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.