Walk Into The Picture #7 - Bridal Wreath

Bridal Wreath, May 2017

Walk into the picture and enjoy all the delicacies of this floral arrangement.

I hope you treasure the fragile little bridal wreath stems.  They were trimmed today to make room for the peonies that were trying to grow below them in their shadow.  While I love the bridal wreath flowers I love the peonies more because they are so fragrant and colorful but have a short season.

Touch the tiny yellow buds and purple buds that are lovely accent colors that were picked specifically to add color to this floral arrangement.

Does that happen to you in your life?  Do you pick and choose and assemble things together so they'll be picture perfect, or at least a good fit?   Sit by this flower arrangement and remember a thing that has been sacrificed for a greater good.

Enjoy this moment of mindfulness.

Available for purchase at:

 https://fineartamerica.com/featured/walk-into-the-picture-7-bridal-wreath-wendy-blomseth.html

Winter Art 2016

Winter Still Life Art, 2016  #0898 

After photographing over 120 still life portraits and now installing them into Monthly Desk Calendars and Weekly Planners I came to the conclusion that I had never created a December winter still life that wasn't Christmasy.

So I gave myself the assignment to create one before December 23rd when the holiday entertaining would occupy most of my time.

What did I know about it?  It had to have blues and whites, include a flower arrangement placed in a white vase and had to be a colorful self portrait that had a winter feel.

Where to start?  While Karl was shopping for the Ugly Christmas Sweaters for everyone at consignment shops I accompanied him through the door but ventured off to the ceramics shelves  to see what I could find.  I didn't know exactly what I was looking for but I intuitively knew that I'd know it when I found it.  At the third store I found this beautiful white figurine of a young woman holding a bouquet of cascading flowers.  I picked it up and wondered if she was "the one."  I asked two of the sales associates if she could be a winter angel and they both agreed.  Thus, she was "the one" and would be the main character in this still life.

I envisioned a white ground cover that represented snow. When I found a large white infinity scarf at Target I thought it would serve two purposes: keep me warm when I wore it and create the illusion of snow cover in my still life.   Things were coming together.

When?  You wouldn't think that the ability to leave early on a Friday afternoon because of a huge snowstorm approaching would be interpreted as the sign to drive directly to the local flower store and buy a blue and white flower arrangement.  But it was. And I did.  The bonus was purchasing white ceramic figurines of bunnies and birds.  So now, it was really coming together in my mind and I knew I would start to work right after dinner.  However, as my mother always said, "clean up one mess before you start another." My desk top where I would have to shoot was a total mess so the first hour was devoted to that task as well as taking down the art on the designated wall that needed to be blank.  Once the wall was blank I had to choose a fabric backdrop from my current inventory. No time to go shop for a new one at 9:00 p.m.  After testing a couple of fabrics I chose one and then had to iron it.

Last steps between 11:00 -12:30 a.m. were to pull my newest books from the book shelf and find a colored liquor that worked with the cool palette.

I did half a dozen test shots with various layouts and then called it a night. At this point I was tired. Tomorrow I would make the best of whatever light came through the east window.

When will there be enough light on a very dark, cold December morning? That is a question for a gambling photographer who cannot predict when or if the sun is going to break through the clouds and how far south will be the angle of the sun if it does shine through.  It may never brighten up the table top and all my beautiful objects d'art ready to be photographed.

The answer is simply to photograph a variety of poses throughout the late morning and early afternoon and have some fun with it.  In fact, I even drove over to the local antique store and hit the jackpot by finding a couple of additional ceramic figurines, birds, to add to the menagerie.  That was a fun surprise.

Time, as always was of the essence for two reasons, the sun was going to move west and be totally out of the picture, literally, and we were entertaining friends for dinner.  I had some tasks that had to be completed so I couldn't play all day.

Not to brag but the result was about half a dozen fun combinations of winter angel, floral, sweets (beverage and cookies) and ceramic figurines.  All my new favorites. I chose this one to display here because it has the required elements of what encompasses my favorite still life portraits.

So this with image I can say Happy Winter!  Enjoy the cool colors and all that winter gifts to us.

Honoring the Change of the Season

Honoring the Change of the Season, #3113, 2016 

Gratitude Still Life

Gratitude Still Life  #9493

Dance With The Light

Dance With The Light, 2016 

When the prism light shines -

in that moment,

stop, smile and dance with the light

Magical moments can be the unexpected moments. You're on task to do something, like get ready for work.  Suddenly, you stop in your tracks. You see the angle of light shining through the crystal butterfly shaped prism dancing on the surrounding back wall.  

There's no "real" music playing. But you imagine that you can hear it and the light is dancing to the music.

Time stands still as you feel joy and happiness from that simple moment.

You didn't control it yourself. You didn't have to "work" it.  You simply were gifted with this magical moment that made you stop, smile and dance with the light.

Keep Something Beautiful In Your Mind

Keep Something Beautiful in Your Mind, Still Life #3789

John O'Donohue: "I love Pascal's phrase, that you should always "keep something beautiful in your mind." And I have often - like in times when it's been really difficult for me, if you can keep some kind of little contour that you can glimpse sideways at now and again, you can endure great bleakness."

I read this statement by Irish poet John O'Donohue an hour ago and it make me think of the experience I had recently while I visited a longtime girlfriend of mine. Debbie was my wild hippy friend, originally from Minnesota like me, but we were both living in San Francisco when we knew each other best (1975 - 1985). Passionate about life, love, family, friends and so much more. When she got into something she dove in 100%.

But today she's recovering from a stroke that occurred about two months ago. She is currently going through physical therapy to regain use of her, now paralyzed, left side.  I recently visited her in her private room at Walker Methodist Transitional Center.  She had finished dinner and was in bed watching TV.  We talked about her health and the music concert she'd gone to the previous weekend. She'd bought the tickets months ago long before the stroke and the six weeks in extensive care.  I told her I was so amazed that she and her daughter had rode over and back on a Metro Mobility Van. I saw the photo of them on Facebook with the #strokewontstopme,

While we chatted I enjoyed looking at all the photos and items of comfort packed in her room and especially on her dresser and window ledge.  Simultaneously, she asked for and was administered her evening medicine of pain pills and more.

Being who I am, and how I see things, I couldn't help but notice the beautiful orchid plant on display on her dresser near the window. It was hard to truly appreciate it because of all the other items around it. As the sun shone through the window and across the orchids I was prompted to move everything off the dresser top and onto the floor so that Debbie could appreciate this beautiful moment of sunlight on the flowers.  While lying in her bed, she helped give me directions on how I could compose the portrait so she could see the movement of light and shadows better.

It was only ten minutes or so of enjoying this beauhtiful scene before we lost the sun and everything fell in shadow. But it felt as though we both had shared the gift of beauty together and we both had seen and felt something precious before we had to go back to the reality of her stroke and the long recovery she has ahead of her.

The photos turned out so nice that I had them made into a set of greeting cards which I will hand deliver to Debbie on my next visit.

There are times I feel that my ability/need to see beauty and create photographs is trite. But other times, like on this day, it felt important and significant.


John O'Donohue quote above from:
August 6, 2015
ON BEING WITH KRISTA TIPPET
TRANSCRIPT FOR JOHN O'DONOHUE - THE INNER LANDSCAPE OF BEAUTY
https://www.onbeing.org/program/john-odonohue-the-inner-landscape-of-beauty/transcript/7801

Beer, Books and Buds

Beer, Books and Buds 

Roses in Light and Shadow

Roses in Light and Shadow 

Being With "Morning Poem," by Mary Oliver

I was just reading aloud the  Mary Oliver poem "Morning Poem" to my husband, Karl.  It made me realize that I misspoke recently when I said I didn't like this book as well as later books. In reality, I just had not taken the time to feel it, read it, appreciate it and "be with it." I believe there is a life lesson here that I get to think more about and be with longer.

7:20a.m. Morning, Birch Lake, Minnesota

Morning Poem

Every morning

the world

is created.

Under the orange

sticks of the sun

the heaped

ashes of the night

turn into leaves again

and fasten themselves to the high branches ---

and the ponds appear

like black cloth

on which are painted islands

of summer lilies.

If it is your nature

to be happy

you will swim away along the soft trails

for hours, your imagination

alighting everywhere.

And if your spirit

carries within it

the thorn

that is heavier than lead ---

if it's all you can do

to keep on trudging ---

there is still

somewhere deep within you

a beast shouting that the earth

is exactly what it wanted ---

each pond with its blazing lilies

is a prayer heard and answered

lavishly,

every morning,

whether or not

you have ever dared to be happy,

whether or not

you have ever dared to pray.

                      Mary Oliver

                      New and Selected Poems, Vol. One, 1992

Last Door Standing In the Wood

Red Door, October 10, 2014

Ahhh. The Red Door, how did I love thee let me count the ways.
Karl relocated the door from a friend's property in Trade River, Wisconsin fifteen years ago and installed it in the back woods at the cabin.

It has always been the doorway to the woods and countless friends have been photographed with their hand on the door knob with the question always "Are you going in the forest or out of the forest?"

It has suffered through the hottest summer days, strongest winds and deepest snow storms.

Two days after it received a fresh coat of red paint it fell over for the last time.
The impact of the heavy, wet wood pushed it apart at all the seams.
I loved it.

Next spring when I look out to that spot I'll imagine it still there.
I'll remember all the friends who have put their hand on the door knob and walked on.

Cat In The Light

Cat in the Light, Sept. 2014

Still life, Cat in the Light was not intentional. Not planned. But simply a few elements that came together on a bright, well lit Sunday morning in late September.

Not a high brow, well thought out fine art composition.  The light makes it, truly. Nothing else is really important but I'm thankful for every little bit of fall color that is evident.

Fruits and vegetables still life

Fruit and Vegetable Still Life

While husband Karl was cooking a delicious Egg Drop Soup in the kitchen,
I was working in the dining room.  I painted the backdrop canvas and then borrowed some food from
his kitchen so I could create ...

Still Life with fresh fruits and vegetables.

Makes me hungry looking at it.

Red Roses for the Holidays (Light and Shadow series #5098)

                Red Roses for the Holidays, #5098

A Collection of Ceramics

Cooking with Carrots - Color

Glasses in the Afternoon Light, 2013

Ceramic Vessels on Gold, 2013

Oil and Vinegar, 2013

Oil and Vinegar

Don't usually do "product placements" but I had a really good experience at a local store called Vinaigrette MN.  I came in with a bottle of Olive Oil from Palestine that was a gift from our friend Dale Stuepfert.
The friendly staff and owner tasted the sample and helped me find the olive oil that had the most similar quality and taste.

In fact we even went on to do additional "fun" tastings that included the most delicious combination of Orange Oil Olive and Fig Vinegar.  yummy yummy.  I recommend it, if you haven't tried it before.

Tulips for Valentine's Day

Tulips for Valentine's Day

Visual Poetics, 2013

Visual Poetics

"How do I love thee, let me count the ways"

As I was photographing this arrangement I was thinking of two totally different things:

*My niece, Kristi, who LOVES tulips might enjoy this image reproduced for herself.

*"Sabbath" a favorite book of poems by author Wendell Berry.  His book centers around his poetic meditations on the Sabbath day from the perspective of his landscape, farm, crops, people and weather.

Many of my favorite floral portrait sessions are created on a Sunday, which was the Sabbath day in my family of origin.  I'd like to think that they are my visual poetics on the Sabbath.

My floral portraits are not random snap shots since I do work hard at creating the best possible image with lighting, equipment and the arrangement of the piece.  To me they symbolize a specific person, place, holiday etc and are more than what simply meets the eye.