A Prayer for One Humanity

MATRIX

by Lynda Lehmann

We are not strangers, walking on separate shores.

We are not strangers, toiling at tasks not akin.

We are not strangers, flowing from different founts.

We are not strangers, flailing weary against tempest's din.

We are not strangers, tossed on disparate streams.
We are not strangers, crossed by whim of dissimilar fates.
We are not strangers, called by night winds unmingled.
We are not strangers, molding edifice from unmixed clays.

We are not strangers, flinging stones into monolith waters.
We are not strangers, adrift in remote galaxies.

We are not strangers, wandering lands not primevally bound.
We are not strangers, sailing different-hued seas.

We are not strangers, plucking seed from alien pools.

We are not strangers, repelled, in polar descent.

We are not strangers,

pretentious, autonomous fools!

We are not strangers,

traversing Infinity's frame.

We are Cosmic Dust, crowned with stars,

One Silver Light....

warmed by the same Amber Flame.

Wishing everyone joy and peace at holiday time and always. We are One Humanity. See you in 2008!

The above image is "The Storm Breaks." Poem and image c Lynda Lehmann. All rights reserved.

Thoughts Brought on by Snowfall

I was looking for quotes from Romantic and Transcendental poets tonight, to go with my post of these snow photos, when the thought occurred to me to write my own. I had fun doing it, and I hope that in spite of my inexperience as a poet, these thoughts will resonate with you on some level.

*****

We are the matrix, Essence of One, whose face we know but look not on, enough to countervail our strife. It's men who fashion war from life.





Fluffy whiteness wraps the world, in expectation fresh and new--even as every sign of life, is covered by the winter's dew.




Made equal by the blowing drifts, all objects claimed by nature's shroud, fall back to states of innocence, wherein the world by winter's grasp, becomes a clean slate, waiting, new....

*****

Impartial sky shakes flakes of white, as minds shed hazy, unformed thoughts, into the pale, impartial night.

*****

Children flourish in the play, the snow has brought into their day. Seeing hills and trees and sky with eyes that shine with wondering "why?"





Quiescent places, frozen yes, but ready to spring at life's behest--to action, bloom, fresh hue, and scent. Life spins emergent, not yet spent.

*****

All images and text c 2007 by Lynda Lehmann. All rights reserved.


The above photos, top to bottom, are "Matrix," "Winterbloom," "Drifts and Shadows," and "Shadow Reach," and are available for purchase at www.lyndalehmann.com .

"Last Light" at Saatchi Gallery Showdown

I've entered "Last Light" into the next round of the Saatchi Showdown. If you like it, you can vote for it on a scale from one to ten, ten being the highest. Votes for this round start on 12-17 and end on 12-24. This abstract acrylic has an optical quality. I painted it on 18 x 24 inch gallery-wrapped canvas. It was inspired by the rose, orange, and azure hues reflected on the lake surface after sunset. The play of colors in the water is like a light show, though the feeling it gives is much more moving and profound. Image c 2006 Lynda Lehmann.

With two clicks, you can vote for it here: http://www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk/showdown/index.php?showpic=105775 . Your kindness and support are much appreciated! If you don't have time, I understand!

Stepping Through the Door: Perfection or Adventure?

"The Yellow Door" - Image c 2005 Lynda Lehmann

Alyson B. Stanfield in her recent post, "Deep Thought Thursday: Perfection and the artist" in ArtBiZ Blog, addresses the idea of perfection in art.

http://www.artbizblog.com/2007/12/deep-thought--1.html

My response to her post is that I gave up the idea of "perfection" long ago, both in my art and in my housekeeping!

For me, making art is an ongoing and infinite experience, and "perfection" implies stasis or an "end point," as in the idea of a fixed and specific goal. To me, art is neither. Making art is a dynamic and joyous experience, a process of discovery in which passion is balanced with restraint, to create something that didn't exist before. Take the discovery out of it, and you might as well be folding laundry!

Every work, whether it be painting, writing, or music, can be taken in a thousand directions. So nothing can really be called "finished," let alone "perfect." Living is not absolute; neither is making art.

Thanks, Alyson, for stimulating my thinking on this!

How do you, my blogging friends, experience your own creativity? Do you equate it with some pinnacle of achievement or finite definition of perfection, or do you look forward to stepping through the door into an adventure, and welcome the uncertainty that accompanies artistic exploration?

If you would like to see more of my Italy shots, please visit my primary site at www.lyndalehmann.com. Image and text c Lynda Lehmann.

Lake-Island Arbor Before the Squall

Here in the northeast USA tonight, we're having light snow, the beginning of the Nor'easter that's supposed to pack a wallop for tomorrow. The air is damp and raw and the cloud cover is thick and low in the night sky. I guess I was missing the warmth and light of summer, and decided to post this photo.


Summer has its own dynamic, as you know, so different from what's going on here tonight. Not cycles of ice and snow, but of sunny days interspersed with rainy ones. And usually, the heat and humidity are present and at least a little oppressive.

The life of a lake has its own moods and nuances. On this lake in the Sebago region of Maine, you can see and feel a squall coming well before a stiff wind out of the White Mountains blows in across the lake, creating whitecaps and a chaos of water textures. Loons often set up a raucous ceremony of plaintive calls across the water, as if warning their wayward partners to head back to the nest. If it's a thunderstorm that's looming, giant thunderheads pile like fortresses in the sky over the lake, well before the deafening booms shake the forest. When the sky opens, the rain sizzles as it hits the churning lake surface. The far shore is hidden by a heaving curtain of heavy, pelting droplets, and it's easy to lose perspective and orientation if you're stuck out in it.


In this photo the storm hasn't quite materialized yet, over this Maine lake. The ridge of trees glows in the afternoon sunlight as the sky turns dark behind it. I love the contrast between the darkening sky and the illumined tree trunks, and how the texture and color stand out on both the trunks and foliage. Ah, how I would enjoy the drama of a passing thunderstorm tonight, instead of the ice and snow. Guess I'm getting old!


"Lake-Island Arbor Before the Squall" is available for purchase at www.lyndalehmann.com. Image and text c 2007 Lynda Lehmann.

Changes

The seasons change, and we change. All things cycle, yet remain the same. An endless progression of birth, transformation, death, and rebirth, is revealed in the surrender of the warm and fertile months, to winter's formidable grasp. Pain may mark our rites of passage as often as joy, but renewal waits on each day's horizon.

Image and text c Lynda Lehmann. Printed in archival inks on Canon professional photo paper, 8 x 10 inches matted to 11 x 14 inches. Please feel free to ask about other sizes. You can visit my site at www.lyndalehmann.com if you would like to see more of my work!

Blogging Buddies Award

Hanna, over at http://philohanna.blogspot.com/ has given me and Vincenzo A.Romano the L'Award di Stacie, which Stacie at Stacie's Blog gave to Hanna. I hope I've gotten this right, in spite of my ignorance of the Italian language and all things HTML. Anyway, accepting and passing on awards is time-consuming (and I'm way behind on this!) but such a good way of building community. I'm always in awe of the number of great blogs I've still to check out!


I will pass this Blogging Buddies Award on to Cindy at www.rosehavencottage.blogspot.com/ and to Kim at www.laketrees.blogspot.com/, because I've enjoyed their blogging style and content, as well as their friendship. Congrats, Cindy and Kim! And thank you Hanna! (For anyone who is wondering why I've been able to embed some of the above sites and not others, it's because I just copied them from Hanna's page. Thanks again, Hanna! :-)

Amber

Bright pebbles under the crystal clear, rippling water of a mountain stream, in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. I can't help but feel serene when I gaze at changing patterns of sunlight and pristine flowing water. Image c Lynda Lehmann.


Feel free to ask about available sizes, if you're interested in owning this print! You can find it for sale at www.lyndalehmann.com

A Time of Peace

Peace settles over the lake at dusk, like a balm to the soul. Except for the occasional plaintive call of a loon from far away, there is only a deep and penetrating silence. The forest settles into shadow while rich swaths of color still play in the western sky. Image and text c Lynda Lehmann.

I've been posting a lot this week. I love to share the beauty of nature and I blog whenever I have the time. I certainly don't want anyone to feel pressured to comment when I'm putting up so many posts. But I do hope you enjoy my photos!

This image is available at my primary site at www.lyndalehmann.com, as an 8 x 10 inch print in archival inks, matted (acid-free) to 11 x 14 inches and ready for framing. You can also purchase it at Imagekind un-matted, matted, or framed.

The Gathering Storm

This photo was taken in the fields outside North Conway, New Hampshire, on a steamy, late summer afternoon, on a short hike with my husband and daughter. The weather was unsettled, with another thunderstorm threatening, so we were hesitant to go too far from the car. The view of the sun's rays spilling from the ominous clouds was spectacular, and you could feel an explosive energy building up in the air.


As awesome to view as a stormy sky may be, the weather changes and intensity wrought by global warming are devastating. I'm afraid of losing the balance we are used to in nature, which we have taken for granted in our lifetimes. It's tragic that humankind is upsetting that balance.


Please visit http://www.lyndalehmann.com/ if you would like to see more of my nature photography.

Sierra Club "Daily Ray of Hope"

My photo "Grasp" is featured in today's Sierra Club "Daily Ray of Hope" web feature, along with the following caption and quote by Emerson.

Photo Credit: Lynda Lehmann Location: Cathedral Ledge in Echo Lake State Park, White Mountains of New Hampshire....Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air...-- Ralph Waldo Emerson

It makes me feel good to contribute to their efforts on behalf of the environment. You can subsribe to the "Daily Ray of Hope" emails here: http://tinyurl.com/3bdpna . You can also submit your nature photographs to the Sierra Club, through a (free) Flickr account! I thought some of my blogger friends who are photographers, might be interested. You can license your contributed works at the Creative Commons site for "attributed--non-commercial--no derivatives" use, as I did.

If you would like to see more of my art, including paintings, digital art, and photography, please visit my primary site at http://www.lyndalehmann.com/. All images and text c Lynda Lehmann.

Bark in the Park

No reference in this post to barking dogs intended, although yes, I've encountered many vocal pets in local parks. It's about "barkscapes." I love to enjoy the natural beauty of both the macrocosm and the microcosm. I think I've learned to take in both simultaneously, through the lens of my camera. And having a "real" microscope that I received for my 12th birthday, also opened my eyes to the amazing and often gorgeous detail below the threshold of our everyday vision.

I think that texture is the most universal underpinning of form--it's everywhere and part of every object, either natural or man made. (Now, f only I could hold my SONY D-SLR more steady! I'm looking for a lightweight monopod that will do the job, so if anyone has recommendations, I'm open to them. My tripod is just too heavy to tote around.)

Here are two photos of the same tree. A sycamore, perhaps? One is at "regular" focal distance and the other is a close up, though not quite a macro shot. In the second shot, I tweaked the colors just slightly and adjusted the brightness and contrast, to bring out the beautiful pattern. I think it makes a good abstract, don't' you?

One of Robert Genn's newsletters at his Painter's Keys site http://www.painterskeys.com/ was about Miksang, the art of seeing detail in everyday things. I tried to find the link to the article to post it here, but my computer started opening multiple windows and I had to close down, because my task manager wouldn't cooperate. You can search for it at his site if you want to read it.

After I read it, I realized I'd been practicing Miksang practically all my life!

My photographs and paintings are available for purchase at http://www.lyndalehmann.com/ and some of my other sites, which are linked there. Images and text c 2007 Lynda Lehmann. All rights reserved.

Visit "Catalog Choice" and Take Control of Your Mail!

Here's a simple and exciting opportunity to help the environment and rid your mailbox and house of unwanted catalog clutter at the same time!

Just sign up for the free service at http://www.catalogchoice.org/ and opt out of unwanted catalog delivery! My daughter brought this to my attention today and I thought it was something you would all want to know about. This service is free, and a whole lot easier to use than finding the right telephone number of the right department in your state government, to opt out of unwanted mail.

According to their site, "Catalog Choice is a sponsored project of the Ecology Center. It is endorsed by the National Wildlife Federation and the Natural Resources Defense Council, and funded by the Overbrook Foundation, the Merck Family Fund, and the Kendeda Fund."

Sounds good to me!

Heart of Mystery

An ornamental kale that to me, embodies the heart of mystery. Or said another way, the essence of Creation. Quiet, unassuming, and indescribably beautiful.

Image and text c 2007 Lynda Lehmann. Unmatted print, 8 x 12 inches on professional archival photo paper or canvas, available at http://www.lyndalehmann.com/.

Back at the Dock

Dinghies lined up and berthed at harbor on a chilly autumn day, make an almost-abstract composition. Long Island, New York.

Image c 2007 Lynda Lehmann. This photo is available at http://www.lyndalehmann.com/ as an archival print of 8 x 10 inches, matted to 11 x 14 inches in an acid-free mat. Please feel free to ask about other sizes if you're interested.

A Still and Solitary Time

Autumn often brings stiff winds that churn the leaves and break their hold on lofty boughs, and foretell the coming of winter. But sometimes autumn brings a hush that settles over the land like a balm, defying the wind to ruffle the brilliant golden light. Sunshine penetrates lake and forest. The water lies smooth and flat, mists hover, the woods fall to silence as if the squirrels, birds, and deer stand in awe of the day's tranquility. All is serene. All is quiet on water, land and sky. Except for the Hum of Life, barely audible, yet powerfully present in the living domain.

Image and text c Lynda Lehmann. All rights reserved. "A Still and Solitary Time" is available for purchase at www.lyndalehmann.com.

Passing On the "Creative Blogger Award"

I've been blogging since last spring, but missed most of July and August due to being away and on a snail of a dial-up connection for the summer. So I feel that I'm just finding my "space" in the great wild-blue-yonder of the Blogosphere. I've met many nice people, and found that everyone has something to say, usually positive and constructive. I DO very much value the opportunity to share thoughts and perceptions with people all over the world. And of course, a little bit of art, gardening knowledge, stuff about the moon, stars, and planets, writing, cooking, our Earth, and just about any subject you can think of. Blogging is a great way to foster community, even internationally, as we all express our concerns and hopefully perceive our common humanity.

The only negative for me, is that now I have another addiction (besides chocolate and coffee) and it's a very time-consuming one at that! Actually, most of my posts are not that involved that they take a lot of time, but giving people the recognition they deserve DOES take a lot of time. I've been extra busy this fall with getting ready for my solo painting show in February, and feeling a bit frantic overall. I'm really upset to have been given a few awards (for which I'm grateful and feel honored) but have not had the time to post some of them or pass them on. So I'm going to start doing this, now that I have a FEW things tied up this week, and I'll start with the first one.

Many weeks ago, Cindy from Rosehaven Cottage gave me the Creative Blogger Award. I'm going to finally post this on my page and pass it on to Floyd Craig at Floyd's Secrets of the Earth, http://floydssecrets.blogspot.com/, Saboma at http://maryannaville.blogspot.com/, and Ellen at Positive Communication at http://marcomblog.web-log.nl/marcom_blog/. These are bloggers who look outward at the world and express their convictions and knowledge in a passionate and committed way. Not to mention creative!

So thank you Cindy, for passing this award to me. I appreciate it very much!

And Floyd, Saboma, and Ellen, keep up the good work! I'm sorry I don't know how to embed your URLs in your blog titles. Bear with me on this steep (it's steep for me, lol...) learning curve!

Detour in the Kitchen

Preparing my contribution to our Thanksgiving dinner at a relative's house, I was of course more interested in photographing the cranberry sauce and muffins than I was in preparing them for our shared meal. I did get the job done, but not without taking a little detour. I've always wanted to photograph those lush, bright and yummy cranberries, and this time I did it.


Since today is very damp and dreary, dark and drizzly, here in New York and over much of the country, I thought I'd upload a couple of bright shots to add color to your day.


Cheers and bright, sunny weather to all of you, wherever you live!

Images and text c 2007 Lynda Lehmann. You can view more of my photography, paintings, and digital art at www.lyndalehmann.com.

Autumn Dazzle

I count among my blessings the freedom to enjoy nature's beauty a little bit each day. That's why I try to remember to carry my camera when I walk.

Today was blustery and cold, but the sky was an intense blue and the sunshine pouring over everything lit the trees on fire. I often miss seeing the peak color, but I managed to see some of it today. I will savor the glow long after this gorgeous, blazing afternoon has faded into dusk.

A picture speaks a thousand words. I hope you enjoy these photos, as I enjoyed taking them. I also hope that everyone who celebrated Thanksgiving felt blessed with warmth, good food, love, and spiritual riches.

If you are interested in purchasing any of these images, you will find them for sale as matted archival prints on my site at www.lyndalehmann.com , and eventually on Imagekind and Art.com as prints that you can purchase plain or matted and framed.