bath time

 Sometimes the most inspiring things around me are the little people in my life.  Of course I think they are beautiful--what mother does not think her children are beautiful!?  

The biggest challenges for bathtime photos are lighting and modesty.  I'm lucky that I have big window just above this bathtub, so my lighting issues are solved.  As for modesty?  Mostly I try to creatively frame the photo just right, but sometimes I have to crop.  I cropped the third one down pretty closely.  I just loved Z's expression in that one.  It's his "cheesey" smile. 

art for art's sake

Looking for inspiration in the day to day things around me has given me new eyes.  As I was cooking dinner a few nights ago, I realized I loved the lines my zucchini was making as I chopped it up.  I pulled out my camera and began clicking away. "What are you taking photos of?" my girls asked. When I sheepishly replied, "my zucchnin?" they dashed into the kitchen to take a look, gave me their "you're crazy" expression, chuckled a bit, and went back to watching their TV show.  

I've always loved a fresh ear of corn too.  The colors and texture just make me happy.

 It was overcast one afternoon, which makes for nice lighting in my little backyard.  I've been thinking that my fir tree would be a good subject, so I took advantage of the good light, and went to work.

The detail on one little branch is just incredible!  Look at the symmetry.  Amazing.

 Black and white or color?  I can never decide.  I like them both for different reasons.

Looking down from the fir tree sits my coleus.  It's a little hot for him, but he's surviving the summer somehow. 

 I never realized the trunk of the fir tree was so interesting.  Look at the colors and shapes!  Green and brown are just beautiful together.

I'm hoping to keep my inspiration flowing.  It definitely ebbs and flows, but summertime seems to be a good time to let my creative juices flow again.  

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One of my favorite places to visit in the summer is the Morse Museum of Art.  They house the largest collection of the works of Louis Comfort Tiffany.  The girls and I have gone each summer for the last three summers, and I think I enjoy it more than anyone.  There are fabulous family & kid's programs scheduled throughout the summer and the kids come home with an amazing art project each visit.  Maybe I will post them sometime for you to see.  If you're in Orlando, and have elementary aged kids, it's a must do.  Did I mention it's free?

During our visit this summer, my friend Kelly mentioned a book to me written about Mr. Tiffany called Clara and Mr. Tiffany:  A Novel.  I began reading it last night, and already found some great quotes from Mr. Tiffany in it.  I'll leave you with those:

"Train yourselves by seeking and acknowledging beauty moment by moment every day of your lives.  Exercise your eyes.  Take pleasure in the grace of shape and the excitement of color."

"Art for art's sake, we say, because beauty blesses humanity with a better life."

bubbles

 The inside of the bubble wand was so mesmerizing.  The way the light hit the bubble solution making them so ethereal, and the ever-shifting shapes and patterns the emerged made me think of a kaleidoscope.  Here's just a few more shots.

inspiration

I recently stumbled upon a fabulous blogsite offering a free course on "Finding Your Inner Muse."  It's an inspirational course geared to fellow visually creative-types whether you be a photographer, designer, painter, scrapbooker or crafter of any other medium.  The class is an encouragement to find inspiration in the day to day things around you, in the places that you love and in the things that you love.  As you draw inspiration from those things, your work as a creative person becomes a reflection of who you are, an expression of something true about yourself.  As you get more comfortable doing this, your work eventually becomes YOU because it flows out of your own life and experiences.  

I love, love, LOVED this class.  I think it reminded me why I picked up my camera 6 years ago and began photographing everything and everyone around me with passion.

Because there is something beautiful in even the most mundane moments of life.  If we can just train our eye to see it.  To become aware of it. 

Here are some ordinary, but beautiful moments at my house:  bubbles in the courtyard.  Enjoy!