A month of hearts: February 28

Taken in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. I particularly liked the dramatic shadow, which adds interest and sets off the heart nicely.

I am happy to see this "month of hearts" come to an end. I don't know why I do things like this, frankly, but it's been a short month and I've certainly had a plethora of heart images to show.

I have a "Photomotivation" group going over in Facebook, and this month's assignment for everyone has ALSO been hearts, so I've been inundated not only with my own images, but with pictures from 70 other people. They've posted some really good ones, and it makes me happy to encourage them to all be out there looking and photographing, or drawing, or quilting, or whatever...

If you would like to participate in the Photomotivation group on Facebook, let me know and I'll include you in the mix. It's not a "class," but a lot of info is shared regarding improving and creating.

See you next month! I am now officially "heartless."

All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh. Thank you for your kindness.

A month of hearts: February 27

I bought these two mugs at the Dollar Store specifically to photograph and then gave them to someone else afterwards. I like the light, soft overall feel to this shot.

All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh. Thank you for your kindness.

A month of hearts: February 26

Knowing my predilection for hearts, a number of years ago a neighbor gave me these three wooden hearts as a Christmas gift.

What to do with them, oh, what to do?

They had a rustic, shabby chic, country look to them, so I placed them on some worn blue boards and took the picture.

I like the resulting image -- weathered, worn, and symbolizing love. Nice.

All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh. Thank you for your kindness. 

Recent work: "Sky Blue and Muted Red Abstract"

These colors look so wonderfully good together. Ethereal blues and down-to-earth warm reds and ochres.

This has to be one of the quickest turnaround sales for me. I uploaded it to Fine Art America a little more than two weeks ago and sold a large-sized print of it yesterday. I hope it looks good hanging on their wall and that the customer is more than pleased.

All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh. Thank you for your kindness. 

A month of hearts: February 25

Chris and I were having lunch at Whidbey Pies yesterday (I recommend the seafood chowder) and a little girl at the next table was drawing with crayons. We heard her dad say, "And you can make skinny lines by using the edge of the crayon." "Ohhhhhhhhh!" She was excited to learn that.

Nobody took the paper with them when they left, so before their table could be bussed, I picked up her drawing. HEARTS! Woo hoo! See? You just never know where the next surprise might be lurking!

All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh. Thank you for your kindness.

In the studio . . . papers, pods, and barnacles

Every time I try to tidy up the studio, I see things I suddenly must photograph.

There's a pile of papers on one table, poppy pods on the light table, and a flat rock covered in barnacles on yet another surface.

Hmmm, what would the poppy pods look like on this old Japanese paper? And the barnacles? Well, they're here, aren't they? Just a quick shot before I move them somewhere else . . .

And I know that this morning, when I go out there to once again do some cleaning, I'll just have to shoot the big feathers I found along a lake yesterday . . .

What a wonderful, never-ending problem to have!

All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh. Thank you for your kindness.

A month of hearts: February 24

"Below the Ice." I have a rock in the shape of a heart. I scanned it, turned it over, scanned the other side. Now I have two pictures of the heart, each one slightly different.

I combined the two images into one frame. I then used a photo I'd taken of scratched metal and combined it with the photos of the heart. Voila! An image that looks like two hearts embedded in ice.

Did I pre-visualize this? Did I plan it? Heck no! What's the fun in THAT? After a lot of what-iffing, this was the result. Done. A happy surprise.

We are off to explore -- it's no longer icy nor snowy nor rainy today, so we are outta here!
Wishing you a day of exploration -- whether inside or out -- and may you have some happy surprises.

All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh. Thank you for your kindness.

A month of hearts: February 23

A heart from a mixed-media piece I made eons ago. Brought it into the computer, tweaked it a bit, and here it is today.

All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh. Thank you for your kindness.

A month of hearts: February 22

Why create something like this? I didn't think it would work all that well as a framed print. Had some doubts. But I still liked it. Should I upload it to Fine Art America?

It was when I saw the artwork as a throw pillow that I knew I'd made the right decision. It looks GREAT as a pillow! I ordered one to be used in the guest room and it's perfect. It also looks good as a tote bag.

What's my point? I know why I create images, and I always have those "whys" in the back of my head. So if I see a heart, I immediately think of my online class "heart" assignments, I think of stock photography, I think of Valentine cards, I think of teaching tools, I think of FAA, I think of use in a photomontage. And sometimes I just think, "Cool!" Snap.

In my little world, not everything has to be frame-worthy. There's so much more to the images I create.

Why do you take the photos you do? Why do you create, paint, draw, images? Is it practice? Is it an excuse for being out just looking? Are you selling your work? Might you be? Are you creating photo books for your family? Are you teaching? Might you be?

In this case, I was just experimenting with painting hearts, tearing up the paper, placing the hearts on more paper, nothing else on my mind but "what if." So it was for practice, for possible sale at FAA, as well as part of an ongoing fixation with hearts.

Throughout my professional life, my intent was to encourage you to look. That was my main goal -- to help you see. And if sending you on a quest for hearts helped you notice more things around you, I was happy. Still am! Wishing you a heart-filled existence always.

All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh. Thank you for your kindness.

A month of hearts: February 21

A hearty saguaro!

And I know what you're thinking: did you make that heart in Photoshop? And my answer is no. I would tell you if I had. But nope, it was like that out in the wild -- Saguaro National Park. And the photo is so old that I don't think I had the Photoshop skills back then to create the heart. (I don't think I have the skills NOW to create the heart.)

All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh. Thank you for your kindness.

A month of hearts: February 20

This is a heart-shaped lock I found on a gate (or a door) in Half Moon Bay, California. Metal, rust, AND a heart? Oh, my. Works for me!

All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh. Thank you for your kindness.

A month of hearts: February 19

A purple heart doodle. Nothing more, nothing less.

All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh. Thank you for your kindness.

Around the island(s) . . . Anacortes

We had errands to run in Anacortes last week, which means we head north on Whidbey Island to Deception Pass, cross over the bridge, and we are now on Fidalgo Island. Anacortes is the hub of Fidalgo Island.

It was raining fairly heavily, so what better place to hunker down than at a window table at Anthony's for a cup of tomato basil soup?

Then we went over to Anacortes Marine Hardware, where Fauna the cat let me pick her up and carry her around. She looks small here but she's much bigger than Abby. And friendlier to strangers. A sign warns not to screw around with the screws (I think). And finally a pano view of a wall of hardware stuff.

A good day all around. I mean, boats, cats, and funky hardware? You can't miss!

All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh. Thank you for your kindness.

A month of hearts: February 18

The ceramic hand was a (delightful) gift from (delightful) Judy Tillson. So I put a glass heart in it, directed a flashlight beam onto the heart to make it glow, and voila!

No angles or tilting in this shot. Notice I lined up the thumb with the top of the frame. Had I tilted anything, gravity would set in and you'd be nervous about the heart falling out of the hand. And a broken heart is something we all try to avoid...

All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh.

A month of hearts: February 17

We were wandering around a mattress store and voila! I spotted this mattress that featured hearts as its pattern. Asked permission to take a picture -- "no problem," and happily added another heart to my ongoing and ever-growing collection. See? You just never know when you'll find something cool.

All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh.

Latest work: "Electric Only"

As usual, I'm in a bit of a rut/funk/swamp creating new artwork. I spend hours working on something only to just toss the whole thing.

This piece began as something completely different, with flat colors, wonky shapes, and trapezoids. At least it was a start, even if it wasn't going anywhere.

But as I began adding elements, my entire concept transmogrified into this. The only thing that remains from the original are the two running zig-zags. And even then, there was originally just one, not two.

So yeah, I know it's weird. But I like it! I like the bright colors, the round thingies up top (originally rivets), the words ELECTRIC ONLY that were on something I photographed, but cannot remember now what it was. And I like the scratched metal that's in there.

It's a good thing that whatever I make, I make entirely for me, not for anyone else. And if it sells, that's great. And if it doesn't, well, I hope it does, but if not, I had a good time making this piece and learned something along the way. I don't know exactly what I learned, but I'm sure it was something.

All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh.

A month of hearts: February 16

Gotta love hangers!

All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh. Thank you for your kindness.

A month of hearts: February 15

Photographed back in 2006 using a Lensbaby 2 lens on a tripod. A bit of red ribbon, some Battenberg lace, an old-fashioned charm, and the result is a rather dreamy, ethereal-looking photograph.

All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh. Thank you for your kindness.

Around the island . . . clinging vines in Langley

Nothing like cold weather to reveal the underlying architecture of trees, bushes, and vines.

Although this wall is beautiful mid-summer, cloaked in lush green leaves, I prefer it mid-winter, seeing how the vines gently snake their way up a sky-blue downspout, or angle away, exploring new territory.

Ah, the joys of meandering back alleys, finding beauty in unexpected places.

May your day contain at least one encounter with unexpected beauty.

All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh. Thank you for your kindness.

A month of hearts: February 14

Happy Valentine's Day! Photographed at the Oregon Coast Garden Center (no longer in business, alas) on a rainy February day many, many years ago. The sentiment still holds, though.

And I'm especially wishing Chris a happy Valentine's Day. Any man who can make me laugh has my heart. And we've been laughing together since 1985. It just keeps getting better and better.

All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh.

A month of hearts: February 13

Photomontage made with:

1) A design from Jan Nicholas's shirt. She attended my Oregon Coast workshop and we were at Yaquina Head Lighthouse watching a pair of peregrine falcons on the cliffs and I noticed a cool stitched dotted line on her shirt and took a picture of it. I've used it a LOT in subsequent montages.

2) The big background curves are part of a sign I saw at the Getty Museum.

3) A hand-drawn and -painted heart.

4) And the background is a piece of paper I painted and then brought into the computer. It's a sort of golden brown color with some black at the bottom.

I made this a very long time ago, but it never fails to please me!

All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh.
 

A gift from a friend

A surprise arrived this weekend. Linda Heinsohn has been a student of mine for a long time. And Chris and I have had the pleasure of meeting her (and her spouse, Hugh) in person (live and analog, versus online and digital).

So on Saturday, this package arrives. She's made a book of her photographs and sent me a copy, plus a very pretty heart-shaped note.

The book is beautifully done, on thick paper, the photos handsomely presented, with a translucent piece of vellum/plastic to protect the front and the back of the book.

A lot of the photographs are familiar to me as I've seen her posts on Facebook and Instagram, but there were a few surprises in there. All of them depict parts of her life in and around Portland, in her neighborhood, and include a few bittersweet photos of beloved pets.

Such a kind and thoughtful thing for her to do, but that's who she is.

Thank you, Linda, for sending me your book of photographs. I'm honored.

You can follow Linda on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/llheinsohn/ and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/linda.heinsohn.3

All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh.

A month of hearts: February 12

I found this chalk-drawn heart in a parking lot in Bellingham yesterday afternoon. It's not a picture I would normally take. Why? There's a black shadow moving through it. There's a painted white line at the top. The picture's wonky. It's messy. Normally I would throw out something like this.

Except. Except there's something about it I like. Maybe it's because I gave my students an assignment many years ago to find and photograph hearts. And once given that assignment, it sticks with one over the years.

Maybe it's because it's whimsical. Someone with two different colors of chalk quickly scribbled a heart on the street, added a smile and two eyes and moved on. It won't last long in the rainy Pacific Northwest, so maybe the fact that it's a short-lived bit of whimsy is what's appealing.

Or maybe in our divisive, angry, snarky political climate, it's a cute, simple, quickly scribbled spark of joy and happiness.

All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh.

A month of hearts: February 11

Remember Oriental Trading Company? You could (and perhaps still can) buy a lot of stuff for next to nothing. I used them to purchase photo props. So I bought a dozen of these glass hearts for a couple of dollars and set up this little scene.

I placed a glass brick on a gauzy red scarf (look up "dance scarves" at Oriental Trading Company and you'll see what I used). I ran a ribbon through the loop at the top of the heart, placed the heart on the brick, and there you have it -- a pretty little photo for a Valentine's Day card.

All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh.

Around the island . . . Langley Marina

A lovely day yesterday. Went down to the Langley Marina and out onto the pier. No one else around, all very quiet. An eagle sat on a branch in a tall tree; its mate sat on a post down at the waterline, each able to keep an eye on the other. A kingfisher chattered nearby, and cormorants perched on pilings, wings outstretched to dry. Took out the iPhone and created this panoramic image, looking south-ish, with Camano Island off to the left.

All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh.

A month of hearts: February 10

I found this heart on the sidewalk in front of the John L. Scott office in Langley, Whidbey Island. Gotta love little surprises such as this.

All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh.

1N73LL1G3NC3 ...

1N73LL1G3NC3
15 7HE
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-- 5T3PH3N H4WK1NG

A month of hearts: February 9

Back in 2006 I was playing around with a Lensbaby (Lensbaby 2). My results were very mixed, but I like how this one looks. And the message is timeless, no?

All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh.

A month of hearts: February 8

Eons ago I bought this rusty muffin tin at a flea market because, well, they're HEARTS. I was on a heart quest at the time (always will be, I guess) and it was maybe a buck or two.

Did I ever photograph it? No. But it looks so cool filled up with all the little treasures I find and collect, doesn't it? It sits in my studio, where I look at it a lot, rearrange things from time to time.

So here's a close-up, as well as a shot of it sitting on the work table.

All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh.

A month of hearts: February 7

A triptych made from paper hearts I cut out and painted for a project maybe 16 years ago. Knew they'd come in handy SOME day!

All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh.

A month of hearts: February 6

Over in my Facebook Photomotivation group, this month's assignment is "hearts." And so far we've seen graffiti hearts, hearts carved in wood, close-ups of bleeding hearts flowers, padlocks in the shape of hearts, etc.

No one has posted a hand-drawn heart, however, so to encourage them, I posted this heart doodle did in a journal in 2009. Whatever it lacks in skill, it makes up for in color!

All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh.

A month of hearts: February 5

Back in 2006 I led a photo workshop in the Skagit Valley during tulip season.

As a bit of a break, we went over to Christianson's Nursery in Mt. Vernon to look around, shop, and perhaps shoot whatever might be in bloom over there (they always have beautiful plants and flowers, and their gift shop is wonderful).

There in the shop was a little plate with heart-shaped soaps on it -- all cream-colored except for one in pink. The background was cream-colored, the plate was white -- a study that called for dreamy bright softness.

I used a Lensbaby 2 to create this little scene, which still pleases me, twelve years later.

All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh.

Around the house: tulips

It was a gloomy, misty morning yesterday and as I was sitting, reading, having coffee, I noticed the tulips. Tulips always make me feel great -- colorful, sunny, spring-like -- so, without moving at all, I took an iPhone shot.

The resulting photo (the second one) is pretty much how the overall scene looked. But it didn't express how I feel about tulips.

I brought the image into Snapseed and purposely overexposed the image to the point of yes! Are highlights blown out? Yes. But that didn't matter. It was the look and feel of springtime that I wanted (and got).

It's an iPhone shot and the quality is bad. But it sure improved the quality of that little moment in time yesterday morning.

All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh.

A month of hearts: February 4

Train Art. Ever-changing as one artist layers his or her work over the previous person's...

All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh.

A month of hearts: February 3

A well-worn iron plate on a door in Maui. Before and after.

All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh.

A month of hearts: February 2

Photographed through a shop window. It's a purse made from an old pair of jeans, but what caught my eye was the belt buckle. Love it.

All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh.

A month of hearts: February 1

Over on Facebook I have a private group called "Photomotivation." Every month I give them an assignment, and this month it's "Heart Art." Every day this month I'm going to post a heart picture for them, designed to either inspire and/or teach. Everybody else, too, will be posting THEIR heart pictures -- some good, some bad, all interesting. (They're limited to posting just three photos, but nobody seems to pay attention to that...)

I figured why not fill up my blog this month with a daily heart picture as well?

Here's what I wrote over in the Photomotivation group to accompany this shot:

My 92-year-old neighbor Frank in Oregon made this little letter box and nailed it to the right of their front door. It was cute, friendly, handmade, and I regret never ever leaving something inside. 

What I like about the photograph is its simplicity, its story, and how the horizontal lines of the siding are interrupted by the verticality of the box. And, of course, the heart.

If you're interested in being a part of my Photomotivation group, just say the word and we'll get you in there. It's fun, interesting, informative, and the camaraderie just keeps on building.

All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh.