Thursday's Still Life: Cowgirl Boots

We arrived home in a heap of dust, smelling like manure and horse and saddle. (Love those smells.)
Bean plopped down in the door way and I pulled off her borrowed boots and dust caked denims.
The day was fading and the light outside was lingering. So we two, the boots and I, parked on my front step for a while.

It was a Thursday's still life painted in pixels on the sensor of my trusty camera.

FYI, I call this series: Cowgirl Boots

(That's just so y'all know in case my life should ever be taken before I get to publish some cool coffee table photography book or hang my pieces in the MOMA.)

Q: Can you name the snacks these girls enjoyed today?

A: First photo...Doritos Nacho Cheese chips
Second photo..."berry" flavored Fruit Roll-Up

A note about these two snacks:
1. I have been a loyal fan to DNCC's ever since I first had one over 30 years ago.
My loyalty is shown by my chip choice when eating a sandwich. (Crunchy Cheetos come in a close second--but DNCC's taste better shoved into a sandwhich.) However, I have learned that I cannot bring them into my house. I will eat, can eat, the entire bag in one sitting and that is just sick and wrong.

2. I cannot call Fruit Roll-Ups "food". Maybe you can call something "food" when it's just high fructose corn syrup mixed with red food dye and then smeared on a plastic strip of paper, but I simply cannot. (Come on..."berry" flavor?!?)

Which begs the question...
Why am I allowing these girls to eat two very lethal snacks?
1. Gracie brought them over as a "treat".
2. To deny my Bean a chance to make Fruit Roll-Up jewelry would be traumatic.
3. A fun tasty treat every now and then is welcomed.
4. It made for a great picture opportunity, and blog post.

So...my titles for each photo?
"Leaving some for later"
AND
"The many uses for Fruit Roll-Ups"


(And more from these two girls later. I had some fun "shooting from the hip" moments with them that I will post at another time.)

Geez. I'm totally craving Nacho Cheese chips right now...

Colossal Collage Day

Over a year ago I was invited to be a part of a group of Christian women artists. I know you are thinking it was my amazing painting skills that caused them to pause and take notice, but it wasn't.  Seriously...our leader, Judy, had been my mom's college roommate and has known me since birth. She encouraged me to join, even though I seriously am lame with a paint brush. It was a chance to challenge my photography skills and show off my own art. 

So today was Colossal Collage Day: bring a blank surface and collage materials to share. What you created was up to you. It was a few hours to be in a open empty room, full of nothing but art materials and creative spirits.

Though I love to be creative with glue and paper and have in the past made some pretty nifty construction paper cards (yes, way back in elementary school) I found myself not fired up to go fill an empty canvas. One of my friends, who is new to the group, gave me the idea to bring my camera and snap pictures while the collages were bursting forth to life...then make my own collages with them. I sooooo could do that. 

For the last two weeks, I have been waiting for this day. I look forward to capturing moments with great anticipation. And indeed, it was such a joy to capture these women doing what they were created to do: create. 

So below are my captures (in collage form) of their works of art in progress.   

We begin with...

An Artist's Tools

 

Creating Color

Creating A Tree For Owl

Finding The Right Words

An Artist's Pallet

Pinning It Down

I Heart Family

Purple Persuasion

Bringing It Together

Cue the applause...let's hear it for these amazing women!

Thanks for letting me intrude upon your creative space to capture what you do best, so that I could do what I do best. :)

Can't wait to see the completed works of art at the next meeting.

Come on people, show some excitement...

...For a clean house (read: Christmas stuff put away, recycling out, and closets reorganized)
...Kids back in school (read: regular bed times)
...A trip to Trader Joes today (read: I went all by myself!)
...A full fridge of good-for-you food (read: absent of holiday goodies that were dragging me down)
...Crisp, cold blue/sunny sky (read: my favorite kind of California weather)
...Did I already say a clean house? (read: I want you all to know that I have a clean house.)

And lastly...that I blew past my husband's fastest time on beating Klondike Solitaire. I cannot wait to tell him when he comes home that I now hold the record with three minutes and eighteen seconds. A good twenty seconds under his old fastest score.

Just a little excited.

A little encouragement for your New Year...

It helps to survey the ride before you as you stand at the top of your hill.
You know, gather yourself and find your bearings.

It's okay to be a little afraid of dropping into the unknown.

Count to three and set off down the course marked uniquely for you.
Prepare yourself for that first wooooooossssshhh as you set off.

A little scream as you hit that first jump is perfectly normal.

Feel the wind in your hair, take a deep breath as you sail into the air.

If your landing isn't that perfect? No worries.

Gather your courage, learn to pray and find your strength.

Stand strong in the face of your demons. You are bigger than you believe.
(God is even bigger.)

Oh, and do not forget to stop and reflect...

...or see that others love you.
(And are there to help and make you smile.)

Of course in the midst of your journey, do not forget to take a breather.
You know, do something fun.

Even if if makes you look silly.
(A good laugh along the way is good for your soul.)

You see, you were uniquely created. You are beautiful and loved.

So smile.

Your journey is fitted just for you.
(There is no one-size-fits-all.)
Life is about the travel, not the destination.
So pray for a heart that learns from the ride.
You only get one 2010.

Waiting for the party to begin...

Geez, the title of this photo changes every time I view it.
What was the first thing your mind said when it popped up on your screen?

p.s. I am impressed that I caught it--at midnight--inside--with no natural light. My new camera has no flash (must purchase) so I relied on bumping up my ISO to a crazy number. (Which for photo dummies, that pretty much means that I was able to make my camera soak up all the light in the room with out flashing a flashy flash.) It's a little grainy (which happens when you bump up your ISO) but I kinda like it. Rock on!

I need some of this...

We arrived home a few hours ago from our snow trip and I have a mountain of laundry to do and I need to de-Christmasify my house. (Happy New Year to me!)

I need some special energy, a shot of motivation, some Batman Power. When my outer world is chaotic I get a little overwhelmed. But now that I stop and think about it, I think I would rather go plop on the couch with my kids (while they watch a movie) and play some solitaire on my iPod. That sounds a bit more my speed right about now...a good way to finish off day one of 2010.  

Happy New Year friends. Hope you are putting off the "to-do's" on this Friday holiday. We all need to stop and take a deep breath, snap on our seat belt, before we race off into the next decade.