I come from a creative family.  I guess you could say each one of us was born with a need to create.  You could argue that my dad, with his PhD in microbiology, was more of a facts guy, but I would argue that he was able to create a beautiful, full, and successful life from bare bones.  When I read back on his life, I know he was raised in a two room home with no indoor plumbing and very little in the way of material possessions.  His desire and ability to create was evident in the kind of life we was able to build for himself and his family.

My mom, well if she isn’t the closest thing to a “Martha”, then I don’t know who is.  Beginning as a Home Economics teacher right out of college, she could cook, sew, paint, and recreate beauty out of someone else’s discards.  We spent many a Saturday either at the fabric store or treasure hunting at garage sales.  Our home was always impeccably decorated and filled with delicious, nutritious food. With success in the catering and home design businesses, she is a hard act to follow.

My older sister takes after my mom in that she loves a bargain.  Recreating something expensive on the cheap has earned her amazing success as one of the top craft bloggers in blogland.  Her craftroom is so filled to the brim with past, present, and future projects, it makes my head spin.  In fact she has a web show soon to premiere on My Craft Channel next month.

My younger sister has an entrepreneur heart and created her own clothing boutique right out of college and, while many of her competitors weren’t able to make it through this recession, Flaunt is still standing and continues to flourish.  She’s also an amazing painter and has an incredible eye for design.  Her home is a mix of Dwell and House Beautiful magazines.

I have always loved art.  As a child my sister and I spent hours drawing, coloring, and painting.  Of course, we learned to sew and to cook and to surround ourselves with beauty.  Art and English were always my favorite subjects in school, I guess because they allowed me the most freedom to create.  As a young mom I dabbled in scrapbooking and tole painting and redecorating my homes.  But of course, most of my attention was focused on raising young kids.  I eventually petered out of scrapbooking, became disenchanted with tole painting (thank goodness), but my passion for home decorating continues.  And once photography took center stage, almost everything else took a backseat.

I love photographing my clients!  The ability to create something timeless for people that makes their hearts sing, is priceless.  But I also have concepts and ideas that I’ve been accumulating that I want an excuse to take the time to create for myself.  And sometimes those ideas don’t necessarily mesh with clients’ needs and wants.

That’s why I was thrilled ( and quite honestly honored!  Just take a look at the talent in this group!) to be invited to participate with a handful of other photographers  in a blog project focused on exploring the fine art side of photography. Each month, we will post a photo or series of images focused on art and photography. There are no rules. We’ll each just post what comes from the heart and allow the inner artist a chance to explore and fly.

So welcome to “{elevate} a fine art photography exploration”.

Photographer: Wendy VonSosen

Model: Marquita

Location Scout: Kathy

I can’t wait to make the circle to see what my fellow artists created this month!  Come along with me as we visit Marianne Drenthe | Marmalade Photography  Chicago child and family photographer.