images dans l'eau

I have become preoccupied with taking reflections of nature in small pools of water. One bitingly cold gray morning, I took off my gloves, left them, keys and mail in the middle of the parking lot and set forth to inspect half dozen miniature ponds. My goddess it was damned frigid out there, was it about to snow again? But I was not the least bit dissuaded finding a host of pictures that exposed an entirely different outlook on the weather -- nestled behind the dreary clouds was a gloriously blue sky waiting to make its grand debut later in the day. Looking at the ground I also saw rainbows in the damp concrete where water had recently receded, a single green magnolia leaf gliding like a small boat in the clouds just below the trace of oil on the surface.

Taking these pictures has become an intriguing process of painting with my eyes. Water creates its own multi-layered canvases. The reflection on top of the liquid is one dimensional, a natural mirror for what is directly above. Anything floating on the surface adds a variety of textures, some that pop out like pop ups. When the water is shallow, its transparency allows whatever rests beneath to fill in other spaces, broaden the spectrum of the design. The final impression is intricately simplistic, no human touch necessary. And without a brush stroke the watercolor alters itself or evaporates completely so the eye has to become adept at watching aqua…it’s captivating!

(I'm pleased to say that the directly one below was selected for a news site during the DC snow storms.)

One of the spiritual email messages I receive contained a passage from the book Journeys on Mind Mountain that read in part, “If you want to see differently, you’ll have to look differently.” Spot on when it comes to expressing how I feel about my fascination with capturing images in water and the infinite collection of artwork nature presents from moment to moment that I will continue to share if you...

keep your peepers open! ®