Today is day 2 of a promo opportunity over at Long and Short Reviews. I answered these questions: Do you have a tatoo and if so, what? How do you make a tuna sandwich? A penguin walks through the door right now wearing a sombrero. What does he say and why is he here?
I learned how to turn on macro on my mini camera and it worked! It wasn’t difficult, but for some reason the option to turn it on wasn’t showing as available for a while. Yesterday it was working so I took some shots. But I have a question for you. I usually enhance all my photos because I feel that the camera washes things out. But in the case of flower macros, the photo looks good without enhancement and is pretty true-to-life. So do you think I should enhance them?
I am participating in a promo opportunity over at Long and Short Reviews. Over the next 5 days, I’ll tag this on at the end of my post. There is a big raffle with lots of giveaways and interesting answers from various authors. I answered one of the two questions posted today (Do you ever wish you were somebody else? Who? and Why?). I found the other authors’ answers really interesting, just seeing the spectrum of thoughts, some very creative ones and several who, like me, don’t want to be somebody else. I checked out a few authors who do have that wish and a few who don’t, thinking maybe the ones who are like me write contemporary like me and the ones who do imagine being someone else write speculative fiction. But there’s no correlation. Anyway, interesting stuff. Check it out and maybe win something!
Some of these you’ve seen before. A bit of that old longing for New York is starting to build, so I opened up the vault to trip down memory lane with favorite shots from The Big Apple. New York felt like home the first time I climbed up to the street from a subway station and stepped into a river of Type A humanity rushing through a high-rise canyon. Since then, I’ve been back more than 20 times. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find my photo of the crowds near Grand Central Station today. These are all quiet pictures. I’ll just need to go back and take that photo again!
I really like bridges and buildings, especially together.
Where I am today, it’s way too smoky from a giant forest fire to give you new photos today, so here’s some beauty from the vault.
A forest fire in the foothills sends smoke over North Lake Tahoe. But with a some post processing we can enjoy the sun on the trees. 
Several people ran outside yesterday to take pictures. The amazing lighting and sky lasted for hours. There was a blue cast to all the trees that have smooth bark and to the granite. These photos are not enhanced except where noted.
Looking north
I’ve found it challenging to capture the colors in the sky with my little camera. They wash out. Usually I have to post process to get them back. Last night, I took several shots and for some reason this one turned out. I did not process it and this is what the sky looked like.
I’m finally getting ready to graduate from my little point and click. I’m breaking out the DSLR and tripod and reading the manual soon. I guess I’ll get a backpack to tote it all around in. Not such a big deal, after all.
My mother once told me that when she saw Rembrandt’s prints, she wanted to become a printmaker. She would talk rapturously about drypoint and other printmaking techniques. When I was in Amsterdam this spring, I enjoyed seeing the originals of this printmaking master who influenced my mother to dedicate her artistic career to printmaking.
This print captivated me because when you look at it closely you can see all the little lines and hash marks he used to make the dark areas and realize they were all scratched into a copper plate. My mother also spent time explaining to me the importance of knowing the light source when you are drawing and of course all the masters portray light source perfectly, but this print in particular impressed me because of the precision in showing where the light would fall and reflect and then rendering that by scratching lines into copper!
This next one is gorgeous in person and I apologize for the blurriness. I have to work harder at getting steady shots in museums without flash. This room wasn’t busy so I could have used a tripod.
When I was between jobs in San Francisco, my mom told me about a part time job at Fort Mason Printmakers. I applied and landed the job so I was able to work there for about a half year. This time gave me a chance to hang out with her and a bunch of artists, the printmakers, painters, and ceramicists, which I loved.
Here is a picture of the printmaking room at Fort Mason:
The day at the Rijksmuseum did me in. At the end of the day, I noticed pain in my hip that turned into a big case of tendinitis that laid me up for the rest of the stay. Being confined to the houseboat was nice, though, as I could look straight out at the canal from the bed while I spent a contemplative time drawing and painting on my Bamboo (a digital art pad). During this time, my mother passed away. I was grateful to feel so connected to her and felt that she was there with me enjoying Rembrandt.
Here are some posts about my mom:
Where it all Began (Mom’s in the first picture. Dad too.)
Beauty at the Beauty Salon (My mom is in the last photo, in the mirror, just a couple months before she passed away.)
Flowers for my mom: Keukenhof Gardens May 2013 series, 1 (I started my Keukenhof Gardens series for her.)
Yesterday, I planted some flowers on her grave:
Today’s interview is with author/poet, John Holland, whose latest book, Under the Dog Star, has hit number one and stayed near the top in Amazon Books > Literature & Fiction > Poetry > Australia & Oceania. If you don’t win one of the five freebies I’m giving away today (or even if you do win and want to give copies away as gifts), you can buy it here:
Amazon: http://amzn.com/B00E64XY2M
Autographed print copies: http://poetrysansfrontieres.weebly.com/online-store.html
Welcome, John, and thanks for being interviewed for my Inside the Artist’s Mind series. Note to the audience: I’m giving away 5 copies of John’s new book of poetry today, to a random selection of anyone who leaves a comment or emails me by going to my website (niasimone.intuitwebsites.com) and clicking the “Email me” button. (I don’t post my email addy here in case of spam.)
Nia: John, you are another of what I call the “open spigot writers,” meaning your writing seems to flow out of you. You are a very prolific poet and I happen to know you are also working on a novel. Let’s start with the poetry. Can you tell us a little about your writing process?
John Holland: I find my methods difficult to explain. In some cases I start with a line and just write whatever comes into my head as quickly as possible. A brief revise, mainly line breaks. Then leave it at that.
At other times I might spend a lot of time writing and revising a short poem.
Nia: Your new book, Under the Dog Star, has a mix of styles in it, something of a range between spare bites and stream of consciousness and shades in between. Another Helen struck me as an in-between one because it has a dream-like quality to it even as it alludes to the classic Helen of Troy story. (“day slides/slipping away/from under me…” Holland, John (2013-07-25). Under the Dog Star (Kindle Locations 113-114). Hammer & Anvil Books. Kindle Edition.) Can you tell us about your process in writing that poem?
John: Another Helen was written as “a stream of consciousness” poem. Or more correctly, my version of that. Almost automatic writing. I did have something in mind when I wrote Another Helen. But still allowed it to flow with the “stream”.
Nia: On the further end of the spectrum, Wheels Within seemed very stream of consciousness. How did that come about?
John: Wheels came out of thin air. Another Helen was written with a purpose in mind.
Nia: I can relate to different modes of writing. I’ve had similar experiences. Although I didn’t get anywhere near Wheels Within or Another Helen, I had those kinds of experiences in the spring when I was writing so much poetry. I love that kind of writing. And dream-inspired writing, even prose, is my best. But you can’t really decide to write that way, can you?
John: I can. At least to a degree. But it is probably not a good thing for most poets. The work does come out a bit disjointed and “jiggly” as your mind quickly reacts to the preceding line. Of course you can revise when you are finished. But I think any more than minimal revision destroys the whole purpose of the exercise.
Nia: I agree, don’t overdo the revisions. There’s a fluidity to the auto-writing that is powerful and beautiful. Thank you for sharing a bit about your poetry writing process. Now, you are also working on a novel and I’ve seen bits of it. Okay… for readers who’ve made it this far, you’re the first to know… John and I are co-authoring a series of novels. So, I’ve seen quite a bit of your writing and it interests me because we are opposite types of writers in many ways. I like to think through and do a lot of planning on plot. I tell you what I have up my sleeve and you’ll say, “That sounds good.” Then I don’t hear anything. Then you tell me you have a little time to write today. Then I get 2,000 fantastic words from you, with likeable characters, vivid scenery, realistic and individual dialog, all aligned with the big picture of the plot. Do you do the same thing as you did with Another Helen? Have an idea of what is needed (from the plot) then let it pour out of you?
John: Yes and no. I do write fairly quickly while the thoughts are fresh in my mind, but I take a lot more time to revise. With poetry you can leave more unsaid and allow the reader to put flesh on the bare bones. With prose I try to add that flesh for the reader.
It has been a learning experience for me to work with you on our first novel of the series. But I think our styles blend together well.
That we are both intensely interested in the metaphysical aspects of our perceived universe is a big plus I think.
Nia: Way to slip in a sneak preview of the theme, there, John! Writing with you has been a learning experience for me, as well, and a lot of fun. I can’t wait to finish telling this long saga with you and sharing a bit of our totally different backgrounds, Australian Outback and California Sierra Nevada, through the vehicle of this story.
Thank you for sharing a bit from inside your artist’s mind and best of luck with Under the Dog Star.
I’m sure John will answer questions if you would like to post one here and comments are always welcomed. Today they are also rewarded! So, do say hello.
You can see a bit of the gym in the background here. In Tahoe City, A Sante is a really good gym. It’s $20 for a day pass but you’ll have a huge selection of freeweights, machines and contraptions I’ve never seen before like a rope pulling system. I watched a man use that one. You stand in front of it and pull a rope hand over hand as if you are climbing it, but instead you are lifting weights. It’s a very large machine with a thick rope that runs through pulleys. These flowers are in planter boxes in front of the gym.
See the bee? (The small camera I use doesn’t do macros well (haven’t tried the macro setting though), but I managed to get one in-focus shot of the bee.)
All the cardio equipment looks out at this view!
And there’s a sauna, if you have time to enjoy it.
Nicci Carrera 