Plum and Chrome

Well, here I am blogging again, instead of working on my paintings! I've been eager to work on my new series of car shots. So here's another one that I took last week when we were visiting family in Arizona, and we happened to take in an auto show.


A shiny hot-rod with plum-colored paint and impeccably polished chrome, was irresistible as a subject for abstraction. I hope you enjoy it. You can see where my interest in cars lies!


"Plum and Chrome" is available at www.lyndalehmann.com. Please feel free to ask about available sizes. My signature will not appear on your print as on this website, but the mat will be hand signed. Or you can purchase it matted and framed at Imagekind! Image c Lynda Lehmann.

Rhythm in Blues

I've been working hard to get ready for a solo show of my new acrylic paintings. The Opening is on February 9. So I've had to write a new bio and artist's statement, design and order post cards, paint the sides of all my gallery-wrapped canvases, and more. Since I'm not in the habit of signing my work--it seems arbitrary to do so, but I guess it has to be done for marketing purposes--I've had to take my paintings down from the walls and sign them all, as well. And I still have some left that need to be wired. After all this I have to address post cards. I doubt I'll use the entire 1000, lol, which was the smallest print run available!

"Rhythm in Blues" is a bright geometric abstract in red, white, and blues, 30 x 40 inches on gallery-wrapped canvas. It's lively and rhythmic, with a musical feel. (I know it doesn't look very good against the green of my page...!) In case you just happen to be looking to purchase a painting today, it's available at http://www.lyndalehmann.com/. Or shall I say it WILL be available, after my show. Image c Lynda Lehmann.

For All You Auto Buffs

An impeccable Studebaker with wonderfully reflective polished chrome, seen at a classic car cruise-night in Scottsdale, Arizona. Note the forms of palms and people reflected in the metal and paint. Image c 2007 Lynda Lehmann. Please check back for more hot-rod and classic auto shots to come!

This series, including "Impeccable," will soon be available as matted prints for purchase at http://www.lyndalehmann.com/ . Prints will also be available--plain, matted or framed--at my Imagekind and Artist Rising Galleries. You can find the links to all my sites at the above-mentioned site.

The Colors of Bark

I had no time to blog tonight, but I couldn't help myself. When I find 20 minutes or half an hour and start to work up an image, I have to see it through. So I'm addicted to photography, Photoshop, and blogging, all at once. Many times it gets in the way of my painting, which I'm trying to keep as my first priority. Especially as I have that show coming up.


This is the bark of a palm. I found it to be such a textural treat, and full of colors and character as well, that I had to post it! I love the sunlight playing on it, making it glow and come alive for the eye! If you look closely, you can see the blue, orange, and purple tones. I'm truly coming to believe that some of the most stunning and magnificent scenes are to found in very small things, or portions of those things. And nature is the thing I like the most!


Do you find beauty in this image, or am I just blinded by the (sun) light?


If you want to see more of my photography, or my paintings, please visit www.lyndalehmann.com. My other sites are listed there. Thanks for stopping by!

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!

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! :-)