artsy forager

Tag: photography

  • Finding Latitude. Yosemite.

    Finding Latitude. Yosemite.

    Back when we spent a year on the Northern California coast, one thing ( besides snow in winter ) we found ourselves really missing– big mountains.  The coastal mountains have their own drama and magnificence but we really missed those high mountain peaks and valleys.  So we made sure to carve out a week to mark a must-see national park off our bucket list– Yosemite.

    Finding LATITUDE. Yosemite. | artsy forager #yosemite #findinglatitude #travel #california

    We spent a week in late August of 2014 camping in Yosemite’s grandeur.  The months leading up to our trip had been stressful– hubby hadn’t had any time off in nearly a year, my mom had been diagnosed with ovarian cancer and we had dealt with my own health scare, which turned out to be nothing but was very frightening nonetheless.  We were in serious need of quiet time together in the wild.

    Finding LATITUDE. Yosemite. | artsy forager #yosemite #findinglatitude #travel #california Finding LATITUDE. Yosemite. | artsy forager #yosemite #findinglatitude #travel #california

    If you’ve been to Yosemite in late summer, you can attest that time alone is a bit hard to come by.  The park had over 4 million visitors in 2014 and I swear the majority of that number were there at the same time we were!  To avoid crowds, we tried to get out early and stay out late, and chose to avoid the more popular trails in favor of the paths less traveled.

    Finding LATITUDE. Yosemite. | artsy forager #yosemite #findinglatitude #travel #california

    The California Sierras have such a unique look to them– the tall pines and cedars intermixed with granite peaks and rocky river beds.  In places like these, it’s easy to understand why California holds such a mythical, magical allure.  Our early morning and late evenings gave me a glimpse of the magnificent way the light moves among the peaks and through the valleys.  Sunrise at Tunnel View is a mind blowing experience!  As is driving the park road after dark, the car lights your only illumination as the trees rise above.

    Finding LATITUDE. Yosemite. | artsy forager #yosemite #findinglatitude #travel #california

    favorite trail | glacier point to nevada falls
    Glacier Point was only about a 15 minute drive from our campground, so we spent more time exploring there than other areas of the park.  Our last full day in Yosemite, we awoke before dawn and hiked from Glacier Point out to Nevada Falls ( you can take the trail all the way to the Valley floor or up to Half Dome but we wanted a nice, quiet hike, not a death march ).  Starting so early meant that we were treated to not only a spectacular, misty sunrise over Half Dome but we had the trail to ourselves for most of the morning.  It was the first time in the whole week were were there that we really felt at peace and were able to soak in Yosemite’s wilderness.

    don’t forget | astronomy app
    The weather was so perfect while we were there that we slept without the rain fly on our tent every night, so we were treated to looking up into the star-filled night sky while drifting off to dreamland.  Unlike so many areas of California, ambient light is kept at bay in Yosemite and the darkness allows the starry sky to truly shine.

    what I love most | sunrise
    So we are normally very far from morning people. But something happens when we are camping– we can’t wait to get up and see what the day will hold.  The days we rose before the sun in Yosemite we drank in the way the light poured in, not many people yet stirring, we were able to watch the wilderness come alive.  Get up early in Yosemite.  You won’t regret it.

    To see more of the places that have inspired the LATITUDE show and series, follow the #findinglatitude hashtag on Instagram!

    All photos by me.

  • Finding Latitude. The Olympics.

    Finding Latitude. The Olympics.

    When lamenting my delay in beginning to paint seriously again, an artist friend told me–  you needed time to fill up.  Looking back on the experiences of the last five years, I realized how very right she was.  Florida has its own beauties and is inspirational in its own right, but it wasn’t until we began traveling the Northwest that something long buried was awakened in me.

    My first job in the art and design world post-college was as a photo researcher for a stock image licensing company.  I worked in the editorial department, selecting images for publishers of books and magazines. I distinctly remember being especially enthralled by images from the Northwest, specifically Olympic National Park.  I was particularly taken with the images from the Hoh Rainforest— a rainforest?  In the US?  I knew I wanted to see it.

    Finding LATITUDE. The Olympics. | artsy forager #findinglatitude #olympics #travel #washington #pacificnorthwest #pnw

    We’ve been lucky enough to live a close distance to the Olympics twice now, the first time being our very first travel gig.  We made our way to ONP as much as we could during those first thirteen weeks, we hiked and backpacked, taken in by the cool, lush, fern covered forests, turquoise Hoh River, and towering Olympic Mountains.

    Finding LATITUDE. The Olympics. | artsy forager #findinglatitude #olympics #travel #washington #pacificnorthwest #pnw

    I had my first from-the-trail bear sighting in the Olympics.  The feeling there is of a primeval wilderness, something out of another time.  Driving into the park, you lose cell service and don’t miss it.  You are transported to a different century.

    Finding LATITUDE. The Olympics. | artsy forager #findinglatitude #olympics #travel #washington #pacificnorthwest #pnw

    Not being a “major” national park, there is a peace and a sense of quiet in the Olympics that can be hard to find in the more popular parks like Yosemite and Yellowstone.  What you hear is only the rush of a waterfall, the rustle of the wind through the forest, your breath as your climb.

    Finding LATITUDE. The Olympics. | artsy forager #findinglatitude #olympics #travel #washington #pacificnorthwest #pnw

    The Olympics continue to inspire and inform my work, the lushness and sense of quiet, its coolness and mystery.

    Finding LATITUDE. The Olympics. | artsy forager #findinglatitude #olympics #travel #washington #pacificnorthwest #pnw

    favorite trail  |  Staircase Trail
    There may be more dramatic and challenging hikes in ONP but this one holds a special place in my heart. We took to this hike on a sprinkly Fall morning and after a hectic summer in Seattle, the quiet and peace we found was exactly what was needed.  The trail leads past enormous felled cedars, fern covered forest floors, rocky riverbeds.

    don’t forget your  |  Layers and rain gear
    The weather in ONP can be variable and unpredictable, temperatures range depending on the area of the park and elevation.  The Hoh Rainforest gets an average of 144″ of rain per year, so definitely make sure you have your rain gear when venturing into the Hoh.

    what i love most  |  What the water brings
    The wet atmosphere of the Olympics provides the ideal conditions for a lush, incredibly green forest.  The ferns and mosses make my heart happy, especially when sunlight streams through amidst the misty rain.

    Have you been to Olympic National Park?  What was your impression?  Favorite area?  I’m always on the lookout for tips because I never know when we’ll be back on the Olympic Peninsula!

    To see more images of the places that have inspired the LATITUDE show and series, follow the #findinglatitude hashtag on Instagram!

    All images by me.

  • Defining Latitude.

    Defining Latitude.

    LATITUDE

    has two meanings–

    1 | the angular distance north or south from the equator of a point onthe earth’s surface, measured on the meridian of the point.
    2 | freedom, room to move

    Before I was approached by Teresa Roche at Art & Light last Fall to present a solo show of work in March of this year, I had already been working on nature based abstracts and abstract landscapes.  Exploring wild and scenic places is a big part of our life and travels, so it has been a natural well of inspiration.

    Bolinas CA

    bolinas, california

    When beginning to think about the body of work I wanted to create for my first solo show, I knew I would be seeking to capture not just a place on a map but the feelings of freedom, peace, and beauty in the experience of a particular moment in that place– LATITUDE.

    Trinidad

    mr. f on the rocks in trinidad, california

    Mt Rainier sunset

    mt rainier, washington

    Traveling the Northwest with my hubby provides me with endless artistic inspiration and with both of us endless moments of beauty to share.  While many of the places that have inspired the LATITUDE show and series are incredibly beautiful, often the sense of specialness was not simply in the place itself, but perhaps in the way the light bounced off the water, the quietness of a morning beach all to ourselves, the way the landscape brought us peace, brought us joy.

    Friday Harbor

    friday harbor, san juan islands, washington

    Over the coming weeks leading up to LATITUDE’s opening, I’ll be sharing more images, experiences, and inspiration from some of these very special places.  You can see more of the places inspiring LATITUDE on Instagram, by searching #findinglatitude.

    All photos by me.

  • Fall. Thankfulness.

    Fall. Thankfulness.

    Fall has been my favorite season since I can remember.  Maybe it started with the excitement this little nerd felt for going back to school.  Fall marked the beginning, a time for new friends, new teachers, new books and pencils!

    Fall1

    Last Fall was bittersweet.  I was in Florida helping care for my mom, not much in the way of excitement or autumnal color.  Instead of a new beginning, it was the slow, languorous middle of what we now know would be her last days.  Cherished moments and memories amid so much frustration and sadness.

    Fall2

    This morning we had our first snow of the coming winter season in Ashland.  Fall is coming to an end and I can’t help but think back, not just on where I was last year, but on what life has been like since.

    Fall3

    As blue sky peeks out among the clouds after this morning’s rain and snow, so Fall has felt like the return of joyfulness after the sadness of this summer.  Watching the color change among the beauty of Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons refreshed and renewed my heart.

    Fall5

    My studio practice also felt the magic of the advent of Fall.  Influenced and inspired by the beauty surrounding me, my paintings have felt more and more like my own unique voice.  I am filled with gratitude to be able to begin to call myself an artist, to focus on finding my way, to have time to paint every day– a dream held close to my heart but buried deep for such a long time.

    Fall4

    This week, my heart bursts with thankfulness.  For Mr. F, his unfailing love and support, for my friends and family who have shared tears and laughter, for those who have encouraged and bolstered my painting practice.  And you, dear friends, for continuing to share in this journey with me.

    Thank you.  I wish for you beauty and blessings!

    All images by Lesley Frenz.

  • Transitioning. Sarah Illenberger.

    Transitioning. Sarah Illenberger.

    Today may officially mark the last day of summer, but for weeks now, summer’s glow has been slowly fading.  The hots days have grown weary and we’ve rejoiced in a new, cooler breeze.  It is always an interesting time, this changing of seasons.  But if you’re like me, you enjoy the shift.  Each season brings its own joys, its own rewards and embracing them each for what they are helps to usher in the new.

    Sarah Illenberger | artsy forager #art #artists #photography Sarah Illenberger | artsy forager #art #artists #photography Sarah Illenberger | artsy forager #art #artists #photography Sarah Illenberger | artsy forager #art #artists #photography Sarah Illenberger | artsy forager #art #artists #photography

    The beginning of a new season offers the hope of a fresh canvas, a new start.  I’ve been thinking very seriously along those lines where this little blog is concerned.  This Fall will be a season of transitioning in many ways, including here on the blog.  I’m excited to share with you a new vision!  Some things will remain, while others will fade like the leaves.  New seasons bring new opportunities and we must embrace the transition in order to reap the rewards.  Stay tuned for details next week!

    Images above are photographs by multi-disciplinary artist Sarah Illenberger.  To see more of Sarah’s work, please visit her website.

    Images are via the artist’s website.  Artist found via Little Paper Planes.

  • Submersions. Kim Keever.

    Submersions. Kim Keever.

    Re-entering the real world after so many hours, weeks, months spent by my mom’s side has been more of a struggle than I might have imagined.  There was, of course, a desire for a return to normality, to get back to a world in which each ring of the phone didn’t follow with a sense of fear and foreboding.  But lurking constantly, just beneath the surface, are emotions that threaten to float to the top of my throat, sting my eyes, and take over.

    Kim Keever | artsy forager #art #artists #photography #abstractart Kim Keever | artsy forager #art #artists #photography #abstractart Kim Keever | artsy forager #art #artists #photography #abstractart Kim Keever | artsy forager #art #artists #photography #abstractart Kim Keever | artsy forager #art #artists #photography #abstractart

     

    I’m trying to walk the line between acknowledging and allowing those emotions but not giving them complete control.  It is natural to feel this swirl of hurt for someone I loved so fiercely and miss so terribly.  But as much as she would appreciate and understand those emotions, she would absolutely hate to see me overcome by them.  So I let them come and then I let them go.

    The images above are photographs by artist Kim Keever.  See more of Kim’s work at his website.

    All images are via the artist’s website.

  • Temporal. Bill Armstrong.

    Temporal. Bill Armstrong.

    This is my first blog post since my mom left this earth.  It has been seventeen days.  We were lucky in that we had time to prepare, time to say goodbye, but it still doesn’t seem real.  I can still hear her voice in my head, that musical little “Hi Les!” that always greeted me on the other end of the phone line.  I still see her in my dreams, but she is never sick, always whole, always the way I most remember her, the way I want to remember.

    Bill Armstrong | artsy forager #art #artists #photography Bill Armstrong | artsy forager #art #artists #photography Bill Armstrong | artsy forager #art #artists #photography Bill Armstrong | artsy forager #art #artists #photography Bill Armstrong | artsy forager #art #artists #photography

     

    It was a harrowing, heartbreaking experience, to watch someone you love so much slowly slip away.  The hospice nurses marveled that she held on as long as she did– that she must have had some sort of unfinished business to tend to.  But those who knew her well knew that she would let go of her tortured body in her own good time.  Always the boss, always organized and in control, she would decide when.

    If there is anything I’ve taken away from this last year of my mom’s life, it is that we have no guarantees. She never should have been gone at only sixty seven.  There were still plans to be made, life to be lived, grandchildren to watch grow up.  If my mom could be gone, then so could my husband, so could my brothers, so could I.  I’ve been left with a resolve to follow my passions more fully, bask in each day more completely, love more abundantly.  I have today and for now it is enough.

    These photographs by Bill Armstrong reminded me of the fleeting nature of our lives on this earth.  To see more of his work, please visit his website.

    Artist found via Dolby Chadwick Gallery.  Images via the artist’s website.

  • Fragility. Simone Truong.

    Fragility. Simone Truong.

    We when are young, it’s easy to believe we are invincible.  We’ll live forever, nothing can touch us.  But as the years creep onward, we realize just how very tenuous this life is.  As delicate as a flower.  The work of UK artist Simone Truong reminded me today of this beautiful fragility we so often take for granted.

    Simone Truong | artsy forager #art #artists #floral Simone Truong | artsy forager #art #artists #floral Simone Truong | artsy forager #art #artists #floral Simone Truong | artsy forager #art #artists #floral Simone Truong | artsy forager #art #artists #floral

     

    It can happen in the blink of an eye– one wrong turn, being in the wrong place at the wrong time in a split second and life is never the same again.  We become so tempted by the path everyone else has chosen that we forget that we are only given this one chance.  Why use up our chance living someone else’s dreams?  Or by not filling every day with as much love, beauty and kindness we can muster?

    To see more of Simone Truong‘s work, please visit her website.  She has a beautiful collection of giclee prints available on her site!  I’m seriously tempted.

    All images are via the artist’s website.

  • Distillations. David Benjamin Sherry.

    Distillations. David Benjamin Sherry.

    Before Mr. F and I began to travel, I rarely gave thought to the energy found in certain places.  Sure I knew the intensity of Manhattan was vastly different from the quiet pace of life in the Smoky Mountains.  But once we started traveling, I became much more sensitive to each place’s energy.  In his photographs, LA artist David Benjamin Sherry seems to distill the aura of each place down to color.

    David Benjamin Sherry | artsy forager #art #artists #photography David Benjamin Sherry | artsy forager #art #artists #photography David Benjamin Sherry | artsy forager #art #artists #photography David Benjamin Sherry | artsy forager #art #artists #photography David Benjamin Sherry | artsy forager #art #artists #photography

     

    As a painter, it’s something that I’ve given a lot of thought to.  While each new place definitely has a different pace and feel, it’s interesting to me to think about how that might translate into color.  You may think well, that’s easy, trees and water = green and blue.  But there can be an underlying feeling to a place, whether a warmth or mystery, that might make it feel differently than it presents visually.  I haven’t decided yet the colors of the Bay Area.. give me a few more months, ha!  What color is your landscape?

    To see more of David Benjamin Sherry‘s work, please visit his website.

    All images are via the artist’s website.

  • Distortions. Jennis Li Cheng Tien.

    Distortions. Jennis Li Cheng Tien.

    It seems like we are finally taking a stand.  For years now, we’ve been bombarded by photoshopped images of “perfection”, leading to unrealistic expectations on both sides of the gender aisle.  While the underlying issues are still pervasive, the tide seems to be turning.  Companies are at last standing up and reinforcing the idea that beauty comes in all shapes and sizes.  In her series, Have a Nice Day, Berlin based artist Jennis Li Cheng Tien gives the world her own take on how digitally enhanced images have altered our perceptions.

    Jennis Li Cheng Tien | artsy forager #art #artists #photography Jennis Li Cheng Tien | artsy forager #art #artists #photography Jennis Li Cheng Tien | artsy forager #art #artists #photography Jennis Li Cheng Tien | artsy forager #art #artists #photography Jennis Li Cheng Tien | artsy forager #art #artists #photography

     

    How disorienting and disconcerting it must be to have your digital representation, whether it be your face or body, so altered that it doesn’t reflect the image you see in the mirror.  What may begin as a tweak here, an airbrush there, perhaps with the good intention of clearing up one’s less than perfect skin or helping that designer’s clothes to hang a bit more ideally, can quickly escalate into dangerous territory.  We’re left in a world where the face on the screen or the page doesn’t match the face we see in person.  Where certain idealized qualities that often don’t naturally exist leave the rest of us striving for the unattainable.  What we end up doing is erasing not the blemishes, but ourselves.

    To see more of the work of Jennis Li Cheng Tien, please visit her website and her Saatchi Art portfolio.

    All images are via the Saatchi Art website.