After several months of playing with this idea I am now offering Floral Mugshots, which might also be called Floral Triptychs.

     This idea has bloomed from playing with images featuring three sides of a flower.  Just like you might see the mugshots of criminals showing a left side, frontal view and a right side view.  The exception being that these are done with flowers and are so much nicer.

     The three images are combined to create one large image.  This is the most cost effective way to offer these to you.  Eventually the individual images will be offered too.  Because of the large size of these images they are well suited for larger spaces that are often difficult to fill.

      These have been so much fun to photograph and create.  I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

     As always this time of year has us all looking back and reflecting on the year past and looking forward to the year before us.  The end of 2017 had me offline for almost two months while I packed up and moved.

     At first it felt strange to be offline and to not be busy with daily online forums and communications.  But now I find myself greatly refreshed and ready to take on the challenges of the year.  Unplugging has great creative benefits.

     I don't do resolutions, but I do set goals to help me get to where I want to be.  Behind the scenes I have been playing with more whimsical and artistic photographic creations.  This year I will be continuing down that road.  But most importantly I will be sharing my endeavors with you and looking forward to your comments and encouragement.

     Light surrounds us everyday.  It is commonplace so we fail to see the beauty and magic of light.

     When I was very young the early morning sun would shine through a tree onto my bedroom window.  At a certain point in time it created the shape of a man's head wearing a hat.  I couldn't get out of bed until the sun moved enough for the image to go away.   I tried to show my mother, but she never saw what I did.  A young girls fear manifest by the magic of light.

      The wondrous beauty of color is made possible by the vibrations of light.  Look around at all the color that surrounds you.  Magical.

     Every time I pick up my camera to create an image I am aware of the light.  It's direction, brightness, and reflection are all part of the magic of light.  Capturing that light and sharing it with you gives me pleasure.

     Without light the magic would be harder to see.  But I am sure that magic will always find a way to manifest itself.

     Autumn recently arrived according to the calendar. A few days later weather here cooled and it felt like Autumn.  I was able to wear jeans and was starting to break out the blankets and long sleeves.  And then this week happened.

     Back to temperatures in the 90+ degree range.  My mood was thrown into a place of unhappiness and discontent. This is unusual for me so naturally I wanted to know why I was so affected by that change in weather.

     It turns out our brains use our circadian rhythms and the length of day to synchronize with the seasons.  So basically the length of available daylight is still becoming shorter, but the temperature was in alignment with what we expect with shorter days.  Our circadian rhythms are driven by exposure to light.

     So my rhythm is responding to the change in daylight and I am expecting cooler temperatures to go with this.  I will continue to get myself and my home ready for the cooler weather because I know soon it will come and stay.

    I admit that when looking for flowers to photograph I look for imperfections.  Marks  on the petals or petals that won't unfurl with the rest all draw my attention.

     When I have a flower with some sort of imperfection I rejoice for I have found my perfection.  I don't believe that beauty is the perfectly formed flower or human.  Those imperfections or differences are what makes us stand out.  Diversity is beauty.

     True beauty is full of flaws.  Imperfection creates the diversity that makes the world a beautiful place.  A flower with spots on its petals or a person with freckles are often tossed aside as not perfect.  Perhaps the person that disregards the flaws has a hole in their lives that will only be filled when they look at an imperfect flower and see the true beauty.

     I think what we put on the walls of our homes says a lot about us.  I hope that you, like me, will love the featured photograph for her messy imperfect center and the freckles scattered on her petals.

     We are inundated by natural disasters this month in the US.  With wildfires raging in the northwest to hurricanes in the south and southwest you wonder when will it all end.

     These disasters happen every year.  While most of them are beyond our control, some could have been prevented.  Many of the wildfires were caused by careless humans.  At least one was caused by teenagers with fireworks.

     This is a time when we as a nation shine.  We come together to help each other in whatever way we can.  For my part I have decided to donate all proceeds from the sale of the featured artwork, in any of the formats offered, during the month of September 2017 to the American Red Cross of Montana to assist those in need as a result of the wildfires.  Every little bit adds up to be of great help.  How will you reach out and help?

     I was in my local Trader Joe's grocery store last week when I spotted these gorgeous orange Calla Lilies.  For the record Trader Joe's has the best selection of cut flowers at the best prices of almost anywhere.  I often go there looking for floral gems.

     As I set about photographing these lovelies I realized it was the first day of September.  Soon fall will be upon us in the Northern Hemisphere,  Where has summer gone?

     Personally I love the colors of fall.  All the vibrant earth tones are part of my favorite color palette, with orange being my favorite.  They are colors that you will find in my closet.

     Orange is a stimulating color.  It is vibrant and powerful, but lacks the aggressiveness of red. Surrounding yourself with orange can enhance your level of happiness and confidence.  It is also the color of creativity.

     Orange works well with blue as the compliment each other.  Since blue is not one of my favorite colors I rarely use the two together. If you want to feel more joy, warm, creativity, and balance in your life surround yourself with orange.

​     Orange is often a love it or hate it color.  Where do you stand?

     I have been having fun recently creating what I am calling Whimsical Works of Art.  They are photographs that have become something more than just a photograph.

     I have been looking at my world and asking myself What If?  The result is the images you can see in my new Whimsical gallery.  Like all the other photographs on my site these are available for purchase in a wide range of sizes.  Most of these are in a square format so they will fit in spaces that the usual rectangle might not.

     Take a moment and check out this new gallery and let me know what you think.  Would you hang these images in your home or office?  Let me know in the comments.  Here's to a new and whimsical day!
​#2017yearofthehome

    First I want to thank everyone that participated in the survey in last weeks blog. In that survey I asked if your bedroom colors were warm and cozy or cool and calm.

     I was completely surprised by the results.  Although the overall number taking the survey was small, 80% of you said that your bedroom colors were warm and cozy.  I was expecting the opposite!

     In honor of all the warm and cozy bedrooms out there I am sharing this photograph of an elegant orange and yellow rose that would be perfect for that warm-toned bedroom.

 
     You know that feeling you get at the end of along day when you walk into your home and close the door?  For just a moment, perhaps mo longer than the span of a deep breath, there is joy.

     Joy doesn't necessarily come in a big package.  It doesn't come in the form of possessions.  Joy is found in the moments. Those small spaces tucked between every thing else that is going on around us is where joy is waiting to be found.

     My joy this morning came wrapped in the sound of a bird on the pond.  A trill in the silence to let me know he was there.  Joy was found in a bird's song that I had never heard before.

      I find many moments of joy within my home.  Home is more than a place.  It is a feeling; feeling safe, feeling sad and feeling joy.  Listen and watch for the joy to be found in the moments within your home.