What I Did on My Summer Vacation - at the Zanesville Museum of Art

What else? Created an environment befitting of Narnia's perpetual winter, of course!

The day I delivered this fine art photo "Winter Birdhouse" to the Zanesville Museum of Art, my car thermometer was showing 101 degrees F. It was an absolutely sweltering summer day. But two people at the museum, a son of Adam and a daughter of Eve, smiled and said looking at the photo made them feel cold.

The Ohio Show ran from July 23rd to September 8th, 2011. It was an awesome experience being able to participate in this exhibit as an artist.

As autumn begins and the temperatures start falling my way, I look forward to catching up with everyone I know in the blogosphere to see how your summers fared, as well as to meet new adventurers, like minds, and kindred spirits along the way in seasons to come.

Treasures from the Winter Realm of Narnia

* Disclaimer: Those sons of Adam or daughters of Eve awaiting the arrival of spring will not find it here in this realm. This is a flower-free zone. Lion-free as well, for it's not March just yet, at any rate! *

Due to a recent ice storm, all the trees in Narnia remained frozen solid and encased in ice or snow for two straight days. The ice took on a pleasing appearance of glittering silvery crystal.

The sun rose as though lighting a giant ice sparkler.

Another view of that same dawn from farther back.

Feathery snow-laden branches under a noonday sky of refreshing blue.

Enjoy the beauty of the season!

Blocking Off Time ...

.. as a chip off the old ice block, of course! Above is another icy abstract, a moment frozen in time transformed into an iridescent panel of art.

Have you blocked off time to be creative this week? Would you like to? How so? What would you do? Or do you find yourself frozen up against a creative block? If so, you may wish to take a little time off and think outside the blocks.

Here's the original icy pond soaking in the winter sun:


Enjoy the seasonal beauty!

A Dance of Winter Sun

Ice is filled with creative possibilities.

The painterly photo above shows just one way in which nature can be transformed into abstract art.

Here's the original icy pond, which has a pretty cool pattern in its own right as the sunlight dashes across its slippery surface:


Enjoy the seasonal beauty!

Groundhog Day in Narnia

Dear Punxsutawney Phil,

You may have noticed the sounds of Dwarvish construction last night while you slept. Lots of shovels, axes, hammers ...

My Dwarves have hewn out a marvelously long staircase which you must climb in order to discover whether or not you can see your shadow to make your prediction about the six more weeks of winter or an early spring. Well as you know, it’s cold out there, and those stairs are snow-laden and treacherously slippery.

So if it were me, I simply wouldn’t bother. It’s not really worth the trouble, is it? Much better to enjoy a nice piece of Turkish Delight with a cup of tea, go back to bed, snuggle up under the covers, and carry on with hibernation.

Most sincerely and as ever with your own best interests at heart,

I remain,

Jadis

Queen of Narnia

Team Turkey or Team Deer?

Once upon a winter in the Hocking Hills of Ohio ...

Swooping on in, these turkeys are on a mission, fixing to look for some breakfast feed scattered around like hidden treasure. You've heard of turkey in the straw, this is turkey in the snow!

Not so fast, I’m a little bit bigger than you, even if I’m just a cute and oh-so-innocent fawn. Now skedaddle!

If looks could kill? No, actually I heard that this one poor turkey always has trouble flying in awkwardly and falling down when landing. Watch your step!

Throw Another Log on the Fire

It's c-c-cold out there! Why, it's cold in here, too! A mite drafty at that, ain't it? But you can't beat the scenery when it comes to providing crisp, clear, snow-covered, evergreen-adorned fine winter atmosphere.

Took this photo down in the Hocking Hills region of Southern Ohio while staying at Painted Valley Farm bed and breakfast in February 2007. This unfinished cabin was setting in part of the innkeepers' (or should I say farmkeepers'?) driveway. I looked through one of the windows (there was no glass in the window, just a square hole in the logs) with my camera to get this shot.

Rustic life is surely the life for me!

How about you?

Winter Crossing

One reason I love winter as a photographer is that a world of white makes an excellent blank canvas. You are free to fill the wondrous snowy white with a dash of imagination and colors of your own choosing, or indulge in serendipitous discovery.

In the midst of this whirling snowstorm, glowing background trees hint at things beyond my realm, with perhaps change to come. One never quite knows, with Aslan moving about. This pool of water near the Wood Between the Worlds holds in its waters the colors of Earth. The bridge beckons to other adventures, in whichever direction you go.

Meanwhile, I will enjoy this moment while it's still winter ...

Barn Hibernation in Late Winter

Another seasonal scene from Mapleside Farms in Brunswick, Ohio. When I'm actually out taking pictures with overcast skies, it's hard to tell what the result will be. So much depends on the weather and lighting conditions to set the day's mood. It's a matter of working with an image like a sculptor works in stone or wood ... bringing out the form hidden beneath the exterior.

Even in the deepest darkest winter, there are hints of light and beauty. These glinting hints reflect in the sky, from snow-covered rooftops, from finely-curving snowdrifts covering a sleeping land. An invitation to dream ...

Cape of Forochel

Traveled all the way to J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle Earth for my latest winter landscape scene. Found a fierce beauty in the twilight there.

From the Encyclopedia of Arda:

"In the distant north of Middle-earth, between the far reaches of the Blue and the Misty Mountains, lay a wide icy bay of the Great Sea. This was the mighty Icebay of Forochel (the name Forochel means 'northern ice'), which extended far into the coldest regions of the north of Arda. To the north and west, the bay was sheltered from the Sea by the curve of the Cape of Forochel."

http://www.glyphweb.com/arda/i/icebayofforochel.html

"The hardy and secretive Men who lived among the snow and ice that surrounded the Icebay of Forochel. They were said to have been descended from the ancient Forodwaith, and had habits that seemed strange and mysterious to those who lived in warmer climes. The igloos, skates and sleds they used were incomprehensible to the Hobbits, so that the authors of the Red Book's¹ commentaries could only say of the Snowmen that they, '...house in the snow, and it is said that they can run on the ice with bones on their feet, and have carts without wheels.' ^"

http://www.glyphweb.com/arda/s/snowmen.html

Winter Evening at Mapleside Farms

Mapleside Farms in Brunswick, Ohio is home to an apple orchard, gift shoppe, and restaurant. It's also one of the best sunset spots in Northeast Ohio.

During the summer months, you get all kinds of people hanging out to enjoy the sunset. People who:

• have just come from a good meal inside,
  
• are driving by who stop their cars and sit in the parking lot,
  
• bring a blanket to lounge on the sloping hill,
  
• bring their kids to look at the pond at the bottom of the hill,
  
• play golf and make life challenging for those of us at the pond trying to take pictures while golf balls go whizzing past our heads (okay, so far that's only happened to me on one memorable day),
  
• take pictures when no golfers are about,
  
• enjoy an ice cream cone ... although I'm not sure if ice cream will be sold this summer or not. Here's hoping!

Come the winter months, there's only one person fool enough to venture forth into the great outdoors to enjoy the beauty of nature. That would be me, the self-proclaimed Queen of Narnia. Any sons of Adam and daughters of Eve who travel here after the leaves have gone and before the apple blossoms spring forth all head quickly inside to warm themselves. I say, they're missing out.

Now that night has fully fallen, I'm home enjoying the quiet with a cup of green jasmine tea and a peaceful and appropriately-scented candle of apple and cinnamon.

Wishing all a cozy winter weekend ...

Flown South

This fine art photo, taken several years ago, shows a heron rookery in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Brecksville, Ohio. The Great Blue Herons have flown south for the winter, leaving behind a scene of still beauty in glimmering metallic tones of gold and aqua.

Nearby Cleveland, Ohio, just a hop, a skip, and a jump away was recently ranked number one by Forbes magazine on its list of America's Worst Winter Weather Cities?!?

Personally, I think there's some mistake, as a Cleveland winter is normally absolutely gorgeous. What the editors of Forbes * really * meant to say was that Cleveland is absolutely at the top when it comes to the best winter weather ever!

The crazy thing to me about the Forbes list is that Buffalo, NY of Blizzard of '77 fame didn't even make the top ten. Wow. I grew up in the Buffalo area, which more than likely gave me a lifelong fondness for snow.

So how do you feel about the Forbes "America's Worst Winter Weather Cities" list? Is your city there? Does it deserve to be? Do you like the weather where you live?

Enquiring minds wanna know ...

Hemlock Creek Bridge, Painterly Version

Just wanted to see how a winter photo I posted earlier would look if I fancied it up a bit. The Hemlock Creek Bridge is located at the Bedford Reservation in the Cleveland Metroparks. Another reason why I love living in Northeast Ohio. Hope everyone is enjoying this glorious beautiful season today.

Winter Trees Sing to the Skies

Trees adorned with snow and hoarfrost, blue sky adorned with puffy clouds, sing together in a glorious celebration of winter sunshine.

This was the scene two weeks ago on a Saturday afternoon at Mapleside Farms in Brunswick, Ohio. Such a magical spot there, always offering new surprises whenever you go.

Will be travelling out of town and look forward to catching up with all of your blogs again starting Saturday.

Creek with Winterglow

A cold beauty runs its watery course through the ice and snow of wintry banks. This is another fine art photo look at Hemlock Creek in Walton Hills, Ohio.

EcoRover wanted to know where the hemlocks are ... that I cannot say. Maybe they left the forest, like the Ents of Fangorn on the move. EcoRover, meanwhile, can be found here:

http://ecorover.blogspot.com

Winter Walk at Hemlock Creek

A one-lane bridge spans a crisp passage of water through banks soft with snowfall. This was the scene last Friday at the Bedford Reservation, a Cleveland Metropark in Walton Hills, Ohio.

The magic of a winter creek decorated by a fresh-fallen snow.

Hemlock Creek winds its meandering way through the surrounding woods.

The grand finale: A memory of autumn brightens a winter creekside.

The Queen of Narnia Hereby Bans Global Warming

From atop this high precipice be it decreed that in order to save the planet, winter must reign. Global warming is banished. Let there be cold, snow, ice, blizzards, and all manner of freezing! Trust that these measures are for your own good, sons of Adam and daughters of Eve. Sooner or later you'll come to appreciate the finer things of winter.

Look here, it's duck weather!

Author's Note: Photos taken at the Rocky River Reservation in North Olmsted, Ohio.

Let It Snow!

You are invited in this photo to walk the path of silent, majestic fresh-fallen snow leading to a realm of winter wonder. Enjoy the peacefulness of fresh-fallen snow at Tinkers Creek Gorge Scenic Overlook in the Cleveland Metroparks of Northeast Ohio. This photo, called "Snowfall Symmetry," was on display this past December 2008 at the Market Street Art Center in Lockport, NY as part of their "Off the Walls" exhibit.

I, Queen of Narnia, do hereby decree that winter is once again back in session!

At least in the realm surrounding Cleveland, Ohio. It's snowing, and I'm loving it!

Last night I drifted off to sleep happily to the sound of hail, for that meant ice. Today I awoke even more pleasantly to actual snowflakes drifting down, and the longer the day wore on, the heavier the snowfall became and the stormier it got. Beautiful bracing invigorating weather, cold and refreshing ...

In honor of the weather, I decided to feature some winter photos today in my Etsy shop. While many no doubt are all intent on spring and flowers, there had to be SOMEONE else out there who appreciates the finer points of glorious white winter, regardless of whatever the calendar may say. In any case, I knew I would enjoy seeing snow-laden images again.

And the good news is, one of my winter wonderland photos sold today.

Here's hoping for more snow tomorrow. And the next day ...

Colors of Nature’s Winter Drama When There Is No Snow

The above photo taken last week at Mapleside Farms in Brunswick, Ohio is called “Cattails and Maples at the Apple Orchard” and carries on another wintertime tradition of mine involving adding color to the season in the absence of snow.

Small scraggly magenta apple trees and looming dark maples reach into a blue ethereal evening while cattails stand softly attentive like spun gold straw in a fairy tale awaiting the arrival of a hero.

Below is the original photo.

This version is rather ghostly, a washed-out web of lines of twilight time.

Okay, I Admit It – I Am the Queen of Narnia!

There is a whole lot of blogging going on by sons of Adam and daughters of Eve about how they simply cannot wait for the arrival of spring. The first day of spring for 2009 is March 20th. Currently, it is only March 7th. That gives us a lucky 13 days to enjoy the continuing majesty of winter!

I mean, how can you not love the barrenness of this tree??

All right, so maybe some of the natives are getting restless. These deer are really battling it out ... over a tiny pile of breakfast feed!

Now we all know the warning about March, how it comes in like a lion. We also know how dangerous lions can be. I say, we should all just enjoy the snow, live happily ever after in our never-ending winter, and have a nice piece of Turkish Delight.


Feel welcome to leave a comment in my winter realm. Keep in mind that anyone mentioning spring, flowers, or lions just may find themselves turned into a statue of ice!