A Dose of Sunshine

Desert Marigold at Tohono Chul Park in Tucson Arizona

Desert Marigold II © 2011 Bo Mackison

Sometimes it is the simplest of things that brings on a smile. This yellowest of flower reminds me of sunshine.

There are days when all of us can use an extra dose of sunshine. So here’s a helping of sunny wishes, sent your way, available whenever you need a little sunshine to brighten your day.

Smile. And pass it on!

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Bo Mackison is a photographer and the owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC.

Green Strawberry Hedgehog

Cactus Flower Macro, Tohono Chul Park in Tucson Arizona

Cactus Flower Macro © 2011 Bo Mackison

I have a back log of photographs that I took earlier this year in Arizona. Of course, I intended to have them all sorted and processed by now, but life got in the way. Funny how that happens!

We’ve had another spell of windy weather, which makes taking outdoor photos a bit difficult, so I resurrected sunny Arizona for you.

This macro is of the inner part of the green strawberry hedgehog cactus. This hedgehog can be differentiated from the more common strawberry hedgehog by examining its concentration of spines. So many golden spines cover the strawberry hedgehog, it looks almost like a heaping pile of straw.

Green Strawberry Hedgehog, Tohono Chul Park in Tucson Arizona

Green Strawberry Hedgehog © 2011 Bo Mackison

The green strawberry hedgehog is “green” because there are only a few clusters of spines, though they are long and sharp. Nothing that looks like a pile of straw on this hedgehog!

I can personally attest to the sharpness of its long spines. In the months I was in Arizona, I never learned the lesson that if you lean in just a bit more for “one more” slightly different angle, inevitably one of those photographs will cost you a spiny stick in the hand.

It was always worth it though!

Just a reminder that I will be at the Barrington Art Festival in Barrington, Illinois this weekend, Saturday May 28 and Sunday May 29 from 10 a. m. to 5 p.m. with the portable version of Seeded Earth Studio. There will be a good selection of botanical photographs from both the Midwest and the Southwest — quite a contrast in plants, but it’s fun to see them side by side.

If you are in the area, I hope you will stop by Booth #36 and say hello!

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Bo Mackison is a photographer and the owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC. She is looking forward to the start of the summer of art festivals. Yay, summer!

 

Pasque Flower Seed Heads

Pasque Flower Seed Heads

Pasque Flower Seed Heads © 2011 Bo Mackison

These silvery, frothy, wild-looking seed heads belong to the velvety, deep purple Pasque Flower. The flowers are lovely to see and touch, deep hued and thick like luxurious velvet.

But I’m a fan of what appears after the flowers have had their moment, these twirly, wavy seed heads, like metallic threads erupting from a milky yellow center.

Surely an alien type creature from outer space?

Nope.

Just the seed head of the lovely Pasque Flower making its guarantee, that with some fancy seeding work, the flower will return next year.

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Bo Mackison is a photographer and the owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC. Not only a lover of floral subjects, also a lover of twirly seed heads.

 

Two Red Tulips

Two Red Tulips

Two Red Tulips © 2011 Bo Mackison

I take a deep breath and find myself gently exhaling every time I look at this photograph of these simple red tulips. It literally takes my breath away!

Sometimes, a photograph ought to do that. Affect a person so deeply that it makes one stop short, and take a second look, a really long look.

I so love it when I take a photograph like that. Doesn’t happen often. I’ll take two hundred photos a day, five days a week, and if I get one of these every few weeks I’m happy.

This kind of photograph isn’t for everyone. Some people like to see the entire flower, or even the entire garden at one glance. But for a few, these flowers–well, they are enough to make one stop and breathe deeply.

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Bo Mackison is a photographer and the owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC. She makes time, while she is taking photographs, to enjoy the simple things of life.

 

Another View of Royalty

Royal Heritage Hellebore Blossom at Olbrich Botanical Garden

Hellebore Blossom © 2011 Bo Mackison

Another view of the Royal Heritage Hellebore, more commonly known as the Lenten Rose.

It is amazing how a walk in a garden, noticing the many colors, textures, and the scents of the different flowers — a true sensory walk — can make me feel connected to my world in a positive way, and chase away the gremlins. I walked in the gardens this morning — I needed a break from the last few days of preparation for the art festival season.

My summer shows begin in earnest next weekend with my first big show in the Chicago area. And I have eleven shows scheduled from Memorial Day weekend through August, so my summer will be filled with hectic fun and excitement.

Half of my shows are in the Chicago area. I am looking forward to lots of visits to my “adopted” big city–I earned my college degree in Chicago, met Sherpa there, and lived on the north side and in Oak Park for several years. Now I’ll see Chicago from a new perspective– from the inside of my art booth.

But there are still last-minute preparations calling for my attention, and the walk in the garden was the perfect antidote to the pre-show jitters.

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Bo Mackison is a photographer and the owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC. She is almost ready to begin her summer of art festivals in the Midwest area–just one more week!