All Over the Place

Here's another un-cohesive post but it will be full of pictures! I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing...hmm.

Anyway, here are a few more from my little test shoot with Lawyer yesterday. I love learning new things with my camera and I really think that I got the hang of it, though it is not even near perfect.

I rode my bike on a trail nearby to see if there was anything worthy of photographing. My main purpose was to find a new location that I might be able to take a neighbor-girl nearby to take some practice pictures of her. The place was cool but not NEARLY what it looked like about a month ago. Last month, the grass was really tall and the wild flowers were out in full force...but I still think that I could get some fun pictures here.

Oh and our 4th of July celebration was a blast...literally. We ate, drank, swam and shot off illegal fireworks in the city. Good times.

This is my parent's new outdoor living space/bar...it's called the Landshark.

Oh and my artwork came in while I was on vacation! These two pieces are amazing to me. Like I mentioned before, it's like Alice in Wonderland meets The Adams Family. Love it!

I got them at The Black Apple Etsy store. You can go to her etsy shop to buy and to her blog to see all her wonderful things.

Thanks for stopping by...oh and if anybody has any amazing places in North Texas for me to check out for photography reasons, leave me a comment to tell me where to visit!

Oh Dear...

I love fantasy/whimsical things - probably why I love children's books and movies so much....Alice in Wonderland having always been a huge favorite. I once was discussing a fantasy-like book with someone once and they told me "I don't like fantasy stuff." Um, last time I checked, most books you read for fun have some sort of fantasy value. That's why people like to read books - to put themselves in another place and in another time! Anyways...

I decided to buy some art on a whim at 8:00am this morning. I've really enjoyed the art and blog of Emily Martin of Inside a Black Apple. Her art is intriguing and whimsical, with a slight dark-side to it. Think Alice in Wonderland meets the Adams Family.

I bought two different pieces and I can't wait to take pictures when I receive the art so I can share them.

This purchase has led me too want to paint my office...again. But not until after we have knocked out most of one of the walls between my office and living room to put double french doors in. Then I can paint it. The same color as my bedroom. I'm thinking the icy blue-green and red would look quite lovely.

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On another note, I hate running. There I said it. Those that like it and love it and live it, I congratulate you because I think running sucks and anyone that can honestly say they love it should be extremely proud of themselves (and I'm not being hateful, I'm truly intrigued by those that love it). This isn't to say that I have quit my little 5k jaunt. I'm still plugging away, I'm just saying it sucks.

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I rented another lens for my camera and it should be here next week, just in time for our little vacation to the beach (thank goodness!). I'm super-excited about this lens since it is an L-series lens...I can't decide if it will make me super happy to have rented it or super-sad that I will have to give it up after three weeks.

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Does anybody know of anything fun to do in New Orleans that doesn't have to do with T&A? We'll only be there for a few hours worth of a stop but I like to do stuff. I was mortified when we took our son through Bourbon Street last time, even at 10:00 in the morning. I'd like something a little on the G to PG side this time. It doesn't necessarily need to be something to do, it could just be something interesting to drive through or see.

A Boy and His Art

Lawyer loves art. Period. No questions asked, art of any kind is his favorite thing to do. He will draw, color, create for hours...and I mean hours.

We usually have art sessions directly upon arriving home from school, the designated activity is established as soon as he shuts the door when I pick him up from school.

I usually try to have art supplies on hand at all times and it usually is quite a sigh of relief when an overly antsy 4 year old needs something to keep him quiet or occupied.

I happen to think he is an AMAZING artist for being 4...I know a lot of 8 or 9 year olds that can't draw a stick figure to save their life. And yet here is Lawyer, plugging away at his drawings, drawing knights complete with shields, swords and a helmet riding on his trusty stead to save the fair maiden locked away high in the castle from the mean "ghost pirates".

And I grin ear-to-ear each and every time a precious creation is placed in my hands with a little boy saying "I made this for you, mommy" and then saying "I love you" and giving me a sweet kiss.

Sigh. These are times to remember for certain and so are these pictures. I've taken pictures of each and every one of his pictures and I will have the printed in a bound for-real book as a coffee table book that will most certainly remain a coffee table book in my house for all times.

(A word on the little devils in a few of the pictures: He has an art book that shows these under the Halloween section so don't get too freaked out by it!)

Art

In addition to my love of literature, cuisine, photography and gardening, I also have a passion for art. I'm not an artist but I love looking at art. My dream is to fill my home up with original artwork by various artists, the way it's some girl's dream to go on a shopping spree in Beverly Hills.

I have the honor of being acquainted with an artist. He's actually the "art guy" for our screen printer (oh by the way, I work in specialty advertising/promotional marketing...check out my website and blog if you like!) and he's an amazing artist. His name is Mark and he works/lives in Cow Town (that's Fort Worth to all of you non-DFW residents). I've been lucky to receive as a gift one of his paintings, the Audrey and I've got my eye on a few other paintings of his. I asked Mark yesterday to send me some pics of what he's been up to most recently and once I saw the paintings, I knew I had to share.

Most of Mark's paintings are Untitled but he emailed to say that he has given them "relative titles" so that if any of you out there are interested in them, you could give him a call and talk to him about it. Ready to check out the eye candy? Here goes...

The Dripping Rose: Acrylic on Canvas, 24"x48

Green-Yellow-White Abstract: Acrylic on Canvas, 24"x48"



Gothic Abstract: Acrylic on Canvas, 24"x48"



Audrey: Acrylic on Canvas, 24"x48"



The Abstract Pair (2 Canvases): Acrylic on Canvas, 24"x48" each



Tree: Acrylic on Canvas, 36"x48"



Blue: Acrylic on Canvas, 36"x48"



Stripes: Acrylic on Canvas, 30"x40"



Red: Acrylic on Canvas, 48"x72" (unsure on actual size)



Orange Drip: Acrylic on Canvas, 18"x24"



Skull: Acrylic on Canvas, 18"x24"



Red Abstract Small: Acrylic on Canvas, 14"x18"



Wow! I love his art...the feelings I have for each are amazing. Being able to put some body's art into a physical and mental interpretation is out of this world, especially when we all have a unique experience with each piece. And while I may love one particular piece, you may hate it but I think we could agree that you were charged by some emotion/feeling to come to your own conclusion.

I love the Skull and while I'm sure many would raise an eyebrow at this statement, there's just something alluring and captivating about it. See? You might not have that same thought about it!

I'd love to hear what your thoughts are about his work, and I'm sure Mark would love it as well! And if you are interested to see if your favorite is available for sale, let me know! I'll be posting his number shortly...Mark IM'd it to me and I had to shut down my computer and of course forgot to write it down!!