reflections in broken glass
Later:
Hey! I just discovered that Reflections in Broken Glass is also the title of a biography of Canadian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and film director Neil Young!
You are browsing the Blog for Photoworks Archives - Page 46 of 51 - Marja-Leena Rathje.
by Marja-Leena by Marja-Leena yesterday at 5:20 am
Heavy clouds overhead, a giant’s puffy quilt
straight edge parallel to mountain range
strip of sky beneath and between
brightening with dawn, rose and gold
a German Romantic painting
by Marja-Leena broken
“It is a dying lamp, a falling shower,
A breaking billow: – even whilst we speak
Is it not broken?”
– P.B. Shelley: Adonais
by Marja-Leena Writing-on-Stone Park
This morning, I was very excited by an article in our newspaper about Writing-on-Stone Park in Alberta, a very important place for me, spiritually and artistically.
Unfortunately, the online version does not include the photos of some of the rocks and of Bonnie Moffet, the supervisor of interpretative services, who is quoted in the article (and whom we met last year). It was interesting to read about the recent opening of “the park’s first permanent interpretive centre” and about the petroglyphs and the first nations people who created them. I liked her words: “Our wish here is not just to talk about rock art and rock art preservation,” she says. “It’s to share with people the fragility of this place . . . and to change attitudes forever toward first nations people.”
Naturally, reading all this has transported me back to our amazing visit to Writing-on-Stone last year. I’ve been revisting this mystical and powerful place again by going through our photos and thought I’d post a few more here. And of course, I want to go back some day for I was keenly disappointed that the guided tour was unavailable the day we were there.
Interested new readers may like to know that I first wrote about my ‘obsession’ for badlands, hoodoos & petroglyphs over two years ago, followed up with an answer to a query from another blogger ‘what are hoodoos?’
As many of you know, some of the images I gathered on this trip became part of my art works since then. Which reminds me… I still have not shown those last works that I completed in the spring! I’ve been waiting a long time for Erika to design a web site for me, but she was too busy with her final year at art school and then got herself a great job a month after graduation (naturally I’m happy about that)! I had planned to make this grand announcement with the presentation of these pieces based on Writing-on-Stone. Hmm, maybe I should just post them here anyway.
by Marja-Leena Hornby Island rocks
From time to time over the life of this blog, I’ve been posting some of my favourite photos of the uniquely weathered rocks on Hornby Island. They’ve inspired and become essential portions of many of my works, first in the Meta-morphosis series, then the Paths and Nexus series.
Obsession, passion or a call from my ancient past? Whatever the reason, I respond and revisit these with new eyes each time. It’s been several years since we’ve visited this lovely little island and our dear friends’ cottage there. I think it’s time for another visit soon.
by Marja-Leena experiment no.4
This is becoming a mini series of playful experiments!
by Marja-Leena the little moth
As I sat down at my desk yesterday morning, my eye was distracted by some movement in the window next to me – a tiny pale moth fluttering between the screen and the closed casement window. It must have become trapped there the previous night when I closed the window against the cool night breeze.
I’m amazed to find so much detail captured by the camera, in spite of the screen in between lens and moth. Not such a plain Jane cousin of the butterfly after all. After posing quietly for the camera, it happily flew away when I opened the window.
Interesting how just using the camera resulted in such a lovely encounter, when otherwise I might have ignored the little moth. It stayed in my thoughts all day.
by Marja-Leena about Photoworks
Two months ago I wrote about my desire to organize my best photos into their own corner or archive on this blog. I’ve been thinking a lot about:
– what do I consider my best or most interesting photos
– recognizing their importance as art works in their own right
– how to organize the new photo archives
– using the blog as archives of my art AND photos
– knowing the benefit is more for me than for readers
– how some photos were used in my art works in the past
– knowing that some may be used in future prints
– and some may be printed as art photos
– taking time to go backwards over past posts to select the best
– pausing to read some of them, like looking into a diary, reviving memories
So, I finally bit the bullet and did it this weekend! Erika, my new tech assistant (thank you!) set up Photoworks up in the left bar, with subcategories below. Sifting through three-and-a-half years of posts (over 900) one by one, I tried making selections with a critical eye. It was interesting for me to note that in the first year I did not post many photos (except of my art work), and when I did they were small and conservative. In time, I began to take more interesting photos (the SLR digital camera helped) with the blog and sometimes possible future artworks in mind. I also began playing with the scanner more. Now that there’s a place to park them, I look forward to putting up many more photos, old and new. Feel free to have a browse through Photoworks and let me know what you think.
by Marja-Leena experiment no.3
continuing play with materials and textures
still not sure where these are going
See also experiment no.1, no.2, and no.4
by Marja-Leena 070707
So yesterday was the day of many weddings, a date considered to be lucky in its numbers, full of feng shui or whatever.
For us it was a fairly normal Saturday. It was a little less hot and I felt more energetic, putting in a full day of much needed work in the garden. I’m sore all over from overdoing it, as I sometimes tend to do in my enthusiasm, but happy from all the fresh air and being in the garden. Husband worked on some outside home repairs and gave me the occasional hand, such as trimming some branches just out of my reach.
But first we started the day with a walk to our local park, a mix of forest, open grassy areas and beach. My husband had recently purchased a smaller digital camera, one that is handy to pop in a pocket for these kinds of walks, just in case one sees something interesting. We love our digital SLR camera but it’s very heavy and bulky. We took turns capturing images as we familiarized ourselves with it. It took some getting used to as old habits interfered with new ways. In very bright areas, I was annoyed and frustrated by the LCD monitor acting like a mirror, making it hard to see what I was photographing.
Looking at the downloaded images later, I was a bit disappointed in the colours especially the unnatural green and less depth of field that I’m used to in the SLR. It may be just a setting we need to select from the numerous choices. The different image sizes and formats are interesting.
This morning, while sipping my pre-breakfast cup of hot lemon juice, I played around with some images, making a few into black and white and trying out effects in the iPhoto, then the final touches in PhotoShop. I did not crop any of these this time, just to see how the different sizes and formats look. The marvels of technology, eh – we take so much for granted already.