Rejection

Rejection.

Feeling raw with the latest rejection of an art piece for a gallery show
I thought that I'd look up the definition in the dictionary. Sometimes plain words can soothe a rough edge.

Merriam-Webster's definition of rejection: "to refuse to accept, consider, submit to, take for some purpose, or use." Ok, well that didn't make me feel less pain about it.

The self-talk, which began before I found out my piece had not been accepted, now upped the chatter. The piece wasn't good enough, wasn't good. And worse, maybe the other shows I got into were flukes!

There is no knowing why a piece gets rejected, or for that matter, accepted...jurors usually don't say.

You're either in or you're out. 

It's the same kind of feeling as being in grade school and no one picks you for their team. Or the birthday party you didn't get invited to. Or your crush who ignored you when you gathered up the courage to say hi. Or all the times you waited for him (or her) to call you back, ask you out, like you back. That feeling. 

You tell yourself it's just that one juror, one show, one time. You tell yourself next time. You work harder, pick more carefully, hope again. That someone, some stranger, will see the value in your work, find it worthy. Pick it. Pick you.

Hope. That's a whole other discussion. Hope is such a tease.

So, next time.

 

You can visit me on Facebook at tART - Photography and Art by Terry Rowe,  https://www.facebook.com/tarrowe. If you'd like to purchase a print of any of my images please contact me or visit my website, http://terry-rowe.artistwebsites.com/. 

Flight 93 Memorial

I was in Pennsylvania for a photo-shoot at an 1860s era wool mill and decided to stay over one more day so I could visit the memorial to Flight 93 in Shanksville.

I was at work on Capitol Hill on 9-11-2001. I saw the reports on the first plane hitting the Twin Towers in New York and was watching, live, when the second plane hit.

My staff and I evacuated our building and were on the street when the third plane hit the Pentagon.

We heard the explosion, saw the smoke.

Rumors flew. The Old Executive Office Building had been hit. The bridges out of the city were closed. There were other planes, flying bombs, in coming.

The streets were gridlocked, horns blaring, sirens. People on foot had strange, dazed looks to their faces.

About 20 or so of us took shelter in the apartment of a Congressman. He had no television and barely any furniture. We sat on the floor and listened to the radio. Mostly silent, in shock.

News reports broadcast that Flight 93 crashed in a field in Pennsylvania.

Later, we found out the passengers...learning of the other crashed planes...decided to try and take back the plane...to save themselves, to save others.

On September 11, 2001 United Flight 93 was only 20 minutes flight time from the nation's capital when the passengers and crew of the plane rushed the cockpit in an effort to overpower the hijackers. Flight 93 crashed in a field outside the town of Shanksville in rural southwestern Pennsylvania.

I knew I had to see the ground they had made their own.

Flag, Flight 93 Memorial Plaza

I visited on a cold and bitter day in late March, the wind was knife-cold, winter lingered. The memorial is in a large area of open fields, the peacefulness of fields in direct contrast to the horror of what happened here.

I knew this would be an emotional visit, but I was unprepared for the intensity of the overwhelming sorrow I felt upon viewing that single boulder marking the point of impact.

Point of Impact

I will be forever grateful to the passengers and crew of Flight 93, for their courage, for their compassion, for their willingness to take a risk to save themselves, to save others.

#NeverForget





You can visit me on Facebook at tART - Photography and Art by Terry Rowe,  https://www.facebook.com/tarrowe. If you'd like to purchase a print of any of my images please contact me or visit my website, http://terry-rowe.artistwebsites.com/. 

Art Exhibit Submissions, March

In order to be seen, an artist must exhibit. Each exhibit risks rejection. If an artist is lucky or talented enough to be accepted into the exhibit there's still the risk of rejection by the public (translated into lack of sales).

So, this March, I've submitted to two different events. The first is an exhibition for the Falls Church Arts All-Member show, I know at least one piece will make it into the Falls Church All-Member show, hopefully two.

The second is a competition through Santa Fe Workshops, with the theme "Travels." This competition is my third attempt to get juried into one of the Workshops' competitions. The field is talented and fierce so I'm hopeful but bracing for rejection.

Included here are my five pieces submitted to the two events. Would love to know what you think of any or all of them.

If you would like to see my work on a daily basis, as well as other projects I undertake, please follow me on Facebook at tART - Photography and Art by Terry Rowe,  https://www.facebook.com/tarrowe. If you'd like to purchase a print of any of my images please contact me or visit my website, http://terry-rowe.artistwebsites.com/.

Dawn Comes Early

 

Unable to sleep, I stop fighting for what I cannot have. 

 

The pre-dawn breeze through the open window is cold, 

Spring needs a winter coat this morning.

 

A mourning dove is huddled on the edge of the roof, 

and sings a cooing song...

calling the dawn.

 

Slowly, the world catches up and the light returns...

and with the light, glory.

If you would like to see my work on a daily basis, as well as other projects I undertake, please follow me on Facebook at tART - Photography and Art by Terry Rowe,  https://www.facebook.com/tarrowe. If you'd like to purchase a print of any of my images please contact me or visit my website, http://terry-rowe.artistwebsites.com/.

2015 Photography Project - Week 1

This year I've continued my 365 photography project - a photograph or work of art - every day. This is a compilation of the first week of photographs, week one, January 1 to January 7.

New Year's day, January 1st we were in Williamsburg, Virginia. We stopped in to visit the cabinet maker's shop. The light was lovely and I took this photograph of one of the master carpenters at work.

The second day, it was back to work. Bartholdi Fountain is one of my favorite places to visit on Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C.

On the third day I visited Loudoun County during the week, and captured this barn on a cold and blustery day.

Days 4 and 5 involved still life compositions at home. Pomegranates and feathers.

Day 6 and we had snow, my dog Bear delights in the snow and I delight in him.

 And to round out the week, on the seventh day, an outside composition of a pear in the snow.

If you would like to see my work on a daily basis, as well as other projects I undertake, please follow me on Facebook at tART - Photography and Art by Terry Rowe,  https://www.facebook.com/tarrowe. If you'd like to purchase a print of any of my images please contact me or visit my website, http:/terryrowe.photography

It's a Wrap: 2014 365 Project

I started 2010 with a 365 photograph a day project not at all sure I could find something to photograph every day, or that I would really make the effort every day. Each day had to be more than a snapshot it had to be a thoughtful photograph, a small work of art, produced every day.

The beauty of the project was that it required me to have my camera in my hands every single day, honing my photographic eye and forcing me to look at the world for visual opportunities.

The project evolved to include works of photographic art - some days it was a photograph taken that day and other days it was a photographic composition or digital painting based on a photograph.

I’ve continued the project, and 2014 marked my fourth year of the 365 project. If you’re counting, that's four years and 1,461 photographs (one of the years was a leap year).

This is a small wrap-up of 2014. Following are some of the highlights of my work for the year, but certainly not all of my work. 

"Mirrored Past" was shot on an abandoned dairy farm in Loudoun County, Virginia. Shooting from an angle into the mirror allowed me to catch the room, it's emptiness, and is an attempt to see into the farm's past. It was also my first piece to be juried into an exhibit at the Torpedo Factory's Art League Gallery.

"Christmas Rose," marks the beginning of my exploration of transforming photographs into digital works of art. I shot the winter rose in the snow and used digital paint brushes and textures to create the work.

In 2014, I continued working with still-life images. I love the challenge of composing a scene and then capturing the story with a photograph. "Peach on a Windowsill" is one such composition, it speaks of summer to me.

"Roses in the Attic" were photographed in the attic bedroom of a friend's house. She has a beautiful home and always welcomes me with love and warmth. The roses were from her garden. The photograph was processed as a black and white image to preserve it's timelessness.

In 2014 I traveled to France for the first time. It was glorious, a beautiful country and wonderful people. I attended a digital painting class, we went out into the French country side to make photographs and then we used those photographs as a base for our paintings."Le plus beaux monsier" is my first digital painting, I think he's a lovely rooster.

In addition to France I returned to the Outer Banks of North Carolina for my annual trip to Hatteras Island. This photograph, "Bode Lighthouse," was taken during an approaching storm.

I returned to New Mexico, as I must return to New Mexico, to restore my soul. To paraphrase Georgia O'Keefe, I can finally breathe when I set foot on the ground in New Mexico. "Red Truck Reflection," was shot during a quick visit to Ojo Caliente Mineral Springs. It combines two loves, the incredible scenery and skies of New Mexico with my old truck obsession.

This photograph, "Bicycle," was shot on a Santa Fe back porch. It's not your usual New Mexico image.

Local East Coast trips included a visit to Charlottesville and Thomas Jefferson's home, Monticello. "Jefferson's Chair" was shot in a garden pavilion overlooking the terraced vegetable garden and the mountains.

This photograph, "Waiting for the Train," was taken at the Western Maryland Railway Station in Cumberland, Maryland. This was taken with an iPhone.

Finally, last but not least, I chose one photograph from the many I took during 2014 in Washington, DC. "A Capitol Day" was one of those happy "accidents" that sometimes happen. I was set up to shoot the Capitol down the sidewalk when a bicyclist came up along my side. I began shooting to try to catch him in the frame. This catch made a capital day for me.

 And so it was, 2014. Stay tuned for 2015.

If you would like to see my work on a daily basis, as well as other projects I undertake, please follow me on Facebook at tART - Photography and Art by Terry Rowe,  https://www.facebook.com/tarrowe. If you'd like to purchase a print of any of my images please contact me or visit my website, http:/terryrowe.photography

Wrapping Up 2014

2014 is winding up, and I've been reviewing my project 365, a year's worth of photographs. I'm putting together a collection of what I think are my "best" photographs of the year (that will be a future blog post). Not necessarily the photographs that people liked the best, but the work I think is my best.

In doing the review I have one photograph, that while is not one of my "technical" best, it is one of my favorites. I was finally set to go on a jeep tour in New Mexico, something I've wanted to do for years. The owner, and tour leader, Roch Hart was a gracious host and when we came across a small band of wild horses we stopped and got out of the jeep to take photographs.

This image is what happened when we got low to watch the horses, and the curious mares approached us. The magic happened when Roch reached out his hand and one of the mares touched him.

If you are in the New Mexico and want to do a jeep tour, book with New Mexico (private) Jeep Tours, and maybe you'll create some of your own magic. Their website: http://www.nmjeeptours.com/


If you would like to see my work on a daily basis, as well as other projects I undertake, please follow me on Facebook at tART - Photography and Art by Terry Rowe,  https://www.facebook.com/tarrowe. If you'd like to purchase a print of any of my images please contact me or visit my website, http:/terryrowe.photography.

Five Christmas Eves

Christmas Eve 2014. My fifth year of a 365 photography project is winding to a close. The interesting thing about a 365 project is that I have a photographic record for each day of each year.

Easy to recall what I was doing, thinking, feeling when I have a visual record representing the day.

Today I looked back through Christmas Eves past - 2010 through 2014.
 

2010 - Alexandria, Virginia

Paperwhite bulbs, all setup.

I love to have blooming flowers
and green plants to carry me through the winter.

2011  - Nashville, Tennessee

Visited a cemetery and photographed the beautiful monuments, it was a peaceful, quiet interlude to the day's activities.

2012 - At home in Alexandria, Virginia. I had the day off so took a drive out into the country and visited the lovely village of Paris, Virginia. It was a cold, foggy day with light snow falling.

2013 - Nashville, Tennessee. Portrait of Snuggles, a female cocker spaniel, approximately 11 years old. Companion to my brother-in-law.















2014 - Alexandria, Virginia. A candle burning in the night/

If you would like to see my work on a daily basis, as well as other projects I undertake, please follow me on Facebook at tART - Photography and Art by Terry Rowe,  https://www.facebook.com/tarrowe. If you'd like to purchase a print of any of my images please contact me or visit my website, http:/terryrowe.photography

To Have Faith

"The wound is the place where the Light enters you. ~ Rumi

In the face of loss and sorrow it is hard to remember grace, to understand the why. Rumi's quote reminds me that while I may not know the why, may never know the why, there is a reason and I must have faith.

An Abandoned Silk Mill and a Steam Engine Train

A couple of weekends ago I made a return trip to the Lonaconing Silk Mill. The mill, also known as the Klotz Throwing Company, was in operation from 1907 to 1957. The mill and all it's equipment and furnishings is largely intact; it was purchased by Herb Crawford in 1978 and for a small fee he allows photographers free reign for shooting.

I rode out to Lonaconing with my friend Marie, and I remember telling her I hadn't shot at the mill two days in a row & that I wasn't sure how two days in the same location would go. Lonaconing is such an intensely rich photographic location that I shouldn't have worried...Lonaconing always delivers.

After four hours, in freezing cold and wet (the mill leaks), we took a break to warm up & grab lunch. Then it was back out to the train station in Cumberland. We were determined to photograph the steam engine coming into the station. The gray cold and rain added to the atmosphere and we were happy to greet the incoming train.

 

If you would like to see my work on a daily basis, as well as other projects I undertake, please follow me on Facebook at tART - Photography and Art by Terry Rowe,  https://www.facebook.com/tarrowe. If you'd like to purchase a print of any of my images please contact me or visit my website, http://terry-rowe.artistwebsites.com/.

These Dreams

These dreams go on when I close my eyes
Every second of the night I live another life
These dreams that sleep when it's cold outside
Every moment I'm awake the further I'm away
~Heart, "These Dreams"

I woke this morning to a sorrowing sense of loss; my night dreams had been filled with lost 
love restored and a world that felt more real then the world I was waking to. The light of day 
is mistily obscured by the lingering fog of the night's dreams. I wait for the night to come 
again so I may re-enter that other life.


If you would like to see my work on a daily basis, as well as other projects I undertake, please follow me on Facebook at tART - Photography and Art by Terry Rowe,  https://www.facebook.com/tarrowe. If you'd like to purchase a print of any of my images please contact me or visit my website, http://terry-rowe.artistwebsites.com/.