The Transitional Image

Sentimental

Going through old photos the same feeling always comes up: my commercial work leaves me cold despite the superior technical qualities invested in it, while my little funky personal shoots excite my interest no matter how poorly they were executed. The white horse in this image captured my imagination in so many ways...I wish I could go back and do more studies of him. He was partly draft horse and had a delicious fundamental horse form complimented by an affable personality that made him irresistable. But also for me he reminded me of my first pony Apache, who was also pure white though not charming at all...just mean spirited and fast as hell. I was afraid of him but my father taught me how to handle him and I quickly got over the love loss and concentrated on running...the joy of high speeds on a pony...at age eight. I developed a bit of a taste for meaness in things after that. I can be bit.

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This Image "Untitled White horse and Woman" Photomontage. Elena Ray Copyright 2008

We do the same work~

The prophets have wondered to themselves,
"How long should we keep pounding this cold iron? How long
do we have to whisper into an empty cage?"
So don’t be timid.
Load the ship and set out.
No one knows for certain
whether the vessel will sink or reach the harbor.
Just don’t be one of those merchants
who won’t risk the ocean!
This is much more important
than losing or making money!
This is your connection to God.
Think of the fear and the hope that you have
about your livelihood. They make you
go to work diligently every day.
Now consider what the prophets have done.
Abraham wore fire for an anklet.
Moses spoke to the sea.
David moulded iron.
Solomon rode the wind.
Work in the invisible world
at least as hard as you do in the visible.
Be a companion with the prophets,
invisibly, so that no one knows.
You can’t imagine what profit will come!
When one of those generous ones
invites you into his fire, go quickly! Don’t say,
"But will it burn me? Will it hurt?"
Rise! Move around the center
as pilgrims wind the Kaaba.
Being still is how one clay clod sticks to another in sleep,
while movement wakes us up
and unlocks new blessings.

Rumi

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This Image: "Body Flowing Out Of Spirit" Elena Ray Copyright 2008. Words by Rumi felt directly by me.

An Old Vision

A message to myself from the past.

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This Image "Window Ruin". Elena Ray Copyright 2008.

;;;

I'm spilt out. The cup is broken.

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This Image "untitled" Elena Ray Copyright 2008

Photo Montage

The angels always have better ideas than me. I just keep following with the hints they leave around.

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This Image "Untitled" Bird and cage. Elena Ray Copyright 2008. Photo montage; 1 of 73 I will be completing during the next 8 months for a project I've been awarded.

We seek an ecstatic peace.

In the long run what does anything matter? All you ever remember is how you felt.
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This Image "Portrait of Jorge and Kate" Elena Ray Copyright 2002

American Clay again

While doing a massive transfer of my CD's onto one hard drive, I've started working with the American Clay again. I've had an insight into using my clay room as a photo studio...which so far it it has not worked out as. I've tried to shoot with both hot lights and strobes in this room but it's just so small, I can't seem to get any love from the lights in that tight space...But yesterday I started shooting with just the natural window light at 1000 or 1600 ISO....very grainy but the light is incredible and the images taken are beautiful. The grain is beautiful actually. The untitled nude image I posted yesterday is an archived image (I just found it during the data transfer) shot with an old digital camera and it's super grainy-yet gorgeous...theres even this little feather dusting of noise throughout the image that looks like fairy dust!

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This Image "Moffett In the Clay Room" Elena Ray Copyright 2008

For Anais Nin

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This image: "untitled". Elena Ray Copyright 2008.

from within looking out

...something will be written here.

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This image: Elena Ray Copyright 2008. Memories of Italy.

The Book

I vow to live with a ferocious spirit and a gentle heart.

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This Image "The Book" ElenaRay Copyright 2008.

FOCUS on what you need to get NOW!

The first step in my abstract painting is to make beautiful backgrounds-not so much to worry about the final outcome, the potential image, but to concern one's self w/color, form, and texture.

As the process continues you are always afraid to lose things. You try to keep these things while accepting their loss or alteration and keep the whole in mind.

I think you just have to be very passionate to discover anything. And you must have fortitude and courage. Resting is a good idea.

FOCUS on what you need to get NOW!

joy~

It is hard to let go of Anger Because it is HARD. ANGER IS HARD...or is it, is it, the holding of it that is "HARD" ??

"I am too conscious of the imperfections of the species to which I belong to be irritated against any member thereof. My remedy is to deal with the wrong wherever I see it, not to hurt the wrongdoer; even as I would not like to be hurt for the wrongs I continually do."
Gandhi

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This Image "Personal Journal Entry June 2006". Elena Ray Copyright 2008