South. West. Business.

Heading South West

South West Business © 2011 Bo Mackison

Yesterday, the signs seemed to all point to one thing — South West Business. I even had assistance from a road sign in southwestern Wisconsin that was just one more reminder that I am traveling south, and west, and on business!

I love this sign – I take this road sign as a SIGN that I am on the right course in my journey! I am heading to the Southwest where I have plenty of business to manage.

The idea of exhibiting my art on the art fair circuit is a bit daunting, especially when I look at the whole picture. Traveling 1800 miles one way, setting up my art booth in a strange area, and then later this week, exhibiting my photography at the five day Tubac Festival of the Arts. It sends shivers of excitement up and down my spine, and shivers of apprehension, too.

I’ve done art shows in the Midwest. I’m a Midwestern, born and bred, though sometimes I think the gods screwed up and I should have been born a desert rat as much as I seek sun and warmth. So now I’m adding shows in the Southwest.  It seems like a good alternative to waiting out the blizzards in Wisconsin and Illinois, waiting until May to start doing art fairs again. It seems like a solid business decision. After all, it makes good sense – me away from the gray of winter at the time of year when the weather most affects my moods, me using my time profitably to add a few shows, and me challenging myself to live solo for a couple of months.

I’ll admit the few hours before we left Madison yesterday were the most difficult. I roamed rooms, looked out every window in the house, carried my black cat in my arms as she purred and as I worried about how much I would miss Jazz and how much she might miss me. After all, I’m her people. And while the cat sitter, and then Sherpa, will do a commendable job of caring for her, I’m the one Jazz comes to for a cuddle, or a treat, or a warm lap for a nap.

I began having second and third and fourth thoughts, and I was teary eyed when we were finally all packed and drove away from the house. Sure, I know it’s only two months. But at that moment, two months sounded like eternity.

And then, serendipitously, I saw this highway sign. South. West. Business. Like a message from the Universe, or at least from Wisconsin’s Highway Department, a not so subtle sign encouraging me to push on, to pursue my dreams.

Today we travel through a bit more of Iowa, then Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma. As for me, I’m holding steady and keeping the compass on SW!

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Bo Mackison is the owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC. She will be living in Tucson for the next eight weeks, taking daily opportunities to visit deserts and desert gardens while practicing her photography, and blogging about learning to live on her own. Visit as she writes about living and working in Tucson. Her mantra is “Bo goes solo!”

Off Kilter

Another Metaphorical Self Portrait

Self Portrait?

Another self portrait in metaphor.

Not quite in balance.

Need a bit of freshening, but an hour’s work would take care of those smudges, straighten the tangled cords of the window blind.

And a bit of sanding and a fresh coat of paint would hide those worn areas.

Like I mentioned before–metaphor.

Fire Escape on Quincy Casket Company Building

Historic Quincy Casket Company Building

Historic Quincy Casket Company Building

The Quincy Casket Company, also known as the  S J Lessem Building, is a brick and stone, three story building perched on the bluffs of Quincy Illinois, and has a fine view overlooking the Mississippi River. Built in the mid 1850s in the Italiante Style, it was used as a factory and warehouse for its first 100 years. The building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999 due to its architectural significance.

Another metaphor?

Off With Their Heads

Mannikens, Headless, on Michigan Avenue

Manikins, Headless, on Michigan Avenue

I was attracted to this window display, looked at it so long that my photo Sherpa dragged me away muttering that he hadn’t been fed lately. That was a true statement, so we went to dinner, but then I insisted on walking down Michigan Avenue, mentioning what a romantic street it was for a late evening stroll.

Ha! In all honesty, I wanted to check out those manikins again. Something metaphorical about  plastic models with fake binoculars, all posed as if to be noticing something worth noticing. Yeah sure, the best part – the no-brain part.

Kinda like some photographers. Never really look, no I mean LOOK, at what they are photographing. Snap, snap, snap. Or even worse, snap because someone ELSE is snapping the shot. I LOVE when that happens!

A few days ago I was standing on a street corner and the metal rod structure of a trash can caught my attention. I liked the lines. Then I noticed a bumpy grille on the ground, painted orange. Hmm. I was composing in my head, trying for a combination using the trash can and the orange street. I walked around a few times. Lined up some shots, checked a few settings on my camera, I was fooling around, enjoying myself, doing some low angles, high angles.

And darn if this guy, perhaps in his mid-30s, maybe 5’5″, wearing a below knee length imitation fur coat, walks towards me and slows. Then stops. I can see him in my peripheral vision, and he’s watching me. He has a camera slung around his neck–big SLR, heavy glass.

Damn, if he didn’t, in a 3 second move – lift, snap, lower his camera. He got off a quick snapshot. I’m quite sure he wasn’t taking a photo of me, which may or may not have been amusing, but of MY trash can!

Here’s the photo I took:

Standing in Line for a Shot of THIS Street Corner?

Standing in Line for a Shot of THIS Trash Can?

Nice composition, yes? 🙂

Palm Shadows in Tohono Chul Park

Tucson Arizona

 Sunny Days

Missing Tucson’s sunny days, but I have photos enough to keep me busy until the flowers bloom in Madison.

I visit to Tohono Chul Park in Tucson offers unlimited opportunities for photographic play with color, light and shadow, and texture.