Winter's Last Gasp- Digital Art by Tracey Grumbach

About this image: After the wind howls and the snow accumulates, it is time for the big dig. Particularly for farmers, it is essential to be able to move about freely to care for the animals. Here in northern Maryland, we are currently experiencing a winter storm full of snow and sleet. They originally were calling for 10-15" of snow, but the sleet has cut those predictions down. This image was not taken this year. It was taken last January after we had a major back to back snow storm dumping 2-3 feet of snow in the area. Wherever you are, please check in on neighbors, especially the elderly, to make sure they are warm, safe, and have a cleared path for emergencies. Hopefully, this will be winter's last gasp. Come on, spring!

Be safe and stay warm.

xo

Long Shadows of Empirical Knowledge- Rural Landscape by Tracey Grumbach

About this image: Empirical evidence is the knowledge acquired by the senses and alludes to Plato's Allegory of the Cave. Anyone who has taken high school or college philosophy is familiar with the story of the shadows and the cave...a philosophical statement about solely relying on your senses to create a version of truth. As I was taking a walk with my kids the other day, I came across this scene as the sun was beginning to fall low on the horizon. I loved the way the shadows of the trees cast extremely long shadows across the winter field, causing stripes of golden-reddish brown and black. I also loved how the house over the hill was just peeping out above the ridgeline, partially hidden by the rolling hills of Maryland's landscape. This time of day is divine. Anyway, I digress...coming across the scene, I was immediately reminded of my college philosophy class so many years ago and the Allegory of the Cave. It struck me that the allegory was so applicable to today's world and how we choose to create truth only from our senses...what we see and hear. Now days what we see and hear comes mostly from the media. If one believes only what one sees and hears from the media, which many people do, then one is creating their own separate truth based on the "shadows" presented to them by the media. Of course, shadows are not true reality. The trees in this image were rather average size trees but because of the angle of the sun, the shadows reached far longer than their true height. Just as the bias and angle of the media creates a "truth" that differs from reality.

Just as I said the other day in a post, I think nowadays we have stepped away from our true nature and rely too much on technology to gather our truths. We are much further away from being quiet within ourselves to trust or even hear our own gut instincts. We are bombarded with "truth" 24 hours a day 7 days a week and it is all just noise. God created us with amazing instincts yet we are so far removed from that quiet voice within us that we can't hear it.

Anyway, this was not meant as a philosophy lesson, but rather a look into what my brain thinks about when I create. I really do see symbolism in almost every single piece of art, and this one is no different. Some see a pretty winter landscape, but for me, it represents something much more deep, as almost all of my art does. Sometimes when people come see me at the gallery and ask about the meaning of a piece or ask why I titled something the way I did, often they are surprised that there usually is a very long and thought out story behind each one.

Perhaps I just think too much.

Have a beautiful weekend. I am heading to Arts By the Bay Gallery today for my shift to work, so come on out and let's chat about art and thinking too much!  I will be there from 2:30PM until 6PM (I believe.) Otherwise, I will see you here on Monday!

xo

Wisely and Slow

Wisely, and slow. They stumble that run fast.

William Shakespeare

This is a digital painting created from a picture I took while traveling in Amish country.  I hope you enjoy it. <3

The Cage Without a Key

The fog is like a cage without a key.

Elizabeth Wurtzel

I haven't felt much like writing lately...so I will let the quotes and my creations speak for themselves. 

xo

Freezing Over

It is so pleasant to sit and do nothing-and therefore, so dangerous. 

Death through exhaustion is like death through freezing-a pleasant one.

Reinhold Messner

While driving through Lancaster county after our historic blizzard a few weeks back, I came across this silo in a farmer's field, spilling over a waterfall of frozen water. I've actually seen this same silo before, this scene duplicated about 2-3 years ago when I was driving along the same stretch of road. I've never seen another silo do this, so I don't have a clear explanation for why it spills this way. I'm guessing that without a top, it fills with rain water throughout the year and when winter hits, the water expands as it starts to freeze, pushing upward until spilling and creating this beautiful waterfall. Whatever the explanation, I love this scene. It reminds me of a lighthouse, the way it is up on the hill with long grasses blowing in the winter breeze...

Digitally painted and texturized, this has turned out to be one of my favorite pieces this winter. I hope you like it too.  

Happy Friday...have a great weekend and I will see you on the other side.

Amish Winter Sunday

Regrets over yesterday and the fear of tomorrow are twin thieves that rob us of the moment.

~Amish Proverb

Suzanne Woods Fisher

Amish Proverbs: Words of Wisdom from the Simple Life 

Have a beautiful Thursday. xo

Abandoned

Reality seems valueless by comparison 

with the dreams of fevered imaginations;

reality is therefore abandoned.

~Emile Durkheim

This is what my mantra has been lately with my art. Why stick with reality when I can instead create something from the dreams of my fevered imagination?

For example, why would I stick with the photograph I took (below) when I can transform it, and create a dream-like vision that speaks from my heart? Now, when I see with my eyes scenes like the one on the left, I actually envision the scene on the right in my mind. I've trained myself to "see" this way.

Before and after. Reality abandoned.

Have a wonderful day. Abandon reality and go with your fevered dreams.

xo

White Farm

Recently I have really begun to realize just how incredibly lucky I am to do what I love and to make money from art. Truly, if you think about it, how many people in the world do their soul's work for a living? I must admit, I can't support a family on what I am making with my art by any means, and I am thankful to my husband for being able to support us so well. But still, I never in my wildest dreams would have imagined that what I am doing would ever bring joy to others and sell to the public at the consistent rate. I still have so many professional goals to reach and maybe one day I will be able to make a wonderful consistent income from what I do with art. Right now, I still rely on real estate photography to make a huge portion of Nine Acres Designs, LLC's income but perhaps in the not too distant future that will change.

This weekend I received another phone call from Arts By the Bay Gallery in Havre de Grace saying they sold another piece of mine and that I was to bring in another one to replace it. How exciting! I currently have 12 new limited edition pieces ordered (and shipped) and awaiting the box is like anticipating Christmas morning for me. To actually see my digital art printed on Somerset Velvet paper with deep rich archival inks after creating and seeing my creations only on a digital screen is equivalent to that first buzz I got when I took my black and white film class and saw the images appear on the photo paper in the darkroom. It takes my breath away and brings me so much joy.

I hope your day is bringing you joy and that you can take a moment to appreciate all the blessings in your life.

xo

Lone Horse in the Snow

Happiness isn't a fixed point.

It's always in flux.

~Unknown

This quote is so true and it has taken me a long time to accept that life isn't always happy and life isn't always the way we want it to be. I've also learned, though, if I stop living in the future and start living right here and now, riding the waves of emotions is so much easier and more rewarding. I have eliminated a lot of worry from my life simply by choosing to focus on the now and not worrying about tomorrow. Because I am a planner, I always wanted to know what tomorrow would bring which, many times, caused worry and an unsettled feeling. Living here, now, and not fretting over what is to come has been a process of conscious choice for me. It isn't easy but it has saved my emotional well being. When I feel my thoughts moving into the future in a negative way, I stop that train of thought and refocus on now. It is training my mind to think very differently than I what I am used to.

I have tried to stop saying "I will never _________________" fill in the blank with things I physically can't do right now to "One day I will _________________ again." It all comes down to being able to wait and not lose hope.

Now, I must also retrain my brain not to live in the past as well ;) I am a work in progress.

The Season of Recovery

Winter is a season of recovery and preparation.

~Paul Theroux

I know many of you are sick and tired of the white stuff already (which is why I opted to post this colorful image today as opposed to more snow pictures), but keep in mind that winter is the season of recovery and preparation. It is a good time to reconnect with ourselves and also with our neighbors. I have been thrilled with how all of our neighbors are helping each other during the aftermath of the blizzard. While I am physically unable to do a lot of shoveling myself, I was able to contribute by feeding all the hard working neighbors who were out working in the cold all day yesterday. We are still not plowed out by the county, so my husband and other neighborhood men are out today with their tractor snowblowers and front end loaders clearing our road themselves. It may take them all day to make a path, but the county always leaves us for last, so sometimes if you want it done, you have to do it yourself. People need to return to work, go to doctor appointments, get to stores to replenish supplies, and in some cases, get to the airport for travel plans. So, they are out there working as a team to get it done. Also, please be sure to check on elderly neighbors to make sure they have what they need and have a path to get out in an emergency.

One thing I am proud of as a parent was, after watching me feed the working neighbors yesterday, my sixteen year old daughter came to me this morning to ask if she could bake a batch of blueberry muffins to take to the men today. Of course, I said yes. So happy she has a giving and kind heart and sees the value of contributing to a group effort. My oldest son is out with the men helping unbury everyone. I am thankful that I am raising children that contribute positively to society. It is all a mama could ask for. 

Hope everyone is safe, warm, and comfortable. 

Hugs

xo

For the Inactive Windmills

For the inactive windmills, even the winds from the bird wings is a hope.

~Mehmet Murat Ildan

Hope:

1.  to cherish a desire with anticipation

2.  to desire with expectation of obtainment

3.  to expect with confidence

For such a small word, it holds not only the world on its shoulders, but also the slow burning glimmer that lives inside each soul. Four letters spells out such a broad, sweeping concept. 

Even the winds from the bird wings is a hope...

Keep hoping because as long as hope is alive, so are we.

xo

P.S. Here's to hoping we get some snow soon, y'all.  You know I love the white stuff.