The AC Menagerie Bulletin

Welcome to the August 5th addition of

The AC Menagerie Bulletin

For a number of years now I have referred to our home as the Zoo, mostly because it is always full of rather curious and sometimes wild caricatures.  So I thought it only fitting to name my Friday weekly review post the AC Menagerie Bulletin, as this posts is a brief account of the weeks happenings at our home and here on my blogs. Both of which are filled with a bit of the unusual. 

- Overall it has been a quiet week at the Zoo.

- We welcomed a new member to the family. For some time now my daughter Lexi has been suffering from kitten fever. So when a friend of mine asked if I knew anyone who wanted a kitten as she needed homes for three kittens, I knew exactly who to tell. If our home wasn't so small I am sure Lexi would have wanted to adopt all three, but instead she chose this fun little guy. After a day of playing with and watching him she gave him the name Moments. As she said his eyes remind her of a 'precious moments' and his playful loving personality was sure to result in many wonderful moments. 

-  This week, my artistic and creative pursuits have been limited to taking photos, a bit of writing and a lot of photo editing. This is one photo from a series of portraits of my youngest granddaughter that I have been working on. I hope to share the series next week on my photo blog.

- Today our maintenance man provided a bit of entertainment, by moving a refrigerator up a flight of stairs. The staircase is not a straight climb, but is split into two sets of stairs, each facing the opposite direction of the other and separated by a rather small landing. Needless to say it is a very difficult staircase to navigate with large objects, especially all by oneself. But he did it! When asked by a neighbor if he had done it by himself his reply, which appears on this meme below his photo, was quite funny.

The Blog Review

On Artistic Composition this week:

- Historic Landing: Shares my exciting discovery of the possible origins of the subject in one of my photographs. This article is on the long side, but is full fun and interesting facts about a turn of the century amusement park.

- Wonders N Wishes:This weeks Wonder is a tribute to the late Chief David Bald Eagle. The post also has a few wishes and highlights various fun Wednesday blog hops.

- SIMC: Making Wishes Come True: Sunday In My City is a fun blog hop in which bloggers share about their city. This week I shared photos from our annual Hot Harley Nights, which is an event that helps raise funds for Make-A-Wish(R), South Dakota.

On Nita's Photography this week:

- Oh What a Beautiful Day: Two photos showing just how beautiful the day was.One a reflection and the other a vibrant flower.

- Nature: A series of nature: weather and adventure related photographs that I entered in the Weather Channel photo contest.

- Prehistoric Pets: A fun toy dinosaur Wordless Wednesday photo.

- Portraits: Mike and His Girls: A peek at an event location family portrait session.

- Pride, Respect and a Touch of Sadness: A photo tribute to POW's and MIA's.

- Unique Wedding Accessory: Street photography capturing a bride being photographed with a snake.

 

Have a Terrific Weekend!

 

Hold Up Fold Up or Run

As Kenny Rodgers would say you have to know when to hold up, when to fold up and when to run. Last month was one of those times when I really had to evaluate everything in my life and figure out what to hold up, what to fold up and what to run with. I had to accept the fact that this fatigue is not going anywhere anytime soon, so I just have to pace myself and be content with doing what I can when I can and not try and push beyond what I am able to do at the moment. The decisions I made weren't easy but right or wrong I am running with them.

Newest design in the gift shop

1st

The hardest decision was what to do with our small family business Artistix Network LLC.  After great thought and discussions we have decided to dissolve the LLC. I am keeping the Artistix Network domain but am going back to it just being a DBA. While I will still be offering portrait photography as well as memory photo design services, these will be on a limited basis. The main focus of Artistix Network will be on the inspirational and fun design offered in our gift shop.

 My new business card design

2nd

The second hardest decision was whether to rebuild the old Artistix Network site to reflect the new structure or to build an entirely new website. I decided to build an entirely new personal website. I am still trying to get artistixnetwork.com to point to the gift shop, but even if I can't manage that there are links to the gift shop on my website and here. 

In January I began working with an editor on my latest book which I was originally planning to hold off publication of until I had completed the two book self-help series I am currently working on. So probably the easiest decision was whether to publish this book now or wait. As you can see I decided not to wait.

The most fun of all the decisions though was deciding if I should go bold and dye my hair with an ombre of silver and purple. I did it! I like the ombre effect and I love the purple color, but I don't really like the silver. To me it just looks like my natural color is grey and my hair was died purple and has now grown out. I guess you could say I am a bit vain. My natural color is a dark auburn that has some scattered silver/grey in it. So while I love the ombre I will be figuring out a different color to go with the purple, any suggestions? 

Now that I have remembered that I must pace myself I hope to be getting out more to photograph this wonderful city. Here are a few fun shots from a walk I took last Sunday.

Many of the shops downtown are celebrating the fact that spring is finally here.

Down town on Sunday is very quite as most of the shops are closed. I was amused at this forgotten drink sitting on a table outside a closed cafe.

I've come to the realization that this store dresses this mannequin to embrace the season. I posted a photo of it's winter wardrobe Here.

Of course I can not pass up a chance to share a few of the wonderful sculptures that grace our down town streets. This one reminds me of my grand daughter when she is trying to master a difficult composition on her violin.

I was drawn to this sculpture that outwardly looks like just a smooth column, then when you see it from the side this is the view you are graced with. I can only imagine how difficult it was to carve out all those intricate faces on the inside of the column. 

I am looking forward to sharing more interesting aspects of Sioux Falls and the surrounding area now that I've remembered I must pace myself so that I can get out and about with my camera. I would love to here from you so go ahead and share your thoughts in the comments. And please hop over to Unknown Mami's for some virtual travel.

 Just click the button below

Warm Macro on a Cold Morning

It's Macro Monday and a chilly morning here in South Dakota.

Which in my book makes it a perfect time to share this little bit of warmth I have been saving.

My week is off to a good start and I feel the creativity seeping back into my life.

Sharing with 'I Heart Macro' 
and Macro Monday 

Enjoy the day!

If you get a chance share a bit of warmth in the comment section, I would love to hear how your day is going.

Week In Review

Packing, packing and more packing!
Two more weeks and our trek back to the Midwest begins. 

As can be seen by the evil eye I got from Belle, the animals are not too happy about all the packing.

As much as I wanted to go to the beach during the hot weather we had this last week there was no time. This picture was taken the week before.

We have a new pet! His name is Bob the Bee and he is a carpenter bee that has decided to guard our peach tree.

Remember the baby kittens last month, well their momma finally came back and brought a few friends. As soon as we walked toward them they all ran off, so we were still unable to get her and reunite her with her babies.

weekend reflection submission

With all the preparations for our move it was nice to take a break and get a little work done. This is one of my favorite shots from a very special session I did with a young Navy Wife whose husband left on deployment last month.

Needless to say there has been little time for exploring the city let alone creative work. So, I thought I would share this composite art piece I did last month in honor of my oldest brother's engagement to a very sweet woman. 

Today I am linking up with a number of great parties across the blog world. Please visit them and share in the fun. 

Jame's Weekend Reflection

Making Time For Creativity

So often I find myself thinking how much I miss just picking up my sketch pad and drawing something just for the fun of drawing. With modern technology I find myself drawing more and more digitally while my sketch pad collects dust.

Of course there are many advantages to drawing digitally; it is so much easier to erase; no clean up needs to be done in order to use as line art in digital projects and the list goes on.

However, the satisfaction one feels as the lines on the paper begin to form the image one wishes to draw seems so much more personal than when drawing digitally. Similar to the difference between turning the pages of a book while curled up in an overstuffed easy chair and scrolling through a digital book.

As I am sure others experience with life's hectic pace it is easy to put off things that don't seem to be all that important. So instead of just waiting till I have some free time to pull out the sketch pad I have decided to make time for this type of creativity and have arranged for my youngest daughter and I to meet with a friend each week on Friday for a few hours of fun and creativity. Last Friday was our first art date and this sketch. I did this sketch of our friend during the time we were drawing with our friend last Friday.
Do you schedule a special time for fun creative activities?

Art, Improving the Quality of Life

I am sharing this post both here and on my Sioux Falls Photo blog.

It is widely accepted that art enriches both the lives of the artist and the lives of those that are exposed to the art.

• Imagine if you would slipping away from the noise of the city and the demands of everyday life to spend a long lunch in quiet solitude, meditating or just contemplating the beauty around you. 
• Imagine the sense of accomplishment in learning a new skill. 
• Imagine the joy and laughter that can be found in listening to a musical or theatrical performance. 
• Imagine the pride and boost in self esteem of a child returning from their first time at camp. 

Music, poetry/literature, visual and preforming arts all provide both the artist and the individual exposed to the art with a means of emotional release and enrichment, which in turn improves the overall quality of life for both. 

As one of the top 100 places to live (according to RelocateAmerica) and 2nd on Forbes' list of best places for business and careers Sioux Falls obviously understands that lives are enriched through exposure to all forms of artistic endeavors.  A cursory look at the many cultural and artistic attractions makes it is easy to see the community's drive for artistic excellence. Yet since the closing of the Horse Barn Arts Center earlier this year venues for emerging artists are virtually non existent.

To meet this need The Retreat at Pointer's Ridge a non-profit arts organization is proposing the development of the regions first artist's retreat. "The Retreat at Pointer's Ridge offers a unique gathering place designed to stimulate imagination for individuals and organizations seeking to improve outcomes in life, health and commerce through artistic expression" *

This river creates one border of the property

Today I had the privilege of touring the proposed site for the retreat which is located less than fifteen minutes north of Sioux Falls. It was very exciting to see the potential this site has to offer. Nestled in a wooded area adjacent to the river this location offers a peaceful setting away from the distractions of the city in which to pursue and develop artistic talents. This former Jaycee Camp although overgrown and run down still holds a great amount of charm, beauty and potential.

Here is the A-frame and a view of the cabins, behind which are the woods.

With the renovation of the existing facilities the retreat will have eight cabins for overnight stays, an A-frame with loft and a large central lodge with fireplace, piano, restrooms, showers and a commercial kitchen as well as other amenities. In addition to these some of the improvements they hope to add are a contemplation garden, hiking trails, outdoor fire pit and playground.

Just past the cabins and to the right of the central meeting hall is this small playground area

Although they look small the cabins will easily sleep 4 to 6 campers

These photos show only a small portion of the 23 acre site which sits on a gently slopping hillside. I was happy to hear that there are plans to restore the many wall panels in the main lodge which contain artwork by staff and visitors from the 30 years it was in operation by the Jaycee's. Unfortunately I didn't take my tripod with me so the photos I took inside the lodge were blurry.  To learn more about the vision and plans for the artist's retreat please visit The Retreat at Pointer's Ridge on Facebook.

* Excerpt from The Retreat at Pointer's Ridge mission statement.

The Vision In My Head

Image compliments of Morguefile.com

Creativity can be rewarding and sometimes so very frustrating. Take now for example, I have been focusing the lions share of my creativity towards preserving memories in a fun and artistic way and all of a sudden a vision for a photographic art piece pops in my head. I know what I want the finished art work to look like. I have the exact location picked out for the photo shoot. I have lined up the four models for the shoot and now all I need is their outfits! 

These are the materials for the four outfits

I said to myself 'no big deal, I know exactly how I want the models clothing to look and I know how to sew.' After a week of searching every fabric store and thrift store I finally have all of the materials needed to create the four outfits. The models have been measured and styles have been sketched and the first one is in the beginning stage of production.

Image compliments of Morguefile.com

So what is so frustrating? To stay true to this vision in my head the photo shoot needs to take place before too many of the leaves turn color and begin to drop. That is right Autumn is fast approaching and my time to put together the outfits is very limited. Once upon a time that wouldn't have phased me, however it has been some time since the old sewing machine has seen much use. So wish me luck, because I am going to need it!
Do you ever find yourself starting a project only to realize once you start that it is going to take a lot more work than you thought?