Sarah Elizabeth Art

Mardi Gras is Coming - Shreveport, Louisiana

Mardi Gras Float Snooping...

What a fun time of year in Louisiana, the streets start clearing, the city begins decorating and the floats and beads start appearing. The Mardi Gras parade in Shreveport is this weekend and after checking out the floats and witnessing the preparation, it is clear that this city goes all out.

We snuck down to the Mardi Gras museum to take photographs of some of the floats that were either locked away or getting a fresh, new paint job.  We bumped into a lovely man who works on the floats and he allowed us to take some photographs and explore. That good ol' southern hospitality shone through and he answered all of our questions and showed us around the place, explaining Mardi Gras history and what it means to him.

The theme for Shreveports Gemini Parade this year is 'Blue'. And I mean all things blue, they've got NYPD Blue, Frankie Blue Eyes, Blues Clues, Red/White & Blue etc etc. I was surrounded by beautiful colours and great opportunities for photos.

Take a look...

 

 

 

I was extremely impressed with all the work that goes into all of the floats. Each diamond below was hand painted and very accurately done. Just imagine these floats during the parade, music blasting, extravagent costumes worn by the city mayors and parade King & Queen. All of course tossing hundreds and hundreds of beautiful beads off into the crowd.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We headed through the city of Shreveport to explore some of the surrounding neighbourhoods.

 
 

Shreveport and Bossier City are pretty much twin cities serperated by this cool, funky looking bridge.

 

 

 

 

There is something about this photograph below that I really like. We were driving by so I couldn't get a straight clean shot, but I really enjoy the parts that I did capture. It is enough to give the viewer a feeling about the place. The rough, hand drawn text, scratched up door and overall colours used have such a Louisiana feel to them - raw, rugged with plenty of character!

 

Many of the surrounding neighbourhoods were very run down and obviously poor areas. All of the houses have so much charm and character but really need some TLC. Many of them looked like they were about to collapse at any moment. Of course a lot of the homes were very nice too, they varied from neighbourhood to neighbourhood.

The sun was setting so we headed back for some dinner, our new LA favourite - Blackened Alligator!

Hopefully I will be able to get some shots of the parade this weekend.

 

 

 

 

BEAN TOWN - BOSTON, MA

I recently flew into Boston to stay with my old roomate Carrie. We spent the weekend exploring the city, eating plenty of delicious seafood and making the most of the many pubs, bars and oyster houses.

What a great weekend...

 

The weather was perfect and the leaves were beautiful, they were glowing with rich warm colours.

My eye always seems to be drawn to repetitive, geometric lines and shapes. There were plenty of them around the city.

 The side of a Trader Joes grocery store had these murals all over the brick walls, it looked pretty cool.

 

The sun shines through...

 

I love the bright colours throughout this photograph, they are so vibrant and appealing.

MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) has very unique geometric architecture, the school really has an original style.

 

Some shots of Boston from Cambridge.

 

Everyone has always told me I would love Boston as it is one of the oldest cities and quite a lot like England in many ways. The photograph below reminds me of a structure you may find in London. The colours are warm and compliment each other nicely.

 

Beacon Hill

The photograph below has a mystical feel to it, I think the lovely shades of blue & green as well as the weeping willows really add to the atmosphere.

Strike a Pose...

San Antonio Zoo

What a beautiful day in San Antonio, Texas. The perfect time to go visit the local zoo.

It had a good variety of animals and plenty of room for them to roam and play.

The blurriness in the photograph below adds energy to the image showing how quickly these cats can move and pounce.

The butterfly Avery housed all kinds of beautiful butterflies. This one below looked a little beaten up, his wings are so delicate and paper thin.

 

The three photographs below have a real safari feel to them. To me they don't look like they were taken at a zoo. Their profiles are strong and confident against a baron looking landscape.

 

This Rhino was so cool looking, he was covered in mud and very entertaining to watch.

 

The tiger above looks as though it could have been taken somewhere in Asia. He was lapping up the sun against these high stone walls.

Japanese Coy fish.

  

I hate to see any animal caged, but at least each area was spacious and clean.

Squirrels were the only animals roaming free at the zoo.

The Reptile House.

The colours in these photos are a little strange due to the inside lighting.

I think they came out pretty good considering they were taken through a glass window.

These alligators weren't behind a window, they had a lot of room to live in.

They sat completely still like this the entire time we were watching them. I think they were trying to out smarten us by camouflaging, sorry to tell ya guys you stand out by a mile!

Time to go, we explored the zoo and had a good time doing it!

See ya next time...

Lose Yourself in Brighton

I love to mix all the elements of my art together. I believe that the best art, the best food and the best music comes from a mixture of different styles, cultures and generations.

That is why the art of collages is so intriguing to me. Using all my own photographs I think of a theme that I want to express. I either go out and photograph areas that will aid this idea or use images from previous shoots. I blow them up to all different sizes and also get multiple copies made of various photographs. I may collage other materials into the piece when appropriate, like I did with the map below which I got a Brighton train station.

Below is an idea I had driving to Brighton one weekend last summer. This idea popped into my head whilst driving along the seafront and into the city.

 

Lose Yourself in Brighton

When you ask people what comes to mind when they hear the name Brighton, they will often say....
The pebble beach, the pier (old & new) and of course the Pavilion.
I wanted to make a piece of art to represent the other side of Brighton, the side I see when I visit.
My aim was to include the work of the many street artists, the musicians, the stunning architecture and of course all the fun seaside necessities (seagulls/boats/cockles and mussels).

      

I put the typical Brighton monuments in the mirrors to signify the past and the history of Brighton that still remains, whether it be a fallen pier or a magnificent palace.  I often look past these monuments when I am there and indulge myself in the fun, culture and buzzing creative life Brighton has to offer.

 

The airplanes around the doorway were photos that I took of some graffiti, blowing them up big adds more drama to the piece. The musicians bring a lot to the collage. They appear to be engulfed by the colours and action happening around them.

Above is a detail of the collage

To be honest I dont think that these photos really do the collage justice, but it gives you an idea of how I create them.

All photographs were taken by myself and each one was captured in the city of Brighton.
The dimensions of the piece are 4.5ft x 3.5ft, it is mounted on gator board.

It now hangs in the office of MeerKat works, a Brighton based advertising company. www.meerkatworks.co.uk

You may have seen some of my previous collages, if not be sure to take a look in the 'Collage' album on the right hand side on my blog. Feel free to leave any comments I would love to get some feedback on this piece.  I am planning to do this for all my favourite cities around the world, viewing them all from different perspectives, not only from a car.

To me, this collage is an advertisement for Brighton.
'Lose yourself in Brighton' and see where its path will take you...

 

Its Texas Time...

    February is Rodeo month in San Antonio, so we headed on down to the AT&T center to check it out.

Unfortunately, the actual rodeo part didn't start until that night, but there was plenty going on beforehand to keep us entertained. A variety of Petting zoos, crazy rides and all sorts of food stands covered the area.

Not to mention all kinds of interesting characters.

There were enormous bulls out the back of the carnival area.

These animals were huge and the strangest looking things I had ever seen. Each of them had saddle shaped humps coming out of their backs with crazy looking faces. Considering the size of them and the odd look on their faces they were all pretty docile.

The photograph below came out really interesting. There was a large group of marines wondering around the carnival, they were letting loose and playing all the games. I crouched down and took a photograph looking up towards them. The angle it was taken from makes the soldiers seem so small compared to the over sized 'Shoot Out The Star' game.

Sometimes it is nice to get lost in this fun, childish world for awhile.

 It was Brent's first time at a petting zoo. This was the closest either of us had gotten to deer before.

The photograph above came out really cool. I was watching this guy slowly pull the cow across the pathway. I waited until he was perfectly positioned in the black space ahead of him and snapped away. You can almost feel the weight of the animal from the stance of the man and the cows beady eye looking not so enthusiastic about moving.

The stars & stripes rubbish bin adds an interesting focal point to the shot.

I found this scene quite interesting. It shows a line of bulls with numbers branded on their thighs. A worker with bold letters down his shirt reaches for the animals tail. Your eyes can't help but bounce back and forth between the two types of branding.

Which would you prefer to wear?

 

 Red, White & Blue

Its Cowboy Country

 

Even the coppas below were decked out in their cowboy gear!

Fun fairs, carnivals and amusement parks always seem to have the same ongoing theme...

shadows, bright colours, reflections, repetition, repetition and more repetition

       

 

I have always found close up photographs of art, signs and advertising so interesting.

The two below were part of a huge party scene painted on the side of one of rides. These two characters caught my eye, since they actually look a lot cooler by themselves.

    

Traces of glue, text and images signify time and change. The sign below really enhances this idea.

Above was another interesting character that we came across.

Repetition of shapes, text, colours, lines and symbols could be seen all over the fair.

Everywhere you looked screamed consume and buy!!

          

A real cowboy!

The sun shines down on this little boy modeling his cowboy hat, perhaps his very first one.

The soft lighting gives the scene a real dreamy effect as if this will be a proud memory.

The way this little boy is sitting really makes me smile.

He is full of confidence and attitude already filling his cowboy boots so very perfectly.

We didn't make it to the actual rodeo but hopefully next week we can stop by. I'm sure there will be plenty more fascinating people and scenes to capture on camera.

Check back often, Texas is an interesting place.

 

 

 

 

2010...It's experimenting time.

This 5ft chica is back and ready to share a ton of ideas that have been hiding up her sleeve!

It is 2010 a fresh, brand new decade.

I have a new company, new ideas and plenty of ambition.

Art is constantly changing. Your life can do a 180 in a second and before you know it nothing seems the same. Over the last year a lot has transformed in my life as well as in my mind, especially creatively. Traveling to new places, meeting new people and experiencing brand new things has helped develop my photography, painting and collage work.

One of my new years revolutions was to experiment more with my art and the media that I use.

I hope that you will continue to follow my work and see what I see through the lens...

I am currently in San Antonio Texas. The city is pretty spread out and I am car less at the moment so there is not a whole lot to photograph around the hotel.

When inspiration is lacking, I have found that the simpler things in life, those everyday objects, designs, textures and signs can really make some great art.

Try not to overlook these basic items.

Steps leading into the pool.

A David Hockney influence can definitely be seen throughout my photography and paintings.

I think that it stems from being raised in the UK and then moving to a warm US state, similarly to David Hockney. The way of life is so different and often revolves around the pool, especially in Arizona when it is over 100 degrees. The minimal geometric lines, shapes and signs found around a pool edge contrast against the free flowing, inviting water within. 

                          

I love, love, love the wispy marks in the background, it resembles energetic brush strokes in a painting. 

This photograph has a real Christmas feel to it, don't you agree?

I think it is the shades of red along with the frosty grey atmosphere created in the background.

The survivors

 

Here we go....


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In Bruges

The Venice of the North




Bruges is a really lovely, canal based city in Belgium. It is full of beautiful architecture, tasty food and delicious (strong) beer.  It is sometimes known as the Venice of the north due to the number of canals that surround the city.

The last time I went there I was 8yrs old, so it was nice to return to Bruges and take a proper look around. This time with my camera.




We took the ferry from Dover to Dunkirk and then rented a car to drive through France down to Bruges.
Jeanne, Brent's mum, loved it as she hadn't been on a ferry like this before and it was great as we got to go to three countries in only one day.




Aboard the ferry

Hopefully those clouds will pass and give us some sunshine!!




Neighbouring Boat
 




Looking into the deep deep blue

I love the motion and gorgeous colour in this photo.

 



The Town Hall sits in Burg Square. This area is full of lovely shops, bars and amazing restaurants.
The details on this building are amazing. I am really drawn to the medieval chimneys and spires due to the different colours being so bold and appealing.





The back streets are my favourite place to wonder through in any European city. That's always where you find the quaint, traditional restaurants and experience the true atmosphere and culture of the city.





Teapots in the market






You have got to love all the chocolate in Bruges, soooooo tasty!!!









This shop is a sweet lovers paradise, it was really colourful and charming.
They were giving out samples of all the different cookies. We stayed in there for quite awhile.





The architecture in Bruges is very original. Each building is completely different in colour and brick. They all seem to have a similar shape and size but the different windows and colours make it so much more interesting.






Small foot steps





Looking at Bruges

I couldn't resist a photo of Brent and his aviators. They always call for such great shots and capture so many wonderful sights and natural reactions. Plus using his face in the photo creates a double take on a specific view, its as though I am showing the viewer what Brent sees.





Traditional Ways





The Power of Art





Brugge Blowing in the Wind





Thirsty?






Bruges, Belgium





Take Your Pick





Time Stands Tall

I like this photograph. It almost looks like a very traditional ink drawing because the detail and shading in the building create this effect. The wispy clouds enhance the idea of movement across the sky, contrasting against the very still tower.





I created a dreamy effect in this photo. It shows the everyday activities that occur before this grand building in Burg Square. The horse stands strong and tall against this powerful, important building.





I wasn't able to get a particularly great shot of this dog, however I thought that I would include it anyway because it made us laugh. We were taking a canal ride through the city and we sailed right past this dog in the window, we took a photo and thought nothing else of it, just that it was a sweet dog. When we got back to England we decided to watch the movie 'In Bruges' with Colin Farrel, and what did we see in one of the scenes as they sail down a canal...the same dog sitting in the window watching everyone go by!
It was really quite funny. He must be pretty well known around the city as that movie is a few years old now and he's still just chilling, hanging out of the same window.





Old Friends




Old Times






These photographs give you a better view of the city and what the canals look like.









It was lovely and sunny for most of the day and then all of a sudden it began to downpour. Of course we were on a boat and couldn't really escape it until we got to a bridge for shelter. We were joined by fellow canal riders until the rain stopped which was only about 5 minutes later, then out came the sun.




Sailing By





Watching On





Mother Swan






Here is another example of the beautiful architecture in Bruges. It is full of such charm and elaborate decor. The use of bold colours and contrasting structural styles really draws attention to the buildings making the city so much more unique and appealing.



 

Here We Are


Unfortunately our day had come to an end. It was lovely to explore the city for a second time and everyone seemed to have had a really great time, especially when it came to happy hour and chocolate sampling time. We drove back to France and boarded the ship to head back home.




 
Looking Down





After a 2.5hr crossing we made it back to the motherland. It was amazing that we had been in three countries in just one day.


 I think we might try Ireland next. We have sampled delicious Belgium beer in Bruges, it's probably time to try some real Guinness in Dublin.

Hever Castle

The Home Of Anne Boleyn




We set out for a day of history, culture and sunshine.

Hever Castle is in the county of Kent so it isn't too far from our house, it is known for being the home of the Boleyn family. As Anne Boleyn was the most famous of Henry VIII's wives Brent and his mum were really interested in seeing the castle and where Anne grew up.
 You are able to get such a strong sense of what it was like back in the 1500's.






The castle isn't particularily big compared to others around the country but the gardens, lakes and sculptures are what really add to the property.







The famous window from which Anne supposedly looked out of as Henry rode to and from the castle.  You can picture it clearly when you stand inside this old house, it is so full of history and no doubt lots of secrets. Unfortunately I wasn't allowed to take any photographs from inside the castle so you will have to imagine what all the furniture and decor looked like.


 



The houses below were old guest houses and are also used by the present owner of Hever Castle.

How lovely would that be to stay in one of these properties.






A view from inside the court yard. I love the typical Tudor style houses, recognised for the black and white effect.










As I said earlier the gardens of Hever Castle really make it so much prettier. The English rose garden is absolutely beautiful, they have every colour that you can think of and the smell is gorgeous as you walk through the gardens on your way to the castle.






This fountain below is in the Italian garden and a feeling of Italy is definitely felt. The columns and fountains really enhance this as well as the numerous amount of sculptures around the gardens and castle.






Textures from the past.





More photographs of the gardens.
Gorgeous!










Lily pad hearts





Garden Rumpy Pumpy =)
















The colours surrounding the castle add to the beauty and romance of Hever.






Three sweet little girls skip and play in the grounds. You cannot help but experience the fairytale almosphere whilst visiting a gorgeous castle like Hever as a child.






There is a lovely little moat that surrounds the whole of the castle.
Its main purpose was to act as a defense mechanism, making it harder for the enemy to get to the castle. Now a days it definitely adds to the beauty of Hever Castle and its gardens. The moat is full of fish, they were massive and all kinds of beautiful colours.

 There are a few photos below to show you what I mean.









 





We called it a day and headed back to the car. The sun was shining and some tasty dinner and wine in the back garden was starting to sound way too good.





Right Back At Ya....


See you on our next day trip to Bruges, Belgium!!!!

Margate's Big Event

The Air Show

Last weekend was Margate's Big Event, the annual air show. It is conveniently located about 5mins from my mum's house, it is right along the clifftops so it is brilliant for us as it becomes so so busy around Margate during this event, it attracts 10's of 1000's of people each year. It must be  a nightmare to park but luckily we can just casually stroll on down to the seafront to check it all out.

One of the main acts is the red arrows display. The nine planes dart back and forth across the sky in perfect harmony leaving a red or blue trail behind them.
I was very impressed with the red arrows this year they put on a good display that must have lasted about 45 minutes. They initially stay very uniformed and then they begin to go there separate ways coming much lower to the crowd and clifftops.

Peeking Thru

I really like this photograph of the Red Arrows. I took it whilst peeking through the wire fence on our way down to the event. I thought that I would get a cool effect from the wire shapes, which I think I did. I also took this picture as I found myself to be way to short and couldnt see over the top of the silly fence!!
But hey it captured the planes from a different angle as well including the ship below to give some perspective on the height that they were flying.

The photograph above came out pretty cool as well, it reminds me of a firework.
What a fun job those pilots have.







Where all the madness happens!

There was so much stuff going on from every angle.




The usual funfair games and toys to be won.








Sweeties and Candy Floss.





I avoided this ride like the plague.
 We went on it last year and that was enough to last me a lifetime, it goes so fast.
 I used to love all these rides but Im such a woss these days.
Ill go on a roller coaster anyday though!




Circus Circus and Helicopter rides






A lot of the rides were really intense, it definitely felt like we were at a circus at some points. There was different music coming from each ride and they were all positioned really close together. It was manic and I was in my element with my camera.
This really gives the sense of movement and speed.








Playing around with over exposure. Brightening up the background intensifies the colours and movement throughout the Twister ride.








There was music playing throughout the day, these guys were very good. Nice and chill with a bit of Jazz, good Saturday afternoon tunes.










Of course when there is music and crowds of people there are blokes and their beer.
I thought this picture was a pretty stereotypical view from the air show.
I'm not going to lie I had quite a few beers tucked away in my bag too, it all part of the fun of it.






.....and don't forget the chips!





If you like people watching this is the place to be. Whenever there is a free event people from all walks of life tend to appear from all over the place. It was definitely pretty amusing and I think the photographs below gives you an idea of what it was like.




The Motley Crew











You have got to love the Ferris Wheel a signature funfair ride.





The Merry-Go-Round too, very ummm Traditional...





 



Helicopter rides from the golf course.




Heres that ride again... No Thank You!
I do really like all the colours against the lovely blue sky though.




I really enjoy the shot above it looks so intense, they literally look like they are going to be thrown up into the sky. Their screaming faces say it all.




These were another set of planes (Im not sure what they were called) they had a person on the front of each one who seemed to be doing some sort of acrobatics, it was pretty impressive.




The paint job is quite deceiving, it makes the planes look like they are upside down.




Final shot of the Air Show/Fun Fair.

It was a really good weekend, lots going on and as I said before people from all walks of life turned up for it, Margate never fails to be interesting.
It was quite depressing watching the workers as they began to take it all down over the next couple of days. The weather was gorgeous as was the sunset which made for a great photo showing the silouettes of the rides and tents as they began to dismantle.




We will see you all next year!

THE COLOURS OF SUMMER TIME



The sun is shining on this lovely June morning, it is all good here in Planet Thanet.  It was a good day for relaxing in the garden, having a glass of vino and then a taking a nice evening stroll on the beach.

The aim of this blog post is to capture the colours of summer and hopefully make everyone smile on this gorgeous sunny day!




Mum and I playing around with reflections....and wine bottles!


The washing Line
Its an English garden must have. I never really paid much attention to it before I lived in the States. It is funny how when you have been away for awhile you seem to notice so many simple everyday things that have always been around.
It creates great shadows on the grass, especially when the clothes are blowing in the wind. I may try a series of these with some really funky shadows.

This is another thing I have noticed since I have been back, the spider webs. There are loads of them all over the place. I don't know the last time I saw a spider in Arizona, it must be due to the different climates. Although I must say the spiders here are generally small and harmless in Arizona they're pretty scary and HUGE!!

Shadows from the tree on our garden fence. Such lovely lines and textures in the wood. This photo would look great massive.

Daisy patch

An old wives tale is that if a crow builds its nest at the very top of a tree, we are in for a hot summer. These crows couldn't have gone any higher, so lets hope that they are right.

Crows Watch Over Their Nest
My mum actually took this photograph, it came out really good.
Nice work mum!

I like the dreamy effect that this photograph portrays. The contrast between the colours in the flowers and grass really pulls you in.

Chim chiminey
Chim chiminey
Chim chim cher-ee!

Into The Distance
This photograph has a lovely calming effect.

Birchington Beach

Birchington beach again, it is so pretty walking along the clifftops.

Remains washed in by the tide. Shells, rocks and pieces of bottles are just some of the things you will find along the Thanet shores.

Little Holly

Making the most of the sunshine

I love the colours in this shot. The bright blue sky against the white chalk cliffs and the green mossy wall.

I forget how much I love walking along these beaches. The colours, soft sand and fresh sea air are always so inviting.

The photographs below were taken in the sand dunes where there are always plants and flowers growing.

I have never seen orange poppy's before they were gorgeous.

You can understand why JMW Turner thought Thanet had some of the prettiest skies in Europe.

You cant beat that bright orange sunset shining down on the clifftops as you make your way home.