We receive the light, then we impart it.

Thus we repair the world.  ~Kabbalah

{image taken through the viewfinder of my new vintage Argus Seventy-Five}

Sometimes as an artist your day begins one way, with your to-do list in hand and then suddenly takes a dramatic spin.  You find yourself so engrossed by someone or something you’ve seen or read.  I’ve seen Sally Mann’s work several times and she is such a favorite of mine.  Today I was led to some videos about her & her work on youtube and felt my day slip away as I became so entranced by the way she works.  With her large format camera, developing glass negatives that measure 10 inches by 8.  (They are huge!)  I miss the smell of chemicals in the darkroom.  I loved being in that dimly lit room with the faint glow of the red light.  I was in the 6th grade the first time I stood in a darkroom.  My wonderful old teacher Mr. Hemphill stood by my side and reached for my arm in the darkness as we found our way to the chemicals.  To watch the image you had taken slowly appear like magic in the wet bath was so exciting for me.  I fell in love instantly.  I began to carry my camera around with me everywhere (Pentax K1000) .  I purchased it though the Spiegel Catalog with my babysitting money.  My poor friends were constantly being photographed by me.  I found early on that I loved the close up images that showed their wide eyes and simple smiles.  Mr. Hemphill agreed with me that we should have a gallery along the walls of our cafeteria and rotate out different photographs of the students.  It was my first and only gallery showing.  11×14 plexi-glass frames were adheared to the cinderblock walls and I printed all of my own images to slide inside them.  Mainly close-ups of all my friends as we entered the awkwardness of our teenage years.

Viewing Sally Mann’s work today I was inspired by her philosophy of photographing what is close to your home and close to your heart.  Here are some of my very favorite images of hers.  

What inspired you as a young person.  Do you remember falling intensely in love with something?  Do you even have a hint of that thing in your life today?  Did you love working with pastels in art class, but haven’t touched a piece in years?  What would happen if you wrote about that love?  What would happen if you were brave enough to go and purchase some items and bring them home and let your self see what it feels like to do it again?

Gabbi had this little arrangement waiting for me when I arrived home on Sunday from my creative retreat.  Just like this.  My how that little girl loves to arrange things visually~just so.  I love finding little surprises like this.  We have started a new “tradition” I guess you can call it.  Something new that has become our “thing”.  We have a few “things” we share between us.  The oldest of which being to say “I love you” with a simple sign language gesture.  We started this when she was just a toddler and I would drop her off at preschool.  Peeking back through the window at each other as I left we would hold our hands up, tucking our fingers just so to represent “I love You”.  Now, it’s our secret.  We flash it to each other when were in public, when she’s up on a stage for school.  It’s our quick little way of letting each other know how special they are to us.  Our latest “thing” has become finding heart shape rocks and keeping them for one another.  During hikes, trips, excursions we look for hearts wherever we go.  This one, was from our recent camping trip to Sedona, the leaves are from there as well.  When I walked in the door exhausted from a long weekend of coordinating and arranging for others, it made a huge sweet smile cross my face when I saw this waiting for me on my desk.  ”I love you too, G.”   What do you share secretly with that someone special?

“We do not make photographs with our cameras.  We make them with our minds, with our hearts, with our ideas.” ~ Arnold Newman

I am hosting a creative workshop for photographers this weekend with photographer Skye Hardwick.  I am so excited.  Although the workshop is in Phoenix, I am heading down to the resort near The Farm at South Mountain and spending the weekend along with all the other photographers.  Some are local and some are flying in from great distances.  I am so excited to be amongst not only other photographers but also other women, other moms who see life creatively.  Who know what it’s like to have to stop in the middle of feeding your child breakfast and grab your camera because the way the morning light is shining in through the window and reflecting on the the ladybug glass is just too precious not to capture.

I’m looking forward to really spending some time with myself and my art, looking closely at how I express myself and where I am holding back.  I have so much more I want to say with my photography, with my life.

I hope you have a beautiful weekend and maybe you’ll have a chance to look at how you are expressing yourself and to see if perhaps, if you are holding back…where can you let go a little??

UH!  Does this image just melt your heart?!  This little guy had me on my toes for our whole session together.  He was so much fun.  I love how children are filled with such a sense of wonder & exploration for everything that they must keep going and move on to the next thing.  To see what is around the next corner.  Here he slowed down to awe at the stuffed Coyote on display.  Wondering was it real?  How did it get here?  Why is it here?  What does it feel like?

Where is your sense of wonder?  Have you slowed down lately just to awe at something?  Have a wonderful day!