"A. Rodin Imprinted"

I'm fascinated by signatures. It is not that I claim to be able to read anything into each slanted line or big loop that tells me something definitive about the person who created it, but still a signature does seem to carry more meaning than the name itself. Perhaps it is that combination of the intimate and public in one act.

The act of writing our signatures is unique, practiced, and a moment of natural focus that we all experience. It is in its way artful. And while so much of a signature is just about the person writing it, we more often pull that signature out for public use than private: on checks, receipts, credit card machines, and important documents. We are aware of our signatures' public presentation of us.

So, I guess that is why with the glory of a larger than life expressively wrought statue in front me I couldn't help but have a special private delight in honing in on what felt like a personal detail from the artist's life when I spotted this dirt laden signature.

"And the Sky Softly Came Down to Join the Earth"

I'm fascinated by how despite the full value range in this image there is a subtly, a softness in the transitions so that it feels as if all the elements are melting into one another.
This was photo was taken a few weeks ago in the Ramona Grasslands preserve looking towards Mount Woodson in the twilight of a chilly early January day.

"Layered, Divided, and Intersecting"

There is something in all the lines and layering of space in this image that conveys a sense of possibility. 

"Winter Growth"

I'm interested in the strong rhythm of the silhouetted tree trunks on the right and the softness of most of the
 growth by comparison as it layers subtly one branch or leaf on top of another.  Then there is one area of
 bold foliage, the remnants of a sycamore tree's leaves leading my eye down to the gloriously bright
yet tiny spot of orange where the two retrievers stand.

Poppy Pods

These large poppy pods have such a glorious shape and there is so
much in the details of texture and layering of shapes to capture me.