Photography Final Project | My Grandmother the Painter

grandmother painting
selecting paints
old woman paint brushes
silhouette woman painting
wrinkled arm painting
masterpiece woman painter
pause painting with cat
work in progress
inspecting subject
wrinkled arm
shallow depth of field
close up

For my photography class final project I shot a series of portraits of Marina painting. I am very pleased with the final product. I had them printed as full frame 5x7s with white boarders and matted them on 11x15 black mat board. We had a potluck lunch on the final day to present our work, and I invited Marina to come. She baked a pear frangipane tart, and was a big hit, as always. I am so lucky she's mine.

Thanksgiving in Sonoma

cat sniffing jug of water
cat and jug in dappled light
soft and fuzzy belly of a cat
chickens on the steps
grandmother walking to persimmon tree
persimmon orange against blue sky
persimmons
holding a persimmon in the kitchen
old dodge truck rusted
red maple tree
red maple leaves
pretty salad with pansies
Jeffery smiling
light on the floor
light on the chairs
looking through the window at the garden
alligator and friend

Over Thanksgiving we ventured up north to Sonoma and stayed at Lee's beautiful home. It was pretty idyllic, with furry little creatures roaming the garden. The light was spectacular in the mornings, I love how it danced through the windows and off of all the wood. We ate a whole lot more than just salad and persimmons, they were just the prettiest.

Black Friday Sunset

oakland_hills_sunset

Last night I rode my new bike to upper Rockridge and caught a pretty spectacular sunset. It felt so peaceful and serene. The weather in Northern California has been perfect the last few days. Jeffery and I spent most of today walking and biking around the area running errands and then catching up on housework. For dinner we ate the rest of the Thanksgiving leftovers. Even though we cooked two turkeys to ensure there would be plenty to take home, it never lasts long enough. And neither does time off. I spent the majority of the past couple days procrastinating writing the rest of our wedding thank you notes. But I am running out of time. Our anniversary is right around the corner. How did that happen?

Photos from our trip to Sonoma coming soon.

Thankful

from where I stand

I am thankful for my incredible husband, who works tirelessly and always maintains perspective. I am thankful for a mild California climate and a warm home. I am thankful for progress. I am thankful for photography. I am thankful for my health. I am thankful for my amazing family and wonderful friends. I am thankful for air travel.

I can't help but feel a little nostalgic for last year. But I booked Hawaii tickets for January. I am thankful for having that to look forward to.

Around the House in Black & White

dishes_drying_light_stainless_steel_glass
man_bowl_breakfast_light
kitty_light_blinds_stripes

Studying photography has really increased my awareness and consideration of light, and I wish the days didn't have to get shorter before they get longer. Jeffery and I are working hard to get through this semester. We're hoping it will start to pay off early next year, because we want to do more fun things together. Like go camping. And visit flower farms. And NorCal breweries. And we have never been wine tasting or to the top of Mount Tam or Mount Diablo. There is so much to do and see just right here in the Bay and so little time. I feel like I am fighting time, and I have to be more patient.

Right now I'm feeling grateful for mild Bay Area weather. My heart goes out to those affected by the dramatic weather, with tsunami evacuations threatening my Hilo family and hurricane Sandy making things wet on the East Coast. Stay dry everyone!

Willits Gardens

Brootrails willits garden view
zinnia garden
acanashia
brooktrails garden dahlia
dahlia garden
grape tomatoes

When I was in Willits in early October I was able to enjoy two beautiful gardens, and it was completely rejuvenating. Jeffery and I dream of one day having land where we can grow food and flowers. There is nothing more beautiful and wholesome, and living in a city makes one forget how things are done in the country. It's nice to be reminded. We were sent home with a whole bunch of tomatoes, which we devoured in two days. Thank you Jill and Cathie for sharing your gift!