Just recently I had a family issue that I am still trying to come to terms within myself. One way to do it is to run to the edge of the planet (if it were flat) and scream as loud as I can. Neither can I scream nor is there an edge to the planet so that is not the solution. Friends can only go so far because they are supporting you through fire and ice (if they are friends) and so it is not educational to just rely on friends. It is more valuable to rely on one’s enemies if one wants a true opinion since they hate you and hence you know they will tell you the opposite of the truth and thus you are educated.
As far as I know I have no true enemies to ask. So what does an artist do with a pain that cannot be shared with enemies to learn the truth? She paints about it of course. Here in my painting and I will tell you more about it after if you are interested:
Beauty is in the eye of the believer
The painting depicts an amazing rock whose photo was provided to me by my generous photographer colleague Linda Segerson of FineArtAmerica. In looking at the rock, to me it seemed it had 2 eyes and one open mouth that was complaining. I also loved the color of the rock. It just fit perfectly with the topic I had brewing in me now for days.
Atop the branch of Coral tree over the rock is a gorgeous male finch in full spring mating plumage. What could be nicer than a bird with such beautiful clothing? Yet to the rock, the bird is a nuisance and is ugly. So who is right? The bird or the rock? And can we blame the tree for having a branch grown right over the rock?
These are important questions to face since the bird thinks it is doing no harm; to him it is life as usual and simply wants to attract a female. To him he is beautiful. The rock also thinks that it is beautiful and that its beauty will be taken away by the droppings of the bird. But will it? And the tree branch is also beautiful and what does it have to do with it?
So at this point, if you are still reading this long entry, you are wondering what point I am trying to make: it doesn’t matter how much help you provide, if they don’t want it, your help becomes a nuisance. This is hard to swallow. Indeed, I have been crying over this now for 2 days and my pleas are falling on def ears. And they will continue to fall on def ears until those ears grow up and they will face the same problems. Until then the world will just keep on being unfair. And that is life. So enjoy it while you can!
I am a big dreamer. I always dream quite vivid and colorful dreams. I am told that such is rare since most people dream in black and white and few have vivid dreams. I am not supposed to remember my dreams except if I by accident wake up for something before I finished my REM (Rapid Eye Movement) dreaming period, which happens more often than I like.
Sometimes though the dream fragment I wake up for is beautiful and I stay awake and continue where I wish the dream to go–sort of day dream but at night. This painting came out of such a dreaming. My friend sent me a link to a video where they showed the horses and their treatment that the British Royalty uses. the video was awesome. You could see the horses run free, trot in the water with a rider, etc.
On this picture there is no rider…
An unbridled horse walking along the golden sunrise of the beach.
Here in my dream the horse was in the very shallow water taking a morning stroll on the golden sunrise, which still has a bit of grayness to it as I saw it on the video, which would be typical for England I suppose; definitely not for California.
But this stroll along the beach alone has more meaning to it than the beauty of the colors. It represents the importance of freedom, of rest, of relaxation, of reflecting on one’s own past, present and thinking about the future. It is a happy scene but I feel there is some caution in there somewhere. Enjoy the present!
This picture can be purchased in print by clicking on the link here and as digital download by clicking on the link here.
Enjoy!
Montery Bay, Carmel, and many areas around–like Pebble Beach–are well known. Most people visit Point Lobos National park but end up visiting only one side. That side is huge by any standards. The rocks in the water are mini mountains; the waves are giants, and the water is crashing so loud you can barely speak. Marine life is abound. But there is another side! It is totally calm; the water is covered by a foamy layer of algae floating. In fact, if you look close enough at the shoreline, it is really a line of caves! I have never seen anything like this before.
You can purchase a print of this photo by clicking here or a digital download and other items by clicking here.
The trip to the “other  side” is a hike of various roads turning left and right with no name so in following the map of the park it is still a great puzzle where you may end up. The hike is not a hard one in terms of steepness but the terrain is rough from the rocks and the many branches that have fallen and its unevenness. Not very easy to find your footing and the place is full of poison oak.. something to definitely avoid touching by accident as you try to grab anything in site for your balance.
So when we finally got a first look of the “other side” I felt a huge relief, thinking “well, we are already there”.. no.. another 15-20 minutes… but the view was definitely worth it.
The other side at Point Lobos National Park
The view here shows you the water and what appears to be a “rounded” shoreline.. those are all caves; hundreds of them. A most amazing sight! Since we went at the time of the year when the June Gloom was expected, that is what you see being lifted for about 15 minutes mid-day. The trees here are covered with lichen and everything is very soft and cushiony; probably years of accumulated lichen and pine tree leaves several feet high that create a carpet that one can barely stand on without falling over. A most amazing place. It also put nature in perspective for me. Nature is huge and we are so tiny yet we have such a huge impact on it. It is an eye opened to go there!
I photographed a wedding on Saturday. When I first met the couple they seemed shy, did not care much for photography, and they were not sure at all how this was going to work out since they really did not want to be photographed–they did not consider themselves photogenic or just simply did not like the intrusion of a 3rd person into their private lives. They hired me though well before the wedding–nearly a year before.
So when the rehearsal and the wedding the day after came, I was shocked to see what fun people they were. They loved to play, act funny, laugh and have a good time–no alcohol either which made it even more special. Needless to say they are both amazing on photos and I had one of the best weddings I had every experienced! The warmth of the family, them making us part of the family (I had 2 other photographers with me, as I always do.
The couple imitating poses for their upcoming first dance
The photo I am posting here is an interesting one since it carries a lot of emotions and fun yet you don’t even see their faces. It is one of my favorite photos! I am going through a phase of my art style that is taking me toward the colors of the old masters, like Rembrandt. So the colors and the mood are that of Rembrandt. This picture is not for sale of course, but just to show all of those of you who are shy of photography, that even a photo of the back of you can become a piece of art! 🙂 I hope you enjoy the photo!
I used to live in Northern California while getting my master’s at Stanford University and also worked full time. I lived there for 5 years. The place was in San Mateo, which is about a one-hour or so drive from Half Moon Bay. I seldom had the time to drive there but I did drive part of the way quite often. The view is aw inspiring!
First you see these amazing waves of thick ocean layer curling around the mountains as if to dress it in a veil giving it a huge hug. Whatever your imagination may be, mine was of a big squeeze of love. There was also a lake as you passed and I remember driving there many times to look back east to see the pink and clue setting skies opposite of the sun settling on the west. In this painting you see me looking toward the west. You see the mountains where the ocean layer gets stuck, beyond which is Half Moon Bay and its gorgeous beach by the Pacific Ocean. But to me to most exciting part of heading toward half Moon Bay was to go when the mountain was hugged by a big layer of white fluff. So here is my memory of that white stuff painted on my iPad using the Inspire Pro app and a precision stylus.
Mountains by Half Moon Bay are hugged by white fluff of ocean layer in the Bay area.
To purchase the print in any size or type, please visit my artist website and to purchase a digital download, please visit my main website (both underlined here for your quick access).
Artistic Wedding Photographer 