Wishing You A Clear Path...

Wishing you a clear path,
the courage of conviction,
sureness of your own integrity...
and still waters.

Wishing you wonders of the forest 
in dazzling light 
and nature's solace when you need it.

Wishing blessings for you and your loved ones
at holiday time and always....
Wishing you Peace.



Happy Holidays and Peace to All.

All images and text on this blog are copyrighted material, and may be used only with written permission, except where syndication rights have been granted. All other rights reserved. Please visit my primary art site at http://www.lyndalehmann.com/gallery if you would like to see my acrylic paintings and more of my photography and digital art.  I hope you enjoyed your visit to my blog!

Curious Crew

Curious Crew - Image c 2010 Lynda Lehmann

A herd of friendly cows out to pasture on a Maine farm, is curious at the presence of passersby.  I got such a kick out of the way they made their way across the field in an orderly cue, and then turned their heads in unison to look at the camera-toting woman on the road.  They struck me as very gentle, curious and sweet, and I think they would have sauntered all the way over to say hello, if it weren't for the electrified fence enclosing their pasture.  By the way they hang together, one can surmise that they must be very social animals.
I remember seeing some calves turned out to pasture one year, on a different farm.  They were playful and exuberant, like children finally busting out of class on a gorgeous afternoon.  Not to cast them with human traits, but to me their innocence seemed very real and palpable. 
It's at times like this when I question how it is that we can eat meat!  I'm not a vegetarian but the idea of consuming these gentle creatures does not sit well with me.
I shot this image in September but when I saw it in my files today, I wanted to share it with you. 

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 at http://www.lehmann.myexpose.com/gallery if you would like to see my paintings and more of my photography and digital art!

Serendipity is Nature's Generosity

Lamb's Ears - Image c Lynda Lehmann

I've been wanting to get back to painting, because painting is my first love.  I had promised myself that my next post would be about pigment instead of pixels.  But nature intervened and threw me a curve.  
I had all but given up on finding anything pixel-worthy on my walk today, when I stumbled upon these dried "Lamb's Ears" plants (as a friend of mine calls them).  They are just slightly wilted from the cold, which has been intense for a December on Long Island.  But their light gray-green color was outstanding against the auburn of dried, fallen leaves.
It's sometimes hard to find subjects to shoot on suburban streets, unless one comes across a wooded area or something at the very edge of the street. In order to respect people's privacy, or should I say their feelings about privacy, I never point my camera towards a house.  That's why I so enjoy getting out of the neighborhood to the larger outdoor spaces with my camera.  Not only is there usually more to shoot, but I feel free to point my camera in any direction.
Nature came through again today, with a subject that I feel holds a good deal of beauty and mystery.  I've seen this cluster of plants in the same location before, but today the light was right and the colors just popped! Whenever I take in a scene or object of beauty, I feel rich. So today held a tiny bit of serendipity for me.
I hope you found beauty and a touch of serendipity in your day, as well!    
All images and text on this blog are copyrighted material, and may be used only with written permission (email is okay) by the author/artist, except where syndication rights have been granted. All other rights reserved. Please visit my primary art site at http://www.lehmann.myexpose.com/gallery if you would like to see my paintings and more of my photography and digital art!

Leaf Aglow

Leaf Aglow - Image c Lynda Lehmann

A single leaf on the road is brilliant in color, almost to the point of iridescence.  The seasons move fast past the windows of our lives, replete with change and dynamism.  I like to look closely, to fill my cup of beauty with the nuances I see every day.
What have you seen today, that gave you joy and inspired your love of life? 

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

A Great Big Thank You to Marlena's Designer Scarves

A few posts back, I showed you two of my designs that are available at Designer Scarves by Marlena. Since that time, I've ordered and received one to keep for myself, and I want to share my excitement with you.

I not only want to show you my new product, but I want to take the opportunity to thank Marlena and Robbie again, for not only inviting me aboard, but for producing a gorgeous product.
You can see by my photos how lush and soft the silk is, how vivid and pure the color, and how beautifully it drapes and folds!  I'm totally thrilled with it and can't wait to order more in the future.  
When Marlena first contacted me, I was busy with a lot of projects and obligations, and I felt the pressure of getting some images together for her.  But I'm so glad I did it!  I love her array of "fine silk art-scarves in limited editions."  Not just because my designs are among them but because they make a beautiful accessory for adding color and warmth to a dreary, gray day. And they make gorgeous keepsake and holiday gifts, as well!
What you see in this post are a few of my own photos of one of my scarf designs.  I wanted to show you how it looks flat, and the sheen and gracefulness that it retains when it's folded.
I wish Marlena and Robby all the luck with their shawl and scarf products!  You can check out their catalog here:  My Gallery at Designer Scarves by Marlena

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

The Monastery Within

The Monastery Within

Fading into the distance, the arches of the monastery at Imperia Vecchia seem to connote the passage of time. The tiny figure staring out at the far end might symbolize the smallness (or perhaps the significance) of the individual, in the stream of human history.

How do you think about your life?  Do you regard each human life as significant or as just a grain of sand blowing in the wind of the cosmos?  How do you reconcile your own smallness and subjectivity with the vastness and competing interests in the universe? 

My particular accommodation is to look for beauty every day, in nature and in the people I know.  What works for you?  What activities, goals, or values do you turn to when you get the existential "blues"?

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

November Flame: The Hope of a Golden Rose

November Flame - Image c Lynda Lehmann

This afternoon I was fortunate to get out for a walk.  The day was brilliant.  Golden with sunshine, mild and dry.  
I came upon this yellow rose and had to photograph it.  I thought it was outstanding for its beauty, still intact and golden in the third week of November.  Although its prime is past, it endures.  The beauty of its soft petals and brilliant color in the gleaming afternoon light made me think about the nature of the life cycle, and loss.  
We're born.  We live.  We die.  But what's in between can shine for us in joy and beauty as we choose our priorities, act out of love, and move through our days.  We all endure misfortune, sadness and loss, but infinite beauty remains to offer comfort and inspire us to move on. 
May your life be bright with the power of creative passions, the solace of natural beauty, lasting love for those present and past, and hope for our individual and collective futures.  This holiday season and always.

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

Sea Lace and Sadness

Rimmed in Foam

This has been a sad month for my husband and me.  We have lost three friends in the past four weeks or so.  Three people full of life and wonder and vitality.  Where their energy has gone, no one can comprehend.

  

 I am reminded of the preciousness of life.  We are all buffeted by the tide, often surrounded by circumstances beyond our understanding or control.

Sea Lace

Yet life remains beautiful, offering us moments of beauty and contemplation at unexpected times and in unexpected places.  Thank goodness for those times when visions of natural beauty quiet the mind and heart and give solace.

Steadfast in the Tide

Like the boulder half submerged and pounded by endless waves both large and small, we endure through pain and adversity.

The Jetty Points West

We take comfort in the love we feel for those who have passed.  We know that the love they showed and our love for them, endures in our hearts.  The sun will set, but we know with some certainty, it will rise again. 
To the families of those who have passed, I wish a sense of comfort and peace in knowing that the pain of their loved one has ceased.  They are part of something larger than we.  Even as our hearts swell to bursting with pain we know we are part of the Stream of Humanity in a larger, incomprehensible Eternity. 

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

"Magic Lamp" Silk Scarf Designs

I'm excited to report that my "Magic Lamp" images will be among the designs made from my digital paintings, that will become available in the coming weeks for purchase at Designer Scarves by Marlena!


Many thanks to Marlena and Bob Burger for inviting me to add my designs to their catalog of fine wearable silk art!  I love color, so I can't wait to purchase one for myself and wear it.  I'll post the link when my designs go online, so you can see them and give me your opinion.  


These damp, gloomy autumn days can sure use some color, especially after the foliage has turned brown and no longer creates its seasonal magic! 

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.lehmann.myexpose.com/ if you would like to see my paintings and more of my photography and digital art.

Bold Pattern

Bold Pattern - Image c 2010 Lynda Lehmann

I love pattern and texture.  All around us, a feast of visual material awaits our gaze, intake and processing.  When I keep my eyes and mind open my world is rich with interesting topographies in the most unexpected places, like this grating on the sidewalk in a small Maine town.  I don't know why it's there--whether it was designed for adornment or for a non-slip surface by the roadway--but it captured my eye.  It reminds me very much of African design. It's strong and compelling to look at, and the surface variations make the geometry even more interesting, a street-side iconography both pleasurable and surprising.

Have you noticed any graphic patterns around your neighborhood lately, in building materials or natural objects, that made you stop and stare or run for your camera?

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.lehmann.myexpose.com/ if you would like to see my paintings and more of my photography and digital art.

The Weave of Life

"Grounded"  -  Image by Lynda Lehmann c 2010

An expression of love for texture as the underpinning of all the Form(s) on Earth.

Observing the details of nature makes us mindful of the wonder and cycles of life, and our own mortality.

THE WEAVE OF LIFE

I move in firmaments of texture

concavities minute as

bumps of binary code

strung like lights in my mind.

I am visual, viewing the universe

in hieroglyphics:

scratches on glass

grass waving in the breeze

silver bangles in lake water.

In and out,

Consciousness swells

before the place

where streams of words

meet Comprehension.

I will die

dissociated from wisdom and certainty

as do all others,

alone on a Rock

where tides flow to Eternity.

Yet still alive,

I choose the arbor path,

a tactile path imbued with inklings of

water, bark, moss, lichen

and wisps of tattered clouds

dancing among treetops,

to savor the likeness of all things

and their interaction:

the Splendid Shining Weave of Life.

******

All comments and constructive criticism gratefully accepted! I don't know anything about poetry--have not studied it since high school--but still I have the compulsion to write it from time to time.

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 at  Lynda Lehmann Painting and Photography if you would like to see my paintings and more of my nature photography and digital art.

Paths of Death, A Poem Both Cynical and Hopeful

No Escape - Image c Lynda Lehmann

A passionate few verses about the way we live in our modern world, 

in words both cynical and hopeful...

PATHS OF DEATH 

Venal flawed existence

flouting

preconceived verbalizations...

No thought to language or

aspiration to meaning,

all yearning for truth 

adulterated--politicized--

on Benches of Greed.

Where are the heroes?

Oh, let me sing you.

Do not fling yourself on the altar of

your conscience's death:

mind sacrificed to paltry truths,

enunciations carrying the weight of tin.

Flap not on empty windows

or abandoned domiciles

of Mind-Once-Given

then dubiously relinquished

to Purveyors of Delusion...

those Butchers of Truth who

bleed their fare

over civilization's thin veneer.

Run from the blade to

find your heart

away

from Paths of Death.

c Lynda Lehmann 2010.  All rights reserved.

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.lehmann.myexpose.com/ if you would like to see my paintings and more of my photography and digital art.