Capturing Nature’s Dance
November Pond celebrates texture, movement and color
Progressive nature photographer Morgan McKenna attunes her eye into nature’s intimate moments. From the color shifts in an aspen grove, to the delicate folds of a flower, to movement patterns dancing on water, Morgan’s work brings the viewer into the moment that these gestures reveal themselves. She photographs nature’s display of light, pattern, and texture that brings one into a visceral feel of beauty. Her intricate views of botanicals, flowers, water, and landscapes help create peaceful, positive spaces. Using a variety of techniques to bring the gestures alive, these photographs give us time to BE with the beauty.
Geometry
Much like a Mary Oliver poem, the viewer is asked to slow down and experience a shift in the usual scurry to notice the sublime. Gifting ourselves these moments adds space in which to navigate the chaos that our world is going thru. Finding the safety and trust that sits in nature, which allows nature to keep expressing beauty and goodness, helps us do the same.
Bringing the wonder of a child to her work, Morgan shares “I’m a native of Colorado and have been taking photos since I was little. I’ve always loved focusing close in on pieces of a landscape, whether the tiny details of a plant or flower, reflections in a pond, or a window of light in a forest. I shoot early in the morning or late afternoon to catch colors at their deepest. Most often I go for the sharpest images I can, but occasionally, I move the camera slightly while taking the photo just to achieve an impressionistic effect. These “in capture” pieces are created in real time without digital enhancement. Blue Forest is an example of this movement technique.”
Blue Forest
Special Discount
Morgan is offering a 15% discount for her work with mentioning you read this blog. And she is able to match colors specifically to decor. McKenna images are archival (protected from fading) and are available from small to large (48”x72”) on metal, glass, acrylic, water color paper, canvas, or fine art photo paper. Each piece is custom framed to match any look, from traditional to ultra modern. For sizes and prices, contact Morgan at morgan@mckennaimage.com. And be sure to visit her website www.mckennaimage.com to see many more exquisite expressions.
Transluscent
Mindful
a poem by Mary Oliver
Every day
I see or I hear
something
that more or less
kills me
with delight,
that leaves me
like a needle
in the haystack
of light.
It is what I was born for –
to look, to listen,
to lose myself
inside this soft world –
to instruct myself
over and over
in joy,
and acclamation.
Nor am I talking
about the exceptional,
the fearful, the dreadful,
the very extravagant –
but of the ordinary,
the common, the very drab,
the daily presentations.
Oh, good scholar,
I say to myself,
how can you help
but grow wise
with such teachings
as these –
the untrimmable light
of the world,
the ocean’s shine,
the prayers that are made
out of grass?
Liquid Autumn
Love,
Mary
Green Roofs Coming to Denver
Green initiatives to reduce carbon footprint are going to be increasing city by city, town by town, house by house. For a wonderful read on this subject, Paul Hawken compiled the book Drawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming. For all of us pursuing conscious living, this is an inspiring read.
Denver has become one of the latest cities to require rooftop gardens or solar panels on large buildings, which will keep the outdoor air cooler, make storm water easier to manage and reduce the amount of energy burned by air conditioners.
As reported in Boulder’s Daily Camera, here are highlights:
Denver joins San Francisco, New York, Paris, London and other global cities that require or encourage builders to put “green roofs” on large new buildings. Rooftop gardens and solar panels absorb some of the sun’s heat or put it to work generating electricity. Greenery absorbs rainwater and releases it more slowly, so storm sewer systems aren’t overwhelmed, advocates say.
Denver’s measure goes further than most, requiring many existing buildings to be retrofitted with green roofs whenever the old roof wears out and is replaced. Older buildings that can’t support the heavier weight of a green roof could get an exemption.
Advocates concede green roofs cost more, but they argue that they pay for themselves in about six years by keeping buildings cooler, resulting in lower utility bills, and they protect underlying roof materials from wear, so they last longer.Proponents also say green roofs can help cool off urban “heat islands,” which occur when dark, exposed city surfaces bake in the sun all day and release the heat into the air at night. Peck and others claim a host of other benefits: Rooftop gardens are amenities for building residents and office workers, they raise the value of the property and they make buildings more attractive to tenants. The mandate will also create a more certain market for green roof builders. These builders can allocate funds and bring that industry to the city, which will drive costs down.
As California has experienced with Title 24 now ten years into effect, putting cool roofs into building codes has reduced solar heat gain in hot climates along with reduced carbon dioxide emissions. Green roofs work best in colder climates and as the city hall roof in Chicago has demonstrated, produce benefits like lower roof top temperature, decreased energy demands, and noise absorption. The City has published a Guide For Rooftop Gardens in the interest of promoting more building owners to implement them.
Chicago’s City Hall implemented a city block size green roof in 2001 for a cost of $2.5 million funded from a settlement from ComED.
Green roof at the Asha Centre in Gloucester, England, a retreat center designed around biodynamic farming and green design. Quite a magical place to connect to nature’s regenerative energy.
To our regenerative future!
Mary
