Just One Reason I Buy Art

 I am a firm believer in Karma. It's one thing, spiritually, that I have held on to no matter which book I was reading. It's a nice way for me to gut check throughout the day. Always asking, should I or shouldn't I? How would I feel if the situation were reversed? Empathy.

Photo property of LiciaJo Fotos

For that reason, I buy art. I try my best. I pick up random paintings that I need on my journey, I subscribe to music channels, I purchase books, my internet-based TV is legal, I am a member of NPR, and I pay for the songs that I listen to more than 7 times (with intent). I try my best.

I can't really call myself an artist. I've sold one photograph in my non-existant career as a creative individual. Everything I do is handed over to those who will appreciate it or not. I free balloons into the air, hoping one will catch a bit of wind and be carried further than my view. I love it. I do it, because I love it. When I bring a smile to a friend, when I make a new one, or when a stranger across the pond takes the time to say, "Cool!"--  my day is made.

But, I understand the desire to one day be dedicated to art. To live and breathe words, music, and images that expand the knowledge or view of a collective culture.To maybe even collect and connect cultures. A shared appreciation. To be able to call myself an artist in some form or another. This is why when given the chance, I buy art.

There are ways out there to listen, watch, and enjoy music and other art forms for free, and using these methods to explore and navigate through the vast amounts of material out there is needed. But knowing the difference between exploring versus taking advantage is key. Once I've decided I need that piece of art, I make the transition and money exchanges hands.

Music, specifically. I am enjoying writing about music. I am exploring songs out there in the never-ending internet jukebox. Each song that I've written about, I've made sure to download. During karma gut checks that is what I feel is right. And if I am recommending music to others, I should own what I say others should try. I also hope that others will appreciate songs and add it to their collection, while also helping add to the growth of the artist that created it.

I am not going to tell others to buy what I suggest, but I will mention my thought process in hopes of a gentle nudge towards a shared viewpoint. Many of you out there that read my blog also create. You also want to grow into an artist appreciated by a collective culture. You also want to be appreciated for your efforts. Do you buy other people's art?  When you do, do you feel more connected to the person that created it?What is your philosophy on buying art?

Watching Trains...

It's a great skill to be able to turn lemons into lemonade. I was first in line from the beginning of a train. Instead of cussing every car, I whipped out the camera. It took a few days to weed through the stack, but I did find a few pics inside.

Hope you enjoyed the pics.

Happy Easter.

 Hope you have fun finding eggs!!

Artistic Images

1) A Few Cocktails  - This is three images of the same shot from different perspectives merged together.

2) Lady in Ice - This is an experiment that I am planning to continue to build an entire portfolio. I am using images of glasses of ice and creating works of art from the images that I find within. In this particular image, I saw a woman. I used drawing tools to give more details to that image and then played with the color.

3) Spinning Around - This is four images of my daughter spinning around on the playground equipment. I picked four different angles and merged the images by lining up the actual equipment. This give a more realistic action shot. I enhanced the color to make it more aesthetically pleasing. 

4) The Cross - This image was taken of the top of my church, FBC Decatur. I used a soft plastic filter to pull the details of the sky and went with more of an abstract look. 

  

I hope you enjoyed my photographs. Let me know what you think.

Resale Shops

I love visiting resale and antique shops.  Stepping into one of these stores is like time travel or a hidden treasure hunt. It's a great way to spend the day. The last time I went to "Kudzu" in Decatur, GA, I brought my camera with me. The pictures turned out great and gave me lots to play with when I got home. I still have about a hundred photos that I haven't even touched yet. Here are a few to share. 

1. Spotlight Dancers - This was a wood cut out that was propped up against the wall. The paint was very faded, so I went with black and white and added the spotlight. 

2. Many Hats - I used a lens to enhance the reds, and play down the other colors.

3. Retro Fireplace - I used layers to make everything black and white with the exception of the fireplace, artwork, desk, and fan. The fireplace was this color. An amazing retro piece.

4. Green Room - Just a great space. I didn't have to do much here. The colors were fabulous together. I ran it through a cross process to give it more of a retro feel. 

5. Going Places - I love this photo. It's one of my favorites. I ran it through a earth tone filter, and then applied a hot wax coating. Really proud of how it turned out.

 

I hope you enjoyed these. Let me know what you think!

Making Lemonade

Once again life is preventing me from writing. Work and school are both tugging at me, leaving little time to hang out with imaginary people or even real people. But this time, I have decided to pick up an old favorite hobby that fuels my creative spirit. It is great, because it has me outdoors and spending time with my family. Photography! I have at three different times in my life chased this dream with the same passion that I have my writing. All three times chickening out at the last minute, and holding on tight to my day job. Well, this time it is a little different. The internet lets me share my photos in a way that I previously couldn't back in 1998.

Until I am able to write again, I hope you enjoy the photos that I can share.  Some tell stories and some are just art.

1. The Boy was very excited about the new Cars II. 

2. The Smell of Beer. This is Hubs in a neat window reflection trick. Slapped on a Pincushion lens to pull the words on the wall into the window more. 

3. "Eye on Dinner"   Photo of a ceramic cat, cake plate, and bird. I used blur to help soften the image and to draw the eye to focus on the main subjects. 

4. "Blowfish"   The fish was hanging in an antique store, Kudzu. I used a fisheye lens to focus in on the puffy fellow.

5. "Secret Passage"  I used a vibrant foilage filter, and then cross processed the image.

 Let me know what you think. Thanks for letting me share.