Tag: #fall

MVA Gallery

Published

The Pleasure of Small Art

Exhibition date October 23rd through November 21st2024

Location: MVA gallery

35 E Elizabeth Ave, Suite 313

Bethlehem, PA 18018



Website: https://www.mvaartgallery.com/

Hill is alive with color

Accepted work: Hill is alive with color

Autumn is Summer’s last party celebrating a colorful season, so step outside and participate in Mother Nature’s gorgeous grand finale! For me, it’s like the trees are excited to shed the old in a colorful magical way; getting ready for their much-needed hibernation to rejuvenate and start fresh coming spring.  

Commando photoziac artwork series statement:

My award-winning Photozaics are inspired by where Van Gogh’s textures meet Ansel Adam’s simplicity near the intersection of Bob Ross’ healing vibes. This technique is a labor-intensive multi-step process and starts with my journey into nature; recording the landscapes that spark my eye whether it be rolling hills or a babbling brook.  After modifying the composition, I take the print and head to the stained-glass shop to find matching colors.  I cut the glass by hand by taking smaller shards and placing them in a rock tumbler to remove sharp edges while larger pieces are sanded by hand and assembled in the frame.  Grouting finishes the artwork allowing the detail of each cut glass shape to add texture to my art.  This series I call commando, it’s liberating to see the photo in sync with the frame no boundaries separating these two mediums from dancing: just beautiful fluid flow.

Nashoba Winery, Rockport and Gloucester

Published

As my time here in New England winds down, I had to keep my schedule flexible due to the weather.  Thursday was a picture-perfect day for wine tasting and samplings of spirits.  The Grounds at Nashoba are gorgeous and I couldn’t wait to sit outside and take in the crisp October air while sipping on wine and eating lunch.  Friday the forecast said it would rain in the western part of Massachusetts, so I drove East, all the way to Rockport’s Pebble Beach and the downtown area.  While going back to my Hotel, I explored Gloucester, Lexington, and Concord.  Images below are from Nashoba, Rockport, and Gloucester.

Kangamangus Highway #112

Published

Yesterday’s drive along Kangamangus Highway was packed with people and not able to get the images I hoped.  I will say this area the colors were dry and not as vibrant.  I captured better shots last year but still wanted to see what else was around.  I found a few roads not far from Kangamangus Highway that I will explore later today.  As I write this post, I’m blessed to witness fog rolling down the mountain right outside my motel room. This collection of images are both color and infrared (black and white).

Sanctuary for the Soul – Commando Series PDF

Published
NAtalie-McGuire-commando-series-PDF-bio-cvDownload

Photozaic Commando series

How can I construct an image that moves beyond the surface? Photozaics, of course!  My award-winning Photozaics are inspired where Van Gogh’s textures meet Ansel Adam’s simplicity near the intersection of Bob Ross’ healing vibes. This series I call commando as for me its liberating to see the photo dancing in sync with the frame.

New Commando works

Published

Newly completed Commando Photozaics are now ready for their new forever homes! Hint of Gold Sunset, Reflections on Wachusett’s II and End of Day.  Hint of Gold sunset taken on my parent’s shoreline in Northern Minnesota (AKA my happy place).  Reflections on Wachusett’s taken in Massachusetts (side note: I will be in MA for most of October again this year).  The collection is expanding; the works are all sized 16.5×13.5×1 long edge.

Hint of Gold Sunset

Robert Frost wrote this perfectly:  Nothing Gold Can Stay.  Nature’s first green is gold, her hardest hue to hold.  Her early leaf’s a flower; But only so an hour. Then the leaf subsides to leaf So Eden Sank to grief, so dawn goes down today.  Nothing gold can Stay.  This view recharges my soul, I love sitting on my parent’s shoreline watching the sunsets and June didn’t disappoint. There’s no better way to reflect on a beautiful day than watching the sunset, knowing tomorrow is going to be just as amazing.  I enjoy my time spent with Mom especially after Dad passed away a few years back.  It’s funny how life’s perspectives change after you lose a parent.  I know that someday my time witnessing these beautiful sunsets on my parent’s shoreline will end but they will forever be locked inside my heart.

Reflections on Wachusett’s II

Like water which can clearly mirror the sky and the trees only so long as its surface is undisturbed, the mind can only reflect the true image of the self when it is tranquil and wholly relaxed. – Indra Devi.  This is image was taken at Wachusett’s Reservoir and I love the Natick Native American term which means “near the Mountain”.

End of Day
End of Day

Sunsets are proof that no matter what happens, every day can end beautifully by Kristen Butler- Go out and be one with Mother Nature; allow her to show you we are all one with the universe.  So, fill your heart with beautiful images that keep your Soul’s light shining bright!  End of Day reminds me of a symphony, where all participants flow in harmony, my camera is the composer- one of the best gifts given to me from nature.  

New Commando Series photozaics

Published

Officially making their debut Alone in the Fog, Red Wood, Milky Way, and Remake Forest of Birch.  The collection is expanding; the works are all sized 16.5×13.5×1 long edge and are available for sale. 

Alone in the Fog

I found this scene peaceful and enjoyed watching the fog roll across the lake while listening to the loons call to each other.  The trees slowly fading into the abyss and all they can do is just sit and patiently wait for it to pass.    This quote from Mehmet Murat Ildan nailed it- “In nature, everything has a job. The job of the fog is to beautify further the existing beauties!

Milkyway

In the Hindu collection of stories called Bhagavata Purana, all the visible stars and planets moving through space are likened to a dolphin that swims through the water, and the heavens are called śiśumãra cakra, the dolphin disc. The Milky Way forms the abdomen of the dolphin and is called Akasaganga which means “The Ganges River of the Sky.  That’s why I feel like I’m sitting on the Ocean’s floor looking up to the sky viewing the Milky way.  According to Hindu mythology, Vishnu lies meditating on Shesha with his consort Lakshmi, in the Kshira Sagara (Sea of Milk)

Red Wood

To sit in solitude, to think in solitude with only the music of the stream and the forest to break the flow of silence, there lies the value of wilderness. -by John Muir  I love how this Red barked tree stands with others but has its own identity- not trying to fit in with the “crowd”, if I had to pick an image that fits me this would be it!

Forest of Birch

“In Celtic Mythology the silver birch tree is sacred and symbolizes new beginnings and protection.”  This quote speaks to me and helps me understand why I love Birch trees and my Irish Heritage.  This image was taken at Jay Cooke State Park in February 2012 just a few months before this region received an unpreceded amount of rain in a 24-hour period; forever changing the landscape of this park forever.

New Works- Photozaics Commando Series

Published

Three more works completed and up for adoption to their forever homes.  I will continue with the Commando Series photoziacs and yes I do commission work.  Feel free to reach out to me via email or phone #.

Harriet Island Eagle small commando photozaic
Harriet Island Eagle small commando photozaic

This statement by -Jamie Sams, Seneca/Choctaw, and David Carson, Choctaw really hits home on how I view a Bald Eagle’s presence in this world.            

Eagle Medicine is the power of the Great Spirit, the connection to the Divine. It is the ability to live in the realm of spirit, and yet remain connected and balanced within the realm of Earth. Eagle soars and is quick to observe expansiveness within the overall pattern of life. From the heights of the clouds, Eagle is close to the heavens where the Great Spirit dwells.    

I hope the next time you witness a Bald Eagle in the wilderness you think of how Choctaw people view this majestic creature!

Orange Watercolor commando photozaic- small
Orange Watercolor commando photozaic- small

The sunset silhouettes of the islands have been like no other I’ve seen on my travels, knowing you are in borderland country (Minnesota/Canada) when you see the trees bouncing off the evening sky.  In my eyes each sunset is unique and unlike the previous day.  Colors from sunsets change just like the seasons.  Late summer sunsets have the deepest orange fading into twilight blue.

Reflections on Wachusett's Resvervoir Commando photozaic- Medium
Reflections on Wachusett’s Resvervoir Commando photozaic- Medium

Like water which can clearly mirror the sky and the trees only so long as its surface is undisturbed, the mind can only reflect the true image of the self when it is tranquil and wholly relaxed. – Indra Devi.  This image was taken at Wachusett’s Reservoir and I love the Natick Native American term which means “near the Mountain”.