I don’t necessarily need to explain this shot, but I will. What stands out is that glass display cabinet filled with an array of artistic ceramic pieces and sculptures, complemented by a person seated at a table in the background. To begin the story, I had been cutting my paper – it’s large, high-quality paper that we have to cut ourselves to fit the size we need for our graphic prints. As I made my way back to my chair, I caught sight of the lady visible through the glass, along with the subtle reflections and shadows. Now you understand why I captured the shot; it has an artistic feel, indeed, and it includes those intriguing shadows.
A glimpse of an art studio showcasing various handmade ceramic pieces and sculptures
Artistic reflections in a glass display showcasing pottery and sculpture, with an artist visible in the background. Doesn’t that hedgehog look kind of sadP
As Ann-Christine wrote; This week we are starting to look back… each month or maybe every 6 weeks, one of us in the LAPC – team will repeat a PREVIOUSLY USED subject for the week. We will share a link to the old post, and then create a new post on the same subject. This will also give us all a chance to address challenges we may not have done before.
The creativity that has flowed through this group is nothing short of amazing! Over the years, I’ve been fortunate to see the innovative ideas and the contagious enthusiasm of so many talented photographers. Even though I haven’t participated in these challenges from the beginning, I’ve truly felt the heartbeat of this incredible community, where support and inspiration beautifully spark joy. After observing for a while, I finally decided to join in, inspired by the wonderful posts created within this community. Thank you, Ann-Christine, for inviting us to reflect on the earlier days of this challenge with your lovely theme and for sharing your beautiful post from back then Creativity in the first post, #42, as well as the one you created for us this week.
This week, my heart is full of excitement as I decide to raise my own tail and share the delightful creative pursuits that ignite my passion! While I may have strayed a bit lately, I’m determined to rediscover the joy of creating. Whether it’s painting, sculpting, or aquarelle painting, time spent creating with my own hands fills me with happiness.
A young girl in a red outfit gazes thoughtfully over her shoulder, surrounded by vibrant pink flowers. Creativity is also to see something worth a click on the camera to capture a moment and the editing process so it tells the story as you saw it.
I am happy to share my little “masterpieces” 😂 with you all! Most of my art I am not happy with, and whenever I come across old paintings I’ve done, I see SO much need for improvement. They may have seemed okay at the time, but now, in hindsight, I realize there are countless aspects that could be enhanced. The colors, the technique, the composition—there’s always something I wish I could change. Despite this, I can genuinely say I enjoyed the creative process of making them at the time. Then there are certain pieces that stand out, ones that I can proudly say are truly mine. These artworks still look good to me and I achieved what I aimed for.
First thing was drawing – I don’t remember when I haven’t done that. Here is one sample done with pastel colors. I have always loved to draw faces as well as photograph them 🙂 As I have moved a lot from early age, I am sad to say my earlier drawing were lost in the process. It would be lovely at this age my work from my teenage years. I have only few left…
A portrait done pastel, this was one of my favorite mediums earlier on, drawing evolved from drawing with pencil and coal to pastel colors.
In 2011, I dedicated myself to mastering oil painting, achieving mixed results—some pieces I was happy of, while others fell short of my expectations. I shared a handful of these works on my original blog, which I still maintain, though I haven’t kept it updated regularly. If you’re interested, feel free to check out some of my attempts in my art blog as I did a repost of one of my earlier post from 2011. The one below I still like in all of its simplicity.
An oil painting depicting a tranquil body of water surrounded by lush greenery and a cloudy sky.
I was super into mixed media art for a long time, diving headfirst into this colorful world of creativity and expression. I mixed my art with old and new photos to create cool images that touched on different themes like nature, feelings, and my own experiences. My passion for color, which is a big part of these fun and layered pieces, really brought each artwork to life, letting people connect with it emotionally. The mix of textures and materials gave depth to everything, making each piece a one-of-a-kind reflection of my artistic journey and a shoutout to the beauty around us. While I was combining all these elements, I realized each creation had its own story, encouraging others to explore the layers of meaning and inspiration I was excited to share through my creative vision.
A vibrant mixed media artwork featuring colorful birds in flight and a close-up of a feline face, blending elements of nature and abstract art. If you wish to see more of m mixed media art here is a link to my portfolio
A collection of sculptures, works of my creativity. I loved sculpting figures in various poses and textures. These are few that I can show with confidence 😀
Then I also dabbled a bit in sculpture; it’s a wonderfully relaxing and almost meditative form of creativity that offers an escape from the hustle and bustle of daily life. You can feel the clay beneath your fingers, its texture smooth yet malleable, inviting your imagination to take flight. Before you know it, you lose track of time, allowing your hands to work deftly while clearing your mind of distractions. As you mold and shape, the scent of the clay becomes a part of the experience, grounding you in the moment. The only thought is about where to add more clay to bring your envisioned result to life, each decision guided by an intuitive understanding of balance and form. This process not only enhances your creative expression but also fosters a deep sense of satisfaction and connection with the material. The joy of watching something take shape under your hands is simply unparalleled, leaving you rejuvenated and inspired.
A watercolor painting depicting a landscape with soft hues of green and blue.
As an artist, I find watercolor painting to be both exhilarating and frustrating. I have just recently ventured this with some confidence. The fluidity of the medium is a double-edged sword; mastering the right water-to-pigment ratio takes time and practice. Too much water can wash out the vibrancy I strive for, while too little leads to harsh lines that just don’t feel right. Watercolors have a mind of their own—they blend and react in ways I might not anticipate, which can either be a delightful surprise or a source of frustration, depending on how it goes. But despite these challenges, there’s something magical about watercolor. It captures light in a way that few mediums can.
A collection of graphic monotype artworks showcasing textures and blending of colors.
Graphic monotype is a captivating printmaking technique that allows for spontaneous creativity, combining the fluidity of painting with the tactile experience of print. Although I’ve pursued it for several years, achieving the precise results I envision remains a challenge. Each print is unique, offering a beautiful surprise in texture and form, which makes the process both frustrating and exhilarating. The unpredictability and chance elements inherent in monotyping stimulate my artistic expression and keep me returning to this vibrant medium.
Thanks for last week’s challenge Anne,and everyone who participated in the challenge; reflections are a topic so many of us love and I saw lots of beautiful, creative reflections. Lens-Artists are on a short break for a week, but we invite you to join us Saturday July 12 at noon Eastern Time, when our guest host SH will be your guide. Until then, keep on smiling.
For information on how to join the Lens-Artists challenge please click here.
Lens-Artists Photography Challenge #238 – Alone Time. Ann-Christine host this week, see her blog for more Leya her take on topic : Alone time means time spent by an individual or a couple apart from others. It is often used to ground oneself, or to do something creative.
Alone time, yes, absolutely needed and often taken. I like sit on my sauna patio at my summer house , we built these windows on the sides of the patio to shild us from the north wind. It is a lovely place to sit watch the clouds, trees and enjoy the sunshine and listen to the birds and wind blowing in the trees.
It is a joy, I find myself enjoying alone frequently. Silence, my own thoughts and the warmth of sun.
Time spent ,alone, in art galleries, painting in the nature ( that’s not me, but someone else doing the same thing- alone) Listening to music, or as this young man does, doing music. Sitting in a cafe watching people go by, this one is so much fun. Going through your news in the park… biking, swimming . I enjoy these, and apparently others have been seen to do so too. These are great places to enjoy alone time, would you agree?
Alone time can be a state of mind, you can be in company and still be able to be alone.
It happens that I spend lots of time on my own. I take photos alone, mostly. Edit them alone. I find doing sculpture to be a great time to relax in company, but totally alone in my own bubble. Below you can see some of my creations I’ve done on my alone time in various art forms. I also love to sing, but I am not posting a sample of it, I’m not a bad singer, not a great one. It is like all other art forms it needs to be done often to keep it in any shape. My motto is is something Picasso has said: Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working. I find this to be SO true.
Driving the car in any weather, watching the scenery and clouds, listening to music. Stopping for coffee. Sitting in the hammock … Slow mornings, with my cat as company.
As I’ve stated before I am not a very technical photographer, more into composition, mood. I do my magic on the edit table mostly, if you can call it magic, more like my interpretation of places and people. I am also not one to write all that much, let the photos speack for themselves.
I have two cameras an old reliable SONY SLT-A65V, and I have two lences I use with it one for Macro Sony Macro 2.8/50 and portraits. The other for nearly everything a Sony 18-200mm.
The Sony has been in less use since I bought a new lighter one to carry around, its a Olympus E-M10 Mark II with a 14-150mm lense and I have a OM-D M.ZUIKO DIGITAL 45mm 1:1.8 for street and portrait photography
Yesterday was dark, rainy all day. Not my favorite weather. While at work I found those green lollipops, to help with my quest for green. I am doing my best not to use my archives for green. I do this to keep me going, being active, presenting myself everyday with a challenge to find green.
Today I chose to take photos of a sculpture, I am repeating myself again, I did years ago. I think I did these on my second year of studying sculpture. It is green and it helped me out of my search for today. Happy Thursday everyone.
Our favorite month, November! This year we’ll get rid of gray by painting the month in green. Lepis from Parallel lineshas hosted this challenge for years, I have been part of it for several years too, feel free to join us 🙂
Open your world to a green November and enjoy your creativity. How you do it is free as long as it’s green!
This years sculptures are done, maybe I will add some shine to them. My husband needs to build a stand for them, then they are totally a finished artwork. One more piece is ready, but I need to take a photo of it. These are just snaps with my mobile, but it will give you the idea 🙂
I have been studying sculpture for about five years, I had few years break now I am back again at it. The process it self is meditative, you just concentrate on the clay and what you can do with it, sometimes with frustrations, as it does not in anyway resemblance what you are trying to achieve. At times, you get into a flow and time just passes without noticing. Until, well, your shoulders burn after three hours of concentration in a same position. your mind free of any outside, mundane or worrisome thoughts. Here is a piece in process and one, finally ready and some figures waiting to be burned.
Our next stop is Paso Robles, A Wine Lover’s Paradise. We stayed one night and visited Sculpterra Winery & Sculpture Garden and Tooth and Nail Winery ( my next post). These are from Sculpterra our first pick. It had a lovely atmosphere, serene, musicians playing in the garden. I really enjoyed our visit.
Ritva Sillanmäki Photography 