A Great Find

Sometimes I just set out in search of interesting yet unusual or unexpected items to photograph.  It's always fun to see what those trips yield since there are no pre-determined outcomes and the pressure's off.  So, that explains this image -- a visit to the farm where the grain bins sat like big magnets calling the camera to their delightful elements of design, including shape, texture, balance and pattern and properties of color such as hue and intensity.  What a wonderul find ....so close to home.   

"All things must come to the soul from its roots, from where it is planted."

                                                                                                                   --St. Teresa of Avila

Back in a Garden

In the last post I mentioned that, despite the snow-covered terrain outside our door, my focus is on something that brings me more joy.  Continuing with the year 2020 as a time for clarity, this image also features things I adore -- flowers and summer.  May you also find what warms your heart and makes you smile.  Anyway, ahhhhh....flowers.

"Don't let the tall weeds cast a shadow on the beautiful flowers in your garden."

                                                                                                                  --Steve Maraboli

A Day at the Beach

So, in my last post I included some beautiful designs created by Mother Nature; however, since my preference is sun, fun, water and so forth, I decided to go there with this picture.  Why not?  In this year of 20-20 vision, I'll go where I want even if I never leave home.

"The imagination is the golden pathway to everywhere."

                                                                                                           --Terence McKenna

Ice Art

Here in Iowa winter has truly arrived with cold, ice, snow and so on.  And, as I've expressed numerous times before, it's not my favorite season.  However, as I embrace the beauty created on Mother Nature's enormous canvas, I tend to enjoy my findings.  These images are from a recent bout with ice which left burnt-orange berries on the thorny branches encased in glass.

"Adopt the pace of nature;  her secret is patience."

                                                                                                    --Ralph Waldo Emerson

Exposed

"The poetry of earth is never dead."

                                                                                          --John Keats

Layers

These two tangles are simply repeating patterns with obvious layers -- that's what creates the effect.  And, as I think about most things in life, there are layers everywhere.  Some we love, some linger forever and some we can't get rid of fast enough.  That's what creates our stories, I guess.

"If you peel back the layers of your life -- the frenzy, the noise -- stillness is waiting.

That stillness is you."

                                                                        --Oprah Winfrey

A Winter Walk

"If the path be beautiful, 

let us not ask where it leads."

                                                                                                      --Anatole France

Home -- A New Twist

Well, better late than never.  Last summer I started this tangle with the intention of giving it as a gift to a native Iowan; however, my schedule got busy and the new school year started...and this piece remained unfinished in my large sketchbook.  Fast forward to this recent holiday break when I had a moment to think about my art projects.  As I opened the drawer that contained that sketchbook, I knew immediately this would be on the top of my "to-finish" list.  Above is the final product.

"Energy and persistence conquer all things."

                                                                                                              --Benjamin Franklin

A New Year

It's a new year along with a new decade.   As I prepped this entry I noticed that in other first-of-the-year posts I have also featured images of the infinite sea and sky along with their magnificent colors and textures.  The picture speaks of endless possibilities, the overwhelming power of the universe and the strength and life force in all things, including ourselves.  Essentially, this scene soothes my senses and speaks to my internal compass.  May 2020 be a year of clear vision as we rely on our own North Stars for guidance.