French For Dummies

I JUST LOVE MAIL! I received another package in the mail from dahling Jennifer in Cali. It contains French For Dummies! YAY!!!! And an inspiring quote to keep my mind on the muchness and off the petty particulars of the restaurant rumor mill. Who knew it could put such a grind on me. Thanks Jen.

"The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about."

Oscar Wilde

It's a good day. Raining...love it. Grandpa made me laugh this morning when I walk into the kitchen and for some reason our dancing Santa Claus is on the kitchen table and gpa is wearing green and red with his santa white hair. Couldn't resist had to take a picy for you all.

Now Karla is singing Elvis songs to me. LOVE HER! Always full of surprises! I must pop off to make some art with Karla before work. We'll put it up when it's finished.

I've lost my muchness...

My experience in Seattle is like a dream. A dream full of vibrant colors and vibrant people. I was ever busy with putting together the next big shoot or planning a fancy dress party or looking forward to dinner with dear friends. The city itself inspired me...I love the rain and with it the fog and the greenery everywhere! Especially moss in your day to day walk. Moss and fog are magical...and so is the rain. It was the land of muchness for me. My good friend David Harms once gave me this page from a magazine. He said...

Greg Lorenz & Kim Avelar

"This reminds me of you...because you start out with a simple idea

and all of a sudden you're drawing clouds."

I want to find that girl again. I need to find my muchness...I'll start by imagining 6 impossible things before I have my breakfast this morning.

1. I will get my website revamped before the Grill It issue
2. I will be the artist and the commercial photographer
3. I will learn French before August
4. I will live in Europe for the next couple years.
5. I will shoot for W magazine one day
6. I will make every land my Wonderland of muchness

El beso de la fantasia

With the hope of my focus turning to things I love to do instead of things I work to do, I left this morning with a package under my arm. My dearest Genevieve sent me a present from her travels in South America, a book, oh she knows me too well. Dulce Equis Negra 5, a publication with a compilation of Spanish artists. I'm sure it was the photographer Luis Gonzalez Palma that endeared the book to her and then to me. Beautiful work. This image is especially striking.
It's in the likeness of Julia Margaret Cameron, one of the first photographers that inspired me to pursue photography. These are two of my favorite portraits of hers. The first of J.F.W Herschel and the other her niece Julia Jackson.

Well we shall see what tomorrow brings...

h2

....here and there


back and forth


the weather doth windingly wear


a feather, i'm blown about


to and fro



here and go

the path doth windingly wear


a boot, i tread my sole




begin and end


above and below


life doth windingly wear


truth, a fleeting glimpse




now and then


black and white


time doth windingly wear


now, hold firm to last




grip the wheel, and wear two socks


remember there's warmth in layers

My talented friend Jason Flauaus
May he accomplish all the whimsical goals he pursues and find happiness in that.

Kay Nielson

Alright, Laura my dear, it has been awhile since my last post. But I have not been uninspired. I'm currently working on a mixed media piece mostly consisting of dried flowers and pods from my back porch. I was really excited to work on it but the change in weather has once again made me want to huddle under a blanket watching movies instead. I long for the hot and humid summer nights to come when you sit outside and listen to the cicadas and watch the lightning bugs. Just an occasional cool breeze is all one needs to stir the imagination on nights like those. They make me feel like a maiden on a night filled with magic. Reminds me of Kay Nielson fairy tale illustrations. When I start a photo series, I often look to them for inspiration. My favorites are obviously of the long flowing dresses and ornate minuscule details but they also have such a strong feeling of adventures, stories in the making.

Aren't they fantastic?!?

If you've talked to me lately, you'll know this blog was one of many steps to stir up my routine and last night was the first proof it is working. My day job is as a server in a brewery and I nightly have dreams about work...refilling drinks and taking orders. It's the worst feeling to wake up and realize you work all the time, even in your sleep. This morning I woke up to a dream about shooting the engagement photos of an older couple that had found love late in life. The last image we were prepping to shoot was a sunset silhouette shot under this old low hanging tree. The place hadn't any light but a little spill of gold glistening off wet leaves on the ground. I was happy, on a photography high, racing the sun for the perfect shot. There are many images to come...

Happy Saint Patrick's Day to all!!! V

Robots like butterflies too...

My talented friend, Adam Prenger, created this phenomenal picture with a robot in a koi pond holding a butterfly for me. The butterfly is detailed and of the coloring of the painted lady so of course I asked if he knew that Vanessa meant butterfly. He said he didn't and I became hyper intrigued and my inquisitive mind began a searching...

Did you know there are 4 species of Vanessa butterflies in North America?
The Red Admiral, Vanessa atalanta (Like my nicknames Big Red and Redwolf...)
The Painted Lady, Vanessa cardui (a nod to the artist in me)
The West Coast Lady, Vanessa annabella (Seattle, need I say more...)
The American Lady, Vanessa virginiensis (well, might as well be)
Learn about butterflies.com says...
"The Painted Lady Vanessa cardui however is the most widely distributed butterfly in the world, found in North America from Alaska to Mexico, and south to the Caribbean islands and Venezuela. In the Old World it occurs throughout Europe and temperate Asia, over most of Africa, Madagascar, the Azores, the Canary Islands, the Arab states, and across to the Indian subcontinent and Sri Lanka. In the Far East it occurs in Thailand, Malaysia, Borneo and Sumatra - and extends it's range south through the Indonesian islands to Western Australia. The New Zealand Painted Lady Vanessa kershawi is also regarded by some taxonomists to be a sub-species of cardui."

And get this..."The cosmopolitan distribution of the Painted Lady is caused by a combination of it's very strong migratory behaviour and polyphagous nature.." Polyphagous means excessive desire for food :)

Makes me think that the cosmos were talking. It connected me back to that explorer that one day saw these magnificent creatures and thought "vanessa" and years and years later my mother saw me and thought "vanessa". What puts that whisper into their ears? Its all a little boggling. Don't you think?

Well I guess I don't need to read my horoscope today, I can write it myself. I'm a born artist, destined to see all the world, sampling the tastes of all the cultures. I think I'm on the right track...the west coast was just the beginning...

Harmonie-intérieure

Me oh my, wondrous pie! I was directed to a fantastic blog, Oh hello friend, by my dear friend Liz and through that blog I came across Harmonie-Interieure! I am enchanted by the products they have to offer but I was particularly struck by the format in which they are presented. POLAROIDS! I LOVE the gradient painted schemes framed in polaroids...genius! I love the flourishes and whimsical feeling of all the StickKIDS section. Reminds me of another talented designer that I adore...Si Scott.

I am a website and blog bouncing addict. I am constantly finding myself 15 links hopscotched through a series of sites, wondering at the path that took me there. Stumble has nothing on me!
Hope you enjoy all these links! XO V

I heart Tim Walker!

The photography of Tim Walker keeps popping up lately. I've been a fan for quite some time and it makes me smile to see his work inspiring others. His use of color and props propels the viewer straight into his imagination...makes you want to be there to play as well.

A couple of my favorite Tim Walker masterpieces...

The disco ball images were the inspiration for a boat and disco ball series I did in Washington.

I have over 200 photographers bookmarked on my computer and I wish everyone knew how amazing they are. A post for another day.