Meditations
Our Peonies grow on the south side of our house so they receive the warm sun all day long all summer long. They love it! I have shot them year after year. This year I picked some older, almost withering flowers. I love the way they beautifully wave and flow even as they droop a bit. The blooms seemed to come alive as I shot them with my 'edge of light' technique underwater in the studio. I let them sit longer in the cool water as I saw the petals getting ever so slightly transparent under water after leaving them floating overnight...
...I shot these peony blooms over several days. The aura of their petals shifted from day to day, making them look completely transformed from one day to the next. The change in structure, color, texture and translucence beckoned me...excited me to see how, even though these were the same flowers, they were completely different and ever-changing subjects for my light from one hour to the next. As they have transformed, I guess I have, too. I have recently started meditating which has been life changing for me. Even though I shot these a few months ago over the summer, for several days recently, I watched these peony artworks float up, swirling and, I'd call it (at least if felt like it) being 'born' as I meditated...
...Flowers get a bad rap when they're called 'dainty' and 'fragile'. Nope. They're tough, resilient and built to last. They're created to withstand raging downpours, whipping wind, beating sun and chewing insects. Their beauty only thrives even more when they show off their capacity to withstand. I feel honored to have witnessed this resilience. I am grateful they gave me this opportunity to create beauty. Thanks for viewing these. For more of my artwork please visit my art site www.spelmanart.com I highly recommend checking out www.zivameditation.com, too.
All Images copyrighted Jim Spelman 2021