Beauty of the Third Age

I was very pleased this past weekend when a customer at the craft show was taken with this photo.

I love this photo but since it's not your typical, easy to understand, photo of a fresh and pretty delicate flower I had thought that no one else out there would like it like I do.

But there was someone!

I explained that this is a photo of an old, dried out and "wilted" hyacinth blossom. She suggested to me that the bloom wasn't wilted but was "weathered" and I agreed wholeheartedly. That's why the name of this image is, "The Beauty of the Third Age."

As a woman over 40, who is nothing but *thrilled* to have turned that corner of the aging milestone process, I see this weathered hyacinth flower, in its third phase of existence, as a gorgeous, vibrant and enduring bloom which portends only continued strength and increased self-possession as the days, and time, inevitably will march along...

Old Wheel Barrow

I saw this old relic of a wheel barrow while walking yesterday morning and just *had* to take its picture. I like it!

Upcoming Show!

I have a show coming up and thought I would let you know.

I'm quite excited about this one because I have been working, working, working, busy as a little honeybee, to get lots of new products created and made. I have been feeling very inspired lately!

Let me just say though that this Artisan Bazaar is truly a great show. There are lots of vendors and they *all* have such creative, cute and unique items. It's hard for me to go there as a seller because all I want to do is roam the aisles looking (and buying!) all the amazing creative gifts I see. If you are able to come and see for youself I highly recommend it. It's a great show with a warm and welcoming atmosphere where you can stock up on truly artistic and special gifts. Hope to see you there!

Graceful Transition

We still have warm, sunny and peaceful afternoons here in Northeast Ohio but nevertheless, the summer *is* coming to a close.

These Queen Anne's Lace flowers peaked in the middle of the summer and are now closed up and brittle but I like how they maintain their dignity as they stand tall under the autumn skies...

Chipmunk Flirting

Detour Without Grudge

When I look at this picture I feel a sense of kindness and forgiveness.

The small, pink, delicate flowers are regrowing after what was probably years of misuse. It was probably years of the meadowland serving as a foundation for the train and the advancement of industry and all the disregard to nature that came with it. During that time the meadowland likely could not grow and flourish as it was meant to since the oil and dirt and debris of the train rumbling over it kept it stunted and tamed.

Time has moved on though, and the train is no longer in use so that the small flowers are able to peak out again and, somewhat tentatively, regain their purpose. Slowly the flowers are finding their way up through the stones and are stretching in and around the rails to gently reform itself as a meadow.

The flowers don't seem to me to be angry or holding any grudge about the detour or lost years from their original purpose. Instead, it seems to me as if the flowers are simply, maybe even humbly, carrying on where they left off and are softly returning to the journey of their destiny.

Busy as a Bee

So I'm still finding my way with all this creative expression stuff. I started with one thing, moved to another, moved to yet another and now I am coming back to the beginning where I started.

That is, I am regrouping and restating my creative outlet as "Bloom Spirit Expressions" (instead of also having PhotoCardArt). I found it confusing and distracting to have two different (yet barely distinct) outlets going on.

So I am back to where I started -- I am Bloom Spirit Expressions.

I am now in the process of changing things so they can all be found under that one name.

And in Greek my name, Melissa, means Honeybee...

The Focus of Determination

I still haven't gotten enough of my persistent little "lonely-only" duckling... :)

Intrepid

This "lonely-only" duckling followed her mom around so diligently and bravely. The mother duck really did nothing to change her behavior as she sped through the water with the greatest of ease. The duckling must have needed to make six paddles to keep up with her mother's every one paddle.

But still the duckling did it. She may have fallen behind at times but she made up for it when the mother duck slowed down or rested a bit. The duckling never got any rest herself during the journey and, to be only one or two days old, she really showed her strong will.

I wonder about my own will (which wavers much more than I like.) Would I have kept up like this little duckling did? Could I have? Would my mind be able to push me to keep up beyond the point my body wanted to? What kind of inner strength do I have?

After a turn of the lake and surrounding grounds, when they both arrived safely back at the nest, I saw the mother duck tuck the duckling under her wing for a well-earned nap...

Gold versus Gray

I have loved this painting ever since I first saw it on a school field trip to the Cleveland Art Museum many years ago. I love the ominous drama of the dark clouds combined with the sturdy and stable sustenance of the wheat fields.

I only discovered, last year when I was at the art museum once more and I took the time to read the caption, that the painting (called "Gray and Gold" by John Rogers Cox who was an American painter) was painted at the beginning of World War II and could be interpreted to represent the crossroads the U.S. faced when considering entering into the war.

I can often feel this sense of looming danger. That's when my fears are stepping forward during times of change and unknown futures.

But I can choose to focus on the impending storm clouds or I can choose to feel comfort from the plentiful wheat. Focussing on the wheat won't make the clouds go away, I know, but it's a more stable grounding for me than the ever-changing sky. When the clouds have passed, the wheat fields, in some variation and most likely not without trauma, will still be there. Or, at the very least, the land for more wheat fields to be planted will still be there.

I have recently done some traveling to England and was taken in by a similar scene. I do *not* attempt to replace or recreate the original painting but it feels good for me that I have made my own photographic version of a painting that has quietly captured my spirit for many years:

Rainy Day Lilies

The Day Lilies are starting up again. They come every year and I look forward to their bold display of ORANGE-ness.

Orange is not a color that features prominently in my life and it's not a color I choose often.

But I certainly *do* love all the wild abandon of the orange Day Lilies that the previous owner of my home planted.

I like how the choices of others can expand my life...

Striving But Not Competing

Delicate Dancers (The Future is Good)

These young Dogwood blossoms look so innocent to me as they delicately dance in the bright morning light. They are young and carefree and, as is appropriate, completely unaware of just what strong and bold mature blooms their destiny will soon lead them to be...

We are having some gray and rainy days here so I'm in need of a jolt of brightness, blooms and beauty.

When I look at beauty, whether in the real world or in a photograph, I always feel better.

Although beauty is not a necessity for living a life it certainly soothes my soul and makes the living of my life much more enjoyable...

Tucked Away

Recently I've been like this little house, tucked away and hidden in the woods, but it's time to make an appearance!

This weekend I have craft/art show in Chagrin Falls, Ohio. It is an outdoor event and I will use my canopy tent for the first time.

I have more products than I had before. I now have, in addition to my matted frameable 5 x 7 size greeting cards, I have matted prints, 4 x 6 size greeting cards and packs of cards as well as a new series of design images I call, "Flower Kaleidoscopes."

And, I also have some jewelry! I've made glass tile pendant jewelry from my photography and images. They are in various different sizes and are very cute (if I say so myself :).

 
In any case, as long as the weather holds (fingers are crossed!) it looks to be a fun and exciting show and I hope to see you there!

Simple But Spectacular

Spring is definitely here and the earth (in my part of the world at least) is coming alive once again. I love it when this happens.

We have the color of bursting buds breaking free which is so refreshing and rejuvenating. Everywhere I look there is either the bold and beautiful color of a blossoming tree or the less obvious subtle hint of color adding intrigue to even the simplest things...

A Realized Flower

I look at this flower and see a finished product. She is successful and accomplished and proud and happy with the work, persistence and patience she has put into becoming who she is.

This lone flower stayed focussed on her dreams and hung in there when the leaves overshadowed her and she felt small. She took that quiet time of hiding in the shadows to learn more about herself, and what she wanted, and she always remained facing forward so that when the rays of the encouraging sun eventually came her way she was more than ready to let them nurture her to become everything she had imagined.

The confident flower even has some perspective now to know that those leaves around her, the leaves that were putting her in the shadows, were also protecting her from the harsh elements. Harsh elements that likely could have weakened the young bloom beyond repair if she had been forced to face them before her right time.

This flower I see is strong and secure in herself in the present moment but yet she realizes that she also must be thankful for the shadows of her past.

Pink Pelican

I am lucky enough to be spending some time in Florida this winter and I have been taking my camera everywhere I go. You can see more shots at my Flickr site (see the side bar) but I'll be putting some up here too.

Enjoying the Day

This is a photo I pulled out from last summer when I was in Washington, D.C. The relaxing duck was sunning herself under the arc of a rainbow of sorts....

Sweet Reminder

Just a little sweet reminder that Spring is on its way!

The Balance of Winter

Maybe one of the reasons I feel so out of balance during the winter here in Northeast Ohio is because it is so lacking in color. The bright colors of sun, flowers, grass and sky that keep me grounded in the summer are gone. Instead, our winter is mostly just a steady hum of brown coming from all the dead leaves, grass and resting trees.

But when it snows the perspective changes. Within one good snowstorm the mood turns dramatic. The landscape then takes on a unique combination of contrast between the white snow and the dark green and black colors of everything else. It becomes a fusion of dark and light and it becomes much more simple in its presentation.

It is at that moment of understanding that I am reminded of the bigger scheme of things. That the contrast and drama I see in a winter view may be the opposite of what I see during my most grounding summer season but it is precisely the contrast between the winter and summer months that gives me a sense of the larger balance of the opposites in the cycle of the seasons. I then realize that it is only with accepting that larger balance that I will truly feel my most grounded of all.

Nature's Ballerinas

Softly, delicately, floating in the wind....

The Serenity of Transience

It's a curious contradiction to me that the most aggressive of winter storms can bring the softest sense of quiet stillness to my mood.

It takes me to the reliable metaphor of snow "blanketing the earth" and bringing with it a sentiment of safety, security and rest for all that lies underneath the blanket.

The purity of that safe place underneath the blanket, and that transient safe moment in time which only lasts as long as the blizzard is fresh, is serene respite from the challenging stretch of winter months and my usual mood of detachment from my least-favorite season.