Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Fuzzy Wuzzy

This is a delicate and beautiful flowering plant that I photographed the other day with my SONY point-and-shoot digital camera. It came out pretty well, I thought, considering I wasn't using a tripod. I imagine the "fuzz" or tiny hairs covering the plant are to protect it in some way. I don't know what it's called--as usual I was too busy shooting to stop to write things down. I'm sure one of you gardening buffs out there must know what it's called! If you do, give me a shout, and I'll be grateful. I'm wondering if it's exotic or endangered, as I don't remember ever seeing it before.

Hope you have had a peaceful Halloween evening, with only sweet, smiling faces appearing at your door!

If you would like to see more of my florals and other photographs, please visit www.lyndalehmann.com . Image c 2007 Lynda Lehmann.

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Life of a Tree



The life of a tree is revealed not just by its height or its growth rings, but by the marks and scars its days have wrought upon its bark. The bark reveals the character of a tree in the same way the lines on a person's face show his or her age. The bark speaks of hardships endured, as well as of life-force and survival.


Text and image c Lynda Lehmann. If you would like to see more of my work, please visit www.lyndalehmann.com . Thanks for visiting!


Inconceivable Unfolding of a Palm



The title says it all. The name of this palm escapes me because I was too busy taking photos to write it down. Regardless of its name and and species, it was clearly designed and engineered by an unseen intelligence of a higher order. The structure of this tree, viewed at a local arboretum, is unbelievable!


I remember some course work in industrial design in college, when we talked about angles creating structural integrity and strength, a principal applied in architecture, packaging, and other forms of design. The most common example is probably corrugated cardboard, with which we're all familiar. But no human endeavor can ever rival the design and structural adaptations in nature!


Image and text c Lynda Lehmann. Please visit www.lyndalehmann.com if you would like to see more of my work.

Sunday, October 28, 2007

Magic

With every moment of quiet gaze, nature's mystery deepens.
Image and text c 2007 Lynda Lehmann.
Please visit www.lyndalehmann.com if you would like to see more of my art.

Friday, October 26, 2007

Lakewind at Twilight

A recollection of the sweet, serene magic of the twilight hour on a placid lake--the whole world a panorama of brilliant color and the play of a gentle breeze echoing the motion of the water.


Image c 2007 Lynda Lehmann. Acrylic on gallery-wrapped canvas, 30 x 40 inches. Available at www.lyndalehmann.com .

Thursday, October 25, 2007

Rawhide

This is an original acrylic painting on gallery-wrapped canvas, 24 x 36 inches. I just did this today, so I thought I'd post it. Hope you like it. It reminds me of leather and red rock and dusty roads, and other Southwest type themes. Chances are, it will bring to mind something entirely different for you!

This painting is available at www.lyndalehmann.com. Image and text c Lynda Lehmann. All rights reserved.

Dolphin Slaughter To Begin!

The Oceana Network has posted about the onset of this horrific slaughter and waste, and the danger it presents to people who eat the canned fish, so highly contaminated with mercury, as well as to the health and biodiversity of the ocean.


Read it here: http://community.oceana.org./ and take just two minutes to send a letter out in your name, protesting this destructive practice. We can all do our part! Let's help protect our oceans, all the species in them, and our own food chain!


The above image, "Blue, Turquoise, Blue," is available at www.lyndalehmann.com

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Inquisitive


We saw this curious and sweet little fella at the Cumberland Fair in Maine two summers ago. Though the colors might be a little saturated to compensate for the overexposure of the original digital file, I didn't alter the color of his eyes. My guess is that the blue of the sky coming in through the barn door has been reflected here.

Since I didn't have time to work on a longer post tonight, I thought I would just share this cute young goat with you, and wish you the joy of your own sense of wonder. It's one of our greatest gifts. This goat sure seems to have it!

Image and text c Lynda Lehmann. If you would like to see more of my art, please visit www.lyndalehmann.com

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

A Great Big Thank You...

....to Kim at Laketrees for giving me her Southern Cross Award! I've been meaning to make this post, but I can't keep up with things lately. SO, Kim, better late than never!

What better blessing than for us to be able to communicate with people all over the world through our blogging? We form new friendships, hear other points of view, form alliances, and affirm our common humanity. All good things...

Thank you Kim, for being so friendly and for working hard to build bridges! Your wonderful, open smile says a lot about who you are! That's why I'm posting this image in your honor. It's called "Inner Glow."

I'm glad I "met" you, Kim!

Thursday, October 18, 2007

Where There is Life, There is Hope

I just wanted to upload my photo "Galaxy" before I quit my computer for the day. I've been thinking a lot about global warming this past week, partly due to all the attention to the subject that's been circulating in the Blogosphere. I think that both people and nations are finally getting it, but there's so much work to be done. And it has to begin with us. If we don't find the political will to press for rational and effective legislation, we'll slide further into the horrors of climate change.

I have to comfort myself by telling myself this: While there is life, there is hope. If I can still find beauty on the beach or in the forest, there is hope. If I can see the universe in a cluster of beach pebbles, there is hope.

I wish each of you hope and resolve as you lay your head down tonight. May we all find enough beauty in our world to really cherish it. May we work collectively and as individuals to preserve our Earth.

Image and text c 2007 Lynda Lehmann. To see more of my art or purchase "Galaxy," please visit www.lyndalehmann.com .

Rose Medallion from Rosehaven Cottage

I want to thank Cindy from Rosehaven Cottage for the beautiful Rose Medallion Award. I want to express my gratitude for this wonderful lady's support. It's been a joy to get to know her a little bit, through our blogs. Cindy adds beauty to this world through her words and actions. Maybe one day I'll be lucky enough to see the transformation that she and her husband Brent have wrought on the grounds of Rosehaven Cottage. If I had half her energy and gardening aptitude, our place would look a heck of a lot better than it does! Cindy, maybe you would like to bring your perseverance and Green Thumb over here?

Thank you Cindy, for being you, and for giving me the honor of your Rose Medallion.

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

The Blaze of Autumn


I'm posting these two shots to celebrate the beauty of autumn. It's my favorite season. Crisp air, blue skies, brilliant foliage, the bounty of harvest.... To me, it's a time for joy. I don't see it as a demise or even quieting of nature, but just as a pause before winter's hush and the inevitable explosion of new life in the spring. What season do you most enjoy?

The images are "Shards and Needles" and "Burnished Leaves and Blueberries." The blueberries in the photo are the wild kind that bears like, and they were submerged in a puddle atop a granite rock in a river in New Hampshire. Prints of both are available at http://www.lyndalehmann.com/

Monday, October 15, 2007

Ethos, Corporolithic


Today is Blog Action Day, but I think we should be good Earth stewards every day, talking and writing about environmental issues to raise awareness about them. Of course we have to walk the walk, too, instead of just giving it lip service. That means educating ourselves and our families about sources of pollution, about toxins and greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Not only are our air and water in jeopardy, but so is all of biodiversity. Biodiversity is the core of life, because in the grand scheme of the food chain, the threatening or extinction of one species effects all others.

Many of my blog posts have been about the Earth, and if you are familiar with my art, I think my love for our planet comes across. The same passion is in my writing, in poems, stories and several novels that are dear to my heart because of their meaning. I can't seem to write or paint or point my camera and shoot, without thinking of how the human condition impacts our planet. Mostly, I think, it's greed and selfishness that cause some people to behave as if the universe exists for their private gain. I feel sorry for those who don't feel connected to the universe, or a sense of oneness with Creation. Or however you want to say it.

Since a picture is worth a thousand words, I've posted this one, "Ethos, Corporolithic." I hope it will bring across the horror we would feel if the sky turned yellow-orange and became so murky with sulfurous-looking clouds that the color of sea and lake water would change. How would we feel if emerald green forests became only a mass of tangled, dried and shriveled skeletons of once-lush plant life? Or if world-wide wars were fought for water and not just for fuel oil?

I'm very concerned about reducing our carbon footprint as well as protecting species and safeguarding the public health. I have the links to some reputable environmental groups posted in my sidebar, if you're interested. They make it easy to get informed on ongoing and emerging environmental concerns, and to make your voice heard.

I read Al Gore's book, EARTH IN THE BALANCE, over 20 years ago, and to this day, believe his premise and most of how it's presented. We are in trouble and should not be fooled by our perceived power (technological or intellectual) or affluence. And we should not entirely blame governments or corporations, although a runaway profit motive seems to have vanquished morality and a healthy concern for the common good. We each have a role to play. Let's leave something of life as we know it, for our children and grandchildren. Anyone who by his or her actions plunders the Earth, steals from us all.
Image and text c Lynda Lehmann

Sunday, October 14, 2007

Where the Truth Lies...


The truth lies behind eight billion doors (and windows).

The truth wears six billion faces, each with different life circumstances, a different life script, and a different mode of emotional being. For me, doing art takes me to a place from which I can accept all scripts and embrace the subjective and relative nature of truth....

Because my own script, when involved in creative process, is so engaging to me, always varied and full of mystery, it teaches me both tolerance and hope. The bounty of creative options available to me gives me confidence in the infinite potential of the universe, for hope, harmony, and healing. In short, it gives me joy.

-The above two paragraphs are quoted from my article "Art and Power," published in Creativity Portal, http://www.creativity-portal.com/bc/other/art-power.html . You can read the article in its entirety if you like. I'd be interested to hear how you experience your own subjectivity!

Image and all text c Lynda Lehmann. If you would like to see more of my art or purchase this image, please visit www.lyndalehmann.com. Or you can buy it framed at Imagekind: http://LyndaLehmann.imagekind.com/

Sunday, October 7, 2007

The Solace of Sunlit Spaces




Every once in awhile, I come upon a cozy natural space that makes my heart sing. It could be shaded or sunlit, overgrown, or open and windswept. It could be leafy or pebble-strewn. It could be low-lying as in a marsh, or elevated like a granite outcrop where I can sit and feel the sunlight on my shoulders while taking in an awesome and inspiring view.

Such places give me solace, fill my soul with joy, mystery, and renewed hope for the world.

This past summer while canoeing, I came upon some half rotted tree trunks burgeoning out of the muck of the overgrown lake shore. I thought that even in their decay, they have their own beauty. After all, they speak of the infinite and continuously unfolding life cycles that play out all over our gorgeous planet.

I want to share a few of these views with you. I'll post more when I find them. I thank God for the sunlight, for the pristine peace of the lake, and for these quiet outposts of life and life that has passed. They all speak to me of Eternity.

Image and text c Lynda Lehmann.

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Wednesday, October 3, 2007

Elegant Beauties or Low-Lives?





We often refer to moss and lichen and other such flora as being low on the rungs of life's ladder, bottom-feeders on the food chain, quite literally. After all, they really are forest floor scavengers. But they offer beauty and some of the finest design nature has to offer. To me, they are blossoms of another ilk, radiant blooms of symbiotic life that add spice, color and gesture to the living ground of the deep wood.

These are some samples that I've photographed in my wanderings in Northeast forests. I hope you will find them as interesting as I do. Maybe you'll even find them to be beautiful!

If you know their names and classifications, I'd love to hear from you on that. My last memory of learning science is of seventh grade biology class, and that won't help me here!

If you are interested in purchasing any of these images, you can find them for sale at http://www.lyndalehmann.com/

Tuesday, October 2, 2007

Floyd's Best Blog Awards

I am honored to be among the bloggers selected by Floyd Craig and William Thomas as one of Floyd's Best Blog Winners. You can view Floyd's post listing the winners from Bumpzee, MyBlogLog and BlogCatalog here:

http://floydssecrets.blogspot.com/2007/10/floyds-best-blog-awards-october-2007.html

Thank you Floyd and William, for your kind acknowledgement! I'm grateful for the creativity, intelligence, and sharing brimming from the blogging community. Maybe we can all find in our collective good will and wisdom, new hope for our common humanity!

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