Leopard Glen 2009

quartermainep.87

This piece is all about the colour.
Taupe and lilac and apple green.


I first saw taupe and lavender/lilac
together on the pages of the book
about British fabric designer Carolyn
Quartermaine named Carolyn
Quartermaine Revealed (p.86,p87).
(see above)


I thought it looked marvelous and
whenever I think of re-decorating
my home it is one of the colour
combinations I favour.

BrinsonHB2010

Imagine my delight when the

Dec./Jan. 2010 issue of

House Beautiful featured

taupe and lilac on the front cover

and inside the issue on a feature

article on the home of Atlanta

designer Jill Brinson (see above).



I decided to do a folk art piece
with the colourway (see below) and so
that was the process I went through.
I added apple green.

leopardglen2009

Hope that you enjoy this image.

Have a pay-attention-to-the-
steps-on-the-way kind of day.

Helen.

Xmas tree 2009

Xmastree 2009

I have been contemplating what

image to use as my christmas card

to family and friends this year.

I had some photographs of christmasy

images from 2006 such as pear ornaments,

wreaths and christmas trees. I also had

folk art angels from 2008. And some

very strong folk art christmas trees

also from 2008

Ultimately I decided to create a new image.

This abstract tree for today builds from my

pick up stix abstract of yesterday.

I quite like it and am ordering the

images as christmas cards today.

See what you think.

If something isn't perfect

create something new.

Helen.

PickUpStix 2009

PickupStix2009


I have a muse. She sends me images
generally as I fall asleep or as I wake
up when my consciousness is softer.

This image came from her this morning.
I saw a yellow background with sticks
scattered vertically of different hues.
The sticks had different angles.

Luckily I recorded the image right away
and decided to paint it almost immediately.

Hope that you enjoy this image.

Have a contemplate-the-
universe kind of day.

Helen.

November raindrops

Novemberraindrops012009

Novemberraindrops022009

Novemberraindrops032009

Today I felt rather restless inside the house.

It was raining outside and so I thought well

I will just go and catch a few shots of dead

flowers as the basis of a series of drawings

despite the rain.

Unfortunately there was not much to see.

However I noticed these rain droplets on

branches and thought I would try to capture them.

These 3 images are my best shots. In the image

with the finest most delicate branches

(Novemberraindrops032009) the

rain drops look like shimmering diamonds.

Hope that you enjoy these images.

Helen.

Model Beauty 2009

Modelbeauty2009

This piece continues my faces.

Hope that you enjoy this image.

Have a work-as-hard as you

can kind of day.

Helen.

Top model 2009

Topmodel2009

This image continues my work

on faces.

Not much to say about it.

It is what it is.

Hope that you enjoy this

image.

Have an enjoy-your-children-

if-you-have-children

kind of day.

Helen.

Blue Leopard 2009

Blueleopard2009

I wanted to capture a folk art image

of a leopard in a tree. This particular

leopard wanted to be blue.

It is a very stylized image. Almost

Asian in feel.

I am very pleased with this

leopard series.

Hope that you enjoy this image.

Have an enjoy the last-days-of-

fall kind of day.

Helen.

Rembrandt 2009

Rembrandt012009

I had worked on my folk art paintings

for a few days and neglected my

photography. I found that I missed

the photography and needed to get back to it.

I find there are fewer subjects outdoors

this time of year as we are really between

seasons.

The leaves are down but we aren't getting

snowfalls just yet.

I had noticed these beautiful

multi-coloured fall leaves on

a walk and returned to take some

shots.

Using my Freeman Patterson

motion technique I got some shots

of multi-coloured leaves, purple asters,

and red berries.

This image is multi-coloured leaves

against a stone wall. To me

the colours look like a Rembrandt

painting.

Hope that you enjoy this image.

Have a generous-hearted kind

of day.

Helen.

Heavenly Leopard 2009

Heavenly Leopard 2009

Another leopard in clouds.

The colours came to me pretty readily

and easily for this image.

Hope that you enjoy this image.

Have a grateful-for-small-miracles

kind of day.

Helen.

Celestial Leopard 2009

celestialleopard2009

I read several home decor, photography

and fashion magazines on an ongoing basis.

One such magazine mentionned images of clouds

as a current trend in home decor.

I thought "Oh I see, I see a leopard

sitting in the clouds". So I added another

piece to my leopard series. The choice of

colours didn't come quite as easily as

yesterday's piece "Leopard Vision".

I am pleased with the final piece however.

The actual cloud shapes were taken from one

of my own photographs.

Hope that you enjoy this image.

It is labelled Celestial Leopard.

Have a watch-for-signs-of-the-

celestial kind of day.

Helen.

Leopard Vision 2009

Leopardvision2009

I have wanted to paint an image
of a leopard for quite some time.

I am quite pleased with this image of
a leopard in profile. The colours of orange,
aqua and soft green just came to me
out of the blue and so I
titled the piece "leopard vision'.

Hope that you enjoy this image.

Have a pick-your-battles
-carefully kind of day.

Helen.

Leopard Glade 2009

Leopardglade2009

This piece was insistent that it wanted

to be pink.

I would love to see it enlarged

and mounted on a wall in a room.

Almost like a mural image.

Just a panel.

Hope that you enjoy this image.

Have a hang-onto-hopes-

and-dreams kind of day.

Helen.

Leopard Woods 2009

Leopardwoods2009

I returned to my leopardskin spots

for this image. I saw a blue background

with red marks. Simply making marks

on a page. When I started the painting

the lilac purple and yellow green

suggested themselves.

Is making marks on a page

a primitive need? An evolutionary

drive? I certainly experience it as

a drive.

Hope that you enjoy this image.

Have a let-your-unconscious-take

-the-lead kind of day.

Helen.

Leopard Tree 2009

LeopardTree2009

Around 4:00 p.m. today (Sunday) I got

the impulse to do an abstract painting.

All I could see was the yellow background.

It is like being psychic you just see a colour

whether for interior decor or a painting.

I painted the yellow background and fooled around

putting marks on a page. The first effort didn't

work but I liked some marks that looked

like leopard-skin spots.I kept the leopard-skin

spots and made a second painting that

I am pleased with. It is called Leopard

tree. It features spots that cascade

like leaves.

Hope that you enjoy this image.

Have a nurture-your-creativity

kind of day.

Helen.

Folk Art revisited 2009

Mystery2009

I returned to folk art today.

I really enjoyed the creative process

of making this painting. I always love

sketching and then colour selection

for the piece.

I enjoy drawing faces although it might

not be my strongest talent.

Hope that you enjoy this image.

Have a find-the-joy in your life

kind of day.

Helen.

Autumn Finale 2009

Autumnremnant012009

Autumnremnant022009

Autumn

Autumn , a thinker's season

subtle shifts of temperature and light

Fall colours to delight

Hanging on to ward of winter's might

Autumn ushers out summer

Watch leaves fall as trees stripped bare

brace for winter's blast and no

longer devil may care

A season for the intellect

Helen Louisy

The Visual Poetry of James Bleecker cont'd.

JamesBleeckerportrait

Well, James Bleecker set up a bit of

an e-mail correspondence with me.

He seems utterly pleasant and gracious.

For a bit more background he trained

at the Rhode Island School of Design.

He took top honours in his academic

work and for this he was awarded the Bo

Bernstein award.

He has done alot of important work for museums

and public collections as

well as his own fine art photography.

I have enclosed a few more of his photographs

including a picture of James himself.

JamesBleecker-"UrnwithGeraniums,TuxedoPark"

JamesBleecker-"Leaves"JamesBleecker-"NewConcord"James Bleecker-"Allee"


His work to me looks like visual poems.

Some critical praise states:

"Bleecker's work is powerful and mature.
Technically perfect and rigorously composed,
his photographs reduce you to tears by
their beauty".

Edgar Munhall, Curator Emeritus, The Frick Collection


To see more of James' work see his
web-site at www.jamesbleecker.com.

He can be contacted directly at

James Bleecker Photography
40 Fifth Avenue, 5D
New York, NY 10011
(212)-473-7533
James@JamesBleecker.com


Hope that you enjoyed these images
hence enjoyed seeing more of James work.

Helen.

Pink Motion 2009

pinkmotion012009

pinkmotion022009

pinkmotion032009

pinkmotion042009

pimkmotion052009

Well. I studied Freeman Patterson's motion

technique again. Freeman is an internationally

recognized photographer residing in New Brunswick.

He teaches photography workshops and is a

prolific author. My resource is his book

'the garden' 2008 -Toronto: Prospero Books.

He doesn't quite do my recent abstracts.

So I slowed down the motion of the camera

for these shots and am thrilled with the results.

My shots remind me of some powerful work

by a photographer named Karen Rowantree.

The Jo Beale gallery in Peggy's Cove,

Nova Scotia exhibits her work

(see http://www.jobealegallery.net/).

The work my shots are reminiscent of is

from a series named Wind Study by Rowantree.

Gallery owner Jo Beale is a fine artist in

her own right and the gallery is on

the ground floor of her home.

The motion on my shots creates a bit of a

spinning effect like Rowantree's wind.

Hope that you enjoy these images.

Have a do-small-acts-of-kindness

kind of day.

Helen.

Winter Poem 2009

novnatural012009

novnatural022009

novnatural032009

novnatural042009

novnatural052009

novnatural062009

Winter

Winter shows it's icy face

for storms one must brace

for chill one must prepare

and see your breath in frosty air

to see the world at rest

will find winter's best

clear air and snowy skies

another season in it's guise

Helen Louisy.

Hedged 2009

Hedged012009

Hedged022009

Hedged032009

Hedged042009

Hedged052009

Hedged062009

These images are motion shots of

a brightly coloured hedge. The colours

are reminiscent of Christmas with bright

red berries and colourful leaves.

Hope that you enjoy these images.

Have a gearing-up-for-Christmas

kind of day

Helen.

Impressionism continued 2009

impressionismcont'd2009

What I like about the Freeman Patterson

motion technique is the impressionistic shots

it creates.

This image could pass as an impressionistic

or abstract painting.

Fighting not to pause the motion

to press the button on the camera

and take the shot is very challenging.

My subject was red and pink fall

leaves on a sidewalk. Hence

the beautiful colours in this shot.

Hope that you enjoy this image.

Have a get-started-on-Christmas

kind of day.

Helen.

James Bleecker - Photographer

jamesbleecker012009

jamesbleecker022009

Today, I came across a new photographer.

Profiled on katie-d-i-d.blogspot.com

(05/11/09) his name is James Bleecker.

He is a 14th generation New Yorker.

Jame's work centres on New York

streetscapes, architecture and interiors.

To see his portfolio, he shoots in sepia

primarily, see his web-site at

http://www.jamesbleecker.com/.

He appears greatly talented and

above are 2 of the shots I favoured.

I especially responded to the shot of

the columns and the spray of leaves

on the left-hand corner of the image.

Have a stay-out-of-the-rain

kind of day.

Helen .

November sunrise 2009

Novembertriptych2009

Novembersunrise022009

Capturing this sunrise was serendipity.

I was on my way to try and capture trees

with sparse leaves and spotted the sun

shining through clouds early yesterday

morning. I pulled a fast righthand turn

and practically ran to capture the image

as sunrise configurations are fleeting.

When I got home and printed the images

out they were even stronger than I

recognized at the scene. So I am very

pleased with the results.

As luck would have it I couldn't find

a tree with sparse leaves of the

description I wanted

and came up empty in that regard.

So pure serendipity.

Doing photography means seeing

your surroundings as shots to capture.

I am generally always alert

to shots.

Have a hope-serendipity-finds-

you kind of day.

Helen.

November abstract 2009

abstract032009

This image came to me this morning.

An aqua backdrop with a yellow

and a pink lightning strike line.

When an image comes to me it has no reference

in the real world. It is solely borne of my

imagination.

Hope that you enjoy this image.

Have a treasure the small-moments-

kind of day.

Helen.

Laura Hollick-Soul artist

I was researching an art gallery in Ontario and

came across the work of artist Laura Hollick.

Based in Hamilton, Ontario she has a studio

dedicated to her work of teaching creativity

and spirituality. She is referred to as a soul artist.

She does art installations often using herself

in costume as a model. She draws and paints.

She teachs classes on creativity and how to access

your soul. She has a radio show covering

artists. She exhibits her art.

One of her quotes that struck me

is as follows:

"your life is your soul's art,

create your masterpiece-create

yourself"

Here is some of her work:

Sketch for 'hook your dreams':

"If you want to hook your dreams

you need some really good bait.

The best bait for your dreams is

your full flowering attention"

Sketch for let 'yourself be lifted':

"Let yourself be lifted and stretch

into your potential"

Concept sketch for Winter Tree:

Then an art installation

named 'Winter Tree"

"If you trace our roots

the very essence, you find

we are all connected. On

a deep level I am a tree and

birds perch on my arms.

In the land of the

imaginative heart, I am

connected with spirit and earth."

Laura strikes me as a tremendous talent.

To find out about her and see more of

her work see her web-site

at www.soulartstudio.com.

Helen.