Artist Heart - Photographers Soul.. Sorrow and Decay you say

Relativity and gravity, funny how individual words can say so much yet so little. Ponder.. ponder little seedling thoughts and grow me an idea that blossoms from the heart.

At 4 years of age, the memories of looking up to everyone around me, there were no concepts of life past towering adults. At age 10, the thought of being 20 was an advanced age. My 25th birthday was reached so fast and the reality of the favored youth slipping so fast, 30 was not an issue, 40 wasn't either. 50 years, what happened, I turned my head and life seems to have ran right over me. I just don't know when I got here.


Getting home from the hospital after my husband's death at age 30, the sun was shining, birds were singing and people were going about their day to day life. Life doesn't stop for anything, only we do when we fall. Each one of us has a story book life, made up of a lot of chapters.

Human tragedies have made up some of the greatest plays, gripping novels, beloved songs, and paintings into masterpieces. Many photographers are drawn to suffering and decay. I want to believe mostly because of passion. Some because it is a way to heal, some with good intention bringing to light what normally isn't seen. The thought of photographing suffering makes me question where to draw the line, do we steal an image of a man sitting forlorn against the side of a building while he is lost in life, or take up a cause. Do we have a moral right to sell someone's sorrow and not think twice?

Maybe gravity is relative to life - the weight of life is subject only to an individual's view.

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Artist's Heart - Photographer's Soul Working in a factory & raising kids

Raising a family of four on my own, I worked a factory job making aquariums for 20 years. A lot of people assume making aquariums is interesting work. My thoughts are sure if you like long hours on your feet, no air conditioning in the summer months, smell from silicone can be over powering, you enjoy being cut by glass or having slivers of glass rammed into your fingers from time to time. I guess there is an element of excitement, but mainly the job is mind numbing and I watched younger people than I have their bodies ate up by the punishing work.

The last five years with the company was working in the office. I worked directly with the president of the company within the problem area of customer service and was also tech support. Jerry the president of All-Glass Aquarium was an awesome man to work for. His idea of customer service was to help the customer in anyway we could.

I was the calm reassuring voice on the other end of the line to many if they had a problem with their aquarium, like if they were standing on wet carpet, had water running in between their walls or were wondering how to keep their fish alive because of a leaking or fractured aquarium.

The job I did then is the reason why I am able to do this now. Because of my time in the office, I learned how to really use a computer, my daughter taught me how to use the internet :)

These years were unproductive for the most part when it came to my creative side. There were craft classes, wreath making, wood painting, making a few items and giving them away. Food on the table and clothes on the children were more important.

I would say the one thing I tried to really give my children growing up was a love and respect of nature. We went tent camping and my boys were my navigators, reading maps on trips. As stressful as traveling can be, I enjoyed going on road trips with my children.

The pictures on blog of my children are only a few of what I have left.

Photography & Watercolor Painting

Some people go most of their life without knowing they have artistic talents and then develop their abilities later in life. Others develop their passions from young and end up being able to make a living off of their talents. Yet others, such as myself were brought up exploring their creative side but, after high school put away the silly notion of pencils and paintbrushes. This is my journey of finding what has been dormant for so many years and at 50 is it silly of me to try?

There was never enough money growing up for an expense of a good 35 mm camera. At around 18 years old, I remember the wanting to purchase a good 35 mm camera, Canon came out with this new easy to use 35 mm way back then. My mother wouldn't allow a foolish purchase such as that. So the idea just sat dormant.

It wasn't until I was married when I purchased my first 35 mm camera, a Minolta brand film camera, taking my first photography course. I sold the camera when we purchased our house to pay for a ceiling fan.

My husband died at 30 years of age leaving me with 4 young children to raise and it was at this time I purchased my Nikon F4 with a 50mm lens. I don't remember how long after the purchase of my camera that I went calling around for lenses. I was on a mission to look for good glass and found the only store within driving distance was Reimers Photo, in Milwaukee, WI. On September 13, 1989 I purchased a used:

• Nikon - 105 mm 1.8 lens with filter $509.00
• Nikon - 85 mm 1.4 lens with hood $ 599.00
• Nikon - 180 mm 2.8 $625.00
• camera bag $92.00
• inside extension for the camera bag $25.00

Grand Total spent w/tax $1942.50

Now that was a purchase I didn't take lightly, having to leave the store for a timeout to think. Not only did I return to purchase the lenses & bag but I somehow ended up dating the guy that sold me everything.

Knowing Chuck and having him spend time with me in his darkroom and taking me out on shoots was one of the best times of my life. Most of my photos from back then have all but disappeared - the photos on the right are just two of a few I have remaining.

The years that followed were not creatively productive and my original Nikon 35 mm camera had been stolen during a home invasion. Luckily at the time my lenses were being shipped back to Wisconsin from a trip from Nebraska, so were not there when the kids got into my home. Though my camera was replaced my spirit was damaged and my camera and beautiful lenses sat protected in the camera bag. Until I sold everything at Reimers Photo on consignment.

Years went by and after having a camera like my Nikon, I did not pick up another camera, nothing was ever good enough. I remember when the digital cameras were first coming out.. ho hum... not interested

Speed forward to a move from Wisconsin to North Carolina and again in 2006 to Florida, the year my daughter and two granddaughters moved here and brought her digital camera which she loved taking pictures of her girls. Jennifer's images were really good and I started paying attention to what she was doing.

When I had lived in North Carolina for a funeral home, I was self teaching myself Microsoft's picture editing software. But it wasn't until I ended up getting my computer in 2006 that I played around with the program again to manipulate Jennifer's images, which developed into me creating personalized photo art, personalized with verses and sayings. I did sell a little here and there, but nothing even close to breaking even. This was 2008 and in October I met professional Watercolor Artist Ellen Snyder who I started taking watercolor lessons from at the end of November of 2008.

November of that year was a big month because that was the first wedding I was asked to do in so many years. I hadn't really been shooting, my daughter Jennifer had this point and shoot Canon camera and she had purchased this Olympus camera (I talked her into getting) and I made her shoot this wedding with me.

January of 2009 I had a lump sum of money coming in and purchased the most camera and lens I could get for my buck.

Canon 50D body
Canon L series 24-70mm 2.8 lens.
Jen followed suit with the camera, but I talked her into getting the
Canon L series 70-200mm 2.8 lens.

And this is where our adventure begins.. follow us