Happy Chinese New Year!

I am always inspired by holidays and traditions which allow you to reset yourself and start over. Life is a constant cycle always in motion. Nature reminds us of this on a daily basis.

Today's photography and graphic design work features a haiku from my long time friend, Jason Michael. Most people may be familiar with his theatrical and vocal work, but I'm hoping that you'll discover his writing in the near future as well. I highly encourage you to visit and attend his productions through the Shangri-La Theatre Company in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania.

Just Right

There are times when snow is a nuisance, and times when it is downright beautiful. Today it snowed so light and perfect that I had to capture at least one nice image to remember it by. I love when the snow flakes are so big that you can look up and just see them falling down out of an infinite nowhere. Today however, this little holly branch wanted to be seen. :)

Welcome 2009! We're half way through January and I can't help but be enthused about the year ahead.

I Have Product!

http://www.zazzle.com/leshockarts

At last, a little something to offer the masses in the line of wearable art! For a long time I have contemplated getting into designing apparel and now there are services which allow me to do just that! If this venue proves successful, I plan to offer more designs of various themes in the future. Feel free to stop by the shop and get something cool for your loved one for the holidays!

I have other product lines in the works for 2009 which I am very excited about! Please stay tuned and watch this blog for news of more cool goodies from my design bag! In the meantime, I wish you all a Very Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah and the best holidays ever! Mucho Huge Thanks to all those who have had me design work, ordered prints, and supported my creative endeavors in the past year. I couldn't realize my dreams without you!

Designer Appreciation

I recently had the pleasure of staying at The Starlux in Wildwood and I have to admit it's the perfect place for a designer to be. I was lucky enough to be visiting the Jersey Shore during it's heyday in the 70s as a kid for vacations with my family. Then, Wildwood was a sea of funky cool technicolor neon signs, plastic palm trees and a playground of themed hotels and motels built in the 50s and 60s (when people were encouraged to do road trips and vacation within the US). The various hotel's architectural design competed heavily for your attention and business. As a kid it was always a blast to count down all the cool favorite places on the way to our motel in NorthWW and envision yourself trying out the other places as well. Sometimes I wonder whether having that overload of design surrounding me as a kid subliminally led me to this profession of graphic design.

Around 2000 there was condo boom that led to the destruction of many of these architectural gems. True, there were many places that were beyond renovation, but many wonderful places were leveled for future construction that never happened. Thankfully, there is a faction of folk in Wildwood, The Doo Wop Preservation League, who are trying their darnedest to preserve and create wonderful places like the Starlux in the Woods. Motels like The Caribbean and Starlux are doing it right and playing up to their unique strengths. Not only are they taking care of their unique structures, but they are also providing a clean, fun and stylish atmosphere that you won't find anywhere else on the east coast. Their success proves that the kids who have grown up with those very fond memories of Wildwood want to share that with their own families and loved ones. I think the City of Wildwood ought to seriously pay attention to that if it wants to survive as a resort town.

Some cool websites that better illustrate what I'm blathering about:
http://www.doowopusa.org/index.html
http://www.crazyaboutwildwood.com/
http://www.wildwooddoowop.com/doowopspots/

Veterans Day

Thank you to all the Veterans who have served and or are serving this great nation of ours. Always know how much your hard work and many sacrifices are deeply appreciated!

It's September Already!?!

Alright then, here are two images which capture perfectly what Summer means to me...





I know the "official" end of Summer is typically Labor Day weekend, but try telling that to ma nature. Temps are in the 90's today, the heat is oppressive, and the ocean temps are finally warm, but the lifeguards are gone from the beaches and all the local neighborhood pools have closed down and drained for the season. It's a cryin' shame. I live for this time of year for so many reasons and it seems sooooo short. I refuse to trade in my flip flops until the weather cools beyond bearing tho. ;D

Time Flies!

It has been too long since I updated this blog. One gets caught up in the everyday facets of life and before you know it time flies...literally! Thankfully we are now on the brink of my favorite season. The unofficial start of Summer is celebrated most prominently at the shore points. I was fortunate enough to be able to kick it off with my kite flying friends near and far in Wildwood, NJ for the Annual International Kite Festival this past Memorial Weekend.

This year's festival was the first of many celebrations for the Revolution Kite Company's 20th Anniversary. "Rev" kites are controlled by four lines attached to 2 handles. They are ridiculously maneuverable, and like traditional kites their artistic design possibilities are truly endless! The photo above was taken while the famous kite precision team iQuad performed under perfect beach skies. The Rev fliers dominated the festival this year capped with a North American record "Mega Fly" of 34 pilots in all!

Next Order of Business

...is to launch my Brother, Mark's website today!!!



Mark is creating cooler and cooler tattoos by the day and I'm so happy that he's finally in a profession which showcases the artistic abilities I always knew he had. It's safe to say that if I hadn't seen him drawing while I was growing up, I probably wouldn't have been inspired to choose a profession in the arts.

As with my own website, I will be adding more content to his galleries in the days ahead as I receive new images from him. Check out his cool designs today and stop back often! My personal favorites have always been his frogs, lizards and dragons.

http://www.leshockarts.com/mark

Happy Easter!

Whether you are spiritually minded or not, it is my constant wish that you feel a sense of peace and renewal on this day. :)

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Shamrocks have such a delicate beauty to them. I love the way they fold down like little umbrellas and go to sleep at night. :)

May brooks and trees and singing hills
Join in the chorus too,
And every gentle wind that blows
Send happiness to you.

First Order of Business: Cosmic Playground

It is entirely appropriate that my first real entry on this blog should be about Rod. Rod DeGeorge is an amazing guitarist who has been my mentor and friend over the years. When he approached me to design the package for his first solo Cd, needless to say I was thrilled!!! :D

These are selected images from that package.* The original photography, done by Rick Sweitzer, I had altered to suit this project. Repeated images and subtle colors from the front cover are woven in.

As a designer, one of the things highly important to me is matching my client's personal style and vision for their projects. I can create images that are colorful and complex, that are clean classic and simple, or subtly in between. Rod is also a part of the band Burnt Sienna*. Where their poster design is fun and playful, Rod's is more rich and I hope conveys a sense of the joyful spirituality in his playing.

Check out Rod's new Cd, Cosmic Playground on the web!:
http://www.degeorgemusic.com/
http://www.myspace.com/roddegeorge

There is more on my website.*

Launch Day

Throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. ~ Mark Twain

Welcome to "The Blog" Everybody! Today has been such a great day to launch my website, Leshock Arts.com. The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive and I couldn't be happier. My site is lonnnnng overdue.

My intentions for this blog essentially are for this place to be a showcase for the many facets of what I do and to relate news of any special projects or offers I have going on. This is a designer's blog, a photographer's blog, an artist's blog. Since I am also a proud sister, I will also occasionally feature some of the tattoo design my brother has been up to.

Where the posts relate to my photography work, all images will be available for sale or prints unless otherwise noted by me. If you do not find it in my "Shop", just email me to request a print. Final prints will not have the watermark that appears on the web images. I have the feeling that the content on my site will be in constant flux.

Thanks Again for checking out my website! I certainly appreciate ~Everyone~ who has been supportive of my creativity over the years and especially those who have allowed me to create something beautiful or interesting for them.

~ Carolyn Leshock