Altered Horizons 27

Altered Horizons 27 Robin Botie of Ithaca, New York, photoshops fabricated landscapes to deal with her depression and cope with loss during the Thanksgiving holiday.

There are many pieces to this holiday, Thanksgiving. I used to be into it solely for the feasting until I had children and discovered the part about being grateful and generous. Then, after my daughter died and I lost my gratitude and graciousness for a while, I dreaded holidays. It took a long time to discover that the caring of others was what would fix my battered heart. Thanksgivings became warm welcome gatherings as family and/or friends assembled to celebrate and commiserate, to listen and to share.

This week’s fabricated landscape is an assemblage of images I gathered together from several different outings I took with my photography class this semester. At the Old Souls Home in Owego, NY I found (and later reshaped in Photoshop) an antique golden frame and a set of old tin tart pans. The bristly scrub brush was lying abandoned on a windowsill at Cornell’s Hydroplant. The grates and grills were at Cornell’s Lake Source Cooling Plant. I photoshopped the fluted outer frame from a tractor’s yellow-painted running board that I photographed at University Sand and Gravel in Brooktondale, NY. As in many Thanksgiving gatherings, the collection of characters may be eclectic but the mix makes for a cozy coming together anyway.

 

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8 thoughts on “Altered Horizons 27

    1. Robin Botie Post author

      Thank you, Libby. I’m still in awe of that photo you managed to snap of the horse and its owner and their identical smiles. Yeesh! THAT was brilliant.

      Reply
  1. Lucy Bergstrom

    I can sure understand that Thanksgiving didn’t make you feel grateful or gracious after you lost Marika. Now you can be grateful that you have been able to go on living after such a profound loss. You’re still breathing, standing, walking, cooking….creating beautiful images out of scrap. It must be fun to sift through images and find just the thing to fill in or frame the picture. I love the running board border!!
    Love, Lucy

    Reply
    1. Robin Botie Post author

      You’ve got me exactly, Lucy. It is fun finding things that fit, matching up images and words or feelings with images. It’s also a bit of an obsession as well. Thanks for reminding me of all the other things I do, as some days I believe I let the obsessions get the better of me. I’m glad I got to share the tagine experiment with you. Lots of hugs!

      Reply
    1. Robin Botie Post author

      Thank you, Elaine. “Harmonious and whimsical” sound super to me. Even “mish-mash” is making me feel pretty good right now. Cheers!

      Reply
    1. Robin Botie Post author

      Actually, Lynne, I always think of you and your artwork now as much of my own work gets more and more abstract. Thank you. And thanks for your being so inspiring.

      Reply

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