Grate Full :: 2009
Annus Horribilis. This 1992 phrase from Queen Elizabeth is playing on a continuous loop in my head. However, in my case it's more like "August Horribilis". Somewhere between the seriousness of California's fires and the nonsense surrounding celebrity deaths, it seems like there's more than enough trouble to go around.
The real low point for me though is that our family has been burning a trail to Stanford Cancer Center. Which, oh by the way, if you find yourself at Stanford Hospital, make sure to take the audio tour of the art collection. They have some amazing pieces (my personal faves are on the second floor and very Rothco-esque) and if you're really into it, they even have a link to itunes for major events and lectures...another side note, on the second floor they have a seemingly bottomless basket of jolly ranchers (watermelon!) on the surgical desk . . . it's the little things that make me happy.
Speaking of little things, I find that while going about my way on these crummy days I have to force myself to see. By default, I find myself looking for patterns. Always interesting and readily abundant, patterns are everywhere and if you look at even the most mundane things, there is something beautiful to discover. I especially love to edit an image down to just the basics, a simple composition to find the essence of something I see (and ignore) all the time. I think it was Gauguin who said "It is the eye of ignorance that assigns a fixed and unchangeable color to every object; beware of this stumbling block."
It's an excellent exercise to remind yourself that seeing something as it really is requires a different kind of mindset, moving beyond seeing to compiling a series and giving the images a title is part of the fun too. Enjoy. Check these out :
bumps in the road :: outpouring :: passageways :: post & reply :: 2009
But enough of all that, it's nearly September 1st and I am ready to turn over a new leaf and look forward to what's left of the year. Can't wait to be back on a regular blog schedule again! And many thanks to everyone who emailed me while I was on this unfortunate hiatus - I appreciate it!
Our girl had her surgery and is recuperating nicely . . .