two thousand and ten blessings in the coming year, blog sis.
i had a husband once who took a lot of pictures. he never looked at them or shared them, and in the process of taking them, made everyone so miserable that whatever moment was supposed to be preserved was tainted. it put me off picture taking for years. l
i love the poem. it's a bit sad and wistful, especially the part about picturing love that was taken. and it's true, a photo is just the record of a moment in time. but sometimes a picture transcends just being just a picture. it has meaning; it reflects something most people share: an emotion, a recognition, a memory, a beauty that can close the heart as easily as it opens it. and that's what i like about what your art, susan. it opens more than it closes. it delights. show me more.
Lovely poem....It's funny, we've taken hundreds of pictures of scenery on trips that we've made, but when we look at them the only ones we really want to see are the ones with us or our friends and family in them.
"Oh look how thin I was then! Look how much hair you had!" "Mom looks so young there..." etc.
there was a time ,not that long ago when pictures of the dead were taken, all dressed up pretty, dead in their coffins , the lids opened wide...gaping ... waiting to extinguish the illusion of a life once lived...
quick, hurry, [can't you see it?] get the picture taker, i must have a picture to remember her death forever...otherwise i might forget she ever lived....
susan, your tara mantra made me cry, i heard it still this morning, ringing in my mind, so lovely...i hope you will meet pema c. in that cold place you are heading to...how lovely to spend the summer within her walls, listening to mantra all day, don't drop the lama's chord...
a tara mantra? i had to look that up. tara means star, literally, but tara also means in sanskrit to travel across, to traverse. i suppose that means we all have a direction and a means of navigation. some people navigate by stars. another way to navigate is to employ compassion by easing the suffering of others. which is less selfish than what i believe, which is: we do what we have to do. how nice it is to matter, to be a bright star.
Good fortune for the days ahead to you. Pictures. I have a plastic tote full of them, and a couple of computers full of them. I must admit, on occasion, we go through that tote and look at every one. We stop and talk about the event or the people. One time, on a trip out West with my brother, I remember him wanting to get to a 24 hour photo developing place so he could print out the pictures he had been taking on the journey. I remember saying that I didn't want to see pictures of a trip I was still on. We ended up going back to that drug store chain photo department three times. I explained that we spent our vacation going to see if the pictures he took on vacation were ready instead of having a vacation. He didn't get it.
Perfect. Happy 2010, Susan!
ReplyDeleteLovely drawing and song! Happy New Year, Susan!
ReplyDeletetwo thousand and ten blessings in the coming year, blog sis.
ReplyDeletei had a husband once who took a lot of pictures. he never looked at them or shared them, and in the process of taking them, made everyone so miserable that whatever moment was supposed to be preserved was tainted. it put me off picture taking for years. l
but i'm recovered now.
Feliz Año Nuevo, Susan! (de Ecuador)
ReplyDeleteOk, sure, I agree. But later on if someone died we all wanted to look at the pictures of them and remember and that is not bad.
ReplyDeletesorry to be contrary today ;P
Babies riding high! I love coming here!
ReplyDeleteGood New Year to you and yours, Susan!
All the love,
Gina
i love the poem. it's a bit sad and wistful, especially the part about picturing love that was taken. and it's true, a photo is just the record of a moment in time.
ReplyDeletebut sometimes a picture transcends just being just a picture. it has meaning; it reflects something most people share: an emotion, a recognition, a memory, a beauty that can close the heart as easily as it opens it.
and that's what i like about what your art, susan. it opens more than it closes. it delights.
show me more.
Well, a happy new year to you, and blessings and peace for the new decade!
ReplyDeleteLovely poem....It's funny, we've taken hundreds of pictures of scenery on trips that we've made, but when we look at them the only ones we really want to see are the ones with us or our friends and family in them.
ReplyDelete"Oh look how thin I was then! Look how much hair you had!" "Mom looks so young there..." etc.
Happy 2010.
all the best in 2010, susan...
ReplyDeletethere was a time ,not that long ago when pictures of the dead were taken, all dressed up pretty, dead in their coffins , the lids opened wide...gaping ... waiting to extinguish the illusion of a life once lived...
ReplyDeletequick, hurry, [can't you see it?] get the picture taker, i must have a picture to remember her death forever...otherwise i might forget she ever lived....
susan, your tara mantra made me cry, i heard it still this morning, ringing in my mind, so lovely...i hope you will meet pema c. in that cold place you are heading to...how lovely to spend the summer within her walls, listening to mantra all day, don't drop the lama's chord...
i am not crazy, just tired ;)
♥
a tara mantra?
ReplyDeletei had to look that up. tara means star, literally, but tara also means in sanskrit to travel across, to traverse.
i suppose that means we all have a direction and a means of navigation. some people navigate by stars.
another way to navigate is to employ compassion by easing the suffering of others.
which is less selfish than what i believe, which is: we do what we have to do.
how nice it is to matter, to be a bright star.
Good fortune for the days ahead to you.
ReplyDeletePictures. I have a plastic tote full of them, and a couple of computers full of them. I must admit, on occasion, we go through that tote and look at every one. We stop and talk about the event or the people.
One time, on a trip out West with my brother, I remember him wanting to get to a 24 hour photo developing place so he could print out the pictures he had been taking on the journey.
I remember saying that I didn't want to see pictures of a trip I was still on. We ended up going back to that drug store chain photo department three times. I explained that we spent our vacation going to see if the pictures he took on vacation were ready instead of having a vacation.
He didn't get it.
Peace.
Superb! Here's to a happy and prosperous New Year for you and yours!
ReplyDeletelisa - To you too :-)
ReplyDeletemarja-leena - Thank you.
gfid - I've seen that happen too.
kvatch - Happy ex-pat new year.
liberality - Usually one or two will do.
pagan sphinx - Babies always ride high :-)
sera - It's one of my all time favorite songs - wistful and beautiful both.
Of course, there'll be more paintings for such an appreciative audience :-)
zee - Thank you and the same regards are returned.
mauigirl - It's a great song and a true one too :-)
:D wolf - Best wishes for 2010.
linda - Now that's taking family pictures too far :-)
I'm happy you enjoyed the mantra. It seemed fitting.
sera - It goes like this:
O My Mothers
All Wonders of My Miraculous Arising
Praise Beyond Compare
Come to my Aid
Now and in All Awe
O Glory
In Fullness so Empty
Shine For Me
Tara Mantra
Om Tare
Tu Tare
Tu Re Swaha
:-) :-) :-)
spadoman - I understand how a holiday can be spoiled by trying to catch it all through a lens finder.
Happy New Year to you and yours.
jams - and to you too!
Yeah!
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year sister.
May the tens rock in all the right ways. Let the light shine...
Beautiful black and white work there, Gurrrl!
ReplyDeleteAnd a Happy New Year to you and yours!
gary - Right back at you, bro :-) 2010 is a good number, after all.
ReplyDeletecr - Thanks, I'm glad you like it. Best wishes for a wonderful year of photos from you :-)
Ha! The Kinks! I love those babies riding bareback, particular the two on the zebra. I love how you do zebras!
ReplyDeletepagan - Babies and wild animals are even cooler to draw than ladies and the same :-) Kinks rule!
ReplyDeleteI love this drawing. It's right up there with some of the best woodcuts I've seen, and SO much frolic! I've been back to look at it four times now.
ReplyDeletesteve - So glad you like it. I have a feeling you've not seen 'baby days'..
ReplyDelete