Light Play- Digital Art by Tracey Grumbach

Play is the work of childhood.

-Jean Piaget

A twist...is this a lamp on a table or is this a outdoor light fixture hanging from the side of the wall? Just a 90 degree turn can change perception. Look up, look down, get eye level. Perception and point of view can change everything. Fun with optical illusions. xo

I am still collecting donations throughout the month of May and donating a portion of the profit from the sale of my art in the month of May to NatCapLyme.org- an organization that helps with research, education, legislation, and support for those suffering and treating Lyme Disease. If you would like to help people like me and so many others who suffer daily from this disease, please visit Arts By the Bay Gallery in Havre de Grace where there are donation boxes until May 31. If you can't make it out to the gallery, please consider donating online using the following instructions.

1.  Go to NatCapLyme.org's donation page.
2.  Click on Fundraising Event in the tab section.
3.  In the Select Event for Fundraising dropdown menu choose the bottom one...Arts By the Bay Gallery Ticked Off Lyme Disease Awareness Event.
4.  Fill out the rest of the form and submit!

Ancient Healing- Digital Art by Tracey Grumbach

Seek healing, a refilling of energy and spirit, 

as soon as you see that you need it. 

You don't have to push yourself to 

give, do, or perform 

when what your body, mind, soul and emotions 

need is to heal. 

~ Melody Beattie

I am still collecting donations throughout the month of May and donating a portion of the profit from the sale of my art in the month of May to NatCapLyme.org- an organization that helps with research, education, legislation, and support for those suffering and treating Lyme Disease. If you would like to help people like me and so many others who suffer daily from this disease, please visit Arts By the Bay Gallery in Havre de Grace where there are donation boxes until May 31. If you can't make it out to the gallery, please consider donating online using the following instructions.

1.  Go to NatCapLyme.org's donation page.
2.  Click on Fundraising Event in the tab section.
3.  In the Select Event for Fundraising dropdown menu choose the bottom one...Arts By the Bay Gallery Ticked Off Lyme Disease Awareness Event.
4.  Fill out the rest of the form and submit!

Millennium- St. Louis, Missouri

A great many people experience the movement 

from one century to the next, 

but a minuscule number of people experience the movement 

from one millennium to the next. 

~Neale Donald Walsch

Federal Hill- Baltimore, Maryland

A view of Federal Hill from across the Inner Harbor in Baltimore, Maryland.

Moving Gently Into the Night- Harford County Artist

About this image: It has taken me years to realize that I am an empath. I think becoming ill with Lyme disease and dealing the neurological effects of the disease has moved me more deeply in that direction. I absorb the emotional states of those around me. It is not something I want to do, but something that just happens. So, this is why I found myself alone, in my truck, in the parking lot of a church last night as I waited for my youngest daughter to complete her first day of chorus practice. The practice is one and a half hours long and I couldn't stomach sitting in the waiting area the entire time with all the other parents. I am not antisocial and they are not mean, but I just crave peace, alone time, and calmness.  So, after being in the church for about 40 minutes, I strolled out to my truck. While I was sitting in the front seat, I saw the bell tower and steeple rising beautifully into the dusky sky. I was totally inspired. As I sat and stared at the changing light on the steeple, I thought to myself, "I love how gently we are moving into the night." It was like watching a slow motion video of a changing sky, a changing light, a changing world as the sun sank deeper on the horizon. And when it was fully dark, I went back into the church again refreshed and ready to deal with the crowd of parents and kids again.

Have a peaceful Wednesday, y'all.

xo

Duncan Road Barn- Digital Art by Tracey Grumbach

About this image:  On the first day of the year a neighbor or mine holds motorcycle races for the riders in a club they belong to. They always invite us to stop over and enjoy the races (and I usually photograph some too) and over the years, it has become a tradition for us to visit them on January 1. We don't race motorcycles...heck, we don't even own a motorcycle, but I do love a good engine, a good race, and action photography.

Anyway, on the short walk to their house on New Year's Day, I passed one of my favorite barns...one that has been in many of my art pieces. I call it The Duncan Road Barn. As I was walking along the fence line, I happened to notice how beautiful the light was catching the tall, brown, fall grasses that have yet to be covered in snow this season. The barn seemed to soak in the warm colors of the sun and reflect out its own light from within. Even the branches of the bare tree glimmered in the beautiful light. I fell in love with the scene and came up with this. I hope you like it.

May you have a blessed day...stay warm and safe.

xo

John Wright Store and Restaurant - Digital Art by Harford County Artist

About this image: Over the past month or so I have been going back through old photos of mine and looking at them with new eyes. One of the images that caught my eye was this one from a trip I took with my mother many years ago. We took a day-trip to go shopping and stopped at this store, John Wright Store and Restaurant, which is located next to the Susquehanna River on the border of York and Lancaster counties in Pennsylvania.  It is a huge warehouse type building and we enjoyed walking through, looking at all they had to offer. I don't believe we ate there...if we did it must not have impressed me because I don't remember. I do remember it was a freezing cold winter day and there was ice flowing down the Susquehanna.  I remember looking out the wavy old glass windows out onto the beautiful river. I have a love affair with antique windows...that wavy, uneven surface that makes everything on the other side look magical and dreamlike.  Anyway, I took that old image and used the processes I use today to create this piece. I wanted to add a dreamlike feel to the original plain photograph.

I want to wish everyone a very happy New Year. I hope everyone was able to start yesterday off with positivity and love that will last the whole year through. I have said many times I am not a resolution kind of person, but I do pick a word every year to help me focus on goals that I set for that year. This year my word is HABIT. I want to create positive habits in several areas of my life. Health wise I want to create a habit to practice meditation (at least 10 minutes a day) and yoga 3-5 times a week. I already started to form this habit and have 4 sessions of both meditation and yoga under my belt. I can already feel the difference in my attitude and physical being. In addition, I was blessed to receive a far infared non-EMF emitting sauna for Christmas from my husband. It has been installed and I have used it twice so far. I want to create a habit of using my sauna at least 5 times a week to create a deep sweat to help me detox. And the last personal habit I have a desire to form is to write in a journal/diary at least 3-5 times a week. I find writing cathartic, so I am on the hunt for a beautiful journal that will encourage me to pick it up frequently and write. What is on your list to change or improve this year?

Professionally, I am exploring new venues to show my work (more information on this forthcoming if I am able to make this happen). I also want to continue to take more digital art classes (I am in one now) to expand my knowledge and abilities in this area. I am looking forward my article coming out on March 1 and to being the featured artist for Arts By the Bay Gallery for the April-June show. I am looking into scheduling two workshops in the spring...one being the rescheduled PhotoWalk in Havre de Grace that I had to postpone from this fall. Another will be on using textures and apps to enhance photography work, which I have gotten many requests for recently. There are not set dates for these yet, but I am working on it.  Keep your eyes on the Upcoming Events page as I will be making some changes there soon as some dates have changed for my shift at the gallery.

As 2017 gets started I wanted to take the opportunity to thank everyone for their support and encouragement over the last year! Every comment, every follow, every sale of my art is not taken lightly. I appreciate each and every one of you who take the time out of your day to look at my work. Thank you!

xo