Mother MOMA

The industrial age is ending, and a new one is beginning. It produces art instead of stuff and it rewards gracefulness.

…the future belongs to the breathtaking.~ Seth Godin

Yesterday I felt like I was entering Mother Natures Modern Museum. There were literally thousands of spider webs floating in my fog filled yard. It was such a beautiful installation that appeared overnight thanks to the fog and dew. These magical conditions revealed hundreds and hundreds of intricate sculptures draped on branches, wrapped around weeds, and tucked into trees. It was heavenly.

This section of the back yard had web shapes that reminded me of modern artists like Frank Gehry, his buildings mesmerize. The intricate detailed construction also reminded me of dutch artist Theo Jansen, have you seen his kinetic sculptures?

Now I need to decide if I spend time sorting another collection or do I go outside in the beautiful weather. It’s such a fun time of year to hike with my dog & my camera, he’s busy sniffing out the new critters, while I’m busy finding so many tiny treasures dancing in the sunlight asking to have their photo taken.

Create a Poem

Art is the most intense mode of individualism that the world has known.~ Oscar Wilde

It’s time to curl up on the on the couch and create-a-poem. Using the visual inspiration from the photos above – CREATE a poem.

• It could be a combination of one word captions inspired by each photo.
• Each line of the poem could be a phrase created by each photo.
• It could be any form of poetry or word play you choose, inspired by the photos.

I came up with this idea on a whim and it has become one of my favorite practices. I’m looking forward to reading a photo-poem by you in the comments.

All artwork, photography, and text in this website copyright © 2011-2012 Christine Young Contact 

2012

We will open the book.  Its pages are blank.  We are going to put words on them ourselves.  The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year’s Day.  ~Edith Lovejoy Pierce

I’m excited for 2012, I feel like it’s going to be a year filled with dynamic change. I love the surge of energy I get from a fresh new start. This morning I took a blank canvas and made this fun little painting to celebrate the new year.

Now, I’m sitting at the computer narrowing down my top 10 photos of 2011. I loved all the comments on my top 15 ~ Thank you. My husband rated each photo from 1- 10, he gave my backwards bumble bee bokeh shot a 4. I almost could not sleep because of that low rating! I love that photo, perhaps more because of the experience shooting it than the quality of the shot. I was inside a canopy of blooming peppercorn trees. There were thousands of bees pollinating, the hum of the wings was like a symphony. It was amazing to watch them work. I’ll never forget it. His problem with the photo is the focus and when he explained his confusion on where to look, I could see why he did not like it, so I dropped that one.

On to the next elimination… I let go of the caterpillar, the lighting that day was not ideal. I dropped the scrub jay, when I think about all of my bird photos, I think I like others better…the baby blue jay, the snow on the beak of this finch, or the way  this junco was looking back at me. Finally, I decided to drop my landscape shot & my street shot. These styles of photography intrigue me but I’m happiest when taking photos of natures intimate details, and I think sometimes that joy can be felt in the images.

Here are two collages of my top 10 final choices –

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To answer a few questions…

Why did I create a top 10?

I love looking at and reading others year-end lists and reviews. I wanted to take the time to look at my photos and judge them individually. I’m amazed at what I have learned in this long process, it was so worth it.

Do I use Photoshop?

No ( not yet ) most of my photos are SOOC ( straight out of camera, except cropping ) sometimes I tweak the exposure or shadows inside iphoto. I look forward to actually learning and using Photoshop someday. Right now, I’m focusing my energy on learning all the ways to use my camera before I learn an editing program.

Did you do any type of year end review of 2011? If not, I highly recommend it. It may take some time, but I guarantee it will be worth it.

Top 10 ?

Little by little one walks far. ~ Peruvian Proverb

I started my blog about a year and a half ago with the thought of sharing creative inspiration. I imagined I’d share some of my mixed media artwork, DIY, and interior design ideas, which I have here and there. But, I’m amazed at the direction I headed after realizing how much I enjoyed taking photos with the camera my husband gave me for my birthday, a Nikon Coolpix P100. Since then, it’s been such a pleasure to experiment with telling visual stories. I seem to feel most at home when I blend my photography & thoughts in hopes of evoking something new in me or you. I’m deeply grateful for your interest and interaction. Thank YOU for the kindness and encouragement.

I’ve decided to end the year by attempting to choose my top 10 photos of 2011.  Ingo Mechmann inspired me to do this, he is a photographer who offers great how to tips on G+. His task is to select a top 10 out of 26K! Having seen some of his portfolio, it surprises me what he chose as his ‘best’ work. I think our audience often differs, and might even be a better judge of what our best work is? With that in mind, I’ve decided to cheat a little and ask for your help if you’re up for it.

Which of these images move you?

Which of these images reminds you of me?

Which of these images would you want to look at for a long time?

May 13, 2011

July 26, 2011

August 14, 2011

September 20, 2011

October 22, 2011

I’m emotionally attached to many of the shots I’ve taken over the year, it’s tougher than I thought to choose what I think are my best shots. I feel strong about these top 5 images above, but the second 5 I’ve yet to narrow down out of these 10 below?

January 27, 2011

June 24, 2011

June 26. 2011

Also July 26. 2011

August 7, 2011

October 7, 2011

October 12, 2011

November 10, 2011

November 20, 2011

December 4, 2011

I think it’s so interesting that we can’t see our own work the way others do. I am so emotionally attached and there are so many variables… the subject, the mood ( mine and sometimes the subjects mood ) the memory of the experience when and where I took the photo, the story I folded the image into, the title I gave the image, etc. All of these things affect my opinion of my artwork. Today I’m just trying to sort a top 10 on the merits of the individual photo?

It just crossed my mind that it’s not fair to have you narrow down only from my top 15, perhaps you feel other images I took in 2011 should fit into the top 10? And perhaps you think some of the above don’t deserve to be in the top 10. Either way, I’d love to know, it’s fun to hear your thoughts.

One of my favorite photos from 2011 did not end up in this exercise. As I reviewed my portfolio, there are many shots that have a soft focus, I seem to like a dreamy otherworldly view of things, but I don’t think many of them are my ‘best’ shots. I still love them but they don’t rank as high in my weird wonderful way of judging myself?? It’s all arbitrary and yet I’m dying to know what you think?

Happy Holidays

A lovely thing about Christmas is that it’s compulsory, like a thunderstorm, and we all go through it together. ~ Garrison Keillor

Happy Holidays to you & yours ♥

Your Turn

The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience. ~ Eleanor Roosevelt

I am so excited to see what you come up with, even if just one person creates a photo poem in the comments, I will be so happy!

(If you’re lost read this post first )

As you look at each photo, jot down a caption, anything that comes to mind. Combine them in the comment section and see if you like how your poem comes out. It does not need to make sense, check out mine here & here, I don’t know if they make sense but they make me smile.

I know you have some words in your head, now please… pretty please ~ share your poem.

Photo Poem

The primary benefit of practicing any art, whether well or badly, is that it enables one’s soul to grow. ~ Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.

Let's Go

Let Go

Bumps

Burst

Blur

Dangle Blotch

Crisscross Crop

Quiet Reflection

Content

let’s go

let go

bumps, burst, blur

dangle blotch

crisscross crop

quiet reflection

content

I don’t know much about writing poems but I do enjoy playing with words and decided to call this process ‘Photo Poems’ It’s fun to add a caption to a shot and sometimes when I’m adding a bunch of titles at one sitting, one influences the other. Humor me and give it a try; my next post is a selection of photos with no captions, I’d love to see what you come up with for a ‘photo poem’. I’ll post my take in the following post.

Linking with

The Creative Exchange

Art Supplies & Shelves

I’m so excited ~~~ This is a ‘supply sculpture’ I just put together in my new studio space. I use these cookie cutters I’ve collected over the years for painting and batiking projects. When I took them out of a packing box and tossed them on the table, my eye caught the light bouncing off the metal sides and I just knew I needed to find a place to see that everyday. My husband helped me fuss around with these metal shelves and we eventually found just the right placement. I love playing around and finding interesting ways to display my stuff and boy do I have a lot of art stuff.

I’ve been buried in boxes and house painting projects for so long, it’s such a relief to finally be unpacking and sorting some of my favorite things. I can’t wait to be painting an actual painting, just looking at all my raw materials lights me up inside. I don’t think of myself as having an addictive personality, I seem to find moderation in many of my lifestyle choices. Yet when it comes to art supplies…I’m completely hooked on the stuff.

(click on the photos above to see a larger version)

These shelves we’re too dirty to put in my freshly painted studio space, so I thought a quick coat of white paint would clean them up. Three coats later they are finally ready. It is taking much longer than I ever imagined to set up my new studio. I was frustrated about this for days! Yesterday it finally dawned on me that I actually have the space and the time to sort till my heart’s content, so rather than rushing the process, I am soaking up the opportunity and have settled into a slow rhythm of contemplation and clutter clearing as I design my new playground.

P.S. I’m just amazed at how inspiring a photo of art supplies can be. This photo I took months ago of gooey oil pastels gives me a zing of energy every time I look at it. I think about having so much fun using what I see in front of me. I am instantly transported to a that zen like space I fall into when I choose to create with my hands.

What inspires your creative process?