Between Heaven and Earth

Between Heaven and Earth - Image c Lynda Lehmann

Between heaven and Earth the clouds form, to bring the rains that fill the rivers and foster life all over the planet. Not only that, but they make the sunny days that will inevitably follow, seem equally welcome and miraculous!

If you look closely at the left-hand side of the image, you can see some rain falling. And thankfully, the river on the right is still viable. Taken at 500 mph from the airplane on our recent trip to Arizona.

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.

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.

The U.S. Auto Industry and the Ripple Effect

Yesterday I posted this video on my Facebook page. As I just replied to a friend who commented on the video, I had not wanted to see another bailout for fat-cats who abuse the privilege of earning their living through our Capitalist system, by their tendency towards greed and corrupt and deceitful activities. Ideologically, they are the most likely segment of our society to condemn socialism. Yet they want us to take care of their gold-plated machine. "Let the 'little guy' compensate for our lack of management and foresight," is like saying "Let them eat cake."

But after watching this video, I think that bailiing out the U.S. auto industry may be a necessary evil. So many jobs will be lost by people who do NOT live gold-plated lives. Countless families will suffer in more ways than we can anticipate.

What do YOU think?

Enchanted Forest in Sierra Club's "Daily Ray of Hope" Feature

My photo "Enchanted Forest" is being used in today's Sierra Club "Daily Ray of Hope," along with the following quote from Sandra Day O'Connor:

We don't accomplish anything in this world alone... and whatever happens is the result of the whole tapestry of one's life and all the weavings of individual threads from one to another that creates something.

This beautiful ornamental kale caught my eye late one early-winter afternoon when my husband and I were on our way to meet friends for dinner. Since my husband cannot stand to be late, I had to hustle to take this shot. It was one of those lucky times when I just happened to have my camera with me.

The kale, in a planter outside a store downtown, was so delicate and just glowing in the afternoon light. I felt I HAD to move up close on it. Looking through its leafy arms was like looking into an enchanted forest.

My thanks to Cara at Sierra Club for using my image. I love nature and want to see it preserved, so I'm very happy with this kind of usage (with my permission) of my photos!

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My thanks also to Cindy at Rosehaven Cottage for the gorgeous set of cards and envelopes she gifted me with! Here's the pomegranate photo she sent, which I had admired on one of her posts.

All her photos are beautiful, and her site looks just great. If you haven't visited Cindy, go on over for a look at her work and to read about her gardening and kitty escapades! Her love for nature and life come through in everything she does.

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.

Stunning Rocks, Saguaro Cacti, Roosevelt Lake & Other Views from Tonto Forest

My husband and I are still visiting with family in Arizona, and we've taken a day or two to travel to our favorite places. I haven't had the opportunity to post, but today I'm finally taking the time to do so. I hope you enjoy these photos of scenic Arizona. This state is full of breathtaking landscapes and natural wonders. These are views from our airplane as we flew in, approaching Roosevelt Lake from the east. It was a spectacular scene, even from the smudged window of our plane!

A few days later, we drove north into the Tonto Basin and spent an afternoon looking at the sights. Below is a view of Roosevelt Lake from the west, taken on the path that runs up to the Tonto National Monument, which consists of ruins from the Salado people who inhabited the Tonto Basin in central Arizona between 1150 and 1450 A.D. The Salado culture was named for the Salt River (Rio Salado) that was so important to their way of life.

The rocks along the path were as beautiful as the larger panoramas of the lake. Naturally, I had to shoot a lot of them in spite of the bees that were flitting too close to my face, even buzzing near my ear, on this too-hot autumn day. Imagine, 95 degrees for the entire last two weeks of October! Thankfully the weather was dry, making the heat a bit more bearable. The rocks were full of copper, another hiker told me, but I really have no idea what the composition of the mountain was. I saw layers of red rock and shards in what seemed like a million colors and configurations. One day I'll have to do some research on this.

Here's a view of the huge Saguaro cacti from the path leading down from the ruins. I've heard that each arm of the cactus represents almost a hundred years of growth! (I didn't go into the ruins on this trip, because the bees and yellow wasps were still so active. I've been told that they often nest in the "caves.")

It's hard to believe how fertile and alive the desert is. Far from barren or lifeless, the diversity of plants and animals is stunning.

Here are some flowers blooming along a garden wall in Phoenix, where the flora and fauna are more manicured!

We drove north to Sedona a few days later, and the scenery there was just as majestic and inspiring. If I have time to post again this week, I'll share some of those shots with you.

I hope you enjoyed these. I've missed you all, although I've enjoyed the time away from sitting at my desk and computer!

Just a reminder to my blogging friends in the USA: Let's all get out there and VOTE on Election Day! Our democracy depends on our participation!

All images are copyright 2008 Lynda Lehmann.

Gateway to Mystery

Gateway to Mystery - c Lynda Lehmann


With its musk and mystery the forest beckons, and holds me in its warm embrace. I'm taken by the glow, the lush, rich and intricate tapestry of living things. As the canopy closes around me, I'm forced to silence; the arbor seems more real than real, amazing and transforming me. And I know from the exhilaration I feel, that I exist.

Text and image c Lynda Lehmann. All rights reserved.

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 .

Blue Genesis, The Texture of Life, Damariscotta Dream

A few of my friends have asked me how I manage to paint when we are in Maine, working on the house. So I'll tell you that I paint at the top of the garage, where I have no running water. I have to carry it across the street and up a LONG flight of stairs in containers, and use it sparingly to rinse my brushes, seen here. Often I leave them soaking and keep my fingers crossed that they won't mold or rot before I can use them again. It's inconvenient. But hey, where there's a will, there's a way!

Here are a few of my recent paintings. I've done ten of them in the past few weeks. Which was a good thing--I had not touched brush and pigment for the past four months, as that big ole' train called "life" kept coming at me with other things!

Blue Genesis - Image c 2008 Lynda Lehmann

Damariscotta Dream - Image c 2008 Lynda Lehmann

The Texture of Life - Image c 20008 Lynda Lehmann

The Texture of Life has been loaded for the SAATCHI SHOWDOWN round that ends on September 29, so there are just two days left to vote. I meant to post this sooner, but it got away from me. http://www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk/showdown/index.php?showpic=165621

A great big THANK YOU to my blogging friends for your comments, and for sharing your thoughts and interests on your blogs!

Images 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.

Amber and The Matrix

The Matrix - Lynda Lehmann c 2008

Life grants us choices, but each choice carries a paradox. Like the stream and boulders in the photo above, we are called to a delicate and tenuous balance. For all humanity, reason must come to bear in creating this balance. Action without reasoned thought leads to disequilibrium, and chronic imbalance leads to destruction.

We must struggle to reach informed opinions. If we act only from "the gut" we will shut out reason. In the Age of Information, being adrift in a sea of conflicting viewpoints and alleged "facts" requires us to carry the compass of wise and reasoned thought. As the water flows eternally over the stones in the stream, we must find a solid core of reasoning to guide us through life's flux and uncertainty.

Amber - Lynda Lehmann c 2008

Images 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.

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 .

Sparkles, Sparkles, Everywhere!

What is more joyous than a child expressing his or her innocence and wonder while playing in a pristine natural setting? It's my guess that he has noticed the bands of sparkling light playing on the clear, cool water of this White Mountains stream. Image c Lynda Lehmann. Taken in New Hampshire.


If you would like to view more of my art or make a purchase, please visit Lynda Lehmann Painting and Photography or my galleries at My Imagekind Gallery or My Artist Rising Gallery, where you can buy my prints plain, or matted and framed.

Wading in the Primordial Pool, Bear Road, and Other Sights from Maine

Occasionally we are presented with a particular view or glimpse of nature that seems to tap on the universal stream of human history, consciousness, and striving. For me, the primordial pool is such a place: it evokes memories, longing, and dreams for the future. Taken at Diana's Baths in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Image and text c Lynda Lehmann.



A father and his young daughter revel in this beautiful, refreshing and exciting natural environment. The different configurations of boulders at Diana's Baths make the water cascade in so many patterns and rhythms, each with a different sound that together, create a symphony. Nature has many voices and projects its magic into every nook!



Both the fields in the foreground and the mountains unfolding in the distance, are bathed in the yellows and oranges of a brilliant and inspiring sunset. Taken in the Lakes Region of Maine.



The surface of this tree, pecked, furrowed, and encrusted with mossy bark, makes an interesting topography. To me it looks like vast tracts of rolling hills punctuated with river and forest. Part of "The Living Surface" series.



Several recent reports of a black bear mother and four cubs make walking down this country road a bit less appetizing! Though it would be fascinating to see them, a mother with her cubs in the vicinity is more likely to attack. Appetizing for the bears, maybe....


If you would like to view more of my art or make a purchase, please visit Lynda Lehmann Painting and Photography or my galleries at My Imagekind Gallery or My Artist Rising Gallery, where you can buy my prints plain, or matted and framed.

As we all know, life takes over and there are times when blogging has to be put on the back burner. I think this is only the second or third time I've posted in that many months. I have yet to write my Roadside Ramblings post, but I thought I'd at least share these images with you. They're all recent uploads to my art sites and I just grabbed the captions. I'm still behind on awards and other blogging matters, but I think that what matters the most is to post and stay in touch with other bloggers. I've missed my blogging friends and hope you've all had a happy and creative summer. Ours has passed in a hail of steady, heavy rain and messy construction activities!