Archive for the ‘Inspiration’ Category
Always the Butterflies
Posted in Inspiration, Nature Notes, tagged butterflies, colors, Photography on December 14, 2009| Leave a Comment »
The Bedside Table
Posted in Inspiration, tagged Photography, red on December 13, 2009| Leave a Comment »
Images from my Winter Garden
Posted in Inspiration, Nature Notes, tagged bird cutouts, flowers, Photography, winter garden on December 13, 2009| Leave a Comment »
A Lake Placid (actually the Charles River)
Posted in Inspiration, Nature Notes, tagged blue, Charles River, Photography on December 8, 2009| Leave a Comment »
Serenity
Posted in Inspiration, Nature Notes, tagged leaves, Photography, poetry, serenity, water on December 3, 2009| 2 Comments »
God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.
— from Reinhold Niebuhr’s Serenity Prayer
Save the Date: Nave Gallery December Salon Opens Dec. 3
Posted in Guest Contributor, Inspiration, Photography Exhibits on November 30, 2009| 1 Comment »
On Thursday, December 3, The Nave Gallery opens its December Salon featuring the work of almost a hundred artists. Below you can read more information about the Salon, and get a sneak preview of my artwork on display, as well as sneak peeks at works by two excellent artists, Zoe Langosy and Stephen Horne.
One of Two Framed Photographic Prints by Cynthia Staples
Framed Photographic Print by Stephen Horne
Steve Horne is a scientist who works with light, and that interest is reflected in the photos he takes. Photography is in his blood. His father, Joseph Anthony Horne, was a photographer in the 1940’s for the Farm Security Adminstration- Office of War Information (alongside such esteemed photographers of the day including Dorothea Lange, Gordon Parks and Walker Evans).
Framed Original Artwork by Zoe Langosy
Zoe Langosy is a Somerville-based artist who does beautiful work with pen, ink and collage. If you look closely at many of her collages, you’ll notice that they are often made up of butterfly wings! The piece she has submitted for this exhibit is quite lovely. Her work has appeared in galleries nationwide.
More about the Salon: The Salon runs for 8 days over two weeks and provides a unique opportunity to add to or start your own art collection while supporting one of Somerville’s most innovative art spaces. Many dates will feature live music. The Salon is open December 3, 6-8 p.m.; December 4, 6-8 p.m.; December 5, 1-5 p.m.; December 6, 1-5 p.m.; December 10, 6-8 p.m.; December 11, 6-8 p.m.; December 12, 1-5 p.m.; December 13, 1-5 p.m. Free and open to the public. No wheelchair access. For more information, visit http://www.navegallery.org/nave/2009/salon.html
Aunt Thelma’s Christmas Cactus
Posted in Inspiration, Nature Notes, On the Road, tagged Christmas Cactus, colors, Photography, Red and White on November 30, 2009| Leave a Comment »
Speaking of Butterflies: Shay Youngblood’s Black Girl in Paris
Posted in Books I Love, Inspiration, tagged Black Girl in Paris, Shay Youngblood on November 25, 2009| 2 Comments »
Years ago, when I was at a different crossroads in my life, a colleague suggested I read a book by one of her former students. The book was Shay Youngblood’s A Black Girl in Paris. As the title suggests, it’s about a young American woman who packs her bags and moves to the City of Lights. I greatly enjoyed the book and even shared it with friends who then shared it with their friends. Not too long ago, I had the pleasure of meeting Ms. Youngblood. She spoke during an evening event about taking a break from writing, trying her hand at painting on large canvases, and creating small bookmarks. And, I was inspired and reminded that sometimes the only people pigeonholing us as “just a writer” or “just a painter” are ourselves.
Butterflies as Inspiration I
Posted in Inspiration, Nature Notes, tagged butterflies, color, ink, Photography, watercolor on November 24, 2009| Leave a Comment »
Butterflies have always been a part of my life. Quite a variety made their way through rural southern Virginia. My brothers and I found a little green pod once. We watched it grow transparent and out drip a wet-winged Monarch. White and gold butterflies were most common. Every now and then a blue butterfly would appear and that was an event that delighted everyone. Today living in the city I don’t see many butterflies at all unless they are on exhibit at local science or natural history museums. But whatever I experienced in my youth continues to inform my creative self to this day because I continue to draw upon these winged creatures for inspiration.
Lovely Color-Filled Language: Marianne Moore’s The Fish
Posted in Inspiration, tagged color, fish, Marianne Moore, nature, poetry, sunlight, water on November 24, 2009| Leave a Comment »
” the submerged shafts of the sun, split like spun glass,
move themselves with spotlight swiftness into the crevices
— in and out, illuminating the turquoise sea ”
Read the full poem, The Fish, and about the fascinating author, Marianne Moore, here:
Words + Images 
