*clouded

Overcast days felt like a blessing this summer.

A welcome relief from the intensity of the heat

and more energy for exploring new lovely places in nature.

☙

*on summer paths

On summer paths 

I wander without a sound.

The emptier my mind,

the fuller my heart.

Butterfly wings

are moving with the waves of the wind,

so softly and light,

no resistance to life.

Sheeplike clouds

cover the bluest of blues

while I'm resting my head

in this chamomile bed.

{Claudia Voglhuber}

⚘

*ink doodles

Every now and then I like to play with ink. It helps me to overcome my perfectionist tendencies that often hold me back in art. I just use a brush (or pen) & ink and do not trace with pencil first, so I have to accept all the flaws as they are. But I am not able to do anything creative consistently except for photography. In photography I am able to put less pressure on myself which hopefully stays that way. Maybe because I never had the intention to try to make a living out of it. It always accompanies me, in good and in not so good times when my life seems to fall apart. I will never stop to enthuse for photography and whenever I feel overwhelmed I find comfort in looking at a pile of collected pictures that awaken a specific cozy feeling in me and help me to instantly feel a little lighter. There is so much beauty to find in this world, I can experience so much joy through my eyes, through aesthetic images, I feel thankful for the way my inherent nature is conceived.

☙

*a long forgotten past

Have you seen the movie "Elisa & Marcela"? It is about two girls who have been in love around 1900 in Spain where the one girl took on the identity of a man, so she could marry her lover to be able to be with her. (based on a true story) It's not so much the story itself that was intriguing to me, but the way it was filmed - in black and white, just beautifully captured. Somehow when I first saw my developed black and white film I had to instantly think of this movie.

☙

*warm brick walls

This old, abandoned farmhouse in my neighborhood was the ideal place to play with the old black and white film. I love the brick walls and old wooden window frames with already broken glasses where wild wasps build their nests inside. And the changing seasons also change the feel and impression of the building again and again. I hope they will not demolish this for decades now untouched house. I made many pictures around this place over the years and I still don't get bored to let it shine in a new light in my photography work.

I had a weird dream tonight. One of my school teachers that had treated me badly back then cried tears of regret and those tears were dripping into my face, I could even taste the saltiness while they where running over my mouth. My dream life is extremely active right now. A few nights ago I was flying above a raging, dark sea next to a big steamboat. The wind was blowing strongly, but I was not in fear. Though I knew that I must not doubt, because the moment you doubt, you immediately sink down when you fly in a dream.

☙

*Ilford HP5

Some time ago I finally used an old black and white film that I kept postponing to use for years now. I even inserted it unintentionally and noticed it only after I already had taken several pictures. Because it was 36 years expired and not stored correctly I doubted that a useful result will come out. But to my surprise the pictures came out in a very aesthetically pleasing way, as if they were taken hundred years ago! I'm in love! I'm glad about my happy accident after all and it made me hungry for more experiments!

⚘

*golden fields

In the meanwhile most of the fields have been threshed by now, only the sunflower fields are holding their heads still brave into the sun and the corn is ripening in its own pace. In the early mornings mist rises over the woods again and gives me a vague feeling of autumnal days. A silent longing in my heart for the introverted season already. Maybe because the last weeks have been hard on me and I have not been able to live a summer life that much. But God means it well with us, so everything is in his order and we are also able to ripen – like those golden summer fields.

☙