207:365:2011


Queen Anne's lace
is hardly prized but
neither is it idle, look how it
stands fiercely on its
thin stem, how it
nurtures its white budlets with the
gift of the sun, how it
makes for this world all the
loveliness it can.

--- Mary Oliver

206:365:2011


--- and today... some greenery from the front yard...



So much is going on right now... that I felt it appropriate to just step back and enjoy the green...

 
*photos by Elaine A. Russell

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"Nature never hurries. Atom by atom, little by little she achieves her work."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson


Nature has always been a huge inspiration for me.
As a child... I loved to wander around the forests by my house...
frequently coming in contact with her wild creatures and botanicals.
The desert certainly has it's own beauty... for beauty is everywhere...
 but I find I am longing more for the wet, wild, wooded lands of days gone by...
The quote above really spoke to me as well this am... as I felt rushed... as if I was behind on everything... on life itself... I must remember to take it easy... that it will all get done in it's own time...

*photos by Elaine A. Russell

203:365:2011



Anne Lamott is a well known writer ... and once made an analogy about artists, saying: " You can do brickwork as a laborer or as an artisan. The laborer works long days looking forward to it all being over. He sweats and toils. The artisan works even harder, because it's a labor of love. He also sweats and toils. He loses track of the hours and can't believe it's already time to pack up and go. Finally, when the job is done, there is a quality about the essence of the artisan's brickwork that is intangible, inspiring, warming, and full of pride. Now then, imagine if the brickwork was tragically damaged. The laborer would curse, while the artisan would cry."

Lots of people have talent... and in my opinion... everyone has the ability to be creative. That said... not everyone is an artist. We all have the potential to create art... but -- to me--- the true artist is one who is compelled... driven... forced (if you will) to do art as a labor of love for the craft.
 It is not something we do... it is who we are.

I know a woman who is very talented... and she makes fabulous paintings. However... she once told me that she goes for years without painting... especially if she doesn't have just the right brush... or a certain brand of paints. I'm not sure I understand how she can do that. For me... the art, for her then, is not a driving force of her being. Yes, she is talented. Yes, she can make wonderful art. Is she an artist? I don't think so. She doesn't have that drive that compels her to work on her art every single day...

Today I was thinking about all this... .and thought...
What drives you? What motivates you to create?
Put this energy into your art...


About the photos for today's post:
I love the rain.... and living here in the desert has really accentuated my love for rain even more. After months of no rain... it finally rained here ... and I couldn't be happier. A lot of photographers shy away from taking photos in the rain... and for me... it is just one more lovely thing to focus on...
That said... take precautions to protect your equipment ( or use disposable or cheaper equipment )...
and go have some fun!

*photos by Elaine A. Russell

201/202:365:2011


Hands on the wheel...

Yesterday the daughter and I road-tripped down to Los Cruces to get a friend for a visit before she heads out to California.
 It was hot. Stinkin' hot. Freakin' hot. Broilin' hot.
But we survived...

On the way home... we were blessed to come across a beautiful barn owl... who was hit and lying in the road. He had passed away... probably only moments before... and we were able to scoop up his body and bring it back to ABQ where his feathers and bones will be honored in the home of another friend.

As if on cue.... as we were placing his body in the jeep....
the heavens opened up and the rain came pouring down...
and it rained all night...



*photos by Elaine A. Russell

200:365:2011


In celebration of post #200... I am taking a little break.
I will resume my photography themed posts in a couple days... but in the meantime...
I am driving downstate to pick up a friend, and I will (no dount) take a photo or two along the way...

SO... out of the vault-- for today's post.... >>squeek<<< ...
come a couple seriously vintage photos...
...can you guess who?!
(yah... I was pretty cheeky... even then... )

199:365:2011


Life can be overwhelming... and it can sometimes lead us to a numbing of the senses.

I know from experience... that the more stressed out I am ... the less receptive I am to the world around me. I cease to feel the wind.... smell the flowers... taste the coffee.... all those things that I really need to do to bring life and breathe to my soul... and to my photography.

Even pain... as troublesome as it can be... can spur us on to greatness.
These past few days I have been deep in the muck of a Lupus flare. It is annoying, painful, tiresome... and yet... it forces me to slow down... and I must remind myself to take these as opportunities ... to soak in some of the beauty around me.
And so... here are some photos of the sky... something we see all the time... or do we?!

*photos by Elaine A. Russell

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Photography literally means "writing with light."

My family has a long history of being in love with the written word. We are all voracious readers, and my grandmother submitted stories to Ellery Queen Magazine back in the day. My dad wrote sermons, my mom used to write prose, my brother has been working on a sciFi novel for years, and my sister wrote her own graduation speech. I dabble in Haiku.

The goal of writing is to write just enough.
Enough to give a glimpse --- enough to keep the reader engaged.

Photography is like that. You need to show just enough to pique the interest of the viewer... and yet; still leave enough unsaid to the imagination. Where is this photo taken?  What is the subject doing... feeling... experiencing? What happened after the shutter was pressed... what was the rest of the story?

"If you want to take amazing photographs, take your cues from the art, the poetry, the lyrics that you enjoy."
---Chris Orwig

Make it resonate... and write it with light...

*photos by Elaine A. Russell

(the photos for today's post were taken on an artist date to Barnes and Noble. I love reading magazines... and Belle Armoire is one of my most favorites. I featured it in the photo at the top... because for me... it is a great inspiration... not only in my jewelry making, but also in my photography.
The bottom shot was taken in the cafe... while I was reading a short stack of stuff... and enjoying the atmosphere of the place...)

195/196:365:2011

*photo by Elaine A. Russell


Photography... it can be complex... and it can be really simple.

So many photographers get bogged down in the details... the gear... the rule of thirds... composition... lighting... shutter speed... aperture
... it can all be overwhelming.

So... what makes a good photograph?
For me... it boils down to this: How does the photograph make you  feel...
In my photography... I really try to get across to the viewer the emotion of what I am feeling as I take that photo... the sadness... the joy... the wonder of it all...

~~~
Ansel Adams was quoted as saying, "A good photograph is one that fully expresses how one feels."
One only has to look at some of Ansel's photographs... to see that he was very emotional about his subjects.
I love Ansel's work... and he has always been a huge inspiration to me.
You can read more about him here: Ansel Adams

One of my favorites of his; is this work (below)... to me...
it really speaks to letting the emotion flow through your work.

193/194:365:2011


"To photograph is to hold one's breath, when all faculties converge to capture fleeting reality. It's at that precise moment that mastering an image becomes a great physical and intellectual joy."
---Henry Cartier-Bresson


There is something very life affirming about the art of photography. It's inspiring. I find it interesting that inspiration comes from the root word "inspire"... which literally means... "to breathe in..."

When I take photographs... it is my goal to inspire someone...
 to allow them the opportunity to "breathe in" life as I saw it the moment I pressed the shutter...



About the photos for today's post: I had to go to Coronado Mall to get a pair of shoes. I hate shopping. Especially when I know I am going to have to spend a sizable amount of money (I get Birkenstock sandals about once every 10 yrs... and I was due). Anyway... After buying the shoes... and having my feet sigh in relief... I noticed that there was an art installation in the front hallway... and there before me were tons of paper butterflies floating about in the blue sunshine of the skylights...

*all photos by Elaine A. Russell

192:365:2011


Another small round of  laundry done... and a couple cool photos from the laundromat...

And in other news: It finally rained!!!



*photos by Elaine A. Russell

190/191:365:2011


It's been an interesting weekend...
I was hoping to buy a new washer/ dryer combo machine... and things just fell apart. Not sure why... but that's the way it goes sometimes.
In the meantime... laundry remains an issue.
However... the plants are all doing well in the front... and progress must be started in the back in the next week or so.... there are trees to trim... and ones to come down altogether. Fortunately, we have an awesome fire pit... and perhaps we will have a little celebratory bonfire in the back at some point.

We miss Buffy and Genghis... but know they are both in a better place. Sabrina seems to be coping OK... and is luxuriating in being the only dog in the house.

Anyway... so I was outside watering the plants early this am... when these gorgeous balloons floated overhead...
.....and here are the photos :)


*photos by Elaine A. Russell

189:365:2011


Today we managed to get 8 loads of laundry washed at the local laundromat...
 as my washing machine is dead...
Cost $20... and I brought it all home to dry...
Kinda pricey... but the place was clean... and nice... and had alot of photo opportunities...

PLUS!  We had a wonderful picnik... fried chicken, strawberries, salad stuff, crackers... cheese... awesome.



*photos by Elaine A. Russell

188:365:2011


One of the things I have been trying to do while cleaning out my studio space... is to find new homes for some of the stuff out there. I have (amongst the chaos)... a small ton of fabric... most of it given to me... that I am trying to go thru. Some of it goes back to the 1930's... but alot of it is fabric I just don't want to sew with... vintage shiny fabric... 80's stuff... polyester bits... eesh. It is a big job... with the stash filling about 20 huge plastic bins. Anyway... today I went thru a couple of them.

The other major stash out there in the studio is (obviously) art stuff. Projects I started and never finished... stuff I did finish but never sold... and endless supplies. And so today... I took Roxanne *the jeep* ... full of stuff to Savers... including 8 or so finished art pieces... which are shown below :)
Hopefully, someone will want them. (if you click on the bottom photo... you can see it larger)


*photos and artwork by Elaine A. Russell

186:365:2011


... blessings and thanks to some of the best puppies ever...
.we love you.

May your days now be filled with endless treats... fields of grass... and lots of squirrels to chase.
RIP Buffy and Genghis

185:365:2011


New moon... new energy... new beginnings.
But first... some endings...

~~~~~

*photos by Elaine A. Russell

183/184:365:2011


This has been a rough weekend.  A dear friend passed away... the appt has been made for the puppies final day... and now the washing machine died. Seems like so much is coming to a close these days.
On the plus side... my son has gotten a job! (a rare thing here in NM to be able to find one)... and I am very happy for him.
And so... we are concentrating on the positive... and tonight I made chicken brats for the puppies... and tomorrow is steak...
Now... if we can just convince our neighbors (subliminally) to NOT do any fireworks...


*photos by Elaine A. Russell

182:365:2011


More work finished... thanks to my friend and my family... (and a little help from me). I am so happy...
We even planted garden stuffs in the bright green bins...

181:365:2011


Today we had a spontaneous artist date... wandering about Nob Hill...
 and checking out such wonderful places such as Papers, Artisans, and Kelly's Pub.
And as an added bonus... we had a (very short) smattering of rain...





About the photos for today's post:
The top photo is of a street sign in the heart of downtown. It apparently isn't working...
and the stop/ walk icons were somehow mushed together... I love it.
The 2nd shot is from Artisans... just to show all the yumminess that all that paint can be...
And the last shot is from Papers... featuring some of the wonderful paper lanterns they have all over the ceiling there.

*all photos by Elaine A. Russell