Serendipity is Nature's Generosity

Lamb's Ears - Image c Lynda Lehmann

I've been wanting to get back to painting, because painting is my first love.  I had promised myself that my next post would be about pigment instead of pixels.  But nature intervened and threw me a curve.  
I had all but given up on finding anything pixel-worthy on my walk today, when I stumbled upon these dried "Lamb's Ears" plants (as a friend of mine calls them).  They are just slightly wilted from the cold, which has been intense for a December on Long Island.  But their light gray-green color was outstanding against the auburn of dried, fallen leaves.
It's sometimes hard to find subjects to shoot on suburban streets, unless one comes across a wooded area or something at the very edge of the street. In order to respect people's privacy, or should I say their feelings about privacy, I never point my camera towards a house.  That's why I so enjoy getting out of the neighborhood to the larger outdoor spaces with my camera.  Not only is there usually more to shoot, but I feel free to point my camera in any direction.
Nature came through again today, with a subject that I feel holds a good deal of beauty and mystery.  I've seen this cluster of plants in the same location before, but today the light was right and the colors just popped! Whenever I take in a scene or object of beauty, I feel rich. So today held a tiny bit of serendipity for me.
I hope you found beauty and a touch of serendipity in your day, as well!    
Reposted from Peripheral Vision blog.  All images and text  are copyrighted material, and may be used only with written permission (email is okay) by the author/artist, except where syndication rights have been granted. All other rights reserved. Please visit my primary art site at http://www.lehmann.myexpose.com/gallery if you would like to see my paintings and more of my photography and digital art!

A Ballet of Blossoms

Peachy Petals - Lynda Lehmann c 2009

Watch the petals of irises sway, billow and gently gesture in the breeze. It's like watching a ballet: the dance of sweet spring air over translucent sheaths of brilliant color, orchestrated interplay of air, color, and light....

Irises may be my favorite flower, for their intricate, sculptural forms, whose graceful spatial relationships flourish in 3-D. I think they're much more interesting than tulips, for example, whose colors are just as beautiful but whose petals form a more symmetric and predictable, cup-like structure. As with the process when I paint, I enjoy variety and a few surprises!

The closer I move with my eye or my view through the camera, the more I see of the fantastic architecture of the flower kingdom.

What's your favorite flower?

This article is re-posted from "Peripheral Vision" at www.innersights.blogspot.com.

The Season Of Singing Has Come

This is my latest painting now available for sale at Red Bubble. Enjoy!

Flame of Life

Life is not guaranteed. Scientists agree that the conditions necessary for life to occur and be nurtured and sustained on this planet are not only unlikely, but exist within such a narrow range as to be almost inconceivable. It's highly unlikely that they have occurred by chance. For so many intricate systems to balance in the way they do, is highly improbable and seems to the pondering human mind, to be virtually impossible.

If these conditions occurred by the hand of a Greater Power, they remain an equally improbable and delicate combination. For instance, if the ratio of just one element in our universe, carbon, for instance, were off only by a few degrees from where it is, life as we know it could not occur.

Whether by chance or by the hand of a benevolent Creator, or by combination of both, we cannot afford to skew or destroy the balance that makes our green, lush and gorgeous planet a haven of life for millions of species. Including us...

Personally, I hope to be part of the solution more than part of the problem. Each of us has many options for being a better earth steward. Imagine what our planet would be like if we continue to destroy land, air, water, and species. Picture a cold, stale, rocky mass, devoid of color and life. No breathable oxygen, no drinkable water, no food, no flowers, no children...

Let's speak out against the abuse of our planet. Let's get together to move our governments toward global solutions for global warming and irreversible pollution, before it's too late! Let's protect the flame of life.

"Flame of Life" is available at www.LyndaLehmann.com , or you can buy it framed at Imagekind. Text and image c Lynda Lehmann.

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!

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!