The Elegance Of Lichen, Revisited

Branching with the grace of trees; sparkling with the light of stars; spreading with the hope of life; imbued with the energy of Creation; pastel-colored like fairies and rainbows. What am I talking about? LICHEN, of course!

Welcome to my "Garden of Earthy Delights!" Here are some recent macro shots of majestic trees whose bark presents a cornucopia of smaller lifeforms. They represent a microcosm of organic form that rivals the beauty of any flower garden. Form, color, infinite configurations: the peaceful symbiosis of bark, moss, insects, and lichen defy the hungry eye to ignore them. At first glance you might feel these shots are redundant, but if you look closely, you'll see a great variety of abstract compositions!

I LOVE photographing lichen. I think that some of my Abstract Expressionist paintings reflect my fascination with the kind of bursting forth of life force reflected in the orderly disorder of lichen!

If these images awaken your sense of wonder and you'd like to view more of them, please visit my "Living Surface" Gallery at Imagekind.

NOTE: Please click on any image to see the enlarged version.

All images and text copyright Lynda Lehmann. All rights reserved.

If you would like to view my art or make a purchase, please visit Lynda Lehmann Painting and Photography or my gallery at Imagekind, where you can choose from several sizes and paper types or buy my prints plain or matted and framed.

Sky Blue Universe

View From the Jetty on a Pristine Day -c 2008 Lynda Lehmann

Sky Blue Universe

sunlight bends to grasp and hold

far regions bound to earth.

horizon ties heaven, land, and sea,

the universe-continuum

whose color is the sky.

waters, skies, pass days to nights.

boulders massive, algae slight

bind all to One

grand cycle, play, and song,

transforming dark to light.

- Text and image c Lynda Lehmann 2008

Image c Lynda Lehmann. If you would like to view more of my art or make a purchase, please visit www.lyndalehmann.com

Sweet Calico Goat and the Orphan Works Act

This sweet animal has a beautiful calico coat and an engaging and unwavering gaze. My sense of awe and reverence for animals grows, as their soulfulness and apparent ability to feel and even think, become more evident to me.

If you've seen the video that's been going around the Internet, of an elephant painting his self-portrait, no doubt you have felt the same exhilaration that I did, when contemplating how this giant mammal seemed to "think" about the accurate placement of each brush stroke. Even if he was prompted by his trainer, by touch or visual prompts, his behavior is still deliberate in a way we humans have not historically attributed to animals.

I think we all have enjoyed many of those inter-species, "love-and-relating" email forwards, as well. The bottom line is that we all want and need love, and it's sometimes easier to find animal behaviors to stand in awe of and applaud, than it is to find laudable human behaviors. Predators in the animal kingdom hunt and kill to survive, just as we take animal life, as part of the food chain. But lacking our level of critical thinking, they don't have all those nasty defense mechanisms that are borne of our human propensity for self-doubt. In my opinion, our self-doubt projected outward leads to a lot of unnecessary tangles and confrontations for many people. Imagine the time and resources we waste being angry at strangers. We may sneer behind their backs or scold them either tactfully or rudely, or we may walk away silently, puzzled by a suspect behavior that we disapprove of, yet vesting our energy in it.

Yesterday while driving on a busy secondary highway coming home from an art show, I signaled to move from the left to the right lane, to exit onto another parkway. The guy behind me not only sped up so I couldn't move over, but he flipped me the bird as he passed me. I was astounded at his rando
m act of free-floating hostility. I'm glad I'm not that angry!

Animals vie with each other for supremacy, but in a more direct way: for physical dominance of habitat or available territories, or for the attentions of a fertile mate. Yet we humans vie with each other on so many more levels and with so much more at stake. What's at stake as a result of the culmination of competing human behaviors is nothing less than the survival of Earth and all her inhabitants!

I think it would be a good idea for us to ponder the interactions of animals and begin to evaluate our institutions and behaviors from a survival standpoint. I've seen squirrels, robins, blue jays, and a baby rabbit, all occupying the same meagre footage of my back yard, all foraging for food while ignoring the others who are doing the same thing in their own way. They are different species, living a peaceful co-existence. Their truth may be "to eat or be eaten," but they are not tied to status issues, political correctness, or supremacy issues. They don't vie over ideologies. Maybe they are lucky, to be at a "lower" level of intuitive and intellectual functioning. As for peaceful coexistence, maybe we humans can do a better job of using our intuition and intellect in more constructive ways.

ORPHAN WORKS ACT

I'm grateful that some members of WWAO have brought the Orphan Works Act to the group's attention. As I understand it, this act was defeated in Congress several years ago, but is currently under consideration again. If passed, this law would drastically reduce your control over your ownership of your creative works, especially images posted on the Internet. I'm not an expert on it, nor on legalese, but I've read enough to know that the outcome of this proposed law is very important to artists and photographers, as well as writers.

Here's a link to a site where you can sign a petition against it. Why not sign and pass it on? This is so important to all of us!

http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/no-to-orphan-works-act.html

And here's a link to artist Walter King's blog on the Absolute Arts site, where he cites letters from other sources, on the subject.

http://paik.absolutearts.com/cgi-bin/portfolio/art/blogs/read_artblog_entry.cgi?login=walterking&blog_id=969938758748575

Let's make our voices heard. We should all blog about it, too, or we'll become just another casualty of corporate greed!!! (If you want more information on the bill, just Google "Orphan Works Act," as I did, and numerous sources of information will pop up. Spend ten minutes reading, and be your own judge!)

Facets

Photomanipulation of original close-up of crystal, in Photoshop. What I like about abstraction is the ambiguity of it, so that I can interpret what my eye sees on many levels. Image c Lynda Lehmann. Available at http://www.lyndalehmann.com/ .

What do YOU see in it?

A World of Their Own

A woman and three children ensconced by the spread of a magnificent tree, totally absorbed in the private world they are sharing. What would our world be like without the drama and beauty of such magnificent trees?

Trees give us not only beauty and add dimension to our world, they give us shade, provide animal habitat, wood for all our human "creature comfort" needs, and hold the soil in place. They grow everywhere in amazing diversity, until we raze and burn the forests.

We can all help the Earth and help to insure human survival by planting an extra tree or two in our yards, or by sending in Action Alerts that address issues such as clear-cutting for industry and rainforest preservation. Join the World Wildlife Fund or the Nature Conservancy or the Rainforest Action Network, to put in YOUR two cents!

The way I look at it, the "Tree of Life" is at the heart of life.

Text and image c Lynda Lehmann. You can purchase this print at www.lyndalehmann.com.

A Pristine Land

When I see such a clear and clean view, no litter or pollution apparent to the naked eye and the air sweet and pungent with the scent of pine, I wonder how the land looked 200 years ago, before the Industrial Revolution. I can not begin to imagine the sparkling natural beauty of the landscape. Imagine how much happier we would be if we were PART of this environment, cherishing, protecting, and enjoying it, instead of using it up for profit or simply moving THROUGH it at jet speed. Image c Lynda Lehmann. Lakes region of Maine.

Visit http://www.lyndalehmann.com/ if you would like to see more of my work, or purchase this print! You can buy it framed at http://lyndalehmann.imagekind.com/

Ablaze

This rose glows as if it holds the sunlight within. Isn't it amazing how light literally and figuratively brings things to life, gives life? Image c Lynda Lehmann. Matted archival print available in several sizes. Please inquire.

Thank you for looking at my work. Please visit http://www.lyndalehmann.com/ if you would like to see more of it!

Solitude

I just wanted to share this beauty of a Maine sunset with you. The backlit clouds and their reflection on the lake surface were just glorious!

I love being in a place where the fabric of the land is not torn and tattered, where the Earth's skin is still (relatively) healthy and brimming with life. No litter, no crowds, no noise: just the gentle wind on your face, reflections silver on the smooth water, and a panorama of the heavens unfolding on the twilit sky. You can have a sense of yourself in relation to the universe, and tune in to your thoughts in a focused way that's not often possible, with all the distractions of modern life.

How will we preserve what's left of our natural heritage, these pristine and "holy" places, for future generations?

Image and text c 2007 Lynda Lehmann. View more of my nature shots at www.LyndaLehmann.com

WAITING

A long line of slatted wooden porch chairs in an abstract pattern, seems to be waiting for sitters, or perhaps something else!

A large part of our lives is spent waiting for one thing or another. How much time we spend waiting is probably due to our expectations of life: do we believe in predestination or waiting for the hand of a higher power to intervene in our behalf, or do we take responsibility for our fates in spite of our varying beliefs in Deity?

Many of the world's cultures have, I believe, a myth of a sort of Cosmic Jester embedded somewhere in their mythology. According to books I have read, whose titles escape me at the moment, this notion is so prevalent, almost universal, that we have to question why this is so. It seems the Jester is seen as a sort of intermediary between the physical and spiritual worlds, i.e. between man and God. The Jester is the force responsible for synchronicity, or what I would call "meaningful coincidence." When one's life takes ironic turns and "special" or remarkable events seem to coincide with personal milestones or rites of passage, this becomes a tantalizing notion.

Most of us have at least a few recollections of events in our lives that seemed to present us with some unique personal meaning, especially "fitting" for us as individuals living in the greater cosmic soup.Which moves me into thoughts of energy, the eloquence and organized chaos of the universe, etc.

No matter where each of us stands on these issues, it's fun to speculate. No one knows the answers, and I suspect that truth is as fluid as the ocean. If only we could see the whole picture....

Which activities and passions we choose to pursue during our short lifetimes, determines who we are and shall further become, while we wait for answers.

Text and image c Lynda Lehmann. "Waiting" won a Special Recognition Award at a Period Gallery juried exhibition. A matted archival digital print of "Waiting" is available at www.lyndalehmann.com, on the last page of the site.

Amazon

Abstract expressionist painting that to me, suggests a jungle teeming with foliage and all manner of organic form; sunlight filtering through the lush canopy; and perhaps the gift of fresh rainwater swirling into the river. Image and text c Lynda Lehmann. Acrylic on gallery-wrapped canvas, 36 x 48 inches. Available at http://www.lyndalehmann.com/

Depraved Indifference

"Depraved Indifference" is part of my "Urban Wallpaper" series. Image c Lynda Lehmann.

We condemn murderers for depraved indifference, and well we should. But what is it when society lets people who are mentallly ill, fall through the cracks? Is it being humanisitc and highly evolved? Is it being civilized?

Center for Fine Art Photography Exhibit

The Center for Fine Art Photography has several exhibitions per year. The current exhibit is "The Art of Digital Imagery," which is a real-time gallery show at the center in Fort Collins, Colorado, and posted online as well.

My digital photograph "Water Tapestry" is part of the show, which you can see at:
http://www.c4fap.org/exhibitions/2007Digital/index.htm

I took this shot in the fall, on a sunny morning when I found clusters of colorful leaves floating on the dark lake surface. The contrast between the dark water and the color and form of the leaves, and the gold-green color and delicate form of the pine needles, made a lovely tapestry, I thought.

I've posted "Water Tapestry" before, but now you can see it in the show. I hope you enjoy the Center for Fine Art Photography exhibit. I know I did!

Parallel Lives

An elderly woman walks her bicycle down a narrow Alassio street, while a younger woman veers off the street into an adjacent doorway. They are in such close proximity in space and time, but each is oblivious of the other.

"Parallel Lives" can be looked at in several ways, I guess. It's a good metaphor for alienation and depersonalization and such. It could also be a metaphor for pattern and routine and limited consciousness/entrenched thinking, with the way the structures of those doors wall the woman in. And it could be a comment on aging, of course. Or culture. What does it make you think of? Image c Lynda Lehmann.

You will soon be able to purchase this image, framed or unframed, on my Imagekind site:
http://www.lyndalehmann.imagekind.com/

Sundrenched

I really need to be painting for a large solo show I have coming up next winter. But of course, I keep getting sidetracked by all the beautiful spring flowers that are just bursting forth everywhere. To make matters worse, I've just purchased a new camera, a 10.2 mega pixel Sony Alpha digital SLR. Not only do I need to test it out and begin to learn how to use it, but having it in my hands makes me want to photograph everything in sight.

An old obsession is photographing rocks and minerals, my own little collection of colorful crystals. They're not perfect specimens, but they're gems to me; their beauty is fascinating. Of course I'm having trouble with getting sufficient depth of field when shooting these, close up. I'm hoping to find just the right settings for my crystal shots, but don't hold your breath!

The photo above is of a rose of intense gold, as if it had absorbed all the sunlight in the world. Image c Lynda Lehmann. It's an archival print, unmatted, 12 x 15 inches on Canon pro photo paper, available at http://www.lyndalehmann.com/. I'm hoping that soon I'll have some new mineral shots to post!

Clematis

Nature always has a surprise to offer, whether it's a grand sunset, an encounter with a soulful furry critter (pet or otherwise), the power and majesty of a waterfall, or a simple "everyday" bloom. I came upon this graceful and elegant purple Clematis along a neighbor's fence while on a walk, and for a moment, I felt was deep in a shaded woodland. Mother Earth blesses us with many gifts. Whether one chooses to look at this as the inherent bounty of the universe, biodiversity, evidence of a higher being or grace, or simple serendipity, doesn't matter. The bottom line is that we are rich in beauty and inspiration, if we just take the time to look. Image c 2007 Lynda Lehmann.

Quiet Time

Another of my "Clock-Watch" Series that I photographed yesterday. Time is such an enigma. When I ponder time, I think about the tragedy of the human condition, and how fast our lives fly by. Then I feel a little sad, until I look for beauty in the world by the experience of doing art, of making another image, either a painting or a photograph. That experience never fails to lift me up. What do the concept of time and your creativity mean to you?

If you're interested in ideas about time, space, and the universe, I recommend "The Mind of God" by Paul Davies or "Art and Physics: Parallel Visions in Space, Time, and Light" by Leonard Shlain.

"Quiet Time" is 8 x 10 inches, matted to 11 x 14 inches in an archival sleeve, ready for framing. I can also print it for you in a larger size, if you like. Like all my photos, it's printed with archival inks on Canon Pro photo paper. You can find this image, along with many others, at http://www.lyndalehmann.com/ or www.absolutearts.com/lyndalehmann. Titles and image c 2007 Lynda Lehmann.

Time Piece

A romantic or nostalgic look at the personal timepiece. Sadly, no one can stop time to keep a moment real or preserve a memory. But we cling to our watches as if they have some special power. I have sentimentalized this shot intentionally, by my choice of color. I manipulated the original in Photoshop, part of a series of photos I took today. I hope you enjoy it. Image and Text c 2007 Lynda Lehmann.

This print is 8 x 10 and matted to 11 x 14 inches. It's available, along with hundreds of other images, from minerals and machines to florals and shots of Bussana Vecchia in Italy, at http://www.lyndalehmann.com

Urban Wallpaper

I'm interested in how street scenes (including local architecture) reflect and reveal trends in a particular culture, as well as some larger truths about the human condition. These girls are waiting for the Long Island Railroad. The person standing on the other side of the tracks could represent a parallel reality, or vis a vis the schoolgirls, a subjective/objective dichotomy or personal/impersonal paradox.

If you would like to see more of my "Urban Wallpaper" series, please visit my personal blog at http://www.innersights.blogspot.com/ or check out my site at http://www.lyndalehmann.com/ .

Festival

"Festival" is one of my recent paintings. It's an active and colorful abstract with an impasto surface, lighthearted and slightly humorous. Acrylic on gallery-wrapped canvas, 36 x 30 inches. Image c Lynda Lehmann. I've entered this piece into the Saatchi Gallery "Showdown," so if you like it, you can vote for it (two seconds and just two clicks) between June 11 and June 18 at the following link. Thanks for your support!
http://www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk/showdown/index.php?showpic=24843

African Violet

This is one of my older works. The original abstract mixed media painting is on Arches paper, 12 x 16 inches. It's a stylized but delicately-shaded and textured rendering, with negative spaces that are important to the composition. I tried to convey the sensous unfolding of the pink petals. I used salt to create the textured areas, and a bit of Prismacolor pencil for the thin lines.Available as an archival print on canvas, at http://www.lyndalehmann.com/ . The original framed painting is not for sale. Image c Lynda Lehmann.