Wednesday, October 7, 2009

leaves float like memories



leaves float
like memories
bright today
faded tomorrow

(c) 2009 julie king

remember when you were young and every memory was crisp and vivid? remember how you vowed to hold dear every nuance of that so special moment -- the smell of honeysuckle on the air, the warmth of the sun, the laughter you shared? i've been thinking about how my memories are altered by all the layers of my life's experiences. instead of viewing the vivid realistic film version, i see hazy random snapshots of past events. or maybe it's more like a slide show with some photos clear and others cloudy and out of focus. i hope that some of the cloudiness is because my life has been so blessed and rich that i can't hold every moment in crisp clarity all the time. some have to rise to the top and then eventually sink below the surface to be replaced by others, more vivid or recent. 

as i'm typing this the song tapestry by carole king comes to mind. i have so many rich memories of the year that album was released -- 1971, the year i graduated from high school and headed off to college. and now looking back over the 38 years since then i can say "my life has been a tapestry of rich and royal hue". some of the memories may be fading but i still hold every one of them dear to my heart.



8 comments:

ArtPropelled said...

Do you know... I have that album, Tapestry. This is a lovely post Julie and the beautiful photograph is making me very envious of your Autumn.

Lisa at Greenbow said...

This is a lovely post Julie. I too find that memories come and go. Sometimes rich in detail and sometimes just a faded glimpse.

steviewren said...

Poignant thoughts make a beautiful poem Julie! I graduated in 72. Any music from then takes me right back. But, now everything slips my mind.

ArtistUnplugged said...

Lovely post, wait, what was it about again? Just kidding. It is like a tapestry, some parts for me are like layers of papers and photographs and occasionally several of them are stuck together.....I wish my memory was better, seems like many beautiful details are misplaced. Sometimes I could use them again for reminiscing and some cheer. I've read some of your previous posts. Love the vase in the window, your art is fabulous!!!

Shannon said...

do tell about that piece at the top???? Is it photograph, mixed media? I LOVE it, but I'm having a hard time figuring it out! :) And once again your wisdom and grasp on life is something I do hope to have someday! SOONER than LATER! :)

Cindy said...

such a wonderful, reflective post, i love when something triggers a memory like an aroma. love that song, too.

julie king said...

i have nothing to hide about how i made this. it is all photoshop work. i took a photo of the red leaves floating in a bird bath at the arboretum on saturday. i used the curves tool in photoshop to get the leaves to pop a bit more red and the black water to be more intense. then i added a layer of a photo i took of a sawed-off tree stump on top of the leaves. i pulled the opacity back so that you just barely see the stump. the rest is all text added as photoshop layers. it was just a big experiment to see what i could do to make the original photo more interesting. it was fun and i'm glad that you like it.

Char said...

beautiful shot and processing for sure. and I love Carol King's voice. that is one album I can listen to without skipping.