not enough hours...

Today I worked on my website a bit and changed some things around. I like it much better. Fine tuning is a good thing after sitting back and detaching from it for a while.
Took a class last night at the Center for Cultural Innovation My friend Nancy told me about this place and I've taken 3 workshops there since finding out about it a few months back. CCI is an incredible resource for artists and I highly recommend them for you if you want to keep learning and growing as an artist. I know I do. The workshop last night was so jam packed with information my head is still spinning. It was taught by Ashley McLean Emenegger the Executive Director of Bandini Art Gallery as well as owning and operating McLean Fine Art and being an artist in her own right. She is one busy gal and chock full of helpful information. I can't get over how good that class was.
Education is a good thing. Get out there and learn something new. And go check out my website and tell me what you think people!

lemon drops

I found this journal at Anthropologie. It's precious. I could feel that it was the book for me to start writing in. I've been antsy to journal again. I have to do lists in another very cute book I bought at Paper Source but I used up my last page on Saturday afternoon in a class I was taking through
Samy'sCamera.
Now I have 2 little books - one for lists and information, and the other for my personal thoughts, stories, poetry, creativity, etc. Good thing I bought a new bag at Target the other day that is big enough to hold both of those books and my camera which I am starting to take everywhere.

have you heard of shutter sisters?

I just found out about it from
Superhero Designs
I love to read her journal entries. Her photography inspires me and her words are so down to earth and real. Not pretentious or trying to be bigger then the other creative people out there - just being herself and sharing on an authentic level. I love this about her. She and some of her friends started up the
Shutter Sisters community as a gathering place for any woman who wants to join in. No matter the photography experience or what camera gear you use. This is so great. No need to compete. Just create. share and grow.

I'm a fan of all of this.
I hope your day is filled with community and authenticity. If not eat some lemon drops

Tuesday Inspiration

Things that are inspiring me today:

Cari Cole
and a song called "Heaven" on her Circle of Fire CD. I have it playing on repeat today.
"Live in heaven, right here right now....." Why not? I can choose heaven right now - or I can choose the muck my mind gets attached to. The negative, depressing stuff that can hook my attention. It's always there ready to play. This song really lifts me up and reminds me of being in Teotihuacan on a Power Journey, and of being in Love all the time. It is possible. I know it because I have experienced it. Progress not perfection. It's a process. It's not worth my time to judge myself when I've forgotten to use the tools. That's life. Have you read "Eat, Pray, Love" yet???
She spoke about how she is not perfect at her spiritual practice, her meditation. It's not a rigid thing. It's a flowing thing. She allows that to breathe so she doesn't use it to abuse herself for not being perfect. I love that.

I'm heading to the lab to pick up a photo today that is going to be in the Portland show at Newspace center for Photography
I went to the lab Friday and it wasn't exactly what I thought would work, so I am re-printing it.

And working on some tree prints here at home on my home printer with some Epson paper which is rocking my world! We are considering purchasing a new printer which is a big deal. yep the new 4880 Epson Printer. We saw it at Samy's this weekend and it is HUGE. Where the heck will it go? but it is such a great investment. No more running to the lab. I'd have more control over my work, my work flow, and my production. Feels great to be in a place to take charge of the way I work like that. I just bumped up my camera gear and purchased the Nikon d300
It's not about the gear for me and it's all about the gear for me. I LOVE my pinhole camera. LOVE - ADORE - ADMIRE - CHERISH.
It was actually given to me as a birthday present from my dear husband during our first year we were together. augh, he is dreamy. he also lets me use his twinlens reflex camera that his friend ( our bestman at our wedding ) Sean gave him many years before. This camera is the one I use to take the tree images. I use it with a digital camera. Both cameras to take one image at the same time. I should have Jerry take a photo of me taking those tree images. It's a juggling act since I am using both at the same time, one in each hand.
ok so I am inspired by camera gear. What can I say. Camera gear and Cari Cole's singing makes me soar!
Have fun today with whatever inspires you!

Monday To Do Lists

Good morning. I'm noticing that my to do list is a long one but then again the items on the list are so exciting that I can hardly stand it. I was up until about 2am working on printing out my tree series and making mock-ups inside new frames I got last week. When I walk past the dining room table and see the work that is blooming there it just tickles me. I'm running out now but wanted to just stop by and say hello to all of my support team out there who has encouraged me along the way to keep going. And that of course includes my parents who are the biggest cheerleaders on my team, besides my beautiful husband. If I listed all of you who have cheered me on to keep on going and creating my dream life I would be here all day listing names of my beloved friends and family. Sometimes I get so wrapped up in projects that I forget to stop for a minute and celebrate all the people around me who are the gems that make my life so rich. When I isolate myself I just feel like a top that is spinning in circles getting nowhere. But when I open myself up to you all, that is when the magic happens and I am led to places and opportunities that I would have never imagined. God talks to me through people. Even though I am hard of hearing in one ear, I can still hear you. Thank you for being here with me on this journey of life. Enjoy this tree as a symbol of the strength I get from all of you.

Me, My Guitar and Don Henley

I took the photo for this promo piece for my friend Krista's play about a year ago in LA. It was so fun to work with them because many years ago we all worked together at Portland Center Stage. I was an assistant stage manager back then, helping run the show back stage. I remember sitting with Krista backstage and telling her that I wanted to be a photographer full time and she was telling me that she thought she wanted to be a writer full time.
Guess what? 10 years later I'm a full time photographer and she is the executive producer of Grey's Anatomy and writes for the show. Plus - the gal in the postcard holding the guitar is a gal who you might recognize in a lot of commercials these days. Every time I see her in a new commercial I yell out " Micki!" that's her nickname to me. It's great to see us all manifest the dreams we stated outloud back then.

snuggling

Hi gang, It's been a few days and I have no excuses. Just busy creating work for the show in Portland and one that is coming up in March, launching the headshot business, Etsy shop, and photo workshops.
I decided last night to start leading workshops right here in Los Angeles. So flyers are being made for that and I will be canvasing the area. I'll post more about that soon. The first workshop will be the weekend of May 16th - 18th. More details will be revealed in the next day or so. Sorry for the vague entry. It is all that is on my mind and still getting the details sorted out. It's an exciting time.....except the fact that I am heading down to San Diego today to go to the dentist. It's like pulling teeth to get me in the car on a rainy day....ha ha ha clever yes? I'm bringing my camera - Jerry is driving - and I will make this a photo adventure.
The photo above is Andrew and his wife Kirsten. Aren't they in love! I like the snuggling here. These two are a great couple. Andrew and I went to high school together down in San Diego and now live in neighboring areas of LA. Nice to live close to someone who "knew me then!" Those were interesting times....high school....

bare

this image is on my website but I felt pulled towards it today while looking for something to post. Haven't taken a photo today so this felt like the one to share with you. It's from a series of nudes called "bare". I love that I caught her in the moment of covering up. Hiding. I can feel the energy of her frantic movement as she bends over to cover herself up with her own arms and hands. This wasn't posed or asked of her, it was just a moment when she felt shy and reacted to being in front of the camera. I feel it's one of the 2 strongest photos from that day. The other images are more posed and not as natural. I like this type of feel best. I love the spaces in between better then what she asked for me to take which were more straight forward nude shots. I prefer blurred, energy, movement and the essence of a person rather then the actual close up in focus details. I'm more intrigued by what is going on underneath the surface.
Speaking of underneath....I just found out that I will be having a one woman show at Madison 101 in Pasadena, CA! The body of work I am showing is called "abajo del rio" which means "beneath the river" again this idea of what is going on underneath what is apparent to our naked eye.
The opening Reception is Saturday March 1st.
I'll share more details when I get back from Portland and the Newspace group show.
I'm heading out to make the print for the show right now.....out in the gray and what we LA folk consider COLD weather. yep 55 is freezing here.

Sunday Musings

Doggy update:
The little one, that we named James Fee, and Dino, and Houdini, got to go back to his family yesterday. Our fliers proved successful. We put them up Friday morning and they called us Friday night! The little girls were screaming for joy when they saw their little friend again.
It was a good experience for us to have a dog for 3 days. And better to know he is with his family. We know now that we aren't the types to have that kind of dog. We want a retired service dog. Happy, cuddly, large, wise, and low maintenance. But our cats feel otherwise.....

So here are some samples from the tree series. I took these 2 days ago on the 18th but was busy with an art opening last night and a long day of cleaning today. I really like the blue in these photos and how strong the tree feels in these photos. Very different then the other months in my opinion. It's nice to see how the tree changes and how my relationship with it changes over the year.

art and life intersecting at an intersection

yesterday I was driving over to an art gallery I've never been to before. traffic got backed up by the train so a bunch of us turned around and took alternative streets. I was on my way through the back streets and at a stop sign this little dog with yellow collar and short leash was running around without an owner. There wasn't another option accept to stop. He was on a busy intersection and it was only a matter of time...It took me about 20 minutes to get him to stop barking at me and trust me enough to get him into my car. We made these fliers this morning and posted them around where I found him. We hope to get him back to his owners. The mailman that was walking by at the time that I found the dog told me that he has seen this little guy running around for the past 5 days! YIKES. Well, I never made it to the art gallery. I hope to find his owners. I took him to the vet this morning and they tell me he is about 1.5 years old. Probably part Italian Greyhound, and part Chihuahua. he has a tiny white star on his forehead and white on his chest. Super Cute, and Sweet once you let him know you are on his team. If you or someone you know wants a cute little doggy let me know. If our efforts to find his owners do not work, then we may need to find him a home. Our cats are not happy.
P.S. Patricia our cat is not doing well, in the vet overnight for testing. Kidney failure. Maybe from doggy overload.....I wanted this blog to be photography/art focused - but this is what happened to me on the way to the art gallery....art and life intersecting at an intersection.

3's a charm

The bark on the tree looks a bit like looking out a plane window at the land below. Maybe this is somewhere in Chicago right now or Utah. Winter Wonderland.
Enjoy your view.

more gold stars

This morning I wanted to document the flowers that Jerry gave me when I got home from Minneapolis. They are starting to wilt a tiny bit on the petals and I knew that tomorrow would be too late to really capture them when they still have some life left in them.

" Throw your dreams into space like a kite, you do not know what it will bring back, A new life, A new friend, A new love..." Anais Nin

" You are a creative dreamer" Sark

" pick a dream, any dream. Some of us procrastinate by never choosing. If we don't choose, we can't fail or be judged. It also means we stay in creative limbo..." Sark

I remember a time when I was in college and had the belief that to pick a career sort of equaled something like death. It was all over. It was finite. It was a trap into a place that lacked spontaneity, life force, creativity, openness, free will to change.

How wrong I was. I get to pick one thing and dive into it 100% and bring all the other things that I love with me. I'm noticing now how different aspects of my creativity are starting to want to come out again after years of being dormant. They are making their way into my current business plan, and there is room for them. Somehow when I pick one thing and stick with it - all sorts of dreams come true.

Gold Star

Gold Star. From the top of a crown that Jerry and I used as our cake topper at our wedding. We found this amazing crown at a new store that opened up in Old Town Pasadena called The Gold Bug.
If you haven't been there you must check this place out. Gorgeous items.

I just received the postcards for the upcoming show in Portland at Newspace Center for Photography.
I can't wait to head up there for the Feb 8th opening.

in the meantime I am all about getting down to business. The business of being a working artist, who is creating and living a life that is abundant, clean of chaos ( is that possible? ), and joyful. Artists that come to mind are
Sark,
Superhero Designs,
Elizabeth Gilbert
Alan Watt
Allen Zadoff
Keith Carter

So many more. So glad to see the possibilities of a creative life in different manifestations. So many things are possible. I am not limited by what my little mind thinks. So many ways the universe can support creativity.

I'm currently working on a few more gallery shows this year, and getting some artwork up on Etsy. Feeling creative comes and goes and I LOVE the feeling when it hits. I have to just go with it. It is like a river that keeps on moving. I just hop on my raft and go go go!

I love my life, the friends I've made along the way and are continuing to meet, and the abundant life that is always available to me if I put my attention on the positive rather then the negative.

I have to remember that it's Progress rather then Perfection. It is easy to get into perfectionism and do nothing because I am afraid of not doing it "right". I think doing anything at all is doing it "right", because it is an action. Inaction gets me nowhere. Literally, Emotionally, Spiritually.... But it gets hard to move forward with the "little mind" creeps in and tells me that it has to look a certain way. It is a great tool to just take one action and detach from the result. It's not mine to figure out. If God gave me a talent I just need to show up and use it otherwise I am being disrespectful to the one who gave me the gift. Who am I to decide if it is "good" or not.

I did promise you this....

A few days ago I promised you more colors from Minneapolis. This is more of the street that Amy lives on. yep it's a bright pink house next door to a blue house which is across the street from that bright yellow house. It might have been gloomy winter outside, but they sure perk it up with house paints!

Today in LA was about 75 degrees or something close. Clear and Bright and AMAZING. one of the best weekends I've had in a while out here. Last night was my opening at Cactus Gallery. Well, it wasn't just mine. It was a group show of many painters, a few photographers, and mixed media artists. It was great to view their work, meet artists, and take it all in.

Today we went to PhotoLA.
It was in a new bigger space, but it was still packed with people. The photography was inspiring as always. If you've never gone before you should try to make it next year. Give yourself plenty of time to walk through it slowly and to take a break in the cafe. Plus, check out the speakers events during that weekend. I was unable to make it this time around and I was a bit bummed about that. It all looked so good.

Today Jerry and I celebrated our 3 month anniversary. We went to dinner and a movie after PhotoLA. What a glorious day it was. Photography, Food, Johnny Depp, what could be better?

meet Vera Mae and Iris

Cute and CUTE! Iris is the tiny cute little darling, and Vera is the princess who is also a painter.
I am home now in warm and sunny Los Angeles, and I miss the little ones already. Vera stood at the window as I left this morning and I could see her start to cry as I drove away.
Her tears might have been caused by the lack of sleep she got last night having a melt down but I'd like to think it was all about me.....

Ariel

This is Ariel.. Vera Mae LOVES her. She has her own little house made out of fabric that she lives in with a little bed, bedspread, heart shaped pillow, chair and a little bell on a string.
It has a handle on top so Vera can carry the house around with her. It's adorable.
I head back tomorrow to the land of 60 degrees. I wish Amy and her family lived really close by so we could have play dates regularly. I've really loved visiting and trying to help out in whatever why is needed at the moment. Iris is a totally different baby then when I met her on Monday. She is more aware, alert, and more like a little human then just a crying and pooping machine. I love holding her and swinging her in my arms and watching her as she looks in my eyes and tries to figure out who the heck I am and what the heck I'm doing there. She loves to be held in the kitchen. She turns her head and looks around the room as I sing and make silly noises to help her feel calm and comfortable. She is so precious I am not sure there are words to describe it. ok, I'm off to sit at the dinner table while Vera eats her dinner. It's entertaining!

yellow

This house is right across the street from Amy and Sean's house. It is so bright yellow it tickles me. But wait - there are more colors on this block. More to come tomorrow.
It's been nice to break out the camera gear and take a look at things through the view finder. I really enjoy how it helps me to really notice. It's interesting to me that just by taking out my camera and looking through it I feel like I am communing with this place on a deeper level. I'm able to investigate things that I usually walk right past while going to get some yogurt out of the fridge for the 3 year old.

hat, gloves, scarf, big coat and boots....

Hello from Minnesota. As you can see we need to bundle up out here. It's been great to visit with Amy and her family. Taking photos in between reading stories to Vera Mae. It's an amazing time for me to get to know her better and to play with a 3 year old. there is nothing like it. Painting, singing, laughing, reading, watching movies, eating, napping,,,,oh wait - I do that in my real life. So I live like I'm 3, and being with Vera Mae just feels normal!
The new baby Iris is adorable and I will post some photos soon of her.

Enjoy the view

Heading to Minneapolis today to visit Amy and Sean and their new baby Iris. I've known Amy since college, and I'm so grateful that we are still so close. I'm looking forward to meeting the new addition and spending time with her first child Vera Mae. She is featured on my blog below - Precious. And yes I'm bringing all my cameras so stay tuned.
The funny thing is - I am heading to Minneapolis where I lived for 8 years and then I'm heading to Portland 2 weeks after that for the art opening - and I moved to Portland from Minneapolis and lived there for about 5 years. So for things completely unrelated I happen to be taking a trip back through my life. I know there's an art project in there somewhere......

Heading to Portland for a show!

The Show is called Altered Landscape
Opening night is February 8th from 7-10pm

It's at the Newspace Center for Photography
1632 SE 10th Ave
Portland OR
97214
503.963.1935

Jerry and I will be flying up to Portland for that weekend.
I lived in Portland for about 5 years. I worked at Portland Center Stage
I was an Assistant Stage Manager there. Portland is also where I learned about Miguel Ruiz and the Toltec work which I was involved with for 5 years. It was a very important time in my life and I made some great friends that I call the "Portland Crew". Some of them I met when I was living in Minneapolis and attending the Minneapolis College of Art and Design.
Glad we have all remained in touch all these years.

Excited to go to Saburos for sushi, The Cup and Saucer for a #1, sip some oregon chai, and be amongst all those trees. There is nothing like it. Hanging out with BP and KT is a huge plus too! I love that they hang out in the living room in the morning on the floor sipping their morning tea. Love the ritual of it. Also love going to The Tao of Tea!
Oh so many places and things to do in Portland. I could write an entire list out of sites and places to go. Maybe I will. My friend Suzi gave me a list of places to see in San Francisco and it was a real treat. 3 pages of sites and restaurants off the beaten path. I still ahve it for every visit back.
Wow - I didn't realize that having a show in Portland would bring up such find memories. I'm so excited to get back there.

behind the scenes for Shark Week Promo

In June of 2007 I was hired by my husband's company
Montgomery Creative to photograph the behind the scenes photos for a Shark Week Promo.
He was the creative director for the promo. It was really spectacular to see him at work. Watch the promo here

Some of my favorite behind the scenes photos I'm posting here. There are so many I will post more tomorrow.

day 2 - gratitude

ok - I posted this photo a few weeks ago and then removed it. I was trying to make this blog more focused on my fine art and less on my family portraits and vacations. But I was roaming around my portfolios to find something to post and this photo grabbed me much more then the rest. Can ya blame me? Look at her! Tonight I took a bubble bath and she sat on the ledge of the tub with me. She's been doing that since she was a little girl. 15 years now. She is adorable and I feel lucky to have had all these years with her. Lately she has been stealing my pillows on the bed. I get a tiny corner and she gets the rest. Somehow I don't mind because she is purring so loud it makes me giggle. Noticing the unconditional love that is there for me every single day is a blessing. I feel grateful on day 2 of 2008.
Enjoy your versions of unconditional love. They are priceless.
If you need a little inspiration check out the Daily Om.

Happy New Year!!!

Happy New Year!
I hope you enjoyed the first day of 2008.
This year is already a creative adventure for me. I found out yesterday that this image here was selected in a juried show at Cactus Gallery in Eagle Rock. The show is sponsored by the API ( Animal Protection Institute ) and the intention of the show is to bring awareness to the number of bird species facing extinction.
Pretty great to be involved with this project in some way. I'm looking forward to seeing the other work in the show. If you have time on Saturday January 12th come on by! The opening is from 6pm-10pm.
Cactus Gallery
4534 Eagle Rock Blvd.
Eagle Rock, CA 90041

This is the first of many new developments for 2008!
More to be revealed very soon.