Let It Snow in Okemos

First of all, thanks so much for voting for your three favorite doll images. I'll write more about that in the next few days. Today I'm savoring my Okemos house. Another snowfall last night has made the views from every window simply stunning! It snows in Santa Fe, so it's not as if won't experience winters, but I will miss these winters, from this house, with these views.

I trudged outside with my camera, the snow sometimes coming up to my knees. Remember snow pants? Leggings? We kids used to look like miniature Michelin men when we went out to play in the snow. I'm considering bundling up specifically to make snow angels and suck on icicles.

Above is a photo of our side yard.
Below are two photos from our neighbors' backyard. A sleeping vegetable garden and an abandoned seating area.

Vote for Three

Some of the Secret Keepers are getting a face lift! These decrepit doll faces will be shown in a smaller, square format and printed in black & white. I've always loved black & white images because they hone in on form and texture. It's been fun for me to sort through and pick those I think work better that way.

I would love your help, and ask that you choose three favorites from the following ten images. Please help me decide by naming your choices either here on the blog, or via email. If you can articulate why you like them better than the others, go for it. Don't think too hard about it, just pick the ones that strike you as more powerful.

Beginning April 1, some of these images will be exhibited at the gallery Artistas de Santa Fe. Who will make the cut?

Thank you so much in advance, and now allow me to introduce you to the contenders...

Stella:

Tammy:

Sherry:

Priscilla:

Mohawk:

Mary:

FiFi:

Curly:

Chantelle:

Lily:

No Passport Required

On Sunday, Feb. 21, there will be an opening exhibit for my penultimate exhibit in Michigan - (at least for now!) - at the Belen Gallery, Michigan Women's Historical Center. What an honor to show at this venue!

No Passport Required showcases photographs from Myanmar, Laos, Singapore, Mexico, Italy, India and Bali. For years I've been working with these images in color, but for this exhibit I decided to present some in black and white as well. It's always a challenge to determine which images work well in black and white versus color. Here is a sneak peek at a few of them.

Watching the sun set in Pushkar, India:




The old priest crosses the piazza in Cortona, Italy:




Smoking villager on the Irrawaddy River in Myanmar (Burma):




Playing chess in Singapore:

Being resourceful

The Santuario de Chimayo, in Chimayo, New Mexico draws pilgrims, devotees and curiosity seekers from all over the world. At the site of the Santuario, crosses appear everywhere as visitors leave a bit of themselves and a prayer. Crosses come from rosaries but are also fashioned from twigs, garbage bag ties, clothespins, etc. They are found on fences, rocks, trees, ledges, statues and walls. At a glance, this is such a lovely photograph of someone's devotion. Look closely. The crosses are fashioned from chewing gum!

It's admirable to be resourceful, but can it go too far?

How my cat helped me return to my blog

Last December, when we bought the house that will soon be our full time home in Santa Fe, my creative juices dried up. My blog was deserted, my website unattended and my camera languished in its bag. The prospect of moving overwhelms me, and the process has become a full time job. When in Santa Fe, there is work to be done on the new house. When in Michigan, Dick and I go through every piece of paper, every precious artifact from our families, every nook and cranny (or as we like to say "crook and nanny") in our home for nearly twenty years. It's a time of extreme emotions, and I savor all of them. Whether it's the ecstatic feeling I get when I take it all in, or the grief of leaving family, friends and home I remember that this is what it means to be fully alive.
So here I am returning to PhotoBLOGraphy, not really sure how my mixed feelings will translate. I want to share the adventure with those who care and return little by little to photography and art in general.

This photograph of Kubaba was the first photo I'd taken in over two months that wasn't simply to document something. She rolls around on the bed like this every single day, an expression of sheer contentedness. Photographing her made me feel playful as well, and thus the lesson was learned. I definitely feel better when I take time out to lift my camera to my eye and capture an elusive moment.