Public Art – A Photo's Worth

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #234 Messages

Donna asked me to search for messages in photography this week. The options are endless. Does the message from your last fortune cookie resonate with you? Clouds? Does street art, neon signs, or storefronts grab your attention? What about the underlying messages from marketing logos, or the message you want to portray in your photography. Just have fun! This blog hits my photographic pursuit ideally.

Smilies

People leave signs along the way. A message, I was here!

Signs of Peace and Love

February 14 and hearts abound

Walking about I see hearts in nature

I’m always looking for hearts: leaves, stumps, puddles, and rocks

Hearts were created to show the loving spirit

I love this image. Someone took the time to create this public art piece

I collect stone hearts and they sit in my room in a candy dish. There are some things that you don’t really know about its history. You just know that it has been with you your entire life. It holds my love stones perfectly.

Here is my dish of love stones with my parent’s photograph

Graffiti

Leaving marks of love without regard for the environment.

Love Locks on a bridge in Fair Oaks

So ends my small contribution to messages I find all around me. I stayed with positive thoughts, and I finish with the many faces of my Moxie. Her face is so expressive.

Are you done working on the computer? I really am not interested in another photograph.

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #214 Favorite Finds

Anne-Christine is the host this week. She challenges me to find something surprising in my archive of photographs. She is sure I have something hidden in my archives that once surprised me or filled me with awe… I hope you enjoy my finds this week! And, perhaps the story that goes with it.

This is not an easy challenge, and with all that is going on around me, I need to make some quick decisions. Shall I go with the natural world? Shall I look to look to my collection that tells a story (ie: street photography and candids)? Shall I look at my many photos of household items? Public art? Hmmm?

Decision made. I will combine my collection that tells a story with public art. The 32nd Annual Chalk It Up! Chalk Art & Music Festival this Labor Day Weekend! I have attended this event and these images of the people and their art were taken then. I’m hoping to get down to Fremont Park this very hot weekend.

Then there are the artists creating art for sale. I found these artists in Old Sac, the Las Vegas strip, and on San Francisco’s Embarcadero.

Art sculptures found at airports

Found this creation at Half Moon Bay, Ca.

Around Sacramento

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #208

This week’s guest contributor Solander challenges me to see my interpretation of summer vibes. He wants me to make you envy and wish to be with me while I enjoy my summer and my favorite summer activities! I will share my summer vibes with my images. Click here to see Solander’s summer vibes.

I have stopped counting how many 100º days we have had here in Sacramento, Ca. I remember back a number of years when my two oldest grandchildren were on the Sunrise Sharks! That summer they lived with me and swimming was our life. Swim practice all week, and swim meets all Saturday!

My father used to say, “I scream, you scream we all scream for Ice Cream.”

Stopping by for some ice cream. Now I’m ready for a scoop!

I attended many festivals and fairs over the years. Covid and the increased heat have put a crimp in my attendance.

Chalk it up occurs every year. Maybe it will cool down, and I can enjoy all this creativity.

Wide open walls started in 2016. When it cools down I plan to go downtown and see the new additions.

Many years ago the Rennaisance Faire was held at Fair Oaks Park.

The California State Fair has been moved to July, and it is way too hot to attend this year. The fair used to end on Labor Day in September. Nights were cooling down, and I have to admit, I was younger. But I do love to photograph fair food!

Summer means getting out and enjoying food, fun, and festivals. But not so much with the very high temperatures. For August, I am thinking cool!

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge # 171 Weird and Wonderful

This week Ann-Christine invites me to have the opportunity to share my weird and wonderful images in this challenge! By accepting this challenge I will showcase some of my images of natural weirdness, items I found strange to photograph, and images I created through photo techniques.

This mutant Sunflower captured my attention! Was it an overachiever?

Here in Sacramento we are starting to get a taste of autumn. On Sunday we experienced record setting rainfall. They called it a bomb cyclone. It was time to dust off those raincoats and galoshes. Since California has been in a drought many of us were caught off guard. My puppy Moxie has never experienced rain, and was not too impressed. She was glad to wear her raincoat for our many, but quick outings. After the rain I just discovered the weirdness of mushrooms popping up. One minute nothing, the next minute fully formed fungi. Don’t know the toxicity of these mushrooms, but I am taking no chances on Moxie discovering them.