Door

I started playing with this shot because I had a dream of a painting last night.  But as usual, I got lost in the process and came up with this instead.  To me, it looks like an illustration from a book.(Click on it to see it larger!) But I personally don't tend to equate wiriting with my images.  The visual is too strong for me and I can't see past it.  So for all you writers out there (or wanna-be writers!)...tell me a story!  I would LOVE to see what you come up with! Any genre, any feel. The most intriguing will get a custom print with this image and your story or tale, artfully put together.

Kyler

Wow - that pile of recycling looks really cool.  I would totally shoot a baby on that! How do I keep things interesting?  By not listening to that little voice that says I'm crazy when a thought like that comes in to my head.  And I love that Jill and Trevor will let me play as well. Here's a sneak peek of your shots!

Deconstructing 9er

It's official.  9er has been launched.  I have entered the world of Etsy.  Fot those of you who don't know Etsy, it is SOOOOOO worth checking out.  It is an amazing, online resource for all things vintage and handmade. Think Ebay, without the auctions crossed with the best market EVER! I'm a little excited...can you tell? Deconstructing 9er is my play place.  A place to put and sell the art that I am so passionate about.  For my art prints and encaustic paintings.  And for all of the other stuff that is swirling around in my bean these days. I would so love if you would check it out! There isn't much on there now...but stay tuned...so much more is in the works! In the meantime, here is a sneak peek of one of the pieces on there...and if you have any feedback...let me know!

xoxo

9er

Shelby

This is the third time that I have worked with Shelby to create headshots with her.  And I have to say that these ones are my faves! She is going to take New York by storm in a couple of years and I am glad to be a part of the process! Break a leg Shelby!

Jami and Darren

These images are a little bit older-from last spring. But as I was going through my files, I came across them and saw a few that I wanted to rework for my website. They were lovely as straight images, but worked over, I like them even more. For me, it brings attention to their connection as a couple. Enjoy!

Cali

I love the intensity of little Cali's look. It's like she can look right through you. I created this as a companion piece to a painting that I did for her older sister.

Weekend Online Special - Images for Life

For all of you wonderful online followers, I am offering my Images for Life program at the smokin' low price of $975 until the end of the weekend.  Imagine never paying session fees again! Imagine being able to capture your family for ANY reason! Just because you feel like it! Or because there is something special going on. Unlimited portraits for your immediate family. For a very long time. Even if you only use it once a year for 10 years it more than pays for itself. So check out the lovely info below (click to enlarge it). And please - pass it along to your friends and family. If someone you refer signs up for Images for Life - you will get a free session for yourselves! (Or a whoppin' print credit if you are already on the plan.)

xoxo
Jen

100th Post!

I can't believe that I am writing my 100th post. Even though I have had this blog for a few years now, it still seems new to me.  I still have to think about sharing.  And I think that I love that about it.  It hasn't become boring or commonplace for me.  I feel like I am still finding new uses for it or new thoughts about how to use it. And morphing in to it being a wonderful extension of my creativity has almost felt like a rebirth. So in that vein, I am going to post a couple of recent-ish Journal pages. The first one was prescribed and inspired by a Helen Keller quote. I am really enjoying using the journaling prompts on Your Life Spelled Out. They make me think about topics I wouldn't have tackled.  And I find that I am turning more regularly to my pages. Keeping it fresh.  And not always just thinking about what is going on in my world or working through struggles. There is still a place for that, but it's not omnipresent.

This second one  has been an evoloution.  I started with the page.  And worked it. And disliked it. And left it.  And in the meantime, I had found this lovely picture.  And it sat - I didn't know what I wanted to do with it.  Then they magically found their way together.  And though the left-hand side of the page isn't complete, I feel so much more energy from this page.  It speaks to connection which is SUCH a big part of my world both personally and creatively.  So I'm sharing it now, knowing that it is still in progress. It is called Serenity - they don't always have titles, as I don't tend to like titles-this one just belonged. In fact - now my head is mulling that over as being part of what belongs on the left....hmmm...perhaps not to bed...perhaps off to create more...xoxox Jen

Clare

I had the pleasure of working with Clare again for her headshots. She owns The Hometown Acting Studio in Medicine Hat and I am always blown away by the calibre of her actors that I have worked with. Clare is such an open and fun person to photograph - it is always a blast!

New Life Art!

I love creating Life Art!  It is always such a fun process to see where my head starts in the design process, and where the final image ends up.  These two pieces are very different.  The Bahamas piece is full of texture and bits and pieces related to the ocean. Even though I didn't shoot the original images, it is important for me to work with them to make them part of the style that I am creating in the piece. They are very different from the original images I started with. Click on the images to view them larger.

Kash's first birthday Life Art is again created with images from lovely Cheyenne and Lori. I wanted the main focus to be on the messy boy eating his cake. After all, isn't that what 1st birthdays are all about?  And then to follow up with the rest of the images to finish telling the story of the day.  I love love love that when Kash and Emory are older, they will have this amazing story of their lives that has been put together for them.

5 years old

My baby girl is 5 today.  Here is a piece that I created this morning to celebrate her in this coming of age.

Love you always baby girl.

Faith

Part of creating a Legacy is showing future generations who you are.  Who I am.  Most of us don't put enough time in to putting down our values, thoughts, feelings and emotions in to a tangible form that can be read and understood by those that love us and come after us. It's hard to commit yourself to paper - knowing that it will be read - potentially judged.  As humans, we have a hard time being judged and perhaps found wanting. Of course, that is just perception. Because at the end, the only opinion of ourselves that matters, is our own. I have been following the thoughts and journaling prompts on Your Life Spelled Out. Though I am never (or rarely) at a loss for what to write about or create, I have found having somewhere to focus my (occasionally) scattered thoughts has been very helpful.  Her gentle suggestions guide me to think about different aspects of my thoughts and life. So today, I put down my thoughts on Faith. As always - this is hard for me to share deep inner goo, but I am learning to be gentle. To put myself out there and to trust in the process of creativity that flows from it.  That is Faith in itself.

Authenticity

Mmmmm....I had the space to hang with my little girl this morning and have some snuggle time. And later, while she played in the family room, I snuggled with my laptop and some French Vanilla coffee.  I had some semi-uninterrupted time to blog-hop and do some discovery. It was wonderful! There are so many amazingly talented people out there and I love that they are sharing their work, passion and souls with the rest of us. On Brene Brown's site, I found some delightful discoveries. Her work on authenticity touched the very part of me that is exploring that currently.  She has created a lovely piece with a lovely message. 

It (along with a different version) can be downloaded here. I will be putting it around me, doing somejournalling with it.  It sums up so nicely what I have been stumbling around trying to express.
Enjoy the rest of the long weekend my lovelies!
xo
9er

My Own Connection

Connection comes in so many ways.  Connection is the energy between people.  It is emotions felt, expressed and left crackling. It is light and love and sensitivity. I know that the root of my images is connection. And yet - I keep my own connections pretty deep.  You get glimpses of it in my photography and in talking to me.  But I am very conscious of crossing the professional line to allow the deeper glimpses of my rock star underneath. And in session today with my amazing business coach, Laura Watson I/we realized that in reining it/her in, I haven't been true to my art, to myself and most importantly, to my soul. I thought - this is a blog for my business, and though I have deviated slightly, it hasn't strayed far. And yet, my photography is art.  And art comes from the soul. If I can't show my soul as an artist - what do I have?

So - Laura challenged me to cross that line.  To smash it.  And bare my soul.  To share who I am.  I thought I would do this in a separate blog.  It felt safer and potentially less alienating. But no. It needs to be here.  Because we never know when the words we share make a difference for someone else. So here she/we are. Her name is 9er and she has come to represent the better/crazier/more interesting/ligther/artsy parts of me. I am unleashing her in hopes that people will connect with my story, emotions and more. I welcome comments and interaction.  Pass it along if you like.  I am reaching out without (in theory) fear and I hope you enjoy the ride. 

Grace and ease (below) isn't done yet. It took me 3 months to journal over the background because I was in love with the marks. I know there will be more on the other side, but wanted to share the process.

Never Give Up

It is so easy to think that life is hard.  To sit in sadness and misery. To be in a dark twisty place because of what you feel surrounds your life. This week I made a choice.  To be happy. To live a life of grace and ease.  And I repeat that choice consciously throughout every day.  Because I have sat in the dark twisty place for awhile now - and it isn't serving me anymore. I love the feeling of sunshine on my face and the joy I see in my daughters eyes.  And I have realized that this is my life.  The one that I have been given.  And while that may sound cliche, like something that we have heard a zillion times; we have heard it because it is true. So when I saw the link to Nick's video and watched it, I cried.  Cried because I was so touched by the true heart of this man.  He has the sunshine on his face, always.  And I strive to be as joyous as he is.

Funding Cuts to Calgary Schools

PETITION TO SAVE ARTS PROGRAMMING IN CALGARY SCHOOLS

URGENT NOTICE FROM SAVE OUR FINE ARTS

The Calgary Board of Education (CBE) announced they will have to cut up to 165 teachers as a result of a significant funding shortfall. To read the announcement, check out the front page of the May 5th edition of the Calgary Herald. You can also read the article on the Calgary Herald’s online website – http://www.calgaryherald.com/.

SOFA has learned from a very reliable source this will mean the layoff of approximately 3 – 4 teachers per school. We have also learned this will definitely have a negative impact on the CBE’s ability to provide funding for a number of locally developed courses, including a number of fine arts programs.

It is clear because of the Alberta Government’s cutback in education funding; this will not just affect the Calgary Board of Education. In fact, it will negatively affect every school district in the Province.

Without substantial increases in education funding, we will potentially lose many fine arts programs across Alberta. Further, students currently in the school system will not be equipped with the necessary skills (creativity, critical thinking, communication, innovation, etc.) to compete in an ever changing world (read the articles on Dr. Stephen Murgatroyd in previous posts on our website at http://www.saveourfinearts.ca/).

Now is the time for every parent, student, teacher, business owner, and concerned citizen to stand up, be counted, and make a difference:
Please read and sign the PETITION at: http://www.gopetition.com/online/35101.html.

Please ask ALL your family members, neighbours, friends, co-workers, and anyone else you know to sign the petition as well. There is no age restriction to sign.

If you are an educator, please make sure your students are aware of the announcement by photocopying this note and handing it out.

Please send an email note to your Premier, Minister of Education, and School Board Officials/Trustees expressing your concern about education funding cutbacks. For a listing of contact information please check out our SOFA website at: http://saveourfinearts.ca/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/SOFA-Education-Advocacy-Contacts.pdf.

For those of you in Calgary, you can write to your Calgary Board of Education Trustee by checking out the following website: http://www.cbe.ab.ca/trustees/trustees.asp

Please register on our SOFA website at www.saveourfinearts.ca and click on the red registration button.

There comes a time for each of us to stand up and support what we believe in. If you believe in the value of education, in particular fine arts education - NOW IS THE TIME.
Please check back to our www.saveourfinearts.ca website regularly for future updates. If you have any questions regarding SOFA, please email us at saveourfinearts@gmail.com.



Your truly,
SOFA Organizing Committee

Caleb

I so enjoyed working with Caleb and letting his personality shine through. I especially loved his attitude towards developing his craft. Here is his final choice!

May Newsletter

My May Newsletter is out - click here to view it or on the title of this post! For the month of May, I am offering an unprecedented 30% off of Portrait Sessions to celebrate family and legacy. And - if you are a Facebook or Twitter fan/follower - you will get an additional 10% off!

She loves me...he loves me...

Dave and Christine are one of my favourite couples of all time.  They are so open and charming and most of all, fun to work with.  Their album was a dream to design and I can't wait to get it back in my hot little hands! (To give to them of course!) Here are a few of my favourite pages.

Amrit

This is the second time that I have had the pleasure of working with Amrit. I love that he takes his burgeoning career so seriously.  Good luck Amrit - I know you'll go far!