Artwerks by Donna » Still Life

Is it really a worthy endeavor?

Donna — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 15:48:14 +0000

What prompted the following muse, was working on images of an old adirondack chair that was part of the yard that became a literal park at the hands of my neighbor, Carol Andrews. Carol is gone now, lost to a valiant 3 year battle with cancer. But in the years BEFORE the cancer, she spent so much time beautifying everything she touched. Her house, yard and gardens looked like they belonged on the cover and in featured articles of Southern Homes & Gardens. As her disease progressed however, such pursuits gave way to the necessity of spending all her energy on simply staying alive. This once charming chair is now a pile of rotted rubble, unrecognizable. The butterfly net, tattered and rotting on the ground. The wind chimes are gone, like the subtle music that was Carol’s effect on most every life she touched. Carol’s gardens have been uprooted and burned, or overcome with weeds and brush. Her multitude of decorations that she so painstakingly sought out at yard sales and antique shops, lay in a pile by her garage. Life will never be the same for anyone who knew and loved Carol. It will go on, but it will never be the same. Yet, in the countless images I took wandering around in her gardens, the memories stay alive and well… and so I started thinking…

It’s been a while since I’ve written. There’s been things turning over and over in my head, just been too busy with other things to put it all into words. Busy with things like cleaning house, working on websites, working out. When I think of the things that take up so much time in a day, I’m struck by the amount of time and effort I put into temporal things…things that, in another world and time, would mean absolutely NOTHING to anyone.

If we were hit with some manner of disaster of apocalyptic proportion tomorrow, no one would care that my house was clean, or that my living room needs painting and the floor, refinishing; no one would care about my pedicure. My quest for fitness might prove a worthy endeavor in helping me survive, perhaps a bit longer than otherwise, but no one would care about all the pretty pictures I devote so much time to… or WOULD they?

Pictures document the progression of our lives; they not only preserve the moment that has passed, but the emotion evoked by that moment in time. Pictures of family, friends and loved ones become all the more valuable when that person is taken away from us, whether by the change of direction in our paths, or the finality of death. If an apocalypse fell upon us tomorrow and our present way of life and the blessings that we so glibly take for granted today were lost to us…perhaps forever…would not every image we held in our possession take on a whole new meaning to us?

The creative arts aren’t some frivolous pursuit – the creative arts comprise the expression of all that is in the human soul. Music, dance, films, writing, imagery, fine art and photography in all their myriad forms and applications emerge out of who we are and what we have experienced…what we are experiencing now…and it touches that place in the souls of others that resonates with our own place in space and time – it brings us together in one moment of experience. Sometimes, to partake of the creative expressions of others allows us a peek into worlds and experiences that we would likely never have access to, or even KNOW about, if not for the creative expression of some eccentric soul.

Imagery, whether stirred by what we hear or by what we see, enables us to experience things we might not otherwise experience; it causes us to remember what was and gives us hope for what could be. Remembering is not always a bad thing…not if we allow ourselves to learn from our mistakes and from the mistakes of others, and not if we allow ourselves to be enriched by the discoveries and accomplishments of others. The creative arts gives us the ability to do both. The creative arts are an integral part of the fabric that weaves not only humanity, but all of creation, together, reconciling all the scattered pieces into the ONE life that is the source and essence of all that is. Just as all that we see around us in this material world is but an expression of what IS in a very real but unseen realm, so art gives expression to the very real but unseen realm of all that is within Man, both good (enriching) and bad (destructive).

I began this day thinking that perhaps I spend entirely too much time fiddling with images. But after giving the whole subject a bit more consideration, I feel both proud, and also rather humbled at the same time, that I have been entrusted with such a gift. I have been given the power to document, inform, share, invoke memories and emotion, to join souls together, through my own creative gifting. It is my firm conviction that there is a spark of the creator in us all. What is YOUR special gift? Are you faithful to nurture it, to grow it, share it?

Perhaps they are right…all those people in my life who often accuse me of ‘thinking too much.’ Watching movies like The Road and The Book of Eli probably don’t help…

Grassed (as opposed to “beached”)

Donna — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 19:15:47 +0000

On my way home from my shoot Saturday, I caught a glimpse through the trees of this abandoned back yard treasure as I drove off the exit ramp. Not wanting to stop ON the exit ramp, I turned in the direction of the boat and found a driveway leading to an abandoned house, all boarded up with all manner of ‘No Trespassing’ signs all over it, as well as on a chain that blocked the driveway.

Try as I might, I could not figure out how to get to that boat without violating the trespass signs, so I drove back up to the highway, parked on the side of the road, and ran back down the exit ramp to the place where I’d first glimpsed this find and shot with my zoom through the trees.

I got several peculiar stares, but I did, after all, have on my photographer’s vest, so perhaps between that and a big zoom lens, that made me look professional enough for them to dismiss my bizarre behavior as some crazed paparazzi, or maybe they thought I was a private detective. (My ex-husband once said I had quite a knack for detective work…he should know…such said talents played a big part in why he is my EX-husband…) Whatever the passers-by thought, I got my UNIQUE shot without being flattened into a road pancake by a semi. After all, how often is it that you see a boat afloat in a field of wild flowers?!

I deduce that having reached a stage in my pursuit of images, that I’m willing to risk life and limb…and PRIDE…to get “the shot,” I now declare myself a PRO.

More Grunge. I’m in a groove.

Donna — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 01:11:46 +0000

To date, I’ve shot this old truck from every imaginable angle and in every season (except snow). So recently, when I revealed this treasure to a new photo buddy of mine (Sonja), I felt a bit challenged to find some new approach to one of my favorite and most familiar subjects. This compelled me to get closer than I normally do…really “LOOK” for details that I may have missed in previous shootings…details like the tiny vines entwined in rusted cracks of metal…like the nuance of colors in the rust and the way the light hits the glass in the headlights…the frayed remnants of the steering wheel cover blowing in the spring breeze, or the vines creeping up into the place where a plush seat once rested.

Sometimes when something seems old and outdated and seems to no longer serve any useful purpose, perhaps it has simply adopted a NEW purpose. This old truck no longer hauls hay and feed, no longer takes teenagers to drive-in movies or to get ice cream on a hot day. But it CAN reflect the play of the light and shadows around it; it serves as a nice backdrop for a tangle of tall grasses and creeping vines. As the integrity of the old metal gives way to the ravages of rust, passersby who take a moment to stop and look, can enjoy the varying textures and colors of the process of oxidation and decay. Whooda thought destruction could be so charming?

Too bad I can’t look in the mirror at the ravages of time as played out on my own carbon unit, and appreciate the process of aging as aptly as I can in this old truck. Wrinkles, freckles, age spots and cellulite just don’t come across as quaint and beautiful as rusted metal. But I CAN lose myself–in all my inglorious imperfections–behind the lens of a camera, as I continue to seek out and reveal the surprising beauty of unlikely places.

This book is an invaluable reference tool for refining your HDR skills:

(Click on the pictures to view a full-frame version, and to see picture title.)

For some more thoughts inspired by the creation of these images, visit my BLOG!

Medicine Bottles

Donna — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 05:48:06 +0000

It was my original intention to write something inspiring or insightful to accompany this image of an old wooden box of bottles I found tucked under a board in an old abandoned barn. But when it was done, I thought…BLEH.

What I wrote wasn’t entirely bad…nor was it entirely good. Not sure if it’s the value of the content of what I wrote which is lacking, or if it’s just my somewhat sour mood that makes it seem so, but sometimes, perhaps it’s best to simply present an image and let the viewer’s imagination provide the background story.

Maybe no story is necessary at all. Sometimes, just viewing something interesting is, in itself, enough to soothe the restless soul…or at the very least, provide a temporary distraction.

Retired Workhorse

Donna — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 00:12:53 +0000

This stately antique sits proudly in the center of a large, spacious field on a small farm near my home. It shares its residence with an antique tractor (click here). I’ve got loads of shots of this thing, though I still feel compelled to shoot it every time I pass it with a camera in the car with me. It’s multi-layered textures and colors just BEG to be further studied – perhaps I can find a new angle, a new patch of rust – there must SURELY be SOMEthing here I’ve missed on my many other visits.

This is actually a re-work. I had originally posted the original shot when I first set up this website…it was my first post. This version was processed with Photomatrix and tonemapped to bring out the depth of texture and tones in the dramatic sky. This is one in a series I’m currently working on putting together for a grouping.

(Click on the pictures to view a full-frame version, and to see picture title.)

Cold Seat

Donna — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 01:15:11 +0000

It’s snowing in South Carolina! I haven’t felt well this weekend but HAD to take the camera out to seek out a shot or two of this uncommon southern rarity before it disappears. Shooting this outhouse during the snow gave me pause to be eternally grateful for modern indoor plumbing!

Another thought…is always a good idea to have someone watch the door for you when you use a public facility…

Local Farm Workers

Donna — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 04:54:05 +0000

This is an old antique tractor that sits on display in a neighbor’s field. The background of the original setting was not horrible, but neither was it very interesting. So I start plundering through my collection for some background images that needed a little something extra to make THEM more interesting.

An old shot of another neighbor’s donkeys seemed a PERFECT fit for this old tractor. I had actually put the tractor on 3 other backgrounds too…all of which I like, and may post later…this one just turned out to be my favorite. It’s almost as if the donkeys are checking out the tractor as the “new guy” in the field…”So he thinks he’s a hot shot…sitting over there with his big rubber tires and loud motor…PFFT.”

Autumn Auto in Echo Valley

Donna — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 02:14:38 +0000

(Click on the preview above to pull up a FULL VIEW of the picture.)

I’ve been wanting to work on this piece ever since I shot it but haven’t been able to find the spare time to do so. I captured this old antique car on a recent excursion to the mountains with friends to see some autumn color. We had actually stopped for a car accident that we happened upon, while one of our party assisted the victims until the rescue teams got there. The accident happened in front of a couple of old country stores in a stretch of road called Echo Valley, so I got out with my camera and started exploring. This old car was parked out by a shed behind the stores in a fenced lot that hosted an interesting array of ducks, geese, ostrich and other assorted critters. I had to shoot through a hole in the chain link fence, and was limited in the angles I was able to try because of the fence and the layout of the scene. In the original photo, there was a tangle of chain link directly in front of the car, and an old metal bar round pen in front of a lean-to off to the left of the car. My exposure wasn’t great and neither was the background scenery, sooooo, I CHANGED it up with some elements from some other photos in my collection. The shed behind the car seemed dull somehow, even after all the editing and effects, so I added an old weathered coke sign to it. Ahhh, yeah…just right! Too bad the ugly things in LIFE aren’t so easy to change and improve.

Under Pressure

Donna — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 17:53:26 +0000

Disclaimer: By the time you get to the end of this post, you may be wondering what on earth a rural roadside fire hydrant has to do with the subject of this post. Absolutely NOTHING. I just could not for the life of me think of anything creative or clever to post on the subject of a rural roadside fire hydrant, or why I find it to be such an appealing subject for a picture. I just do, okay?

Now, with THAT question out of the way…does anyone remember that old song by ZZ Top (does anyone even remember that BAND?!) called something like “You Got Me Under Pressure!”?

So I’ve got a website up and actually functioning now…putting into practice (while still learning) tactics I’ve learned about networking and SEO stuff and marketing and all that gibberish. The uncomfortable thing about all this is that as my audience grows…if I don’t come up with something palatable to DELIVER, if I don’t pay attention to spelling and grammar, and all those other irritatingly significant details…I could very well LOSE them. So now, I’m under pressure.

Pressure is a peculiar thing. It seldom FEELS good to the one it’s being applied to. But then, if intimidating demands are never made, would we ever grow, improve, learn, stretch ourselves and sometimes even discover that we can go BEYOND what we thought we could do?

Everyone has their strong points and their weak points. Me? I have a tendency to start many things but follow through with few. I blame it on attention deficit disorder seasoned with a touch of obsessive compulsive disorder. I have many interests in many things and so tend to be shamefully easily distracted. When intensely focused on one thing, I lean toward neglecting other needful things. Perhaps DISORDERS is a wrong way to look at such personal ‘issues’…I propose that it may be better to view such things as CHALLENGES, designed specifically for our uniquely individual personalities to bring out the best in us, when we dare to face them and with diligence, learn to not only master our weaknesses but learn to USE them, much as the body builder uses resistance to reshape his body.

Seven years ago, I joined a blogging community called Mindsay. It was here that I discovered a surprisingly unexpected ability to share the mundane events of my everyday life in words and pictures in such a way as to bring immense entertainment to others…to share joy and contentment and stir fond memories. I gained a following of some most incredible people. Sadly, the pressures and demands of everyday life began to overwhelm me and I spent less and less time nurturing my gift. For those who cared enough to miss my absence, forgive me. I now recognize this as my niche, a gift and an endeavor for which I was meant to pursue. I want to reactivate it, nurture it, develop it, and even more importantly, share it with whoever may be hungry for it.

Sojo is back. My gift is no longer a play thing or experiment, it’s a commitment. It’s what I’m meant to do. BUT…it’s got me under pressure.

(Click on the preview above to pull up a full view of the picture.)

Country Farmstead

Donna — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 17:20:32 +0000

I got this shot while on one of my photo expeditions (affectionately called ‘photo hunts’) with my friend, Karen Osborne. We had just left a tour of the Poinsette Bridge and took a wrong turn, but a wrong turn with some fantastic country views. We eventually reluctantly turned back for fear we might end up in the middle of NOwhere without sufficient gas to find SOMEwhere, but not before stopping on the side of the road to get some shots of this country farmstead on the side of the road. It was a great shot without much editing, but I was in a playful mood. I started making adjustments, applying filters…quite honestly I lost track of what I was doing…I was just sort of going with the flow. Ended up with the great picture with loads of atmosphere, and even a bit of an infrared effect. Another one of my famous ‘accidental’ strokes of genius.

I’ve looked for this farm in the same vicinity on several subsequent trips to the bridge but have yet to find it. Maybe it was all in our imagination…

(Click on the preview above to pull up a full view of the picture.)