Don't Fence Me In

  It happened again.  I've described in the past how I will stop and be focused on something that caught my eye.  I'll take several photos, get just the right angle or wait for the light, only to turn and find what I was supposed to be looking at in the first place looking back at me.  That's what happened with this lady.  I was looking at the birds on my right only to turn around and burst out laughing at the Black Baldy checking me out.  Lesson reinforced. Pay attention.  Look for what you may have missed.

Be Well friend,

Farm Stand

     We got out in our self contained, rolling, quarantine, KIA bubble yesterday.  It felt good to run the roads and see things we didn't remember.  It was surprising how good it felt to find this simple vegetable stand at the roadside in front of a farm.  While we are well into garden season here it is a bit early for this much lush abundance from a home grown garden but still, the same Pavlovian response was sparked.  When removed from the packaged, industrialized feel of the mega grocery store the vegetables felt like real treasures.  Vitamin jewels of healthiness. Wholesomeness even.  No doubt as our garden comes on I will be sharing each vegetable victory with you all.  Cheering someone else's growth is almost as health giving and growing yourself.  Wow, how about that veggie metaphor.  Lean into nostalgia folks it feels good.  

Be Well,

      

2020 Art Show Schedule

The 2019 Adventure begins

What an absolutely wonderful year last year has been for me professionally.  I expect new and exciting adventures to follow this year.  Along with continuing the #WindowFramed series that you'll be able to find at the art shows I attend and upcoming retail venues, I am expanding to offer private commissions for folks looking to have me create a one of a kind fine art photograph just for them.  So many of you have asked if this was possible that I decided that YES, yes it is possible.  Here's what I'll be sharing when someone asks me if .....

If this sounds like something you've been dreaming of doing, maybe the cell phone photos you take just don't do your home place, deer lease, lake house or river side justice, then allow me to create that piece of art that will.  Until my show season goes into full swing starting in March I'll be offering an introductory price with the session fee of only $200. 

 

I hope you are as excited about the upcoming year as I am!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here's where I'll be

 

 

It has been a busy year so far and is only going to get busier.  I hope you get to see my work at one of these upcoming venues.  The "WindowFramed" project really is a labor of love and the love I'm getting back from it is making the hard work worth while.  Even if you don't make it into some of these upcoming events please go check out the artwork of the other wonderful artists that will be there.  

 

 

As summer wanes

 

Summer is on the way out.  You hear that summer? Let's have some cooler weather please.  Rumor has it we will see some 60's this week.  It's hard to work up the excitement to get out and shoot when its silly hot out.  Hence the above night shoot and the lovely, quirky dairy cows from New Mexico.

 



 I did find some gems while traveling to a show in Temple a couple of weeks ago.  Has anyone visited the historic town of Bartlett?  It deserves more time and its on my list to visit when I can walk around and find all the hidden gems like this doorway.

 

But before that happens I've got two weeks to spend in Tuscany.  This will be my second visit to Italy and I'm getting pretty excited.  I'll be braced this time for the cinema like shockwave that hits when I step off the plane.  I'll be posting mostly on Instagram while traveling and will update everywhere else once I'm back home.

 

 

Here's what is on the books for upcoming shows for the rest of the year.

 

Sept 16  Blanco Saturday Market on the square

Oct  21  Blanco Saturday Market on the square

Nov 4    Utopia Art show

Nov 25  Comfort Christmas Market

Dec 1,2  Castroville Old Time Christmas Show

 

As always, if you see an image you'd like to make part of your home,office or business place and can't find it in my Etsy shops, let me know.  We can make it happen.

 

Until next time my friend.  Stay open and see what you can see around you.

 

 



Happenings

Still seeing

Old Tony Lama


     2017 is here and I've noticed that my perspective on things hasn't changed.  I'm still drawn to that one thing in the landscape that is out of place and catches my eye.  That one herd of animals with something to say.



 

 

    The quirky, the fun, the off center, the truly lovely and the spark of a dream all still speak to me. 

 

 

 

    This makes me hopeful.  These are things that make me happy and these things make a scary world a better place. I hope that you find those things that will make 2017 that for you as well. 

 

 

Coming soon, an updated schedule of venues where I'll be sharing my work in person in the coming year. Stay tuned!

 

Talk to you soon,

 

 

 

What's next?

 

 

Come see me at the Blanco Lavender Festival.  This summer is starting off surprisingly mild and green.  This is the perfect weekend to get some shopping done in the lovely outdoors before the a/c begins to rule our days.

 

Details on the Southwest adventure to come in my next post.

 

See you soon,

 

Kim

What's On?

Hi Friend!

This is what I've been up to lately.  Spring is a busy time in this part of the world for festivals and arts shows.  We like to get them started before the big heat and humidity set in for the summer.  This last Saturday I spent the day at The King William Fair in the historic King William neighborhood just south of downtown San Antonio.  What a joy it was.  So many happy people.  Beautiful weather and setting.  I was lucky to have my sister along to help out with everything.  I couldn't have done it without her.

I always enjoy finding out what images are most popular at any given show. This weekend it was an all time favorite  I'm Your Biggest Fan

Followed closely by a variety of Longhorns

 

 

This coming Friday and Saturday I'll be at the Wings Over the Hills Nature Festival In Fredericksburg Texas.  The vendor hall is free and open to the public all day.  So come get your nature on and spend some time in the beautiful Texas hill country where not all the wildlife wears boots.

 

Some upcoming venues to find me will be:

 

May Kerrville Festival of the Arts-Memorial Day weekend

June Blanco Lavender Festival 10th 11th and 12th

July Ruidoso New Mexico Ruidoso Art Fair 22nd 23rd and 24th

 

More details on those events as we get closer.

 

It is such a joy to get to meet with folks and see them fall in love with an image and talk about where I found that and the stories behind them. I hope I get to see you at an upcoming event soon.

We'll talk again soon-

Kim



Water Fairy Fence

Water Fairy Fence

 

 

 

I was out and about yesterday on a "go see".  Mom was riding shotgun and we determined that we must have found every low water crossing in Medina and Bandera counties.  This particular crossing told me a story as the clear water rushed by under the car.

 

 

I imagined how hard it must be for the water folk to deal with the flash floods that frequent this part of Texas.  I could see them reaching out to the local rancher and asking for his help.  They kept losing folk to the rushing water and many downstream relocation's had been required. Could he do anything to help a fairy out?  The rancher ended up stringing a fence line across the stream to provide the little ones a chance to grab hold and ride out the rising water.

 

 

From now on I'll view this fencing differently.  No longer will it be an obstacle to shoot around in my photographs but a much needed aid in this and other worlds.

 

 

I'll be talking to you again soon and in the mean time....why not let your imagination off the leash?

 

 









Faerie Spring

Rural Route

Spring Swing

Rolling in the Deep

 

Hello Friend-

 

It has been a while since I last checked in with you.  In the mean time Spring came around again as you can see from the images above.  South Texas looks like the fields started the Fiesta early and are sharing their beauty with us all.

 

February 1st my Dad passed away.  He had been living with lung cancer this last year. I'm so glad I was in a place that I had all the time I needed to help him and Mom out as the year continued.  My leaving work happened at the opportune time.  I know I couldn't have coped with everything and a high stress job as well.  Things happen for reasons, and blessings come in many forms.  I wouldn't give back this time for anything.  I have described to friends that it felt like I had been walking into a stiff wind for a long time and suddenly the wind stopped blowing.  I'm in the midst of getting my balance back and part of that is getting involved here again.  Many thanks to all who provided a wind break through out the year whether physical, cyber or just with positive thoughts, all were felt.

 

 

So, what's on tap for me?  Well, this weekend I'll be selling my work at the 43rd annual Starving Artist Art Show and Sale in LaVillita in downtown San Antonio.  I'm returning again to my beloved Scotland at the end of August with my dear friends at www.scottishdreamtours.com .  I'm on the look out for more show opportunities and more travel as always.  I'm continuing to sell my work in my two Etsy shops www.kclarkphotography.etsy.com and www.kclarkwest.etsy.com  . You can check out links in the column on the right side of the page.  I'm always happy to work on custom orders if you've seen something here or on Flickr that isn't in the shops.   Oh, and I'm also planning to get my own website up and running as well.  Add that to my "to do" list please.  Gotta love a good list.

 

 

I'll be talking to you soon.

 

All the best,

 

Kim

Spring Springing Sprung

  It is finally Spring here in South Texas.  If you are a local you know that means wildflowers.  Some years are better than others, for some magical rain, cold, two years ago heat wave, reason.  So when the winter chill starts to leave us it is like we all get a chance to play the wildflower lottery.  Our state wide scratch off game gets rolling and everybody wins.

  I took a drive east of San Antonio the other day looking to see what I cold see.  The Indian Paint Brush were out in force. Not many Bluebonnets out yet but they may still make an appearance. 

 

 

 

     I think one of my favorite aspects of the wildflowers in our area is the fact that they grow in inhospitable places.  Sandy fields full of stickers (yes, I'm still recovering from my weeble like wallow in them).  Neglected road sides that aren't tended other than by industrial mowers maybe once a year.  There isn't anyone out there watering the roads sides or babying these beauties along.  They are going about their business despite us and with a little help from Ladybird Johnson.

 



 

 

   It has seemed like a long winter here and yes I know I'm a total weather wimp and wouldn't last a week in the frozen North, despite spending formative years in Alaska.  But like Arizona has a dry heat, we tend to have a damp cold and I was ready for Spring to arrive.  These fields of color are our compensation for cold without the pretty snow and too hot summers that aren't met with the same joy that others seem to get out of it.  Spring and Fall seem to be the Goldilocks of weather for me. Not too hot, not too cold,  but just right.

 



 

     So if you are lucky enough to live here or be driving through here in the next few weeks or so.  Stop and enjoy the beauty.  Mind the stickers and for goodness sakes the snakes.  Do pull over and enjoy the view.  It won't be exactly the same next year and hardly ever in the same spot.  Let the Wildflower lottery commence!

Vacilando

 

I'm in the process of reading Travels with Charley by John Steinbeck.  I can't tell you what a chord this has struck with me.  Perhaps it reminds me of my young life living in Alaska and camping out most weekends during the summer.  Maybe he is capturing they same feelings I'm having now when I MUST "go and see".  For whatever reason I am thoroughly enjoying it.  About 22% in (thank you Kindle for the lack of page numbers) he describes the word vacilando.  Its a Spanish word that doesn't really have an English equivalent.  He says, "if one is vacilando, he is going somewhere but doesn't greatly care whether or not he gets there, although he has direction.  This so closely describes my "go and see" trips that I actually said "exactly!" out loud when I read it.

I'm on an Easter egg hunt, a visual troll using my imagination as bait. I hit the high planes west of San Antonio last weekend and came across cows in the winter scrub brush, empty houses with stories still to tell and a new word that just might make a great tattoo.



Happy Holidays

The holiday season in San Antonio usually involves a trip down town to stroll the riverwalk and take in the lights on display. A chance to quack at the ducks, eat, drink and be merry. This year was no exception. I'll be spending the holidays with family and couldn't be happier about that. I hope this season you are able to be with the folks you love and love you. Peace my friends.

Fall Reflections

I spent yesterday tramping through Lost Maples State Park with a group of fellow photographers. Lost Maples is one of the few places near San Antonio with naturally occurring Fall color and draws huge crowds when the colors start to turn. Despite the large groups of Fall color fans there was plenty of room for everyone. We each had plenty of room to kick some leaves and take photos. We stayed until well after dark. I had forgotten how gorgeous the sky could be in remote areas. Despite the sore back (from lugging camera gear) soar legs (need to get working on those lunges again) and two lungs full of cedar (no ill effects, thank you very much) I really feel like I need to make a point to get out to the far beyond more often.

Majestic at dawn

I slipped downtown this morning before dawn hoping to catch some street scenes. As I stood outside the Majestic Theatre wishing I could get inside for some photographs I think a star descended.

Alamo in Shadows

I'm headed to the river at twilight again tomorrow with some photo friends. This shot of the Alamo was taken late at night which is why you don't see the throngs of visitors you normally would. I found a new place to park downtown and you can practically see the walls of the grounds around the Alamo from where you park. So...if anyone is in town and needs a tour guide, give me a shout.

Mick Jagger holiday lips with ducks

You're probably saying what the heck does that title mean. Well...that's the first thing that came to mind when I was taking this image. The Christimas lights along the bridge and the reflections reminded me of the Rolling Stones logo. It just so happens there were resident ducks landing at the time I was taking the photograph and it added a bit of lip like texture across the middle. If you look closely you can see their little Loch Ness impressions on the river. This image was taken late night/early morning down along the river walk here in San Antonio. Myself and several photography club buddies had just about free run of the place because it was mid week and middle of the night. It was a real treat though. We could set up our tripods where ever we wanted and the only folks walking through our long exposure were us, if we weren't paying attention. I'm headed to a different part of the river this weekend. Now that I've got my feet wet, so to speak, I'm anxious to see how the next shoot goes. Needless to say dear followers, I'm likely to share some with you.

The Cypress Sirens

The Cypress Sisters spend every summer at the river. They cool their weary feet and knees in the cool, flowing water. The perch dart, then nibble and provide a pedicure. The girls sing their siren song into the wind and we all return each year to hear it sung again and again.