Art

Once upon a time, I took a photography class. I think I only produced three or four really good prints in the whole class, but it remains one of my favorite undergraduate experiences. It also makes me wish I had a darkroom. Or that I knew how to use (or even had a copy) of Photoshop.

Even though we've got another year before Dustin and I get to live together again (he's finishing school), I have all these visions in my head of what I want our home to look like. Matching desks in an airy office. A yellow kitchen with bright red detailing. A cozy sleigh bed covered with one of my grandmother's handmade quilts. And throughout the house--beautiful artwork decorating our walls and mantels. (Oh yeah, in this dream abode? Fireplaces.)

Sally A. and her husband, Dan are giving away prints of their photography (and they are both immensely talented). I first encountered Sally through her blog as I was reading about healthy living. It was Sally's blogging about her food allergies that encouraged me to look at my weight loss not as a diet, or as a deprivation, but as finally treating myself well. It's only by adopting that mindset that I've managed to not be frustrated with myself at the smallest "mistake."

On her blog, Sally is (in addition to speaking sagely about her experiences) giving away this print:"Strolling Man," by Sally Parrott Ashbrook

And I absolutely love it. I don't know if she waited for the man to walk into the sunlit bit of the sidewalk or if that was even the intention, but the composition is perfect. I feel like I'm being allowed to spy on this man, just for a second, and even though I don't know a thing about him, there are several handfuls of stories to be made about him.