Posted in Inspiration, Nature Notes, tagged abstract, beach, bioluminescence, cave walls, imagination, light, nature, outdoors, paper bag, Photography, prose, stones on April 15, 2013| 7 Comments »
… flooded with light that brands the walls a golden cream.
It reminded me of squeezing through a dark mountain passage and stumbling upon a room lit by bioluminescent growth upon the walls. But in fact there were no walls at all.
In my hand I held a paper bag full of stones collected from a neighboring beach. The stones I had intended to photograph, but somehow, the “walls” of that bag seemed far more fascinating.
I am sure the stones will have their day.
Posted in Branches, Inspiration, Nature Notes, tagged blackbirds, Inspiration, landscape, National Poetry Month, nature, photo, Photography, poetry, silhouette, Wallace Stevens on April 9, 2013| 8 Comments »
black bird in rose branches
When I originally took this photo, I did not even see the blackbird. I was solely focused on the leaves. Only later did I notice the lovely silhouette with its little luminous eye. I suppose that he saw me. Poet Wallace Stevens thought there were Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird. Just click on the link to read his words. And I hope you’re enjoying National Poetry Month. 😉
Posted in Inspiration, Nature Notes, Photography Exhibits, tagged art exhibits, Artists' Group of Charlestown, Charles River Esplanade, colors, ice, landscape, nature, Photography, reflections, Somerville Open Studios, water on April 7, 2013| 4 Comments »
Water is the common theme, with all its simplicity of form and complex properties. Unseen trees reflected in the still waters of recent rains along the Charles River Esplanade.
Light bouncing around the ice enhancing the vibrant colors of rocks held tight on a Woburn road.
The two pictures were taken years apart but will both be on exhibit this April at different events. If you’re in the neighborhood, I hope you’ll stop by to see the work of all the artists on show.
Reflections will be on display at the Artists’ Group of Charlestown 9th Annual Spring Show. Opening Reception is this Friday, April 12th, from 6:00-9:00 pm. Read more here: http://www.artistsgroupofcharlestown.com/
Icecapade will be on display at the Somerville Open Studios Volunteer Show, part of the 15th Annual Somerville Open Studios. The Volunteer Show will be held at the Bloc 11 restaurant in the heart of Union Square. Opening Reception is this Wednesday, April 10th, from 6:30-8:00 pm. Read more here: http://www.somervilleopenstudios.org/visit/
Posted in Inspiration, Nature Notes, tagged colors, creativity, flowers, Inspiration, light, nature, petals, Photography, plants, tulips on April 4, 2013| 5 Comments »
Posted in Inspiration, Nature Notes, tagged arts, colors, flowers, Georgia O'Keeffe, Imogen Cunningham, influences, Inspiration, light, nature, Photography, plants, tulips on April 3, 2013| 7 Comments »
… pink and glowing with sunlight, of course. A long-stemmed bouquet sitting in a vase not far from my desk. I yearned to photograph them but hesitated. The camera enables and empowers me to procrastinate wonderfully when I should be completing writing projects. But the light grew so intense in those petals that I did rise with camera in-hand and began to snap photos. But as you can tell from this post, it was not the petals that held my attention, it was the stems and leaves, their lines and curves and those beautiful shadows.
As I viewed the images, I could not help but see the many influences continually shaping the creative me. From Imogen Cunningham and Georgia O’Keeffee to the many wonderful photographers and other artists whose blogs I follow on wordpress and via other venues. Thank you for the beauty — and lessons learned — you choose to share.
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged autumn, colors, Inspiration, landscape, nature, New England, photo book, Photography, seasons on March 30, 2013| 4 Comments »
I have a young friend who visits each week. And each week I ask her, “What is your favorite color this week?” When she recently said, “Orange!,” well that was all the impetus I needed to pull together some autumn colors. You can view the book by clicking on the image above. And if you’d like to hold the book in your hands, don’t forget, you can get $10 off your purchase of this book, or Summer Colors, using the code SHARE10 at checkout (through March 21st).
Posted in Inspiration, Nature Notes, tagged bamboo, Inspiration, light, nature, Photography, plants on March 28, 2013| 4 Comments »
This bamboo stalk sits in an old fashioned glass milk bottle in the kitchen. It has done so for years after an impromptu pickup in the plant aisle at my local grocery store. Every now and then I change the bottle’s water, always experiencing a twinge of guilt because I feel like I should have found it a better container by now. I’ve photographed its lengthening roots and widening leaves and considered posting them on this blog but the right rooty or leafy image has yet to jump out. I’ve been focusing on the parts so much that I think there are times when I forget to see the whole structure. Luckily, I am reminded.
Posted in Branches, Inspiration, Nature Notes, tagged Back Bay, blue, Boston, Branches, colors, Huntington Ave, Inspiration, nature, nature photography, Photography, sky on March 27, 2013| 2 Comments »
Posted in Guest Contributor, Inspiration, tagged Boston, charity, culture, homeless, life, nature, poems, poetry, poverty, prose, Spare Change News, street life on March 26, 2013| 1 Comment »
Boston Public Garden Street Light
When I first read Lin Nulman’s haiku, I told her that her words made me want to paint, to capture the vivid impressions she conveyed of Boston. I have yet to pick up a brush but I did think of her words when I rediscovered this photograph. Her work appears in this week’s issue of Spare Change News, the longest continuously running street paper in the U.S. Over 100 vendors, many of whom are currently or formerly homeless, purchase the papers from a distribution office for .25 and sell them on the streets of Boston, Cambridge and Somerville for $1.00. If you’re in the neighborhood consider purchasing a copy, or making an online donation. The writing is excellent and the stories not often told. Meanwhile, I hope you enjoy Lin’s words below.
Sights of the City Haiku
Boston winter night—
streetlight caught in the glass rim
of a sun-catcher.
Dark birds float to a
bare tree. Underneath pages
of newspaper blow.
A young man reads poems
by Lorca on the train, lips
moving, body still.
Sky of milk and slate—
the sails below are whiter,
the river bluer.
Vs of geese fly east
across a violet sky, haze
above the wet earth.
My pages ruffle,
and the willow grows pale leaves.
They also ruffle.
T-shirt heat. Black-haired
boy’s block-print tattoo fills his
forearm: FORGIVEN.
Early autumn day.
Bronze beads pepper a bench from
a broken earring.
Blue sidewalk. Lights of
table candles tremble their
small constellation.
Lin A. Nulman is an Adjunct Professor of English at Bunker Hill Community College. Her poetry has appeared in Black Water Review, Tanka Splendor, and the anthology Regrets Only: Contemporary Poets on the Theme of Regret, among others.
Posted in Branches, Inspiration, Nature Notes, tagged Anne Frank, faith, Inspiration, nature, nature photography, outside, Photography, quotes, reflections, self-portrait, solace, spirituality, trees, water on March 26, 2013| 9 Comments »
“The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quite alone with the heavens, nature and God. Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be and that God wishes to see people happy, amidst the simple beauty of Nature. As longs as this exists, and it certainly always will, I know that then there will always be comfort for every sorrow, whatever the circumstances … nature brings solace for every trouble.” — Anne Frank, The Diary of a Young Girl
Words + Images 