Won..One..Wonderful

This is my first Photo contest winner.  The theme was 'Abandoned' and I am so glad I took this picture on a whim.  I was walking through the woods and there tucked partly under some bushes was this very dilapidated umbrella with the sun shining in on it.  Catching that natural spotlight made for a quite dramatic photo.

I can't believe how good this win made me feel.  It gave me such a boost that I really can make it as a photographer; that I am an artistic photographer not just a hobbyist or one who only takes snapshots.  This has changed my view of who I am, I AM AN ARTIST.  It has been verified by those whom I formerly viewed as my betters and I now view as my peers. With them welcoming me into their ranks with this honor and the wonderful comments that went with it.

It was indeed won..one..wonderful.

Your artist friend

Johnina :^A

Creativity

"Creative Is a Verb: If You're Alive You're Creative" ~taken from a book title by Patti Digh

"Creativity is a lot like looking at the world through a kaleidoscope. You look at a set of elements, the same ones everyone else sees, but then reassemble those floating bits and pieces into an enticing new possibility."~ Rosa-beth Moss Kanter quotes 

 

     “There is a fountain of youth: It is your mind, your talents, the creativity you bring in your life and the lives of people you love”

     Sophia Loren quotes

“Creativity is inventing, experimenting, growing, taking risks, breaking rules, making mistakes, and having fun.”

 Mary Lou Cook quotes 

“Sometimes you've got to let everything go - purge yourself. If you are unhappy with anything . . . whatever is bringing you down, get rid of it. Because you'll find that when you're free, your true creativity, your true self comes out.”

Tina Turner quotes

I have a horrendous sinus infection complete with a sinus migraine and a fever, but my mind is going 100 miles per hour thinking of all kinds of creative projects that I want to do.  Even though I do not feel well enough to work on them right now I thought I would share with you some of my favorite quotes on creativity and some of my more daring creative photo edits.

ENJOY

Johnina :^A 

Moonlight in daylight

“See how nature - trees, flowers, grass - grows in silence; see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence...we need silence to be able to touch souls.”

 Mother Teresa of Calcutta quotes (Albanian born Indian Missionary and Founder of the Order of the Missionaries of Charity. Nobel Prize for Peace in 1979. 1910-1997)

These photos were taken this morning.  The sunrise was not so great so I turned around and serendipity saw the moon still in the sky amongst the clouds and trees.  So pretty.

Enjoy

Johnina  ☺☺☺☺☺

Amazing

This blog is amazing for two reasons one is that it got done at all.  We've been having problems with either our modem or our router and my internet signal keeps getting dropped.  It has been almost impossible for me to upload or download a photo and I always add photos to my blog.  My computer acts funky if the signal gets dropped while downloading photos even if the post is on auto save and I have to start all over, but this time so far so good.

The second amazing thing is my winter garden.  My raised garden pictured above and photographed yesterday was frozen solid last week.  When we had our ice storm last week my garden being raised, filled with icy water than froze solid. The garden was full of snow and frozen water with only the tips of the leaves sticking up. When it thawed this is what it looked like.  Looks yummy doesn't it; and I thought that I had all the greens I was going to get out of there.

Most of these greens are cut and come again and so since this is my first winter garden; I now have hope of having greens till next May when they will die from the heat.  Amazing simply amazing.
Johnina ☺☺☺☺☺

Good Morning- Rainy Day Perspective

The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.

~Marcel Proust~

A different perspective on this rainy, misty morning.

A totally different perspective taken through my car window.

I hope you ENJOY your day no matter the weather or circumstances. 

Johnina  :^A

Sketchbook project

I found out about the sketchbook project just before the deadline for signing up and than I had to get up the courage to do that first page, so I had to catch up and I've spent lots of time recently finishing up.  If you would like to know about the project just press the sketchbook icon on the top left of my blog.  The sketchbooks will go on tour across the U.S. and later on they will be available both in the library that is sponsoring it and online

I am grateful to have found this project through my visits to other peoples blogs and to know that many other artist have a hard time starting a new sketchbook.  There is something about that pristine book and making that first mark that is intimidating and it sure is nice to read in others blogs that they go through the same thing. Once I got started I really had fun with it. and I think sketchbooks should be fun..  . 

 

I use my sketchbooks as experiments in new techniques and media and this one is no exception. In this sketchbook I experimented with markers and crayons. I loved using that combination when I was a child.  I used several different brands, tips and mixes.

I also experimented with different art styles.  I found cartooning to be delightful.  This has really pointed out to me how much I enjoy just playing with my art even if it is for a purpose.

I am truly learning to enjoy many different facets of my life and now quite often feel like the picture above.

Enjoy

Johnina  ☺☺☺☺☺

Frozen Georgia

Snow and ice

Here in Georgia, we very seldom get winter storms of snow or ice, we quite often go all winter without one.  This winter is quite the exception as we are already on our second storm and our winter storms usually come in February or March, so we could easily get more storms.  This storm was even an exception to the exception as it had both snow and ice.  I ventured out several times to take photos as it was to cold to stay outside for one normal shoot.  The photos I got I think are both beautiful and intriguing.  

Icy limbs and buds

Icy pines

Icy grass through the snow

Walking the dog

Icy car

Monster mouth

Frozen headlight

Please feel free to leave your comment on my photos
Look for the beauty around you and have a delightful day
Johnina ☺☺☺☺☺

New Year news

A couple of days after new years Benjamin brought his girlfriend Amanda over to the house; unfortunately he had put on Facebook that he was engaged thinking that he would be able to tell all his family before before they saw it. Now my kids are Facebook users and within a couple of minutes they were hot on the phone calling Benjamin saying 'what? what?'. Jeremy had to run interference so that I wouldn't get to the computer and see it on Facebook before Benjamin had a chance to drive over here and tell us. So since I wasn't a real good I went to bed. When they got here they had any up out of bed to give me the announcement that they were engaged and planning to get married sometime this spring. Tom and I  and the whole family really like Amanda and are looking forward to this wedding. Amanda has always acted like one of the family since the first time she came over and we have enjoyed her presence.they have not gotten their rings yet because Benjamin wanted her to be able to pick out her ring.

Tomorrow she and I are going to the Salvador Dali exhibit at the High Museum in Atlanta. I've gone with Laura and Emily, but I look forward to seeing the exhibit again and seeing it with Amanda ought to be a lot of fun. Planning the wedding while it will be a lot of work with Amanda I think it will be a lot of fun to.

Wish us all luck Johnina ☺☺☺☺☺

P. S. This is the first time I've used Dragon voice recognition program for my blog. I think it's going to help me a lot. 

Bright, Colorful New Year

“There are two ways to live: you can live as if nothing is a miracle; you can live as if everything is a miracle.”  Albert Einstein 

I got up New Years day to this beautiful sunrise.  I woke up feeling pretty good and having slept better than normal.  What a delightful way to start the new year.  I intend to keep up this peaceful,but bright, colorful start to my new year.  However as I was taking out the power lines, I realized that I wouldn't have this beautiful sunrise without the clouds, not all may go smoothly but look at the beauty that is in the world because of what we would normally perceive as a bad omen.

I have lots of raptors who nest in the surrounding woods and they were particularly active that morning, flying overhead, dive-bombing, riding the winds.  I was trying to capture them, but was having very little luck, so serendipity stepped in and they flew across a rainbow.

Over the past several weeks I have been thinking about a theme for my goals for this next year.  This past year I have found reasons behind my health problems and have worked at correcting them, with improvement in my health.  This past Thanksgiving and Christmas were the first ones in years and years were I was not hospitalized.  Hooray for me!!  We were even able to have a real live tree with out it making me sick.  Nice for the whole family.

Now that I have started to get better by correcting health problems; I now need to heal the damage caused by these underlying health problems.

Seeing this rainbow first thing on new years day almost made me cry; a confirmation of my main goal for the year.  For many years a rainbow has been a symbol of healing to me.  My oldest daughter got very sick when she was six years old.  Her digestive system shut down and the doctor had no idea why; she just got sicker and sicker.  She started to look like the starving children with skinny arms and bloated stomach from lack of abdominal muscles.  There was another girl her age with the same problem.  Our Bishop had us carry Sarah to church ( she was so weak she could not cross the living room without collapsing from exhaustion) and the other family to bring their little girl also.  He then asked for a special day of fasting and prayer for these girls as he was inspired that they would not live till the next week so he asked for the fast to take place the next day.  The next day there were two rainbows in the sky.  One for each of the girls.  Sarah got up and ate and asked if we could walk down to Mr. Lees a little 5 and dime about 3 blocks away.  She wanted to go spend her money that Grandma had sent her.  Amazingly she she was able to do it, when the day before she could not cross the living room.  My miracle child.

Rainbows are also one of those things of beauty that is dependent on rain ( a commonly perceived bad weather display).  But viewing this rainbow certainly gives me hope for healing in the year to come.  Join me in my new journey this year.

Johnina ☺☺☺☺☺

PS Sorry this took so long to post we have had lots of things going on here, then blogger went down on me and I couldn't post.  Everyone is back home safe and blogger is now working so I'm back.