Though I had to cancel a major trip, given the stories emerging about the impact of this most recent storm on the east coast, I certainly have nothing to complain about. Especially not when I can walk by the river and see these sights.
Archive for the ‘Inspiration’ Category
Snowbound Beauty
Posted in Branches, Inspiration, Nature Notes, tagged Charles River, ice, landscape, Photography, snow, winter on December 29, 2010| Leave a Comment »
High Notes!
Posted in Guest Contributor, Inspiration, tagged jingle bells, music, Photography, seasonal images, visual arts on December 28, 2010| Leave a Comment »
I’ve decided to end the year on a high note by sharing the words and images of others, as well as my own. First up, a new rendition of Jingle Bells. Yes, Christimas has passed but as I look out at the remnants of the Blizzard of 2010, I’m still feeling rather jolly and in the holiday spirit.
If I uploaded the song correctly (you know me and technology), then simply click on the above link. Lead singers are Arianna and Sana with Natasha, Mark and Nicki in the background. Sana, I am pleased to share, is my young cousin, a talented young woman with a beautiful voice and an artist’s eye. Below is a self-portrait she painted in high school. Enjoy and have a good day!
Winter by the River
Posted in Branches, Inspiration, Nature Notes, tagged Boston, Branches, Charles River, grasses, light, nature, Photography, trees, visual art, winter on December 22, 2010| Leave a Comment »
As I walked along the Charles River yesterday, I found myself transfixed by the winter grasses and the bared branches of the trees. In the winter light, they became surreal.
Today, as I write this post, a gentle snow falls in the city. I’ll be curious to see what the river looks like tomorrow!
Emily’s Owl
Posted in Inspiration, Nature Notes, tagged owl, Photography, stone animals, visual art on December 22, 2010| 1 Comment »
For my friend Melissa I photograph frogs. For Anulfo, I am trying to track down calla lilies. And for Emily, I keep my eyes open for owls, like this little stone fella.
In the Shadows
Posted in Inspiration, Nature Notes, tagged birds, Charles River, nature, Photography, silhouette, visual art on December 15, 2010| Leave a Comment »
A Bird Came Down
Posted in Inspiration, Nature Notes, tagged animal totems, nature, Photography, red-tailed hawk, urban wildlife on December 14, 2010| Leave a Comment »
A Bird came down the walk —
He did not know I saw —
He bit an Angleworm in halves
And ate the fellow, raw, …
In her poem, A Bird came down the walk, Emily Dickinson doesn’t mention what species of bird she saw devouring its wee prey, but I know the bird I saw engaged in a similar act this past Sunday.
I saw him as I talked on the phone with a friend. I pace as I talk and so I wandered from window to window on the 2nd floor of the house in which I live. At some point I paused to look out into the morning as people raced by with umbrellas for the coming rains. I was about to turn away, to resume my pacing. I almost didn’t look up. How close I came to missing the hawk atop the light pole, plucking at its prey. As he ate, the people below remained unaware of his presence and seemingly never noticed the few bits of fur and bone at their feet. The bird noticed them and he noticed me, cocking his head to stare, until he finally finished his meal. An unbelievable gaze to be sure. I’ve got some video footage that I may be able to share at some point, but meanwhile, here’s the gaze of another feathered fellow. He stared me down one day along the Charles River Esplanade.
Do you believe in animal totems? Well, the hawk would certainly be one of mine!
Color Alterations
Posted in Branches, Inspiration, Nature Notes, tagged color, Photography, reflections, trees, visual art, water on December 13, 2010| 1 Comment »
A very gray day here in the Boston area. Makes it easy to spend time creating these colorful prints. Not sure of their final presentation. Maybe print them out on watercolor paper and place in a dark wood frame? Perhaps print on silk and create a scarf or a wall hanging? All of the images are of branches reflected in water.
Violet Monday
Posted in Inspiration, tagged african violet, digital, flower, Photography, reflections, sepia, violet liqueur on December 13, 2010| 1 Comment »
Looking for a quick Monday morning photography project, my eyes settled upon a bottle of violet liqueur. I decided to photograph a bit of the purplish liquid in a small clear glass.
The sun came out as I was setting up the shot, and suddenly reflected in the surface of the liqueur were the leaves of herbs and other plants nearby, including an African Violet. I plucked a blossom and photographed violet upon violet.
Then I decided to try my hand at changing some of the digital features.
I’ve yet to finish reviewing and processing many of the images, but so far I think the sepia ones have turned out best. 😉
An Alien Encounter This Morning
Posted in Inspiration, tagged image manipulation, moths, Photography, the Little Prince on December 9, 2010| 3 Comments »
I used to write a lot of fantasy short stories. This fellow, whose acquaintance I made this morning, certainly inspires me to try my hand again at the genre. He reminds me of a winged Little Prince staring off into the depths of space, dreaming of home. But that’s the romantic in me.
In fact, my alien prince is a petite moth who settled upon a warm window that, unfortunately for it, grew cold in the night.
By morning when I saw it, it rested in the melting condensation.
A few photos and then with the most minimal image manipulation, my buggy friend became an errant prince embarking into the unknown.
Light Conversations
Posted in Inspiration, Nature Notes, tagged art, conversation, light, rainbows, science on December 7, 2010| 2 Comments »
One night, feeling restless, I went for a walk. Along a quiet stretch of road I found a bench where I sat for a while, head bowed with thoughts. Finally, I looked up into the night sky and that is where I beheld something I’d never seen before — the full moon surrounded by a rainbow.
Soft rich reds and blues framed a large golden orb. My spirit lifted at such an unexpected sight. I wanted to share the experience so I whipped out my very first cell phone and called a new friend in my life, Steve. It was late. I certainly woke him up but he was polite and simply said, “Hello. Is something wrong?”
I replied, “No, not at all. There’s a rainbow around the moon.” I described the cool lunar light, the rich colors saturating the clouds, the magical picture painted against the sky. “How wonderful is that?”
I expected him to be as awed as I, and perhaps he was, but Steve as I was still learning at the time is a scientist who studies light. There was no exclamation of awe. He made a thoughtful “hmmmm” sound and then proceeded to explain the mechanics behind the rainbow’s appearance using clear, straightforward textbook language about angles and wavelengths and light distribution. Finally, as he grew aware of the sounds I was making, he asked, “Why are you laughing?”
“Well,” I said, “All I was trying to convey to you was the beauty of a rare sight.” With perplexity quite clear in his tone, he replied, “But so was I.”
