Celebrate 2016 - Juried Artist Member Exhibition at the Cultural Center at Ponte Vedra

Celebrate 2016 - the Juried Artist Member Exhibition is opening this Friday, January 8, 2016.  This show presents the works of over fifty artist members selected by juror Christie Holechek, Director of Art in Public Places Program. The opening reception is this Friday, January 8 from 6 - 8 PM.  The show will last until February 19, 2016.  I am excited to be a part of this show with two of my photos. One is Provence Market, which I highlighted in my last post.  A Shady Spot, below, is the other photo of mine exhibited.

Impressions of Provence

My most recent show was titled "Impressions of Provence"  where I slightly manipulated the photos to give a painterly look.  Here is a favorite from that show - Provence Market!  I was so excited to win a first place award for this photo in a "Best of 2015" competition with members of my photography group.

Beaches Art Fest!

On Saturday, October 3, I will be setting up my tent for an art festival in Jacksonville Beach. This is the Beaches Art Fest, and it is the second year for this show.  It is a wonderful one day show, with about 70 artists participating!  The organizer of the show, Jolyn Johnson, is a pro!  My tent will be directly in front of the Beaches History Museum -- so hope you will be able to come out and say Hello!

Having Fun With My Photos

I have been having a lot of fun with my photos!  I always have fun taking photos, but I have never spent much time playing around with them - or using any special effects.  To me, trying to get the different effects that I was thinking about - and could see in my mind - involved countless hours trying to get that same effect using PhotoShop.  I took a class from a graphic artist/designer, who helped me "simplify" exactly what I was trying to do.  She helped me have "fun" working with my photos!  These three photos were taken in the South of France and are in the "Local Exposure" Show at Gallery 725.  A friend of mine calls this look the "painterly" look.

This Fashion Wall was taken in Eze.

This Almost Empty Wall was taken in Riez.

This Graffiti Wall was taken in Cotignac.

Noël in Strasbourg

Strasbourg was very festive in December.  Not only had the Christmas markets been up since November, but there were decorations all around the city.  We noticed the lights hanging over the streets first of all.  One section of the city had these beautiful chandeliers hung inside huge lanterns.  Not all the chandeliers were exactly alike, but all so beautiful!

One of the huge squares that was set up with Christmas markets, also had the normal fruit and vegetable markets, as well.  And in this square, there was a tall Christmas tree, too!  The tree was decorated all over with lights, and other decorations, and at the foot of the tree, there was a wonderful little village, all decorated as well.  

Here are some other decorations we saw as we wandered the streets, mostly sticking to the older, narrow streets without car traffic: a tree that looked like it was coming out of the side of a building, although, upon further inspection one could see the trunk of the tree hiding behind the restaurant sign,

and some very decorated storefronts, this one was typical.

My favorite, however, was this one:  I loved the decoration above the door - especially the angel.  And, even better, this one had delicious spice bread and cookies!

It was a real treat for us to be in Strasbourg during Noël!

Le Marché de Noël

What an interesting visit to the Alsace area of France!  We stayed in Strasbourg for a three day trip to this area.  It seemed very cold to us, but not bad at all compared to what people in most of the U.S. are experiencing right now!

The markets are located throughout the city of Strasbourg.  The city is wonderful in that it is very easy to navigate and we enjoyed walking all over.  This is the entrance to one of the markets.

One is able to find almost anything desired in these markets!  Decorations and ornaments of all shapes and sizes are sold, as well as, all kinds of wonderful food!

The most interesting is the hot spiced wine!  It is not only a special treat, but it certainly helps to keep your fingers warm!

Le Tour de France 2013

I saw a sign about the Tour de France bike race - which would be coming through Aix-en-Provence. It seemed like a fun way to start the 4th of July!  So I decided to go out to watch! The Caravan takes place about 2 hours before the riders come by and lasts for about 30 minutes.

The Caravan is an exciting part of the Tour.  There are lots of cars, trucks, and other vehicles all decorated by the sponsors of the Tour - and along with all that - music, horns honking, and lots of yelling on loud speakers!

 Besides spraying water on the people watching the Caravan parade, there were lots of promotional items thrown out - candy, hats, stickers - all sorts of goodies!

This is the Boutique on wheels - the shop for all Tour items, such as your very own yellow jersey!

Stage 6 of the race began in Aix-en-Provence.  Here is the car leading the riders as they start.  See the "DEPART" flag.

The riders go by so fast - maybe 28mph - that this part is over in a minute or so!

More Boats!

Here are a few more boat photos from my time in France this past summer.  I am always fascinated by the boats which are tied up along the Seine.  I'm thinking about the ones that seem to be like house boats with the most interesting items on them.  Of course, I love to see the beautiful flowers and bushes in pots, but this is the first time I remember seeing a car on one of the boats!

In Cassis, I saw these unusual boats, that I had seen only one other time in the south of France.  These are used in water jousting tournaments held throughout the summer in many cities along the coast.  The jousters are dressed in white and take turns being the one at the top of the board that hangs over the water.  With a shield in one hand and a wooden lance in the other, the jouster on one boat tries to send the jouster on the other boat into the water - all this with loud music and lots of cheering going on!

Here are a few shots of more typical looking boats in Cassis.  The photo with the vignetting was taken with my Kenko 180° fish eye auxiliary lens, which is a lot of fun to use!

Flowers

I have always loved flowers.  I love to look at them.  I love to photograph them.  Unfortunately, I can't seem to grow them.  Well, living in a shady area means that I can grow a few types of flowers - such as impatiens plants, but not many other types of flowers.

So, I am always on the lookout for gardens - and other places where I can stop and look, enjoy, and then photograph and photograph and photograph!

If I have planned ahead and brought my Micro-Nikkor 60 mm lens, I can also take some close-ups of flowers - and perhaps some butterflies, as well!

rain...rooftops...and roses....

I've been thinking about all the rain we have had here recently.  Every day we have had an afternoon deluge.  I have been caught in it several times and that reminds me how quickly this area, so close to the ocean, gets very saturated.  When I was in Paris, not too long ago, there was a lot of rain, as well.  I always love to take photos of rooftops when I am visiting cities.  The view is so different than the view I have at home.  Even in the rain, the rooftops are very interesting.

And there is always the surprise of pretty flowers that can be seen at windows and window boxes that give a hint of brightness on a dreary day.

Here at home, I have one struggling rosebush trying its best to brighten a corner of my yard.

Swimming and sailing

How inspiring the Olympics have been!

I keep thinking of all the hard work and practice involved in learning a sport and then being able to continue on and excel in it!  It reminds me of a day in Cassis, in the south of France, this summer.  I wandered around enjoying the sun and the breeze and of course the beautiful Mediterranean Sea.

As I was taking photos of the crowded beach and also the way the water was splashing against the rocks, I noticed a group of young sailors out in the water...learning how to maneuver their little boats.

It was a joy to see how they kept practicing and working at their sailing lesson for the morning -- and how happy they were when they felt they had done well and came ashore.

A return trip -- again....

I visited Paris this summer.  It was a return trip for me.  This may have been the tenth time, or so, that I have been there.  Every time I go it is special - and it is both the same and different. The same, because the thoughts and feelings I have about this wonderful city don't change much -- and different because no matter how much things stay the same, there is always something new and different.  This time the weather was cold and rainy.  It was not as wet as it was another summer, but certainly not hot and dry as the last time I was there.  It is always so much fun to explore the different parts of Paris.  This is the first time I stayed near the Eiffel Tower.  So, of course, I had to walk over and take a photo of the tower right away.  It was close to sunset this time when I arrived - so this shot was taken around 8:30 or 9 at night.  I have always been fascinated by this huge metal structure - it is so tall and forbidding, but when one looks closely, the metal grid is almost delicate, like lace.

Then, I had to go back the next day to look again.  This time it was very overcast - no rain yet, but almost.  The Eiffel Tower was being readied for the fireworks that would be held on July 14th, Bastille Day.  It almost looks like the Times Square ball hanging in the center of the tower.

OK...another walk by the Eiffel Tower...can't help myself....  This time the sun was out.

And here are the fireworks at night - absolutely wonderful display!  And although it was very crowded - everyone was happy and excited to be there!

I tend to take many shots of the things that interest me.  It is so nice to shoot digital now, instead of film.  I remember the first time I took photos of the Eiffel Tower at night, I ended up developing 48 pictures of just that one night time view.

Signs of Spring in Aix-en-Provence

Boats in Cassis, France