“Boot Fan” is one of my most popular images. It has sold more than any of my other photos. It’s one of my own favorites, as well.
Where did the boots come from?
Everyone wonders where those beautiful boots were found. They belong to a good friend who is a boot fan. Well, she’s more than a boot fan, maybe addict is a better word. She has great taste, so I’m not knocking it. When I saw her wearing the first pair, I knew I had to do some photos of them. When I got to her house and found lots more boots, I knew we were going to make some beautiful photos.
What’s with the texture under the boots?
When looking around for someplace to shoot the boots. I noticed that she had this big, cool looking rock in her front yard. With it’s gray and red colors and the natural texture of the rock, it made the perfect backdrop. We shot several different setups. Some with boots on their sides and a little haphazard.
A pile of bootsAnother pile of boots.
We did some with single pairs. I love these images, but they are not as popular as the Boot Fan.
A single pair of boots A Single pair with flowers.
All of the above images are available for sale in my gallery. Click here, to find out more.
If you enjoy my work, good news, you can buy prints. All of my images are available for sale on Etsy and Fine Art America. Check out both or either for some great art prints or something else unique.
My Etsy shop is Purple Rosemary and the majority of my travel photography is available. Prints in basic sizes, from 5 x 7 to 24 x 36 and some other cool stuff. It’s a good place to find images of your favorite small town or big city.
After dark on Gay Street in downtown Knoxville, TN.
The Howard J. Baker Federal Courthouse has an arched entry and a beautiful clock tower and cupola.
Sunsphere Skyline
The New York City skyline at night.
Empire State Building at night from the street below
My Fine Art America shop has all of images, including some of my more artsy endeavors. You can also find products, like coffee mugs, greeting cards, towels, and more. Some pretty awesome shower curtains and yoga mats are available there.
Camera shower curtainPocket watch composite on a notebookCowgirl Boots on a yoga mat
I had 2 pieces in a juried exhibition at the Salmagundi Club. So, we took the train up to NYC. Read about the trip up here. Once in New York, we ate and drank and walked. The walking was probably a sad thing to watch really. I was having back spasms and the mister had a cold. We did not take the town by storm. But we did have a good time. The reception for the show was packed. It was exciting for me to see my work on the wall with so many other beautiful pieces.
Dinner
Before the show, we went to Burger and Lobster for dinner. The service was excellent. I also had the best Dark and Stormy ever. We both got lobster rolls and were fat and happy when we left.
Artist’s Reception
When we got to the Salmagundi Club, we noticed a long line for the coat check. There is a restaurant in the club, so we thought it might be for that. Nope. Turns out all of these people were there for the show! We made our way to the gallery, where we found this.
We made our way to where my pieces were and took a few quick pics before the crowd swept us around to see the rest of the show.
They looked great in this spot!
There were so many people, it was difficult to get a good pic without somebody’s head in there.
We made it back home, despite the fact that we almost missed our stop on the way home. But that’s another story.
In September 2018, I visited NYC. Read about that visit here. While there, I took tons of photos. Two of those images were accepted into a juried exhibition called “Glimpses of Our World”. Naturally, my husband and I decided we needed to go NYC for the artist’s reception. My husband doesn’t fly and driving seemed like a stressful nightmare. So, we decided to take the train. Specifically, the Amtrak Crescent, which runs from New Orleans to New York City.
At the Station
Knoxville does not have a station, so we had to drive to Charlotte, NC to get on the train. Did I mention the train was leaving at 1:45am? It took just over 4 hours to drive to Charlotte. Did I mention this was something we just really wanted to do? When we got to the station, I was a bit surprised by the size of it. I had seen photos of the exterior. Since the Charlotte Station is the fifth busiest station in the Southern US, I expected it to be a bit bigger on the inside. It was not. The building was originally built in 1962 by Southern Railway. It has not changed since then. Although, I have read that Charlotte is planning a larger transit station to be finished in 2024.
Outside the Charlotte Station
Inside the Charlotte Station
On Board
Once on the train, our porter, Vincent, helped us find our roomette. A wee space, great for 1 person, acceptable for 2. The seats fold down to make a cot. And an upper bunk slides down. When you get a sleeper, you also get a porter. Vincent was a excellent! He made sure we got breakfast and lunch and did not miss our stop. He switched our roomette from the night layout to the day layout (2 seats). We talked to Vincent about his hometown of New Orleans, another place now on our list of places to visit! We slept well, once we got used to the movement of the train. People in roomettes get breakfast and lunch on the day train. Both meals were fair. Better than an airplane meal, which is a rarity anyway these days. Lunch is a prepared menu, so don’t get too excited about a gourmet train lunch.
Hubby slept on the top bunk.
Day set up. Two comfy seats across from one another.
A small table can be folded out during the day set up. Also, bring your own checkers.
Lunch menu
Yes, there is beer here.
The veggie burger was decent
The regular burger was fine.
A great way to travel
The great part about train travel is that you get to see a little more of the US than if you drove. Of course, we were moving pretty fast so unless there was a stop, it was difficult to take any photos. But it inspired us to drive the route and see some of those beautiful towns and cities some day. Another thing I like, is that when you go to the dining car, they will seat with you someone you don’t know if there is space at their table. This is a great way to meet some interesting people and learn about new places to see! If you do not want to do this, they are accommodating and will allow you to sit alone, if there is room. For breakfast, I sat with a young man from Canada. He was not very interested in chatting, and that was fine.
View from the train
View from the train
View from the train
Baltimore Station
A little issue with the roomette though. There is an actual toilet in the roomette. This is just awkward and weird for me. Fortunately, there was no smell, which was my biggest concern. Other restrooms were available 3 cars up in Coach. So, I admit, that I did break down and use the in room facilities. It was not the worst thing ever. That being said, Amtrak, please remove these and just put a facility in each passenger car. I know that is the way it is in the newer trains. But maybe the Crescent could use a quick retrofit?
The toilet in the the room. I can hear the “nopes” from around the world right now.
We Made it
We loved ride the train. I like being able to walk around and stretch my legs. It did take a little longer than what would have been a 3 hour flight. The ride was 12 hours. However, we did not have to arrive 2 hours early, go through security, remove all of my toiletries, or face a good possibility of delay. The PIA factor in flying that makes the long train ride worth it for me. I get so stressed out when I fly. How long will security take, will the alarm go off and I have to get wanded and patted or worse, taken to the side? Will I leave something in the plastic bin? Do my socks have holes in them? We also did not have to find a way from the airport to the hotel. The hotel was 2 blocks from Penn station, so walking was quick and easy.
Stay tuned for the next entry about NYC
and the show!
I recently did a post on the importance of challenging yourself to stay inspired and boost creativity. I ended with images from a pocket watch challenge, which led me to a book challenge.
Book Challenge
The book challenge became an Open Book Challenge.
A page from an early history of technology book, discussing photographyA collage featuring an image from a shop window and chapter about clothing.
What’s Next?
These are images I worked on this week for my open book challenge. I feel like there is more to pursue here. So, I will be doing more of these. I like the idea of featuring images that pertain to the book’s subject matter. This is why I try to continue to challenge myself. It always leads to something new and inspiring.
I would love to see your own challenges and inspirations! Share your links in the comments!
After rereading a few of my end of year retrospectives, I realized that from November to February is a dry zone for my art. There are probably a few reasons for that. First, winter hits me hard, the cold, the short days, and don’t get me started on fucking holidays. Second, well, I think that first one is the big reason. So, to combat that, I’ve started a few challenges. One on Facebook, SP’s Weekly Photo Challenge. The other is on Fine Art America, The Weekly Photography Challenge. I have found that sharing the challenges with others, helps keep me motivated. So, if you find yourself in a rut, take a deep breath, and challenge yourself.
The challenge was Stripes. So, I found a striped shirt of my husbands, and started taking pics.
My Husband’s Shirt
Then, I put the shirt on and took photos of my hands.
Hands
After that, I realized that I had a striped dress on, so I took this pic.
My Pocket
The hand pics led to a Hands Challenge.
Holding Time
Which then led to a pocket watch challenge.
Time to Read
Next challenge? Books!
One thing leads to another and I’ve been working for 3 weeks straight. So, Challenge Yourself!
All images are available as prints, just click on the image and it will take you to the store! Thanks for visiting. As always, comments are welcome!
At the end of 2017, I wrote a blog about my first and last images of the year. I thought I would do the same this year. It’s a great way to see where I’ve been and if I have gotten better or worse or about the same.
The first image I uploaded in 2018. I love fantasy books and art. I have been attempting to create some of my own. Silver keys hang from an overgrown vine, just waiting to be plucked. It has the feel of a dream.
The Key to Fantasy.
The last image uploaded in 2018. This started out as an image created for a stripes image challenge. But it turned out to be more about the hands. I see a series of hands coming soon.
Hands.
Be sure to share your own 2018 retrospectives in the comments! Feedback is also welcome.
All images are available as prints. If you click on the image, it will take you directly to my shop.
Every January, I set goals for myself. Sometimes those goals are small. Sometimes they can be far fetched and high reaching. In January of 2018, I set 3 goals for myself. I did not do any of them. However, I don’t feel like I failed myself. Because life changes, it’s important to be fluid and willing to change direction. So instead of completing my original goals, I found myself meeting goals I did not even know I had.
Bohemia Moravia Prague Travel Map
My first goal was to create a training video. I have developed a strong desire to share my knowledge with others. But I guess I’m having a hard time convincing myself that people want or need that knowledge. I know that I should do it anyway, it’ll make me better at what I do. On a side note, I did create a video of my work flow for my new job. But cannot share it on here.
Speaking of jobs, I lost my job in July of 2018. This changed things drastically for me. I had to find a new job and so will not have actual vacation time until next year. That means, there was no beach trip for me. However, when I was unemployed, I was able to help a friend and go to New York City for a couple of days. This helped create a huge opportunity for me. I took some great photos and even got a couple of them into a juried show.
The loss of my job did give me a little kick in the butt and I have started my own commercial product photography business. So, that studio that I was going to set up? When I was out of work, I started really working on that. I bought new strobes and have done several freelance jobs. However, now that I am back at a nine to five job, it’s hard to get myself motivated to finish it. It’s also difficult to pick up work, since I can only work after hours or weekends.
So, I find myself at the end of 2018, goals unfinished. As I said before, it’s important to be willing to change direction when life tells you to. So, 2019 will have new goals. I may not meet those either. But I have no doubt that I will still do some awesome things!
A favorite subject for many photographers is doorways. I am no exception. Is because they offer a sense of the unknown? What’s on the other side? What will you find if you enter? What might come out? Small town doors, big city doors, wood doors, glass doors, they all fascinate me. Enjoy this gallery of doorways.
2 empty shops side by side in Williamsburg, Kentucky. The entrance to the Medical Arts Building in downtown Knoxville, TN. A gold revolving door to the Empire State Building in New York City.Entrance to Tiffany & Co. in New York City.Downtown Berea, KY.
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