Constance Hobbs Art & Photography

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Swans and Airplane

Do all kids have the dream of flight? I know I did. I often dreamt of running down our front lawn, stretching my arms wide, the air lifting me up and I would become airborn. I know all the psychological implications of this. So what. Who cares what some analyst thinks. It was a thrill to fly even if it was only in my dreams. I still love taking off in commercial aviation. The smaller the jet the better. In smaller jets you really get to experience the power and excitement of flight. The thrust presses you into the back of your seat. Simply awesome.

Summers Silver

I know its difficult to tell but the bushes above have the loveliest silver leaves. I think I have another image where you can really make out the shimmer. I will have to look for it. I have often heard from other photographers that their own favorite images are not the same ones selected by others, whether by galleries, publications or whomever. That's a curious thing. There is something about the image above that speaks to me. I often wonder how others respond.

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Easter Palm Beach

A very Happy Easter to all. This is how it looks off the coast of Palm Beach today.

Monday, April 18, 2011

Springtime Silhouette

Saturday, April 16, 2011

Moon over South Florida

Have you ever noticed how as human beings we gravitate towards things that are familiar. This is not such a brilliant thing when you want to experience new and challenging things in life. It's insidiously subtle. Very easy to miss. One has to be very alert to catch the fact of this. I have found myself sometimes in situations that I would rather not, but was actually drawn to it unconsciously because it was familiar. How diligent do we have to be to experience freedom and the new? Pretty darn diligent I'm afraid. What does the moon have to do with this? Probably nothing but it is so amazing to look at. I wonder when man will colonize the moon if ever?

Friday, April 15, 2011

Floridian Nights

There is something tropical, mysterious, romantic about night time in Florida. The palm trees moving, rustling, swaying and the water gently rolling or violently crashing to shore. The delicate smells of exotic flora and fauna excite the senses. It's lovely being here. Life is such an amazing journey. It can be filled with such beauty and such sorrow. I think it's important to have work you enjoy and to ride the waves of life as graciously as possible. Most of all to be kind to those you love and those you encounter on a daily basis.

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Lac Leman Switzerland

A year ago this spring I took these photos in a small town called Cully on the Lake of Geneva better known as Lac Leman. This is just one of many beautiful small towns that dot the shoreline on the Swiss side of the lake. The mountains you see across the Lake are in France probably near Evian. I came across these images as I was going through my files today. I immediately felt so nostalgic. What is nostalgia really? A kind of angst, desire, memory? Part of our human condition. I admire people with quiet settled souls. Mine always seems to be in motion.

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Swimming in the Ocean

A beautiful mornings turquoise beach. This photo was taken off the north shore of Long Island in a town called Bayville. I often wonder how the colors in such images reproduce on different computer screens even when you save for the web? I hope you are able to see the lovely colors. Yesterday I was told that a great white shark was spotted off the coast here in Florida. I've heard about these sightings before, off the tip of Montauk on Long island, off shore from Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket. Are there more sharks in the oceans these days? I must research this. I don't think they have too many predators. One of my greatest joys is swimming in the ocean. At the same time who wants to be eaten by a fish? What a way to go!

It all started with the movie Jaws. I didn't go and see it for the longest time knowing quite well that it might ruin my joy of swimming in the ocean. It did. Thanks Steven Spielberg. Coupled with all the shark activity in the water here I'll stick to the pool for a while. The other day off the coast of Palm beach a man had swam away from his boat. Sharks began to circle around it. A police helicopter happened to be passing and noticed what was going on below. They lowered their helicopter as close as possible to the water in order to scare the sharks away. This enabled the man to swim back to his boat safely. Now, that was luck, no!?

Monday, April 4, 2011

Roses and Sharks

I've been told that roses are very hard to grow in Florida. Well, at least as far south as Palm Beach County. Bummer. I was really looking forward to giving that a go. I think I will give it a try anyway. I'm anxious to try orchids for their exotic appeal. It has started to get hot here in Florida. In June we will have been here for one entire year. A complete cycle of seasons. I once thought the seasons went from hot to less hot, but there are more subtle variations then that. I'm still very happy living here. Although I do get disturbed when they close the beaches because of the sharks. That happened this past weekend. I'm not sure if its the time of year or shark migration but there are a little too many of them for my taste.

Thursday, March 31, 2011

Blue waters

Something to sooth the soul.

Thursday, March 24, 2011

On the relevance of art

Very interesting comment on the relevance of art by Jeanette Winterson, here.

Friday, March 18, 2011

Morning After

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Happy St Patricks Day

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Winter Walks

I came across this image in my files today and it reminded me of the late afternoon winter walks I used to make when living up north. I miss the biting chill of the air and the wonderful scent of burning wood. Trees are especially beautiful in winter when they've shed all their leaves and stand naked against the sky. Some trees have so much more personality in winter. There was a beautiful Japanese tree in Park Bertrand close to where I lived in Geneva. The branches draped and twisted in such an unusual way. I miss the mountains of Switzerland this winter too. It's 80 degrees in Florida today. Quite a contrast to my dreams of snow, cold, wood and mountains. Floridian life is hard to beat though. The weather is so agreeable this time of year. So gentle and kind. So, as much as I long for the cool snowy days of winter, I happily settle for the glorious weather in Florida.

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

In the woods

It's so strange how I can suddenly be struck by existential thoughts and feelings. There are times when I can pin point exactly where these thoughts and feelings have come from and other times when I haven't got a clue. This is one of those haven't got a clue times.The image above I gravitated to so I suppose it reflects some of these feelings.

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Gardening

Ive been thinking about gardening here in Florida. I know it will be a huge challenge. Between all the exotic pests, the extreme water requirements, heat, excessive moisture, drought and hurricanes, I will certainly have my hands full. The seasons are also reversed from what I am accustomed to. I wonder if I can wrap my head around this? The picture above is from my last garden which was lush with beautiful Hosta plants. I can't grow those in Florida. The amazing thing I can grow are fruit trees. You name it, it grows here in Florida. Maybe I should chronicle the entire experience on a separate blog.

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Firearms

I am often surprised by how many Europeans find the prospect of living in America scary. Of course there are many reasons for this which I am too tired to discuss right now. Recently I went to eat at a restaurant here in south Florida and came across this sign at the entrance.The sign reads "All firearms must be checked and locked at the main store entrance. Firearms are not permitted into the restaurant entrance." Welcome to the USA. This is not the kind of sign you see too often anywhere in the world. The flavor of the wild west still remains here in Florida. Do you think this could scare off some of those Europeans?

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Birds in Flight

Today is my birthday and these birds that I recently shot seem to reflect how I am feeling. Life is such a constant flux of experiences. Holding on to any of them represents, to me, a lack of freedom. I don't think it's a question of memory but of holding on to those memories that's confining. Freedom is in letting go. The interesting part, the scary part, or the exciting part, depending on how one looks at it, is the unknown. What's ahead and around the corner. The human experience is a mystery. Trying to figure it out is futile. How can one understand the unknown? How can one have a relationship with it? Everything about us is the known. Our memory and past knowledge. I guess the issue of faith and religion comes into play here. Is the religious experience really a relationship with the unknown or a projection of ourselves and a need for security? Going with the flow as these birds do, naturally, easily, I think is at least one answer to happiness.

Monday, February 14, 2011

Happy Valentine's Day

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Egypt Abu Simbel

I have been to Egypt three times in my life. It is by far the most fascinating place I have ever been. Between the multitudes and chaos of Cairo, the unbelievable monuments in the south and the countries sweet and gentle people I return to my experiences there often in my thoughts. It's very difficult to explain to someone the mystery and magic that is Egypt if one has never traveled there. The scale of the monuments alone, as you can see in the photo above, is breath taking and mind boggling all at the same time. Above is Abu Simbel in Nubia southern Egypt. It sits on Lake Nassar which was created by the Aswan Dam. This huge temple was relocated to this location so as not to be drown by the dam project. While we were there people told us tales of gigantic fish which live in the lake because they exist and eat in the richly silted water. This may or may not be true? I never did find out for sure. This photograph was taken at sunrise and accurately reflects the color of dawn. I posted this image in view of all the current turmoil in Egypt. The new generation of Egyptians are highly educated and I am hopeful that the outcome of all of this will be positive for the Egyptian people and the area of the middle east as a whole.

Friday, February 11, 2011

The Ocean Breeze

The answer my friend is blowin in the wind, the answer is blowin in the wind.

Bob Dylan

Sunday, February 6, 2011

Jelly Fish and Sharks

Today, in the water of the intracoastal here in Delray Beach, there was this very unusual little creature floating in the water. My niece and nephew were with me. They recently stayed at the Breakers in Palm Beach and said there were lots of these little sea creatures floating ashore there. They told me they are very poisonous jelly fish. If you pop them open (which isn't particularly easy to do) and any of their interior gelatinous material gets on you, one must immediately go to the hospital. I was also told that they are baby man o war jelly fish and to be extremely careful when near them. To make things even more exciting the kids also told me about the shark migration which is going on presently right off the shore here in Palm Beach County. In the video below you will see a helicopter and then the dark specs below in the water are the sharks. The numbers are staggering. No swimming for me for a while.

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

F Stop Magazine issue #45

©Eric Perriard

I am very happy to announce that I have three images in the latest edition of F Stop Magazine, issue #45 focusing on abstraction in photography. They had an enormous amount of submissions for this issue and I am pleased to have been included. You can see the entire exhibition under "group exhibit".

Monday, January 31, 2011

Thinking of Spring

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Victoria's Electronic Life

I can't really, fully, comprehend what life so totally attached to electronics must be like. This is my daughter Victoria who can't seem to separate herself from her phone even when dead tired. Here she is on vacation glued to her phone. If it's not the phone, its the computer. If its not the computer, its her ipod. The phone rings during dinner and she jumps. I'm sure as parents we have all set our limits on this and more. It's not that I don't make use of the exact same technology myself, but I do remember when we were not all so dependent upon it. My father commented to me how he had seen the movie All the Presidents Men recently and he was struck by the fact that not one desk had a computer on it. That might seem like a long time ago to you but it sure wasn't to him. Where will all this take our children? They will grow to become so vulnerable if we all aren't already.

Friday, January 21, 2011

Rayko Gallery

I am pleased to announce that my image above, part of my Winter's Melancholy series which has yet to make it up on to my website, has been accepted into the 4th Annual Juried Plastic Camera Show at Rayko Gallery. Taken with a Holga camera.

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Stress

Last night I was exhausted. I sat down in front of the tv about 9 or 10, can't remember and watched this science program about stress. It was a National Geographic special. The research came out of Stanford by way of Robert Sapolsky. He is Professor of Biological Sciences and Professor of Neurology and Neurological Sciences at Stanford University. He's an expert in studying prolonged stress and it's impact on health. Well, the picture is rather frightening. Through chronic stress we actually wear away the ends of our chromosomes, impair our immune systems and die much sooner. Stress management is much more important then I realized. Just because everyone else is stressed doesn't mean I have to be. We can separate ourselves and decide to relax. Mindfulness is certainly one way to do that. Not to run on autopilot all the time. Living in ones head is not a prescription for happiness. I think competition generates a lot of stress and Americans are competitive. We certainly inherit that from Sopolsky's baboons. We are always concerned with getting someplace, somewhere, aquiring this or that, instead of enjoying the now. Taking it slow and having some faith in the future. We can't have it all right away. Things take time. That's just a fact. So, take a deep breath, look around and be confident that if you are in a bad place, this too shall pass.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Our Universe

I don't know whose image this so I can't place credit.

Yesterday I was reading reviews of new books on bookforum.com concerning the universe. It's amazing to realize, that with all the fancy technology and instruments available today, 80 percent of the universe still remains a mystery. Last night I mentioned to my husband, how from time to time, I envision all of us on this planet hanging in black, dark, cold space. The beautiful earth just hanging there unsupported, (I know about gravity silly, I'm taking poetic license here). My husband added, we're also tilted spinning at approximately 1000 miles per hour and hurdling thru space around the sun at 65,000 miles per hour. Now, I don't know about you, but these facts blow my mind. What's the impetus behind all this incredible activity and life? Of course, most of us were raised to immediately answer God. Which may or may not be a fact. I won't venture down that road today. I just wanted to point out the mystery of it all. So, be nice to everyone you meet today, after all, we're in this together.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Happy Birthday Alexandra

Let me introduce everyone to my lovely daughter Alexandra, my oldest. Today is her birthday. This morning my husband and I were reminiscing the day she was born. It was a bitter cold, snowy day in Manhattan. She was born in Greenwich Village. She's in college now. That's the thing about parenting. You get so caught up in the process that it goes by much too quickly. Now we have two kids who only want to rock n roll. Nothing wrong with that of course. What else is college for? Education you say, well yes, that too. One certainly hopes to get something for their money! So to all you Mom's and Dad's out there, take it slow and enjoy the process.

To my darling daughter have a wonderful happy birthday and a splendid new birthday year.

We love you.

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Patchwork of birds

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

A Corona Day

Today was definitely a Corona day. Hot, sunny and humid here in Florida. It's 81 degrees. I know this is mean to post in view of the impending storms up north. Somehow it's hard for me to realize it's mid January with temperatures like these. Today is 1-11-11. Maybe these are lucky numbers for someone today, I sure hope so.

Monday, January 10, 2011

New Year Thoughts

This evening I was thinking about all the wonderful people who have taken the time to visit my blog over this past year. I wish I was able to meet everyone and find out about your lives and interests. The Internet with all it's interconnectivity is such a unique experience and hopefully will bring forth more goodness and camaraderie in our world. Recently I've had visitors from Brunei, India, Poland, Malaysia, Hungary, Norway, Netherlands, Russia, Estonia and Canada. Not to mention New York, California, Washington, Virginia, Massachusetts, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Utah, and many more. I would like to thank everyone and wish you all a very happy new year. All the best.

Sunday, January 9, 2011

Water Reflections

Friday, January 7, 2011

Floridian Reflections

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Water Reflections

I have been fascinated by water reflections all of my life, but here in Florida I am mesmerized by them. Part of the reason is that water is such a prevalent part of my everyday life down here. We are surrounded by water. There are the ocean reflections, the Intracoastal reflections, the canals, the lakes, the ponds and all the swimming pools. I think I will post over the next few days some of my results. I hope you will enjoy them.

Sunday, January 2, 2011

New Years Day 2011

Last night we ventured out to the movies. We wanted to see the movie the social network before it left the theaters. Not having much experience with living in Florida we were in for quite a shock. The theater we generally go to is usually nice and mellow. Well that all changed yesterday. People had warned us about the "snow birds". We all know who they are. People looking to escape the winter blues and flock to Florida. They were out in full force last night. I guess they arrive after Christmas in time for New Year's.The parking lot was a mad house. One woman in particular was worthy of note. She was trying to physically save a space and caused a huge traffic jam. To the point where one man basically ran her off the spot by pulling in quite dramatically and dangerously. It was nuts. Of course we didn't stay and headed out for dinner instead. I tried a beer I have never had before. I think it was called "Long Island Blue Point". It was delicious. Try it some time. Happy New Year to everyone.

Saturday, January 1, 2011

Happy New Year

Here we are with yet another year gone by. It was a challenging year for me living half the year in Europe and then relocating to Florida for the remaining half. All the while working and marketing my work. It was a productive year all and all and I look forward to what 2011 will bring my way. I did not contribute to Lenscratch Blog's end of year favorite photo exhibition this year but I encourage everyone to go and stop by. It's a wonderful group of contemporary photographers exhibiting their own favorite photo from 2010. I wish everyone a very happy, healthy and prosperous new year. May it be filled with love, peace and joy.

Monday, December 27, 2010

Lunar Eclipse

I'm a little late getting this up. This is the lunar eclipse as seen from Delray Beach Florida at 3am, December 21st, on the winter solstice. A very rare cosmic event. A full moon, an eclipse and on the winter solstice. The moon literally turned red. It was magical. I stood there gazing at this incredible event with the knowledge that it wasn't going to happen again for another 498 years. I wondered about all the people gazing upward as I was. I wondered about their lives, their stories, their families. It's astonishing to think about, and what will the world be like in 498 years? Impossible to imagine. It's all so mysterious.

Sunday, December 26, 2010

Merry Christmas

Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas and every possible good wish for great things in 2011.