This past weekend was such a mashup of weather.  It started with an advisory for strong winds and rain. The entire day was dark with gusting winds that rattled the windows and blew rain sideways into those windows.

     The next day I woke to a dusting of snow with more falling.  Snow suddenly turned into wind-driven sleet.  An hour later it was blue sky with soft puffy clouds.

     These are the days that lead us into Spring.  I spent those days photographing tulips and creating images that speak to me.  They speak to me of wild weather and blue skies.  But most of all they speak to the promise of Spring.  Today I am sharing that promise with you.

     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.

    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?

     Monday, August 21, 2017 was eclipse day here in the US.  I live too far south to have noticed any difference in the sky.  To console myself for missing that photographic opportunity I did the next best thing and visited a local garden.  I was not disappointed. 

   The gardens were a mix of cacti, succulents, tropicals, trees and an array of garden flowers.  The variety and age of the trees was amazing. And then there were the flowers.  I didn't know that Echinacea came in so many colors.  I was especially drawn to the reds.  There is such beauty in the jumble of colors to be found in a flower garden.

     Visitors are treated to benches and chairs placed where they can sit and contemplate the gorgeous surroundings.  Sometimes it is just nice to sit and listen to the silence.  This is where I find the joy; in the moments of silence in between the chaos of life.

     My visit was a peaceful time.  Walking along the paths surrounded by trees and flowers was medicine for the soul.  I hope you feel some of that peace and joy in the featured photograph of red Echinacea.

     I recently had two different conversations about black and white photographs vs their color counterpart. People have definite opinions when it comes to black and white photographs.  It seems that the middle ground is small, it has to be either black and white or color.  Surely there must be room in the world for both artistic expressions.

     There was a time when I didn't see the value or beauty of an image created in black and white.  My thought was that color is so beautiful why choose to eliminate it.

     Over time I have to come to see the the merits and beauty of black and white photographs.  Many times the details of an image can be lost in the color.  Black and white accentuates the light and shadow.  Plus there is an almost timeless quality about black and white.

     For me a black and white image needs to be a framed print.  It brings out the elegance and that timeless quality.  I hope you find today's featured image appealing. It is a lighter black and white that truly lets the details of these lovely flowers shine through.

     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.

    I have read that we spend a third of ours lives in our bedrooms.  Because of this it is suggested that we decorate our bedrooms in calming colors.  The other choice would be warm and cozy colors.

     Calming colors would include blues, greens and lavenders.  While warm and cozy colors would be browns, reds, oranges and yellows. The featured image would work in both color groups.

     What color category does your bedroom come under?  Let me know in the survey below.  One question and one click is all it takes.