Exploring Pet Portraits

This past year, my brother Wes, and his girlfriend Liz, became foster parents for a tiny puppy.  It was a 'foster failure,' they fell in love with her and adopted her the second she was old enough.  Oly has since been a huge part of their family and ours as well.  Later in the year they adopted another dog, this time, a 2-year-old shepherd they call Emmett.  They've become their own little family unit, and its adorable!

This is Oly, shortly after bringing her home.  She's much bigger now!

Emmett, the day they brought him home as a 2 year old rescue.

As I've often said, I can make you a gift that will be much nicer than the gift I can afford to buy you.  So this year for Christmas when I was racking my brain for the perfect gift for them, I finally decided on a portrait of Oly and Emmett.

Originally I thought about doing a black and white profile, with the two dogs looking at the other.  It's a classic look, but it's been done, and I'm sure it would be easy enough for anyone with a computer to do.  I wanted more of my artistic hand to show.  That's one of the reasons I love Monet's paintings so much, you can see his hand in each and every brush stroke.  So I decided to do a more realistic drawing with the old style profiles as my inspiration.

Wes and Liz had just gotten professional pictures of them and the dogs.  I got a hold of the files and poured over them, looking for source material.  It was a bit challenging, but I found a shot of each dog that would work, one of Oly looking to the right, and Emmett (almost) looking to the left, presumably eyeing a squirrel in some tree!

As I began working, getting each dogs outline down and making sure the two lined up, I realized I'd chosen images where the two dogs' personality's were opposite!  Oly, who is normally jumping off the walls and everyone else in the room (she's a puppy, can you really expect anything different?) looks calm and rather serene.  While Emmett, who is normally calm, sweet, and far more concerned with getting you to rub his belly than running around, looks ready to jump up and play the moment you say the word!  It was an unintended, but interesting juxtaposition.  Maybe it's a little wishful thinking for my brother, that his 65 pound puppy will one day mellow out a bit!

I began with Oly, she's almost completely black and I knew it would take a lot of graphite to get her coloring right, it would be the bulk of the work and I wanted to get it done first.  I covered the outline of Emmett so I didn't smudge it, there are few things worse than having to erase and redo parts of a drawing because they got smudged.  Oly, true to her nature, was a challenge.  I hadn't anticipated just how many layers of my darkest graphite it would take to make that dog black.  I had to go about it systematically, making sure I left the lighter areas light enough to create visible fur, I was constantly aware of the risk that the whole drawing would just become a dark blurry mess.

I started with a light graphite, HB, and ended up pressing hard with my darkest pencil, an 8B.

My favorite part of drawing animals is getting to draw fur!  There are always interesting little short cuts and tricks you can use when drawing.  By creating a texture, or drawing only part of something, you can trick the brain into filling in the gaps.  The best example of this is probably a brick wall.  If you're drawing a brick wall, it's very labor intensive and difficult to map out and draw every single brick.  Not only that, but that kind of detail can actually be distracting and overwhelming for the viewer.  So you create a brick-like texture, and draw a few bricks in certain places, that way you create the illusion of a brick wall with out overwhelming your viewer and keeping the focus of the piece where it's supposed to be.  This is what I do with fur, it's literally impossible to draw every singe hair on an animal.  Especially with Oly, being so dark, you would not even be able to see each hair, as they are so numerous and all overlapping to the point where you would just end up with a big blurry mess.  So, by filling in most of the fur with a shade of color, and creating a texture with the direction of my marks, then adding specific spots where you do draw each strand of fur.  This way, you can trick the brain into seeing all the fur you didn't actually draw.

See the hair on the giraffes neck and chin? That's what I'm talking about!

I'd never drawn an animal so dark though, and Oly was certainly challenging, but I was pleased with the way she came out.  Now it was Emmett's turn.  Emmett came with his own challenges, he has a wide variety of shades, some are due to light and shadow, some due to the color variation of his coat.  It can be tricky to get it all just right, so the finished drawing has depth and doesn't end up looking flat.  I covered Oly with another sheet of paper so I would accidentally smudge her, and set to work.

My brother's girlfriend Liz already feels like a sister to me.  She did my makeup on my wedding day, comes to visit me in Chicago, and gone out with my mother, sister, and I on lunch and shopping dates.  She's become a part of our family.  We laugh about having voices for our pets.  When she and Wes are around their pets, they talk for them each with a voice specific to each animal.  Wes's cat Amaranta is an old Russian man, while Oly is an excited little girl.  My cat Aria's voice is a high pitched, hesitant voice.  When they brought Emmett home, they quickly noticed he would consistently come up to you, put out his paw as if to say "Hi I'm Emmett", then lay down for a belly rub.  Wes said that's all he know's how to say, "Hi, I'm Emmett." in a bit of a dopey voice.

When I started drawing Emmett, I would work for a while, then show the drawing to Jon (my husband) and he would immediately done Emmett's dopey voice and say "Hi, I'm Emmett."  It became the one thing that was constantly in my head the entire time I worked on the drawing.

When I finally finished him, I took off the paper covering Oly, worked the graphite around the two dogs to unify them, and added final touches.  I trimmed and framed it.  I was pleased with my work, and stared sending pictures of it to my parents, who also liked it and said Wes and Liz would love it.  Because it had taken me so long to decide on the drawing as their gift, I was working under the pressure of having it finished by Christmas.  I wasn't really thinking about taking pictures of it while I was working, I was so focused on getting it finished in time!  Finish I did!  I took great care in wrapping it so the frame would not be damaged on the drive to Kentucky.

I could not wait to see them open it!  When we finally all sat down in my parents living room to open gifts, I jumped up to be the first to hand out the presents Jon and I had brought.  While they were opening them, I made sure to keep an eye on Wes, as he struggled with my thoroughly taped up box.  Their reaction was everything I was hoping for!  They even came over to hug me.  I've noticed as I've grown up, I'm much more excited about giving gifts at Christmas, than getting them.

This experience started simply as me just wanted to give my brother and Liz a nice gift, and has become an opportunity.  Liz posted a picture of the drawing to Facebook, which got several comments asking if I was available for commissions.  I have since made the decision to start marketing myself as a pet portrait artist.  So, if you're interested, please send me a message!  I'm excited about getting to do something I love, and I'm excited about what the future will hold!

A Portrait of My Father

It has taken me a long time to write this, while it took me surprisingly less time to paint this portrait.  This is, as you probably guessed, a portrait of my dad.  I had been journaling about my memories of growing up with him, and how our relationship had shifted as I made the transition into adulthood.  While I was sitting at work one day listening to folk music and thinking about my dad who is in fact a folk musician.  Suddenly it dawned on me, my next painting needed to be of him, not just a nice portrait, but a close up image of him with his one eyebrow raised (a common expression of his).  I could see the painting in my mind and I started it that same day. 

My subject matter certainly helped me with my painting, in many ways.  I have found that when you feel so strongly about an image, as I did about this one, you have to paint it.  At first I was a little apprehensive about it, what if turned out to be horrible?  I hated to think about showing my father a painting of himself and have represented him poorly.  Still, it nagged at me, it had to be painted even if it was horrible, and if it was I could always cover it with something else as no one would ever have to see it.  In my limited experience however, I have found that when a painting nags at you like this one did, it will usually turn out well.

As I said, my subject matter helped me in many ways, not just the image I painted but the man that image represents.  My father, Randy Fehler.  To me my dad has never aged a day, he still looks the same to me as he did when I was a child, even though he's aged more than twenty years in my lifetime.  When I reflect on my memories of him, he remains the same.  Some of these memories stand out in my mind as moments that helped shape me into the person I am, even if those moments did nothing more than make me feel loved. 

As I mentioned, my dad is a musician.  While he makes his living doing something else, his love is music.  He writes music and plays a multitude of different instruments.  He used to sit in the basement of our house to play, and I would take my homework downstairs and listen to him.  I had a few favorite songs of his.  I'll never forget the day I realized he wrote them.  We were in the car when I asked him who wrote the song 'I-65', "I did" he said.

                "What?"  I exclaimed, "you wrote that?"

                "Yes!"  He said rather intently.  I was amazed, and a little proud, that my dad could do something so awesome!  As I grew up my dad was my main source of musical education.  I love listening to folk and bluegrass music just like him, at first the music reminded me of him but the more I listen the more I love it on it's own! 

My dad is much more than musical education, he is a consistent source of love and support.  He and my mother amazed me when I decided to shift my focus from music to art in my senior year of high school.  An art degree is not something that really makes you a lot of money in life, but my parents never tried to steer me to anything else, they wanted me to be happy in life, even if that meant never having much money.  It was my dad who bought me my very first real paintbrush.  Throughout my childhood I loved drawing, painting, and making things.  The crayons and watercolor set were always my favorite part of back to school shopping!  When I was about 7 years old, my dad bought me my first set of real artist's paintbrushes.  My sister had taken the plastic brush from my watercolor set and cut the bristles short because they 'painted better that way.'  I was devastated!  I ran to my dad with the ruined brush and he did his best to console me.  Later that week he came home with a set of three camel hair paintbrushes and presented them to me saying that these were mine to paint with, I didn't have to share.  They couldn't have been more precious to me if they'd been made of gold. 

This was just the first of many things my dad got for me to support my art.  Over the years he brought home a number of things from an artist's bag to a mitre saw, all things I needed to be successful as an artist.  He even hung all my college paintings in his music room.  When I decided to buy a nice DSLR camera, I naturally went to my father for help in choosing one.  He was a talented photographer as well as a talented musician.  His photos were hung around our house and I always marveled at them.  With his guidance I chose a camera, saved my money and bought the thing while I was home for a visit.  When I got to my parents house with my new camera my dad and I spent some time playing with it and he gave me a crash course in photography, at the very least I went back to Chicago knowing what all the buttons did.  He then disappeared for a minute, when he returned he was carrying his old grey camera bag full of equipment.  He gave me two tripods, a lens filter, and his old grey camera bag.  I love that bag, not only is it just a good bag and really cool looking, I love it because it was my father's bag.  I find I hold my head just a little higher when I have it with me.

When I decided to start my jewelry business, he was right there ready to help.  He had been participating in the KY Music Weekend for years, and they had recently started a craft fair section.  He encouraged me to enter the fair.  When I did enter, he immediately began making preparations.  I had never done a fair like this before and needed a tent, displays, everything.  My dad got me a tent, a table, constructed two display boards and an earring display, as well as a standing display incorporating some of his instruments to keep with the music weekend theme.  As I was travelling by bus from Chicago, I could not have made these preparations without him.   At the next year's fair he stepped up yet again when I started selling some of my photographs.  He helped not only with selecting those that were 'sale worthy' but with printing and framing them as well.   Later my mother told me how he'd worked so hard in the weeks before the fair to get everything ready for me.  He was invaluable.

My dad helping me set up at the Music Weekend fair.

As if my father's supportive and loving actions were not enough, I have caught supportive words from him as well.  I'll overhear him talking with someone about my work and catch him saying something like "she's very good."  Almost like he would praise me as any father would and then lean in and do 'real talk'.  Recently he told me about his experience of the time I brought home a painting I'd been working on in high school.  I'd painted an old woman with all her wrinkles, it was the best of my work at that time.  He said to me "you brought that home and we all went 'whoa!'"  Even still, every time I post a new design to my facebook page, he shares and comments about how good it is.  I wonder if he knows how much his words and actions have affected me.

With all these memories swimming in my mind I painted this portrait of my father.  The experience of painting it brought me somehow closer to him, it trudged up memories that laid untouched in my mind for too long.  Through my reminiscing I was able to see my dad's relationship with me as a whole, and realized all the many ways he has impacted my life.  I think I would be a very different person without him.

I kept the painting a relative secret until it was finished.  When it finally was completed all the apprehensions and nerves I had at the beginning melted away.  It was everything I wanted it to be.  It was ready to be revealed to my father, the one opinion I cared most about.  His reaction was wonderful!  It went something like this: "Oh my!...Are you serious!" and then of course, "well, even though I don't care for the subject matter, it is very well done!"  I told him how I needed to paint it, about how everything in me screamed to make this painting, and as a fellow artist, I knew he would understand.

I made this painting because it needed to be painted.  I don't quite know why but the resulting increase in love, appreciation, and admiration I have for my father is reason enough. 

I wonder if he will ever really know the impact he's had on my life, and how much I love him.

Adventures in Quilt Making

For the past few weeks I have ventured into the world of quilt making.  Trust me, it's harder than it looks!  My grandmother, Norma Fehler, who is now in her nineties, has been making quilts for as long as I can remember.  She's made a full size quilt for each of her 6 grandchildren, and a few of the great grandchildren I'm sure, before her age got the better of her.  She also spent years as part of the quilting group at her church, where God only knows how many hours they spent around the quilting table, creating elaborate blankets for all kinds of things.  I remember being a child sitting on the floor next to her while she and the ladies stitched away, with the small project she'd given me to learn with.   My quilt has always been a cherished possession, a physical manifestation of my grandmothers skill, creativity, and love.  She liked to make quilts with dolls, but I wanted cats.

That day sitting on the floor at my grandma's feet was a long time ago, I couldn't have been more than 5 or 6.  Since then I've grown up, I graduated collage, got married, and moved to 'the big city.'  I've realized that my parents and grandparents are much smarter than I ever gave them credit for!  With the deaths of both my grandfathers and the realization that I don't get to ask them any more questions about their lives and what they've learned, I've decided not to make the same mistake with my grandmothers.  So, I went to Kentucky to visit Grandma Fehler, and ask her to teach me to quilt...and the adventure begins!

As soon as I told her what I wanted to do she took me to her quilting room, a small bedroom with bright red carpet, equipped with quilting books, magazines, a work table, an old sewing machine, and a closet full of fabric in plastic tubs that she's amassed over the years.  She proceeded to have me pull out nearly every tub and take all the fabric I wanted.  She also sent me home with a rotary cutter, cutting mat, a bias square, ruler, a bag of thread, and a bag of stencils and patterns.  As well as a basic 'how to' book with 101 different block patterns, and a history book of Appalachian quilting traditions.  Among these things I found fabric that had been used in the quilt she made for me, as well as unused blocks, and the stencils she used to make my quilt.  With a box full of supplies, I traveled back to Chicago to get started.

After my first failed attempt:

I choose a different pattern with pieces that are all the same...it may not look easier, but trust me, it is!  I know how to sew, I can make clothes, and am pretty good at it actually!  But piecing together a quilt is not the same, while some of the basic skills are transferable, many of the rules in sewing clothing just don't apply!  For example, when you're sewing clothes, you have to alter the pattern to fit your body, lots of curves and improvisation.  In quilting, it's science, each piece has to be a perfect geometric shape to fit in with the other shapes so the seams all line up and there isn't extra fabric where there shouldn't be.

Where I had to stitch together a place where the seams didn't line up.

Where there was too much fabric, creating a weird bubble.

This blatantly obvious example of seams not lining up. 

...It's a little exhausting.  

My first few blocks were coming out pretty good, and because my grandmother is just as computer literate as most other ninety year old women, I took a picture, sent it to my parents, who printed it out and showed my grandma, who (because she can't hear you on the phone) gave her thoughts and advice to my parents, who called and relayed them to me...this also is a little exhausting!

I worked feverishly to piece together the entire quilt, and after pulling out my quilt Grandma made me (many times) to see how she did things, I had the thing put together.  As if that part wasn't hard enough, now I had to cut a huge piece of fabric for the back, and get batting (or stuffing) for the center.  One important thing about batting, get something that won't shrink, or preshrink it.  Otherwise, when you wash the quilt, the center with shrink and the rest of the fabric won't.  I have no idea what that will look like, but that's what Grandma told me!

While at the store I went to the quilting section to find a hoop (the only thing Grandma didn't have for me) and saw an entire shelf of huge packs of safety pins.  I should have bought them.  I have a total of 4 safety pins, and I discovered the best way to hold together the three layers of the quilt while you're stitching is with safety pins.  I laid out the three layers and started basically sewing it together using obscenely large stitches between each block (something my mother told me she once saw her grandmother do).  Realizing that I'd smoothed out the top layer and not the bottom layer and ended up with a really bunched up back and had to take out all the stitches and do it over again.   As you can see, the cat was pretty excited about it.

She really didn't make the process any easier!

Once that was finished, I got to start stitching.  I found a few stencils from the bag of them from Grandma, and began to trace and stitch...trace and stitch.  It's a very long process!  For about 5 seconds I considered using the same boarder pattern that Grandma created herself and used on my quilt.  I feel like it's obvious why I decided against this.

During this entire process I was continually sending pictures for my parents to take to my grandma.  Once it really began to take shape and look like a quilt, my dad told me Grandma was impressed with my work.  I was doing it right!  This seasoned quilter looked at my very first quilt and was impressed!  Deep down I think we all want to do something our parents and grandparents will be impressed by.  I've never had a really close relationship with my Grandma Fehler, they lived 30 mins away, went to a different church, I just didn't see them that much, and really didn't have much to bond with them over.  Now I feel like I have finally found something to connect with her through.  This process has not just been about my learning how to make a quilt, it's much more than that.  It's been about getting to know my grandmother, learning from her before I can't anymore.  I have learned invaluable lessons from my grandparents.  I am so incredibly blessed to have them, and I believe I am a better person because of them.

This past Tuesday, I finished my quilt.

 I even added a little tag with my name and the date, just like Grandma did with all of her quilts, they are after all, works of art. 

Now I can't wait for Thanksgiving, when I'll travel back to Kentucky to show my finished work to my grandmother, and teacher. 

I hope she will be proud of me.

Status: Employed!

Finally I get to post this post!  My very first post on this blog was about not having a job.  I've been interviewing for jobs since I left my last one, but haven't been able to find the right fit.  I've been working to better my business in the mean time.  The last few weeks I've been working on a quilt (more about that adventure later!) and I've been going through a long interview process with a chainmaille jewelry company.  I got the job!

Part of the appeal of this job is that it will fit perfectly with my business!  The woman who started the company, and still owns and runs it, started it from a spare bedroom in her home, much like what I'm trying to do!  They also support their employees in having their own enterprises.  I'm hoping that I can learn a lot about starting a business from working there, and that it will motivate me further to pursue my own dreams.

I found that it is incredibly difficult to stay motivated.  I started a different project a few weeks ago, quilting, as well as focusing so hard on trying to find a job, I kind of lost sight of my goals.  It's hard to keep to a schedule and it's hard to keep my eyes on the goal.

I'm hoping with a job schedule to keep I'll be able to set a solid schedule outside of work.  In the mean time I'm working on a few new posts that will be published soon!  I've been working on a quilt, a new painting, and some new photos that I have a lot to write about!

More on all that soon!  I only wanted to share my news!

Product Photography is Hard!

This is a fact: You cannot take any old photo and throw it on your listing and have it look good.  Having good photos of your product is crucial to online sales because your customer can't pick up your item and look at it, they rely on your photos.  That being said...product photography is hard!  I have a wonderful friend (Liz) that has done some incredible photography for me in the past.  Here are a few of my favorites:

She's incredible right!?  Sadly, she lives in Kentucky, and I'm in Chicago, while she's graciously offered to photograph anything I send her, it's just not feasible to send her every new piece and then have her send it back.  So, I've been trying to come up with some solutions of my own.  I have a nice DSLR camera, a Nikon D3200, which I would recommend if you're shopping for a camera.  I also have a set of macro lenses for close up shots, a set a clamp lights with day light bulbs in them, and lastly, and probably most importantly, I have at least a rudimentary knowledge of photography.  

But product photography is a whole other animal when you compare it to photographing geese.  Instead of finding a good position, adjusting your aperture and shutter speed, then hunkering down and waiting for the perfect shot, you're constantly trying to find the perfect way to configure the lights, then what kinds of backgrounds to use, and how to make your item look it's best.  Like I said, a whole other animal!    

The very first product photos looked like this:

...less than amazing.  Over the past year and a half I have gotten better, my most recent photos are starting to look like I want them to.

My set up for these included a box fan, fabric, 2 clamp lights with daylight bulbs, an art book, and a poinsettia, among other things.  My photography equipment is currently taking over my kitchen table.

  Part of the reason Liz's photos are so good (aside from her incredible talent) is that she was able to take them outside, living in the city with no (private) outdoor space keeps me from doing this, so I've had to get creative.  Editing photos is also a crucial skill.  Not just cropping, but actually adjusting the colors and contrast to make the item look it's best.  I have a program called Gimp, it's a Photoshop knockoff and from what I've heard not as good, but it's free, and I've learned to use it pretty well.  It does make a difference!  For example, this is pre-editing:

Post-editing:

Using a photo editing program can only enhance an image, the art is in the actual taking of the photo.  There's no way to simulate good lighting or a good background that complements the item.  It's a skill that looks like it's going to be hard won for me, but the journey continues!  

Check out the rest of my photos on Etsy!

Kentucky Music Weekend 2014

Finally getting some much needed rest back in Chicago!  The Kentucky Music Weekend suffered somewhat this year but I had an awesome time none the less!  I got to meet some great people and certainly learned a lot!  I tried my best to keep facebook updated throughout the day Saturday, but a couple facebook posts really don't do the experience justice!

Friday was set up day, after getting in, visiting with some friends, selling some earrings, and of course a nap after the over night bus ride, we got to the park for check in and set up!  My amazing parents pretty much had everything ready to go when I got in.  My dad and I went to the park Friday night and set up our tent, which is pretty much the only thing we could leave out over night.  It was quite interesting trying to figure out the tent after it spent the last year in a box!

As you can see, we got it figured out!  There's my dad!  He wasn't too keen on getting his picture taken.

Saturday stared out amazing, we got there bright and early, got everything set up, met my neighbors and got started!  Ironically the first thing I sold was my father's dulcimer that I was using as a display for one of my necklaces. 

This year, I brought some of my paintings, drawings, and photos in addition to my jewelry, so we had to be a little more creative with the set up.  To keep with the theme of the weekend, my dad (who conveniently had all this stuff at home already) used music stands, mic stands, and instruments to display my work, on top of the jewelry displays he built last year.  

As the day progressed, the temperatures got well into the 90's, but we toughed it out and still had a great day.  I had a few memorable customers;  One woman who bought a necklace and earring set, who went on and on about the jewelry and how much she liked everything, she even stopped back by later in the day with her family!  A gentleman stopped by and asked about one of my new designs, I answered his questions, he thanked me and left, I wasn't sure what to think about it, until he returned wasting no time in pointing out the necklace he had asked about before and said simply that he wanted to buy it!  I like to think he went to all the jewelry booths, decided he liked my necklace the best, and came back to get it.  The most memorable customer of the day was definitely a woman who told me a story about her pink and peacock pearls she got in Florida, and a few years later her home was broken into and her pearls stolen.  She picked out a necklace and bracelet set, (pink and peacock pearls,) handed them to me with a smile and said "these will replace what I have lost."  She purchased them, and then returned later to get the matching earrings.  She reminded me of why I like doing this so much, simply to make people happy.  

I did have several family and friends also make purchases, and of course all my facebook friends showing their support with 'like's throughout the day.  These people are simply invaluable to me, the amazing show of support has been incredibly uplifting!

The day did have it's challenges, the wind was great in keeping the temperatures from feeling as hot as they were, but they also caused some serious issues for us!  The partition was blown over once, thankfully not doing any significant damage to person or merchandise, and one of the jewelry displays was blown over twice, and we almost lost one of my favorite necklaces!  After some intense re-staking and added weights we managed to get everything safely nailed to the ground.  With storms on the forecast for the evening, we took everything down for the evening and went home to recover.  My feet were so swollen from the heat that I couldn't put my sandals back on, and felt like a true Kentuckian walking back across the parking lot in my bare feet!

Sadly, the storms ended up being our downfall.  That evening, the weather got so severe the amphitheater lost power, there was damage to some areas of the park, and a few tents were damaged.  During the evening concert a storm hit and blew rain and debris onto the audience, they had to be pulled up onto the stage out of harms way!  Due to the evenings events, and the forecast of more storms on Sunday, the second day of the weekend was cancelled.  I'm sure it was a hard decision to make, and I believe we were all disappointed, but I had a great Saturday none the less!  I was able to take advantage of my unexpected free time, got my Etsy store up and running, and spent some time with my family.

All things considered, I will most definitely be coming back to the Kentucky Music Weekend again next year!  Despite the storms, I was reminded of why I am doing this.  Getting to hear all the great complements about my work, realizing that I am a pretty good artist, but more than that, I got to make some people happy!  I was able provide a woman with pearls to replace the ones she lost, able to alter pieces on the spot so some amazing ladies could have jewelry that fit them just right, and able to offer many people jewelry and art to bring beauty to their lives.   

 In the mean time, please take a look at my Etsy store, and send me your email if you wish to be put on my email list, where I will send out special announcements and offers!

Geese at the Beach

Have you ever been at the beach and seen Canada Geese?  Well, apparently that's a thing that happens here, but it did make for a great photo taking experience!  It was a beautiful day Friday and the beach was understandably crowded, I'm not really a fan of crowds so I found a little forgotten corner of the beach where the sand turns to rock and climbed up to get my camera set up.  This was my first real chance to use my mono pod!

Not long after I got there this little flock of Canada Geese swam up.  We got along!

This little seagull did not seem too pleased about the geese being there, they even ran him off a couple times, but he seems to have claimed this spot of beach for himself, and knew the geese wouldn't be staying for very long, just a stop on their migration.  They spent time cleaning themselves, eating, and swimming.  They knew I was there, they would look over at me every few minutes, but they never seemed to mind my presence.  It occurred to me that these birds are probably the largest wild animals I will see in the city.  Birds are fascinating, they have a freedom that we will never know, they can go anywhere, fly anywhere, and they are so incredibly beautiful while doing it.  I get to admire these animals , and maybe somehow imitate them.  I'm embarking on a new journey in life, maybe this is my chance to fly to freedom?  Since I have no idea how to be an entrepreneur so I've been reading books about it, they all talk about the freedom of working for yourself, despite the downsides of it, I want to be like these birds.  

I love the experience of being tucked away in a forgotten nook in the rocks, being the silent observer while life happens in front of me.  I get to capture quiet moments that happen when no one else is looking.  Photography is different from painting in that way.  Painting, is about creating an image from the world around you, communicating some idea or point.  Painting is deep in a different way, photos capture one moment in time, while painting is an expression of many moments rolled into one image.  I love what I do, in moments like these I am so happy with my decision to get an art degree, instead of choosing a more secure path.  Maybe at the very least, I will be able to grow old without the regret of never taking this chance.  

Well, back to the geese!  Something that is equally interesting and frustrating about photography, is that you can take a zillion pictures and think that a certain shot is "the shot" and then when you go back through the pictures, you find one you don't even remember taking, and inevitably, it's one of the best pictures in the roll.  For this outing, this is that picture:

I love the colors in the water, the fluidity of it.  On top of all of the beautiful, sinuous, undulating waves, is this one creature, just floating.  For whatever reason, I find this beautiful, peaceful, and wonderful.  There is something really special in capturing one singe moment.