Point Pleasant Park, June 2010, originally uploaded by leyaevelyn.
A friend of mine is fascinated by clouds. She gets very excited, points out amazing cloud formations I wouldn’t have noticed if she hadn’t exclaimed their beauty. So yesterday I took photos of clouds over PPP. It felt very different than the usual close ups I do. Probably 95% of my photos are intimate portraits: of rocks, of tree branches, flower petals, faces. Even my paintings are up close, the kind that shout (or whisper, but are always) in your face. Just as I like small gatherings over big parties, intense conversations over small talk, good fun over heady games, so do I prefer taking close-up photos. I don’t think I lack a sense of humor, a light touch when necessary. Just that I like the intensity of being close to people and things.
On the other hand, I do spend a lot of time alone. That’s the nature of painting, studio painting that is. I’m alone with the paint and the canvas. That’s a lot of company.