"Poetry In Motion"

A picture is worth a 1000 words!

This is a poem in the shape of a 

flower. This image is a digital  

texture edit of a photo that I shot

of a black calla lily in my

daughter's garden. It caught my

eye, or I should say 'it spoke 

to me' because I had never seen
one before. So, therefore
I had to tell it to the world.

Impressions For Claude Monet

Impressions For Claude Monet

This is a piece that was inspired by The French Impressionist Claude Monet.
It is a capture of some flowers that seemed as if they were in a pond of
many reflections as if they were there for the sole purpose to honor
the talent of this wonderful artist. I did a little painting and editing
to show the viewer what was in my mind's eye.

So, it is spring a whole year and one day later. Where does the time go???

Well, this is such a rich pinkish vibrant color and makes me happy right now so this is a good one for today to add to my lonely blog.....hopefully I will be back sooner than a whole year.

An edit of a Coreopsis that I captured on iPhone 5C and then imported into Photoshop and did some editing and added texture to the image.

See this and the rest of my gallery on Fine Art America

My Fine Art America Photo Gallery

Finally a new post.......

"Flower Power"

I needed to look at some flowers today,

so I decided that this one would be a 

good one to post on my blog. It's almost

time for tulips to be blooming. I hope 

spring arrives pretty soon. The 

calendar says it's here but I guess

Mother Nature is just not quite ready...

July 2nd

Looking for a pic to go with what I want to say.....

Pansies.....

"Blue Ladies In Waiting"

Okay, so I had just got a cup of coffee at Starbucks in Grand Rapids and I went outside to check out the photo ops. Of course there is always something to photograph. At least I don't have any problems finding things to shoot. I saw these beautiful pansies in window boxes in front of Starbucks. There were different colors but I thought these were the prettiest. I took a bunch of pics as usual and got a lot of good ones. This was one of my faves. I did a cool texture edit on this one. They reminded me of beautiful ladies waiting for someone to admire them and take them out for the evening....

West Side Market

"West Side Market"

This is the West Side Market, Main Entrance, (South Face), on the corner of W.25th and Lorain, just west of downtown Cleveland. I digitally enhanced this image, which was taken around dusk, with some texture and painting effects.

The West Side Market has been In Operation since November 2, 1912, and is Clevelands oldest continuously operating municipally owned market, and is located in Ohio City. In 2008, the West Side Market was designated as one of 10 Great Public Places in America, by the American Planning Association and continues to offer an authentic and culturally diverse shopping experience. The West Side Market celebrated its Centennial in 2012.
Source: West Side Market's Website

Please visit my online gallery at Fine Art America by clicking on the link below to purchase this print and many other Cleveland Landmarks in my collection of Fine Art Prints.

http://fineartamerica.com/featured/west-side-market-terri-harper.html

Cleveland, Ohio

"Cleveland Skyline from Riverbed Road"

This is a shot of the Cleveland Skyline from the West Bank of The Flats.

I enhanced the photo with a texture edit and added a little bit of saturation

to the already beautiful blue sky. The late afternoon light was near perfect.

This photo was taken in May 31, 2014.

My Cleveland Feature on Hubpages

Click Here To Purchase a print on Fine Art America

Flowers and Texture

"Her Majesty"

Sometimes a photo of a flower just evolves into a work of art.

This particular photo was a good capture of a sunflower from

a low angle, but it needed something. The sky was

washed out with almost no color so I added a nice

blue sky with some clouds and found just the right

texture to give it an artistic richer look.

To buy this print click on the link below...

http://fineartamerica.com/featured/her-majesty-terri-harper.html

Curious And Cautious Racoon

"Curious And Cautious"

This guy was enjoying his snack out of one of the big trash cans in the park while we were eating at a picnic bench close by. As soon as we got up to throw our empty bags away he got startled but I was able to capture a picture before ran into the woods. I tried coaxing him back out so I could take a few more pictures but he was very hesitant. I got this shot and one more before he ran off again.
Click on March 23, 2011 to see post of "Rocky" on top the trash cans.

Babies (Deer) with spots...

Babies with spots.....

I've been having fun taking pictures of these baby deer that still have their spots. They are so cute! I know it's very common these days to have deer in your yard, so many people do, but it still boggles my mind that I live in a big city and have deer and so much other wildlife in my yard. This was a rare occurrence 12 to 15 years ago. Amazing.....

Today's Rant!

I am so behind on this blog. I have what is currently known as 'Social Media Overload' and it's not getting any better. With social media management and the amount of post-production time I spent in front of the computer, it is overwhelming. Something has to suffer, unless I'm going to be the one to suffer. I have to remember to get up from my computer chair and take a break, go outside and get some fresh air, go for a walk, get something to eat, whatever.....even pulling weeds has become kind of fun, kind of like a Zen experience! Now what does that say about our dependence and entrapment with technology!!!
Okay, that's my RANT for today. Now I have to find a picture to post.
Here it is....this is one of the good things about getting up from my computer chair and grabbing my camera and getting my butt outside.....this incredible picture I took in my own backyard in the middle of a big city......AMAZING...I must say!!!

More from "When It Snows Before The Leaves Fall"

"Synchronized Snow Dance"

~ This is another image in my new Series called "When It Snows Before The Leaves Fall" ~ 

It was November 12, 2013. I went outside to check my mail and take my dog out. I was amazed at all the leaves laying and dancing all over the first 'earlier than normal' snowfall of the season. I ran back in the house and grabbed my camera and shot a whole bunch of pictures, 62 to be exact. Probably not too many people would take that many pictures of leaves on snow, but again, for some unknown reason, I am fascinated with leaves on snow. Part of being an artist is our own special vision that we are gifted with that makes us unique! 

Memories of Summer in the Middle of Winter...

Sick of winter, here's a remembrance of last year's summer, gone forever but captured in my camera and my memory. Some Purple Cone Flowers (Echinacea) freshly picked and arranged in a vase to enjoy while sitting on the porch and sipping on an ice cold Brew!

"Center of Attention"

When It Snows Before The Leaves Fall

When it snows before the leaves fall, you can get some really awesome photos.
Back on November 12th it was almost magical outside. There were all kinds of leaves in different stages of color transformation all over on top of the new snow. I couldn't stop taking pictures. This is the first one that I am posting in this series. I did not arrange/rearrange the leaves. This is exactly how Mother Nature put them there. I did an edit by adding some lace texture and some pastel colors.

"Snow Kissed"

Fall is Here, I think...

I can't believe I haven't posted a new post since April 25th. That one was titled "Spring is Here, I think..."  well Spring and Summer have come and gone and Fall is Here, I think....the past weekend was hot, (in the 80's) & humid. Today it is back in the 50's and 60's, more like true fall weather. The leaves are turning pretty colors and it is cool and brisk at night. The change of the seasons reminds us that everything is in a constant state of flux, nothing is permanent. Life is a constant cycle of birth, death and rebirth....
Below is a picture of a stylized rendering of a fallen leaf I photographed back on July 17th. It looked a little like an autumn leaf, but not quite. I am fascinated with falling leaves, all the colors, shapes and sizes. I am planning to transfer this image to a piece of polymer clay, metal or wood.

Spring is here, I think...

Spring is here, I think.....

Well at least it should be, according to the calendar. Well actually the temperatures are slowly rising, and on some days are even too high, then it goes back down and snows and melts, and if it is above 32 degrees F. it is raining.  Well there is that old adage, April showers bring May flowers, we shall see. There are sprouts and shoots coming up and buds are on the trees and the forsythia, crocuses and daffodils are blooming too. The birdies are chirping up a storm and start their 'concert' at around 3:45 a.m. And for final proof, I took this photo of some new buds and sprouts on an unidentified shrub, with beautiful, almost sunset backlighting.  So this is helping to convince me that Spring is here. It is I guess, as much as it could be...

Today...

Winter is still trying to keep Spring from Happening.....but Spring will eventually win out....Hope!

Happy New Year!

A New Year is upon us...

Oh, those new year's resolutions. Why do we resolve to do one or more things at the beginning of a new year?  Perhaps we feel that this will be the year that we finally break an unhealthy habit like smoking or drinking too much alcohol.  Maybe we'll finally shed those extra pounds or get organized, go back to school, start that hobby we've been thinking about, or maybe just stop being too busy.  Maybe we should spend more time with our family and friends, or go on that dream vacation that we've talked about for years.  

So why do we have this ritual at the beginning of each new year?  Maybe the answer is hope.  Hope is something that can motivate and help us to move forward.  It gives us a chance to start over and review what we have learned from past mistakes.  Maybe this will be the year that we succeed.

The fallen leaf in my photo, will soon be composted back into the earth to become nutrients for new life.  It is a symbol of the end of a purpose fulfilled and it knows that it will become nourishment for those new sprouts waiting to spring forth when the temperatures start rising and the snow melts.  Mother Nature knows instinctively that life will begin anew and every year is another cycle completed and a new beginning.  Maybe that is what gives us hope, and enables us to try again.  After all, if we lose hope, most of us would just give up.  Trying and falling short is part of the human condition.  We have to take what we have learned and do things different the next time.  Not trying for fear of failing is the biggest mistake of all.  Like a line in a well known song:  ".....we go round and round and round in the circle game".  Right now as I am writing this, I've just figured out why we make New Year's Resolutions! It is all in the Grand Scheme of life.

Good luck on your journey through another year and yet another opportunity to accomplish whatever it is that your heart desires! And don't forget to be mindful and enjoy the journey along the way. Many times, it is more important than the 'reward' at the end!

Late Bloomer

"Late Bloomer"

What is so special about this Dandelion? Well nothing except that is was blooming so late in the year. I photographed this on the 2nd last day of November, the 29th to be exact. That is exactly 23 days before the Winter Solstice, the official start of Winter. I was outside with my dog and I couldn't believe that it was newly sprouted, growing in between all sorts of falling leaves. In fact there were 4 others growing nearby. I was struck by the fact that our seasons are changing and evolving. Whether it is in the natural order of things or man made or a combination of both,  I believe that we are in a global warming cycle.