karen casey smith photography: miniview

i want everyone to visualize calm right now. let’s breathe in deeply through the nose and hold it for a moment. now, slowly exhale through the mouth. if it make you feel better, then i think you’re ready to look at the meditative work of karen casey smith. karen’s collection is filled to the brim with thoughtful, focused shots that lead your eye in and hold it, quietly. afterwards, whether you were prepared to do it (or not), you might find yourself a bit more relaxed afterwards, a bit more focused inwardly, a bit more healed - in a million different ways. it’s a zen feeling. and who wouldn’t want to know a little bit more about the brains behind that operation?

q: where do you live and where do you create your work?
a: home is about 30 miles from chicago, in the northwest suburbs. my work is created first in thought, then with attention to my subject while making the photograph and then in my computer at home.

q: your flower collection is pretty extensive. what is it about flowers that appeals to you most?
a: i love being around flowers. they are a miracle of beauty, and with closer attention even more amazing than anyone could know at first glance. throughout the ages flowers have been loved and given in love, to celebrate, to comfort, and to lift spirits. the beauty of flowers can be experienced directly, without words. when contemplating a flower, time seems to cease to exist and in that silent space you can experience the beauty to the core of your being.

q: i think your mandalas are mesmerizing - can you tell us a little about your technique, and the reasons why you create them?
a: mandalas are so appealing to me. i’ve been working in that form since around 1995 when i first read judith cornell’s book, mandala. she teaches that creating and contemplating mandalas is healing at the deepest levels. each of my mandalas carries a energy or vibration uniquely its own. the mandalas are a way to share positive, healing energy.

the mandalas are made with the aid of templates i designed myself. i first do any editing of the original photograph that’s necessary to make sure the contrast is good, and that all color is in gamut and printable. depending on the flower, i have different templates to choose from that have a varying number of divisions of the circle. in choosing the flower and creating the mandala, i work intuitively. the message or energy of the piece is revealed when it’s completed.

q: what are you doing when you aren’t taking photographs?
a: sometimes i work with and assist my husband, and occasionally do freelance graphic design. i love photoshop, and am always studying and working to improve my skills in both photoshop and photography. currently you could also find me cooking, baking (sometimes in my solar oven!), gardening, playing my ukulele or djembe, practicing tai chi, and playing with our two cats.

see more of karen’s work on her website as well as at her etsy and redbubble shops.

thank you karen!

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irena sophia art prints

i need neutral today. i need to see simple fleshy color palettes and soft lines, serene scenes and quiet, so i am connecting so nicely with the work of new york artist irena sophia at this exact moment.

purchase these pieces and see more at irena’s etsy shop, and say hello to irena on her blog too.

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natasha newton paintings and illustration

i like the clean lines in these pretty little ink drawings and acrylic paintings from uk artist natasha newton. there is a lot of depth, texture and good positive energy swirling around here now that i’m looking at them.

see more in natasha’s etsy shop and website, and say hello on her blog too.

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laura ferrara graphite drawings: miniview

too much noise isn’t good for the soul. sometimes i try to go to my zen place when i am driving by myself, because it’s practically the only time i am by myself. it doesn’t always work, and i certainly can’t go to that deep place of contemplation in my car when the guy behind me is honking and pushing me along. no, those moments, which we should incorporate into our daily routines, are better actualized in other scenarios, like looking at these pensive illustrations from laura ferrara, aka etsy seller emersonbookcase. laura’s graphite sketches, with their soft lines and dreamy, fluid energy, are simultaneously delicate and strong. the non-linear subject matter and unusual combinations of real world objects in her triple series collection contrast so nicely against the washy graph sheets, and there’s just enough amounts of light and shadow on the paper to encourage you to slow it down, stare it down, and allow your mind to come up to the surface for a while. i needed to know more about the author of these visual chronicles, so…

q: where do you live and where do you create your drawings? i am picturing, well, ralph waldo emerson’s study?
a: i live in lovely silver spring, maryland, a suburb of dc. my drawing/painting space is in my bedroom and takes up the whole west wall. it is not nearly as contemplative as emerson’s study or thoreau’s cabin for that matter, but i do spend some of the best moments of my day there.

q: what inspires you to draw and paint?
a: i am inspired by the odd overheard phrase of a conversation i am not a part of, the way an old man walks in the heat, or the glimpse, out of the corner of my eye, while putting away the groceries, of a moth desperately trying to become a part of the porch light. the little things, you know, the exquisite moments when i feel completely awake and notice everything, taking nothing for granted.

q: where did the idea of the triple series come from?
a: the idea of the triple series came one day while sitting at work. i was thinking about the world and its place in the universe. how really impossible it seems that we exist at all, given the hostile conditions off the planet. if you think about it, i mean really think, we are so vulnerable and fragile floating around in space. we really need each other, not just other humans, but the whole unbelievable variety evolution has so generously given us. the trees, the insects, the animals. we all need to be here in order to continue to thrive. so i wanted to illustrate the amazing diversity of living things and our mutual dependence, in a very simple way. the composition of three images seemed the most direct.

see laura’s full collection and contact her at her etsy shop.

thank you laura!

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harlan erskine photography

talented new york-based photographer harlan erskine shot his eerie convenience stores series in miami, and were taken with a large format 4 x 5 camera. harlan says that these lonely urban scenes speak to our demanding consumer culture, information overload and loss of local identity.

see his website here for much more and check in on his blog too.

via today in art

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re jin lee art and ceramics

i saw this simple and handpainted porcelain and dish set on cribcandy the other day and decided to investigate. such beautiful minimal design! turns out, new york-based artist re jin lee, or rj, is not just a ceramic artist but also a wonderful illustrator. and her strong linework is less minimal and more robust to me. a very fine combination if there ever was one.

see rj at her website or at her etsy and dawanda shops.

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snapshot sunday

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jake arin photography

i am thoroughly enjoying the strong compositions in this terrific photograph collection from local photographer jake arin right now. when doing portrait work, jake prefers to shoot when his subject isn’t necessarily aware of what he is doing. his goal is to capture those pure undetected moments in time that otherwise slide by us in life. whether with people or places, it is during those moments that authentic emotion and beauty come through. truly magical indeed.

see a large sampling of jake’s portfolio on his website and purchase select prints at his etsy shop.

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