When I look at Candace Meredith’s photography I get the sensation of going on a drive with no destination. The kind taken spur of the moment to discover what enchantment can be found in an afternoon!
Come see the world through Candace’s eyes and see what you discover!
Artist:
Candace Meredith earned her Bachelor of Science degree in English Creative Writing from Frostburg State University in the spring of 2008. Her works of poetry, photography and fiction have appeared in literary journals Bittersweet, The Backbone Mountain Review, The Broadkill Review, In God’s Hands/ Writers of Grace, A Flash of Dark, Greensilk Journal, Saltfront, Mojave River Press and Review, Scryptic Magazine, Unlikely Stories Mark V, The Sirens Call Magazine, The Great Void, Foreign Literary Magazine, Lion and Lilac Magazine, Snow Leopard Publishing, BAM Writes and various others. Candace currently resides in Virginia with her two sons and her daughter, her fiancé and their three dogs and six cats. She has earned her Master of Science degree in Integrated Marketing and Communications (IMC) from West Virginia University.
Take in these phenomenal photographs by Katherine Abraham! The radiating glow and depth of color in each one invigorates the soul. She helps us see the day for it’s majestic beauty that it can hold for us.
Artist:
Katherine Abraham is the Author of Yesterday Once More, Silenced by Love and Some Days are Forever. An Adventist, Katherine is a teacher by profession, who has studied Law, Literature and Journalism. She writes poetry and prose for various online publications & International Anthologies. She is the host for the International Podcast Series for Christians entitled, Chasing Hope where she talks of the various aspects of a principled Christian life.
Website : www.chasinghopewithkatherine.com Her fourth novel “Every Sunset Has a Story” has won her a book series Contract with a Popular Publication in the US. Katherine is also a Passionate Photographer from India, whose work has bee showcased and recognized both nationally and internationally. Her photographs were a part of the AKR Photography Exhibitions in Lahore and Karachi, Pakistan. Recently, her work was featured in “Margins” the official magazine of the University of Toronto, Scarborough. She has also done portrait photoshoots and has a deep interest in wildlife and architectural photography.
Mpumelelo Buthelezi gifts us with this captivating photo of the amazing waste collectors in South Africa! They are out seizing the day with their hard work and help in their community. Take a look and read more about this inspirational job below!
The residents of Devland and Dryhook claiming the mountain to recycle materials, which they have collected during the day rummaging through plastic, sorting glass and crumpling paper. Picture: Mpumelelo Buthelezi/ City Press
Artist Statement:
E’Plazini: A Place to call home for Waste Collectors
This photo documentary about waste pickers who live in a neighbourhood called Dryhook Informal settlement, Phororo near Devland, Soweto. In South Africa it is estimated that 85,000 people make a living as waste collectors/recyclers. Waste pickers are people who collect and sort waste materials, and sell reusable and recyclable materials (such as paper, cardboard, plastic containers, glass, and metal) primarily in an informal capacity. In particular waste pickers contribute to higher levels of recycling within cities and towns, and help to divert waste from landfills.
These people live by collecting waste material for recycling from all over Soweto for over the last ten years. They recycle their materials in a dumping area daily from 4am in the morning until 4pm, some work weekly and some on a daily basis. Recycle trucks then transport this waste materials to different firms, such as Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. At the recycling company they get R3, 20 per kilogram for plastic containers and empty cans; R1.20 per kilogram for plastic, and R2 per kilogram for cardboard boxes. They make about R40, on a good day, R60 and R200 weekly.
Artist:
Mpumelelo Buthelezi-a photographer born and bred in Pimville, Soweto
Carl Scharwath’s photography can’t help but make you want to go out and explore the world! His magnificent artistry spots the color and intrigue of life around us. Take a look at his work below!
Peace
Art Thoughts – model Raktima Khanum
Elixor w Deborah Setiyawati
Vista – model Maraina Malhotra
Water Clouds
Wheel
Wagon
Courtyard
Chair
Artists:
Carl Scharwath, has appeared globally with 75+ journals selecting his art photography, His first photography book was published by Praxis. His photography was also exhibited in the Mount Dora Center For The Arts gallery and their exhibition “Be A Part Of It.” Recently his photography was accepted by The Leesburg Center For The Arts and their 3 month store front exhibition. Six global poets have also selected his photography to grace the covers of their published books. Carl is the art editor for both Minute Magazine (USA,) A Too Powerful Word (Serbia,) a competitive runner and a 2nd degree black- belt in Taekwondo.
Models:
Art Thoughts-model Raktima Khanum and is a photo with a pencil drawing added.
This next artist takes us on a journey of her self exploration through the heaviness of labels and expectations. Rifa Tasfia inspires confidence, and a warm acceptance of oneself through these powerfully detailed images. Let her artistry start your week with a resolved sense of self worth and strength.
Artist Statement
Series Title: A Pure work of Art
“A pure work of art” is a Photographic series about self -love and all the criticisms to build by people to label someone as a particular object who doesn’t always fit in the box. This series is deeply personal, beauty is subjective and to be labelled as beautiful one must have perfect slim figure with perfect hair and skin. The rarest thing in Bangladeshi culture is to accept someone for who they are and to remember that we are more than just a body.
We are all dependent to art, these films, photographs and music we encounter every day is all different forms of art. “A pure work of art” reflects on personal growth, love and passion. These series contains both myself as the Art and the Artist. As a Fine Artist belonging in a Bangladeshi culture, I have experienced many hate comments towards my dreams and career not only that I have also experienced body shaming and discouraging words toward my body. It’s like I’m not the ideal girl to fit in. Self-doubt and low self-esteem don’t come in a day, many people my age still grew up with doubting themselves, based on how they look and have very low body confidence. The harassment of bullying lets a young mind change the perspective about themselves into pure hatred, hatred towards their own skin. The vicious cycle of low self-worth and social approval is like a blood sucking parasite, that sticks to you for a very long period of time. This sort of cycle doesn’t bother me anymore, as I did few years back. Because I know my worth, my worth doesn’t have to be defined by my size. Nobody is ever ready to talk about the constant obsession of looking perfect. I have always considered myself as the Sunflower, that doesn’t fit perfectly in any garden, on a vase neither on a bouquet. Its like we have our own garden, rarely seen or touched. Anyone would rather pick a rose than a sunflower, because people like the idea of different or change but wouldn’t risk their lives for it. In reality it’s the same thing, very few people appreciate artists, They like the idea of it but wouldn’t stick around with one.
As an artist I have developed a way escaping reality by just simply painting. This sweet escape means solace and inner peace. In this series I have used my body as the canvas and my talent as paint. So, here’s a series of self-portraits and photographs of myself, a mixture of my flesh and my artistic style. A small journey to self-discovery and growth since Self-love is hard, it takes great deal of patience and time. Both art and loving oneself requires effort, dedication and unconditional love, its kind of like the transformation of a caterpillar into a butterfly. The transformation to enjoy oneself, to live at our fullest makes us glow and grow differently.
Below begins the Abstract Photographic Series of growth, love and passion, each photograph is titled.
There will be no way that you can see today’s little things without immediate coos! Tracy Whiteside designs entrancing photography and today she shares with us her baby photoshoot. The cuteness of these little lovebugs along with her artistry makes for nothing but happy hearts!
EnchantmentWe All Got Crowns
Photographer:
Tracy Whiteside is an internationally published Chicago-area photographer specializing in creative images for humans and things that go bump in the night. Her work can be seen in over 60 different publications in just the last year. This is a bit of a departure from her usual style but being unable to work in the studio as much as she would like has made her a bit stir crazy.
Follow:
Check out her portfolio at https://www.tracywhiteside.com/. A photographer for over 16 years, Tracy works in many genres. You can enjoy her irrational mixed bag of images on Instagram @whitesidetracy
Alan Bern boldly takes the simplest of items and finds a way to express the preciousness they hold! His photographs and poetry inspire that everything has value.
Artist Statement:
Photographs often capture and present moments. To collect these moments and for the great good health of body and mind, I take walks— yes, I walk my neighborhood streets and also beyond— and I capture moments, sometimes with the camera on my phone, sometimes with a few words, and sometimes with both. Snap snap. I regularly walk in my neighborhood where I have lived for 95% of my life. And, yes, it’s often awfully familiar, but there is always something new to see. An empty paper cup among the plants; plastic-wrapped newspapers posing as footsteps on a rock stairway. Snap snap.
Poems, too, can capture and present these moments— especially short poems such as haiku and haiku-like poems. I capture and presents such moments in both my photographs and my poems, and sometimes I combines the two in what are called photo-haiga.* At other times I merge both into longer narratives that may tell a story, but more often present a flow of images and words that magnify and transmit thoughts, feelings, and dream-traces.
*”Haiga [paintings] are typically painted by haiku poets (haijin), and often accompanied by a haiku poem.” en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haiga— with Alan’s photos standing in for the paintings.
Artist:
Retired children’s librarian Alan Bern’s poetry books: No no the saddest and Waterwalking in Berkeley, Fithian Press; greater distance, Lines & Faces, his press with artist Robert Woods, linesandfaces.com. Alan has poems, stories, and photos published in a variety of online and print publications from which he has won awards. Recent photos published: unearthedesf.com/alan-bern and https://wanderlust-journal.com/2020/07/01/around-the-few-blocks-nearby/. Alan performs with dancer/choreographer Lucinda Weaver as PACES and with musicians from Composing Together, composingtogether.org.
Ann Privateer shares with us an intimate moment with all of the sting and beauty that accompany it. She also fills her life with many styles of art and gifts us with some of her artwork and photography! Go take a look below!
My Father
Had a heart attack One night when I Was 16. I ran bare foot Across The street to get Our doctor neighbor I can still feel the gravel It was too late, an ambulance Came and took his body. For one year Mama left His work clothes on the hook Where he hung them. Sometimes I’d go into Their closet and hug His clothes, breath His scent and cry.
Artist:
Ann Privateer is a poet, artist, and photographer. She has been writing poems since her college days, has received Photography awards, some of her recent photos have appeared in Third Wednesday, and she enjoys painting once a week outdoors with other artists.
No matter what pulls at us in life, there are images all around us that are small gifts to our spirits if we take the time to look. Sandra Nguyen captures this so perfectly in these photos. It’s the easy to miss beauty that is available to us, if we only take the time to look.
Rainy Days
I love rainy days. It makes me drop everything I do at the moment and just listen to the rhythm of nature and reflect on life. The photo was taken in mid December last year…..looking out of my bedroom window
Little Roses
I received these two roses from my little nieces, age 4 and 2. They picked out the flowers themselves, although their parents paid for them. But I think the gesture was really sweet. The roses remind me of how delicate and beautiful life is. For a moment they add color and breathe new energy into my life….just like my nieces. The photo was taken in early July this year. The glass vase stood on my black nightstand and I took the picture looking down at the roses.
Artist:
Sandra Nguyen is an author of literary fiction and poetry. She has been published in anthologies and online. She lives and writes in Sweden.
