52Frames Portrait Photo Trending

I belong to the 52Frames photo challenge. Every week we need to submit an image that corresponds to the specific subject matter. This week was “portrait” - preferably of a stranger. So I created a composite of my husband looking both forward and to the side superimposed on the only photo we have of his father - someone I never met and is technically a stranger. Although I have never been and probably never will be in the top three out of 2500 to 3000 in mages submitted every week, there are trending photos that switch out throughout the week on the website. Since someone told me about the trending photos I have been checking the website at least daily to see if my photo trends. Since I was told about it my photos have been trending every week since. I’m not sure how the photos are selected but it is such a treat to see that they do. And this week in particular because the image of the father and son at the same ripe old age optical illusion means something special. And the comments written about it are very heartwarming. It has brought back a lot of memories for my husband. I am sorry that I never had a chance to meet him, but I do feel like I know him. At least we have one photo of him. And it was a passport picture. Thanks for trending my photo 52Frames - regardless of the criteria! 

Vizsla Posing

We had a golden retriever named Natasha and a borzoi named Tatiana when we lived in the Midwest. We absolutely loved Tatiana because she was so healthy and so sweet. Our son and his family have a Viszla named Kepler. She is everything the opposite of Tatiana - except perhaps when it comes to running. Although I think the borzoi would outrun the Vizsla. But when it comes to overall energy the borzoi lays around with just rare spurts of energy. She also had a cat personality and wanted attention only when she asked for it. The vizsla is like Velcro. She sticks to you wherever you go. So when we were visiting the family last weekend we had an opportunity to hang around with Kepler. I also needed photos for the weekly photo challenge and she would be a good subject. So whenever she would stay in one place long enough I tried to catch her in a good mood - although she always looks like she has a scowl on her face. I got her standing down the hallway that showed the length of the space from one end to the other, several of her sitting on the couch looking like she was running for office, and a few of her lying in the afternoon sun. She almost blends in to the background. I have also painted her portrait from a photo that was taken when she was a puppy. There is something about dogs. They are such wonderful companions. It’s the one thing we really miss about living in the Midwest, but at least we have a taste of it when we visit our family in central Virginia. 

Portrait Diversity

I didn’t know it at the time. Last week I needed to take photos of people I didn’t know for the weekly photo challenge. We knew we would have a lot of options on the National Mall. The idea of having to ask someone if you can take their photograph can be daunting - especially since we have been out of practice for a couple of years. So we parked at the Air and Space Museum and made our way around the mall starting at the Smithsonian gardens. Without even thinking about it - and after two flat out rejections - there were five really nice portraits of a very diverse group of people. There was a white guy gardener at the Smithsonian Gardens by the castle, an African American male and an African American female greeter at the National Gallery of Art east and west building, a Vietnamese male at his food truck in front of the Capitol, and another female white gardener at the US Botanic Garden talking about bees. It was actually a fun excursion and all of the people who participated were really animated and posed so nicely! I told them all I would also be posting their images on Instagram. So far the many comments I have received on my 52frames page this week have been so positive. I ended up selecting the truck vendor because his smile was simply contagious. Sometimes the subject matter for the weekly challenge is not very exciting. I really liked this one. 

Quiet Waters Park In Annapolis is the Perfect Spot for an Art Show

Just twenty-five miles or so outside of Washington is Annapolis. It was a beautiful day for a ride, but there was another reason to head this way. My sister has three portraits on display at the Maryland Portrait Artists Art Show at Quiet Waters Park. It's been a while since we've been to Annapolis. When we reached the park, it was an unexpected delight. The fountains, foliage, flowers, and families strolling about was a welcome sight after the long and cold winter we had this year. It felt almost like living in Milwaukee - which was one of the main reasons we left the Midwest. When we reached the gallery, the display was housed in a tranquil spot, and the art was quite nice. It seems like painting and drawing runs in our family. All three of the siblings have always somehow connected with it. My brother did pastels and oils; I liked watercolor, pastels, pen and ink - and now digital art; and my sister likes pencil, but also did oils. We all started with the paint by number scenes and ruined more clothes than we care to remember. My dad was a draftsman, always took the family photos, and had an eye for art; my mother not so much. None of us made art our primary work, but have always gone back to it. It's a great way to pass the time, and having it on display and admired by others is an artist's dream.

The Supreme Court Challenge

I've done a lot of dog and cat hand painted digital portraits using my IPad, and a few people portraits in between. It was a really busy last two months getting custom requests completed for Christmas, and my eyes are strained! I've also done a few buildings - the Library of Congress, the gardens from Copenhagen, a home in Buckinghamshire, and Capitol Hill row houses. One request I recently received is of a particularly interesting nature - the Supreme Court. The intended recipient is a judge who received an award there. I have a few photos of the Supreme Court, and like one from the spring time with all the cherry blossoms. Today was a perfect day for taking photos because the sky is so blue against the white buildings this time of year. This will be a real challenge! I only hope I can do it justice!