Photo 'a Go Go!: Antvision [[Pix-travaganza]]

I'm happy to say, "I'm still snappin', folks!"

My 365project has been a blast, and it has also been every bit the challenge that I figured it would be! That's a good thing, too, because it helps in both keeping my mind sharp and keeping it in an almost constant state of creative thinking! Since the idea is to produce a new photo every day, I find myself pondering nearly non-stop what sort of subject I'll shoot, the story it (or I) could tell, the technique I might use, etc. I must admit that some days I do feel as if it could all drive me insane, but I usually manage to push through! Usually...

Anyway, if you happen to be interested in seeing more of my project photos, please, step right this way into our Gallery of Fine Art Photography tent. Here, you'll find another (rather voluminous) collection of imagery covering a variety of interesting subjects in this latest exhibit we like to call, Antvision [[Pix-travaganza]]!







Happiness... dried & preserved

October 4th, 2008 was a very important date.
It was also quite a happy one, for that was the
day on which my husband and I got married!
We had already been together exclusively for
18 years by then, but since there was a brief
period at the time allowing same-sex couples
to legally marry, we decided to go ahead and
"seal the deal".

These roses are from the dinner reception we
had immediately following the ceremony. No
matter how dried, dusty and withered they
become over the years, I know that they will
always seem just as beautiful to me as they
did on our wedding day.







Andrew Bear

This cute and lumpy vintage teddy bear is
just about 60+ years old, around the same
age as my mother-in-law. In fact, she grew
up with it, and then years later passed it
down to her son (my husband) when he
was a child.

Andrew Bear has always sat on this little
chair for as long as I can remember. That,
too, was from my husband's childhood, and
even has his name across the back of it in
tiny letters. I like to picture Tommy sitting
on the chair as a little boy. I just know he
had to have been SO cute! Now, it's hard to
imagine Andrew Bear sitting anywhere else...







Branching out

I finally made a point to grab my camera and
take it outside with me, immediately upon
returning home from work today. As I walked
around looking for photo-ops in the late
afternoon sun, I spotted this great tree branch
covered in all of its wonderful craggy bark and
delicious contrasting shadows! So I HAD to
capture it! Boy, have I EVER missed shooting
outdoor photography...







So very succulent!

Just a beautiful plant in a pot, on our back patio.







Oh, so soft and succulent...

Yet another plant on our patio which I
found to be quite striking, shot close-up
and in soft focus. I was real pleased with
how just the right amount of daylight
helped to produce such terrific natural
shades of pink, purple and green...

No help from Photoshop, either!







Mancala

This African stone game has always
appealed to me, mainly because of the
glass marble-like stones that are used,
but also because of its simplicity. I
should admit, though, that I've never
actually played the game. And I even
OWN it - that's MY game in the picture!!
Ridiculous, I know... Just never got
around to learning the rules.

Maybe, before I put it away on the game
shelf again, I'll try to talk someone into
learning and PLAYING this colorful
game with me. Either that, or it'll just
end up sitting on the shelf collecting
dust for ANOTHER 10 years...







Peacock feather (Detail)

Still experimenting with my macro lens,
trying to get used to the focal field & range.
I'm sort of figuring out that I need to be
even closer to my subject than this, for
optimal focus coverage. But I like how this
turned out, with the edges of the feather
being all that's in focus. The colors, too... I
was real happy with how they all turned out!

And is it just me, or does the center of the
feather look kinda like a heart to you? That's
really strange because I didn't alter the photo
to look like that, and it doesn't look that way
to the naked eye, either. Only in my photo.
Bizarre, huh?







Two koi... to be conceited.

I captured this vibrant shot while visiting
with my in-laws. They have a beautiful koi
pond in their backyard, with a waterfall at
one end and a bridge across the center.

In fact, I sat down on that very bridge so I
could take this photo.







What is it?

Well, can you tell what IT is? If you don't
manage to figure it out, you're gonna want
to kick yourself because it's actually pretty
darn obvious...

So put on your Thinking Cap, but don't go
OVER-thinking it. I'll reveal the answer at
the end of this post!







Timeslip

Just the idea that such a paranormal
phenomenon could exist which allows
a person, or a group of people, to travel
through time due to a rift in the very
fabric of time itself, fascinates me to no
end! I'm very open minded about para-
normal and supernatural possibilities,
but I also view the world around me
with a healthy dose of skepticism.

If you could "slip" away to any date or
place in time, what or where would it
be, and why?







Bouncing rubber baby pony

No, it doesn't REALLY bounce, I just
thought the title sounded a lot more fun
that way (plus, it's a fun thing at parties
to try and make people say, real quick-like
and several times in a row)! But it IS made
of rubber, and it's vintage from like the
'40s or '50s. I found it in an antique shop
and gave it to my husband, either for
Christmas or his Birthday. He loves, loves,
LOVES ponies!

We have a few other neat, old, rubber toys
sitting around our house. Perhaps, one day,
I'll make THEM model for the camera, too...







'Magic 8 Ball' optimism

Wouldn't it be great if we could start off
EVERY day receiving this kind of positive
and encouraging prediction?

It would most certainly beat getting the
alternative message, "Better not tell you now"...





I hope that you've enjoyed this latest update of my progress with the 365project. If you haven't, well... that's your problem! I just have one last message for my loyal Captivated Spectators, before I sign off. I'm well aware that when considering the infrequency of my posting, I am very lucky to have many of you still coming back to my circus on a regular basis AND always leaving me such kind comments. For both things, I am extremely grateful! I'm hoping to "get my act together" and eventually start posting waaay more often. Wish me luck with that, I'll NEED it!

Until next time, remember... Clowns are only funny from a distance. If you get too close, you'll find out the hard way. Byyye!



*ANSWER to 'What is it?': The end of a white starfish's arm.



~All photos by Anthony (aka Antvision). Except top 'Photo 'a Go Go!' background dancers, they were spotted hitchhiking along the Google Images highway with signs that read, "Will SHIMMY & SHAKE for FOOD!"~

Art Attack!: Collage artist, Dadadreams, is sometimes warped, and always entertaining!

'Strange Ritual' by Dadadreams



Where DO I begin with this delightfully funny and greatly talented Cut 'n' Paster? I guess that telling you how I first discovered Dadadreams and her wonderful artwork would be a good place to begin. So there I was, new to flickr, just pokin' around checking the place out, when somehow or another I stumbled across artwork by a self-taught collagist who goes by the name of Dadadreams (her real name is Michelle Lanter) and lives in Houston, Texas. You could almost say that, for me, seeing her work was love at first sight...






'Bad Hare Day'
~By Dadadreams

She should have known that
trying out a new hare-style
was a hare-brained idea.




Since I'm a big fan of witty puns and word-play, I was won over by that angle alone pretty instantaneously. Which reminds me, I must clarify that for the entirety of this post any captions you see underneath Dadadreams' images are also written by her... I wish that I could take credit for them, they're so clever! Another thing that I love is vintage and retro-type imagery, and that's almost exclusively what she works with when creating her masterpieces. In fact, there's a part in her flickr profile that reads, "I have an ever growing collection of vintage ephemera, mostly magazines, books and encyclopedias from the '40s, '50s and '60s." Boy, I could just sit contently for hours and hours sifting through her collection! I think another reason her pieces visually appeal to me so much is the overall color palette she uses when putting them together. I find that verrry pleasing. It may not even be intentional on her part, I suppose it could just be total serendipity... Whatever the case, it works!






'Jello Possum Surprise'
~By Dadadreams

A tasty treat your family is sure to enjoy!







'Jams and Jellies'
~By Dadadreams

Timmy does great in school
because he fuels up with a
good breakfast. A big part of
that is yummy jams and jellies.
His favorite? Unless he pulled
an all-nighter and needs an
extra charge, the ones without
stinging tentacles.







'Peep Show'
~By Dadadreams

What do you do with all those
leftover Easter Peeps? Have a
Peep Show, of course!




Regarding the process of her work, Lanter says, "Collage is a way for me to give these images new life. I love being able to combine images and turn them into something completely new and different. For me, collage is a form of play. I love to spread the ephemera (my toys) on the floor and rearrange them until an image comes together. I work intuitively and lose all track of time when I'm collaging."






'Best Friends'
~By Dadadreams

((No caption for this one, but I say it's brilliant!))




Lanter is specifically fascinated by squids, dinosaurs, medical imagery and retro food. So those images often find their way into her work. The artwork directly below is a terrific example of one of her squid pieces...






'Squidware Party'
~By Dadadreams

I'm pleased to present the newest
piece of Squidware. It has a unique
design and a beautiful pink color.
Best of all, it has the same super
sucker suction lid that you've come
to expect in Squidware.
Get yours today!







'Pie in the Sky'
~By Dadadreams

((Again, no caption for this, but I
love the literal interpretation!))







'The Normals'
~By Dadadreams

I'd had enough of the oversized shoes
and the tiny cars. As I was packing my
bag to head off to accounting school,
Mom came in my room. I'll never forget
the look on her face. Choking back tears,
I said, "Goodbye, I am running away to
join the normals."







'Bed Head'
~By Dadadreams

Futons are popular. Waterbeds
are so 70's. Tempurpedic is nice,
if a little high-end. For me, I
prefer the traditional box spring
style bed head.








'Photo Op'
~By Dadadreams

Some people are just dying
to get the perfect shot!







'Domestic Goddess'
~By Dadadreams

She cooks, cleans and entertains
effortlessly. She is the inspiration
for all who keep up a home. She is
the Domestic Goddess.




This Dadadreams mini-gallery is exactly that. It's just a very small representation of Lanter's entire body of work, and only begins to scratch the surface. If you've enjoyed what is on display here, please, go and visit the official Dadadreams' Photostream on flickr to see even more of her wonderful art. It's really neat and convenient how she has her work organized into different themes like 'Beauty and Fashion', 'Kid Stuff', 'Retro Housewife', 'Land of the Lost', etc. Aaand if you see anything that makes you think, "Gee, but I'd sure be delighted to own something like that!", just go and visit the Dadadreams' Curious Collage Creations shop on Etsy. There's some great stuff there, from original art pieces to hand-made jewelry to vintage ephemera. I've been itchin' to make a purchase there, myself!

Well, that'll do it for today's Art Attack! edition. Thank you for "pop"-ping in to check out this artist. We hope to continue featuring such fantastic artists as Dadadreams in future Art Attack! editions, so be sure to stay tuned...

Later, clowns!


~All artwork copyright Dadadreams (aka Michelle Lanter)~

Photo 'a Go Go!: 2+ Weeks into my 365project...

It's been just a little over 2 weeks, already, since I started taking photos for my 365project, and I've only flaked on 2 of the days in all that time! I was feeling a bit like a failure at first for skipping days, but then I started seeing that a lot of other people doing the project also miss days, occasionally. The way I know this is because there's a neat calendar view feature you can access from everyone's photo page that displays a calendar with thumbnail-sized photos shown for each day that one was taken. So once I saw that I wasn't the only one with blank days, I felt much better. And if you're at all like me, it's not that easy to take a good photo that you're proud of every single day. Then again, (make sure you're sitting down for this one, folks) some people have said that I tend to be a perfectionist... But even that aspect aside, I'm simply not always in the mood, or I may not have the creative mojo flowing for some reason. Know what I mean? The last thing I'd want to do is snap off some dumb, random shot just so I could upload a photo for that day! Bottom line, though, is that I see no reason why I can't make up for the days I miss. I think that as long as I take and upload 365 days worth of photos it'll be okay if those days aren't all consecutively connected. It just might end up taking a lot more than a year to finish. And if that's not okay, or it's against the rules, well... then I'm changing the rules, right here and right now, for Anthony's 365project!

Wanna see some of the latest installments "hanging" in my gallery? Go ahead, take a look. I'd love to know what you think of them... (I decided that it was probably best to only display a week's worth of photographs at a time, so as to NOT exhaust your interest or patience!)





That's our Matt!

Right there, blowing into a toy crocodile's
head and making its "eyes" float, is my
good friend Matt. He's almost never too
self-conscious to do something silly, if it'll
make us laugh! I have certainly had some
of the best times hanging out with that guy.






A love creation

As I wandered around the house looking
for an interesting Show & Tell item to
photograph, I looked inside our "cabinet
of curiosities" and spotted this old collage
box which I assembled and gave to my
husband as a birthday gift many years ago.
In fact, I think it was actually about 16 or
17 years ago!

I can still remember how much fun I had
searching through antique shops, looking
for just the right cigar box and ALL of the
neat trinkets to place on top of it. I've made
several interesting things for my husband,
in the past, but haven't created any NEW
gifts in a verry long time. Hmm, his birthday
IS coming up fairly soon...






Skelebunny

Imagine our surprise when my
husband and I stepped out into the
garden patio, today, only to find
one of Tommy's fictional comic book
characters just sitting nonchalantly
in a small, fancy chair. We couldn't
believe our eyes! All this time
Tommy thought that he had
completely made up everything
about the Skelebunnies and their
well-intentioned, immoral exploits.

Have they really existed all along,
or is Tommy's imagination so
powerful that it brought them to life?
The little guy wouldn't tell us, as he
evidently doesn't talk to humans. He
did pose for my picture, though!






"I was almost beginning to
think I'd lost my marbles!"

A glass jar is a very good place to keep
your marbles, as it is very pleasing to
the eye. And you'll always know where
to find them, should you start to feel
as though they are "missing"...






Happy toy

I think most anyone who was a child
growing up in the late '60s thru the '70s
would recognize this familiar, iconic face
as that of the cheerily colorful Fisher-Price
Chatter Phone. Definitely one of my uber
favorite childhood toys!

It had a pull-string so it could be dragged
along behind you. And whenever you did,
its big blue eyes would roll up & down in
tandem with the clickety, clackety chattering
sound made when its little blue wheels
turned. Of course, it also had a rotary dial
that triggered a bell inside whenever your
wee fingers spun it 'round.

I would love it if I could pick up the bright
orange receiver and call my 5-year-old self,
way back in 1975. I'd want to tell him that
everything is going to be okay, that HE is
going to be okay, no matter how bad things get...






Fun, old books

Something else that I like collecting is vintage
children's books. I find them to be fun, colorful
and charming. However, I do not buy them for
storytelling. The two ways in which I do use
them are:

[1.] As pop-culture reference material.

[2.] As a vintage illustration/image archive that
I can cut 'n paste from while working on collage
art. Well, technically, I scan & print out whichever
book page has the image I like, and then THAT is
what gets cut up. I don't want to damage these
beautiful, old books any more than they already
have been!

The bookshelves have slowly been filling up over
the years, so what you see here is just a fraction
of my total vintage and pop culture book collection.






Monochromatic Solitaire

I enjoy ALL kinds of board games, especially
ones that are this attractive and well-made.
My preference, of course, is to play games with
other opponents, but this beautiful wood and
stone marble (Is "stone marble" redundant?)
edition of Solitaire makes those times I have
no one to play games with MUCH more enjoyable!



Thank you for visiting our 'Gallery of Fine Art Photography' tent, here at the one and only Pop Circus. Please, come again!


~All photos by Anthony (aka Antvision). Except top 'Photo 'a Go Go!' background dancers, I found them in a dark alley behind Google Images. They work really cheap!

It's official... I'm a total Gleek, now!

On the off-chance that you don't already know what a "Gleek" is, allow me to enlighten you. A "Gleek" is a devoted fan of Fox's hugely popular hit t.v. show, 'Glee'. If you haven't ever watched it (a whole episode, not just a clip), you're missing out on something pretty special! I'd consider any show special if it lifted your spirits and kept you feeling happy for an entire episode, but no others come to mind. It's just such a perfect mix of drama, humor and showbiz that you really would have to watch an entire episode to get an accurate feel for the magic that's going on here.

Up until last Tuesday's Season 2 opener, I had only seen a handful of episodes from Season 1. I enjoyed them, but was only on-the-fence about the show, at best. I think it was because I had an issue with its lack of reality when it came to the Glee Club's musical numbers. Some might even say they're a bit over-the-top! And it's completely obvious that everyone is lip syncing. But then it donned on me... The way 'Glee' was doing it, was the same way those old MGM musicals of the '40s & '50s were done! Don't know why I didn't realize that sooner? Besides, the creators of 'Glee' would never be accused of trying to portray any sense of reality! It's just a whole lotta fun and fantasy which happens to take place in a high school that has exceptionally talented students in their Glee Club.







Now that I view the show with this entirely new perspective, I'm absolutely loving it! I had already enjoyed the humor - Jane Lynch as Sue Sylvester, the nasty cheerleading coach who's hell-bent for Glee Club annihilation, is so priceless! She plays that character like it was invented just for her. Maybe it was, I don't know. The soap opera style of drama also really hooks you, if you like that sort of thing. And, yes, I most certainly do! Then, of course, the musical performances are the biggest highlight of every episode. Mr. Scheuster, or Will (played by Matthew Morrison), usually picks a specific theme for his club of showbiz kids to tailor their musical numbers to. For example, on last Tuesday's show, Mr. Scheuster announced that the new theme was "Hello", adding that they could select any songs they wanted for their numbers as long as those songs had the word "Hello" in the title. I was a bit surprised at how many other tunes there are, aside from Lionel Richie's obvious hit. See, look at that, the show can even be educational for some folks!

Well, I really don't want to bore you with my take on every character in 'Glee'. Just know that I consider every one of them to be another good reason for watching this awesome show!







P.S. - B.T.W. here's a little F.Y.I. just in case you're interested: Next week's show (Tuesday, April 20th) is going to be the eagerly awaited 'Power of Madonna' episode which will feature nothing but Madonna songs! I'm sooo there, you guys!


~All photos via Google Images~

Photo 'a Go Go!: My 365project

This should be a bit challenging, and a lotta fun!

A friend of mine suggested that I try the 365project because she had already been participating and was totally loving it. What is it, you say? Why, it's a year-long project/journey in which you photograph something with a digital camera EVERY DAY that's special, interesting, or even just plain ordinary. What you shoot is entirely up to you, and that's what I find especially appealing about it. You're really only limited by your own creativity and imagination! If this seems at all like something you'd want to do, go ahead and click on the link to find out more about it.

I just started the project Tuesday, April 6th, so I've only taken and uploaded 2 pictures. Here, check 'em out...






[Day 1] Glass Paperweight

Behold the beauty of glass!

This is just one of many glass paperweights in my personal
collection. I've always been fascinated with glass in its many
forms, from rough wave-beaten chunks of beach glass to
elegant cathedral stained glass windows. But I'm especially
drawn to handblown glass with its shiny bubbles and magical
swirls of color inside!







[Day 2] Office Toys

It's 'Take Our Toys to Work day'...
Every day!

If you know me, you know that I really like toys. For whatever
reason, I never outgrew them. Just having toys around makes
me happy, even if I'm not playing with any. And the more
colorful they are, the better! This is a shot of the computer on
my desk where I work daily. If I didn't have these little guys
giving their cheerful support every day, I'd surely stress out!




I have every intention of remaining committed to this project, I do not want to lose motivation and give up! I will see this through to [Day 365]! I feel like I'm off to a pretty good start, but this is only the first week. Check back in about a month, and see how well I'm doing then... Yikes, what have I gotten myself into?!


~All photos by Anthony (AKA antvision)~

"No, duh!" - Ricky Martin officially declares that he is a gay man, after all.

Finally, after dancing around the subject for waaay too long, 38-year-old Puerto Rican singer/actor, Ricky Martin, released an official statement on his own website confirming what many of us had suspected all along. Here is just a portion of what it said:


"These years in silence and reflection made me stronger and reminded me that acceptance has to come from within and that this kind of truth gives me the power to conquer emotions I didn’t even know existed.

What will happen from now on? It doesn’t matter. I can only focus on what’s happening to me in this moment. The word 'happiness' takes on a new meaning for me as of today. It has been a very intense process. Every word that I write in this letter is born out of love, acceptance, detachment and real contentment. Writing this is a solid step towards my inner peace and vital part of my evolution.

I am proud to say that I am a fortunate homosexual man. I am very blessed to be who I am."


Alright, I have just one question.

Did Mr. Martin really think that people still believed he was heterosexual after seeing the way he "shook his bon-bon", back in the late '90s?? No straight guy I've ever known could move the way Ricky can! That's for damn sure! Aaand I think most ladies, along with plenty of men, would also agree that he's real "easy on the eyes". So... Hello?! Everybody knows that a guy who's that attractive, and can dance that well, must be gay! It's just a basic law of nature, or something.

I do think it's absolutely wonderful that he has decided to finally be true to himself, living openly, honestly and without any sense of shame. It will be the best, healthiest way for Ricky to raise his adopted twin boys, and I know that he will find his life to be much richer and more fulfilling than before.

But, come on... This recent announcement certainly ain't news!






"Oh, shake your bon-bon, shake your bon-bon,
shake your bon-bon!"






(Sorry, I can't come up with anything
clever to say about this one. I'm a bit
distracted by the view...)






"Hey, you guys! Look what I just found
washing up on shore... Do you think I
could keep 'em?"

Ricky with his two twin sons, Matteo (L) and
Valentino (R), strolling along the beach in Miami.





~All photos via Google Images~

A Boy's Toy Joy: The Fisher-Price Little People Play Family Action Garage

This was yet another toy that fascinated me as a young'un. And yes, it was also made by Fisher-Price. Why such consistant brand-loyalty when it comes to my childhood toy memories? Well, I certainly wasn't a label whore! Not back then. It must have something to do with [1] My parents bought me a lot of Fisher-Price toys, and/or [2] All of those toys were super colorful and real fun to play with! So it's easy to see why they made such an impression, and why I remember them so fondly.

For sure, the Little People Play Family Action Garage was definitely one of the best! I loved rolling the cars up and down the ramp, a lot. It was especially satisfying to "drive" one of them into the elevator, crank it up to the top level and then let it roll back down the ramp super fast, all 'Dukes of Hazzard' style! Disregard the fact that I was too young to know what 'The Dukes of Hazzard' show was, and forget that it wouldn't even exist until 1979. All that mattered to 5-year-old Anthony was playing, and having lots o' fun with that toy!


~Photo by Laura McConnell of Dog Bone Art~