L'avenir, comme tout le reste, est pas ce qu'il était
The future, like everything else, is not what it used to be. ~ Paul Valery
The future, like everything else, is not what it used to be. ~ Paul Valery
The French Riviera, Nice
And so I watched the television screen replay the video while tears fell from my eyes and my heart cracked into a different kind of grief broken only by pauses of silent shock as it was a little less than one year ago today that I had a chance to spend three weeks in a paradise of blue and white light that bounces and reflects a warm radiance. A mythical city where each impression was a lyrical sensation - the language, the food, the people, the art, the antiquity in the modernity. I was struck by the care given to something as humble as a baguette and coffee, for the simple pleasure of sitting under the awning of a cafe lingering in timelessness - no particular place to be at any particular time sans agenda.
While my time in Nice wasn't particularly an easy one given the task I was there to fulfill, I was warmed by a beautiful group of people who embraced me in a way I hadn't expected. I was surprised by a rise of internal independence and a voice that had long gone silent finding it's way out into the world. On fragile wings I navigated this beautiful city in an ordinary way: walking the streets, sitting in outdoor cafes, strolling on the Promenade de Anglais, afternoon time at the beach to immerse in the sea and delighting in the simple pleasure of a meal. I had no phone to preoccupy me, no book or newspaper nor could I speak the language. I only had my senses to work with and my camera and pen/paper to relay and preserve my impressions.
So what has happened in Nice ripped through me in a way I cannot describe. And after ensuring the safety of those I adore who live in the city, I went to the photographs which I've never shown as a whole. As a way of extending love and my own little flower on an altar of prayer, I felt a need to share images from my time both in color and black and white. For this is the city I had the great fortune to spend time in and a place I will return to again.
This is the city of Nice. A jewel that shines in the heart of the French Riviera.
In color
and black and white
ignite - december
Having consciously passing on this the past three months, I had a hard time choosing something to end a year that was focused on street photography; particularly as I wasn't wow'd with what I've presented. Though seeing all the flaws and mistakes now only helps strengthen that fine art of seeing (the slowing down and tuning in) it was sobering as I long to be a little further along in this genre that I remain obsessed with. However, I am mindful that you get out of something what you put into it and in truth, I've haven't always had the drive or commitment, that necessary "need to go out every day and shoot" which is what anything worth doing takes; it's not the end, but rather the means, the doing that gets us where we're doing. (and while i've written a little note with links to everyone below, Susan Gietka, Susan Grace Photography, Hammonton, NJ is next)
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Days End, Salem | 2014
So in the end, I chose one that fits. And in lieu of linking to one to the other...I have a different idea:
Katie Suzanne- I eagerly await your whimsical take on motherhood (with boys); how you put all the pieces together the way you do is ever so clever and spot on. Thank you for making me laugh!
Susan Grace - I feel I've watched you take your ideas to a new level of artistry and conceptualization. Thank you for making me see more deeply ... and making me feel that this kind of creativity is possible.
January Skye- Your cinematic meanderings always read like a beautiful dark poem. Thank you for taking us under the veil.
Jan Madert - Thank you for your never ending ability to play with shapes and colors and composition and objects of meaning and memory.
Roxanne Bappe - Thank you for your textures and overlays which feel like a worn vintage lace tablecloth.
Wishing all your lovely talented beings in this little group the very best of endings and beginnings to come.
Wells Blog
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