Constance Hobbs Art & Photography

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Geneva Switzerland

I thought I would treat everyone to images of Geneva.

Sunday, December 6, 2009

My photo above, Meditation #06, was chosen for the exhibition Blue at The Photo Place Gallery in Vermont. The show was curated by Aline Smithson, a very talented photographer in her own right. There is a catalogue of the show that can be purchased for $20.00 from Blurb books at the following link: Click Here to Order from Blurb Books.

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

More Snow on the Jura Mountains

We arrived back in Geneva this morning from Florida. We went from beautiful white sand beaches to snow covered mountains. From 80 degrees F. to 32 degrees F. I'm exhausted and totally jet lagged so I'll be brief. This was the view from our flat when we arrived this morning.

Friday, November 27, 2009

Longboat Key, Sarasota Florida

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Florida

I'm enjoying our last few days in Florida. We are in Sarasota and the weather is mixed. It's warm, 80 degrees F., but it has turned windy and cloudy. The Gulf of Mexico has some substantial waves which I found surprising. On the local news they have a count down to the last days of the hurricane season. It begins June 1st and ends November 30th. Sarasota is a big town. Population about 370,000 in total, but probably 50 to 100,00 in the city proper. There is a lot going on in the arts. Ringling College of the Arts is located here. The Ringling circus family have contributed quite a bit to the cultural life of Sarasota. This is the first time I will spend Thanksgiving in a warm climate. I would like to wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving.

Monday, November 23, 2009

Traveling

Traveling abroad but will be back soon, stay in touch.

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Color Color Color

I guess we all know how much I love color. This image is made originally from clouds. Playing with the colors and finally combining two images together.

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Expectations

Expectations, we all have them and what are they exactly? We have expectations that are part of our rearing and home environment. Basically the expectations of the family at large. Then we have expectations that we acquire as we experience life, and the ones that we think we should have and hope to or want to acquire. Now, how does this effect us?

I wonder if what we receive in life is equal to our expectations? What we expect we get. Can we live life without any at all? I'm sure Buddhists think we can. Having realistic or unrealistic expectations can effect us enormously. If you have unrealistic expectations you set yourself up for lots of disappointment and pain. By contrast, if you have realistic expectations you gain confidence and self assurance by accomplishing what you expect to. How do we differentiate between what's realistic and unrealistic? Between expectations that are our own and the ones that are not?

I suppose by knowing ourselves intimately. Taking a hard look at what is really possible for us. But that might mean placing limitations on ourselves where none exist. We may think or feel that some things are beyond our reach and this may not be true. I think there is nothing worse then imposing limitations on people. Life can be magical and wonderful things can happen if you are open to them. Perhaps its necessary to think, believe and have faith in possibility. Isn't possibility a wonderful word?! It's origins are Latin and pertain to ability. Possibility is extraordinary, mysterious and implies potential. I think if we have the expectation of things being possible, then it is probable, that wonderful things will happen to us in this life.

Friday, November 6, 2009

Snow on the Jura Mountains

We woke this morning to snow on the Jura Mountains. Winter is imminent now. Geneva is surrounded by mountains. You have the Alps on one side and the lower Jura mountains on the other. The Jura lie mostly in Switzerland but a good part of the western sector lies in France. The mountains above are the view from my flat here in Geneva but they actually are in France. The highest peaks of the Jura are in the south, in the Geneva area and include Cret de la Neige at 5,636 feet and Le Reculet at 5,633 feet, both in France. If you are a skiier Geneva is a wonderful place to live. In a half hour to 45 minutes you can find yourself in an ideal place to have a run. I remember the first time we drove up a local mountain side and just pulled the car over to the side of the road, parked and took the lift right up. No fuss, no lines, pure joy, amazing. Especially wonderful if you have small kids. So easy.

It's that time of year when I promise myself to do "winter projects". I always imagine extra time to do things not yet done. You know, all those either personal or artistic ideas that have been floating around in your brain. Yet somehow it remains elusive to me. Each year I'm just as busy as I always am. I think one should try to make space all year long for experimentation and personal projects. Experimentation and personal projects are fun, and after all, we all need fun!

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Two Pears

Two pears just before we ate them.

Sunday, November 1, 2009

Autumn in Geneva

We have been so fortunate with the weather here in Geneva, but today it has decided to change. I was walking in the park and I remembered something Joseph Campbell had said in an interview I had seen. He said, "I have such enormous admiration for mothers". He considered motherhood an incredible sacrifice. When my children were small, life was usually hectic and busy. I didn't have the luxury of contemplating "my sacrifice" if indeed I thought I was making one. Now that the girls are in college and I have more time for reflection, I am able to see bits and pieces of sacrifice emerging. I'm not sure where I will go with this, but explore it I will.

When we lived in downtown Manhattan I remember other artist friends who wouldn't dream of having a child because it would take away from their art. They were absolutely correct, it would. Other artist friends had only one child. They felt it gave them more free time and flexibility, as a couple with a child and not as a family per se. I will admit there is a big change going from having one child to having two. Women have a complex life to lead as wives, mothers, sisters and lovers. So much to juggle, to do, to be. I'm like Joseph Campbell. I admire women. Being a good mother is such a wonderful, difficult and consuming job. If a women is able to achieve more than that, they are super women to me.

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Creativity

"Creativity always requires taking a chance on one's self...and moving ahead despite self-doubts, discouragement, and anxiety."

Stephen Diamond

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Center de la photographie Geneve

Katja Glass

The Photography Center in Geneva, Centre de la photographie, had an interesting exhibit which I visited recently. I particularly liked the work of Katja Glass. It got me thinking about self image. Have you ever stopped to consider what self image really means? It's an image, a picture, a snap shot in your head of who you are, right? It's a concept really. Something made up. We think in images. An accumulation of images defining who you are. Now how can you be a concept or an image? Can we conceptualize ourselves? We are a living, breathing, changing, moving human being, in the flow of life. An image, a photo, a picture, is static. We are not static. We are constantly in motion. Cells dividing, mutating, dying and being born a new.

Bianca Dugaro

Psychoanalysts say we're supposed to have a good self image in order to be happy. Is that really true? I'm certainly no expert in this area, I'm just a human being questioning these things. I do feel this can be very confusing for most of us. Imagine all these different labels and images vying for your attention. An accumulation of things people have said about you, experiences you've had, insults, praise, parental expectations, all things good and bad. The list goes on and on. Which one of these images is the real you? Maybe none. Which image you select probably reflects your current mood and who you've recently spent time with. Can we choose and select who we are? Pick an image and live up to it. Or are we always in a process of growing, becoming or simply being?

Sophie Brasey

We seem to be so easily influenced as human beings. We either respond to flattery or insults rather quickly.

Now, what if we were to drop all these images? What is there then? Nothing? The real you perhaps? Freedom? Maybe its a relief to drop all these stories in our heads. Plus, its hard to live up to some images. Imagine the effort put forth to keep up an image of something you really are not. What a burden. Or images of failure and success? I say images are a burden and of little value. You are a success because you were born and are alive. You are part of this miracle called life. The greatest mystery of all mysteries. You are much more grand than any image created by yourself or another.

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

A Birthday Wish

Today is my older brothers birthday. I can't imagine my life without him. In fact, I can't imagine my life without any of my siblings. I have sometimes considered what life would have been like as an only child. So much attention, peace and quiet and no competition for ones parents attention and affection. That sounds pretty good. If I had been an only child though, I would have missed out on all the camaraderie, love, and affection that exists between brothers and sisters. The noise, the chaos, the competition and all the rough and tumble were very stimulating and instructive. Life can sometimes be a lonely place and I am a lucky lady to have so many wonderful siblings.

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Winter Ahead

The trees are losing their leaves in Geneva. Winter is ahead.

Saturday, October 17, 2009

Time

I was thinking about the earth rotating around the sun. Isn't this our concept of time, day and night? How long it takes us to sling shot around the sun with the momentum from the Big Bang. The Big Bang occurred some 13.7 billion years ago. This sequence of events following each other, day after day and night after night, is what we call time. What would happen if the earth got tired just a tad and slowed down just a tad? Well, never mind, let's not think about that.

Our concept of time then, is nothing more then a constant rotation around the sun. So is there really any time at all besides that? Can we define it as a specific event or a thing? It seems to me we are in constant motion spinning, whirling, rotating and going no where.

What about the past? What happened to all that millennia of time that's gone by? The history of all that has happened since the Big Bang. Is there some vast reservoir that holds the past? Or is that reservoir only in our minds? If it exists in our minds, it must take up a lot of space. What's the value of carrying around this reservoir? Particular knowledge of where we live and so forth is important, but what about the rest? Tons of useless experiences of hurts or pleasantries that may be propelling us forward, hurling us along on a trajectory that may be false.

Has our past already become ashes, useless debris in the brain taking up space? If so, what can we do about it? I have experimented with this and it isn't easy. When you try to live without your past you are trying to live without your own identity. Who you "think" you are. But that's really just a story, isn't it? A certain sequence of events and experiences that no longer exist and makes up who we think we are. Are you and I merely a sequence of events? Experiences that have already turned to ashes? At first its scary to experiment with this but as time goes on it becomes a fun game. Its very challenging.

Scientists believe that we use only a small portion of our brains. Is it because the past, time, takes up so much space? It's like a room filled with old furniture. You have to move out all the old furniture to give space for new possibilities. I like what quantum physicists call human beings. Bubbling bits of energy and possibility. Totally cool. Totally awesome.

Now, there might have been time before the Big Bang. Scientists really don't know for sure. The Big Bang is a theory supported by some good evidence, but a theory non-the-less. Our concept of time is very small, day, night, and what we perceive as a sequence of events. It's our small world. A concept of time as everything or nothing is huge. Or the idea that the Universe is limited or limitless. It's fun to try to imagine a limitless universe. I do like one concept of time though. To tell time by the beat of ones own heart, now that's lovely.

Trust

Trust is something hard to come by even in ones own family. Why is that? Why is there such a lack of trust amongst human beings? When do we begin to trust? Or, what gives us an opportunity for trust to grow? I've heard people say that without trust there is no real relationship. I'm not sure I have the answers to the earlier questions, but I do think trust begins inside oneself. One must trust and have a sense of belief in oneself first. How many times as artists do we mistrust the value of what we are doing artistically? Frequently. How many times do we have an idea, think of a great contact, want to connect with another artist only to back track and lose our enthusiasm with a lack of trust in ourselves? A lack of self assurance. I think women may suffer from this malady more then men.

The only way I know to increase our sense of trust is literally to catch ourselves in the myst of non-trust either with ourselves or with another. This means becoming more conscious of what we are doing every day. What we are thinking and feeling. Trust can grow within ourselves or within our relationships to others. Trusting first is a way of extending a hand. Others may be capable of responding or not, but if we are conscious we ought to be able to tell the difference. Some successful artists are not necessarily the most talented, but they are the ones who trust themselves to make it in some facet of the art world. So, as an artist, trust in oneself is a feeling not to be under estimated in its importance.

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

An Authentic Life

Is there a fine line or subtle difference between happiness and unhappiness? I think there is. I'm not referring to obvious reactions to stimuli that create deep despair or extreme joy. I'm referring to everyday happiness or unhappiness. As human beings we adapt and become used to things as they are. We form habits and routines and there is a certain comfort in that. Is contentment happiness? I suppose it could be or is part of happiness.

I sometimes think what a nightmare it would be to wake at 60 or 70 years old only to realize that one has lead someone else's life. As a woman, I find my life has been very influenced by my husband and my family. Motherhood also places or imposes restrictions upon us. I want to live an authentic life. One that is uniquely mine and belongs to me. Not a life that has my husband or families stamp of approval upon it. I think its a good idea to ponder the question of happiness, unhappiness, habit, routine and influence. You can throw in authority too. Who is your authority outside yourself and inside yourself. How did it get there? One form of authority is that little bird in your head distinguishing between right and wrong and that big bundle of "shoulds". Are those "shoulds" really yours or very subtly someone else's?

I realize one has to follow ones bliss inside the framework of everyday life. One has to balance the two. A good life or a life well lived, becomes then, a work of art. Perhaps the most important work of art.

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Autumn in Geneva

I'm in Geneva Switzerland now. The leaves are turning colors and carelessly tumbling and falling to the ground. I've always enjoyed watching the leaves fall from the trees and toss about in the wind. They twist, twirl and dance about and when the sunlight catches them they turn a brilliant hue. I especially like the sweeping blanket of color they leave behind on the ground. Color. What vitality!

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Colorful Florida

I was having dinner one evening in a restaurant in Florida. There was a very boisterous foursome next to us and I overheard a couple say "don't speak ill of the dead." It seemed such a funny thing to say since I don't think the dead really care what you say about them. More importantly I think one should say "don't speak ill of the living". Wouldn't it be a wonderful thing if everyone were more kind, generous and forgiving towards one another? Too Utopian you say? Boring you think? I think its important to speak your mind and when necessary to stand up for oneself when trespassed upon, but it seems to me modern man is very demanding and unforgiving. Who sets these standards, rules and regulations for the masses?

Our psyche's are bombarded daily with bits and pieces of information that come to us from myriad sources. Information overload. Is our idea of the way life is supposed to be created for us or do we form our world through our own desires, morality and ethics? What is contemporary culture and society? Who forms your thinking? Are you really free to form your own concept of the way it should be? Or is your world dictated to you without you questioning it? How many of us really stop to think about all this "stuff" coming at us.

Believe me, a smile and a kind word go a long way towards converting people over to your side rather than criticism. People criticize, speak ill and alienate because they are afraid. It makes them feel better about themselves, justified in their actions (I'm right, their wrong, ) and it also pushes people away as a means to protect oneself. Generally people are comforted by sameness. Diversity makes people think and become uncomfortable. It makes people question their own way of doing things, heaven forbid. Perhaps there are other more productive happier ways to live and to be. We can learn from one another but not through criticism and exclusion but with warmth, acceptance, love and even tenderness. I think all human beings crave love, respect and reassurance. So next time someone says to you, don't speak ill of the dead, say, okay, no problem, but lets also not speak ill of the living either.

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Florida

After getting one daughter squared away at college in Massachusetts we were off to Florida to check on our other daughter who recently transferred there. Florida is hot, very hot in September. People say June, July and August are very hot in Florida, well, you can add September to that list. I had never been to the gulf coast before and I really enjoyed it. We flew to Tampa and drove directly to Sarasota. It was a beautiful sunset drive along the water as seen in the photo above. Sarasota is a city by the sea. It's a combination of high rise buildings, small shops, galleries and restaurants. A very charming place. There are several keys or islands directly off the coast of Sarasota with lovely beaches. The gulf coast beaches are flat, shallow for quite a distance and the water is warm. Siesta key is a younger, funkier place, with a lively rock' n 'roll night life. While Lido key is more groomed, subdued and upscale. Both have a lot to enjoy. I almost forgot to mention about the sand on Siesta key. It's so white and soft, that no matter how hot the sun, your feet never burn.

We left Sarasota and drove across Alligator Alley to the east coast. Now mind you, I did think I was going to see big alligators or crocks sunning themselves in the marshes along the way. Well, not a one. Still, I wouldn't have wanted a car break-down, especially at night. I should mention that the marshes are fenced off the entire way. Some Floridians say one should be careful making the crossing at night. We made it to Delray, a beautiful little resort town that extends west from the Atlantic Ocean. We explored the area from Lighthouse point to Hobe Sound. It's all very nice. A colorful mix of private homes, condos, seasonal apartments and hotels.

Of course we did all this off season. People informed us that the population swells in season to approximately triple its size. The peak season runs from just after Christmas until March, but the "snow birds" as they're called, start to arrive as early as November and stay until April. It rained hardly at all and when it did it was usually at night. We were lucky. One major draw back was the environmental issues concerning the sea. It seems that between serious jelly fish, sea lice, and other maritime phenomena, the sea is off limits a good deal of the time. That's not good. I also heard tales of Burmese boa constrictors in the everglades and deadly fish from the south pacific in-crouching on Florida waters. When aquarium fish become too big people and some shop keepers throw them into the sea. These animals are introduced into environments in which they do not belong upsetting the delicate eco systems. People should be made more aware of the danger of their actions.

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!