Self-Portrait ~

Self-Portrait ~ , originally uploaded by prudencebrown121.

old photos, have to love them! taken at the Montreal Worlds Fair, I'm thinking 1969

This was originally 8mm movie film, transferred to DVD and scanned as a still.

Work Stuffed with Gravy of the Heart on a Silver Platter ~

Have to post two quotes I came across that I love, on two art forms that I love ~ seems a happy marriage ~

David Sim on writing one of my closest loves, although it constantly breaks my heart and gives me anxiety ~ "When I start the book, I'm The Writer. The Writer bitches for a week about how he never has any fun, he's tired of being funny all the time, and nobody cares about him anyhow. This is followed by a period of deep intense silence, much staring at walls, punctuated by cheery optimism on the order of: 'That's it! I'm Dead! I can't think of an ending! or 'I'm just going to have to scrap the first ten pages-there lousy'. Often it is less coherent than that-reduced to the more succinct , 'Garbage! It's all GARBAGE!

David Victor Sim (born May 17, 1956 in Hamilton, Ontario) is an award-winning Canadiancomic book writer and artist, best known as the creator of Cerebus the Aardvark, a 6,000-page story, published as a monthly comic-book between 1977 and 2004 ~ Wikipedia (see Wikipedia for all pertinent facts and credits) as I have none and am never quite clear on all of the hundreds of laws of copying facts, but do solemnly apologize to Wikipedia for any and all intrusions if there have been any!

.... and from one of my favorite men ~ Oscar Wilde "Art is the most intense mode of individualism the world has known"

Whether one agrees or disagrees with Oscar I've chosen to marry myself to this quote; it is my excuse for posting photos some may love and others just look at and shake their heads, it gives me courage and confidence.

No Photoshop here and no macro; just me and the Lensbaby on a beautiful late Fall day sharing a few intense and possessive moments of nature.

Sometimes your eyes are just bigger than your stomach ......

As Thanksgiving approaches I just can't help but wonder why for years now I keep making the same mistake over and over and over again. Although the holiday has not arrived I had a preview of what was to come at the dessert table at work today. Obviously since it was a dessert table I'm sure you have no trouble guessing what sparkled and called succulent to me; there was the sensuous German chocolate cake, the fresh berries lathered in whip cream, some cranberry souffle tempting morsel with a brown sugar topping and a banana bread pudding. I gazed with longing and lovingly at them, until I broke down and tasted each and every one and kept telling myself, just one more spoonful, just one more bite, just a little bit more until I grumbled and growled and whined to myself about my inability to just say no! and my upset stomach. After more than twenty years in the food business you would think by now I would learn control ~ just a little, restraint ~ just a bit, temptation ~ turn a blind eye, but alas instead I tasted and tasted and tasted again.

Since it is the season to give thanks, I must give thanks for an energetic metabolism that just seems to keep on giving, but I am sure I hear the voice of some wise muse echoing famous words that go something like how long do you think this is going to go on honey; suggesting I close my lips, skip the chips, sit on my hips and make one trip for the berries!

"Goodbye She Said with an Unexpected Friendliness"

Wanted to post a photo of my beautiful new ring which was handmade by my Flickr friend and contact Thomas, also known as "Less Ismore". I joined Flickr in November of 09 and admired Thomas' photography and saw this year that he was designing jewelry. The ring is sterling and is engraved in French with the evocative statement which titles this post "goodbye she said with an unexpected friendliness". Dashing off an email across the pond to Thomas, who lives in Belgium I asked if I could have him make me a ring and for a very reasonable rate I received what I consider to be this beauty!

I love my ring, I love the statement it evokes and I love the internet providing opportunities for friendship, commerce and a sense of adventure!

Thank you Thomas I am thrilled!

"Nothing Can Bring You Peace but Yourself" ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

So this is my first attempt with the plastic play cameras. This photo was taken with the IPhone Hipstamatic app. with the Jimmy lens, the Kodot XGrizzled film and the flash off. For those who are not familiar with the Hipstamatic camera, it was a plastic camera discovered unofficially by two brothers in 1982 who wanted a camera that was as cheap as film. The original Hipstamatic was automatic, had a plastic lens called a Hipsta A1 which matched it plastic body, with an aperture of 2.8 which I think is quite impressive for a plastic camera that once sold for $8.25, took 35mm film and also impressive produced a photo size 28mm x 28mm. Call me crazy, but for $8.25 between the years of 1982-1984 this was quite a bargain. Today to be able to get the same results from an app on your telephone for a $1.99 ~ priceless!

Taking a break from the SLR and all of the lenses is fun and on my list of toy cameras are the Holga, the Diana and the Blackbird Fly all of which I am looking forward to playing with and perhaps a few pinholes.

The digital world is great, but for me there is nothing more relaxing and creative than playing in a darkroom, so whether you develop your film at the lab or are so inclined to print film is a toy that keeps on giving!

"Think of all the beauty still left around you and be happy"

"Think of all the beauty still left around you and be happy", originally uploaded by prudencebrown121.

...... has been more than a year since I grabbed the Lensbaby, but it was a beautiful warm day in Philadelphia and a few traces of Fall are still luxuriously lingering as Winter gently approaches. Although the air was perfectly still the trees seemed to softly sway .......

"Don't think there are no crocodiles because the water is calm" ~ Malayan Proverb