Still Life Photography #2: My Mom's Lladros

Today, I put away the last of my Christmas decorations (the multi-piece Nativity which my mother-in-law made for me and a few random items which I hadn't noticed before).  After putting those things away, I took out a box of Lladro figurines which I inherited from my mother. I've been toying with the idea of displaying these for a while. As I took them out of their box and examined them, they seemed like a good subject for Still Life Photography. 

This week's lesson in Frugal Still Life Photography was about filling the frame with an object or objects vs. leaving white space. I really like the contrast between these two photographs as still lifes. I took both of these with my fixed 85 mm lens (which requires manual focusing on my D5100) in aperture priority mode. The first one is shot at f 4.8, 1/13, ISO 100. The second one is shot at f 2.2, 1/100, ISO 100. I probably should have used a tripod, but I didn't.  The Spanish Lady (that's how I think of her) shines on her own in the first photograph and stands out from the crowd in the second. I think the second one is my favorite. What about you? 
I had originally planned to take my soft light box outside and photograph the figurines there, to see how natural light worked with the box. But there was a howling wind going on, despite the bright sunshine. In the next pair, I just used my living room wall as a backdrop.

There was a lot of light coming in from the window (to the right), and I battled highlights and glare. Eventually I came up with these two shots which I like. Again, shot with 85 mm fixed lens, manual focus in aperture priority mode on my Nikon D5100. Both were taken at f 3.2, 1/50, 100 ISO. The first one is definitely my favorite. I just have trouble learning to love white space; I guess I have, in Cheryl McCain's words, "horror vacui" or "cenophobia."  
So, I took care of the problem by going over to PicMonkey and adding a quote to the second photograph. One very appropriate, given how I was feeling as I worked with these gifts from my mother:

Thanks for looking and commenting today. All feedback welcome!

The Art of Remembering: My Parents

The Recuerda Mi Corazon blog is hosting an October meme called The Art of Remembering.  You can read more about it here.  In Rebecca's words, the purpose of this Sunday exercise is to "share our most personal memories of loved ones and their forever places in our hearts.  As we take time to do the sacred work of remembering we are filled with the presence of all those now gone that once filled our days with love and comfort."  Previously I posted a memory about my father ( here) and my mother (here). Today, I want to share a personal memory about the two of them together and their eternal love.
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                                                                                                                      A Love for All Eternity
Several weeks before my mother passed away, I spent about a week at her hospital bedside. I remember when her demeanor shifted from talking about seeing her grandchildren graduate from college and instead asking if we would be okay once she was gone.  One morning, she said she had been talking to my father, who had passed away the previous year.  She said that he was doing well but he said he missed her "because no one can take care of me the way you do."  And I knew it was true. My mother took great care of my father all through his life.  And he took care of her.  During the last years of my father's life, as he battled the cancer that he knew would kill him, he made a plan.  He created a little red book in which he noted all the monthly household expenses which my mother would face, and he patiently explained to his children where the money was to take care of his wife after he was gone. My mother and father took care of each other in life and expressed their love in the face of death.  I am certain they are caring for each other still. And I pledge to remember that love.

The Art of Remembering: My Mother

The Recuerda Mi Corazon blog is hosting an October meme called The Art of Remembering.  You can read more about it here and this week's memories are at this link.  In Rebecca's words, the purpose of this Sunday exercise is to "share our most personal memories of loved ones and their forever places in our hearts.  As we take time to do the sacred work of remembering we are filled with the presence of all those now gone that once filled our days with love and comfort."  You can read my previous entry by clicking here.
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My Mother's Roses

There are so many things I could share about my mother, but today I want to remember one of the smallest details about her life. . . . 

She loved roses. And she had the greenest thumb for them.  I never counted the number of rose bushes she had, but they were scattered all about our yard . . . along the walkway to our front door, in the flower bed outside the living room plate glass window, in the back yard along the side of the house and even one tucked into the small patch of dirt by the side gate. She knew exactly the right amount of watering and pruning they needed, as well as how much and when to feed them. Her rose bushes came in so many different colors and varieties.  And they all thrived under her care.  They had the sweetest perfume. It filled the air when she cut roses and placed them in vases throughout the house. 

Because my mother believed in sharing her roses . . . with her family and with her friends.  She made countless bouquets for me to give friends, neighbors, teachers and anyone else who she wanted to make feel special. She carefully selected a variety of stems to cut . . . some in full bloom; some buds just beginning to open. She wrapped the stems in wet paper towels and then in foil so they would last on their journey to the lucky recipient.  Sometimes she trimmed the thorns, but most of the time, I had to be careful because the most beautiful roses seemed to be surrounded by the sharpest of thorns.

I think of my mom every time I see roses. I remember their smell. And their beauty. And the care she gave her roses. And how she shared them.

A Tribute to Mom (Art Journal Page)

I did this on Mother's Day.  It's a response to the Creative Therapy Prompt "Honor a Family Member."  The idea for the structure came from an article in the March/April 2010 Cloth Paper Scissors magazine called "Graffiti paper quilts" by Catherine Nicholls.  It didn't turn quite how I had envisioned it, but I think there's still potential in the idea of using a collage of pictures as a background.  I think I'll keep working with it and next time not be so afraid about covering up the background images.  As it is, I do like the sentiment and the tribute to my mom who has been gone for over five years and was truly an amazing woman who taught me so much.

My Vintage Houses are Home!

I have been involved in an altered row house swap, described in detail in this post.  The swap ended this week when my houses arrived home.  I love what all my swap partners did with the houses I sent out. I did the small house that is on the second level and the grey one in the middle. Other artists created the other ones for me. As always, you can click on the picture to enlarge it and really see the details. I'm trying to decide how to display them.  I'm think of mounting them onto these two canvases like this and then putting a title up top "Luna Family" and the years or something, and then attaching the two canvases to each other with hinges. I like the story they tell arranged this way because they tell a story chronologically.  My great grandmother is at the far left; my grandmother in the next one and then my mom (at 16 and in nursing school are in the middle). That's actually my aunt's wedding photo (not my mom's), but I think it still follows.
Do you think this display will work?  Any other ideas?

Happy Monday!!!

Guardian Angels (mixed media shrine)

What a wonderful time I had during the Creative Circle Blog Party!  Thank you to everyone who stopped by.  The winner of the weekend giveaway is . .  . Margi of The Maverick Crafter blog.  Congratulations Margi!  Email me at rinda1961 at yahoo dot com with your address, and I'll get your prize in the mail to you.

Don't you love this shrine?  I made it in a class taught by Julee Herman.  It features a heritage photo from my collection.  My mom is the awesome woman on the left, and she's with her girlfriends from nursing school.  It makes me so happy to see them - young and powerful around 1950.  It sits on my bed stand, and I sleep peacefully as they watch over me.

Something else that makes me happy?  I got my first blog award.  The wonderful Mel sent it to me.  Thanks Mel!  I need to list five random facts about myself.  So, here they are:
1. I live by the beach and can't imagine living far from the ocean.
2. Growing up, I lived in the same house from the time I was one year old until I moved out to go to college, and I have now lived in my current house for as many years.
3. In real life, I am a law professor who specializes in labor and employment law.
4. I shoot with a Nikon D50.
5. We're a Manchester United family.

I'd like to pass this award along to Paula at It's All Apart of Life's Rich Pattern because I love her "Monday Matters" feature. It always brings a smile to my face because it's all about making the world a better place.  Check it out!

One of my favorite places to make a difference is Operation Write Home.  If you're a cardmaker with extra cards, they will put them to good use.  Please stop by their site and consider sending them some of your extras.

Dias de Los Muertos Art, Part 2

Here's a variety of art that I have created to pay tribute to and remember my loved ones who have passed away. The first collage is dedicated to my mom, who loved roses and let me have cats. The second collage is for my father - he was the "patron" who loved to tell stories. The house features photos of both my mom and dad. The last photo is my newest tribute - it's for our family dog, Buster, who passed away over Labor Day.