50/365- Goodbye For Now...

Fairy Duster Plant

Sometimes we all need a change. I know for me this has been an entire season of change. My oldest children have struck out on their own and my youngest have returned to public school after 2 years. Nothing feels quite right in the house and I have been struggling to find my place. So, in the interest of my health, both mental and physical, I am taking a break from blogging to revamp my life, my business, and my website.

I am going to take some time to take long naps, read some good books, catch up on Masterpiece Theater, practice photography, and do some local traveling. I am in the process of applying to be a substitute teacher again. I am volunteering in the schools. I may take a few trips to visit family. I am going to go for long walks and a few bike rides. I will take time each day to enjoy my favorite season. I am not sure when I will be back to blogging, but I always return.

I will still be posting on Instagram, Facebook, and possibly Twitter, so if you'd like to stay in touch, please do. I am continuing with my project 365 over on these venues, so please connect if you enjoy that sort of thing.

In the meantime, I will say goodbye for now. Have a wonderful Autumn and I will see you all soon.

xo

49/365- Hospital for Sinners

 

A church is a hospital for sinners, not a museum for saints. 

 -Pauline Phillips

48/365- The Road Home

Roads go ever ever on,
Under cloud and under star.
Yet feet that wandering have gone
Turn at last to home afar.
Eyes that fire and sword have seen,
And horror in the halls of stone
Look at last on meadows green,
And trees and hills they long have known.

― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings

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This is lovingly dedicated to the beautiful family who lives at this local farm, the Troyer family.  One of the family members, Rashelle, used to live across the street from me until she married into this family and now she is a farmer's wife and the mother to a toddler son. 

Have a fabulous Tuesday!

xo

47/365- The People Said, A Weed

“Once in a golden hour
I cast to earth a seed.
Up there came a flower,
The people said, a weed.”

―Alfred Tennyson

46/365-Book Worm

Digital Painting created using a reference photo by Wendie Strickler

"A room without books is like a body without a soul."

― Marcus Tullius Cicero

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Happy Sunday to you all. This digital painting was created using a reference photo taken by a friend of mine, Wendie Strickler, of her beautiful baby girl. I was struck by the gorgeous light and the sweet, tender moment captured in her photo and so I transformed it into a digital painting, with her blessing. Thanks for letting me share, Wendy!

xo

45/365- Leaf Study 3 & 4

 

 

"I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers."

― L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables 

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Have a wonderful Saturday.  Enjoy the fall weather.

xo

44/365- Leaf Study 5 & 6- Of Yellow Leaves and Gossamer

“I sit beside the fire and think
Of all that I have seen
Of meadow flowers and butterflies
In summers that have been

Of yellow leaves and gossamer
In autumns that there were
With morning mist and silver sun
And wind upon my hair

I sit beside the fire and think
Of how the world will be
When winter comes without a spring
That I shall ever see"

― J.R.R. Tolkien; Excerpt from Lord of the Rings

A few weeks back, while in Arizona, I had the opportunity to see an exhibit of photography by Wynn Bullock at the Center for Creative Photography at The University of Arizona. Walking into the gallery I was overwhelmed by the fascinating collection of work by this pioneer in creative photography. As I walked from photograph to photograph, my brain filled with so many ideas and concepts of projects for my future. So much so that when I left I had a headache. True story. I was so mad I didn't have a notepad to write down the torrent of ideas and creativity that I felt flowing in that moment.

Shooting in film, Bullock was a pioneer in using various techniques to add an otherworldly feel to his photographs.  He used methods such as shooting through many layers of colored glass to create abstract color images. He also used a method by which he would expose the negative to various temperature changes to cause wrinkling and crinkling in the negative that then translated into a textured print upon processing. He also was a master of manipulating perspective and long exposure photography to create an otherworldly feel to common scenes. In addition, he would experiment using a negative overlaid with a positive image, blending them together to create a completely new scene. He was also a master of black and white photography.  Truly, this man is an inspiration. Mind-blowing!

As I walked through the exhibit, I became obsessed with figuring out how I could apply some of the techniques he used in today's modern digital photography and processing. While not exactly true to Bullock form, this second image was a nod to him as I experimented with the processing of this leaf. Inspired by his use of inverting (or using negatives), I decided to process this leaf two different ways, overlaying the inverted color scheme over the original in a multiplied layer. I then combined the two different layers, mirrored each other, back into a single image.  My goal is not to replicate his work; no one can replace his genius.  My goal was to take the creativity of experimentation he inspired within me and play with my images to create a new reality like he did. My goal is to get out of my box. Experiment. Try new things...even if they aren't quite "me." One of my favorite quotes from him is

"Searching is everything - going beyond what you know. And the test of the search is really in the things themselves, the things you seek to understand. What is important is not what you think about them, but how they enlarge you." -Wynn Bullock LOVE this quote...what is important is not what you think about them (the things you seek to understand), but how they enlarge you...HOW THEY ENLARGE you.  LOVE IT.   Have a beautiful day...TGIF. xo

43/365- Leaf Study 2

“Listen! The wind is rising, and the air is wild with leaves, We have had our summer evenings, now for October eves!” ― Humbert Wolfe

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Try to have a wonderful Thursday, y'all. Send some good vibes and prayers into the world.

xo

42/365- Leaf Study 1

"You know how this is:
if I look
at the crystal moon, at the red branch
of the slow autumn at my window,
if I touch
near the fire
the impalpable ash
or the wrinkled body of the log,
everything carries me to you,
as if everything that exists,
aromas, light, metals,
were little boats
that sail
toward those isles of yours that wait for me."

― Pablo Neruda; excerpt from If You Forget Me

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Taking a break from the southwest pictures to celebrate my favorite season, autumn. I did a series of leaf studies and I am totally obsessed. I LOVE LOVE LOVE them for the bright fall colors, the imperfect perfection as they start to decay, and the different shapes and sizes. It has been a lot of fun collecting and photographing these beauties! Be on the lookout for these over the next week or so.

Have a wonderful Wednesday. I can't believe the week is halfway over already. Time is flying.

xo

41/365- The Missing Pole and the Morning Newspaper

Digital Art by Tracey Grumbach

“Heaven, such as it is, is right here on earth. Behold: my revelation: I stand at the door in the morning, and lo, there is a newspaper, in sight like unto an emerald. And holy, holy, holy is the coffee, which was, and is, and is to come."

-Sarah Vowell, Take the Cannoli

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Today is a bittersweet day. Tyler, my oldest son, is flying out of the nest and heading out to live in an apartment with some roommates while he attends school at Universal Technical Institute in Exton, PA. While I am so happy for him and am so proud to see him pursue his dreams, it leaves me with a knot in my stomach because I will miss him. He is the silliness in our household. He loves to make us all laugh and he is all the time lifting our moods. In the span of two months, I have watched my two oldest set out on their own and start a new chapter of their lives. After raising these kids for 18 years, guiding them along the way, it is not easy to let them go. The house feels incredibly empty and I am incredibly weepy, sad for myself but happy for him.

I will be in Exton today attending school orientation and helping Tyler move into his new digs.  Hug your children tightly today. They grow up so darn fast.

xo

40/365- Arizona Inn 1

One of the unique buildings of the Arizona Inn at dusk

Privacy, quiet, and sunshine. -Arizona Inn

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Brian and I had the pleasure of staying at this historical Inn in Tucson when we were there. It is a gorgeous, unique hotel that was built in the 1930s and is still family owned today. We absolutely loved our stay there and would love to go back one day. The service, the restaurant, and the history of the place was truly amazing. If you are ever in Tucson, consider staying here. The Arizona Inn has been the highlight of several recent blog posts including Sun Setting Over Arizona Inn, Arizona Bicycle, Evening at the Pool, and In the Shadow of the Sun King. It will also be the the feature of several upcoming posts. I took tons of photos here because I loved the unique set up and architecture. I also loved the Arizona Inn's signature salmon and blue colors. So much to love!

Be sure to check back on the blog today at noon for a special post about my visit to Washington D.C. yesterday! Photos and commentary about the award ceremony and the presentation by Dr. Neil Spector will be featured on that post!

Stay dry today, y'all.  Have a fantastic Monday!

xo

39/365- Sun Setting Over Arizona Inn

Digital Art featuring the Arizona Inn in Tucson

“Ô, Sunlight! The most precious gold to be found on Earth.” ― Roman Payn

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 Happy Sunday, y'all. I am heading down to Johns Hopkins Sibley Hospital in Washington D.C. today to hear Dr. Neil Spector speak about his experience with being a Lyme patient and the treatments he has been researching. It should be an informative presentation and I am very much looking forward to it.

Have a great day!

xo

38/365- Arizona Bicycle

Arizona Bicycle by Tracey Grumbach

“A man on foot, on horseback or on a bicycle will see more, feel more, enjoy more in one mile than the motorized tourists can in a hundred miles.”

― Edward Abbey, Desert Solitaire 

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 Just a reminder that today I am working my shift at Arts By the Bay Gallery in Havre de Grace from 11:00 AM until 2:30 PM. Please stop in and say hello! I will be hanging Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse today to replace a framed piece that sold last week. Also, if you are interested in picking up the current edition of Harford's Heart Magazine which features my art, we have those for FREE at Arts By the Bay and I would be happy to give you one and discuss either the interview or the art that is featured. I'd be happy to see you!

Happy Saturday!

37/365- Through Time and Space

Digital Art by Tracey Grumbach

“Whoever said that loss gets easier with time was a liar. Here's what really happens: The spaces between the times you miss them grow longer. Then, when you do remember to miss them again, it's still with a stabbing pain to the heart. And you have guilt. Guilt because it's been too long since you missed them last.”

― Kristin O'Donnell Tubb, The 13th Sign

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I turned and saw him standing there next to my brother with his arms held out to me, arms formed in a downward but wide open V, palms facing me, inviting me to him. I ran, stunned at his presence, and threw myself into his embrace. After a long hug, I looked up into his face, his countenance younger than when he left, his expression soft and calm.

"How is this possible?  How are you here?" I blurted out to him, heart pounding both with excitement and a knowing dread.
"I've been working." came his simple reply with a slight smile on his lips.  He looked around at the crowd of people milling around about us and he said, "I can't stay here. There are too many people." He patted me on the back with his huge hands as if telling me it was time to step away from his embrace

"But," I started to protest as I stepped backward from him.

He turned and without hesitation, walked away from me. He turned once, several steps into his retreat and said, "I'll see you soon."

And then he was gone and I opened my eyes.

Thank you for visiting me, Dad, through time and space. I am so thankful to have had this brief time with you. It has been a while.

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For those who don't know, my father passed away suddenly in 2014. This is the first "encounter" I've had with him since the year he died when I had two similar incidents.

xo

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About this digital art-

Flying home on the plane from Arizona I was thinking about time and space and how, when you fly west to east, it is a bit like time traveling. At least it is as close to time traveling as we will probably ever get here on earth. As I was contemplating this idea, I was staring out onto the wing of my "time machine" watching the light from the setting sun flicker on the wings. The sky turned cotton candy pink and blue and the moon reflected off the shiny silver of the wing. It was captivating. So, I created this digital art piece to remember that stunning moment, the moment I traveled through time and through space. 

36/365- Mother Mary

Digital Art by Tracey Grumbach

"Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen."
 -Traditional Catholic Prayer
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On one of our outings in Tucson, Brian and I had the privilege of visiting Mission San Xavier del Bac. It is an amazing Catholic mission that dates back in history to the 1600's and the current building dates back to the 1700's. The mission is still in operation today, serving the community that surrounds it. I will have more information and pictures about the mission building at a later date, but the reason I mention it is because next to the mission is a hill of ancient volcanic rock where, carved out of the hill, there is a shrine to Mary, Mother of God. This is the focus of today's digital art.

Before we explored the mission building, Brian and I took a walk around Grotto Hill, the volcanic outcropping to the east of the San Xavier del Bac Mission. The hill is topped with a white cross and on the north side of the hill, we discovered this replica of the Grotto of Lourdes. The shrine to the Virgin Mary was constructed in 1908 and was oversaw by Bishop Granjon.  It is a quiet and peaceful place where one is inspired to reflect. In the near distance, the beautiful desert mountains surround the hill and the amazing white mission church structure gleams in the desert sun. No wonder it is called the White Dove of the Desert.

I was honored and awed to be able to visit such a beautiful and sacred site full of history. I look forward to posting more digital art from this place soon.

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Be sure to check out the Upcoming Events page as I have added some dates where I will be showing art at the Susquehanna Symphony Orchestra in December, March, and May. It is such a fun night filled with music and art so I highly recommend y'all to mark it on your calendars and come on out to Bel Air High School.

Also, I will be working at Arts By the Bay this Saturday from 11:00AM- 2:30PM. Come on out and visit me so we can chat about art or Lyme. I will also be bringing in Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse to hang in replacement of Long Shadows of Empirical Knowledge, which has sold. If you are interested in this framed piece, please stop in early Saturday to purchase it!

35/365- Evening At the Pool

Digital Art by Tracey Grumbach

“A man who calls his kinsmen to a feast does not do so to save them from starving. They all have food in their own homes. When we gather together in the moonlit village ground it is not because of the moon. Every man can see it in his own compound. We come together because it is good for kinsmen to do so.”

― Chinua Achebe, Things Fall Apart 

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We come together because it is good for kinsmen to do so. Yes, it is. Especially in this current world we live where hate and misery seem to be gaining strides to smother love and tolerance.  In the next few days, gather. Round up your beloved family and friends. Break bread together...not to save your stomachs from starving but to save your souls from being hungry. Spend time listening to one another, playing with one another, laughing together. Turn off the media. Turn of the electronics. Play a board game by candlelight. Scrabble, anyone? 

Have a wonderful Wednesday.

xo

34/365- In the Shadow of the Sun King

"From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken,
The crownless again shall be king.”

― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring 

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 I'm so excited to announce that my art is featured on the cover of the October/November issue of Harford's Heart magazine. In addition, there is a short interview and additional art work inside! I am so honored to have been selected and to have the owner, Fran Johnson, chat with me about my work. If you are out and about in Harford County, please look for it and pick one up, it's free! And it is a fabulous magazine.

As always, thank you so much to everyone who continuously supports what I do! A special thank you to Fran Johnson and Sandy Kapinos for their support in making my art the face of their magazine for these two months!

xo

33/365- Bull Headed

“It's useless to lecture a human.”
―Rick Riordan; The Lightning Thief

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I couldn't get away with just one piece of art featuring the bull skulls...I loved them too much. When I saw how the contours of the textured wall mimicked the texture and contours of the skull bone, I was smitten. 

I'm safely back in Maryland, having traveled home from Arizona late last night. I'm looking forward to unpacking and beginning the process of downloading all the images I took on the trip. Have a fabulous Monday.

xo

32/365-Papago Buttes

Papago Buttes landform as seen from The Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, Arizona

"Too much good fortune can make you smug and unaware. Happiness should be like an oasis, the greener for the desert that surrounds it." - Rachel Field


"Faith is an oasis in the heart which will never be reached by the caravan of thinking." - Khalil Gibran

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I couldn't decide on which quote to pair this creation with today, so I picked both. As I am sitting here at my Arizona Inn patio table typing this, my last full day here in Arizona, my heart is happy. I am so blessed to have had this vacation and these experiences this week. These are days I will never forget and will continue to live in my heart forever. Such beauty I've seen. It is so restorative to the soul.

I was sitting at breakfast this morning thinking about how writers will often travel to get themselves inspired to write. At least in the movies, they always seem to be holed up in a hotel room or a rented room somewhere charming, typing away at the typewriter. The older I get, the more I understand that concept. To remove yourself from your normal surroundings and get out to explore new cultures, new places, new ecosystems it just ignites the soul and one's creativity. There is so much I have wanted to write and create while I am here.  If only I could spend a week of each month traveling! My only regret this week was not taking my notebook with me as I traveled around to jot notes and ideas.

While I am not quite ready to return home, traveling also has the effect of making one appreciate going home. There is something to be said about being in your own environment, your own routines. And yet there is this burning fire of wanderlust that simmers just beneath the surface of my heart. It seems unquenchable. I come from a line of wanderers on my mother's side, so maybe it is genetic.  So, I will continue to collect my travel reward points so I can wander. I can't wait until the next trip, wherever and whenever that may be. This country, this world of ours, has so much to offer. I want to drink it all in and experience all of it.

For more information about the Papago Buttes or the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, Arizona, please visit the hyperlinks above.

xo

31/365- The Desert Moon

Mobile Art by Tracey Grumbach

We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years to life not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We've done larger things, but not better things. ― Bob Moorehead, Words Aptly Spoken

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A realization I had one evening this week-

The desert makes even the moon seem small.

We are so little on this earth of ours.  Even more reason to live big.

xo