Ahhh, The Colors & Textures of Venice

Late afternoon light on the Grand Canal

My sister-in-law, Annie.
"Everyone looks more glamorous with Venice in the background."

Venice made me feel like I was a photographer...with my point & shoot.

I just returned from Italy and I am newly inspired! What a beautiful place. It will take more than one post to cover even the highlights, but I am starting where the trip started, in Venice. What I loved most about Venice was all the ancient, weathered walls and window shutters in beautiful, muted colors and textures. The pinks, corals, ochres and earthy grays and browns have me inspired to start a new series of watercolors. 

Collage of texture and the start of a new palette.

My favorite photo of Venice.
Residents chat with their pull cart of market purchases
 on this side street off Via Garibaldi.

This is why I love Elle Decor

This image from the July/Aug issue of Elle Decor stopped me with it's beauty. I had to look up the photographer and share some of my faves. To see more of Ilan Rubin's work, and there is a lot to look at go to www.ilanrubin.com.

Early Morning

I am up early this morning. An inspiring time. This is the tree I look at every morning as I drink my coffee. I have taken a lot of pictures of this tree.

Beautiful Mothers

This Mother's Day morning, I was thinking of my mother and I started looking through old photos. How come everyone seems so much more glamorous in old pictures? The first one above is of my mother and I, maybe on my first birthday, because that is the Raggedy Ann doll that I received, which I still have. I am struck by how I always remember my mother wearing a wool skirt and blouse. I cannot imagine going through the day as a stay-at-home mom, with all she had to do, and on top of it having to dress up, probably wearing pantyhose to boot.
The next photo is my Grandma Corcoran, who was a very down-to-earth lady, but check out that outfit she wore to my parent's wedding! Gorgeous! And then there is Grandma Smith, trying out the new ride-on mower in her pearls and crisp, shirtwaist. I am pretty sure she never wore pants in her entire life.
Three beautiful, classy, funny, creative, loving women and I am so proud to be related to them! I miss them all!

GO WORLD.

2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. I am already glued to the competitions. But even more than the events, I enjoy the dramatic back stories, the lush scenery, better than going to the movies! And the commercials! Who needs the Super Bowl? So far, Visa, Coke and Nike spots have grabbed me.

Creative Opportunity Came Knocking...

I entered another contest with Veer. It kind of makes me chuckle, because I don't usually take the time to enter contests. But the creative opportunity presented itself, I was between projects and I...was inspired to jump in.

The challenge: Step away from the computer and create the Veer logo out of things in the real world. Take a picture of your creation.

How I did it: Once I had an idea I liked, I treated my entry as I would any photo assignment, except in this case I was the Art Director, the stylist, the photographer, and the photographer's assistant. I did a lighting test the day before to figure out the time of day that would work best for candlelight. The day of, I searched for props at the park and found just the right mix of orange, red, and yellow leaves. (wondered what my husband would say when he learned I had just brought a garbage bag full of leaves INTO our yard.) I also picked up 1

00 votive candles and pre-lit them to prep the wicks. At 4:00, I set up the shot. Then at 4:45, amid a sprinkling of rain, I got up on the ladder, and I shot for an hour, until it was dark out. All that was left was to narrow down the shots to the best selection and I was done.

I did not win the contest. But I did have a few days of inspiration and fun, just when I needed it. There were 726 entries, with some really cool ideas which you can view at Veer's The Skinny. (Mine is slide 126 in the gallery.)

Live beautifully.

Every time I run across one of the Ligne Roset ads with this headline, I tear it out and pin it up somewhere. Each one says it so...well, beautifully. I recently checked out their website, where there was a screensaver of their ads available for my own personal download. (and yours too) I was originally drawn to the headline and the texture and colors of the backgrounds, but the photography, overall, has me completely captivated.

Photography by Julia Fullerton-Batten. http://www.juliafullerton-batten.com

Good enough to shoot.

When some people might say, "That looks delicious", I say, "That looks good enough to shoot." I guess I am more interested in the way it looks. (No surprise that I am not a great cook.) My son said to me the other day, why are you always taking pictures of food? I don't know why, but when the ingredients are assembled, I start art directing the plate or serving dish, and sometimes, yes, I take a picture, which I may refer to for any number of reasons. But I do wish I could have a stylist and photographer on hand for these occasions, because right now it is bugging me that those berries are looking so dark.

By the way, this bowl of oatmeal ended up being delicious. ; )