Flo has taken over my sitting chair in the living room, she loves to lie on one of Maria’s quilts, sometimes it appears that she is part of the quilt. When it gets this cold, the barn cats barely move, they find the warmest spot, or any place with sun, and they seem to melt into it. I love the fusion of colors, it speaks of warmth and light. It makes me smile on this bitterly cold day, I hope it makes you smile too. The cats do not complain about the weather or turn to the hysteria on the Weather Channel, they do not name storms, they withdraw into themselves and find a place of warmth and light.
I like to call myself a warrior for light, the cold and snow and grey days have been wearing me down. I am drawn to bright things and color, light has always been the dominant characteristic of my photography, perhaps the point. I try to bring light into my life as well, a challenge in this endlessly bitter and stormy and frigid winter.
So I’m taking up a new creative challenge. I am launching the Bedlam Farm Endless Winter Color Initiative, for me, and perhaps, for you. I have many thousands of bright and uplifting photographs – flowers, landscapes, lambs, animals, dogs and donkeys. From now until the advent of better weather, and the return of color and light, i am going to publish them here, at least several times a day. You are welcome to share them, print or download them, use them as screensavers, or just look at them.
I choose photographs that bring a smile to my face, lift my spirits. I can’t think of a better use of my photographs, or of my blog – it is supposed to snow for four straight days here starting on Saturday. I hope you come her to brighten up, to remember the beauty and color and light of the world. There is beauty in the winter pasture as well, I love to photograph it, but not enough color to brighten many days.
So here is Vol. 1 of the Bedlam Farm Endless Winter Color Initiative, young Pumpkin when he was just a few weeks old. This is the point of Bedlam Farm really, to find the beauty and color and light in the world and share it beyond the borders of our small farm. Please come her and soak up some color and light and spread it any way you can or wish.
The Endless Winter is getting gray and stiff, he only has a few weeks to go. The light is changing, this photo was taken last Fall as the sun came up over the hill.
Debbie and Jake as lambs were good choices for the color initiative, these two gave off a spiritual aura that I sill see in Deb. Looking through my photos, I see so many faces that are gone, there is so much life and death on a farm, and in a life with animals. I know one person who says she is falling apart because her sweet old dog is failing and she asked me how she could possibly survive if her dog died, and I was puzzled by the question.
I don’t really know anyone who has not survived the death of a dog or other pet, I hope she remembers to be grateful for the dog’s long life and for the joy and pleasure he brought to her. I have been looking at photos of Orson and Rose and Lenore and Izzy and Mother and so many other wonderful creatures that are gone. How very lucky I am to have had such animals and partners on my journey as these.
I am glad I started the Color Initiative, it is a hit, even in places with little or no snow. Spring is a time of renewal and this winter has been long and gray and cold, I believe color and light are infectious, the more they go out into the world, the more color and light gathers to enter our lives. What a sweet Spring this will be.
I’ve decided to keep my heart warm and my soul lit. The winter is an external thing, however cold and snow it gets – we are getting snow for the next four days. So, then, a spiritual change, given that light, color and warmth are internal. My newly-refurbished heart is beating loudly for color and light, both of which are infectious. I will keep my soul lit and my snow shovel handy. Catch the bug, feel free to spread it. There is no vaccination against a frigid heart and drained spirit.
