DREAM ON . . .

'DON'T BE AFRAID TO FOLLOW THAT DREAM'

6 x 6" Acrylic on canvas . . . with a lot of movement going on!

Maybe sometimes with a little trepidation, but don't let it get away.

I'm still out and about walking just about everyday with trusty camera in hand and I have been fortunate to get a few more nice shots that I thought I would share with you.  Some of you may have seen some of these before.  If so, I hope you enjoy them for a second time.

this photo is from behind the baptist church in ajo

One of my favorite photos taken over the last few weeks.  

This piece can be interpreted in so many ways.

'Death is not the greatest loss in life. 
The greatest loss is what dies inside us while we live.'

~ norman cousins

from a small strip mall on our main road

Self explanatory :)

marcellas restaurant, ajo, az

I wonder how many people ate here and never noticed all the mis-matched fans?

main street ajo, az

Al Capone and his buddies must have been to town.

around the corner and down the street :)

How often do you get a burro, (looking at me!) a Raven and a flowering Saguaro all in one photo?  This looks to me like something from the old west.  And just to show you what it looks like in color:

Not nearly as much personality as in black and white

(in my humble opinion).  I love the black and white version,

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CLOUDS OF THE DAY . . .

'slow dancin', swayin' to the Music

no one else in the whole wide world . . .'

  Morning sky over Ajo, May 20th, 2021

Have a great weekend everyone!

Charleen

SO . . . A LITTLE SOMETHING DIFFERENT

PHOTOGRAPHS.

I decided to put my new camera to good use.  I've added an additional category to my Website called

'PHOTOGRAPHY: 
THE BEAUTIFUL AND THE CURIOUS'

There's so much Beauty out there.  I take a lot of photographs which I predominantly use for reference.  I thought I would take them to the next level, sharing them, so if you would like, you could enjoy them in your own home.  Below is my Piece 'Sonoran Beauty' shown used 3 different ways.

SONORAN BEAUTY

To get more information on this Piece as a Throw Pillow,
(available in several sizes)
Please click HERE

To get more information on Sonoran Beauty as a Print
(above example is on canvas)
Please click HERE

AND . . .

If you are in the market for a new Tote Bag and think you might like Sonoran Beauty on yours, you can get more information HERE

(Other products also available)

Advice from a Cactus:

Emphasize your strong points
Be patient during dry spells
You will bloom when it's your time
Always stay sharp                                ~ unknown

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CLOUDS OF THE DAY . . .

This is an Ajo Mountainscape but it almost looks like it could be a distant shot of the Pyramids.  I love the sky, because as a painter, those low clouds look like they could have been painted on with thick paint and a palette knife.  Very 3-dimensional.  And, very beautiful.

Charleen

i SMELL CHANEL . . .

DO YOU?

"IS THAT CHANEL NO. 5 

I SMELL?"

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Last weekend was 'Art Weekend' in Ajo.  Painters came out and participated in several different events, including painting more murals.  These murals are painted on the backsides of buildings surrounding the downtown Plaza.  How great is that!  Most of the time, the backs of buildings anywhere are ugly and uninviting places to be.  Not in Ajo.

Welcome to . . .

this is just a small sampling. . .
and these are all big murals!

they worked into the night under big lights

 the hand detail on this is incredible.

these faces you see are of actual residents taken from old historical photos

this one is not new, but remains one of my favorites.

it is done by an artist known locally as 'Wolf'

He has painted murals on several buildings here and has just brought the buildings to life.

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CLOUDS OF THE DAY . . .

NIGHT SKY OVER AJO, AZ.

"IF YOU ARE SAD,
ADD MORE LIPSTICK AND ATTACK."

~ coco chanel

SOMETIMES BEING A LITTLE WILD IS A GOOD THING.

AT LEAST THESE BURROS MIGHT AGREE WITH THAT ...

There are wild burros running loose all over the desert surrounding Ajo.  These fellows (and a few more hidden behind the bushes) were meandering along side of the road not far from the RV Park we were staying in. They are fun to watch, and as you can see, they evidently find us just as much of a novelty as we do them.

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HOW ABOUT A LITTLE COLOR ...

'ROYALTY'

12 X 12" Mixed Media Collage on Canvas

For more information on this Piece Please Click HERE

I'm sure I was a little influenced by the bright colors of the Southwest ... and, the steer that was laying just across the road, watching us as we ate lunch, at a little Tohono O'Odham Indian Cafe in Sells, Arizona.  The food was simple and delicious.  

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A little trivia that some of you may already know.  The dark spots in the tree above ... that's wild Mistletoe.  Kisses everywhere!  :)  It's transferred from tree to tree by our little birdie friends in their 'dropping's'.   Unfortunately, it feeds off the bark of the trees, eventually killing whatever host tree it attaches to.

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CLOUDS OF THE DAY ...

I just happen to really like this photo ...

HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE!  

CHARLEEN

FROM THE DESERT SUN TO THE EASTERN SUN

THE DESERT SUN

I just love photographing these fellows.  

I can just hear the stories they are telling ...

"And then he said, put all your arms up!"

"How many times have I told you not to do that?!"

  

Strength ....  and ...   Confusion

"Bring it on!!"

And then, there is this Princess below ...

"Mirror, Mirror on the wall,

Who is the fairest one of all?"

So far, out of thousands (millions?) of Saguaro, only 25 like these are known to exist. This one is in the desert just outside Ajo. These are known as a Cistrate, or Crested Saguaro.  No one knows what causes the unusual shape.  One thought is lightening ...

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THE EASTERN SUN

KIMONO OF THE SUN

8 x 8" Mixed Media Collage on Canvas panel

KIMONO OF THE FALLEN LEAF

8 x 8" Mixed Media Collage on Canvas panel

For more information on these Pieces 

Please visit my Website at:

www.charleenmartin.com

The photos of these two pieces didn't get taken until after I varnished them (I forgot to do my job right!) so there are spots on them that aren't really there and the color is much darker in these photos. :(

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A sculpture. Old, rusted, seen a little purple rain in its time, left to face the elements all alone, and upside down to boot.

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 CLOUDS OF THE DAY ....

I see a kitty cat, sitting high up on a perch , 

getting ready to pounce!

Pardon the antenna. This was taken as we drove through a Cholla (choy-ya) 'forest'.  These are very nasty  guys so it is not a place you want to get out and explore.  They are often called jumping chollas because they just seem to magically attach themselves to you and with their sharp stickers they not only hurt, but are hard to unattach. OW!

Youth is a gift of nature,

But age is a work of art.

Stanislaus Jerzy Lec

(I am so into this quote!)  

Charleen

THE DESERTS IN BLOOM!

AND, WE ARE LUCKY ENOUGH TO 

BE HERE TO SEE IT ...

A little more of our Ajo trip.  One more month before we head home.

The Sonoran Desert in Bloom ...

Mexican poppies

And a little purple thrown in ...

" My mother named me after a miracle of nature. 

Waris means desert flower. The desert flower blooms in a barren environment where few living things can survive."

Waris Dirie, Desert Flower 

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Let's stay with lots of Color for now ...

 I

. 

'I'VE GOT SUNSHINE ON MY SIDE'

12 x 12" Mixed Media Collage

More information on this can be found at

Www.charleenmartin.com 

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CLOUDS OF THE DAY ...

O.K. ... so you have to use your imagination.  :)  This rock, and others like it, are called 'Desert Roses'. A little cloud-like in its shape, don't you think?  It looks like something left over from when the desert was once covered by ocean.  Beauty in the smallest things.

Charleen

WELCOME TO AJO, ARIZONA ...

We have been on the road traveling and reached our destination of Ajo, Arizona last week.  We have friends who moved here two years ago and have been talking it up ever since so we decided to come down and see what all the hoopla was about.  :-)   Turns out they were right ... Ajo is a little gem out in the middle of the Sonoran desert.  A small town, Ajo was originally a copper mining community and, like so many mining towns, it is still suffering the economics of a long ago closed down mine.  A lot of empty homes sit abandoned and for sale. 

 But, places like this seem to be having a little resurgence these days.   A lot of people want a slower paced lifestyle, like our friends (and we've already met a lot more people down here like them).  Then you still have a spirit within the people who remained here to keep what they have going.  And, speaking of 'Spirit' these Ghost Figures of Ajo are all over town ... street corners, incorporated into landscaping, empty lots.  They are done by a local Artist, Val Uschuk.  It's my understanding that there are about 85 of them around town.  So far we've found about 20 so I guess we have a lot more exploring to do.  :-)

As you can see, she uses a lot of recycled materials in her work.  Not an uncommon theme here as you can see by this wall below ..

 

Since we are going to be on the road for an extended time (3 months) I needed to make a workplace for myself.  So ... out went the sofa that came with the RV, which I never did like it ~ it was really just plain ugly. One of those things that seem to be a right of passage for most RVs. (To my RVer friends please note that I did not say all)  We then put in this toolbox which holds just about all my must haves.  When working I set up a small table right next to it and off I go.  It actually works very well.  And, just in case you're wondering, we have still have 3 very comfy chairs left to sit on!

And yes, I did manage to get some work finished while we were on the road.  I have to admit, not much has been done since we got here though. We've been too busy exploring!   :-)  This Piece was done with thanks, once again,  to my friend Indy and her Dad who supplied almost all the stamps used here.  It was another fun Piece to do.

 

'WRAP YOUR DAYDREAMS IN A BOX AND GO!'

12 x 12" Mixed Media Collage on Canvas Board

For more information Please Click below

    www.charleenmartin.com

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CLOUDS OF THE DAY ....

 

How about some Sunshine for a change!

Night comes to the desert all at once, as if someone turned out the light.

~ Joyce Carol Oates

See you soon ...

Charleen