Tag Archives: Photography

[15th August Inspiration Board] Visually Inclined

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My writer’s brain requires a lot of different stimuli to keep on churning fast enough to function. A slowed down thought process is detrimental to my creativity. If you jumped out on the obvious limb and guessed that I probably have a hard time meditating, you were correct. Although I relish being alone, I do not handle quiet well. I need noise: a slightly too-loud television, a wide-faced Labrador crunching on a bone, a cat scratching on a door frame, low but audible music (The Clash or Patti Smith) pulsing from my laptop, discordantly lovely street noise breaking in through a few open windows, dogs racing and barking down the halls. Sirens. Car alarms. Screaming, skittering children. The sound of my bare feet beating against a table leg. A bus breaking to a stop. I could write with a baby squawking in my face. Noise. It’s beautiful. Continue reading →

Daily Diversion #32: A Little Kindness

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I work at a gallery. Downtown, part-time. I manage the company-wide blog, answer random questions about grammar, dole out directions to places I have never been, and sell artsy things. If you lack the ability to visualize how artwork should be framed, I will come to the rescue with the perfect design. My eye is better than yours, anyway.

The postal worker assigned to our route is fantastically nice and funny. He slathers it on a bit thick at times, but is unfailingly amusing. He also has the solid recommendation of being a playwright.

We did not have any incoming mail today. This was the only delivery.

The pink really popped in the bright light of the gallery.

The pink really popped in the bright light of the gallery.

Every day, the mailman gives one customer a rose. Continue reading →

Daily Diversion #31: This is the easy time…*

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Holed up in a beam of sunshine. Earl Grey on the side, steam lifting from its dark surface. A fugitive book that’s been on my to-read list for 9 years.

Wintering by Kate Moses

Wintering by Kate Moses

Captured from Daedalus for $2.98.Turned in to a reason to get up early, when the sun dazzles without heat. Doing its part to wake me. Efficient. Now I can read.

The perfect combination, rendered wistful. Out of reach.

The perfect combination, rendered wistful. Out of reach.

In the company of words, time is pliable. Plastic. Continue reading →

Shopping for the Bookworm: Patti Smith Edition

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I love Patti Smith. My fingers are itching to get carried away in rhapsodies about her, but my head insists that I maintain restraint. At least for today. The need for a long essay has been forcing its way into my brain, so you’ll likely see something on here soon. Until then, enjoy these Patti-themed goods from Etsy!

Nautical poster print with Patti Smith quote by Grainyman

Nautical poster print with Patti Smith quote by Grainyman. $34.90

The combination of image and quote is just plain lovely.

Patti Smith Easter on vinyl by Drop The Needle

Patti Smith Group  Easter on vinyl from Drop The Needle. $20.00

A classic on vinyl.

Patti Smith key chain by Ultravioletglam Designs

Patti Smith key chain by Ultravioletglam Designs. $10.00

This is probably my favourite photo of Patti Smith. A key chain equals portable inspiration.

Patti Smith pocket planner, 2012-2013 by Rock 'n Roll Rebellion

Patti Smith pocket planner, 2012-2013 by Rock ‘n Roll Rebellion. $7.95

A practical application using a wonderful image from a 1978 cover of Rolling Stone.

I know it’s a close-up of the key chain image, but I love the impact of the heart surrounding the expression on her face.

BONUS #1:

It is well-known how close Patti was to Robert Mapplethorpe, so I had to include a piece in honor of him. This is a vintage ad.

BONUS #2:

Arthur Rimbaud stencil print by Chiaroscuro

Arthur Rimbaud stencil print by Chiaroscuro. $12.00

Arthur Rimbaud has been a deep influence on Patti’s life and work. The delicacy of this stencil is present in all Chiaroscuro‘s art.

Daily Diversion #30: My Immobile Friend

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Doughboy

Doughboy

Our neighborhood doughboy has been in residence,  across the street from our flat, since 1920. My husband and I salute him on our evening walks. In 2010, we posed for engagement photos standing on his base. He moves me to recite the poetry of his contemporaries, allies and enemies alike. He’s a wonderful audience of one. I haven’t been so smitten with a statue since Montreal, circa 2004. That’s another story, and one you shan’t be told.

A Year in Books/Day 183: Tinisima

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  • Title: Tinisima A Novel
  • Author: Elena Poniatowska
  • Year Published: 1992/This Edition: 1998 (Penguin Books)
  • Year Purchased: 2004
  • Source: Barnes & Noble clearance rack
  • About: Although she is now one of my favourite photographers, the image that introduced me to Tina Modotti was not by, but rather of, this magnetic and enigmatic woman. It was, of course, an Edward Weston.
    Tina Modotti with her arms raised by Edward Weston (Source: Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain)

    Tina Modotti with her arms raised by Edward Weston (Source: Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain)

    I enjoy his work, but feel a resolute kinship with the art of the woman whose talent he encouraged. Tinisima, in translation from the original Spanish, is a fictionalized account of her turbulent, sacrificial, frustrating, many-faceted life. In a way, it is a more fitting tribute to its mysterious subject than any well-researched biography.

  • Motivation: Having read Patricia Albers’ excellent biography Shadows, Fire, Snow a couple of years earlier, I was interested to see how a fictional account of Modotti’s life would play out.
  • Times Read: 1
  • Random Excerpt/Page 171: “Eight picture in one day! She always mulled over each shot, even visited the scene and studied the light at different times of day before shooting; she waited for the exact moment, the click ringing out in the sacred silence. Now he is telling her to press the shutter without thinking about the results, like the unconscious blink of an eye. That is journalism.”
  • Happiness Scale: 8 1/2

Daily Diversion #29: A Riverside Perambulation

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My mom was in town this weekend. I didn’t write anything, but I exchanged ideas with the clouds hanging over the river.

Riverfront view across to Kentucky.

Riverfront view across to Kentucky.

Hardier souls in running shoes were doing drills up and down the stairs. We sat, staring off into the distance or talking. The clouds were almost close enough to pluck from the sky.

Riverfront Steps, Clouds Through the Bridge

Riverfront Steps, Clouds Through the Bridge

We walked for miles, and met some very strange creatures…

A Pig Statue (it's a Cincinnati thing)

A Pig Statue (it’s a Cincinnati thing)

Clouds hovering over the Princess Diana Tiara on Queen City Tower.

Archway, with a Sliver of Skyline in the Distance

Archway, with a Sliver of Skyline in the Distance

One sunburn and several lovely memories later, I’m ready to hit the keyboard again.

 

 

Daily Diversion #28: Doktor Kaboom!

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A few Sundays ago, I was served ice cream by a dragon and enthralled by the mad ravings of an alchemist. A girl from the Wild West sold me a steampunk dragonfly necklace and faeries tried to lure me into their grotto.

Okay, so the dragon was really a tubby middle-aged man in a crushed velvet costume and green Crocs, the Western heroine was just a sales lady with a bad accent and the faeries…oh, who knows their deal?

Which leaves us with…

Doktor Kaboom!

Doktor Kaboom!

It was a strange day. Thank goodness for icy cold (hard) cider.