Home: Weekly Photo Challenge

This weeks challenge was home.

Within my first week of being in Brazil, I was sure to scope out a favela. As I walked through, all I saw was beauty all around. The people and the houses were captivating. 

This was one of the most beautiful houses that I saw while in Brazil. The colors of the door, the bricks and the plants in this photo are absolutely lovely.

After returning to the hostel I decided to draw this house as a part of my drawing a day project.

Electricity: Weekly Photo Challenge

I was quite excited when I saw that this Weekly Photo Challenge was Electricity because I knew exactly which photo I wanted to share.

My husband is an Electrical Engineering student so while I was in India I kept my eyes open for things I thought he would be interested in. This was a very common set up for wires in Delhi, so of course, I captured several photos of this craziness.

New Delhi, India Electricity

Books: Weekly Photo Challenge

This Weekly Photo Challenge was books.

This photo was taken in an office supply store in New Delhi, on our second week in India.

It was my first experience in a shop like this. My professor (who had lived in this neighborhood for a couple years) and I pushed our way to the counter and demanded the supplies we needed. We were not overly rude but the experience was quite a contrast the to the often slow-paced and overly polite tempo that you would experience in a small American shop.

New Delhi, India, Dukaan

Shadows: Weekly Photo Challenge

This weeks  Weekly Photos Challenge was "Shadows: Intricate or Simple Patterns

This photo was taken one our first full day in New Delhi. We spent half of our Day at the block printing studio and half at Humayun's Tomb. We rented out the studio for the day and had an absolute blast. I really enjoyed chatting (haha well trying to communicate however possible) with the young boys and learning about a traditional Indian art technique. As the trip went on we saw block printed fabric, saris, and craftsmen making the blocks.

The red is my practice fabric, the blue is a wood block with ink and the multi-colored table below is where all the inks have bled through fabrics in many layers. My actual fabric was turned into a shirt and I printed a matching dupida in addition.

I will share my block printed creations in the near future... 

Distant: Weekly Photo Challenge

I have so many photos just lying around and I figured it would be fun to share some of them. I found this meme called the Weekly Photo Challenge. It is simple. All you do is share a photo, newly taken or old, that fits the given theme. This first week's theme is Distant. 

Distant 

This image is from Bishnupur, West Bengal, India. It was taken inside of one of the many temples we saw while touring India.  A couple Bengali artists went with us on the overnight trip to Bishnupur.  It was funny because the artists we went with kept offering to help us find rides from temple to temple. We tried to explain it to them that we in fact were enjoying the walking....just walking around was great.

It was neat that once they understood that part of why we wanted to walk was because we were artists. We wanted to see everything and had been in cars plenty. We wanted to enjoy the little things in between point A and point B.

As the guys began to understand what we were going for, they seemed more at peace with the fact that we were just walking around Bishnapur taking photos of temples, textures, colors and so much more.

I think that the textures and patterns from the temples would be neat in some of my artwork for my upcoming show. Be sure to pay attention and see if you spot similar shapes in future work :)

Nautical Sleeve Tattoo and Photographic Inspiration

Though photographs are not my artistic focus photographing is still a fun way for me to capture some of the beauty that I see in the world.  I absolutely love the ocean and nature.

You can read more about the art and significance behind my tattoo and see more photos here.

Ugh sorry...many of my photos were removed because I had posted them on Pinterest...:( but I will try to update some of them
 

The majority of my tattoo is coming from my art work (which Pinterest won't allow me to share but click the link for my Facebook Art+ Page)

Since taking these jelly fish photos I have really fallen in love with both the symbolism behind jellyfish and their inherent beauty.
(Once again these were on Pinterest)

Not all of these will show up in my sleeve but they play a significant role in the designing of a nautical and ocean (and lake) themed tattoo sleeve.

You can see more of my tattoo inspiration on Pinterest.

Creativity Prompt #11 - De-stress

Take a break from being creative and just be. I understand that when you are too busy it can feel like taking a break is the most stressful option possible. Truth is we are much more productive when we take care of ourselves. I'm not promoting a 6 or 7 hour break, but rather a 20 - 40 minute yoga session, spa visit, hot bath, reading or journaling (for fun), a run (a mile is plenty for me) or calling an old friend. Let's face it. However we choose to spend our quiet time every now-and-then we all need to unplug and just be.

A day at the beach, ocean, or pool is anything but stressful. 

See more of my ocean photography here.

Yellowstone Summer Inspiration

My Facebook profile says it all.  I had a blast in Yellowstone!!! Yellowstone National Park is one of the mot awe inspiring places I have ever been.  Though scientifically I have a basic understanding of how the colors and thermal features work, in reality I have no idea how the incredible place exists on this planet. 

In honor of the park I thought I would share a few posts of my photography from the trip (but you may need to wait a while).  Even though it is not extremely political or social justice-y it certainly applies to my art in a couple ways.

1. Protecting the environment and knowing how to treat the earth with respect when hiking or camping important.
2. The incredible beauty of creation plays a huge role in my spirituality.  I have always been a Christian and activities like camping, hiking, and snowboard really help me to connect with God.
3. My images from Yellowstone would work well for the background of a meme or handbill.  I have a variety of inspirational quotes I plan to illustrate.
4. There is always the possibility of using one of these photos in a graphic design or other project.
5. I took several Lily pad photographs while on the trip and as well all know (or if you don't know read my blog posts about water lilies a human trafficking) they relate to sex trafficking and human slavery in a variety of ways. 
6. And I am writing a proposal to possibly do some sort of project at Yellowstone in the future.  The project would likely involve educating people about the outdoors and creating plein air paintings on site.  We will see if anything comes of it.  Either way, I plan to return to Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons and will of course be inspired by the beauty once again.

How do the outdoors inspire you? 

Rocky Mountain Water Lily

As many of you know I have been creating a series of artwork focusing on the water lily.
 This video is composed of my Rocky Mountain Water Lily photos from this summer.
I took all of the photos in Rocky Mountain and Yellowstone National Parks.

Which photo is your favorite?  I like the colors in the last one the best.

13 of My Photos to Keep your Imagination Soaring

The main purpose of this blog is to showcase my artwork.  In addition to fine art and social justice topics, I absolutely love taking photographs.  I have a camera on me as often as possible and take photos when I get the chance.  My photographs show up in my design as both main images and textures.

 I figured that these photos would be appropriate because beauty serves as a huge inspiration when it comes to the creative process.

Human Trafficking: Art+ Global Justice

My next body of artwork will be focusing on the sex industry and human trafficking.  I am not sure where this will go but I would like to share a photograph I took over Christmas break while back home in Rapid City, South Dakota. I am not sure if I will use this image or not; however, I do think that it is a strong image.  It shows the contrast and addiction that our society possesses.  There are so many addicted to porn, many who think there is nothing wrong with and few who understand the effects that it actually has on our county.  Be sure to follow my blog for more information on the sex industry and human trafficking as well as my artwork in response to the topic.  This link will take you to posts directly relating to this body of work.

My goal is to have an idea by the end of this semester and a body of work by the end of summer (or a couple months after).  This may be pushing it but I think I can make it happen.

Images of Changed Lives from 2011

Just thought I would share some of the most inspiring, heartbreaking, and incredibly beautiful images from 2011.  I am a strong believer in the arts and activism.  These photos are both art and socially conscious.

See the 45 most powerful images of 2011 with descriptions.
For now here are some of my favorites.  Click the link above for more information.

World Water and Haiti

I created this poster in response to my Haiti trip.  The community we were in was incredibly fortunate.  They had their own well (about 1000 people) so that they had drinking water within in a couple miles; however, the kids would pick up our water bottles and pretend to drink.  It was adorable, as you can see.

The idea of a Haitian child pretending to drink from a water bottle creates a sense of cognitive dissonance.  When we look at how many children die each year from bad water and realize that Haiti ranks last in the world for drinkable water.  60% of the population does not have safe drinking water and a child mortality rate of more than 13 times that of the United States (10% of that is attributed to water related skin ailments and dysentery which lead to dehydration).

 
World Water Day is March 22nd, 2012.  Learn more about the world water crisis at the UN site or water.org.

Water and golf courses

Haitian Abstract

Just thought I would share a photo that I took while in Haiti.
I like this image as a photo, but would love to push it a little further.

I am not sure exactly where I will go with this, but

I would like to draw the or paint something similar.

I really like the lines and shapes.

What would you like to see this turn into?

Photography Blog

I just redesigned my photography blog.  The reason for having it is so that I can reference photograph.  It is a bit like a photo archive.  The new design allows me to scroll through and see all of the work at one time.  I can then click on the image I want to see, or change it back to a typical blog view.  I am quite please.  Check it out.

Images from Felicia Follum Photography Blog...Haiti and Beautiful Haitian People

Do you have a favorite photograph?  Which one?  Why?

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Outdoor Inspiration

I absolutely love photography (my photo bog) and being outdoors.  

We took a trip back to Laramie for a wedding (see the wedding gift).  

On the way back we drove through the Snowy Range and Medicine Bow National Forrest.  

Here are some of my favorite photographs! 

I hope the images can serve as inspiration for you as they do for me.

How Bazaar!

A couple weeks ago, our church had a Bazaar/Garage Sale to raise money for Haiti (not the group I worked with, but another one).  I sold photographs and ink drawings.  It was a great time and a significant learning experience. 

It was fun because I was able to sit and draw and people really enjoyed watching…Someday, I would love to go to a downtown somewhere and draw.  I need to get faster or have some pre-made initial pieces (I’m thinking book marks for $5. Anyone interested?), but am seriously considering it.

Here is one of the graffiti style name ink drawings I completed.  I love the graffiti style (and the fact that it is all black and white) and have been enjoying improving my ink drawing skills and techniques.

I will also be going to Last Thursday in Portland this Thursday...Maybe I will see some of you there.

Portraits from Haiti

After returning from Haiti, I am certainly excited to use all that I saw in my future art projects. Everything was fascinating and incredibly inspirational.  I saw everything from the extreme poverty of downtown Port-au-Prince to the beautiful rice fields and mountains surrounding the village of Thoumazea. Be sure to check out my Haiti journal and my photographs see more of my images and thoughs.

It is still difficult to define what exactly will be translated into artwork but it is almost certain that something will come from the trip (well some photographs have already). When you are surrounded by intense beauty, sadness, poverty, joy, and as well as a completely new culture and language, it seems that something must come from it.

Here are some portrait photographs I took while in the village of Thomazeau.  These are just some of the kids that I was able to spend time with.  We made paper beads and bracelets.  (I will post about the art lessons here soon)  40% of all sales will go back to Haiti. Comment on this blog or on my Facebook Page for more information about purchasing and/or use of the images.

I have some photos that I will be posting in the future that help us to understand more about the devastation of the Haiti earthquake and show some of the after math.  Some others will depict the politics, beauty, and religions of the area.

If you would like to purchase or use these images please contact me and I will get you the file/print.  Remember 40% or more of all proceeds will go back to the village and children in the photo.

Off to Haiti

I will be heading out for Haiti here soon.  I cant wait.  The trip is a missions (church) trip not for art, but I will certainly be taking art supplies.  I should be able to get some work (ink drawings) done when/if we have free time.  I will be sure to take lots of photographs (to try to edit) and snapshots (to work from).

Check out my Facebook Page and my Photography Blog where I will be posting artsy photos. 

The Laramie Project and Montessori Schools

I donated these two images from the Laramie Project to the new Montessori school in Laramie. One of the ladies in my Bible study is playing a huge role in setting up the school and sitting on the board. She asked me to donate some work; I decided to donate two photographs. Here they are.

The Connor: Hallway

The Connor: Window