Creative Life Sampler

I'm finally getting around to looking through the (many, many) pictures I took on a recent trip to Joshua Tree National Park in California. The Mojave and Colorado ecosystems meet in this spot which was designated a national monument by Franklin Roosevelt in 1936 and became a national park in 1994, according to the National Park service.  This is where you'll find fields of Joshua trees (seen above), a garden of Cholla Cactus (seen below), and wonderful mounds of boulders reaching for the sky. It's truly a unique place to gather some inspiration. The desert environment has it's own color palette. The first impression of this landscape is endless earth tones, dusty greens, sunbaked browns and greys.  But the eye adjusts quickly and one begins to discern subtle color changes, a wider variety of tones including bluish greys and warmer browns. On closer inspection these color differences can often be attributed to a small flower or a berry. And then there are occasional and...

Just wanted to add to my collection of art and design photographed "in the wild." Sometimes you just want to collect ideas from new spaces that can be squirreled away for inspiration later, you know? Here are two utility boxes that I ran across on the streets of Pasedena. This is a very popular form of street art now and the personality of a city, or a section of a city, is frequently reflected in the way their utility boxes have been adorned. Seems Pasedena tends toward graphic design, . . . at least on this street.  (Check out the Label "Blank Canvas" in the side bar to the left for see more examples of creativity I've documented from trips and excursions through the years.) The facades of buildings offer intriguing textures and design elements: Even the grating around the base of trees can be interesting: K eep your eyes open! You never know what inspiration you might find on your stroll down an unfamiliar street.  😉

© Lauren Klementz-Harte Most everybody has heard that the colors in California this spring have been spectacular due to a really great rainy winter. It's hard to keep your eyes on the road when you travel down the highway. There have even been reports that large swaths of color can be seen from space! It's awesome.  Nature has produced a wonderfully inspiring color palette for future projects. So, I just want to share the joy of spring, with much gratitude for this beautiful state.

Getting ready to see QuiltCon 2023 next week and this quote caught my attention. It feels so appropriate, for while we celebrate the individual achievements of the quilters who were juried into the show, one can't help but reflect that the show, as a collective of creativity, is adding to the history of this art form.  Looking forward to being inspired by the work of Modern Quilt Guild members!  © Lauren Klementz-Harte Our epoch insists on individualism, yet the ever-flowing, self-refreshing stream of art is a collective achievement. Norbert Lynton The Story of Modern Art, second edition Note:  This picture was taken out of an airplane window  as we traveled over a winter storm.

                                                                                                                                                                             © Lauren Klementz-Harte                                             Wishing you all a holiday season filled with joy,  . . . and moments of replenishing peace.  

                                                                                                               © Lauren Klementz-Harte   Greetings from Southern California! I was going to post something else today, but we went for a beach walk this morning and I caught this moment in time on my cell phone. There happened to be a surf meet going on and the participants lined their boards up on the wall- quintessential Southern California.  What I like about this shot is the strong feeling of direction within the composition. Notice the obvious, and more subtle, lines that keep the eye moving toward the horizon line and pull the viewer to the action in the distance. Even the clouds cooperated in a very c...

I was just scrolling through pictures I'd taken during the summer and a nature theme began to emerge. So I thought I'd share a couple "live shots" with you.  They speak for themselves, I think.

Wishing everyone a happy, healthy holiday weekend!  

Memorial : something designed to preserve the memory of a person or event,     as a monument, periodic observance, etc.    Monday is Memorial Day here in the states, a day set aside in memory of dead military personnel who fought for their country. The first such observance was in 1868, to commemorate fallen Civil War soldiers. Unfortunately, there have been many conflicts since then and this holiday has come to memorialize the casualties from all US wars.  For many it also marks the beginning of summer. But too many people will not be celebrating the beginning of summer this year. Some won't have the privilege of seeing the summer unfold, others have lost someone special and there isn't anything to celebrate. With so much going on in the world, and in our country, right now, I hope that this holiday weekend will include some quiet reflection. Could there be a more appropriate time to ask ourselves: "Is the current version of the United States of America t...

East Coast Beach Last month I shared some textures from our west coast beach walks. So I thought I'd share some recent images taken during a visit to an east coast beach. It's interesting to compare and contrast the two locations, or at least the beaches at these spots on opposite sides of the country.  The first thing to notice? No palm trees, . . . but lots of green, and weathered wood. Our California beach has sand, but rocky textures as well. By contrast this beach is sand as far as the eye can see. Nevertheless, there are textures to appreciate. At water's edge, the debris in receding tides create some cool patterns on the surf.  And then you occasionally run across an opportunity to get down on your knees and really look at what the ocean has brought to the surface. There is another big difference between these two locations: the weather. Sunny Southern California is extremely predictable; east coast weather is variable. You're likely to have a few thunderstorms i...

  Ventura Beach Walk Today I thought I'd share images from our beach walk in Ventura.  With these photos, I'm particularly interested in the textures of nature.  The palm tree below, bursting from the center like fireworks, feels grounded by the downward motion of its old growth, while its neighbors reach for the sun in an upward motion. Quite a contrast of directions. Obviously there's loads of textures at the beach: The water's edge is an ever-changing landscape; variations in water depth and the waves can produce some compelling shapes.  Textures uncovered in stripes along the shore line produce their own composition. (Even the surfers add texture to the water's surface.) The birds in this photo add a bit of interest, and the vibrancy of beach life, to the smooth, exposed sand. Much to my family's frustration, I frequently feel compelled to interrupt the momentum of a walk to "stop and smell," (photograph), the flowers along the way.  Here's tha...

Through the Cell Phone Lense I've written often about being inspired by the world around us and photographing things that "speak to me" to capture them for future inspiration in my work. But you may wonder what that really means.  If I'm working in fabrics, thread, and batting, how does a picture of, say, a crab on an east coast beach inspire a quilt? Short of attempting to replicate the picture in fabric, what could possibly inspire a new quilt? Set aside the "beach, sun, and surf " theme that influences many artists. This picture of a common sight at the beach can take us in many directions.  Let's take a look. First, the overall composition in this highly cropped photo might be a new layout idea. Lines that loosely follow the crab silhouette could be an interesting starting point for new color blocking or even inspire a block unit:  A closer look at the colors in this photo, which include a range of browns, grays, creams, and purples, might prompt exp...

Color to Black & White ©Lauren Klementz-Harte 2020 If you're looking for something to decorate your wall, look no further than your own photo collection! Recently, I was on a search through photo files and found some pictures of every day scenes. As I wondered why I had captured each moment, I began to experiment with photo editing options.  This is my original color photo of a back road on sunny spring day: When converted to black and white, it is transformed. And, with a bit of cropping, this average, every day photo of a country setting becomes an art piece that evokes a nostalgic feeling.  There are a couple of things that make a photo a good candidate for this process. 1) Photos that have strong areas of light and shadows will translate into black and white well. If the picture relies on bright color to catch the eye, it may not be as interesting when that color isn't there.  2) Look for photos that have shapes or contours ...

A Note of Encouragement You may recall the fires that raged in Southern California last October. Our car was packed and ready to leave at a moment's notice. Many communities, including ours, were without power. Camp lights were pulled out of storage, as I watched my cell phone's charge dwindle and waited to hear of evacuation orders. It was a long couple of days. After the dauntless firefighters had gained control of this emergency, I took this picture of a hill side which had been charred right up to the structure sitting at it's top. Blackened tree trunks were all that remained of the once healthy green trees at the side of the road. (Subtle color palette of browns and grays against the blue sky,... very beak.) On the surface, you would think there is nothing there. But December brought rain.  And in March fields of yellow, dotted with flecks of blue, where once it looked like nothing would ever grow again. (The charred trees are to the right o...