Gettin’ O.U.T.S.I.D.E.

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art, grass, green, green grass, hat, photo, photography, signs of spring, spring, springtime, summer, Summertime, walk, walking

“Summer Stroll”

Photography/Digital

William Patrick

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This time of year you can find me outside enjoying the beautiful weather and lush landscape that Florida has to offer.  Don’t worry, the brutal heat will be here soon enough and I will be blogging more art. 🙂

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http://fineartamerica.com/featured/summer-stroll-in-the-park-art-by-sharon-cummings-sharon-cummings.html

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Not So Angry Birds

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art, Artist, beach, beaches, birds, bradenton, coastal living, faabest, florida, gull, gulls, miami, naples, photograph, photography, photos, sarasota, sarasota beaches, seagull, seagulls, sharon cummings, siesta key, Siesta Key Beach, siesta key florida, vacation

Growing up, my Mom always admonished me to “never feed the seagulls!”  For one thing they may poop on your head and for another they can become aggressive and come for food that you have not released from your hands yet. Then Alfred Hitchcock came out with the movie “The Birds” which further instilled the idea that these creatures were angry little monsters.  The truth is that I have been around these beauties of the beach my whole life and I have never been attacked.  Yes, I have fed them (shhhhh….don’t tell Mom!).  I find them to be shy and aloof most of the time.  To photograph them, you have to be quiet and move gently.  It is true that they will swarm for food, but that is just normal animal behavior.  In this photographic art piece I try to capture their beauty and gentleness.  These two look to be dancing.  While they may not be angry after all….they just might drop a bomb on you when you aren’t looking. 😉

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The Surprise…

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art, art prints, Artist, beach, beach art, beach house, beach prints, beach themed art, clouds, digital photography, faabest, heaven, heavenly, ocean, people, photographs, photography, photos, prints, sea, seaside, sharon cummings, sky, summer, sunset, sunset art, sunset photography, sunset prints, sunsets, vacation, water, waves

When I was a little girl, I was fascinated with photography.  I had my little Kodak Ektra camera and I would take quick snaps everywhere I went.  The most exciting part of the process was always going to the drug store to pick up the developed photographs.  Back then there was no one hour photo.  It took about 5 days and the anticipation would drive me crazy!  I would constantly ask my Mom if they were ready yet.  Then I would revel at the surprise shot.  The one that wasn’t anticipated.  A casual shot that turned out to be a “wow”.  Today it isn’t much different.  I still take snaps wherever I go whenever something catches my eye.  And then when I get home, the anticipation of downloading them on my computer is the same as when I was young.  The only difference is now I wait mere minutes instead of days.  Recently I had a beach getaway where I took over 300 shots and this was the “surprise”…the “wow” shot….

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Here Comes The Sun…

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beach sunflower, botanical prints, daisies, daisy, floral, floral prints, flower, garden, gardening, nature, nature photography, photography, photos, pretty flowers, sharon cummings, sun, sun flower, sunflower, weeds, wild flowers, wildflowers, yellow, yellow daisy, yellow flower

 

And I say…It’s alright!  After 2 days of dark, wet and windy weather, I welcome the sun today with open arms. We are having unseasonably rainy and cooler temperatures here in Florida.  May is usually hot.  Just hot.  But the rains have started early.  I just hope this isn’t a premonition for Hurricane Season.  Let me worship the sun while I can!

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So It B.E.G.I.N.S…

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art, beaches, black, boating, bradenton, canvas, classy, clouds, coast, coastal living, contemporary, dramatic, fishing, florida, gray clouds, hurricane, hurricanes, keys, landscape, lido, maritime, meteorology, modern, naples, nautical, ocean, ocean living, oceanscape, photograph, photography, prints, sailor, sailors, sarasota, sea, seascape, sharon cummings, siesta key, skies, sky, sleek, sophisticated, steel gray, storm, storm clouds, stormy, stormy skies, stormy weather, summer, summer rains, tropical, tropical storm, vacation, visual, weather, white

 

So it begins…

With a boom.

A flash.

A downpour.

Summer.

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http://fineartamerica.com/weeklypromotion.html?promotionid=142719

Just S.M.I.L.E.

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arrangement, art, bathroom, beautiful, bedroom, botanical, botanical art, botanical painting, botanical prints, bud, buds, cottage, cottage art, country, country cottage, elegance, elegant, feminine, floral, floral arrangement, flower, flower buds, flowers, garden, gardening, happiness, happy, health, health benefits, healthy living, kitchen, ladies slippers, lady slipper, orchid, orchids, phaphiopedilum, photo, photograph, photography, rich, sharon cummings, smile, smiling, soft, table, traditional, vase, vases, yellow orchid

 

It’s so simple.  Just smile.  Even if you have to look at cute videos on YouTub of babies laughing or puppies sleeping, it’s a great way to improve your health and it makes you feel good about yourself.  Below are some of the rewards of lifting those cheeks:

1.  It Lower Heart Rate – Smiling slows the heart and relaxes the body. People who smile and laugh often are less likely to develop heart disease. Smiling reduces blood pressure temporarily too.

2.  It Reduce Stress – Stress relief may be as simple as smiling a little more throughout the day. Smiling releases endorphins that counteract and diminish the stress hormones.

3.  It Increase Productivity – Smiling has been shown to increase productivity while performing tasks. There’s truth to the “whistle while we work” mentality. This also explains why silly internet memes and pictures of cute animals can actually get people motivated and working harder after a few moments of smiling or laughter.

4.  It is a natural Pain Killer – Smiling and laughter both have been shown to lessen pain. They release endorphins that lift our moods, but many of these act as natural painkillers too.

5.  It Increase Attention – Stress limits our perceptions and narrows our attention. Our body kicks into fight or flight mode where we can focus only on one of those things. Smiling counteracts this and widens our attention again, opening us back up to multitasking and insights that come from the fringes of our perception and our subconscious.

6.  It is Contagious – Around 50% of people smile back. This spreads the health benefits throughout those around you and it comes back to you several times as well.

7.  It makes you more Attractive!  – Smiling makes people look more appealing. This seems to be especially true for women. Men are more likely to approach a woman who smiles than one who simply makes eye contact while women aren’t necessarily drawn in by a smile alone.

8.  It makes You Look Younger – Smiles naturally lift the face and in studies have shown to make people look younger, around 3 years younger on average.

9.  It increases Longevity – The effects of a good smile extend past just the exterior good looks. People who smile more often live longer too, around 7 years longer than most according to one study. It releases stress, helps the heart, and much more to keep you healthy longer.

10.  It Boosts the Immune System – Smiles help the body relax and this lets the immune system react more quickly and effectively against invaders.

So C’mon…………………………………………………..S.M.I.L.E. 🙂

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Field T.R.I.P!!

Tags

bold, botanical, botanical art, botanical photos, botanical prints, clock vine, clock vine flowers, colorful, floral, floral photography, florida, florida botanical gardens, flower, flowers, garden, gardening, gardens, lavender, macro, macro photography, natural, nature, olive flower, periwinkle, photo, photograph, photography, pinellas county, plants, pretty, purple, sharon cummings, spring, spring flowers, spring time, springtime, vibrant, vine, vines, wild flowers, wildflowers

 

Yesterday me and the hubby went on a little field trip.  We found our way to the Florida Botanical Gardens in Pinellas County. Somehow in all of these years in Tampa, this gem has been hidden from me.  We frequently drive down to Sarasota to enjoy the Selby Gardend, but this place was also amazing!  So many flowers all out in the open to see and smell.  The winding paths lead to many beautiful surprises.  Plus there is a little heritage village with old houses and buildings that were to be destroyed, but were saved and moved here. What a treat!

It is a macro lens photographer’s delight. 🙂

 

• The Florida Botanical Gardens in Largo, Florida, USA include flora, fauna and natural resources in surroundings intended to inspire, educate and promote environmentally friendly techniques.

• Address: 12520 Ulmerton Rd, Largo, FL 33774

  (727) 582-2100

• Hours: 

  Open today · 7:00 am – 7:00 pm

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S.U.C.C.U.L.E.N.T…

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art, art buyer, botanical, building, business, cacti, cactus, canvas, colorful, construction, contractor, corporate, decorating, decorative, desert, echeveria, floral, framed, garden, gardener, gardening, gift, homes, horticulture, hotel, house, houses, interior design, interior designer, jade plant, landscaping, model home, motel, office, paintings, photo, photographs, photography, plant, plants, prints, retreat, sharon cummings, southwest, southwestern art, spa, succulent, succulent garden, succulent plants, succulents, wall art, wall decor

 

The word “succulent” sounds titillating.  You can almost “feel” what it means as it rolls off of your tongue.  Say it right now.  Slowly…

O.k. maybe I just wanted to use the words “succulent and “titillating” in the same sentence. 😉  But these beauties grow all over the place in Florida.  They seem to be just as happy in our tropical swamp as they are in the dry air of the desert.  But with thousands of varieties available, they do have varying care requirements.  So if you want to grow some of these beauties inside or out, read the labels on the plants before buying.  They do love bright sunlight, but they can get sunburned.  I have seen a few wither and die myself.

I love the smooth feel they have and the variety of colors they come in.  I’ve taken artistic liberty with this one obviously.  I was intrigued by the interesting shapes and shadows in this plant.  Nature is my inspiration!

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My Petals Are All W.E.T…..

Tags

arrangement, art, bathroom, beautiful, bedroom, botanical, botanical art, botanical painting, bud, buds, cottage, cottage art, country, country cottage, dew, dew drops, droplets, elegance, elegant, feminine, floral, floral arrangement, flower, flower buds, flowers, fuschia orchid, garden, gardening, hot pink orchid, kitchen, orchid, orchids, phalaenopsis, photo, photograph, photography, purple orchid, rain, rain drops, rich, sharon cummings, soft, table, traditional, vase, vases

 

It’s that time of year when all of the flowers are blooming and these quick little showers show up out of nowhere. My orchids look fabulous this Spring!  I can mostly get phalaenopsis to re-bloom year after year. When I buy some from a store or garden shop, I let them live out their flowering lives in my home.  When they are all done, I just stick them under the oak trees and they love it!  I do not do anything else to them.  I just let nature water and care for them.  The white and hot pink especially like to show their pretty little petals for me.  We just had one of those morning showers that leaves everything all sparkly with water droplets….I couldn’t resist!

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I.C.E…I.C.E….Baby!

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bold, botanical, botanical art, botanical photos, botanical prints, colorful, floral, floral photography, flower, flowers, fuchsia, garden, gardening, gardens, ground cover, groundcover, hot pink, ice, ice flower, ice plant, macro, macro photography, natural, nature, photo, photograph, photography, pink, pink flower, pink flowers, pink petals, plants, pretty, sharon cummings, spring, spring flowers, vibrant, wild flowers, wildflowers

 

This past weekend was filled with fun and diversion from my normal routine.  I spent a lovely day with a friend in Tarpon Springs eating Greek food, playing pool and hitting the vintage shops.  I also got in some photography on Saturday.  My husband and I headed out to Sand Key, FL and surrounding beaches to soak up a little sunshine and explore beach condos.  While we were trekking about, these hot pink flowers really caught my eye.  They were ground hugging beauties.  He immediately identified them as “ice plants” which I had never seen in the South before.  He said they grow like wild up in California where he is from.  In 45 years this is my first ice plant spotting. Wow!  The color is fantastic (unaltered…straight from my Nikon D7000).  I find I actually “see” more when I carry my macro lens with me.  There really is so much beauty in our world. 🙂

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