Grounded: The Art of Looking Down (Part 8)

I was waiting to meet my friend Meghan outside of a Tijuana Flats for Taco Tuesday. I liked the way the rapidly diminishing sunlight was grazing the hoods of the park cars and bouncing off the gravel in the parking lot.

My bright pink sandals against the Tetris styled Publix bathroom tile floor. 

Standing in a park pavilion in downtown St.Petersburg. Those beautiful magenta petals had recently fallen off of the trees that surrounded the park. 

I was on my way to DRIP when I got caught in the rain. I took shelter at a nearby Bahama Breeze restaurant and enjoyed what little cover their awning provided.

Grounded: The Art of Looking Down (Part 7)

Resting my legs on the wall adjacent to my bed. One of the first pictures I took in my new apartment. I thoroughly enjoy having the place all to myself. 

Watching the waves rush past my feet back to the ocean on an overcast summer getaway. 

One of the first things I do when I get home from work is remove my shoes. As soon as I did I realized that I had to go to the laundry room. I grabbed a pair of sandals and headed out. As I was reaching for my keys I looked down and laughed. I was still in my black uniform but my feet looked unusually tropical. 

The photo was taken after I got home from a DRIP show. The paint had soaked through my clothes and shoes to create an interesting swirl pattern - as well as imprint the elastic band of my sock. 

The photo was originally sent to one of my friends as a joke after I had finally worn out a pair of sandals. When we met up I said "You know, I realized that it might have been a little strange sending you a photo of my feet. Sorry if that was weird."

He laughed "I knew you were at DRIP from the concrete floor and the sand. But I was more surprised that you had perfectly painted toenails." 

"Yeah" I smiled "It's kinda my thing." 

Grounded: The Art of Looking Down (Part 6)

This photo was taken while I was at New Smyrna Beach. I had gotten up specifically to watch the sun rise over the water. I sat on the wooden steps and enjoyed the breeze as the sun made its way up past the clouds. 

After a fun day at the beach I took a nice relaxing shower. I just laid there and let the ceiling fan cool my skin. 

In the evening my uncle and cousins decided to watch football. I never got into sports but I decided to join them on the couch. I propped my feet up and took in the hard wood ceiling. 

When I got out of the car on this overcast day I noticed that my gray pants matched the concrete below me. My shoes and toenails were a refreshing burst of color. No matter what I wear I always seem to find a way to carry some color. 

I took this photo at DRIP as we were about to add more paint to the sand. It was a messy but fun afternoon. 

Grounded: The Art of Looking Down (Part 5)

My feet with a grouping of shoes outside the Buddhist Temple of Tampa. Anyone wishing to enter the temple had to remove their shoes as a sign of respect. 

Walking up to the DRIP venue one day I noticed these beautiful yellow flowers in full bloom. 

Propping up my feet to watch an outdoor performance at the 2012 Orlando International Fringe Festival. 

Me waiting outside of Mellow Mushroom for my sister. A storm was approaching and once I was done taking pictures of the sky I turned my attention towards the ground. 

My roommate Myra has three pit bulls. Nobel, the oldest, usually prefers to sleep on his dog bed. The younger two must lay as close to me as possible while I am watching T.V. This shot also contains some of Myra's beautiful decorative lamps. I lay stretched over the couch while Raji, the black dog, seeks attention from Chewie, the brown dog. I love living in a place with so many affectionate dogs. They remind me so much of my own dog who past away a few years earlier. She was also part pit bull. 

The tree had been in my parent's front yard until it had to be removed. It was a very unusual tree and when it started to die the bark peeled away to reveal a smooth, wave-like texture. Once the tree had been cut down it become an unconventional road map of cracks from drying and the swirl pattern of the saw that cut it down. And even though the tree did grow to be exceptionally tall my entire body could fit into the diameter of the surprisingly narrow and sturdy trunk. 

Grounded: The Art of Looking Down (Part 4)

This photo was taken during a tour of my friend Matt's apartment. I was climbing down from the attic when I took this photo. The view extends into Matt's bedroom looking at the piano he received as a gift and a chair that had previously been in the attic.

Cool blue toes in the jade pool at Wekiva Springs. 

Sitting on the dock at my aunt and uncle's house at Thanksgiving. 

At some point I was taking out the trash at my apartment when I looked down and noticed how colorful my feet were compared to the dead fall leaves on the ground. It my have been cool outside but my feet were still in summer. 

Ankle deep in some delightfully messy DRIP photo shoot materials. Coincidentally, my toenail polish happen to match the dye we were using. 

These feet actually belong to my friend Freddy. He swears by his toe shoes and wears them all the time. He is usually in the wilderness off on some adventure, but on this particular occasion we were shopping downtown for a Christmas gift for a friend. After we left the store I remarked at how funny his feet looked. I love the juxtaposition of his shoes, still covered in burs, on the pavement of downtown Orlando. 

Grounded: The Art of Looking Down (Part 3)

More in my ongoing series of taking offbeat pictures of my feet. It has become an interesting reflection on the places I have been.

Matt and I during our visit to the Maitland Art Center. It was drizzling and we stopped to admire a blooming patch of wild mushrooms.

This photo was taken after working in the DRIP warehouse. I was carrying a can of black paint and dropped it over my foot. The contents spilled over my shoe and covered the floor. After the cleanup I realized that the paint and soaked completely through my socks. 

A brief moment of piece. This was taken before DRIP's big show at Isleworth Golf and Country Club. I had stopped at Dandelion Tea for lunch before I set out start the show. I put my feet up on the chair across from me, took a deep breath, and centered myself for a beautifully crazy day.

This photo was taken during my trip to Virginia. My friend Laura and I went to the Rappahannock River to explore. I dipped my feet in and enjoyed the contrast of minty toenails against the muted pebbles.  Something about being in the wilderness just makes you feel refreshed. 

This photo was taken while I was working with John building part of a DRIP set. I was holding up the frame when I noticed the composition of tools arranged on the concrete.

This is a photo of my roommate and I with her new puppy Lexi. We took her to the Fleet Peeples Dog Park to romp around. Such a cute dog, although we joke that she will most likely grow into a wolf. 

This was taken in my parent's pool when I came home for Father's Day. My sister Jenny and her boyfriend were casually floating around in the water. I waited for the perfect moment as they drifted by to take this shot. 

Grounded: The Art of Looking Down (Part 2)

More in my ongoing series of taking offbeat pictures of my feet. It has become an interesting reflection on the places I have been.

This was taken at Lake Eola Park in Downtown Orlando. I was walking around the pond and I stopped to look over the ledge. I was standing over a drain pipe that had some turtles sunbathing. 

This was taken while I was actually in the pool at my apartment complex. It was my birthday and I was hanging around with my mother and sister. I was in the corner of the pool with my feet on the ledge. It was such a nice, relaxing moment. I remember my sister teasing me when I asked her to hand me my camera while I was almost completely submerged in a body of water. 

This one is a little bit out of the canon but I like it just the same. I was laying on my bed reading and for some reason I ended up looking over my shoulder. I have a mirror attached to the back of my door and at the angle I was laying I had a perfect view of my legs silhouetted against the light from the window. I thought it made for an interesting shot. 

I was making some home made cards one day. I had the paper laid out on the floor while I was cutting it.  I went out of the room to grab something and when I came back my cat was laying all over my work area. 

This photo was taken on Black Friday. Normally, the day after Thanksgiving most people go out shopping. Luckily no one in my family cares to go out that day. However, the weather was particularly nice this year and I took my father and sister for a walk on the beach. It was a fantastic break from the T.V, the sales ads from the newspaper, and the boredom of sitting around the house. I was raised near the beach and I find myself craving the breeze and the smell of the salt water. I felt like we had we the beach all to our selves and we just walked around soaking up the sun. After the beach we went over to a park with a dock overlooking the intercoastal. It has those murky shades of green that color every Florida body of water outside of the ocean. My toes were still sandy from the beach. 

This was taken in our hotel room when we stayed in Atlanta. We teased David about his "rock star" lilac walls. His computer and musical gear are sprawled out across the desk. The light blazes from the lamp and boldly streaks across the wall. 

Grounded: The Art of Looking Down

Three things have led to this unexpected series: I love to paint my toenails, I tend to stare at the ground, and I usually have my camera with me.

This was taken when I went to Boston for the PhotoShop World Conference. My group left on Friday but I decided to spend a few extra days in Boston by myself. I was in my hotel room writing in my journal and reflecting on a perfect day. 

On the beach after my graduation from UCF.

This was during an 80's party. Somewhere during the night I noticed a hole in my sock. I thought it was funny how the nail polish almost made it look purposeful. 

The blue dot was actually an accident from the DRIP warehouse. I was moving paint and managed to spill a single drop in the center of my right toenail.  It seemed to compliment my already colorful sandals. 

Savoring the view from my uncle's dock in St. Petersburg Florida. 

This was taken while my friend Ronnie was fixing the bumper on my car. I was enjoying the company of his shop dog, Chig.  

This was at the Photoshop World Conference in Orlando. I was in a hotel finishing up emails when I decided to look at photos from the conference in Boston the previous year. I came across this picture and thought it was hilarious because I was wearing the exact same pair of pajama pants. I had to take a picture. I just couldn't resist. 

This was taken outside of my apartment complex. I was moving my artwork outside to take pictures of it to post on this very blog. I decided to take a picture of my feet against the pebbles of the walkway. That was when I got the idea to turn these photographs into a series.