• Art,  Black and White,  Candid Portraits,  coffee shops,  Creativity,  Fujifilm X-T10,  lifestyles,  musings,  writing/reading

    It takes courage to be…

    A young man sketching at the coffee shop

    “Nature is an art which can’t be described or explained in words. This should be felt in your heart.”

    Discovered this young man pencil sketching at a local coffee shop and had to ask if I could take a few images while he drew. After he said yes I had him put his earbuds back in and continue with his craft. There is a slight blur in his hand that adds to the image for me and I thought the photo worked well when converted to black and white.

    As I walked away I thanked him and realized the courage it takes for me to ask strangers if I can take their photo. Somewhere within me is a false voice telling me they will say no. The truth is I seldom am told no. There are those who will say no and probably due to some history in their lives and that’s okay. But, nowadays many people are comfortable having a camera pointed in their direction. Just look at all the selfies.

    Later, after I loaded this photo onto my computer I had an awareness of the courage it takes to be an artist. But as I reflected on that thought it became obvious that it takes courage to believe in and use our artistic abilities, gifts, practice, hone them and then offer them to the world. He and I both practice our craft with courage no matter what those around us thought of us. And, this young man is a good artist! So much for my morning rambling. Have a super Awesome day!

  • architecture,  Cityscapes/Urban

    Dragons on Campus

    Dragons at the Behavioral Science Building
    Dragons at the Behavioral Science Building

    “Within the stillness of meditation we see the unreality of thought.”

    Jack Kornfield

    It’s 10 degrees right now with about an inch of powdery snow and more to come. I took this image last week on campus. I’m a supporter of graffiti that can easily be removed. 

  • Art,  Art/Design,  Woodcarving

    Woodcarving

    Two of my dads carvings.
    Two of my dads carvings.

    This is two of my dads carvings. The first one is two hearts connected at their base and carved from one piece of wood, Birdseye Maple. The carvings in the background are small elephants with intertwined trunks. This is my dads, creative outlet and a great form of therapy.

  • leaves,  Plants

    Brown Edges

    Fading Away
    Brown Edges 

    The brown color of this leaf’s edges was the key to drawing my attention to it. My first thought was a dead leaf that had fallen and was mixed in with the greener leaves. But as I looked closer I realized it was only the edges of the leaf that were discolored.  

    My inquisitive mind wanted to know why this was happening, so a Google search was made and the following was discovered. Most commonly brown leaf tips or brown edges on leaves are caused by stress. This can be due to the plant not getting enough water, too little natural water falling, the roots are constricted and unable to reach out for water or the soil does or can not hold onto the water. Even though the plant is in stress I find beauty in it. I also find it interesting only one leaf is affected. 

  • Art,  Avian,  Canada Goose

    Absence

    I have been absent from the internet for over a week as I finish working on some health issues. I’ve struggled with BPH for 20 years and things are now coming to a head. Spent an evening in ER last weekend and am now walking around with a catheter until RALSP surgery which I will have in two weeks from today. Hopefully this will improve the quality of my life.

    Life is always changing and I think these two images present nature creating new art each second. It never ends!

  • architecture,  Art,  Art/Design,  Cityscapes/Urban

    Art it Everywhere

    Mural in Loveland
    Mural in Loveland depicting Lake Loveland and the Devils Backbone Ridge

    Seeing, in the finest and broadest sense, means using your senses, your intellect, and your emotions. It means encountering your subject matter with your whole being. It means looking beyond the labels of things and discovering the remarkable world around you.

    Freeman Patterson