Virtual Studio Tour 2020

 This year has been different to say the least!

The Artist's Studio Tour will be held virtually. So that means everyone in the world will have access to viewing our art this year. How cool is that?!? 

Information about about the Studio Tour can be found at lubbockstudiotour.org

This piece in coated with encaustic wax. I'll be posting a video of my process soon.

My artwork is always on display inside my hair salon at 12118 Slide Rd. (Roxi's Hair Studio) I have tons of wall space so it is a perfect gallery setup. 

I will be posting updates on my Facebook page throughout the week and weekend, Roxi's Photographic Art.  You can always send me a message there for more info or to arrange a purchase.

Years End

I'm sitting here savoring my last piece of kuchen from Christmas and reflecting on the past year. It's Dec 28th. Half of my Christmas cards still lie on the table waiting for a photo and quick, or not so quick, note before they'll be taken to the mail drop. I've been thinking about my mom and her mom and her sisters, wondering how life would be different if I could pick up the phone and chat with her about my feelings. Food can have an emotional attachment and I'm sure that's why I treasure making and eating all the kuchen at Christmas.

This holiday season has been the least stressful and so enjoyable. I have felt 'centered', 'grounded' and 'calm'. I plan on taking that right into next year.

As I'm looking back through my Lightroom library (dslr photos) I'm getting terribly distracted. (in a good way) Most of my photos are of flowers in my garden and some actually got processed this year and posted on social media.

The year started out with cleaning out and renovating hubby's parent old house. What a job! 3 months later, finished and sold within 3 weeks. I've been in 'clean out and throw away' mode ever since.

In August we made the long trip home to the Dakotas and I end up shooting out the window even more because of traveling in an RV. I was stunned at the amount of wild sunflowers this year. And to pair them with the beloved hay bales was perfect.

Even at the farm they were in abundance near the river.

Two new babies greeted us in ND.

Then in October we took an amazing 30 day vacation. Branson, Asheville, Charleston, Savannah, Jacksonville and Navarre Beach Florida which topped them all for relaxation. There is just nothing like the beach and believe it or not the hubby agrees. I've about decided I couldn't be a full timer. Not unless I could pull a craft room with supplies behind the RV.

This year I also returned to my sketching. I had never been into faces but now they fascinate and challenge me. Oh, so many things I want to do!

I finally signed up for a class using oil paint and cold wax medium. Loving it! Wish it dried faster.

Here's wishing everyone a peaceful close to 2018 and a sense of wonder and expectation for 2019.

Baking for Christmas

Oh Blog, I've Missed You!
I'm still toying with the idea of moving this to Wordpress but it just seems too far down the list. Actually I think I will talk to Helen about it.
So many irons in the fire....
A December digital art project, baking, shopping, still life shots, present wrapping, shopping, decorating, shopping. I've definitely had fun shopping this year and I'm not a shopper. It's hard to stop though once I get started.
I've rented a 24-70 Canon lens these next two weeks and can see already that I don't want to return it. The only thing I don't like about it is the weight, oh yeah, and the price tag. LensRentals has a promo going where you get a week free. But this is confusing because my lens would have been $77 for a week and when I added another week it only took off $49. I even asked them about it and got an explanation that just made me shake my head. Oh well, I love this lens and I'm glad to have it through the holidays. I'm also taking some baby shots this weekend before Finn looses his baby fat.
In the mean time I'm practicing some human touch still life photos while baking kuchen, a delightful custard that's been a family tradition forever. If you want the recipe I posted it here last year. If you can believe it, my step-son decided to make it last week. Guess he wanted some really bad.

I hope you've had some 

'chill' time this (what can be) hectic season.

The Family Farm

As long as there is a son in the family who has farming in his heart, I will always have this place to come home to.

It looked totally different back in the 60's and 70's.

As I was growing up we raised wheat, rye, millet, oats, barley, corn, and later a few sunflowers. Oh, and flax, my favorite because it felt good to the feet and hands when you climbed in the truck bed to 'play' as it was getting augured in. Smooth and slippery like satin. Now it's just 2 crops, corn and soybeans. Yes, I'm sure they are both GMO and some day in the future that landscape will again look a bit different.

Dad retired from farming many years ago but my brother and his son are still there and are techno geeks when it comes to the latest and greatest methods. (GPS)

I sometime wonder what my grandfather would think about all of it. He farmed this land first. Well actually someone else did for a few years before him so we can almost say it was always in the family. 

There is still one original building standing. The barn where we milked cows. Not your typical barn, half as tall as most around the country.

 New reflected in the old.

I remember the pasture behind it and the cow trails and how you'd have to dodge the piles. That's where I first learned about grub worms.

There would always be a few foxtails growing there.

On the north edge of the pasture was a grove of trees. I only remember the Russian Olive trees, my favorite. They are long gone as is the pasture and fence. An extremely large metal building stands there where the guys do their inventing and building of specialized equipment. My nephew actually holds several patents and is the genius behind most of it. 

The east side of the pasture was bordered by the river. Technically called the Maple Creek. We fished there in the summer and skated in the winter. Swimming wasn't a good idea unless you wanted to come out with a few leeches attached. My sister-in-law paddles down it in her kayak these days.

Have you ever tried choke cherry jelly? To get the real flavor out one must grind the berries in a sausage grinder so the seeds will crack. The incredibly dark juice will stain everything in site and of course it must be strained through cheese cloth. A process of love for sure and a bit of a lost art in that area now. I was so tempted to pick some but I've cut way back on sugar and don't need this temptation.

And of course the milkweed. Ready to spread itself into the future.

How about your summer? Did you revisit some wonderful childhood places?

February Review in May

Still cleaning out my Lightroom catalog...

I took very few photos in February (Canon photos, that is.) In fact the final count was a whole 19. And I'm not counting the grandkids...

These soft pink stocks were so fragrant and heavenly I couldn't resist the purchase.

I love the old fashioned antique feel of these edits.

Most of these were done with presets by Pretty Presets.

Of course I always shoot some with my phone...

They were as beautiful when they ran out of water as they were before.

Mextures 

Artista Impresso (more on this app later...)

Playing in the Light

This week I had a few free hours at work for 'cleaning' up my Lightroom catalog. I had to go back to March and start culling. Of course I got side tracked and started editing some because I'd done very little of that too. I was captivated once again at how my neighbor's lilacs danced in the light that day.

I wouldn't have thought they would look so stunning in black and white, but who knew?

Their buds look like little alien mouths.

Such delicacy.

 Such beauty.

Have a beautiful weekend and a great Mother's Day!

Dreams April 2016

Dreams...
"What are your dreams," he asks. I sit there, numb.
Do I even have any, anymore? What happened to them? Everyone has dreams. Where did they go?
I believe I may have given up on each one without even a fight. After awhile it proved to me they would never happen so why push it. Even though a lot were small they seemed too big for me to handle by myself. I felt unsupported in them and I didn't have the energy needed to make them a reality.

You see, I think anything worth having (a dream fulfilled) comes with a cost. It may be a mental thing to overcome or physical, or even emotional, or more than likely all the above. There is usually a "wall" that needs to be pushed through or perhaps some old bones in the dirt that need excavating before the foundation can be laid.
After all, Rome wasn't built in a day and it took more than one person.
Support is crucial.

I'm on a new journey now. One that I am actively and fully engaged in. I'm not blaming anyone but myself. I'm the one that chose to lie down and do nothing.

I have been given a new view of the future and it involves boldness and empowerment. That part of me somehow got lost.

Funny... my word for this year is 'intention'. How appropriate.

Introducing the Boy Child

I've been waiting forever it seems for Crew to start sitting up. At 8 months he's sitting up good and crawling like a maniac! So here are some of my favorite shots I got this weekend. To drool or not to drool? That is the question. I touched it up on some, but on others it was just too cute to leave it there.

Crew's first business profile photo! (LOL, we rolled on the floor over this one.)

"Oh, you're such a pushover!"

"Hey Babe, what's shaking?"

"You don't mind a little drool, right?"

"Did you hear ....?"

"Hey Babe! Can I get your number?"

The little guy sat on this chair for quite awhile, only because it had a sagging seat to hold him.

I worked on trying to get my 580II flash to fire off camera the day before and finally gave up. Because the light wasn't as good as I'd hoped, I used my 50 1.8 lens and didn't pay attention half way through and cranked it up to f/4. Well that was a mistake. I ended up with 3200 ISO. Oh well, at least we finally got some photos.