Red Bubble

Another place to find my art laying around...

That song keeps popping into me head...

But it's not why I made this one...

Life is a dance.

Stop...
Listen...
Love...
Dance...


Go.

People Portraits

I took photos for some friends this weekend. The
De Lano family didn't even think twice when I asked them to sit on the edge of the concrete under the park bench and look up so I could take an upside-down photo of them! I guess they already know I'm a bit out of the box.

At Freestone Park, in Gilbert, Arizona, there were easily a dozen photographers with their clients on Sunday. I was there at Noon, and again at 4PM. The park is attractive to photographers with its rolling hills, boulders, ponds, and fountains. We just had a few days of rain as well, so everything was bright and green.


The Siegels are very good friends of ours. It's not hard to capture the happiness that they share, especially the joy of a new addition coming very soon!

We spent some time at the park, and took a train ride. It was a beautiful day.

Boyce Thompson Arboretum

I've lived in Arizona for almost 8 years now. Sometimes, I think I might be missing the winter of the Midwest. In those moments, I take a trip outside and remind myself why I live here.

I took the kids and my camera to the Boyce Thompson Arboretum yesterday. It's about 30 minutes east of us. I'm not sure why we don't go more often, that must be remedied...

We spent a few hours there. Ollie free to run and explore, and I enjoyed taking some photos. Brandy examined the outside world from the stroller, then napped for a while. The air was cool, the sun was warm, the sky was clear blue. We were surrounded by the sounds of bugs, birds, water, breezes in the trees, and most of all, silence. Sitting in the Eucalyptus forest under towering trees, we enjoyed everything there. Ollie made friends with some rocks, and laid down in the dirt at one point. We watched bees buzz from flower to flower, and found the goldfish hiding in the pond.

So I ask myself... Why on earth would I ever go to the mall again when I can go there?

Portrait Session

This weekend, I set up a backdrop in the boutique of the Apache Junction laundromat boutique and took some photos. It started when I was renting an appliance dolly from their U-Haul portion of the business. I spoke with the owner, Julie, and she found out I was a photographer. One thing led to another and there I was. I was also able to use it as a fund raiser for a friend. She is taking a trip to Europe as a student ambassador next summer. Here are some of the results of my first "on-site" portraits! I learned a few things, and overall it was a good experience.

This is Danie, the student ambassador friend of mine!


Karen McLain - Oil Painter

FallWinterSpring is here!

It's November and the weather finally warrants wearing two layers, and spending time outside without dying of heat exhaustion.
I took the kids to the park yesterday. It was sunny and about 68 in the late morning. We watched the ducks for a while, and Ollie played on the playground. I sat in the grass with Brandy, enjoying the fresh air. This is why I love living here.
Though the summer is insanely hot, from November until about April it is absolutely lovely.
I don't mind snow, in fact I like it quite a bit, but the sub zero temperatures simply don't sit well with me. If I want to see snow, I can drive a couple of hours and do that, even go skiing! I will admit that the holiday season is a bit strange without snow. People DO put lights on their cacti. Seriously.

I'd rather deal with 115 heat here, because after all, "IT'S A DRY HEAT!" There, I said it... Though the residents of the desert have significantly increased the humidity levels here with golf courses, grass, pools, fountains, and non-native plants that require more water, the average is still under 40%. It sort of equates to walking into a convection oven. During the hottest part of the summer it is simply impossible to spend much time outside. Your body can't absorb enough to keep up with the rate of loss. That sounds crazy, but it's true. In the summer, we hibernate in our air conditioning, paying ridiculously high bills to keep cool.

I love our proximity to everything and nothing. From my house, it's 30 minutes to downtown Phoenix, but in the other direction it's also 30 minutes to Tortilla Flat (population 6). It only takes a few minutes to be in the mountains and feel like you are alone in the world. Once in a while, I get in the car and go out to the mountains just to remember how pretty it is. On that note, I'm heading out to spend some time with my horse. He is growing a shaggy winter coat since the nights have become quite cool...

new canvases

Lesson learned.
When your 2 year old
is saying, "Dot. Dot. Dot. Dot.",
look over and see what he is doing.

In tune.

Through recent interactions and encounters with many types of people and animals, I can honestly say that I get what being "In Tune" is.

It's like if you are listening to a radio that's just a little bit off. There is static. It's irritating until you can get it tuned just right, then the irritating feeling disappears and your mind says, "Yeah, that's it!"

I first experienced it while riding my instructor's horse. I'm learning to ride, the horse is teaching me, my instructor is teaching me. I'm doing my best to turn OFF my brain. To stop thinking and start feeling. The horse is looking for me to do a very specific thing to explain what I want from her.

It's not verbal.

I have to figure out what it feels like, so I listen to my trainer, process what she says, then ask the horse. Usually the first time it doesn't work, there is static. The second and third times I get a better feel for what I'm asking for, and how to ask for it. I ask again, and it comes in nice and clear. At that moment, we're in tune with each other.

The photo I attached to this blog reminded me of this concept. I took it at Via Colori, in Scottsdale. It is part of a larger work that can be viewed here. I liked this piece because it was one of the few done in black and white. The woman drawn is blindfolded, she quiets all of the outside voices, and ignores noisy thoughts to obtain peace and be in tune with the universe.

Some of my Art on Red Bubble

Sounds about right...

Your result for What Your Taste in Art Says About You Test...

Non-conformist, Visionary, and Independent

10 Abstract, -17 Islamic, -4 Ukiyo-e, 8 Cubist, -15 Impressionist and -16 Renaissance!

Abstract art uses a visual language of form, color and line to create a composition which exists independently of what may appear to others as visual realities. Western had been underpinned by the logic of perspective and an attempt to reproduce an illusion of visible reality. It allowed the progressive thinking artists to show a different side to the world around them. By the end of the 19th century many artists felt a need to create a 'new kind of art' which would encompass the fundamental changes taking place in technology, science and philosophy. Abstract artists created art that was diverse and reflected the social and intellectual turmoil in all areas of Western culture.

People that chose abstract art as their preferred artform tend to be visionsaries. They see things in the world around them and in people that others may miss because they look beyond what is visual only with the eye. They rely on their inner thoughts and feelings in dealing with the world around them instead of on what they are told they should think and feel. They feel freed from the tendancy to be bound by traditional thought and experiences. They look more toward their own ideas and experiences than what they are told by their religious upbringing or from scientific evidence. They tend to like to prove theories themselves instead of relying on the insight or ideas of others. They are not bound by common and mundane, but like to travel and have new experiences. They value intelligence, but they also enjoy a challenge. They can be rather argumentative when they are being forced or feel as if they are being forced to conform.

Take What Your Taste in Art Says About You Test at HelloQuizzy

Weirdness.

weird - of strange or extraordinary character

I like weird. I like weird people, and weird things.
To be able to step outside of what is expected and do something different is, to me, is the mark of someone who is comfortable with himself.

This guy, is definitely weird. He's a photographer of a different sort, and has created something amazingly unique. I'd say he's extraordinary! How cool is this...

Photoshop tutorials, self teaching, home schooling....

I've been thinking lately about teaching, learning, and home schooling. If I had to decide from my own experience with school, I would definitely go with home schooling for my kids. Here's why.
Everyone learns in different ways, and expecting kids to fit in a cookie cutter curriculum seems wrong.
When I was in school, I was very quiet. If I was in a classroom and didn't understand something, I was not the type to raise my hand and interrupt the class. So, I often fell behind in the class, and didn't learn as much as I could have, sometimes nearly failing. I did really well in art, music, and English, but math, history, and science didn't agree with me.
In high school I had a tutor for biology for a short time. The one-on-one attention helped, but after he was gone I struggled again.

My two year old is learning every day. We don't have a TV on. I spend time with him enjoying piles of books and toys. We go places, and I teach him in every situation we are in. Whether it's the types and colors of fruits in the grocery store, or picking letters out on signs and packages, I talk to him, and he absorbs it.
Sometimes I'm talking to him in the grocery store, and will get a weird look from a stranger. It's as if they don't get that I am talking to my child like he is a real person!

So I've figured out that I'm good at learning things that I am interested in, and that are interactive. I've become a fan of Photoshop tutorials. I can learn one thing at a time, step by step, and I can refer back if it is confusing. I found an effect that I've always liked and tried it on one of my photos. It's my first attempt, but I thought it came out pretty well.

If you are interested in learning how to create this effect, I used this resource.

Education is power, but only if you learn something!

Looking forward to seeing Ani this Wednesday...

Ani DiFranco talks about her home birth...


Ani DiFranco Interview with Mindful Mama Magazine from Mindful Mama Magazine on Vimeo.

A Happy Moment

I love horses, and have all my life. When I was a little girl, I went to girl scout horseback riding camp. Everyone changed their clothes after we went on our rides at the dude ranch, except me. I loved the smell of horses, and leather and intended to keep it with me for the rest of the day.

A magnificent black and white paint horse appeared in my dreams regularly. There was something about tobiano paints that I adored. I even adopted a black and white dog and called him "Tobiano".

When I was 29 I declared that I needed to own a horse by the time I was 30, or I would throw a fit that would be heard on the other side of the world. (Arguably not the most effective way to accomplish a goal, but it renewed my desire to make it happen.)

I was 29 1/2 when I bought my horse, a black and white, tobiano yearling stud colt. My wonderful husband nodded and smiled as I showed him pictures of the muddy baby horse I had just fallen love with. I named him Mojo. Most horse people would think what I did was a questionable move for a first horse. It could have been, but I was sure it was the right thing to do. It was. The horse from my dreams now lives in my back yard!

We spent the first two years of our relationship getting to know and trust each other. I called him my "biggest dog". He now deals with and accepts just about anything. Just before he turned four I found a wonderful trainer that teaches natural horsemanship. We started from the ground up, and after about 10 months (during which I was pregnant, so we went took things nice and slow), we have him quite happily under saddle. Only my trainer has been on him so far, except a few minutes I was on him the other night. This brings me back to the point of this blog...

Now, we're training me. While some people that have been on trail rides say they know how to ride a horse, actually doing it on a horse that isn't trained to simply walk in a straight line from point A to point B and back is a different game.

Today I had my first lesson with my trainer's gray Andalusian mare. We started with some groundwork. The difference between working with my horse, and this one was immediately evident. She tested me, challenged me, and asked me if I meant it. I stuck with it, and applied what I knew. It worked! I earned her respect and we saddled and bridled her.

My trainer had her by a lead and coached me from the ground. This was no pony ride! Knowing she was there was like an insurance plan. It allowed me to figure out what I was doing without worrying. What an amazing feeling to ride a horse that won't do what you ask unless you ask right.

Needless to say, it went really well, and will now be a weekly thing to keep my learning curve in line with Mojo's.

What makes a photographer?

I am often asked if I am a photographer. My answer is, well, I have a few cameras, and take a lot of pictures, so, yes!
What makes a person a photographer?
What I know is that being a "photographer" takes really only 2 things.
1. A camera.
2. A subject.
Obviously this doesn't make you a professional, or even an artist by default, but it's a start. The bottom line is that it's an art form, and in many ways, beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder.

The picture here was taken by me, yesterday. My daughter was on her changing table, and the light from the window was so right, and she looked up at me. Snap. There it is. A little Photoshop color editing for a nice soft sepia, a sweet frame (tutorial courtesy of Helen Bradley as a guest blogger on Digital Photography School), and I have what I think is a beautiful little work of art, and I'm not just talking about my daughter!
Not bad right?

So, am I a photographer? Sure I am! I get compliments on my work all the time. I love sharing and seeing other people's work. I've been using different digital cameras for over 10 years, and have only recently purchased a nice digital SLR. Some of my best photos have been taken with point and shoot cameras!

So, are YOU a photographer?

Here are some of my tips for exploring your inner shutterbug:
1. DO take lots of pictures, especially if you're shooting digital, because it's FREE. Even fantastic photographers take a lot of shots to get the real gems.
2. Experiment, experiment, experiment! Try several different settings of the same shot, find out what makes you smile when you see the result.
3. DO sharpen your skills. Just like the frame I made above was an online tutorial (did I mention FREE?), there are bunches of simple tutorials to help you turn your snapshots into works of art. Everyone has different taste, so find what feels right for your style.
4. DO share your work, and be ready to get critiqued. Put on some tough skin, and learn from it! Join a local hobbyist photography club.
5. DON'T compare yourself to others. There are many amazingly talented photographers out there. I could name off a dozen right now. Remember that it is an art form, and everyone has a unique perspective on what looks good.
6. DON'T worry about how the camera works just yet. There are many people with amazing technical photography skills producing mediocre shots, and some with a simple point and shoot that just have that eye for what looks good. Things like focal length, f-stop, EXIF, ISO, or even "megapixel" may sound like another language to someone who has just picked up a camera. It's okay to not understand how your camera works right away. Focus on using it for now, and the technical stuff will come later..
7. DO keep your camera nearby! Take it with you to make sure when that perfect opportunity presents itself, you'll be ready!

Tiptoe... tiptoe...

Hi there... ere... ere...
Wow, there's a bit of an echo in here. ere... ere...

Better fill up this space with all kinds of creative stuff.

So, here's my first post, just a few words to get rid of that echo.

That's better.

Be back soon.