Weekly Challenge
Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #113 – A Labor of Love
First of all – thank you for so many inventive, creative and fun interpretations of last week’s challenge – Pick a Word! Fabulous!
Rusha Sams of Oh the Places We See is our host this week, and she has chosen to highlight all those people who work for a better society and a better world. A Labor of Love.
As so many of us do these days, I think of the health care workers, police and firefighters – all those brave people helping us in this unruly world. But my thoughts also go to all those who work for a sustainable world and helping vulnerable species to survive – because biodiversity is essential to us all. Without biodiversity we will all perish and our planet is lost. Even if we are living in a pandemic now, we know that other problems will not go away – we have to fight them all, simultaneously. Tough. But, the pandemic is also a result of how humans have abused and misused Nature and our only home, planet Earth.
In the header, the dotterel beach in Coromandel.
She worked mostly with inventory of traps and keeping the forest open. All voluntary work is of course unpaid (monetarily…) work – A Labour of Love for the planet.
A big threat to all endemic animals, maybe especially the NZ flightless birds (the kiwi is only one of them) are the invasive possums. Emma brought home several skulls and bones from roadkills.
In 2016 we went to Ecuador, the Amazon Basin and the Galapagos Islands. Threatened already then by the oil industry and new settlers burning down the rainforest, but little did we know of the many fires that would arrive through mismanagement and the pandemic.
A vast piece of jungle was once bought by a man from the Netherlands who wanted to save it from getting destroyed. We stayed at his eco-lodge with local people guiding and lecturing about herb medicine and Amazon plants and animals. These people were born and raised here, lived here and knew the jungle like the back of their hand.
”We hope you’ll join us in sharing your interpretations of “A Labor of Love” whether you showcase a person or a group or an object notable for the labor or laborer involved.” Publish your post and add your link to the Comments section at the bottom of Rusha’s post. Please don’t forget to add the tag Lens-Artists so you can be found in the Reader.
Next week we will be back on schedule, and Amy will be our host for challenge #114. Until then – stay well and be kind. To yourself as well.
Wordless Wednesday
Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #112 – Pick a Word…
Pick a word and illustrate it with a photo! This used to be a favorite challenge of mine when held by Paula of Lost in Translation. Unfortunately she is not running it anymore. So – how about a revival at Lens-Artists? It is easy: Choose one (1) word or more – choose all of them if you like! The words available are the following:
Comfortable
Growing
Tangled
Crowded
Exuberant
In the header – Comfortable? Yes! If you are safe and living in the Galapagos Islands!
Swimming is normal for me. I’m relaxed. I’m comfortable, and I know my surroundings. It’s my home. – Michael Phelps
Growing
Growth itself contains the germ of happiness.
– Pearl S. Buck
Crowded
In a crowded marketplace, fitting in is a failure. In a busy marketplace, not standing out is the same as being invisible. – Seth Godin
Tangled
A word garden blooming within the tangled weeds.
―
Exuberant
Exuberance is beauty.
Thank you for a marvelous response to Patti’s Everyday Objects – you really made us all open our eyes and SEE what we have around us!
A new announcement: We have the pleasure of having Rusha Sams of Oh the Places We See as guest host for September 5, #113. Be sure to visit her! Until then – stay well and safe, and be kind, to yourself as well.
Have you seen these:
- Sheetalbravon – pay a visit if you love mysteries…
- Viveka of Myguiltypleasures shows off her exquisite handbags
- At Photos by Jez you will find a colourful kitchen dream
- Elizabatz Gallery is extra creative here!
Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #111 – Everyday Objects
”For this week’s Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #111, we’re taking a fresh look at ordinary, everyday objects–things that you see and use in your daily life.”
Patti is our host for the challenge, and we are looking forward to seeing your creative response!
My start is the old silver box from my husband’s mother. I haven’t changed its position for the image, but, inspired by Patti, I put my garnets there, to pick up the colours of the faded rose. In the header it stands in late evening light – here in ordinary daylight. Quite a change – light and the photographer’s position sets the mood.
If you read my blog now and then, you know I have two real dogs, but also some other dogs and cats, hiding among my house plants…
These are my two favourites – both left to me by Anita, a beloved friend who passed away some years ago.
They are hiding in different places depending on what plants I have for them. The lovely blue cat was one of Anita’s special favourites – and yesterday she was hiding behind a Medinilla Magnifica. I think she loved it!
Finally, my scary friends in the blue box – always hiding – seemingly frightened – put there and painted by Lena, a very good friend of mine. Can you see just how scared they are? I even helped them look a bit shaky…
A special thanks to Tina for hosting last week’s Creativity in the Time of Covid challenge. A great theme, that really showed us many creative ideas on how to cope with and manage these difficult times. I think we all learned something new and picked up more tricks to stay creative throughout! Well done All of us – together we will meet the future, stronger!
Next challenge, #112, I (Ann-Christine/Leya) will be your host. Stay creative and stay well – and be kind, also to yourself.
Wordless Wednesday
Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #110 – Creativity in the Time of Covid
“One day you will wake up and there won’t be any more time to do the things you’ve always wanted. Do it now.”
Paulo Coelho
And many of us tried, hard, this summer.
Last week we saw a tremendous amount of beautiful answers ”Under the Sun”, hosted by Amy. This week, ”We’d love you to share with us the ways you’ve fueled and satisfied your creative energies these past few months as the pandemic has restricted our ability to move freely.” And this time, Tina is our host.
When all this started, I had just visited my daughter in Umeå, and bought a fascinating jigsaw puzzle with many house plants – most of which I some time over the years had grown in my house. And, puzzling hade not been on my mind for some 20 years…This was february, and we knew nothing about what would happen only some weeks later.
Emma’s birthday is in September, so we decided to celebrate during her summer vacation instead. She wished to take a short course in ceramics and clay work, together with some friends. I joined in as well, and we all had a creative day at the small farm, where the artist, Caroline, had her studio.
During the whole summer, Emma kept working on the costume for her graduation. She also made a prototype for sewing her leather spats. Much work, but I am sure it will look really good in January for her Big Day. Posing for me? Well, some minutes only – it was 37 degrees C that day…so fast I had to be!
For her birthday, of course I made her favorite lamb pies with lots of vegetables and fruit. For me it is a joy to cook for her when she comes home – I want to make her feel relaxed and having nothing to worry about. Being a student for so many years is tiresome – not least doing all the cooking yourself.
We did many other things togehter of course, but these were some of those that made our summer worth remembering. I think we worked on 5 puzzles at least, and we had so much to talk about and debate – things that might never have come up an ordinary summer. Summing up, this Covid summer went from hopeless to meaningful in the end.
Emma has left now for her final term, so maybe this was her last stay ”at home”. And the last puzzle we started together, I have to finish on my own. It has a name: Universe Creator, by artist Lora. Autumn is coming, and I sit in the warm evening light, looking at Lora’s painting. It shows a little girl cycling, and a giant panda blowing soap bubbles that sails through the air, making new planets and galaxies. I like that idea.
Finally, are you interested in learning more about about the team behind the Lens-Artists Challenge? If so, we invite you to visit TCHistorygal.net where you’ll find our recent interview with Marsha Ingrao of Always Write. It was great working with Marsha and being a part of her Artists’ Interview series. We thank her sincerely for her efforts on our behalf.
We hope you’ll join us next week for Patti’s challenge #111. Until then, take care and stay safe.
Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #109 – Under The Sun
Last week we had the pleasure of having Xenia of Tranature as our guest host – a real treat of Sanctuary for us all! This week Amy is our host – Under the Sun.
The theme title was inspired by the book Under the Tuscan Sun: At Home in Italy by Frances Mayes (published in 1997). ”However this theme series is not about featuring the Tuscan sun, but photo captures anywhere under the sun.”
As Amy says, taking photos under the sun is often advised against… but still we do that sometimes, because sometimes we really have no other choice.
Ô, Sunlight! The most precious gold to be found on Earth.
―
I wear myself out and struggle with the sun. And what a sun here! It would be necessary to paint here with gold and gemstones. It is wonderful.
– Claude Monet
Let there always be a bright spot in your heart for the people around you. They might need a bit of sunshine.
―
These are the soul’s changes. I don’t believe in ageing. I believe in forever altering one’s aspect to the sun. Hence my optimism.
– Virginia Woolf
We look forward to seeing your Under the Sun photos! Please make sure you include a link to Amy’s original post and use the Lens-Artists tag so we can find your post in the WP Reader.
Also – stay well and safe, and be sure to check out Tina’s post next week as she hosts Challenge #110.
Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #108 – Sanctuary
Thank you for last week’s sparkling Winter images and thoughts – showing that, despite being cold or wet it can be a season of beauty!
This week we are happy to welcome Xenia of Tranature as our host, and she has chosen ”Sanctuary” – a timely concept for the year of 2020.
I have a friend, whose home is a true sanctuary. In the hills, a kilometer away from me.
When you walk up the gravel road – of course there is a string of grass in the middle – …
…and the houses and the lush grounds meet your eye – a calm, serene feeling of harmony descends upon you.
Sanctuaries are magical places – dare I say holy?
– Colleen Patrick-Goudreau
Just Listen to the sound of Mother Nature – and, only Cats know how to Live In the Moment.
Thank you, my friend, for letting me visit your house whenever I need to.
Remember, the entrance door to the sanctuary is inside you.
Take care and stay safe and well wherever you are in the world –
Friendly Friday – Close Examination
For Friendly Friday– Amanda wants a close examination…
Leya 
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