Inspiration
Sensory Art
Again, I should have saved all those rubber gloves! This is a another cool use for rubber gloves to help the visually impaired, as well as the sighted, to “get psychologically involved…” as Sheri Khayami, the founder of BlindArt, a British charity group, describes. This group find ways for people to appreciate art through the other four senses and not just relying on vision. Here’s a fantastic painting by artist Charles Wildbank, who happens to be deaf. I love the color and the hyper realism of his work, with expressive movement and clarity. Makes you just want to reach out and touch his work. You can almost smell the salted…
Arboretum in Peril
Egads, The U.S. National Arboretum is in peril and has lost most of its federal funding for 2009! I love this place. It’s where I find a lot of inspiration for drawing nature and gardening ideas. I’ve been taking my boys here since they were wee tots. It would be a shame if this gem of a 446-acre botanical park was to quietly close its gates. Presently, a lot of people don’t know about this natural wonder. It only receives 480,000 visitors a year while other arboretums and the more popular U.S. Botanical Gardens (on the Mall) attract upwards of 750,000 visitors. However, it is pristine and the largest track…
Cherry Blossoms
If you’ve lived in the DC area for more than 21 years, why would ya be crazy enough to brave the crowds and visit the Cherry Blossoms at their peak blooming season around the Tidal Basin — we all know what they look like? Good question. I try my best to avoid crowds and we have beautiful cherry blossoms on my street but I was inspired by this time last year, when my father passed away on April 2nd. I wanted to enjoy nature in its glorious abundance and take some lovely photos to document the moment. I noticed, however, I concentrated on the colors and the blossoms themselves, while…








