Not a Young Coot but a Common Gallinule

Since moving to LA my photography has tapered off. It is not that there isn't anything inspiring around me, but instead that I have been making a big adjustment. There is a peace that nature brings me that I don't know how to find any other way. Sometimes it feels like all there is around me is concrete now, which, of course, is not true. I will start to post photos of my new home. But, I found a peace the other day that I had missed while visiting family for Thanksgiving weekend.

I went to the San Diego Zoo's Safari Park (the Wild Animal Park) and spent a good while observing a busy pond of birds, mostly coots inundating the flamingo pond, but there were a few of these little guys there too. At first I thought this was just a young coot getting its' bearings off in a secluded corner, but I have since discovered it is a different bird altogether, a Common Gallinule.  I'm happy to have met this little creature. There is something settled I gathered from these moments that I have brought back with me.

Cherry Tomato Evening Harvest

Earlier last week I ventured out of my interior painting life and spent some time in my father-in-laws' greenhouse and a garden he tends. At the end of the day I even contributed to the cherry tomato harvest. It was a relief to be immersed in outdoor colors and textures.

Yellow and Green Before Hazy Mountains

The point of this photo was to capture what it feels like to be
buried in green texture and flowers so that what is vast seems more distant and less significant.

Pennsylvania Fire Hydrant

Right after college I went on a road trip with my Mom to Pennsylvannia. We drove through
parts of Ohio and Pennsylvannia that looked like they were being slowly abandoned. There
were so many details from the past that are worth seeing. In this town (Forgive me, I can't
remember its name.) there were long faded murals on the side of buildings, onion domes
on a large aged orthodox church, varied rooftops in the small downtown skyline, and
cheerily detailed fire hydrants. It was on this trip that I began photographing fire hydrants
and old water drainage grates. So much is told in the curious details of a place.

"Super Moon" Rising

Sadly this image does not do the moon justice! Perhaps later I'll get out my tripod for the first time capture it's drama.  This was a quick shot I had to get in during the softness of twilight. There is much texture and subtly to inspire the mood in upcoming paintings.

In Honor of D & H

This image was captured a few years ago in an older graveyard where a family member is buried on the other side of the country.  These two small stones were clustered near a larger headstone. From what I understand these would have likely been the headstones for the children of the main grave's owner.  They have an odd similarity visually with toy blocks which makes them seem strangely appropriate. Details like this give me a personal insight into the experiences of those that lived in the past and create a real connection.

Aged Zinnia

The softening of the petal edges and the light speckling that developed have invited my gaze longer than in my previous posted photo when it was first blooming.