Constance Hobbs Art & Photography

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Going South

We're off to Florida. It might be difficult to keep up with my blog for a few weeks. But I'll be back. Before we head down South we're off to Massachusetts to install my daughter in college. So, see you soon and a bientot.

Sunday, August 23, 2009

The Abundant Garden

I'm always so surprised how relatively easy it is to grow vegetables. Nature has repeatedly returned my efforts with substantial abundance. I remember years ago I met an elderly gardener who told me it wasn't necessary to prepare the entire garden bed of soil, just the area around the planting itself. He told me to take some lime and fertilizer, mix it together, prepare a hole, sprinkle in the mixture, drop in your plant or seed, and voila! The lime sweetens the soil, and we all know what the fertilizer does. With these modest instructions I began to garden. I had such success I couldn't believe it.

My first garden had quite a bit of sand in the soil which I found out is great for tomatoes and other vegetables as well. So, with very little knowledge I began to garden. The tomatoes above are a harvest from my most recent garden. Nature is so abundant, it's hard to fail as a gardener. Over the years I have discovered there are two secret ingredients to successful gardening that people rarely talk about, love and care. You have to spend time nurturing and caring for your garden or you won't have success. Isn't the garden really a metaphor for life? Take parenting as an example. You must love, care, respect, nurture, pay attention and give your time to your children in order to be a successful parent. Basically, what you put in is what you get out. I guess we could say the same for all relationship. The earth is bountiful. If we look out at the natural world we see vast oceans, the expansive sky, the infinity of stars and space and we realize we live in an abundant universe. Prosperity is our birthright. Just as the earth supports the growth of the garden with love and care it supports us and cares for our growth as human beings.

Sunday, August 16, 2009

Sheer Joy and Positive Expectation

This photograph of my nephew Parker contemplating the abyss of the Atlantic Ocean in Southampton on Long Island, really brings home to me what we face in our daily lives. I remember as a child, every summer, looking out with substantial fear at the awesome waves crashing along the Long Island shore. I was tempted to carelessly dive in with the expectation of total exhilaration, joy, and the wonderful experience of riding a wave successfully to shore. One could risk total annihilation with this carefree, adventurous decision. One false move, especially if the ocean was rough and the currents strong and you might find yourself seriously injured or worse, drowned. One only has to tousle with the enormous power of nature to understand the prospect of total destruction. So many times I missed that perfect moment of harmony with the ocean and experienced it's tremendous strength with the smashing of my scull against the sand and my desperate gasps for air as my tiny body was splish-splashed about over and over again. Not something to look forward to I can assure you.

Isn't daily life somewhat similar? As an artist don't we sometimes wake to the feeling of contemplating the abyss? Wondering if we will catch the perfect wave and successfully make it to shore? Or will we lack such harmony, tousle with the waves and become disoriented by the power of the ocean, the flow of life. The reason I like this photo so much is that it reminds me of my childhood bravado. Risk taking with out too much thought and knowledge of what might happen. This is what we need as artists. To stand in front of what we hope to achieve with childlike innocence. Not with the adult knowledge of every possible problem that might arise, but with childhood simplicity and sheer joy. With the positive expectation of happiness and success.

Thursday, August 6, 2009

Why do we compare?

I was considering why comparison is such a knee-jerk reaction for most people. I have a teenage daughter whose stories are filled with young girls who compare and compete rather than cooperate. That kind of comparison and competition brings with it enmity, aggression, gossip, and definitely not love and affection. Comparison breeds conflict. American society is a competitive society. We thrive on it. Don't get me wrong, growing up the middle child of 5, I experienced my share of competition. Competition feeds the ego, whether positive or negative, while cooperation feeds the heart and soul. Perhaps both are important in this life. Yet competition fosters stepping on or over another. It's a shutting down, selfish process, implying me first you second. Not a helping, cooperative process. Many people feel that man could not have created all that he has without competition. I'm not so sure that's true and isn't our present society corrupt in many ways? Just look at the Bernie Madoffs and wall street "greed-aholics". (Of course everyone on wall street isn't a greedy monster.)

As an artist, what is to be gained by comparing your art to another's? Nothing, is my estimation. When you are comparing artistic work side by side are we truly seeing either work? Are we understanding either work? Has our society become so ruled by the head, the intellect and not by the heart that it has become so difficult for people to forgive, cooperate and love one another? Some artists reach out and help one another. That's a beautiful thing. They understand just how difficult it is to work alone and to try to get the work out. To feel inspired by another artists work is a wonderful experience. To have your passion stirred, to see something, grow and understand something new. Each artist is unique and has a unique story to tell. So, I think its important to put away the intellect and competition in order to create something of true value. Sometimes when I'm considering the contemporary art market and famous artists, it seems to me the intellect, a formula, packaging, manipulation, self promotion and a star formula prevail. It's a business after all and there are rules to follow. If you want to be recognized or famous there's a game to play and contacts to be made. The catch here is that most artists find this the antithesis of what they want to pursue. Ah, the dilemma of being a fine artist. I wish us all Good luck!

Thursday, July 30, 2009

Vote for my Book

I entered my book Meditations, as seen on the right, for the photography now book contest at Blurb. If anyone has the time or interest it would be great if you could vote for it here.

Sunday, July 26, 2009

Leaving Europe

Last night we had dinner with friends in the old town of Geneva. We sat out under the stars drinking white wine and discussing ideal places to live all over the world. It's a kind of game which is a lot of fun. You can learn wonderful facts and opinions about exotic places you haven't traveled to as yet. Our friends ideal place to live is South Africa and ours is yet to be determined. After dinner we took a few spins on the ferris wheel which is situated behind the Russian church in the old town. Its temporary and will be removed at the end of October so we were lucky for the ride. Tomorrow we leave for the States. I'm sorry to go but I look forward to seeing my children. Au revoir mes amis, et a' bientot.

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Being Alive

I was walking down avenue de Champel in Geneva, on my way to the grocery store, when suddenly I became completely aware of being alive. What a wondrous, marvelous, fascinating experience simply to live, to exist. I was pondering the miracle of life itself. The state of being aware, of being awake. I was considering all the amazing things human being have accomplished. In the arts, music, architecture, flying machines and the list goes on. The possibilities for human beings are enormous compared to other species. My father used to say, "life is everything because the alternative is pretty scary". I sometimes think about that, but I don't know that there is much point in contemplating death, especially since we don't know what it is. No one alive truly knows. We don't know if its scary either. So why spend any precious life moments on it. It will simply come one day and I guess we will finally find out what its all about. Until then, lets see what we can accomplish and enjoy the wonder of being alive.

Saturday, July 18, 2009

Ahhh July

July is usually the best summer month in the north east of the US. It's a month that represents hot days, blue skies, cumulus clouds, back yard barbecues, pool parties, beach parties and ocean swims. What could be better. I took the photo above last July just before I plunged under a wave. I'm in Switzerland now and as beautiful as it is here there is no ocean. There are beautiful lakes and fabulous mountains, but no ocean for a dip. I'll be returning to New York in one weeks time and as soon as I can I will be at the ocean.

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Hydrangea's

The Hydrangea plant is one of my favorite flowering shrubs and blooms from early spring until late fall. If you travel to any summer resort in the north east of the Us they are usually very abundant. They remind me of summer cottages, sea air, pounding surf and tons of fun. They are surprisingly abundant in Switzerland as well. In Geneva, which is French speaking, they are known as Hortensia. Its quite an amazing flower. In most species the flower heads or balls are white but can run the gamut from pastel to brilliant pink, blue, burgundy, green, yellow and purple. The color depends upon the acidity in the soil. Acidic soils produce blue flowers, neutral soils produce pale, creamy colors and alkaline soils result in pink and purple. You can control the colors by more or less acid in your soil, particularly the presence of aluminum ions. Hydrangeas can grow to very large sizes and live a long time and in the fall they naturally dry and you can bring them indoors for a dried arrangement. If you plant a bush you will be adequately rewarded with very little fuss.

Friday, July 10, 2009

The Rhone and the Rhine Rivers

My husband and I were strolling along the Lake of Geneva, better known as Lac Leman here. It is the second largest fresh water lake in Europe and is known for its turbulent currents. The lake has its source in the Swiss Alps, the Rhone Glacier in Valais, at an altitude of 7,100 feet. Its crescent shape was carved as a glacier receded. My husband made the smallest remark which impressed me. He said, "in a few days this water will be in Camargue." I thought about all the many people who must have traveled this river for centuries, just as we travel on a highway today. This was a route to the south of France. The river is wide and beautiful in Avignon in the South of France where Roman life is still quite evident. In Arles Van Gogh painted along its shores and there are beautiful Roman ruins visible there today. Finally the river empties into the Mediterranean Sea. The Rhine River, another very important European river, also has its source in the Swiss Alps. It empties into Lake Constance, my name sake, which lies in the northern alpine region and borders Switzerland, Germany and Austria. The Rhine continues from Lake Constance through Germany, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and finally empties into the North sea. The many castles and prehistoric fortifications that line its shores testify to its importance as a waterway. Two very remarkable rivers, both with their source in the Swiss Alps, carrying along with their currents ancient stories of lives and loves won and lost.

Saturday, July 4, 2009

Happy Fourth of July

Today is our American Fourth of July celebration. The American International club here in Geneva hosts a night of entertainment and fun. The highlight, of course, are the fire works. So, you are wondering, what in the world do orange bears have to do with anything? I found these bears in front of an art gallery in Paris on the boulevard St. Germaine. They certainly have nothing to do with our Fourth of July but you have to admit they are pretty funny and the color is reminiscent of fireworks. I wish all my American family and friends a very happy Fourth.

Thursday, July 2, 2009

Living Life

There are so many ways to live a life. This thought frequently recurs when I travel. Our planet is so vast containing so many different cultures, customs, and traditions. I imagine all the millions, upon millions of people with their personal stories and saga's. Each individual connected to their family and friends with tales of triumph and defeat, gain and loss. It's like an intricate cob web of energetic connections whether positive or negative. I wonder about the number of people we can actually touch or get to know in our life time. It's really relatively few. If you like making connections I suppose a life in politics, religion, or entertainment would be a good start.

So what would you choose for your life if you were completely free to do so? Would you choose a remote island life, a big city life, small town life, an adventurous life? No matter what life style one chooses, as human beings we have certain limitations. We are bound by our basic need for food, clothing, shelter and safety. As a result, we will always have some sort of routine. If you become a mother you cannot escape routine. Children bind you to routine whether you enjoy it or find it maddening. What kind of life style or routine appeals most to you? There are always rewards and sacrifices, positives and negatives in whatever we choose. If you travel to a small mountain village here in Switzerland, you will find people content to live out their entire lives in that town or hamlet, with the same routines their parents and grandparents had. I find that amazing. This is our one and only human life here on this planet, (as far as we know). I say, don't play it safe, be conscious of who you are, muster up the courage and follow your heart.

Friday, June 26, 2009

Leaving Paris

I left Paris reluctantly. There was so much to do, to see and simply not enough time to accomplish it all. I'm hoping to get back there before I return to New York. I'm in Switzerland now and the weather is lovely. I'll leave you with a view of the sunset from my flat.

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Musee d'Orsay

The musee d'Orsay is not to be missed on any one's trip to Paris. The museum has been converted and restored from an old railway station and retains much of it's original architecture. It is situated on the left bank just across the Seine river from the Louvre and the Jardin Des Tuileries. If you are a fan of Impressionist paintings, this museum contains one of the finest collections in the world. You will find works by Manet, Monet, Van Gogh, Pissarro, Cezanne, Corot, Degas, Gauguin, Renoir, Sisley and the list goes on and on. I was thinking of Van Gogh's life as I looked upon the painting he made of his small room in Arles, France, "La Chambre de Van Gogh a Arles", painted in 1889. I really respond to that piece, the color and energy are incredible. We've been taught that he led a tortured life and maybe that's true. But he had a passion for his work and that is tremendous reward in and of itself. Anyone looking at his work knows that this is true.

Art is not created for recognition and success. It is created for itself. If recognition, money and success come, so much the better, but it isn't the goal. It does seem incredible that he was never recognized in his own time. His paintings have sold for some of the highest prices ever in the art market today. I wonder if he knows? Is he sitting at some cafe in the universe having a good laugh at all those who tortured him, misunderstood him and ridiculed him? I would love to think so. Many artists have all the same struggles today. Families that don't understand or support them. A market place that has no use for their work, and the difficulty of making ends meet. As an artist it's so hard to stick to your dream as practical realities present themselves endlessly. This is the usefulness of success, supporting yourself from your art, every artists dream.

Monday, June 15, 2009

L'amour

On my first day in Paris love was in the air. This is not an unusual event here. Everywhere couples show affection for each other without restraint. What is it about the French culture that inspires such intimacy? You find it in the young, the old and everyone in-between. There is something gentle about Paris. You can see it in the streets and hear it in their language, which is spoken gently, softly and politely.

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Paris, France

I'm leaving for Paris tomorrow. I will be attending the Paris Air Show and experiencing other wonderful things French. After Paris I will be moving on to Switzerland. I will do my best to keep up my posts and communicate my experiences while traveling abroad.

Saturday, June 6, 2009

Stepping Out

Aren't we all afraid of stepping out? Leaving behind what we know, what is familiar and what is comfortable? To genuinely take risk? As an artist-photographer or any creative soul, if you want to make progress in the fine art community, you will eventually have to step away from your studio, your computer or your routine. Most artists are sensitive, intelligent, self-questioning human beings, which often makes this process more difficult and frightening. I think our biology works against "stepping out" as well. Biologically we have survived as we are, as we've been, we are a success because we are alive. So our programming seeks stability, balance and the status quo. We all know those exceptional few who are completely confident in everything that they do. I often wonder what makes for such self confidence? Is it that they were very loved and cared for as a child or the opposite, some form of compensation for being unloved and cared for? Either way, I lack such enormous self confidence in my work. But, I have found, that when one ventures out from the habitat one has made for oneself, life has an astonishing way of taking care of you. Life carries you where it will because you have become part of it. It is no longer you taking care all by yourself, you have the powerful support of life itself.

Thursday, June 4, 2009

Ordinary Life

Ordinary life, everyday things that need to get done, can be so demanding on one's time. I have often marveled at people who thrive on routine, living with certainty about their days, weeks and months ahead. By contrast, I have friends who practically destroy their lives in an effort to avoid anything that resembles routine and boredom. Then there are the rest of us, striving to achieve a balance between what needs to get done and our photography and art. Most artistic people simply want to make their art, do their work and not be involved in the "business of art". Of course, the business of art is necessary in order to thrive and continue as an artist. So how does one strike this balance? I think with patience and diligence. People don't seem to talk about diligence anymore. Diligence may be underrated but extremely necessary for success of any kind. To keep at something, experimenting, changing, adapting, but most importantly to keep doing the work. Diligence also implies the love of something. It's hard to hang in, if you're not in love. I've often had older, wiser people then I say, "if you do the work, hang in there, then the rest will follow". They just neglected to say if they meant to hang in there for one year, ten years or twenty?!

Monday, June 1, 2009

Review Santa Fe

Review Santa Fe is a juried portfolio review event from June 4-7, in Santa Fe New Mexico. It is a weekend conference for photographers who have created a significant project or series and are seeking wider recognition. Up to 100 photographers meet with curators, editors, art directors, publishers, gallery and agency reps, and other market professionals. See the Review Santa Fe 100, here and congratulations to all.

Friday, May 29, 2009

Love and Death

Last night as I went to bed there was a gentle spring rain tapping against the roof. As I lie there listening to its sweet melodic sound, I thought about how rain gives one permission to stay inside and indulge in comfort as apposed to sunny days that beckon one outdoors and to activity. So, there I was comfortable in bed, listening to the rain and contemplating death. One of my children told me she had a nightmare the night before, dreaming about her own demise. It was the first time this child realized that she was going to die. I thought about the miracle of life, existence and death. What a mystery it is to be alive and then to die. Forget about the big bang, what was there before? Putting God aside, I thought, how did we all get here? How did all this happen? What is the impetus behind life? What does this all mean? This inconceivably massive Universe with all its celestial activity going on all the time and we hardly seem to notice. I like to play a trick on myself every time I have a problem that I find overwhelming. I remind myself that I am standing on a ball, spinning at 1000 miles per hour, hanging in black space, and falling. Not to mention that it looks like we have no support besides the miracle of gravity. And if we fell, where would we fall to? That just puts that little ole problem of mine in perspective. So, I told my daughter that death is with us all the time. Life and creation and death and destruction. The spring leaves are delicate, vulnerable and new every year only shortly to turn glorious colors before their death. I told her death is a natural part of life and that nature is supportive, good, and takes care of her own. So death is nothing to fear and if birth is considered good then so is death. Why would death be any different? The main point is not to get hung up on death, because then you will waste this precious gift of life which we are all sharing. So, I made a mental note to laugh a lot today and I suggested to my daughter that she might do the same.

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

New York Summer Season

The summer season has officially begun here in New York. It's a wonderful time. It's made especially so because we are surrounded by beaches and mountains aren't that far away. May is a beautiful month. Blossoms and fragrant smells abound with warm sunny days and cool breezy evenings. Nature has begun to flex her muscles and demonstrate her awesome powers of creation, birth and growth. We experienced such a cold snowy winter this year, spring is especially welcome. I'm reminded of a lovely passage in a book by Susan Hanson called Icons of Loss and Grace, Moments from the Natural World, " Listening to the song of these swimmers on a sunny afternoon, I imagine how such lightness would feel, how such a letting go might lift a heavy spirit turned without forgiveness on itself. Leaning into the curve of the tree, I imagine the mercy of the world consoling and supporting me. I imagine the river and me in it, and the water bearing me away on a current of sweet unfathomable peace."

Monday, May 25, 2009

Andy Rooney on Memorial Day

Last night on 60 minutes Andy Rooney gave a poignant commentary on Memorial Day. I'm not sure it reads as beautifully as it was spoken, but his sentiment seemed right on target to me. You can read it here. Or if you like, watch it here. I wonder what Memorial Day means to most Americans? Certainly military families and those with children in the military, or families that have served our country, the meaning has enormous depth and purpose. But to the rest of us, is it simply the start of the summer season, summer resorts and summer fun? Do the rest of us even think about or remember all those courageous souls that fought for, or are currently fighting for, the USA? Not to mention all the Americans who gave their lives, or as Andy Rooney said, "had their lives taken." It was only after I lived abroad for several years that the American way of life and all its enormous freedoms I understood. These freedoms are worth fighting for or at least standing up for. Please do not misunderstand me, I am not advocating war. I only wish we had other ways and means of solving our international differences. But today, as we blunder along in our ignorance and continue to use war as a means of defense, protection and economic freedom, let us remember all those remarkable Americans who have done what they could, and still do what they can, to protect and keep us safe.

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Why People Photograph

I often think of something I read that Robert Adams wrote in his book Why People Photograph, "If I like many photographers, and I do, I account for this by noting a quality they share-animation. They may or may not make a living by photography, but they are alive by it." I think many photographers, if not all, can relate to this quote. I don't think that human beings consciously think about wanting to feel alive, but they do search for passion. Passion equates into a lust for life and the sheer joy of being in that state. In the act of creativity you feel something, you have an idea, something unique to you and to be able to capture that through your photography, your work, is exhilarating, inspiring and stimulating.

Monday, May 18, 2009

NYPhoto Festival 09

One of my photos from my meditation series was exhibited at the New York Photo Festival this past weekend.

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Henri Cartier Bresson and The Mind's Eye

I've been reading a book by Henri Cartier Bresson called The Mind's Eye. He makes the statement-"for the world is movement, and you cannot be stationary in your attitude toward something that is moving." This reminded me of something I had read by J. Krishnamurti. "Reality is a living thing and cannot be captured, and you cannot say it is always there. There is a path only to something which is stationary, to a fixed, static point. To a living thing which is constantly in movement, which has no resting place, how can there be a path to it?" Fascinating statements that make one think. So, how to join the river of life which is always flowing, endlessly moving on, exploring, and pushing forward? I think one has to be self-forgetful. To end all the daily concerns. To be free, open and vulnerable to life requires an empty mind. When the head does not dictate to the heart. In the act and process of photography I am self forgetful. Perhaps that's the beauty of the process for me. I feel as though I'm in the flow.

Thursday, May 14, 2009

The New York Photo Festival

Today is the start of the NYPhoto Festival in New York city.

www.newyorkphotofestival.com

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Photography and Life

I started this blog as a live journal, a visual diary concerning photography and life. When one stops to think about it, we are all inextricably tied to the photographic image. Our world has become increasingly visual. What implications does this have for those dedicated to the world of image making, image buying and selling?