Indian Cat Nap

It's around 4:30 in the afternoon. It is one of those endlessly beautiful fall days. The weather is perfect, the sun is drifting behind the trees, and I've got the window open. Once every so often the breeze flows through the window and over my skin. I'm laying on my bed drifting in and out of sleep. My cat lays next to me curled up in a ball. He sounds like a dove when he is in a deep sleep. I love our little cat naps together.

As I stare out the window my eyelids get heavier. The breeze rustles the leaves in the tree as the sun lights it from behind. A small insect flutters near my window. I am listening to a song called "Panther Panchali" by Ravi Shankar. There is such a magical quality to Indian music.

There is something so freeing and spiritually satisfying about a mid-afternoon nap paired with the ripples of the sitar and the echoes of the flute. The song gets intermittently faster and slower. I like letting myself become inwardly relaxed and energized by the music. Outwardly, the only movement I make is the steady undulating of my chest as I take deep breaths of the cool fall air.

I continue to watch the breeze playfully tussle the insects and the tree leaves. Even without my glasses on I feel like I can see so clearly in this moment. Not only see what is physically there, but also feel and participate in that moment.

My cat stretches and I throw my arms up over my head. I sink into my nest of pillows and blankets.

What a perfect fall day.

The Bee Sting

Last year I went to Epcot with my brother and sister for their birthday. I was enjoying my time with them because now that we are all grown up we rarely have moments like that. We were standing in the Italian Pavilion when my sister, Jenny, got stung by a bee. My brother and I walked her to the first aid station. They gave her and ice pack and some pain killers and we waited in the lobby for her to feel better. That was when I took this picture. 

I know that a lot of people wouldn't take a picture at a time like this, but to me it was another memorable moment from an already memorable day. Looking back at all the photos I took that day this one become my favorite. It was my favorite because it was so honest. 

Jenny sits in the foreground holding her paper cup of water and pressing the ice pack against her neck. Her eyes focus on something across the room to take her mind off the pain. My brother, Jon, sits restlessly in the background. He is bouncing his hat on his knee exposing his messy head of hair. The light pours through the window, blotting out part of the door and illuminating the lobby. It reminds me of one of those photos you see in a National Graphic magazine. The ones where the photographer becomes a fly on the wall and lets the world unfold around them. 

To me photography is about capturing any meaningful moment. And that moment can come at the strangest time. It can also have the most lasting effect. 

WET Performance

The follow painting was made after working with DRIP during our WET show at the 2008 Fringe Festival. After the show I came across a photo that Tisse Mallon had snapped of Mariko's performance. I was taken by the beautiful colors, the abstract shapes, and the expressive pose. I was so moved by the photograph that I decided to abstract it further and make it my own. 

St. Pete Sunset

I took this photo from the back seat of my father's car while my family was on our way to visit my uncle. 

The Muse

A while back my father and I went to a Greek Festival in St. Petersburg. We were there for hours eating pastries, talking to people, and looking over various knickknacks and books. I came across one booth where an older woman was selling these wall hangings she made out of plaster and fabric. One caught my eye in particular: Thalia, the muse of comedy. I bought the little figurine and put it up in my room. Years later I drew her for an art project. She reminds me of the love of culture and learning that my father instilled in me, and to always keep a good sense of humor.

The Goddess

This is my second copper plate print.  I had a scrap piece of copper from a previous work and I ended up etching the image in about twenty minutes.  It was one of those moments where I just found myself in a good groove and let it take on a life of it's own.

Ryan

Ryan is one of my coworkers from Starbucks. We've worked together for about three or four years. For the longest time I only knew him as someone who just liked to drink and party. Over the past few years we've developed some common ground and became good friends. We ended up going down to the Little Econ River with his dog for the forth of July. He was holding his dog after a swim when I took this picture.

There are so many reasons I love this photograph. I think it's mostly because it's simply Ryan the way he is meant to be seen. I know him from work, but in this picture Starbucks is completely removed. His work shirt is gone revealing some of his tattoos. He loves the outdoors and at the Little Econ River his is completely in his element. 

His dog, Sammy Davis Jr. Jr., is also a major component of the photograph. Up until recently I would say that Ryan wasn't an overly affectionate person. He is someone who usually keeps to himself and doesn't like to get involved.  But once he got his dog it was like another part of himself was able to come to light. All the love in him that usually stays under the surface finally had a way to be expressed. Loving that dog was a way for him to become a more complete person. 

I also love these photographs because it was on the fourth of July that became fully aware of Ryan's skills as a musician. He brought his guitar and played a few songs. He also talked about how he has been playing drums ever since he was a child. 

Ryan and I have often joked that we never thought we'd end up as good friends as we eventually became. I always knew he was a nice guy to work with but over the past few months I feel like I'm finally getting to know the real Ryan. Turns out, the real Ryan is a pretty colorful guy.