Rockin' Robin
by Beth Ridenour on 3/2/2009 12:32:35 AM
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Last night we received a surprise three inches of snow. At least it was a surprise to me, I knew the cold weather was coming but the snowfall was harder for the weather forecasters to pin down. I went to the Lawrence, KS, Visitor's Center to shoot and found this plump robin rocking in the bushes.
Happy Trails,
Beth
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Dan
by Beth Ridenour on 2/14/2009 7:35:04 AM
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(C) Beth Ridenour-Artful Path
Dan
an unassuming name
for 18 hands and 2200 pounds of horse flesh
we introduced ourselves
he sniffed my hand, my hair, my hat
i stroked his muzzle and neck
instant friends, i thought
then he kissed me
followed me around
encroached on the morning light
as I tried to capture the beauty of his herd
Dan, my Belgian friend
they call them Gentle Giants
but to me he will forever be "Loverboy"
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Tell A Story
by Beth Ridenour on 2/7/2009 12:53:56 PM
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Supper Line (C) Beth Ridenour, Artful Path
Last night was the opening of the Great American West show at the Buttonwood Art Space in KC, MO. Earlier that day Jamie Lavin, director-extraordinaire of the art space, sent an email reminding artists to mingle with our guests--personal attention can foster great relationships and ultimately boost sales.
As I was driving in I was thinking how I would do this. I am an introvert, preferring small gatherings to the hundreds of folks who attend these openings. It is likely that I will have nothing in common with these patrons and it's not an event to fall back upon the safe subject of the weather. Then I had my aha moment; I am a photographer and every one of my photos has a story--I need to share the stories about my art.
This photo was fun to share. Cotton, the white horse, is a retired thoroughbred race horse. His papers go back to Man of War, but somewhere in the genetic history he lost the speedy gene so he had a short racing career and is now enjoying a pleasureable lifestyle with good friends of mine. I've ridden Cotton, he's fun, but he spooks easily, thinking a bobcat is lurking behind every tree or bush. Don't you agree that walking on open land would be quite a change from running around in big circles as fast as you can?
The three horses in the background are Kiger Mustangs. Two of them were adopted through the wild horse and burro program of the BLM (Bureau of Land Management). The middle, darker one, is Shimmer. Shimmer was born on this farm. He is two and one-half years and is developing quite a personality. In every horse herd there is a pecking order, and horses will test each other for the top spot. When supper time comes, Cotton is always first in line through the gate to the stalls, no question--I've seen him back up the rest of the herd with his rear end (11 horses, and a burro who could care less). Well youngster Shimmer thinks differently and will challenge Cotton. This usually plays out by Cotton bucking at Shimmer to put him in his place. I didn't aim my camera in time to capture the skirmish, but I laughed at the result, the smaller but determined Kigers lined up for supper for one more day behind Cotton. Who knows what will happen tomorrow.
Last night there was a lot of beautiful art to see. I am happy to find my way in interacting with the public, by telling my story in addition to sharing my art. Some photos prompt me to share in detail, like this one, but there are others about which I say very little, wanting you to engage your imagination to create a story of your own.
Happy trails,
Beth
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Sit A Spell
by Beth Ridenour on 1/15/2009 9:48:15 AM
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(C) Beth Ridenour
The simplicity of this setting captured me. I was at a Centered Riding (horseback riding) clinic and saw this shot as I walked out of the arena. The intense but uncomplicated colors caught my eye and took me to times past. Someone would say to me "come and sit a spell" and that meant spending time with a person I deeply cared for chatting about what was new. I hope next time a chair speaks to you that you will take the time to sit and remember.
br
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A Days Work
by Beth Ridenour on 1/10/2009 5:37:07 PM
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(C) Beth Ridenour
Blah, blah, blah...I never thought I would be writing a blog, but then I never thought I would carry a cell phone that is turned on all the time or put my art 'out there' for anyone to look at, comment upon, or even--heavens, buy. Whew, change can be fun, but don't text me because I don't type with my thumbs and anyway I'd rather hear your voice. (Oh, just don't even think about downloading anything, you know better and it will look like hell when you re-size it.)
A number of my artist friends are taking up a new year challenge to produce a work per day or per week, and a paper artist friend is publishing her blog every day, what a woman. My fellow artists with full-time jobs and lives know how difficult it is to find fulfilling creative time, but this is exactly what we need, so I am going to post something at least every week. It may not always be a new shot, it may be one I have post-processed, improved upon, or perhaps not even a photograph, instead something in a different medium from the depths of my studio.
Let me know what you think, I'm still thinking "what am I doing?" to myself while I'm blahthing. But I rationalize it by thinking this is really just insignificant bytes of code in cyberspace!
br
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