In Remembrance
It is the fifteenth anniversary of 9/11, and it still hurts to look at the images from that day. I continue to wish peace and healing to all those who suffered and who continue to suffer pain and loss as a result of the horrific events on that day.
Live A Great Story
Recently, Joe and I visited the Salton Sea in southern CA. It’s a place I’ve been wanting to see and photograph, having seen others’ photos and having read about the place. While it’s true that the Salton Sea in July with 115 degree temps making the annual fish kill stench even more potent (it took several margaritas to get the smell out of my nose, my mouth, my lungs), may not be the optimal time to visit that place, but I still found many of the abandoned houses and structures in small villages around the lake provided compelling images. The door to one of these houses sported this sign, making me wonder about the story surrounding this particular structure.
Solitary Candle
In the wake of the massacre in Orlando, it’s hard to find words to express the profound sorrow, the shock, the incredulity, the anger……
Old Spines
I was inspired by some of the work of photographer Kenneth Josephson after seeing one of his images in Harper’s Magazine. His book The Light of Coincidence is a terrific collection of his work, and while browsing through its pages, I find we have similar aesthetic sensibilities.
Paper Bags
Raven Tool
This morning I watched as a raven went to great pains to remove this twig from the mulberry tree in our back yard. Why was he so intent on this task, even while being bombarded by an irate mockingbird? When he finally freed the twig from the branch, he held it in his beak for a moment before letting it drop to the patio below him. After a moment or two, he simply flew off. Was he going to use this twig as a tool, but decided to find a better one? After he left, I went outside and picked it up. It didn’t seem suitable for a nest-building project. Bit of a mystery here……
In a neurotic, tumultuous, sometimes violent election cycle that dominates the news, in the midst of the bombardment of robo calls invading our home every single day, it’s a relief to ponder simpler mysteries (simple from my point of view…..I can’t speak for the raven). I keep this twig next to my laptop as a reminder that most of life occurs outside any given news cycle.
Anemone
Most of the time, the only music I listen to is jazz or classical, or some recommended artist. I don’t spend much time in the world of sound beyond having it as a backdrop to whatever I’m doing. Recently, I discovered a young sound artist who posts his work in places like SoundCloud because he began using an image of mine as his website header. I reached out to him about the image use, and in the process, I began listening to his work. Seakrecy creates tracks that are beautiful, mournful, haunting, and sometimes provoking. I’ve never had an image of mine paired with sound before, and it makes me look at my work differently…..it makes me hear an image.
This particular image accompanies his track, “Only Time Can Tell.” Audible poetry.
Drops
Let the rain kiss you. Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops. Let the rain sing you a lullaby.
Langston Hughes
Towhee in the Rain
Finally raining in a rain-deprived land.
Peace On Earth
As much as it has almost become a cliche, peace on earth, as a reality, remains elusive, but we have to believe it’s still possible. Big peace takes time, but little moments of peace are always possible–like not getting enraged every time someone cuts you off on the freeway, or someone butts in front of you in a line. I try to remind myself I never know what’s going on in another person’s life that drives their behavior. Yes, I still yell at bad freeway drivers, but I try to reign in my animosity and give other humans the benefit of the doubt. I know I’m grateful for every time someone does that for me. Little moments of peace–we can all create those, and perhaps they will begin to add up, so that rudeness and lack of compassion become the exception and not the norm.
Dragon Fruit
Dragon Tongue Beans
Bitter Melons
I buy fruits and vegetables just so I can photograph them. Is there a twelve-step program for this? While many times we’ll eventually eat the subject, we did not eat the melons, or the beans (which do taste like regular string beans), or the dragon fruit (although I like dragon fruit).
It’s difficult to go through a farmer’s market without my camera, and with it, Joe is forced to carry all our purchases. A question I hear more and more when I load up a bag with some unusual (for us) items: “Are we actually going to eat this?” I don’t see this ending anytime soon. I fall in love with organic shapes and textures and the way they hold the light.
My name is Kristina and I am powerless over produce.
Redzenradish Photography 