The evolution of ideas

Perhaps I'm a creature of habit, or maybe I have a limited imagination? However, I prefer to think that I am persistent in my pursuit of working with an idea until I create something that satisfies my imagination and pushes my boundaries of creativity.

2017 was a devastating year for me. My husband had a major stroke, and my world changed significantly. However, I used art to pull me through the darkest of times and worked on several projects that allowed me to express my emotions and frustrations in a visual way.

One project was during the year 2018. I took photographs and then wrote a verse to pair with the image.

One of my favourites was I Had a Dream:

I Had a Dream, 2018

I reach for the light

but the stars

have fallen

and lay submerged

glittering their promise

like diamonds

beneath the sea

The image is a simple double exposure with no further editing.

During the early stages of the pandemic, I spent a lot of time improving my photo editing skills and started to create digital collages...images composed of elements from many different photographs merged into one. Last year, 2023, I revisited the verse I wrote in 2018 and decided to create another image using this photo collage method. The Stars Have Fallen was the result:

The Stars Have Fallen, 2023

This image was created with elements from four or five photographs. The background is a photo of the side of an abandoned car! To be frank, I prefer my original image, the double exposure photograph.

Fast forward to today, when I watched a video on YouTube made two years ago by an artist in the UK. Mrs Bertimus, episode 4  I discovered her work and YouTube channel several weeks ago and was quite intrigued by her artistic style. So haunting and beautiful. Every few days, I choose one of her older videos and watch them. This particular video shows how she created her image If The Stars Fell Out Of The Sky. Oh my, be still my heart! Her painting visually captures what I was trying to say with my verse from 2018. 

I have contacted her and fingers are crossed that I am able to purchase a print of her image (her website says she ships only to UK and US). Edited to note: she kindly sent me a print, and has added shipping to Canada on her website.

And...I am motivated to work yet again on creating a new image for my verse I Had A Dream. Maybe version 3 is in my future.

I reach for the light

but the stars

have fallen

and lay submerged

glittering their promise

like diamonds

beneath the sea

Note to myself: keep trying!

Building a Composite Image

Ride the Gator, 2024

I often have to supply an artist statement and struggled with writing one. This is the current way I describe my process:

Using my photographic library to illustrate visions I have in my mind, I include elements from many different photographs to make a composited image that is open to the viewer's interpretation. Predominantly using elements of nature, I create painterly and surreal pieces that deal with a range of subjects to help promote emotional healing. 

Quite a mouthful.

Basically, it boils down to this:

Something triggers an idea in my mind. It could be a dream (as in the case of Ride the Gator, above. More on that if you keep reading) or it could be a concept that I'm struggling with, developing a theme I want to work with, etc.

Once I come up with my idea, I decide on a setting and take a look through my photo library for something suitable. I build the image from the background, adding and subtracting details as I go. 

Ride the Gator started with a dream I had two years ago.  I had been diagnosed with lung cancer, a real shocker as I had never smoked and they found the cancer quite by accident, and I was waiting for surgery. The dream was so vivid, I wrote in down in my workbook the next morning:

After my surgery and recuperation, the idea of creating a "riding the alligator" image never left me. However, my artistic drive seemed to leave me for quite some time and I felt unable to work with photographs. The idea transferred to my 2023 workbook, then my 2024 workbook, and finally came to fruition in February.

I started with the background and created it with several layers using elements from different photographs:

I added a moon from another image, created some stars, and blended them to get to this point:

Next came the alligator. I purchased this alligator on Amazon in 2022 and photographed it in September of that year. Then he sat on my shelf, and the photos sat on my computer, waiting patiently until 2024. I took photos from many angles, and you can see by the one I chose to use that the photos were quite terrible:

I flipped the gator and inserted him into the image:

Now, who was going to ride the gator? I tried a couple of things...a ceramic dog, a real dog, and settled on a raven. The balloons were added while giving the first rider a trial:

 

Satisfied with the raven, I added some layers of texture and colour, and fiddled with the lighting and position of the balloons for the final result:

Ride the Gator

The whole process takes quite some time, usually some time working at the computer and searching for images to use, then a lot of thinking time, then back to the computer for changes and tweaking. Sometimes images get abandoned, with me not knowing how to "fix" them, but this one was smooth sailing. Probably because I had a specific idea in my mind.

Is it a strange image? Probably to most people. Am I happy with it? You bet! It was worth the two year wait to create.

A different kind of travel photo

England Street Art Mosaic

 

I was so fortunate in 2023...I had not one, but two getaways. I has been 10 years since I've been on a plane, and over 30 years since I've been overseas. I traveled to Toronto in August to have a reunion with 3 high school friends. Although I have seen all three friends over the years, it has been over 20 years since the four of us have been together. Then in November I flew to England with my daughter-in-law (and friend). We visited London, Brighton, Oxford, and London again over ten days. It was a whirlwind! 

I put together the mosaic above as a first step in gathering my memories from my England trip. It's a compilation of mostly street art, signs, and window displays from all three cities I visited, with a few photos of flowers thrown in...72 images all blending together into one memory. 

Art in this compilation was done by, or featured in the following stores: (my apologies if I've missed someone)

@roo_art
@bodleianlibraries @casimiramostyn @themoominshoplondon @heavenforbirds @thegardenofoxford @lukeadamhawker @hairbyfairy
@bighugbrewing @patrick.tulloch.art @hanningtonsbrighton @hugoandgreen @tinadavies70 @scriptumoxford @blackwellbooks colinruffell.com @boushamgallery harbourlightsgallery.com/ben-pritchard/
@amoretcoffee
@ciaonelius
@beavertownbeer
@namastecamden
@cherryon_nottinghill
@akajimmyc
@pret
@bricklanevintagemarket

 It was great fun to put together, and a good reminder of how much I love mosaics.

Commissions - are they right for you?

Sanctuary

Years ago, when I was creating and selling glass art, I adopted the policy of "no commission work". I found it very stressful to create someone else's vision. I was much happier creating what felt right to me.

Earlier this year, I was approached by someone putting together an exhibit to create an image with a specific message. The project involved many different aspects of nature, soil, information and artworks. I came up with my creation Sanctuary. 

This was not at all what the person who approached me had in mind, and I was asked to create something totally different. This turned into quite a dilemma for me. I was asking myself... why did I say yes when I was approached with this request? Should I attempt what this person wanted? (keep in mind, this was an unpaid assignment). 

I spent a couple of days working on various ideas to accommodate this project. In the end, I decided that creating something that didn't resonate with me was not of benefit to anyone. 

However, I do have a happy ending after all. This image was published by Forget-Me-Not Press in their Bloom issue. This is also an unpaid gig, but having something published provided me with some much needed validation.

Time Marches On

Time Marches On

The past 10 months have been challenging for me creatively. Dealing with my own health issues, as well as being a caregiver to my husband, has taken a toll.

This is not to say that I have not been creative, just that I didn't feel I had the energy to create the way I had been. I turned to a different hobby and spent months using my hands. I sewed quilts by machine, a quilt by hand, many, many small slow stitched pieces, and have started on a few larger slow stitched wall hangings. 

My mind seemed to need a slower process...I found the stitching therapeutic. I could turn my mind off and feel calmness settle in as I pushed the needle in and out of the fabric. I enjoyed the tactile sensation of the fabrics in my hands (all second hand clothing purchased for how they felt just as much as how they looked).  

I made the above image in February, and it was my first post surgery photography based creation. Using photos I took with my phone, I layered shadows on the wall with a walking crow, a still shot of a watch and various textures to come up with Time Marches On. 

In retrospect, I believe this image was a message to myself. It was time to resume doing what I love...creating images to express my feelings and emotions. I still haven't done that, but I now feel that I am ready to take a step back on my creative path.

Rough Waters

Rough Waters - work in progress - Stage Series

Sometimes it's difficult for me to decide how much of my personal life to share and I generally try to just post about my creative process. However, the two are tied together in my life so I decided to talk about it.

I was diagnosed with lung cancer at the end of April...a huge shock to us as I have never smoked. Apparently 10-15% of the people diagnosed with lung cancer are non-smokers.

Despite the horrid state of the Nova Scotia health care system, I was rushed through many tests and had surgery on June 10th. This was followed by a second surgery on June 11th to fix some complications from the first surgery. I must be the luckiest person in Nova Scotia...a mere six weeks between diagnosis and surgery.

Did you know that the left lung has two lobes, and the right lung has three lobes? I didn't. My surgery removed the lower lobe of my left lung. The good news is that when you have surgery, you don't have chemotherapy or radiation therapy. Although I was told to expect recuperation from surgery to be a long and painful process, I can't complain. I'll kid you not...it has been tough. The past week (four + weeks since surgery) was a significant turning point for me. I have been walking every day since I was released from the hospital, and I am now able to walk with my normal stride and not look like I have been beaten up recently...lol. I am sore, but not hurting. I can walk 3 to 4 kilometers each day. I still need a nap most afternoons, but am down to only 2 Tylenol each day. Progress!

I created the above image, Rough Waters, just before I went in for surgery. It is part of a "Life is a Stage" series that I have been working on. You may have to zoom in to see the details. I don't think it's quite finished yet, but I created it with my general philosophy that making art is a healing tool.

Magazine Cover Design

Back Cover                             Front Cover

There is a first for everything, and this is the first magazine cover I have designed. 

I discovered Salt & Citrus a couple of months ago. It wasn't through any effort of my own...it was a "sponsored" post that came on my Instagram feed. Always curious about art magazines, I clicked through and discovered it is a free online Canadian magazine founded by Ciara Gordon in the early days of the pandemic. 

Always interested in supporting entrepreneurs, I submitted some work to the Liminal issue published in March. Ciara and I communicated through email a few times, et voila, I was asked to design the cover for the May issue Rebirth.

There were very few "must haves" for the design....Salt & Citrus, Volume and Issue numbers, Title on the front cover....Contributor names on the back cover.

My original idea was to use a variation of my image called New Beginnings. I took the image I created for my Haven exhibit, flipped it, and moved some things around to fit onto front and back covers. This is the initial draft:

First idea - Rebirth

I really liked the concept (obviously, since a variation of this is in my upcoming exhibit). However I decided that it was too "busy" and too visually dark for a magazine cover.

So...I used the same "portal" theme with a simpler background. I chose a winter field for the background, added some doors, created a summer scene for the "portal" and kept the flying robin.

I wasn't sure about the font I selected, but the font name is Rebirth....the same as the title for the magazine issue...so I thought it fitting.

It was a fun challenge for me. However, I do find it quite different creating for someone else rather than just for my own satisfaction.

Podcast - You Can Learn Photography

A few weeks ago, Trevor Awalt of You Can Learn Photography and I discussed my photography. The podcast has been released and is available for your listening pleasure at this link:

You Can Learn Photography Episode 9

Be forewarned! It's 90 minutes long. Who knew I could talk that long about my own photography?

It's always interesting to hear your own voice....it never sounds like you think!

It was a pleasure talking with Trevor. He made me feel relaxed and natural...not nervous at all.

February Summary

February Portfolio

February was a lot more active than my usual February months. I have been in a good place creatively, which I'm very thankful for as I'm preparing for a solo exhibit in May. At the moment I have a lot of images crammed in my head and my challenge is to actually create them....a much better situation than not having any inspiration at all!

Creating nine images that I'm proud of might not sound like much, but considering each image is made using a "collage" of elements from 10 or more images, it does take a lot of time. My goal was to create 6 quality images in February, so the fact that I created 9 is wonderful in my mind. 

That doesn't include the pieces I wasn't happy with, or started but not yet finished.

I participated in an artist talk for Pasadena Photography Arts - This is a Photograph Because I Say it is:

I created a magazine for the artist talk (linked above)....on the "good" roster of the month and a good foundation for the exhibit guide I'll need for May.

I was declined for an artist grant that I submitted in November 2021...on the "bad" tally.

I was approached to supply an image for the cover of a Literary/Arts magazine...details will be shared at a later date....definitely on the "plus" side.

And...I created and sent two magazine submissions...both a long shot, but nothing ventured, nothing gained.

All in all, a productive month!

Artist Talk: Feb 22nd

Open Show in Pasadena/East LA put out a call for artists to submit a 15-25 image portfolio. I was thrilled (and very nervous) to receive notice on Friday that I have been selected to talk about my work on February 22nd. I wish I could say I was flying to Pasadena for my talk, but it will be on zoom :)

One thing about the ongoing pandemic is that the world has opened up for showcasing your work. I have to say, although I will be nervous making the presentation, it will be much easier on zoom than in person.

The show is called This Is A Photograph Because I Say It Is, and there will be two other presenters as well (details below, click on the image to see it in larger format). If you'd like to register for the talk, click on this link. February 22nd, 9:30 pm AST, 8:30 pm EST, 5:30 pm PST. Tickets are $5 US.

Evolution of an idea

Resilience

My image Resilience (created December 2021) was selected for the Planet Recovery Project exhibit by Labyrinth Gallery in the UK. The exhibit will be online for the next six months. Their set up is quite unique and looks like a real gallery tour. The online exhibit can be viewed at this link. 

I always find it interesting to read or hear about how someone came up with their ideas, so here is a back story that I hope you'll enjoy.

I originally took photos of a clear cut piece of land in 2013. I found it devastating to see, and knew that someday I would try to create an image with a message.

My first attempt was created in 2016 and combined my image of the clear cut land with a photograph of a mill I took in 2013. 

It was one of my first digital compilations. I combined the two photographs to create one "mirror" image. I rotated the photo of the mill, to make it look like a reflection and then converted the colour image to black and white. I called the final image Wounded.

Wounded, 2016

Wounded (def'n): 1. An injury to an organism, especially one in which the skin or another external surface is torn, pierced, cut, or otherwise broken.  2. An injury to the feelings.

Last year I created a new compilation which was inspired by the untitled image by Jerry Uelsmann, featured on the cover of his book Uelsmann Untitled: A Retrospective.

My first take was this:

Under Our Protection, Take One

I decided that was too dark, so I changed the sky to a more hopeful one and also changed the image to square:

Under Our Protection, Take Two

 

Then I took an online workshop with Maggie Taylor and my creative world expanded, so I re-worked the concept yet again and titled it In Our Hands:

In Our Hands

 

I printed it and pinned it to my bulletin board. Then I started fretting that it was a bit dystopian. Was this image actually coming from me, or had I been too influenced by the original inspiration piece by Jerry Uelsmann?

A short time later I was browsing through a junk shop with a friend and spotted these: 

which lead to this:

Resilience

Resilience was created from twelve different photographs and is part of the Haven Series that I'm working on. It's quite a different concept than my original image Wounded.

(Editing note: I seem to have different font colours in this post, but I have no idea how to fix it. Sorry!)

January Summary

This month has flown by. Most of my creative time has been spent wrapping up last year's projects. Finishing up my Inspiration Collaboration project and my own annual magazine took me longer to do than I had planned on....I seem to be working slower these days. I also spent a fair amount of time putting proposals together and submitting them to various places. After participating in an exhibit that required a fee, I decided that I would only apply to "fee free" exhibits and magazines. There are still options available for showing your work without having to pay for the privilege. 

However, I still managed to create a few images this month...all for my current project called Haven. 

The Audition is a re-work of the final image I created for Inspiration Collaboration:

The Audition

Refuge falls under my favourite theme of birds and trees:

Refuge

 

My third image is Hideaway. I'm not entirely happy with this one yet and will probably be re-working it. I find it just a little dark and muddied:

Hideaway

 

Finally, the fourth image for January is False Sense of Security (I have a mini "stage" series going on within my Haven series):

False Sense of Security

 

I also completed a quilt...a special project for me which was quite a challenge to create.

All in all, a fairly successful month for creativity. Sometimes it's good for the soul to look back and reflect!

Rfotofolio Selections 2021 - Merit Award

I am proud to say that my work has been chosen for the Merit Awards as part of the Rfotofolio Selections for 2021. Photographers were asked to submit a portfolio of 7 images, along with an artist statement.

The portfolio I entered:

The image featured by Rfotofolio:

The Gathering

My statement:

I create composite digital images using my own photography, curating various series that emphasize emotional healing. I enjoy the freedom and individualism of creating conceptual art, images that are based in reality with my own photography, but developed from my own imagination. Minimalist and surreal, frequently using my love of birds and nature, my creations often illustrate feelings we seldom discuss.

Over the past two years, our changed world has caused a myriad of emotions about the importance of home and family, which has led me to explore the concept of haven. The dichotomy between the safety of our own environment and the threat of the unknown from without has contributed to increased levels of social anxiety  Whether based in reality, or perceived, the situation has challenged us to examine our thoughts and ourselves.

What makes us feel safe? Where do we take comfort? The answers are sometimes surprising.

What is Rfotofolio? From their website:

Rfotofolio was founded in 2012 by Connie and Jerry Rosenthal as a way to build a photographic community,  to give photographers access to a larger audience, and to educate the viewing public about the diversity found in photography through our sites, exhibitions, interviews, and articles.

In 2014 Rfotofolio became a non-profit, 501( c )(3) organization and in 2015 established the Rfotofolio Grant.

To learn more about our grants please visit the Grants and Awards page.

Rfotofolio supports the work of photographers by awarding the Rfotofolio grant once a year to a photographer working to continue their photographic endeavors.

Our Mission

• To build a photographic community.
• To provide a positive forum.
• To give photographers access to a larger audience.
• To curate, and promote brick and mortar exhibitions.
• To provide an educational and inspirational community for photographers and collectors through our meetings and forums.
• To nurture the art of the printed photograph.
• To establish forums to promote the craft of photography.
• To sustain, maintain and grow the exposure of the photography through our websites, exhibits, and publications.
• To award the Rfotofolio Grant.
• To Award the Denis Roussel Award.

Sara's Garden Project

I have a few hobbies aside from photography, and one of my loves is gardening. I enjoy the little miracles I see every day when I'm walking around admiring the beauty. I tend to enjoy flower gardening a lot more than working with vegetables. I do enjoy pulling something fresh from the garden and eating it, but I have never been one for working in the kitchen and the thought of all the work involved with preparing things for long term enjoyment does not appeal to me one bit.

Back to the garden...in May I was digging up some weeds and out popped this little gem...

...a miniature oak tree :)  After much admiration, and going to the house for a camera to take a portrait, I replanted this mighty oak in the woods behind our house. I checked on it throughout the summer and it seems to be doing well so far.

Taking that photograph got me thinking that I should try to take portraits of everything in my garden. That thought led to taking flower portraits in situ with my professional set up (insert laughter here):

which turned into portraits like this:

or these (set up with a piece of white bristol board instead of black):

Then I decided it would be easier to pick some and take them indoors to photograph:

These were seed heads I had saved from the previous fall to photograph "sometime"

And then I tried to get artsy and creative in different ways:

The great thing about this project is that it can go on forever. I am nowhere near done photographing all the things in the garden....and not even close to scratching the surface on the creative side.

When other photographers tell me they can't find anything to take photos of, it always gives me pause. I have never had that problem, but I guess there is that expression...simple minds are easily amused :)