Low-Lives or Elegant Beauties?....The Organic Splendor of Lichen, Revisited

Branching with the grace of trees; sparkling with the light of stars; spreading with the hope of life; imbued with the energy of Creation; pastel-colored like fairies and rainbows. What am I talking about? LICHEN, of course!

Welcome to my "Garden of Earthy Delights!" Here are some recent macro shots of majestic trees whose bark presents a cornucopia of smaller lifeforms. They represent a microcosm of organic form that rivals the beauty of any flower garden. Form, color, infinite configurations: the peaceful symbiosis of bark, moss, insects, and lichen defy the hungry eye to ignore them. At first glance you might feel these shots are redundant, but if you look closely, you'll see a great variety of abstract compositions!

I LOVE photographing lichen. I think that some of my Abstract Expressionist paintings reflect my fascination with the kind of bursting forth of life force reflected in the orderly disorder of lichen!

If these images awaken your sense of wonder and you'd like to view more of them, please visit my "Living Surface" Gallery at Imagekind.

NOTE: Please click on any image to see the enlarged version.

All images and text copyright Lynda Lehmann. All rights reserved.

If you would like to view my art or make a purchase, please visit Lynda Lehmann Painting and Photography or my gallery at Imagekind, where you can choose from several sizes and paper types or buy my prints plain or matted and framed.

Peace, Hope, Unity

This song was written and recorded by Allan Varela, Director of Long Island's Smithtown Township Arts Council! I want to share it with my blogging friends. Let's all spread some hope!

Preening Seagull Dance: A Nature Video

I didn't have time this week to write a long post, so I thought I'd upload this short video I shot on the beach this past winter. Or maybe it was early spring; I guess that depends on your viewpoint and how literally you take the calendar!

The snow was still melting on the beach, it was a mild day, and this seagull was up for a good cleansing bath. I thought his behavior was so animated and interesting, and I'm glad he let me get close enough to capture it. Nature is so full of wonders!

Please bear with me in that I'm posting and commenting less than usual, as we are still in the throes of house construction and remodeling. I didn't forget about you, and hold my blogging friends dear.

I hope to be more "present" soon. I hope you're having lovely late-summer days, filled with warmth, discovery, and wonders of your own making.

All video and text copyright Lynda Lehmann. All rights reserved.

If you would like to view my art or make a purchase, please visit Lynda Lehmann Painting and Photography or my gallery at Imagekind, where you can choose from several sizes and paper types or buy my prints plain or matted and framed.

Bullfrog Symphony: A Meditation Video

I want to share the mystery and beauty of the fresh-water marsh with you. If I wait until this video is fine-tuned, I may never post it! So I thought I'd do it now.

You will hear the frogs and peepers singing in concert, the gentle wind blowing past, and the sound of my snapping of still shots. I'm sitting in a rocking boat, so the stability of the camera is not what it should be.

But if you turn your sound all the way up and give it a listen, I think you'll find it relaxing!

All video and text copyright Lynda Lehmann. All rights reserved.

If you would like to view my art or make a purchase, please visit Lynda Lehmann Painting and Photography or my gallery at Imagekind, where you can choose from several sizes and paper types or buy my prints plain or matted and framed.

The Wail of the Mourning Dove

I'm ready to enjoy my morning coffee. Somewhere nearby, a Mourning Dove cries. A plaintive call, to protest the onset of another cloudy morning?

I lean back to rest my head against the wall. The cry continues. I am held rapt by the sound. It is neither here nor there, but beyond time and place. The sound is plaintive and nostalgic. Is it because similar calls are heard around the world, that they defy our sense of place and particularity?

I am not alone. The songbird is present, but everywhere. The call is timeless. Across continents, people hear the same songs. Evocations of the infinite...

This cry does not belong to our time alone. It belongs to All Time, to the Beginning of Time, to Creation.

I drift on its notes, and let my thoughts float beyond the tight walls of the space where I sit. Outside, the trees loom and portend the larger forests that extend in all directions. But my mind has now encircled and embraced the world, carried on the plaintive song of the Mourning Dove.

Mourning Dove image source: Wikipedia

All text copyright Lynda Lehmann. All rights reserved.

If you would like to view my art or make a purchase, please visit Lynda Lehmann Painting and Photography or my gallery at Imagekind, where you can choose from several sizes and paper types or buy my prints plain or matted and framed.

In the Stars: Serendipity and Bob Johnson's Blog!

Thinking back, I remember writing a post or two on the idea of coincidence, or synchronicity. Whether you attribute the coincidences in your life to God, to accident, "just the odds," fate, luck, ESP, or some kind of Cosmic Jester, it's interesting to contemplate how these events effect our lives.

In one of my posts I described what I thought was an interesting coincidence in my life, relating to a family trip to Bussana Vecchia, Italy. And now I have another for you.

One evening a little over a week ago, my husband and I stole an hour from the ongoing saga of our house construction, to spend out on the lake, watching the changes of twilight. I shot a lot of too-dark water-garden type images, enjoying the process in my usual fashion.


Then the moon caught my eye, and there I sat in a moving boat, clicking away at the rising sphere. I knew I wouldn't get good results, but I had to try it anyway. I remembered Bob Johnson's wonderful Black Holes and Astrostuff blog, and all the great sky, moon and star photos HE has taken. I had mentioned him before, but there in the boat, I sang Bob's praises to my husband, for his enthusiasm and expertise in teaching us about the heavens.

My thoughts turned to autumn and the anticipation of living in our new space, the house we have been rebuilding for ten years. Why did it take so long? Because we used our own labor, mostly my husband's, and did as much work as we could fit in over each summer. Soon I will have high decks to sit on, I thought. I told hubby that it would be fantastic to sit up there and look at the night sky with a telescope, as the Maine nights (when they are clear) are like black velvet, studded with diamonds. He agreed.

In the comments on my blog a day or two later, came a message from no other than Bob Johnson. "Hey Lynda, you won something, come see..."

I went to Bob's blog for a wonderful surprise! I had won, along with two other of Bob's randomly chosen blogging friends, a TELESCOPE! How unbelievably timely! A "Galileoscope" by name, with what Bob says are very good optics for the money.

Now I can stargaze from my deck, and learn more about astronomy. Bob even recommended a few books on the subject. I can't thank Bob enough for his generosity and for trying to awaken in his blogging friends, the same mindfulness of the heavens that he feels! KUDOS to you, Bob, for your inspiring and informative blog, and for sharing! As Bob knows, I've named my Galileoscope "The Bobascope" in honor of him. Thanks for enriching my life, Bob!

If you aren't already familiar with Black Holes and Astrostuff, stretch your horizons with a visit. You will also find his posts on his recent trip to China there, along with commentary on the sky show he saw from across the world. Don't forget to wish him a Happy Birthday, as I'm pretty sure it's this week. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BOB!


Above is one of my BAD moon shots from our aluminum 17-foot boat, which was rocking on the lake, of course. I know I will do better, with a little help from my blogging friends. (Who says we don't build community? )

If you would like to view more of my art or make a purchase, please visit Lynda Lehmann Painting and Photography or my gallery at Imagekind, where you can choose from several sizes and paper types or buy my prints plain or matted and framed.