Borrowed Abandon

I have been lead by this wonderful artist [CLICK] to this wonderful artist [CLICK]. With all of the creative ideas flying around in my head I am at a loss as to grasping a focus on any of them. With that said...I have chosen to follow Liss' "abandon" theme for a photo graphical pull out of the crevasses of my mind.


An abandon scrap of chain link fence from an impromptu back yard demo, sparked by the need for more entrance space. It is a constant reminder of the beginning of a larger demo project for next summer.



A once needed walnut has been abandoned by a local squirrel. It's necessary parts have served their purpose. I'm counting on that squirrel to have done it's job for know one needs 60ft. tall trees growing out of the foundation of their home.


A home left behind...by force or choice?


Important tools to start the morning abandoned until the next day for laundry or reuse...their fate depends on the mom....moi.

A Dave Matthews weekend of creativity

I am a big fan of freeway passenger photography. Most times my attempts are complete blurs, which allows for those few and far between appealing shots to be all the more glorious & rewarding. This barn was beckoning to be captured as we flew by. We had a long approach curving along HWY 90 near Ellensburg, WA, thus providing me with enough time to fumble my camera out of my bag. I like it. It's simple. It's colors are soothing. It represents a confident, content solitude amongst the constant fleeting traffic. On a more personal note... it brought to rest our 3 day 30k people camp out at the annual Dave Matthews [CLICK] concert at the Gorge Amphitheatre [CLICK HERE].


Seeing as how I can NOT stop seeing interest & beauty in my daily life, I have the disease of taking photos of just about every single one of them. Family trips are full of stopping moments of snapshots of the obscure. My camera travels with me like one of my children (it is a bit more behaved at times). I am forever haunted with the images of uncaptured (is that a word??) shots by those few cases of which I had forgotten to bring it along, even if for a 30 minute jolt to the store. When the sun hit the fence line at our 3 day DMB concert camp, it lit up the color contrast between the fresh crisp grass green and the rusty red wood stained panels on the fence...just for me.



The weather that weekend was an art show of itself. Thunderous skies broke into spectacular double arched rainbows. It did not scare off any of the tens of thousands of campers of which got to enjoy the art in the sky. A reward of sorts. CLICK ON THE PHOTOS to catch a closer look.

A fellow artist (who's blog I follow) has declared each and every summer Wednesday...self portrait day. I am never ever on time for this celebration of one's self for it is Friday and I've just now snapped a few shots. Could it be that I can not relax enough to muster up the nerve to capture my true essence until the days of the week have passed and the release of a Friday afternoon sends me into somewhat of a comfort zone?


I rest my camera's eye to my feet most of all. They are the work horse of where we go and where we've been. Pedicured or not. They always look happy to be right where they are.

One of my many treasures are three punched tin mirrors I have in my kitchen that I purchased 10 years ago at the Urban Outfitters on Mill Ave in Tempe, AZ. They simply hang chest high over a half moon glass, swirled forged iron, wall mount table from Z Gallerie (also on Mill), w/a gifted bamboo plant on top, in a corner of my kitchen. From time to time I use these mirrors to slap on some lipstick or check my teeth for arugula as I pass by them semi-squatting to catch a 4" x 4", muted glimpse of my appearance.

In my most favorite element I stacked votive candle holders under my camera atop of my dog's kennel. Setting my 10 second timer, I slid into my "made just for me" super thick afghan throw from a friend, Overstock.com, iron porch swing. What a great way to capture a celebration of myself this breezy summer afternoon.

A Bit of Small Town Americana

Living in our county seat brings into my life dollops of small town Americana. Residing down the street from the county fair grounds creates an even more intimate connection. From our front porch & open windows dramatic screams of the carnival ride participants drift through the air. Traveling by foot during the five day event countless times to drink in the simple delights it offers is something I look forward to each August. In my philosophy that "inspiration is everywhere" this tiny carnival packs a big punch. My favorite is viewing the children's art. No doubt submitted with triple-extra-large pride in hopes of earning a shiny, royal blue ribbon (and 3 bucks!). The fairgrounds are now left sparse with remnants of summer memories, some of which I have captured on camera, that will last a lifetime.

The Art of Food

There's something magical about picking my own food from the garden...any one's garden and creating simple yet flavor exploding meals on a whim. Plucking juicy, plump, sun-warmed blackberries from their gnarly vine along the road, in the back lot or while on a hike in August is a scrumptious treat. Late in the summer doughnut peaches have my heart for I find the idyllic saucer like, natural portion size to be a perfect refreshment. I have four tomato plants this season that are in desperate need of a miracle. Even though they are producing a somewhat fair amount of fruit, they are spindly, weak and all around pathetic looking. I made Black Russian Cupcakes for this years county fair entry and shared a few with the neighbors on the way, coming home with a sack of fresh, crisp, red plums as a friendly barter. Go ahead click on the photo...it may make you hungry.

A Perfect Sunday Morning!

It must of been the Saturday sunset cruise along the Columbia River in our '52 Chevy that led me in this blissful state of mind.




Beginning the day kneading organic whole wheat flour into a rustic quiche crust sets a pace of contentment.



Filling it with delightful Havarti, honey ham & sauteed mushrooms and onions, using egg whites and organic 1% milk to complete the savory flavors, made for a delicious brunch time meal (even though I can not eat such a wonderful dish for I am allergic to eggs and due to low blood sugar I do not eat any type of grain :(, I do enjoy creating the meal for my family)

Flow: to rise & advance, as in the tide.

A compiled inspiration of a roughly painted background, Tim Burton [CLICK HERE], 1990's graphic design books & my imagination...of course. I look forward to the moments I can steal away from an ordinary day to add color and life to her and her bees.

I named her "Bee Girl" [CLICK HERE]. It seems obvious but the thought didn't occur until I was showing my husband when I was nearly finished with the base painting on the substrate.

These smaller canvases have been based with a semi-dry chalkboard paint, drizzled w/an ivory house trim, center-index-finger smudged with an eggshell white house paint, mod podged tissue paper gingerly torn at the edges and Sharpe doodled on. I have been in the flow of creativity and have learned to ride it until the ebb inevitably takes over. I am most at peace and content during the flow of my art. My prevailing disposition is to put the ebb into a flux of significant inspirational chunks of time. In that same moment my great power of cogitation steers me to possess the patience for the next creative tide to flow.

Mermaid & Friends

Today I set aside all the projects I have started that keep me away from doing my art. I created a mermaid painting for a friend's daughter's birthday & two hand painted art postcards for my niece and a friend's young daughter. Possibly they will brighten someones day as they travel through the US Postal system. I was diligent with my acrylic paints on this hot hot summer day, breaking only to watch my youngest son demonstrate how he created his latest duck tape gun, to make a scratch batch of oatmeal-pecan-walnut-jumbo chocolate chip-peanut butter cookies and bake a homemade pizza containing three different flavors to appease all members of my family at once.

Mercurial doodle

A whimsical acrylic that flowed perfectly from my imagination to my sketch book to my canvas. I have come to recognize the ease in referencing my doodles, that can be mercurial at times, when in need of inspiration. Flipping through it's tatter-edged pages in search of a prescribed image of past emotions to affiliate my current mood, typically results in an ideal connection of which to persevere. I've given it the name of "A Good Hair Day".

Simple. Nature. Soothing.

I hike for the exercise and the connection to the organics of what this earth produces. I can not hike without being enveloped with the colors and textures the forest displays. I stop along the way to create an unnatural composition of natural matter in simple form. I leave it behind for others to possibly notice and for the earth to take it back to it's uncontrolled arrangement. Andy Goldsworthy [CLICK HERE] is a master at this craft for which I am grateful to discover.