Blayney's Bridal Portrait

     I was recently going through and organizing some of my files and I realized I had some photo shoots I never posted. I've had such a good time on these shoots, so it seems a shame to not share them. So today, I present for your viewing pleasure a bridal shoot with a very sweet bride named Blayney from Charlotte, NC. I had the privilege of getting to shoot with her twice actually. Once before her wedding, for her bridal portrait, and then a second time, after the wedding, for a couple's shoot with her new husband Curtis. I'll post some of the shots from the second shoot in a few days.

   I really enjoyed my time with Blayney. Most of the time brides will bring along a friend or a family member to help out with the shoot, and Blayney's mom Anne was just wonderful. Both of them are very creative women and came with lots of ideas and really open minds about where and how to shoot the portraits. We trekked up and down a grassy hill, through a llama pasture, in and out of trees, and anywhere else that happened to catch our eyes. I was really extremely impressed, not to mention surprised, at Blayney's willingness to pick up her satin gown and hike through the weeds. As they say, anything to get the shot, right? She was a great sport, and I couldn't have been happier to spend the afternnoon/evening with her and her mom. I really do love shooting portraits, and bridal portraits in particular. This day was no exception, and it really was a joy and an honor to get to do it. I realize that can sound a bit corny or trite. Nevertheless, it really is an honor for me, and I'm just really thankful to be able to do what I do. I hope you enjoy the photos as much as I enjoyed taking them.

     I thought I'd include these two pictures of Blayney with her sweet mama Anne. Too cute!

   

Creation of Adam

  
As much as I like sharing what I'm inspired by and working on at the moment, it's also fun to look back every once in a while and enjoy past work. This piece is probably my favorite thing I've ever created. I was living in south Georgia (a country all to itself that should probably require a passport to visit) and was given a beautiful opportunity to try something brand new. I'd never done any type of mosaic work before. I'd never worked with glass in any art form for that matter. The church I was a part of was in the middle of a very cool renovation project. They'd completely rehauled a vintage movie theater for the church's use and to offer to the community. Because the building had been abandoned and had fallen into such disrepair, many parts of it were just destroyed and had to be rebuilt from scratch. The only thing intact when they first came into the theater were the nests of all the local critters who'd taken up residence in the downtown district. After evicting the local tenants, no effort was spared to bring the old theater back, and make it better than it ever was. We decided, as a group, that the theater's lobby should be something really special and different. So that when people first stepped into the building they would know that this was a place of creativity. One of the ladies in the church had been interested in glass mosaics for some time, but had never attempted it. As we talked through ideas for the lobby, our brainstorming led to a large glass mosaic depicting the hands from "The Creation of Adam" by Michaelangelo. Sitting around the dinner table, our grand ideas sounded great. Inspirational even. A five foot circle of many different colors and textures of glass that would shimmer in the sunlight, illustrating the very beginning of creativity itself. I'm still not quite sure how this came about, but before I knew it I'd been enlisted to create the new masterpiece. Because of the official grand opening of the theater, we had seven days to complete the mosaic. Within a few days she and I stood in the middle of the lobby and stared at the concrete floor. I think it was at about that point that we realized we'd skipped a step. Neither of us had a clue what we were doing.

  
Necessity being the mother of invention, we rolled up our sleeves and decided the only way to learn to do it was just to do it. First we drew the outline for our design. The idea was to focus on the hands of God and Adam, and replace the background with abstract blue and green swirls that represented the winds of creativity blowing. So as not to stumble across each other, we decided that I would be responsible for the hands, she would do the swirls, and we'd both do the background. I've had plenty of experience mixing colors of paint, pencil, even wax. I had no idea how in the world I was supposed to blend solid colored shards of glass to emulate the subtle color variations of human skin. But with time, effort, and too many glass splinters to mention I started to figure it out. I'm pretty sure I peeled up more glued tile than I laid down for those first couple days. Eventually I started to understand how the glass worked and how to lay it to get the effects I wanted. After roughly a hundred hours, our glass was all laid. Honestly I was stunned that we'd finished it, and that it actually worked out. The only thing left was for it to be grouted. We both agreed that since we'd never grouted any kind of tile we weren't willing to possibly destroy all our hard work, and we brought in a professional tile man. He finished laying the large ceramic tile in the rest of the lobby and then grouted all of it together. I was standing beside him when he dumped the first plop of grout right onto my beautiful glass, completely covering it in sandy concrete. I gasped outloud and decided that I definitely did not need to be there for this. For several nights I'd been having nightmares about people destroying the mosaic, earthquakes that cracked it, fire in the theater, and even one where thieves pried it off the floor and stole it. My blood, sweat, and tears were in that floor and I just needed it to be finished. A couple hours later I got a phone call to meet my artistic partner at the lobby. When we opened the door, I was stunned. It was beautiful. The grout between the pieces of glass highlighted the lines and veins in the design and made it have more texture than I'd imagined. As the sun came through the plate glass doors and windows, the mosaic tiles seemed to almost trap the light inside the floor, making it appear to glow from underneath. I'd never seen anything like it, and more than that, I couldn't believe I'd actually made it. A lot of the time the art in my mind and heart is not exactly what comes out through my hands. This was one of those rare occasions that the results exceeded my expectations.




  The Creation of Adam Mosaic started what was to become a long love affair with glass mosaics. After a foolishly ambitious first effort, I did actually read and research how to create mosaics properly. I learned that we'd been on the mark for the most part, and in some cases made our lives a little harder than they needed to be. But overall we did a solid job. I've mosaiced many things since then, but this is still my favorite and probably always will be. I do dream of doing something of similar size someday but the right project hasn't come along yet. I'm so incredibly thankful for the people who believed in me and pushed me to expand my creative muscles. I learned so very much from them, and I am eternally grateful.

cameo

     Today I thought I'd post a couple of the drawings I've done for work lately. The first is a design based on an antique cameo necklace. And the second is two koi fish swimming. Both are done in Prismacolor pencils and both are in greyscale.

He Hides the Sun

  
  So this is my response to my previous complaints of too much photography. I've always loved to draw, and I go through seasons of lots of practice and then not so much. When I was younger I tended towards cute baby animals and flowers. But as I got older, I kept being drawn, pardon the pun, to faces. In photography, in multi-media, and in fine art I am constantly looking at the expressions and countenance of people's faces. I thrive on diversity, and this comes through in what I choose to illustrate.

   My family's culture and lineage is through a few Native American tribes. I grew up among drum circles, grass dancing, and traveling to many different powwows to celebrate with other indians. It was just the norm for us, but now that I'm an adult I see how rare and valueable it was. This part of my history and experience has had a huge impact on my art. I'm often drawn to the traditional colors and patterns I learned as a child, and I love illustrating the amazing regalia the dancers wear in the dance circle.

   This portrait is from a photo I found online by Kat Fowler of a dancer at a Chickahominy powwow in VA. She said he was the biggest guy she'd ever seen in her entire life, and his name translates to "he hides the sun." He's from the Eastern Cherokee tribe, which makes us cousins of sorts because I'm also from the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Nation. I'd love to be able to find him and offer him a copy of his portrait, but so far I've not had much luck finding him. But the internet is an amazing thing sometimes, so maybe someday. If you know who he is, feel free to send him this way so I can get a copy of his portrait to him.

Almond Blossoms

  This is an oil pastel of almond blossoms on an almond tree, which is an interpretation of a painting by Vincent Van Gogh. I've always loved almond blossoms and been interested in the symbolism behind them in scripture. In the book of Exodus in the Old Testament there is a very detailed description of the tabernacle in the wilderness. The artist was a man named Bezalel and he was given vision and abilities in all kinds of artistic mediums to create the interior of the tabernacle. One of the most significant parts of the building was a large lampstand, resembling what we would now call a menorah. The only difference between the two is that the lampstand had seven candles and a menorah has eight. The instructions were "And on the lampstand there are to be four cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms. One bud shall be under the first pair of branches extending from the lampstand, a second bud under the second pair, and a third bud under the third pair—six branches in all. The buds and branches shall all be of one piece with the lampstand, hammered out of pure gold." -Exodus 25:34-36. I'm not entirely sure why but I was curious about this when I read it. In scripture there are countless examples of God using symbols and objects to represent different things. Why almond blossoms? And on the single most important part of the tabernacle, which was the physical meeting place of God Himself, the lampstand was the representation of the light of God. Its importance cannot be overstated. So, I did a little looking into it and found that almond trees are the very first tree to blossom in the spring. Its flowers bud and bloom quite a bit before any others, regardless of the climate or region. They are also the very last to bare fruit. In the scriptures, God refers to Himself as "the Alpha Omega," meaning "the beginning and the end of all things." The almond blossoms are the living picture of Himself, and in even the smallest details of His instruction to Bezalel, He was revealing Himself. He is always revealing Himself, if we are willing to see Him.

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things... Part 1

  Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, bright copper kettles and warm woolen... something. Well those may not be my most favorite things, but I was thinking earlier today about what they would be if I made a list. Very quickly I realized that it was next to impossible to limit the numbers of beautiful and wonderful things in my world to one simple list. I remember being at a book store several years ago and coming across a book that was basically just a list of a thousand wonderful things in life. Simple everyday things along the lines of those raindrops and whiskers. It's all too easy to get through our day and completely have missed experiencing any part of it. "Getting through" just shouldn't be the goal. We need to live in our days and make them count, especially in simplicity and everyday activities. It's easy to celebrate vacations, but when we stop and look around, there is so much to celebrate all around us. Take 60 seconds and think through the things you have today to be thankful for, that are worth noticing. I immediately think of my family, the love we share, health, freedom in a country I love, and being blessed with a creative spirit. After the major things, I like to just look around me and see the simple things that bring so much joy to my day. Like the white ceramic cupfuls of beautiful Prismacolor pencils on my work table, a stack of antique french books that I treasure, a very welcome cool breeze at the end of another hot Southern summer day, a new-to-me green purse with the cutest little clovers on it that my sweet cousin passed my way, my fuzzy slippers, and the list goes on literally infinitely. Are they life-changing items that will go down in history in their importance? No. They're just part of the simple, everyday treasures that make me smile when I notice them, and they are so worth the attention. One of the most beautiful things about blogging is the heightened attention we tend to pay to our days when we think about sharing it with others. I've noticed this already in my own life, and I've read so many other bloggers who have experienced the same thing. So, I intend to start giving them the attention they're due. Today, I say I am thankful for joy in simplicity and I see how very blessed I am.

  


   My first installment to my new list is: my cowboy boots. I'm from the south, and cowboy boots are fairly common place here. But these are special. They're so perfectly broken in and through the years they have molded themselves to my feet in the way that only great leather does. I love the detailed stitching on them, and the pride that went into making them is obvious. I love the way they affect my posture when I wear them, and I love the sound they make when I walk across a wooden floor. They're both sexy and tough at the same time, and they make me what to jump on a horse and lasso something. Mostly I love the memories I have in them, and how they remind me of my family and my culture. I think I'm gonna go grab them and take a stroll right now actually. And maybe go lasso something.

Jenni - Oil Pastel & Pencil Portraits

  As is probably evident for those reading this little blog, I love drawing and painting people's portraits. I've been fascinated with them since I was a little girl, and I've only become more so since then. I love the tiny intricate differences between any two people. When I am drawing a portrait, I'm fascinated by how the most minute difference in scale and size of a nose or an eye can make someone nearly unrecognizable. Almost indiscernable differences in line and shadow will bring a portrait from being just a face to actually capturing the essence of that person. Portrait painting and drawing goes far beyond line and shadow though. To really delve into capturing someone on canvas or paper, intense attention must be paid to the "invisible" traits of that person. What I mean is, those parts of someone's expression and demeanor that are difficult to define. When someone thinks and feels something, usually it inevitably comes across on their face, if we pay attention. What is it that makes a portrait come alive, to the point that the viewer sees it and exclaims, "Yes, that's soooo him. You've captured Him!" It's not the colors chosen or the skill with which we draw a line. While those elements are incredibly important, the magic "x" factor is in the minute details. A thin line strategically placed will change someone's expression entirely. A slightly darkend shadow on the lips can show slight tension, and turn a "camera" smile into a nervous smile, thus illustrating the subject more accurately and allowing the portrait to come alive. I've found it's not the big elements, but the tiniest that make the difference. I've spent years pursuing this, and expect to spend many many more developing and refining the skills I have. I encourage anyone who takes on the task of illustrating another person to go for it with everything you've got. Too often the fear of failure keeps us from doing something new or different or trying a new technique. Please try, do, experiment, fail, succeed. It doesn't matter. It's all a part of the process. Experiment with those tiny differences. Intentially draw someone's eyes just a little too big. Round off their chin a little more than it actually is. See the differences. Learn how to interpret what you see, and correct the mistakes you make. But by all means, just put pencil to paper and do it. Paper is cheap and time is never wasted when we're learning. It's win, win no matter what you do, as long as you do it.

  These two portraits are of my sweet cousin Jenni, taken from a photo shoot I did of her when she got married. I chose the two shots because of the simplicity and lack of distracting elements. The first was drawn with just regular artist pencils and the second is drawn with student quality oil pastels. Both were done as exercises in trusting my instincts. I determined I wasn't going to second guess myself, or take a long time to dwell on it. So I worked quickly and finished both in one sitting. Are they perfect? Clearly, not. Neither is intensely detailed and the oil pastel especially is a bit crude in both color and blending. But, did I learn from them? Absolutely! I moved quickly and didn't do my typical second guessing and internal criticism from the "peanut gallery" in my brain. No matter how long any of us pursue our creative fields there will always be boxes and molds for us to break out of, usually self-impossed. Bust those boxes open and challenge yourself to pursue what it is you really want. As long as we keep doing what we're doing, we're just going to keep getting what we've already got.

Honor for the Honorable

  All day today, I've felt restless. And tonight I realized that I've had a lump in my throat most of the day. It's been that feeling of being more aware of your heart beating than usual. Almost nervousness, but not really. And I just took some deep breaths and realized that I'd wanted to cry most of the day but hadn't let myself for some reason. I felt fine, but still sad somehow. Earlier I talked to my mom and heard the sadness in her voice as well. Yesterday was her birthday. And today was her dad's. Her entire life, her birthday has been about her and her daddy sharing their birthdays. But now he's gone. and after six birthdays it still hasn't really sunk in that she's by herself for the first time in her life... in that way. And while I want so much to comfort her, I know I can't.


  And I've carried him in my heart and my mind all day. More than usual. And I think about how incredibly blessed and loved I've been. I am awestruck by the enormous reality that I was born into love. I've been brought up in love, provided for in love, & protected in love. Love has been my teacher and my safe place. and right now, in love, I grieve. And somehow, although it's been so many days and nights, today right this moment, I feel like I just lost him... again. It's just as fresh as it was the day he left. And in my spirit, I know truly that we are more united now than we've ever been. Not just him and me, but all of us... the Body and the Blood that truly connects us. Not the shared blood that runs through our veins, but the blood that frees us from death and releases us into freedom and life. And as much as that is true and as much as I breathe it in and out, I miss him. I miss his heart, and I miss his eyes, and I miss the way he smelled. I miss the way he'd stand with one hip cocked out in the slightest bit, just like his father and his brothers and my brothers. I miss the roughness of his hands and how gently he held mine. I miss the way he looked at me, and how safe I felt when he hugged me. I miss seeing him kiss my grandmaw and I miss the echo of his laughter. I just miss him.


  And I find myself needing to do something for him... for his birthday. And I want to give him what I always wanted give him. Honor. So tonight I write this as a witness. That there was a man named Aaron Bryce Hager, that mattered more to a few people than anyone could imagine. He was strong and beautiful and simple. He walked in true Love everyday I knew him, and he wore the character of the Lord like a cloak around him. He was born in blue mountains and loved the creation and taught his way of love to us. He worked hard and he got dirty and he loved every minute of it. He was firm but surprisingly sensitive, and he carried the hearts of hurting people close to his own. Sometimes too close. He fell in love young, and he stayed deeply in love all the rest of his days, and his wife knew she was his treasure. And so did the rest of us. He honored his parents and loved them through the end of their lives, and he missed them every day after. He fathered his children well and he is still their hero. He had eight grandchildren that think he hung the moon, although he was quick to let them know he did not, because he knew who did. He was loved by them and cherished by them and kissed by them at every possible opportunity. He had the gift of allowing a 25 year old girl to be his little girl and still honor her as a woman. He openly and eagerly blessed us and he disciplined us and he taught us what a man is, and what it is to live as unto the Lord. He expected me to stand strong and never give up, and he never let me cry alone in his presence. He was beautifully flawed and incredibly imperfect, and it only adds to the sweetness of his humility. He was a gardener and a fisherman and a mechanic. He was an artist, a gifted musician and a worshiper, and he also gave these to his children and his children's children. He taught his boys to be men that knew how to love, and he valued the women in his heart more than any words that could be written. At the end of his life, he knew he was dying and he was not afraid. It wasn't his nature. He saw the Great Love of his life like he never had before and he was going home. He waited for his wife, as he always did, and in her arms he gave her his peace. And then for the first time in his life, he left. There was a man named Aaron Hager and he was a good man. He was honorable and virtuous and he was openly praised often. He is lifted up no more in his death than he was in his life, and he knew he was loved. And he made sure we knew we were, and he loved us well.
  So now, with all of that, I release him and all the day's pent-up thoughts. I'm going to sleep with some peace now. And the lump in my throat is finally gone. Happy Birthday Pawpaw.

Love's Celebration

   On this, the day of Love's celebration, I listen to the music of my heart's affection. I hear it sing, and listen as it soars at the very thought of the One that captivates me. He is. He is my whole love. He is all my affection. He is my husband. He is everything I long for, and the end of everything I ache for. He is mine and I am His. All things my eyes gaze upon are seen through the glasses of my heart's pursuit. And as it is my love for Him, who is Love itself, that encourages me to even breathe. All things are beautifully tainted by this obsession. There is no room for my love to be jealous. So instead of wanting Him all to myself, my pounding desire is that all would share Him. It is not in me to put Him in my box, because that is not His heart. And as His heart and my own have become so interwoven in this dance, I don't claim to be the source of anything right that I feel. His heart has got to come together. His people need to hear Him. And my whole self needs more of Him today than I ever have. Oh, that His people would come together in an explosion of creative passion for the One that loves everything about them. Multiple intimacy without promiscuity.

A Friday Favorite

     
     I'd like to take a minute on this fine Friday afternoon and set aside a moment to highlight one of the simple pleasures in life. Cupcakes. No, it's not a deeply personal subject. And it has absolutely nothing to do with my art or creative life whatsoever. But some of the sweetness of life is just stopping to notice the good things. I may make a regular habit of doing this on future fridays, I'm not sure. But for now, I'm going to stop and give the stage to one of my favorite sweet parts of the sweet life. 


     The inspiration for this personal observation is that I've just made one of the great discoveries of my life: a quality gourmet bakery. While I realize the thrill of this discovery could easily be lost on many people, I would like to take a moment to celebrate it anyway. Polka Dot Bake Shop in Charlotte, NC is one of those amazing, unassuming, little gems that's just doing everything right. Being the cupcake aficionado that I am, I feel perfectly qualified to hold them up to the highest standards of cupcakey excellence. And let me tell you my friends, they pass with flying colors. They feature flavors like Pumpkin Turtle, Salted Caramel, Chai Latte, and Mexican Hot Chocolate. But the one that takes the cake (pardon the pun) is one of their featured Saturday flavors, the Honey Almond. I've never been much for the flavors of either honey or almond. So it was a complete shock to my peanut butter and chocolate loving system when I first tasted this little piece of perfection. It's this perfectly light and fluffy almond cupcake with honey almond cream cheese icing, crushed almond praline, and sliced almonds. So simple. Yet amazingly balanced and just beautiful. It is officially my single favorite dessert to date.


     And while I'm shouting the wonders of the Polka Dot Bake Shop from the highest mountain (or at least my blog), I'd be completely remiss to not mention the muffins. Oh, the muffins! They have a Sweet Potato muffin with a cream cheese center that could make some men cry. And again, I have to say I've never been a great lover of sweet potatoes. But somehow, they've done it again. They've taken flavors that have never been particularly appealing to me and created something so perfect that I am completely swayed. There is no room for improvement as far as I can see. My family was so impressed by these muffins that we had them overnighted to my cousin out in Utah for her birthday because we knew how much she would love them. She is a lover of all things sweet potato, and I don't think she's ever met a muffin she didn't like. So, I figured these would probably be a pretty big hit with her. She said when she opened them they were just as fresh as if they'd just come out of the oven that morning. She loved them so much she stopped and took a moment while enjoying them and her chai latte to take a picture of how beautiful her little meal was, so we could enjoy it together from a distance. That is one special muffin in my opinion.


     I didn't intend to write a restaurant review as much as I just wanted to say how great this little cupcake discovery was, but credit should be given when it is deserved. Many people and businesses go through everyday doing just the bare minimum, taking no pride in their work, or endeavoring to create anything special. I think it's nice to find a place, a simple bakery, that is inspired, responsible, and takes pride in what they do. If you live anywhere in the area, I highly recommend a visit to see them for yourself. But I also know from personal experience that their baked goods stay fresh for several days and handle being shipped very very well. And believe me, it's well worth it. Check them out at www.polkadotbakeshop.com. And take a look around your area to see what local, small businesses are doing an excellent job, and creating something wonderful. It's important to support these businesses and make sure we have them as part of our communities. My favorite is a cupcake bakery, but it could be anything. It's all about people putting their hearts into what they're doing, and doing it with excellence. I think that's an art, all on it's own. And in my case, Cupcake Art is my new Friday favorite. What's yours?

Sherrin's Bridal Portrait

   Last week my sweet cousin Sherrin married the love of her life, Tim, in Charlotte, NC in a beautiful afternoon garden wedding. They had a long hard road to get to where they could walk down that aisle, but when they finally did, it was just perfect. As a wedding photographer, I've been to a lot of weddings, to say the least. And I've seen a lot of brides walking down the aisle. But I don't think I've ever seen a groom looking at his bride the way that my new cousin Tim looked at Sherrin. He was almost glowing. I'm taking a break from wedding photography this year, so I didn't shoot the wedding. One of my dearest friends, Adam Coker at Authentic Exposure, did an amazing job with his team shooting the entire wedding weekend. Check him out at www.authenticexposure.com. I did get to spend some great time together with Sherrin doing a bridal portrait as a wedding gift for them. The shoot was split into two different segments. The first, in the blue ridge mountains in Asheville, NC, and the second on Baker's Mountain at our beloved Camp Joy. I can't say how happy I am that Sherrin and Tim are finally married, and that the wedding went so wonderfully. They're going to be living in Germany, which is hard for our whole family, but we've adjusted to it and are really happy for them. We're just going to have to find a new normal, and work a lot harder at skypeing and emailing to help span the distance. It's so hard being separated from the ones we love. In my heart I want to pull everyone close and have them all in arm's reach. But I also love them enough to want them to have wings to fly. It's a hard and confusing thing this love stuff. I guess the most important part is that the love we have between us in our family is strong. And those roots run deep. So whether we're separated by miles and oceans, or if we get the rare occassion to all be under the same roof, our love for one another is unchanged. And the depth of the pain from being apart is just a reflection of the depth of love between us and the ones we miss.
   So, I wanted to share some of the bridal portraits of our beautiful Sherrin. We had a great time, as always, shooting them, and she couldn't have looked prettier. This professional break from photography has been really good for me so far, and I think it's accomplishing what I'd hoped it would. This bridal shoot was a good experiment in that it really showed me that I have missed photography and that those creative juices run deep. I felt more excited and eager to shoot than I have in a long time, and that felt pretty great. I'm sure a good part of that was that it was Sherrin I was shooting, but I know that a lot of it was just the creativity of setting up and taking the shots. On a side note, Sherrin and Tim have spent the majority of their courtship traveling back and forth between America and Germany. And because traveling has been such a big part of her life, she wanted to reflect that in some of the portraits by having her suitcase in some of the shots. I say that just to explain that it had a purpose, and wasn't some random prop. Although I think it worked out looking pretty cool. As always, I'm very open and eager for feedback and/or suggestions. I love hearing other people's, and artists', perspectives and suggestions so I can see it from a different angle than my own. You can click on the individual photos to view a slightly larger version. Thanks for checking them out.

Shrimpin'

  I love to travel. Anyone who knows me at all knows that this is a huge passion of mine. I love discovering new people, and places, and flavors, and customs. I love seeing life from a completely new perspective, and flipping everything I know to be a certain way upside-down. And as much as I love to go, I equally love coming home. Part of traveling, for me, is the joy of being away from the familiar and then returning to it. And my familiar is the South.


  I am a southern girl, through and through. And while I can adapt and barter with a bushman in the heart of Sub-Saharan Africa or a Bizarre in the heart of Jerusalem, in my heart I am most at home in the land of magnolias, sweet tea, and bluegrass music in the bluest mountains on earth. So it's no great surprise that I tend to gravitate towards subject matter that illustrates the culture I love so much. The weather here has been chilly, and it seems like it's not quite ready to give winter up completely. Not just yet. So, I've been dreaming about sunny days on the coast, and I can almost taste the salt in the air. I love going to the NC outer banks more than almost anywhere on earth, and catching our own shrimp and crab is one of the highlights. If you've never had the pleasure, I strongly recommend that you promptly make your way to the nearest ocean inlet for the freshest dinner of your life.


  The man in this oil pastel is a local shrimper. I like to think that he's been going out on the channel his entire life. Something his father and grandfather have always done, and surely something he'll pass on to his own children. I love the dark worn look of his skin from years of summers spent on the water, and the way he so perfectly throws the shrimp net out, like a perfect saucer. I'm even a little bit jealous of him actually. I'd give anything to be out on that water, getting ready for a dinner of shrimp and vegetables, and maybe some watermelon. Oooh, and a nice cold Corona with lime. But for now I've got to grab my umbrella and scarf and make my way through the muck. Maybe I'll stop by the frozen foods section on my way home for some shrimp though. Not quite the same, but it'll have to do. For now.

Sleepy Sarah

  This pencil portrait is a very simple look into the face of a very special little girl. She is three years old and has already mastered the fine art of the female strong will. Rarely have I seen a child with a stronger will than hers. And while it can be challenging, more than anything I admire her. Her strength is going to serve her well when she's older and I know she will be a woman who knows who she is and what she wants. Sure, it can be interesting when a three year old is instructing you about where to sit or what to say. But, as she grows in tempering and maturity, I'm so excited to see who she's going to be.

  This portrait is from a photograph I took of my favorite little princess/dictator when she was three years old, right after she woke up from her afternoon nap. I love the expression on her face. So peaceful with the sleep still in her eyes. This is my favorite shot of her, I suppose, because she's so calm and content. Just a precious little girl, waking up from her nap, wanting to snuggle and read a story. And so we did.

Taking a Break

  So it's official. I've decided to take a break from wedding photography. It's a result of several factors, both personal and professional. But mainly, I'm just tired. These past six months have been the hardest of my life, and to be honest I can't think of anything I'd rather do less than photographing weddings at the moment. Don't get me wrong. I love weddings. I absolutely love them. I love the excitement and the beauty and the emotion and everything involved in being part of a day that is so incredibly special and sacred in a couple's life. And because I respect my role as a story teller, I recognize that I am not in a place to do my absolute best work. So, I've given myself permission to step back, refocus, and regroup. I fully anticipate that I will return to wedding photography. I'd be absolutely shocked if I didn't. My hope is that as I spend my creative time and energy in other areas, that my photography will have new life breathed into it, and I can come back to it with a fresh perspective. I want to be excited about photography again. I want to look forward to upcoming jobs and enjoy brainstorming new and fresh ways to capture people's unique story and tell it in a way befitting just them. I believe with all my heart that that's what they deserve, and until I can offer that, I need to take a step back. I'm starting this self-imposed sabbatical with both excitement and reservations. Finances will require some adjusting, and I'm not totally sure what I'm going to do next to be honest. Textile design has been a wonderful new opportunity for me, and I hope that this break will allow me the time to expand that part of my business. And on the purely personal side of things, I'm really just loving getting pencils and paint back in my hands. I've needed it more than I can say. I know now, better than I ever have, that I don't have to choose between photography and other types of visual art. I just haven't done a very good job at balancing my time and making room for both my own creative expressions, and working professionally to tell someone else's story. Being self employed in a creative field it's easy to let all that energy go to business and not prioritize any time for my own personal non-work projects. That's a huge goal for me right now, to learn to manage my time better and prioritize my own non-work. I think that as I do that better, it will probably benefit both my professional and non-professional artwork. So, with a sigh of relief, as a birthday gift to myself this year, I start down an unplanned side road, excited about what the detour might lead me to.

Underwater Swimmer

 I did this pencil drawing with Prismacolor pencils (my absolute favorites) and used a photograph from the incredibly talented Howard Schatz. His underwater fashion photography is groundbreaking and dynamic. I'm using several of his photos as reference in a few other pieces as well. If you have a little extra time I highly recommend visiting his site and taking a look around. It's absolutely inspirational. http://www.howardschatz.com/ 

Too Much of a Good Thing

  Lately, I've realized that I'm spending too much time in photography and not nearly enough time working with my hands. Don't get me wrong. I love photography. I love everything about it. I love the creativity and the adventure of it. I love the places it takes me and the people it brings me to. And mostly I love it's unique ability to freeze time and capture a moment, a certain look, a glimpse of someone's life or a place that is so beautifully preserved it becomes eternal. I suppose it's a side effect of the job, but I do tend to get a bit tunnel visioned when I work. Having my profession and my creative outlet combined in the same process is a dream come true. But it can get a bit monotonous. I've been dreaming of multi-colored Prismacolor pencils, brand new sketchbooks, sheets of beautifully thick bumpy watercolor paper, and paint I can get my fingers into.


  Part of my journey as a "divergent artist" is the constant discovery of what makes me tick creatively. What exactly is that thing that lights my fire? And what I found is that it's the variety of interests that really keeps me going. I need to paint, and draw, and sculpt, and weave, and bead, and paste, and yes, photograph. If I get too focused on one thing I tend to get creatively stale. This is a mystery to most of the people who've been telling me to focus on something, anything. I understand their attempted encouragement, but it's just not for me. So, today I'm gonna put down my camera and pick up some pencils I think. And I fully intend on not focusing one little bit.