New Photographs in My Etsy Shop-Memories of Spring and Summer Past

I have 2 new self-portrait photographs in my Etsy Shop.  They both are about favourite things in my life that have and will always show up in my art.  The first one is about my favourite flower-ROSES!

Above is "The Roses".  My favourite colours are the deep pinks and lavenders(when you can find those).  I love the smell, texture and shape of roses and how well they dry.  I love getting dozens of them and making head wreaths. I grew up with friends who had the most amazing Rose Gardens-unbelievable Roses the size of a dinner plate!  You could smell them miles away! Again, the Pre-Raphaelite Artist and Art Nouveau Era have both inspired me.

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Above is "Robins Egg, Berries, Chocolate".  I took this portrait in the middle of winter when I was snowed in-no fresh flowers so I turned to other favourites things-pretty ribbons and anything sparkly.  I love the beginning of Spring and finding the broken shells of Robin's Eggs.  There is something so magical about that colour!  I just can't get enough of it.  It must be genetic as my Mom LOVES it and her Mother did as well.  I have had this gorgeous piece of Vintage Silk Robin's Egg Blue with a bit of green trim ribbon forever so I tied it around my red hair.

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I grew up in the country and loved picking all the different wild berries to make cobblers, short cake and more.  The first to ripen were the little strawberries and then black and raspberries.  My sister gave me this sparkly barrette in those colours so I added it to my hair.

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The last ribbon I added was the Soft Chocolate velvet one.   Just looking at it again in the photograph makes me want to eat some chocolate right now!  We made ice cream the old fashioned way-with an ice cream churn-when I was little.  Chocolate was a favourite!

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Hope all of you folks in Blogland are enjoying your Spring/Soon to be Summer so far.  Take care!

XOXO,

merle

What is Up in My Shop!

Hello folks in Blogland!  Wow, I am posting again so soon.  Watch out!  I have added new photographs to my Etsy Shop Rowan DeVoe Arts and wanted to show all of you some bits of them.  To see the full photograph, visit my shop.  I promise it will be fun! You know how I do love to tell stories.

Above is a bit of one...Pomegranate?

This piece belongs to another...cury red hair? But who's? Why?

Do I spy a wax seal? Very Mysterious...

WOWZA! I have no idea what that glittery shoe is all about!

This little piece is reminding me a bit of

this famous painting by J.W. Waterhouse.  I wonder what that is all about?

More to come.  I may even surprise myself with another post this week!  Hope everyone is having a fabulous week.

xoxo,

merle

My New Etsy Shop!

I have been away from my blog for so long again.  I am an absent blogger at best.  I wanted to post that I finally have a new Etsy shop open just for my photography!  You can find it at

Rowan DeVoe Arts

This Shop is just for my Photography, but I hope to add another Shop for my Paintings and Mixed Media 2D pieces,  another for just my hand beaded jewelry and headpieces and eventually one for my Art Dolls so I need to get busy!

I have had a lot of support from friends and family in opening this Shop and also with convincing me that "Yes! We do want to buy your Photographs!" so I am very grateful. I have had more photo opportunities lately and I will do a post about them soon. 

As I always say, I want to get back to Blogland, though it is hard for me to keep with all the things online.  I do love reading about what amazing things are going on and seeing awe-inspiring creations!

Hope all is well with all of you!  Take Care!

Spice

For the month of February, Elle Moss Photography Blog had a Photo Challenge going with a theme for each day.  The uber talented and lovely Elle Moss, took a photograph for each day and some of the photographers who follow her blog jumped in and did the same. The results are so unique yet they each fit the themes so wonderfully.  Check them out!  I only got one of the themes done which was "Spice".  I have to complicate things way too much.  I should make peace with this, the fact that I bring out my wardrobe, hair and makeup, props, and all the rest and can never decide on one photograph.  I end up telling the same story over and over.  Here are my "Spice" photographs. What story do you

see?

"Spices"

"Souk"

"The Oranges"

"What was Offered"

"100 Years Wedding Rings"

"Listening"

"Braids"

"Oil Cake"

"For Sister Fox"

Sparkle, Shine, Roses, A little Mystery

New inspiration for a series of Self-Portrait Photographs



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"New Shoes, New Weapons"

"Of Lace and Sparkle"

"Frozen Crown"

"Masked Eye"


"Star Dust"

"Tempered"



Transformations-The Selkie

Another post to go with my theme of "Transformations", this one involves transforming myself into the "Selkie" from Irish Myth and Fairy Tales.  I have been wanting to "make" myself into a Selkie for sometime now, but I knew it would be hard work.  This time, I made my features very dark(with lighting and some make-up, very 'old school').  The environment I created was equally dark as well as wet, windy and truly maddening(I ended up not being able to see what I was photographing, I felt like I was in the middle of storm and I created my own 'beach', but NO, I DO NO HAVE A SEAL SKIN or any kind of skin.  The 'seal skin' that is seen in some of the photographs is made by my hands which can also be called magick.).

"Prayers to please let me capture at least one photograph 'cause I can't be seeing anything in this storm I have created and my glasses were lost in the waves of the sea...but they don't help my eye balls so much anyway and I refuse to set all this crazy up again, Thank you"

"My Eye Balls"

The Selkie was a Seal swimming blissfully with her Seal sisters while in the Sea.  But, these Seals would come ashore to dance in the Moonlight where they would they would become human woman and shed their Seal skins. 

"The Selkie"

The Selkie-Woman was coveted for being the most loving and loyal of wives, so men would watch and wait for them to come on land and then steal their skins so they could marry them.  Once married, the men would hide the Selkie's skin and she would forget her Seal sisters and her true origins.  She would go on to have children and to be the most caring wife and mother of legend.  But, she always felt a longing for something when she stared out to the sea. 

"Left Behind"

As the myth tells, the Selkie Woman would eventually find her Seal Skin and then remember her sea home.  The cries of her Seal Sisters would be unbearable to her and then she would be faced with an impossible choice; would she stay with her human and beloved family on land or would she would return to the pull of the sea and her dear sisters where she felt she truly belonged. 

"The Discovery"

For my part, I called this series of photographs "Longing".  But, where is home? Is it a place in our heart? This is what so many stories tell us. 

"Heartless Home"

"Heart Path"

 But, I know that there are definitely physical places that call to me strongly as if my own Seal Sisters were there.  These places make me feel more alive, relaxed and like I can finally breathe. I feel like "me" and I do feel at home. But, this is a earth, sky, water and no more or is it?  How can this be home?

"Water Drop"

  This is part of the human condition.  Do we choose our beloved families or these physical places that call to us? There will always be a longing and this impossible decision.

"Longing"

p.s. I managed to take some photographs despite all of these emotional questions and not being able to see what I was doing.  That is something really cool to think on!