Walking on the island's shores is like walking in a gallery filled with sculptures masterfully wrought and generously offered for all to enjoy. Here are a few glimpses of yesterday's meandering through the gallery.
(click on the images for a larger view)
forgotten? — maybe
or maybe it was left for me to notice
for the simplest delight
like the sweet-pea gift that fell from my hand to be enjoyed by another giver —
so we share what we are given
even when the gift simply drops from our grip
spontaneous as grace
It wasn't what I was looking for. I was after a photo of a Northern Flicker. But— as I carefully crept along beneath the trees to get close enough for a photo, a flash of a different orange caught my eye.
Nestled in the hollow core of a very old fir stump was a beautiful fan of orange and yellow mushroom. Turns out it is known as a ‘Conifer Chicken of the Woods’ (Laetiporus conifericola). I’ve seen it before growing on trunks of decaying fir trees, sometimes quite spectacularly, but the appeal of this sighting was accented by its cozy home low down, inside the empty round of the stump.
If I’d not been pursuing the Flicker, I may well have missed this beauty! I didn’t get the Flicker. He was long gone by the time I’d finished photographing the ‘Chicken of the Woods’.
(Note: The inside of the stump was in shadow in the morning, so I returned later in the day when the sun was higher to get the photo above.)
At first when I noticed one of my roses nodding its head, I was disappointed to miss seeing the glory of it's opening blossom, but after a closer look, it occurred to me that perhaps it was a good gift that the rose was offering: the display of the detail and texture of its oft ignored side.
The gentle curve, the delicate shading of the petals, the texture of the sepals with their furred edge... I wouldn't have noticed had I been distracted by a more ordinary perspective. This other side of the rose was intriguing, and stunning in its simple beauty.
Have you been similarly surprised by the beauty of looking at something from a different angle?
During my school days, our Headmistress would often urge us to notice what's around us saying, 'Even the thorn bush by the wayside is ablaze with the glory of God.' I've come to appreciate over the years that she was absolutely right.
Today I was reminded of this as I saw, not a 'thorn bush' but an ordinary drainage ditch, 'blazing' with beauty: colour, texture and pattern.
•••
I have intentionally adjusted the photo above with texture and colour as I contemplated the beauty on display. The red colours in the weeds to the right were actually there, and brighter. I've muted them so as not to 'take over' the image as a whole. It's the raindrop circles that particularly entranced me— the way they refracted and reflected the light.
When the sun came out after a morning of heavy rain, the light in the forest was dramatic. Intense and beautiful— light and shadow; texture and pattern; colours and hues.
Though the afternoon had been drizzly and the days fairly cool, the camellia doesn't seem to mind. She's blooming, determined spring is really arriving. I cut some and arranged them in the old white milk jug, and set them on the dining table. The next morning the sun was up before I was so I was greeted with this glimpse of beauty sunlit beauty.
Photo Notes: this piece is adapted from my original RAW photo using Lightroom and Topaz Impression.
Amidst evidence of a feast already celebrated, the tulips testify to the hope of the season ahead.
...a glimpse of the afternoon light glinting on the dark water of our bay, creating complex patterns as it washes over tafoni textures. The fluid movement and dancing light is a stark contrast with the steadiness of the rock...
I'm surrounded by the creative hand, revealing unexpected beauty in even the flotsam the washes in with the tide— this particular piece of such grace-given beauty is hanging above a friend's workbench where it serves as a reminder and inspiration.
Here's the NEWS!
A further note of gratitude today: I finally figured out, or at least mades some progress in posting web galleries. I've put a menu up top of my Curious Spectacles Blog, and also want to include the link to my Galleries page here.
I'll be posting more galleries now that I've got the process figured out (mostly... still learning!)
With the very encouraging response to my offering of photo prints, cards, and more at the Galiano Saturday Market this summer, I've started offering my photo prints and cards for sale. You can let me know if there's anything on the Gallery Pages or anywhere else that you're interested in obtaining a photo print or some photo cards. Just drop me a note / email, or leave a comment and I'll get back to you!
Warm good wishes from the Curious Spectacles Studio!
