Photography

Wolf watercolour painting @ InkTorrents.com by Soma

Wandering Camera – Curiosity and Creativity

Posted on June 1, 2022
by Soma Acharya
Paintings, Photography, Printing, The Girl And Her Cat

Hi Everyone! I needed to take a break last week, so I moved Wandering Camera to this week. This month the photos are a mixed bag. I took a few photos of the lunar eclipse through a telescope. The Girl and Her Cat are continuing their adventures in the north while I continue to work in my atelier.

I had intended to use my telescope for the lunar eclipse, so I got everything set up the night before. The forecast had also called for clear skies, so I thought I was all set. Then the not-so-proverbial clouds rolled in the next day. Nevertheless, we decided to spend the evening in the garden and hope for the best.

Time went by and then, very suddenly, my husband spotted the moon. I have been watching and photographing lunar eclipses for a while now, and this one was particularly dark. We could barely see it. Even a thin layer of cloud made it completely invisible. It came out just long enough for me to take this photo of totality, then it went into hiding behind the clouds again.

I almost gave up hope of seeing the exit which I find most interesting. However, just when the exit started, the clouds parted to reveal a crystal clear moon. During the entry and exit phases, Earth’s Ozone layer scatters red light. It also lets through some blue light which is otherwise filtered out by the atmosphere. The blue band along with Earth’s shadow cast over the moon are nothing short of awe-inspiring.

I am looking forward to spending a lot more time under the stars, browsing the sky with my telescope. I love the blend of curiosity and creativity they evoke in me.

I have been keeping a very short ( no more than 5-7 items) play-list to stay focused and fulfill my curiosity. I like calling it a play-list instead of a to-do list because I much prefer a playground over a classroom. This certainly was at the top of that list.

Block Printing

Getting acquainted with the new tools my husband got for me on a small piece before I start working on a large project. I couldn’t pass up a chance of taking a b&w photo before starting on the large project.

The large one is almost finished. I will share more of my process and something very special next week.

Distant Pages

In the meantime The Girl and Her Cat have ventured further into the stories of the north. This blue book of paintings was inspired by my love of all things north, specially mythology and stories.

Please click on the image thumbnails to see the pictures and read about their wanderings –

The Shepherd

I would have loved to hear the stories of ancient voyages the shepherd is telling them, but those stories are for their ears only.

Not only did my husband and I have a week of anxiety (it’s all fine now), but lately there is also nothing but grimness everywhere. I needed a break to curl in within my own world that only resides in my head. I do hope these posts give you some joy. I am looking forward to sharing more creative and curious adventures with you soon.

I look forward to seeing your photos and reading about them.

Wandering Camera starts on the last Thursday of every month. Photos, art and creative-themed posts, including other linky parties are all welcome.

You can continue to link up multiple posts.

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I am linking up with the linky parties on my Events And Links page. Please pay a visit to some of them.

Near And Far

Posted on May 11, 2022
by Soma Acharya
Paintings, Photography, The Girl And Her Cat

Hi Everyone! As chance would have it, exactly one year ago, I shared my paintings from the very first little Blue Book called Lost Pages. It was also the beginning of The Girl and Her Cat stories. As I started working on the little Blue Books with a series of paintings, I was finishing up a series of black and white photos taken over the previous 365 days.

These photos played a big part in my life, and I have been sharing them here every now and then. Here is the next set of my Simple365 photos.

Simple 365 – Set 8

Please Click on the image thumbnails to see the photos and read the captions.

Memories from past travels

We went to Italy for our very first overseas trip. After spending a little over a week in Rome, we spent a couple of days in Florence. It was a such a wonderful way to wrap up the time there. We brought back these bottles of wine. Not only did I save the bottles for nostalgia, I also love the beautiful labels. It’s contains a few lines from a poem Rosa fresca aulentissima.

In The Present

Looking at these photos made me think of what I can work next –

- Sow seeds for plants that I can use for dye or ink making
- Work on a few more ink making experiments
- Hand bind journals
- Sew flower blocks for Garden Path quilt
- Finish kitty blankets

I created a page with all the previously shared photos from Simple365. I continue to add photos to that page as I share them here. This way I can relive the journey through the year via black and white photos like in an old album.

These photos are of the world around me, taken when I hardly left the house. Photographing these little things daily provided me with much-needed focus at the time and brightened my spirit quite a bit.

Distant Pages

In contrast, the third blue book is called Distant Pages.

Adventures tend to begin with a stormy sea

I have been obsessed about the north ever since I had conscious memory. I was given a few books about voyages and expeditions, and about the mythology and stories of those faraway lands. As I got older, the yearning for visiting those lands only got stronger.

So it didn’t surprise me that I ended up making a whole book full of paintings with the adventurous Girl And Her Cat travelling through those lands. In case you are wondering, The Girl And Her Cat is a series of paintings about an adventurous little girl who loves to travel and wander around with her little cat.

By the time I finished hand binding the little book, I could already picture the first painting. These paintings are reflections of my travels to those places, specially Svalbard.

Please click on the image thumbnails to see the pictures and read about their wanderings –

The Girl And Her Cat travel to a stone ship

After walking and playing around for a while, they settled down with packed lunches and made up stories about the stones.

Far Horizons

A painting for my dearest friend who made me listen to the same music album for hours on end while we worked together.

I do hope you enjoyed this set of b&w photos and the paintings from the Distant Pages book. Wishing you a lovely time whether you are in the comfort of your own home, or venturing into uncharted waters… or perhaps doing a little bit of both.

Until next time,
-Soma

May 25th, 2022

I am taking a break this week from Wandering Camera. See you next week. If you are in the US, have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend.

-Soma

I am linking up with the linky parties on my Events And Links page. Please pay a visit to some of them.