abundance of flowers here in ABQ. The weather is just perfect for alot of species. ... escpecially... hollyhocks. Who knew there were so many varieties ?
I remember when I was very little that my grandmother had a bunch of them growing along a shed in the back yard. They seemed sooooooooo tall... and so decadent.

I am no less impressed today.


.......................photos by Elaine A. Russell

**If you like these photos... check out my friend Leau's blog. She has some cool hollyhock photos as well ---->

connections -- reflection -- communication



photos by Elaine A. Russell



Communication. An ability we automatically take for granted, and yet.. so easy to completely screw up. Just a tone.. just a mis-used word... can change the entire context of a conversation... and bring things into a completely different light.

As an example... did you know that the word SET has the most definitions of any word in the english language? Yep. SET has 464 definitions in the Oxford English Dictionary.

And then... Even with people you have great connections with, it can sometimes go astray. And then there's the whole emotional context that can go along with things.. and completely cause us to muddle things up. A mis-interpretation, a misunderstanding... it can all mess us up.

I think I read somewhere that the english language is the hardest one to learn. Actually -- I think it's broader than that. I think it's the language of trust. To be able to get past supposed transgressions; and move on to closer, more solid ground with each other.

I am so glad to have good friends. I am so grateful that my hubby really knows me-- and still loves me. I am grateful for my kids who laugh with me... and not at me ( or at least.. not to my face). Such simple things...and yet, so important.

for wednesday

Cafe Chair photo by Elaine A. Russell. Taken at the Golden Crown Panendaria



Sometimes I get sooooooooooooo busy doing the seemingly simple things.. and life just passes by quickly, and the next thing I know is that it's 1am, and I haven't posted for the day. Sorry.

Today was one of those days when I literally had a list of things to do.
1. pay bills/ balance account
2. get groceries
3. buy BIG envelopes
4. go to the post office
etc etc. You get the idea.

Amongst the pleasant surprises though... was making a connection with a local printer to do up some of my photography. This led to a discussion on my style/body of work.. and the offering for future work or display. It was fecking awesome.

A quick visit with a couple friends... getting together a plan for a future art date....

Then, a quick cup of wonderful tea and a yummy empanada at the Golden Crown Panendaria on 12th. http://www.goldencrown.biz/index.htm


Then off to the studio to do some work... Then dinner and discussions with like minded artist friends. Pretty much a perfect day.

Summer BBQ at the Factory on 5th



--------- photos by Elaine A. Russell, taken after the Factory on 5th -Summer BBQ

This past Saturday, there was an artist "meet and greet" as well as a fabulous Summer BBQ at the Factory on 5th. Lots of people arrived early in the afternoon and stayed long after sunset. Amongst the delicious brats, dogs, and even steak... potato salad, tabbouleh, chips.... fruit salad and desserts ( and of course, drinks of your own bringing )..... there was lots of conversation, laughter, enthusiasm, and stories............. Excitement about the resurgence of shows at the Factory. A Grand Re-opening !!! coming on July 24th.
More info to come...


getting charged up

photo by Elaine A. Russell



Getting charged up ....for a couple more shows --which is awesome. I am going to be participating in a photo show, and also the Grand Re-Opening of the Factory on 5th. Both shows are coming up in the next few weeks... so stay tuned for details.
On a side note...
I have finally caught up with most of my mixed media projects. This is very cool, because I'm kinda OCD, and now I can work on new projects without feeling guilty about old projects that I have never finished. It's just the way it is.
Also on a side note...
Today I went to eat at the Korean BBQ place on Central (http://www.koreanbbqhousenm.com/index.html). The only time I had sushi, and liked it... was when I was pregnant with my son (a lifetime ago) when we lived in Mississippi. I have been to several sushi restaurants since then... but never found any I really liked, until tonight. The sushi was fabulous. The wasabi was awesome. Even the iced tea was good. It was a little pricey ( dinner worked out to be $16 per person )... but it was really good.



what's it all mean



top photo and middle photo by Elaine A. Russell, bottom photo by Kristin Russell/ treatment by Elaine A. Russell

so what does it all mean. pop stars, icons, and ordinary people amongst us dying at alarming rates.. or so it seams.
trash magazines predicting the end of days... money troubles, world issues, hunger, joblessness, fatique, health problems, troubles and tribulations....
not that this is anything new. we have been having issues since we arrived in this world.
do you trust the culture of the day >> the scientific and knowledgeable minds that be ?
do you rely on tradition, religion, that which speaks to your soul...
do you sit on the bench of life and wonder... what is happening in this world.. can I effect a change... am I all that I can be in this world....
and then there are tensions that cause us to snap and argue with those we love. to inadvertently hurt one another. crisis and failure. ebb and flow. high and low tides.
what is the answer ... is there an answer... and some would say -- what was the bloody question ?
today is a flux of emotions. common sense tries to prevail. the heart speaks louder and louder.
be gentle and caring with one another.
do the best you can.
let go and release that which is left.


to bokeh or not to bokeh


........................ photos by Elaine A. Russell

I know. Sounds like Shakespeare. But it's not.
Bokeh is actually a term used a lot in photography clubs and such. Many photographers argue on what it actually is... and there has been great debate on it.

If you look at the Wiki article, it explains it fairly well.. but it can still be confusing. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bokeh
Or -- here is another article that is pretty interesting... http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/bokeh.htm
And here is an awesome FlickR group that is all about bokeh http://www.flickr.com/groups/bokehwhores/


If I am understanding the term correctly, bokeh is essentially the "fuzzy effect" or blur that you get in your photos... usually in the background.
Now. This is NOT to be confused with using a shallow depth of field to take close-up photos. Yes, the background may be blurry, but this is not automatically bokeh.
For me....bokeh is more of an emotional feeling that you get when you see the blur in the background. What response does it evoke ?
As examples, the first photo I would consider bokeh. The light is iridescent and sparkles with the "fuzzy effect" in the background of the twig of willow.
The second photo ( echinacea plant ) is cool... but it is really a close-up of the flower that emphasises a shallow depth of field, and not necessarily bokeh.
Let me know what you think .......

more about Art Days



photos by Elaine A. Russell

So -- more about "Art Days." Sometimes writer, artists, etc get a block... and need to work it out.
For the artist, it can be extremely stifling, and makes you feel like everything you've done.. you should burn... and such. Time to be an accountant... or whatever.
Then, common sense chimes in.. and you know that if you don't do art, you'll shrivel up and die.
So ... you try to fix things.
One way to do that is to make a pact with a fellow artist/ artists.. to do art days. This is where you go out and just sketch or photograph or whatever.. anything that interests you. No pressure. No... it has to be perfect. No.... can I use this to sell eventually. Just for you. Just for fun.
These photos were taken at a strip plaza on Menaul that has tons of really really cool metal sculptures. They are fantastic.

I am not a robot

-----------------------------------------photo by Elaine A. Russell
Some days you just go on auto-pilot.. .if you know what I mean. Personally, I have had too many of these lately -- so I am trying to break out of that routine.

Now, that said... I took some fab photos on a wonderful photo shoot of my daughter's bedroom. It's amazing how you can get inspired in a place that you see every single day.....