Looking Around

This is my cat, Stevie, and the view I see of him on my lap and the living room from my "spot" on the couch.  This picture is a fun little memory to take home with me in Italy, of all of the times I sat in this spot and journaled or read books, with a purring cat on my lap. It's funny, Stevie will only sit on my lap if I'm in this spot, with a comforter on and my legs up on footstool. Sometimes, after a vacation when he's very needy, I have to go sit there with the comforter on (even if it's hot, and I have a gazillion things to do) because he just wants to be petted but won't allow it anywhere else. Picky cat! I love him though, and am glad we brought him with us to Italy, even with all of the hassles of paperwork and transport.

So while I'm looking around my apartment and my neighborhood for the last few times, how about looking around some more at the links from fellow participants in the swap? I'm so excited about how many people are participating, and I really want to encourage new connections. I had wanted to do a Scavenger Hunt amongst the links, with prizes and everything, but have run out of time with all that I need to do to get ready to move.

I thought maybe you could help me! Can you visit a link or two and then come back and comment here with what you found at your links? Maybe you found someone participating across the world, or who has an art form you haven't seen before. Maybe you found someone who loves the same medium you do. Let's look around together and find something new! Share the link and what you discovered in the comments below.

Links added since the last blog update:

Shaking the TreeLife's Rich PatternStudio K8 and MeShutterLuvsmall mattersstudio mod
All the links!How to Feather an Empty NestLearning as I GoPaloma ChaffinchFiberworksAshley Sisk's Ramblings and PhotosJenny ShihLife @ RuffHavenkharliebugHere and NowLiving in a Still LifeBastelmaniaDonna Did ItLeft in Front of RightThe Red TinAltered Muse ArtDreams and WhispersMaddy's Stitching CornerSimply Life PhotographsPointy PixKristin DudishNatasha MayThe Vintage ArtistDigital Experiments by CarolynWJC's Digital DesignsCreating my Lifeicandyi wanna be me when i grow upGiddy-Up Let's RideThe Creative IdentityElizabeth GLZJofabi PhotoA New Day, A Different WayA Rural JournalAlchemy of ArteyechaiPicturing the YearSuperdewaHounds in HeavenBleuOiseau PhotographyAquarel RiversThe Wright StuffThe Mrs.Urban Muserdeustchemexicana{Furi Kuri}TravelsA Little Blue Skycarola bARTzSame Day: Thirty Years ApartCamperCottage 960Nomadic NotebookWell of CreationsCindyLew's StudioOm2ArtHysong DesignsThe Weekend Photo WarriorTina's TreeThe Studio 56Kristen WalkernaperieRosie GreyThis Life through the LensNot Everyone Has FilmSloane Solanto: A Colorful LifeRavenous RaesassyangelacMy Midlife CreativitiesMakieDollTracy Swartz, Whimsical Gourd ArtOne Thousand PaintingsOne Little PromiseAmber Leigh JacobsMarie Z. JohansonThe Queen of CreativityExpressive WorldRandom Thoughts Do or "Di"Lyrical JourneyKaren Koch, Life Needs ArtMy Sweet Prairiedye~ing to be yoursKnottyneedlemy heart artODDImaginationCrafty CreativityJenna Kannas InspirationsGoing a Little CoastalStarry Blue SkyQuilting, Calle and other thingsMatthew and LarissasightspecificStudio MailboxArtimagicaPoetic MappingSimple MansionBy JenPaper BirdMusings of a HennaphileShe Dreams of the SeaThe Little Things...Tangerine Megamaze, surprise & delightlove PEASStraightlinezKristen Laudick PhotographyGrandma's Recipe BoxHeartwork PhotographyDixon HillJust me and my ArtMia Makes...Cosrard & PenpenI miei due bambiniSpecial Moments in TimeSuch stuff as dreams are made onPasandoDarlene Cunnup PhotographyPeach CogloOne Woman, ReinventedCreative ExplorerBren's Bright CornerJillsy Girl StudioBahamaDawnToday is a GiftMy Consuming PassionsMarie OteroShelley ShockleyBrain Angles - Invisible InkMosey AlongApril Cole's StudioJo Murray - ArtWith Renewed EyesZentangles & StuffmichellereneFleeting MomentsJournaling through PhotosStefanie ReneeAlison BehnGramma's Little CornerThe WhimzymeincaMoon's Musings

Choosing your Context

Meet Stevie, my cat. You don't see him much on my blog because he's hard to photograph. He's either sleeping buried under a pile of blankets or moving non-stop following us around. If I see Stevie in an interesting spot or in good light and leave the room to get my camera, it is likely he follows me as I leave the room. Occasionally I get a good photo of him, like this one yesterday when I already had my camera in hand for other reasons. I got two shots, and then he was gone.

Yesterday I talked about context, and how photographers, or any artists really, choose the context they share in their art. Nothing is a reproduction of reality, it is always influenced by the artists point of view and what they wish to convey.

This photo is no exception. I could have focused in tighter on Stevie, but I wanted the context available around him. It is not just a portrait of Stevie, it is also a portrait of Stevie in our apartment in Italy. The green pot shows one of the colors of our kitchen, the radiator shows how we get our heat. The windows are typical Italian - simple glass and wood frame, with the turn handle to open. There are no screens on the window but you can see the wood bar, which we've guessed is to prevent small children or things on the window sill from spilling out the window when it is opened. Stevie sits on the window sill, made of marble. All of these things tell more of the story, not only "who" but "where" Stevie is.

I find it interesting to think about this concept of context. Some of the context in my photographs comes from split second decision making, some of it comes later with cropping and post-processing. How, and when, do you decide the context in your art?

Set in Stone

A last little bit of love graffiti, this time from Murten, Switzerland. In Switzerland, you don't find much graffiti, so these little declarations of love are a bit harder to find than in Italy. I loved the messages etched into the sandstone, in this little hideaway above the town. I wonder how long it took to create this heart?

I guess no matter the rules or the laws or the culture, the need to publicly commemorate feelings remains and is acted out in different ways. Whether it's ink on a wall, a lock on a railing, initials carved into a tree trunk or hearts etched in sandstone, love finds a way to speak. I hope you enjoyed these images, this Valentine's week.

Yesterday I was musing on street scenes at Mortal Muses, so come by if you would like to see the street personality of Lisbon and Chinatown in San Francisco.

Today I have one last message of love to share! Ashley at Ramblings and Photos has challenged us to write Love Letters to Kitty Paw, her cat. So, I dusted off my digital scrapbooking skills to help our cat Stevie send a letter. Didn't he have a sweet message for Kitty Paw?

Click the image below see all of the fun love letters linked in! You might just be inspired to join in too.

Drowsing

Time for a little nap, in a warm and comfortable place. Cats know what they are about! My thanks to this cat Burano, who so nicely dozed in a place that was good for my artistic composition. Learn from cats - when in doubt, nap!

Back in Italy

Home again, home again... it's good to be back home in Italy. I had a fantastic week last week visiting with friends when I wasn't working, but it is truly good to get back home to my family and my cat and my own bed. And, it's a nice sunny morning as well, so there is nothing in life to complain about. I hope you all have a good Monday!