Signs of Autumn

Bounty - Image c Lynda Lehmann

The frost is not yet on the pumpkin, but the gourd harvest tells us fall has arrived and makes us feel just a bit festive in anticipation of the holidays. But I'm grateful for nature's incredible variety and bounty, twelve months of the year, and try to always be mindful of it.

View from Goldenrod Hill - Image c Lynda Lehmann

The ferns and grasses are fading in color, drying up and dying back, while goldenrod still holds her head high enough to bring on allergies to ragweed.

Eye of the Sunflower - Image c Lynda Lehmann

This sunflower seems to be peering coyly out from behind her leaves.

Garden on Beach Rocks - Image c 2010 Lynda Lehmann

Vegetation along beaches, fences, and hedgerows, and in fields and meadows has paled, though its remaining color is still a feast for the eye.

Eye of the Sunflower - Image c Lynda Lehmann

This sunflower has lost many of her petals, but she's still commanding and magnificent in the early autumn light.

Looking Beyond the Hill - Image c 2010 Lynda Lehmann

Panoramas of the hills and mountains across an expanse of our Earth are always an inspiration, reminding us that nature's diversity is a precious gift and that it is, after all, Earth who sustains us.  To forget that is a slow, collective suicide.  Let's all celebrate the blessings bestowed upon us in the form of earth, sky, and water, and plants and animals of every ilk.  And by the miracle of birth and Life itself, in all cultures and races of humankind on Earth.

What do you see around you in autumn that makes you feel most inspired and grateful?

ON A PERSONAL NOTE:  I am struggling to maintain some regularity with my art and stock photography, and to find time to get back into the painting process.  As I said in my last post, I will be blogging a little less but I'll certainly NOT forget to visit you and keep in touch!  And, egad, I've just had several HOURS of trouble with the formatting in this post.  I hope I've finally got it!  Is anyone else having trouble with formatting, lately?

All images and text on this blog are copyrighted material, and may be used only with written permission by the author/artist, except where syndication rights have been granted. All other rights reserved. Please visit my primary art site www.lyndalehmann.com if you would like to see my paintings and more of my photography and digital art.

Sunsets of the Heart

Clarity of Spirit - Image c Lynda Lehmann

Evening Enchantment - Image c Lynda Lehmann

What do you think of when you see a gorgeous sunset?  Do you feel joyous?  Or do you become a bit wistful, or maybe downright forlorn?  Maybe you feel regrets for the past or hopes for the future.  Or a nameless mix of strong emotions that you would not even try to identify....

For me the latter is the case.  So many attitudes, perceptions, and emotions seem to surface in the face of that glory: a brilliant, flaming sky that signifies the end of another day of the life cycle.  It's hard to separate or put into words what I'm thinking or feeling.  Yet I'm grateful for the inspiration and catharsis of it.

I will think of all my blogging friends when I bear witness to the sunset tonight, and wish for each of you to experience much beauty and peace in your lives.

All images and text on this blog are copyrighted material, and may be used only with written permission by the author/artist, except where syndication rights have been granted. All other rights reserved. Please visit my primary art site www.lyndalehmann.com if you would like to see my paintings and more of my photography and digital art.

Ode to Earth: Peace on the Lake

Almost Twilight - Image c Lynda Lehmann

Crimson and Indigo - Image c Lynda Lehmann

Sky - Image c Lynda Lehmann

The Poetry of Twilight - Image c Lynda Lehmann

Beneath the Surface - Image c Lynda Lehmann

A Pristine Land - Image c Lynda Lehmann

River Winds Towards Twilight - Image c Lynda Lehmann

Autumn Bliss - Image c Lynda Lehmann

Path of a Cloud Shadow - Image c Lynda Lehmann

O crystal blue sky dome,
fill my lungs with fresh air.

O sparkling clear waters,
dazzle my eyes.

O lush, waving grasses,
cushion my feet.

O fragrant soft blossoms,
delight my nose.

O gurgling river,
sing joy to my heart.

O steadfast boulders,
inspire my strength.

O crimson sunset,
stir me to prayer.

O precious Earth Mother,
nurture my life!

Image and text c 2009 Lynda Lehmann


All images and text c Lynda Lehmann. 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.

Spectacle Over Sedona

"Spectacle" - Image c Lynda Lehmann 2008

A spectacular panorama of the red rock cliffs and a dramatic blue-gray sky in Sedona, Arizona. I prefer Nature's machinations to the dreary proclivities of man!

Image and text c Lynda Lehmann. 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.

Flourishing in Golden Light

A single tree seems to stand proudly over this open and breathtaking landscape south of Sedona, Arizona, aglow in the golden light. Even places we think of as arrid, teem with life in many forms. I love the shadows over the rolling hills and the huge expanse of blue sky. I'll be posting more Arizona and Sedona photos this week, as time permits!

Image c Lynda Lehmann. 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.

Evidence of the Infinite

Evidence of the Infinite - Image c Lynda Lehmann.

Although my husband works from 7:30 in the morning until between 4:30 and 6:00 every evening, we try to make time for at least a half-hour sunset boat ride. After a full day of construction work, dirt, and stress, it's good for the soul!

Here's a glorious expanse of sky at sunset that makes one ponder the mysteries at the heart of the universe. At least in has that effect on me..... Shot from a rocking aluminum row boat in the middle of a Maine lake. I never tire of photographing sunsets or golden-rimmed clouds: it's a form of madness. I hope it inspires you as it did me.

I have a whole series of images from just this one magnificent sunset that changed from moment to moment like a vast kaleidoscope. I hope to post these soon, so you can see the amazing variety of spectacle that unfolded within a short period of time, maybe 15 minutes or so. I'm finding the time to post a lot this week, at least so far, but please don't feel any pressure to comment on all of them!

Image c Lynda Lehmann. 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 buy my prints plain, or matted and framed .

Sky Blue Universe

View From the Jetty on a Pristine Day -c 2008 Lynda Lehmann

Sky Blue Universe

sunlight bends to grasp and hold
far regions bound to earth.
horizon ties heaven, land, and sea,
the universe-continuum
whose color is the sky.

waters, skies, pass days to nights.
boulders massive, algae slight
bind all to One
grand cycle, play, and song,
transforming dark to light.

- Text and image c Lynda Lehmann 2008


Image c Lynda Lehmann. 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.

The Time of Her Life

This past Sunday my husband and I walked at a nearby beach. The day was pristine, abundant with sunshine and fresh air. Both the sky and water were the most gorgeous, sparkling hues of blue and the wind was calm. Everything felt right: a truly mellow and harmonious afternoon.

A child's joy is precious. This little girl romping through the water along the edge of Long Island Sound is feeling not only the coolness and refreshment of the water splashing her feet, but also the caress of the wind and the warmth of a giving sun. She is truly discovering life, opening her senses to the wonders of the world around her. Since I wasn't carrying a model release, I photographed her from the side and back.

As adults, we can open ourselves to our "inner child." Taking time out to visit a beautiful place with a spouse or friend is half the battle. Remember the saying "You gotta be there!"? Isn't it amazing how just "being there" can rid us of our preoccupations and open new doors of perception and experience?

Here are a few more photos. I wanted to share the beauty and drama of this setting with you. I shot 245 photos that afternoon, in less than two hours. Yes, I admit to being a camera nut! But who would trade away such joy? And with digital, I don't worry about wasting film or buying prints which I'll later have to toss.

What I like about the shot above is the sense of scale the viewer gets from the tiny figures in the background, while the mass of the boulders anchors the panorama and gives a sure sense of foreground.

Here are gulls seeming to fly in tandem. We enjoyed seeing a lot of waterfowl activity on this sand spit, and shooting in "sports mode" allowed me to capture many shots of them in flight, including a huge gull swooping around with a clam in his mouth. In spite of this wonderful feature built into my SONY Alpha D-SLR, my telephoto could do only so much to bring the scene closer. This image and the others I took of the gulls, are a little far away for my taste. I wish I had been able to get closer to the feeding frenzy and gossip session taking place on that narrow peninsula!

Here's a view looking from the wetlands out to the open water of the Sound. I was taken by the weathered look and textural features of what was apparently once a dock, and I'll upload some of my recent beach close-ups in my next post. In this saltwater marsh, the holes where crabs had dug into the sand were everywhere. In here, sheltered from the breeze over the open water, we heard bountiful birdsong and saw a great variety of scrubby trees and some varieties of pine I can't name, as well as flowering bushes. Seagulls called raucously over our heads as they made their way down the channel, following the last surge of receding tidal flow.

Here are pebbles in a tidal pool, smoothed by years of surging and receding water. Their brilliant colors are enhanced by their wetness. I'm always fascinated by rocks and pebbles for their surface qualities, mass, and the feeling of enduring presence they convey.

Here are two more images, shot at close range. Notice the gorgeous texture of these mineral encrusted boulders. The North Shore of Long Island is full of huge rocks, left by receding ice at the end of the Ice Age.

I hope you enjoyed these views from our walk on the beach. I'll post more of them next time!


All images on this site are c Lynda Lehmann. If you would like to view more of my art or make a purchase, please visit Lynda Lehmann Painting and Photography or my Imagekind gallery!

Scrub, Brush, and Boulders

No, I'm not referring to a scrub-brush. I took this shot of the scrub, brush and boulders at Pinnacle Peak in sunny Arizona, where we spent last week with my family, for the holidays. Strangely, it was unseasonably cold. One year we seemed to have brought a monsoon with us, and this year, it seems we brought a cold snap. It was only about 30 degrees each morning, and the super dry Arizona air made it feel colder, I thought.

It always amazes me how our Earth pours forth all its bounty and diversity, in so many ways. So many climates and terrains, each with its own unique set of flora and fauna. Before my first trip to Arizona about ten years ago, I anticipated only a desolation of sand and gravel in the desert, punctuated by the occasional Saguaro cactus, seen early in my life in the same cowboy movies that you might have enjoyed when you were a child.

Nothing could be further from the truth. From the winding, groping Palo Verde tree to the pungent Mesquite, to all sorts of scrub grasses and sizes and shapes of cacti, to the havalena (wild pig) munching quietly in the wash and hungry wild ponies stomping the grass inside the wire fence of the Salt River Reservation, there is much to see. Gigantic and imposing rock monuments seem to call forth a spiritual energy and connection to the Earth that Native Americans feel so deeply. Snow covered mountain peaks gleam in the distance, at the same time that delicate flowering bushes release their pollen and fragrance everywhere. Glossy-crowned palms imported from California and Florida, and fruit-laden lemon, orange, and grapefruit trees, shimmer in the golden sunlight.


Check out the colors in this Prickly Pear cactus. I have only adjsted the contrast and exposure in this shot, but I haven't added or saturated the color. All these hues were there, glistening like a rainbow in the afternoon light.




Here are some guys who are taking turns scaling a huge rock. Glad it wasn't me up there--all the guide lines and gear in the world couldn't get me to scale that boulder! I love to explore nature and all kinds of landscapes, but heights send me over the edge (the pun is accidental).




And this is The King of the Hill. Presumably...



And here's The Lone Stranger walking in Tonto National Forest. Actually, it's our daughter, but I kind of liked this for a title, LOL...





And here are the Four Peaks again, seen from the desert and covered in snow. I have to admit I like seeing snow from a distance whenever possible. Especially as it's now bitter cold in the northeast USA.

And finally, a scene right out of "Bonanza," which was one of my favorite shows when I was in the fourth grade....




Thanks for sharing my little photo tour of some of my favorite places in the scenic state of Arizona. Being out there with family, I had no opportunity to post and comment last week. But I want to thank all my fellow bloggers for sharing their interests, knowledge, and passions with me over the past few months, and for visiting this blog.


I have a solo show of paintings coming up in a month, and I still have a lot to do to get ready for it. So if you don't see me posting or making the rounds as much, don't think I've disappeared or forgotten you. I'll be here as time permits, and I'll be back full-throttle in a few weeks. Happy New Year to all of you, and thanks for making my world a warmer and more interesting place!


All photos and text c Lynda Lehmann. All rights reserved. Please visit me at www.lyndalehmann.com if you want to see more of my work!