Happy Birthday, Ana (anaber) by anahata.c
Close
Hover over top left image to zoom.
Click anywhere to exit.
Members remain the original copyright holder in all their materials here at Renderosity. Use of any of their material inconsistent with the terms and conditions set forth is prohibited and is considered an infringement of the copyrights of the respective holders unless specially stated otherwise.
Description
I made a drawing for Ana (anaber), but I haven't drawn in a year, so it just wasn't good.
So I worked up this photo in the last half hour, and I hope it says how I feel. Some of you do beautiful photography day after day, but I don't unfortunately, so please allow this flawed photo to speak my heart, Ana. I'll post the drawing another day...
I'm so very blessed to have Ana as my friend. As Helle (helanker) always says, she's so very sweet, has such a huge heart, and has so much wisdom and love in her. And she gives it so generously and selflessly.
I've watched her give when she was going through so much (caring for the struggles of her loved ones). While she's a very modest person, she's done so much in her life: She was one of the amazing people who worked so hard to bring freedom to her country, under the terrible dictatorship of Salazar. She worked for the empowerment of women, during terrible political oppression. She's done so much for her family, from her ailing parents to her husband and children and grandchild. She worked in hospitals, did design and art professionally---you should see the glass sculptures she made; she even did ATM machine designs! (ATM machines! I haven't even designed a spoon!) And she raised two just terrific children, so devoted, such testaments to her heart. (Also, one is a musician whose work just knocks me over---as a musician, I just kvell over his work. "Kvell"s an old Jewish word, for "gush". A good word, too.)
But no matter what she's going through, she gives the most devoted care; and to get one of her letters is to be held aloft with wings. When I realize that she may have had little sleep when she wrote, or worked so many hours without rest that night, I can't convince her how precious that is. Or what a gift that is...
Art-wise, she's created an amazing body of work, her passionate abstracts, her cartoon-like drawings that dance on the tops of clouds, her portraits which, well, if she does one of you, you look at it and think: I hope I can be 1/4 the person she drew me to be. And her big bold photography and fractals and 3D---it goes on. And she's posted a bunch of these works in her gallery, and it's worth going back in it: She's very special. Very special. There just isn't another word...
I post this little photo of my neighborhood, Ana, to convey cradling and care. It's a bit too red and my postwork's a little off...but I post it because my neighborhood cradles the way you do, with your big flowing heart. You bless people. I want to wish you blessings, and a year with gifts-of-the-heart that lift you to the sky. With deep love and bottomless gratitude, for all you've done for me and for many others as well, I wish you a wonderful birthday, and may love and blessings fall on you everywhere you go, dear soul
Mark
(I'll return to comments tomorrow)
(image fuller when zoomed)
Comments (17)
Mulltipass
Absolutely a beautiful capture!!!
photosynthesis
My internet performance has been a little sluggish lately, so this photo appeared slowly, in discrete chunks from the top. After the top half of it had loaded, I expected a scene similar to many others you have posted (which would not at all have been a bad thing!), but I was very surprised when those eye-popping orange flowers appeared. A beautifully colored scene that you have no reason to apologize for...
jocko500
very lovely place
magnus073
Mark, this photo from your neighborhood is the perfect choice to include in your birthday dedication for Ana. Like yourself she is a kind and caring soul, and I'm certain she will appreciate the sentiment behind this presentation. For myself as you may have already suspected I spent a great deal of time studying this gem in full size view and am so jealous that you are blessed with some of the most beautiful street settings I've ever scene. The trees and colorful flowers are eye catching for certain, but for me it was the amazing wrought iron fencing everywhere that dominated the setting.
goodoleboy
Ouch! With each photo of your neighborhood that you post, it makes mine look like a third world country, ravaged by war, brutality, famine, disease and anarchy. But I digress. Beautiful lush color, textures, top notch composition and depth in this wunderbar capture of your lovely and very compact milieu, Mark. I'm going to kvell on this the entire night. Oh, mustn't forget: a very Happy Birthday to your belabored and big hearted friend, Ana.
Richardphotos
the flowers are beautiful and there is nothing wrong with this
giulband
Beautiful photo taken with the eye of knowing the territory well able to grasp aspects that usually escape the passer.
durleybeachbum
Such a great description of Ana ! And a truly astonishing display of 'mums in that shrubbery, I've never seen that before!
helanker
Mark, I can only confirm all you wrote about our dear friend Ana. She is exactly all you wrote and we know how much she loves to see your streets in the autumn dresses. And so do I. I know, she will feel so thrilled with this wonderful streetshot and ever so happy for your beautiful and true words about her. :-)))
Cyve
Marvelous capture and dedication my friend !!!
LivingPixels
Lovely dedi and a sa always a sharp and superbly taken shot Mark!!!
auntietk
I could look at your street pictures all day long. They're so evocative of Chicago, of your neighborhood, of the amazing graciousness of that area. I remember the first time I saw Chicago. Marilyn and I were coming in from the airport on a shuttle, and we got into the city and I saw some of the local architecture. I went wild! Well, okay, you know me, so you know it was a sort of quiet "wild," but I was very excited. :P I was hoping we could go back through those streets again so I could see those lovely houses and buildings. Imagine my delight when I found out it was everywhere, and I didn't have to try and find that one particular street so I could commune with the architectural forms! !!! That's just to say how much I like this picture. :P You could draw a line on a piece of paper, take a blurry, too-dark picture of it, dedicate it to Ana, say what you said about her, and she would love it. You know she would. It's the heart, the thought, the love that counts, not the quality of the drawing or the photograph. If your drawing is as bad as this photograph, it's no wonder you didn't post it. Ha! :P This photograph is gorgeous. It's got a soft, loving feeling about it. It's not "too red" (trust me ... I've SEEN "too red!"), and there's nothing wrong with the postwork, and I bet your drawing was fabulous as well. A beautiful piece for a beautiful soul on her birthday.
anaber
Hi Mark:)))))) I am so sorry because i am so late to thank you this stunning gift to me and to tell you how thrilled i am with all this !! This SPLENDID image of your 'place' and your loving words for me ! You couldn't offer me more or better:))) well:) i know you could and i can explain why i say this: ''because you always can do each time more and better, as we can have the pleasure to see when we walk in your gallery!! You are like a magician with your ART, because she is part of yourself, she comes out deeply alive from you! So, Mark, this, it is the most wonderful gift that you could offer me! And i really miss words to tell you how thrilled i am. Your words are wonderful and i am so grateful ... they bring tears to my eyes, but please know, that i don't deserve so much !!! and i am being totaly honest:) And your photo is stunning. Zooming it is a must ! There is an amazing contrast in your street. WOOOOW and how much i would like to see it 'in person' :))))))) This trees are so strong, together with the priceless architecture of this buildings and the seriousness of the iron, contrasting with the colorful flowers so vivid but also so fragil in the beds....OH, GODS!!!! What a wonderful panoply of yellows, oranges, reds and greens doing the most beautiful 'bouquet':)) in your street !! Mark, You offered me a symphony of light and color, vigour and fragility. There is such depth in this photo...I almost can see you doing this photo:) This is gorgeous, Mark. AND :)))) LOL! i read Tara right now and she is soooooo right:))))))))))) you could have done a simple line, monocolour in a small piece of paper:)))) and i would love it a LOT, it is the same 'story' of drawing with one only pencil:)))hahah !! because It's the heart, the thought and the love that counts!! But you put all this in this gorgeous image. You are a GEM and very precious to me:))))))))) Thank you Mark, for this gift, from the bottom of my heart:) I am so honored because you are my friend:))))))))))
MrsRatbag
Mark, this is another gorgeous piece of art; there is nothing wrong with the colours at all (too red? red is off? Where????) It has a beautifully intimate brightness, intimate because of the pink/peach/mauve overall hue (if I were looking at that big box of 64 crayons I would choose the one called "nude"), which contrasts so beautifully with the golds of the flowers confined in their wrought iron nests. It's as if someone transported a New Orleans street to Chicago and dumped a can of late autumn/early winter all over it and then put it under the broiler for a few seconds to sear the ironwork. I do love your street shots!
flavia49
fabulous picture
beachzz
There's no such thing as "too red" in my book; guess that's cuz it's my favorite color!! This is a gorgeous foto of your neighborhood; just makes me want to get out and see more of it. It's also a beautiful dedi for someone I don't know at all except thru her work. You've given her a precious birthday gift!
romanceworks
Such a wonderfully colorful photo and equally beautiful dedi to Ana.