Creative Exploring
Day 4 of the Photo101 challenge is to show an image that represents Bliss.
What is your idea of bliss? Is it an image of your family, laughing at the dinner table? A state of total relaxation, while lying on the beach? Your latest painting, drying on the canvas?
In this picture I am relaxing under the palm trees looking over the bay after a cycle – bliss.
WATER – A source of life. A place of recreation. A calming presence, but also a destructive force.
We have different relationships to and stories about water: how it has saved or defeated us. How it reminds us of family vacations, outdoor adventures, or the hot summers of our childhood. How it might also symbolize a place we’ve left behind, or a location we dream to go.
Here are a couple of pictures depicting life on the ocean wave. Being near the water is relaxing, fun and invigorating.
Today’s Photo Challenge is capturing a wider view of a scene with the emphasis on looking at the basic elements in the scene – what will be in the foreground and in the background of the picture.
I think this photo taken at the Bass Museum of Art hits the spot.
Today I’m starting the Photo101 Challenge where you post a photo a day based on a particular topic.
The first topic is HOME.
Home is elusive. When we think about this word, we might picture different physical locations. And while home is often found on a map, it can also be less tangible: a loved one, a state of mind.
This is an interesting one as my birth home is the UK but my new home for the last three years has been the U.S. They are two completely different places but here is a picture showing where home is right now – Miami Beach.
It’s a great place to be!
So how did I take this picture?
Since the introduction of iOS 6 it’s possible to take great panorama photos right inside your iPhone’s native camera app. The panorama feature only works with iPhone 4S, iPhone 5 and the latest generation iPod touch, so if you have an older device you have to use another panorama app.
I love the panoramic feature that is available on the iPhone. Sometimes you just want to capture your whole view.
Have you used the Panoramic option on your iPhone yet?
In order to access the panorama feature, open your iPhone’s Camera app, tap on Options, and choose Panorama. This will launch the panorama mode. Once you tap capture, slowly and steadily move your phone from left to right. You will see a guide line – this will help you keep your phone steady and produce a much straighter final result.
If you enjoyed this article you may be interested in finding out more about Miami in the following posts:-
The Best Places to Eat in Miami Beach
The Wild Green Parrots of Miami Beach
Each month The Wolfsonian Museum open their doors to budding artists wishing to practice their drawing skills.
My husband and I attended our first session at the end of February. I haven’t used a pencil and paper in a while but they provided the tools and we were ready to pick a subject to draw. I didn’t want to draw just anything so I wandered around for a while looking for something that looked interesting.
The drawing is from a painting depicting the Battle of La Marne Verdun in the current exhibition ‘Myth and Machine: The First World War in Visual Culture’. The painting was large but I focused on one small section which had amazing light flooding the scene.
It was a completely different experience. I’ve been so used to drawing on tablet devices that it felt strange to use a real pencil. Not only that, as the museum was open to the public I felt a little self conscious drawing as people wandered around. Occasionally they would look over my shoulder and I wanted to say, “I’m not a real artist. Focus on that painting on the wall by someone who knew what they were doing”. I decided not to be distracted by what I thought people were thinking and just concentrated on what I was doing.
It’s an unfinished drawing but it was a good test piece. The proportions are not quite right – his hand is too big, his jacket is too short, but for a first attempt (and my first foray into public drawing) I was happy that it actually looked like a person if not a completely true representation of the original. I’m looking forward to exploring using pencil and paper again and hopefully improving my technique.
The session inspired us so much that we ended up visiting our local art shop for supplies. I’m looking forward to seeing improvements in my drawings and Sketching in the Wolfsonian again at the end of March.
The sketchbook I selected was a Strathmore Wind power Drawing Pad. This line of artist papers has been made with 100% wind power – a pollution free renewable energy resource. Strathmore is the first (and only) manufacturer in the United States to make paper entirely from wind generated electricity. This heavyweight drawing paper is perfect for finished works of art. The bright white paper is ideal for working with pencil pen charcoal or pastel.
We selected a few charcoal pencils, some interesting erasers and a flat 4B Sketching pencil.
The erasers were very interesting. They each have a specific use depending on what type of pencil you are using and the effect you are trying to achieve. My favorite so far is the Kneaded Eraser.
Artgum block shaped, dual purpose eraser and dry cleaner. Containing fine dry powder it cleans the drawing surface by absorbing the graphite and dirt.
Kneaded Eraser – this one is excellent for highlighting and cleaning chalks, charcoal, pastels and colored pencils.
Plastic Eraser – easily removes pencil marks from a range of surfaces.
My main form of transport these days is no longer horse-power but foot power. Last year we purchased a couple of Electra Townie bicycles – one in purple and one in green. They incorporate Electra’s patented flat-foot technology and an upright seated position which redefines how you cycle. It’s more comfortable to ride and the leg and pedal placing seems to be in a natural position for your leg to rest as you cycle.
On a normal bike your feet are angled backwards but on my Electra Purple Townie 7D Bicycle I don’t feel like my knees or hips are strained or forced into the incorrect position and it helps keep my back straight. The seat position allows me to keep my feet flat on the floor when stationary.
LIGHTWEIGHT 6061-T6 ALUMINUM FRAME / SHIMANO TX-35 7-SPEED W/MEGA RANGE GEARING / SHIMANO REVO TWIST SHIFTER / FORGED ALLOY CRANKSET W/44T CHAIN RING & DUAL GUARDS / ALLOY LINEAR-PULL BRAKES / DOUBLE-WALL ALLOY RIMS / 26”X 2.0” SEMI-SLICK STREET TIRES
Miami is a fabulous place to cycle and has it’s own CitiBike/DecoBike program where you can hire bikes from stations dotted around the county. I won’t go into detail here but you can find out about that scheme and other interesting things you can do in Miami in my article Miami Beach on a Budget. It’s a wonderful program for both locals and visitors alike. If you don’t own a bike or are short on storage space you can still participate in a healthier way to travel. All you have to do is find a docking station so you don’t need to worry about carrying locks or finding somewhere to leave your bike.
However, there are some limitations. Sometimes, at peak or busy times of the year, you may struggle to find a station with enough bikes. The second problem is they may not be working and then finding a docking station that is conveniently located to where you wish to go can become frustrating. Even with some of these problems, it is a great initiative and a step in the right direction which is more than can be said for other parts of the U.S. I don’t mean that in a detrimental way – but we all know the U.S is a big car loving country and walking and cycling is not high up on the list of cool ways to get around. Maybe I can bring you over to the wild side so you can start to think of this as an alternative to get around. It’s cheaper, it’s fun, you can stop anywhere you want without having to pay expensive parking fees, you get fresh air and may even lose some weight along the way.
From time-to-time in the relative calm of Miami Beach you will suddenly hear raging squawks that sound a bit like hysterical laughter. Looking up you will see three or four green birds flying above. Yes, they even “talk” noisily during flight. Occasionally you will see them sitting quietly together on overhead wires but they can’t keep quiet for very long. I guess they have a lot to say and want to tell everyone and anyone who will listen how super happy they are. Why wouldn’t they be…they live in Miami.
I’ve been calling them wild green parrots for a while but I have recently found out that they actually called Mitred Parakeets. I’ve been referring to them as wild green parrots as they are considered feral but I like my description better.
They were imported into the U.S. in vast quantities, around 140,000 birds, from South America in the 1980’s. They settled in New York, Los Angeles and Miami and can still be seen in those areas today.
Have they migrated anywhere else? Have you spotted any Mitred Parakeets in your neighborhood?
The Mitred Parakeet (Psittacara mitrata), also known as the Mitred Conure (Aratinga mitrata) in aviculture, is a species of green and red parrot in the Psittacidae family. It is native to the forests and woodlands in the Andes from North-Central Peru, South through Bolivia, to North-Western Argentina with introduced populations in California, Florida and Hawaii
They are such pretty birds but extremely loud for their size which can be quite a surprise. You definitely hear them before you see them! Their feathers are bright tropical green with patches of red and occasional yellow flecks. They are nosy and social birds as you can generally spot them in pairs or small groups.
Here are some pictures I’ve managed to capture of our feathery friends:-
They tend to disappear around November time and return Feb/March.
I’m not sure where they go during that time but it’s nice to have them back.
If you are interested in finding out more about the Mitred Parakeet or Mitred Conure please check out the following links:-
World Parrot Trust
The California Parrot Project
Wikipedia
When you visit Miami Beach you can not leave before tasting a cocktail or two.
To help you make the decision I’ve picked a selection of hand-crafted tasty cocktails to make your evening not only memorable, but a colorful one.
However, you don’t have to wait until you’re at the beach or on vacation. If you’re lucky enough to have a bar handy at home check out the selection and if you’re missing a bottle or two you’ll be well armed for your next shopping trip so you’ll know the right ingredients to buy so that you can give some of these a whirl.
I’ve listed the classic ingredients that go into each one so you can impress your guests the next time you throw a party or want to show your drink expertise and knowledge when you’re out on the town.
I’ll also reveal what glass your drink should be served, whether it’s on or off the rocks and what garnish should be added to complete the look.
Cheers!
The Mojito is the most famous drink to have whilst visiting the beaches and sits at the top of my list.
This classic recipe consists of:
4 cl (4 parts) White rum
3 cl (3 parts) Fresh lime juice
6 leaves of Mint
2 teaspoons Sugar
Soda Water
Lime not your thing? No problem, check out the strawberry version in this article.
Add Miami Beach to your dream vacation destination list as I uncover how to save money and keep within your budget. What are you waiting for, grab the sunscreen and order a Mojito the beach awaits.
When you think about Miami as a destination, do you also add the words, expensive, too rich for my pocket, unaffordable, way out of my league…love to visit, but lets go somewhere else?
Are you torn between re-mortgaging the house and breaking into the kids college fund because those white sandy beaches, clear blue sea and cloudless sun drenched sky are just reaching out to you?
Well, it’s no longer a dream, you can take a trip to Miami. So, grab the sunscreen, your bathing costume and get packing as I’m going to reveal how you can you do Miami on a Budget and still have change left over to treat yourself to your favorite cocktail.
