Prairie Castle

We will be heading to Kansas soon, which sent me back to images I have created in the past. I have a slight obsession with grain elevators and silos, and fantasize about taking a road trip through the midwest and Canada to see some of the old historic relics that are still standing. Sometimes referred to as Prairie Castles, these huge structures are visible for miles over the flat prairie. The image above started as a working grain elevator operation in Kansas, but with multiple exposure and the magic of Photoshop, I have reimagined it.

Rainy Day on the Turnagain Arm

We have just returned from a trip to Alaska to visit our daughter’s beautiful family. Like on our first trip eight years ago, it rained most of the time. My husband and I love the views of the Turnagain Arm along the Seward highway, so did not let the rains stop us from driving on the beautiful stretch of highway between Anchorage and Girdwood. We stopped at Beluga Point and Bird Point as usual, but the rain started getting more intense and it became more and more difficult to get good photos and keep my camera dry. I ended up using the Slow Shutter app on my iPhone to capture a series of ICM images through the car window as we drove along. The raindrops on the window added interesting patterns, and I ended up being very happy with the resulting impressionistic images. This one is one of the least abstract and is one of my favorites.

Ashes of the Past

When we visited Kansas, we drove out to the tiny farming community where my husband’s father grew up and where my husband spent large chunks of his childhood. His grandparents had died forty years before, and we had heard that the town had fallen on hard times and was no longer the same. What we discovered as we drove by was that the family farmhouse had burned to the ground and all that was left was the detached garage. I was thinking about this recently and ended up creating this composite of the garage and a photo of my father-in-law as a young teenager- with the 1940 census layered over. Just a few years later my father-in-law was off to the Navy and World War II.

What’s Going On Here?

This is a shot taken from our patio to the upper level of our side yard. It’s not a great shot and it’s hard to figure out what is happening here. My version of the story is that the bunny was up there munching on grass- and along came the quail (there are two in the photo). The bunny froze in place as bunnies tend to do (if I don’t move, you can’t see me!). The bunny was immobile for as long as I watched, and the quail moved on. Backyard drama for us retired folks…

Fragments Exhibition

I realized that I have not yet posted a link to the Fragments Exhibition from Find Your Voice! Above is “That Morning”- the image they selected from the three I submitted. We were told that they would not be choosing our “best” or “strongest” image, but one that would fit with others in a grouping on the virtual walls.

I guarantee you will be blown away by this virtual show! Abstract or expressionist art tends to evoke reactions from the viewers- ranging from “I don’t get” it to “That’s beautiful” to “I would/wouldn’t hang that in my living room” to just pure admiration! There are so many that inspire me- I hope you feel the same!

Here is the link. After you enter, just click on arrows to move around and click on the art pieces to view more information. Enjoy!

https://assets.artplacer.com/virtual-exhibitions/?i=15829

Lazy Hazy Days

Our weeping willow branches created a natural hazy texture over the roses and leaves in the background as the branches swayed in the breeze in front of my camera. Ahhh, the lazy hazy days of summer. . .

For Love of Rust

Like many photographers, I love the old and decaying details I come across. Give me an alley, a rusty old truck, a weathered fence or a crumbling wall- I can be happy all day! I won’t go into how much I love barb wire. . .

Secret Chord

I’ve heard there was a secret chord
That David played, and it pleased the Lord

Alleyways are always wonderful sources of images for photographers! This one is a composite of two shots taken in a Petaluma alley- and then it became something else. Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah was going through my head as the final image came to light.