Winter Country Morning- Digital Art Landscape

I only went out for a walk, and finally concluded to stay out til sundown, 

for going out, I found, was really going in.

-John Muir

About this image: A discarded image back in 2010 has found its way to become today's digital art piece. Even in the dead of winter, the sunrise adds the warmest of glows to the golden brown earth, turned up to the surface by last year's autumn harvest. Accented by the red barns and green outbuilding, this image spoke to me out of the archives. I am so glad, now, that I did not delete these old images. What I believed was trash back then is turning out to be treasure to me now. Sunflare used to ruin a picture for me, but now, I honor the science behind why it happens and see the beauty in it. So interesting, how light and lenses works, don't you think?

About this quote: When I find myself needing some clarity, I always seem to migrate outdoors. Like John Muir, it brings me home, to the center of myself when I am outside, feet on the soil, face to the sun, bird song in my ear. It is where we come from and where we belong, as part of the earth. But so many of today's youth are so far out of touch with nature, preferring instead, to be surrounded by electronics, that it is causing a disruption (in my humble opinion) in the natural order of the next generation's connection to earth. There seems to be an underlying vibration of dissatisfaction and frustration within our youth, that I believe is caused somewhat by the disconnect between themselves and nature. Being surrounded by all of those EMFs, bombarded by not only the images they seen on screens, but by the unseen waves of magnetic fields in our modern world. For me, the best I can do is be a good role model for my own children and step into nature often, talking out loud about how we are connected to the earth and how it is the place to go when you need centered. I hope they follow in my footsteps and fall in love with the dirt, air, and water, that soothes me like the Mother she is.

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

Dana Point- Mobile Photography Art by Tracey Grumbach

The beautiful view from the Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel

You know the Let Her Go song lyrics by Passenger that go:

Well you only need the light when it's burning low
Only miss the sun when it starts to snow
Only know you love her when you let her go
Only know you've been high when you're feeling low
Only hate the road when you're missing home
Only know you love her when you let her go

Well, I find this true with so many things in life. The old saying is that we don't know what we've got until it's gone. The challenge in life is to know and appreciate what you have while you have it.

My cousin's devastating accident has reminded me, and by the amount of support they have, a lot of other people as well, to stop and appreciate every single minute before it is gone.

The other day I was starting to get agitated with my kids. I was picking up around the house and I found a cookie container open and empty sitting on a pantry shelf. All the cellophane ripped off and the empty container just sitting there when the trashcan is three steps away. I guess they think I can and will throw it away. Why bother with the three steps?

Then I noticed a dirty hand print on the wall. A perfect brown dirt handprint right on the corner of the wall as if a little one rounded the corner in a hurry and grabbed the wall with his/her dirty hands for support. Something else for me to clean up. Grrrrrr.

I began to look more closely around me. I allowed myself to see things I normally block out as every day messes...the dog and cat hair balls on the floor, the nose smudges on the windows from the house animals looking out. Glancing outside I noticed the annoying and ugly construction fence that is still in place after several years. We still have not completed our house. Just below the window I was looking through was a sink full of dishes. Ugh.  The list went on.

But as my irritation grew, the song lyrics of that Passenger song popped into my head and I stopped, sat down and began thinking about my cousins. I bet my cousin wishes that instead of being in the hospital with her two critically injured children, she was home again cleaning up after her two teens. I bet she would give anything to see empty cookie containers, smudges on the wall, and dog hair balls rolling across the floor instead of beeping hospital equipment. And in that moment of realization all of the things that were annoying me instead became a blessing.

The open cookie container and the handprint on the wall meant I had happy, healthy children running around the house to make messes. The pile of dishes and laundry meant I had enough food to feed my family and enough clothing to keep my family warm. The wet dog nose smudges on the windows and the dog/cat hairballs rolling around the floor meant that we had healthy loving pets to add joy to our lives. The construction fence meant that I had a warm, safe, beautiful home being built into my dream home, even if it is baby steps at a time.

Once I changed my perspective on all of these things, I realized just how much I have. I am so blessed to have a house filled with a loving husband and four children. I am blessed to have three cats, a dog, and a horse. I am blessed to have construction mess around my house.  It means we are living a happy, healthy, normal life when many others out there don't have the same privilege.

It's all about perspective. What is one annoying or bothersome thing that you come across today that you can change your view on?  Think about your own self dialog today and see if you can catch yourself into be thankful for the mess instead of angry about it.

Have a wonderful day and pass on love.
xo