Thursday, December 22, 2011

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

BAPS Mandir, Lilburn, GA


A Mandir is a Hindu place of worship – a haven for spirituality and a place of paramount peace.    The Mandir of BAPS Shri Swaminarayan in Lilburn is part of a center that supports Hindu culture values through social and spiritual activities.  http://atlanta.baps.org/  It was inaugurated in August of 2007.    The compound is located at the corner of Rockbridge Road and Lawrenceville Highway and also contains classrooms, meeting space, and a public cafeteria.  Additional constriction is under way at this time.

Kathy Fincher

Kathy Fincher’s creative process


In September 2011 Mary and I attended a fund raising event to support Rainbow Village, Duluth, GA, and I was asked to shoot a few photographs. http://rainbowvillage.org/  This organization provides transitional housing for homeless families with children.  Many local businesses provided items for bid in silent and live auctions.


One vendor I got to know was Kathy Fincher, a Duluth artist nationally known for depicting children, landscapes and still life in a soft painting style with strong storytelling elements.  http://www.kafincher.com/  She is described as an inspirational artist who creates “a unique pastel painting style of romantic realism."  Ms. Fincher frequently uses dry pastels on paper and they are usually called paintings.  http://www.paintmaking.com/grinding_pastels.htm  One of her most popular creations is titled “Here's the Church”. 

The King Memorial

Washington, DC




























The King National Memorial dedication was scheduled for the weekend of August 26-28, the anniversary of the 1963 march on Washington, DC, in which Dr. King delivered a speech titled "I Have A Dream".   Hurricane Irene scuttled plans to officially open the 7 acre monument on the Tidal Basin in Washington, but the site was open to any intrepid visitor bold enough to ignore very severe weather warnings.  Few took this opportunity, and it was nice to capture some clear and un-obstructed images.  I want to return on a different day with the crowds.