Posted in Branches, Inspiration, Nature Notes, tagged art, colors, fun, Inspiration, musings, nature, nature photography, painting, random thoughts, watercolor on February 3, 2013| 4 Comments »
Stormy Weather by Cynthia Staples
I’ve always enjoyed putting brush to paper, but I’ve never been especially disciplined about learning the right ways to do so. But the older I grow the more I realize it is more important to just put the brush to the paper and stop worrying about the right way. Van Gogh I will never be, but I don’t need to be Van Gogh to have fun with paint or to produce an image that might make someone’s day a bit brighter. Random thoughts on a quiet Sunday. 😉
Posted in Inspiration, tagged art, beauty, collaboration, colors, friendship, image essay, Inspiration, musings, painting, poetry, Talking Writing, travel, writers on December 12, 2012| 1 Comment »
Are the holidays especially hectic for you too? If so, I highly recommend you steal away to a quiet corner and read this image essay by poet and artist Donald Langosy. A treat for the eyes and soul, I’d say. 😉 http://talkingwriting.com/image-essay-donald-langosy/
“The Metaphysician and Monsignor” © Donald Langosy
Posted in Branches, Inspiration, Nature Notes, On the Road, tagged beauty, colors, Inspiration, landscape, leaves, light, Middlesex Fells, musings, nature, nature photography, trees, water on November 5, 2012| 8 Comments »
drifting down
covering the mostly naked branches of trees in the Middlesex Fells
mostly naked I say because up high leaves still bathed in the fading light
until even that light disappeared and all that remained was a transient glimmer of gold in the air
and a dusting of dark rose upon the land
Posted in Inspiration, Nature Notes, tagged beauty, butterflies, colors, digital photography, insects, Inspiration, light, monotype, musings, nature on November 4, 2012| 2 Comments »
Posted in Inspiration, Nature Notes, tagged colors, Inspiration, musings, nature, Photography, shells, travels, walks on September 26, 2012| 1 Comment »
Part of the genesis of the story referenced in the previous post, about The Long Walk, was an accidental 26 mile walk I took a few months ago. Now, people keep asking me, “How do you accidentally walk a marathon?” Well, let me tell you, it is possible, if you keep wondering what’s around the bend.
Posted in Inspiration, tagged compassion, earrings, Inspiration, light, mental illness, musings, Photography on September 17, 2012| 1 Comment »
I have this pair of earrings that sit on the windowsill. They are broken but their beauty is such that I cannot make myself throw them away. When I get into a cleaning mood, when I just want to create some space, I almost reach for them. But then the light … yes, always the light … will strike the pieces revealing a uniqueness that once tossed I will never find again. That is the thought that came to mind this morning as I found this image on my camera. I often have trouble labeling a photo but instantly the words “broken light” appeared in my head. And those two words brought to mind an inspiring blog, Broken Light: A Photography Collective. The site presents the powerful words and images of those living with, or affected, by mental illness. If you have not had a chance to view Broken Light, I highly recommend a visit. 😉
Posted in Inspiration, Nature Notes, tagged colors, family, flowers, garden, Inspiration, morning glory, musings, nature, Photography on August 26, 2012| 4 Comments »
I’ve been admiring the morning glories in my landlord’s garden for a while now. Amazing how those vines progress across the yard and how the colors of the flowers morph over time.
Not sure why but today I felt compelled to slip into the garden with a pair of scissors.
Stealthy though I felt, the landlord doesn’t mind anyone cutting a bloom or two.
I may have cut a few more than that.
Handling the blooms, photographing them … it was a nice way to start the day. Hope you have a good day too. 😉
Posted in Inspiration, Nature Notes, tagged colors, Inspiration, musings, nature, Photography, stone on August 20, 2012| 1 Comment »
I don’t think that I would describe myself as a collector but in the past year or two, I do seem to have … collected … quite a few stones. Each has a different shape or thread of color. I can’t remember where I picked them up. I don’t expect to keep them forever. I like to give such things to little friends of the four to five-year old variety. Maybe one day they too will photograph their stony treasures.
Posted in Inspiration, tagged blue, colors, Inspiration, musings, Photography on August 12, 2012| 4 Comments »
I once wrote a short story that had so many different shades of blue sprinkled throughout that an editor wrote to ask, “Cynthia, do you think you can insert one more shade of blue?”
Now, she may have been kidding, but I can be slow about things like that. So I went online to a site (probably Pantone) and after careful consideration decided that the sea in my story would be cerulean. She accepted it.
Growing up in the foothills of Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains, it is hard not to love blue. Plenty of blues in New England of course but …
… I look forward to visiting the mountains of my childhood, and seeing if I can capture with my camera the beauty I remember in my dreams. You know I’ll be sure to share. 😉
Posted in Inspiration, tagged immigration, Martin Luther King Jr, musings, Photography on July 11, 2012| 2 Comments »
I received an unexpected gift today. A package from a family member who has been dealing with great tragedy. Yet she’d taken the time to send me something out of the blue. On the back of the package she had written that she had found the enclosed item in her father’s effects and thought that I might like it. I opened the package to discover a magazine celebrating African American history. The words quoted on the cover struck me, and made me want to share (and pair) with an image I took of a dusty toy. Old words but still quite fitting in these times. Have a good day, folks.
“We may have all come in different ships but we’re in the same boat now.” Martin Luther King, Jr.
