Abby, 5 Years Old

Abby, 5 Years Old, 2013

© 2013 Susan M. Lohse.  All rights reserved.

The lovely and stately Abby, on the occasion of her fifth birthday.

When the sunlight hits just so, her eyes look like moonstones.

Red-winged Blackbird I

Red-winged Blackbird I, 2011

© 2012 Susan M. Lohse.  All rights reserved.

Artistically, I most admire photos with a shallow depth of field.  The focal point of the composition pops because visual background noise has been minimized.  When I get the depth of field right, my photos look more professional. 

Here, I got lucky using my auto settings.  At the time, I hadn’t learned how to consciously use depth of field to my advantage.  Now, I keep my digital camera set to Aperture Priority so I can change the f-stop settings on the fly.  Occasionally, I even bracket several shots, using different f-stops to help get the shot I’m looking for.

Eagle-eyed Grackle

Eagle-eyed Grackle, 2011

© 2011 Susan M. Lohse.  All rights reserved.

Obviously, it was an overcast day when I took this picture, but if the light had been brighter, I doubt I would have captured the beautiful and stately eyes of this Common Grackle.

Caesar’s Brother Iris

Caesar’s Brother Iris, 2013
Ink and watercolor on paper
6 x 4 1/2 inches

© 2013 Susan M. Lohse.  All rights reserved.

One of the most beautiful irises I’ve ever seen is the Caesar’s Brother Siberian Iris.  It spreads quickly after the first year’s planting and does best in moist soil.

This tall and vertically spiky iris looks great planted in large swaths along a lake or other water feature, but is just as lovely in a landlocked garden.  I highly recommend it.

Autumn Walk

Autumn Walk, 2013
Colored pencil on paper
2 1/2 x 3 1/2 inches

© 2013 Susan M. Lohse.  All rights reserved.

Noodling around with my relatively new palette of oil-based colored pencils.

Red Rocks of Sedona

In my last post, I featured some of the artwork that can be found at the Chapel of the Holy Cross in Sedona, Arizona.  I thought I’d also share a few sample shots of the magnificent scenery that surrounds the chapel.



Cathedral Rock, located in Coconino National Forest.



The two rock formations at the far right are known as the Two Nuns.  The third rock formation from the right is called the Madonna and Child.

View Toward Eagle Rock, Sedona, Arizona, 2012

This is one of my favorite shots.  The sun was behind me, so the lighting was just right, and the color turned out perfectly.

I recommend using a polarizing filter, as was used here, to help achieve this kind of vivid color.  I also adjusted the standard picture style on my camera, increasing contrast by one and saturation by two.

All photos © 2013 Susan M. Lohse.  All rights reserved.

Chapel of the Holy Cross

I recently took a trip to Arizona and visited the Chapel of the Holy Cross in Sedona, which was commissioned by artist Marguerite Staude (1899–1988).  I thought I’d share some of the artwork that can be found at the chapel, especially since there isn’t much information about it online.



A bronze sculpture of St. Francis of Assisi by Bruno Groth (1905–1992) can be found along the path to the chapel.



This mosaic, designed by Staude, is located just outside the entrance of the chapel.  Lots of contextual iconography here:

The dove symbolizes both the Holy Spirit, with its flaming tail and wings depicted with red tiles, as well as the Dove of Peace, with the olive branch in its beak.  The receding of the Great Flood is suggested by the colors of the tiles in the negative space:  blue (water) and green (land).  The curved swath of deeper blue tiles bisecting the mosaic suggests water more forcefully, referring to the sacrament of baptism.  The juxtaposition of Great Flood and baptism iconography alludes to the deluge prefiguring the sacrament.  One could also argue that the mosaic more broadly represents the Old and New Testaments.

To the right of the entrance is Staude’s Madonna and Child sculpture.



To the left of the entrance is a 15th century Mexican sculpture of St. Michael the Archangel.  Notice the heads of the damned under his feet.



On my way out of the chapel, I noticed this lovely architectural detail.

All photos © 2013 Susan M. Lohse.  All rights reserved.

Watercolor Practice

© 2013 Susan M. Lohse.  All rights reserved.

Working on staying loose, wet into wet, and lost edges.