Surreal Morning

 

Surreal Morning

Sometimes, reality is amazing!!  This images were just as they appeared on a very special morning in Galveston!

Early Morning Colors

One Morning, as my husband and I were driving along Galveston Island in search of birds, we came across this surreal sight. The play of morning mist, the angle of the sunrise’s light, and the vegetation in the area all combined to make this a pastel morning view.

Morning Field

It was a misty morning, and the sun’s morning colors turned this view of a field into something magical.  It felt like my husband and I were driving through a fairy tale of some kind!

Morning Layers

The sun was rising in the morning sky, so colors were becoming more intense.  Still, the mist on the ground, stronger sun and fields along the horizon all combined to create a vibrant layered view of world around.

Morning Light

The pond was quiet.  The birds either hadn’t yet been or had been and were gone from their morning feed.  The mist was still clutching the shoreline shrubs, but the warm rays of the sun were there, reflected in the red orange of grasses along another part of the shore. 

Enjoy!

Note:  All of these images are available in a variety of sizes and formats on my online gallery – https://fineartamerica.com/profiles/nadine-berg

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gloomy Day Art

 

Gloomy Day Art

Even gloomy days can make for some great images!  Take a look!

Stormy Day

There’s nothing like watching and waiting out a storm from the comfort of your own beach house.  This scene reminds me of times when I wished I could be alone with the beach and water, especially on a stormy day.

Take Off

This image is a study in grey – the grey light of the day, grey waves, and shades of grey on the seagull as he’s caught, memorialized forever, as he’s about to take off and lift into flight into the great beyond.  The awkward grace of lift off is always amazing to me.

Enjoy!

Note:  All of these images are available in a variety of sizes and formats on my online gallery – https://fineartamerica.com/profiles/nadine-berg

 

 

 

 

 

Dawn on the Beach

 

Dawn on the Beach

Sometimes, getting up really early has its rewards – like the day I photographed the sunrise on Galveston Beach!!

Daybreak Flight

It’s truly quilte peaceful to watch the seagulls flying over the shore along the beach, periodically diving to capture breakfast.  With the sun just breaking over the horizon, it’s truly a moment that one carries throughout the rest of the day.

Early Morning

This view was the reward for rising early in the morning.  A walk on the beach, watching the sunrise.  I can’t think of a more peaceful way to begin the day!

Morning Flight

The morning was just quiet enough to be able to hear the seagull’s wings as he took flight.  The waves seemed to be willing to give him the spotlight for the moment, and the sun hadn’t yet risen to assume its place as star of this morning show.

Seagull Morning

It’s dawn, before daybreak, and a lone seagull is on morning patrol.  He’s silhouetted against the light blue of the sky and seems impervious to the beauty behind him.  It reminded me of how frequently we take nature’s beauty for granted.

Enjoy!

Note:  All of these images are available in a variety of sizes and formats on my online gallery – https://fineartamerica.com/profiles/nadine-berg

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beachy Art Gallery

Here are several pieces of art inspired by the beach on Galveston Island.  Take a moment, put your feet up, grab a cup of tea or glass of wine, and enjoy.

Battling the Waves

One day, when the winds were up and the waves were pounding the beach, I saw a kayaker out in the surf, seemingly battling the waves to either stay out in the water, or subsequently, get out of the waves and to shore.  The seagulls seemed to be encouraging him to give it up for the day and head in!

Beach Access

Oh, the walk seems so long over the bridge to get to the beach, over the dune grass.  Although the bridge wasn’t terribly long, at the moment that I captured this image, it felt like we’d never get there!

Beach Dune

The day my husband and I walked the beaches of Galveston Island, the breezes created some beautifully textured sand dunes.  These small dunes complement the expanse of beach sand and the waters of the Gulf of Mexico in the distance.  Small sand ripples expand out to waves of sand and then onto the waves of water. 

Driftwood

It’s not often that I come across a perfectly weathered, semi-sand covered and positioned piece of driftwood.  This was one of those rare times and the overcast clouds added the subtle light that perfectly balanced sea, sky, sand and the driftwood.  The tufts of dune grass and lack of footsteps make this a perfectly peaceful setting.

Postcard from Yesterday

I saw an intimate portrait of nature when walking along the beach and used it as the foundation for this piece.  The seashells traveled from afar, and the leaf from much closer to this landing place.  It reminded me of travel, both near and far, and so I incorporated the vintage postcard to speak to the past, and whatever travels might have been.

Soaring

Walking along the Galveston beaches, one of my favorite views is that of the seagulls soaring in the sky above the crashing waves.  This gull looks rather large to me, but there are several varieties, so this is apparently one of the larger ones!  In any event, I love the gull and the background of the sky.  So very uplifting.

The Beach House

One of the things that one frequently sees when traveling up or down Galveston Island, are beach houses on stilts.  The reality is that Galveston Island is a barrier island and does get flooded at times during bad storms or hurricanes, so stilted houses seem to be a requirement, at least for the newer homes.  To me, this scene evokes the peacefulness that can come with living in a beach house, somewhat removed from others – almost a true island experience!

Enjoy!

 Note:  All images are available in a variety of sizes and finishes at my online gallery at https://fineartamerica.com/profiles/nadine-berg.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Abandoned Treasures

 

Abandoned Treasures

While looking for ghost towns, Jeff and I came across a few treasures that were abandoned, just like the towns…

Mellow Time

A quote from William Allingham seemed the most appropriate sentiment, not only for autumn, but also for this image.  The warm color of the leaves still on the tree relaxes you and invites you to sit back, enjoy their color, and just chill.

Shotgun House

A house you can see all the way through from front to back was called a shotgun house.  This view through this deserted house look a bit like a manmade tunnel.  The colors of the walls from outside and proceeding through to the back doorway, offer a bit of a rainbow in the tunnel!

Wood and Nails

The outside weather has worn this wood into something magical.  The tones of the wood, from dark brown to almost translucent gold makes the popped nails truly stand out against the golden tones.  The crisscross of the wood panels adds some texture and pattern in a bit of a random way.  It all fits together to form an interesting design.

Enjoy!

 

 

Treasurers of Lost Dutchman Mine

 

Treasures of Lost Dutchman Mine

No, we didn’t find the mythical Lost Dutchman Mine in the area around Apache Junction, Arizona.  But we did see some treasures the area had to offer!

Sunrise at Lost Dutchman

One morning, while camping at Lost Dutchman State Park in Arizona, we happened to be up and about just as the sun was rising over the Superstition Mountains.  Although the sky promised a sunny day, the west side of the mountains and shrubbery was still in shadow, creating a very serene, peaceful scene.

Desert Bloom

Along the road called the Apache Trail, just outside of Apache Junction, Arizona, I spied this lovely example of the sort of “desert bloom” one can see in the high desert climate.  Enough moisture for this tree to get a good start on life, but not enough to sustain it in the long run.  The ruggedness of the area, and the dry, barren look of the tree, just seemed perfect for a black and white version of this scene.

Enjoy!

Note:  These images are available in a variety of sizes and formats from my online gallery at https://fineartamerica.com/profiles/nadine-berg.

 

Lagoon Series

 

Lagoon Series

While at a Dead Horse Ranch State Park in Arizona, Jeff and I went for a morning stroll among the series of lagoons in the park.  Although we didn’t walk around all of them, it certainly has given us a reason for a return trip – to see what the rest have in store for us….

Fall Morning

As Jeff and I walked a path around some lagoons at a state park in Arizona, the air was calm and the water still.  The fall colors of rich gold, green and touches of brown radiated a warmth that couldn’t help but infect the spirit.

Calm Morning

When the weather is turning from summer to fall, a walk on a calm, clear morning will cure just about anything that ails a person.  If you look closely, you can see a fisherman on the shoreline.  When I walked by him and asked what he expected to catch, he replied “Nothing”, with a big smile on his face.  Somehow, I don’t think he was there for the fish.

Nature’s Calm

It’s not often that I’m in the perfect place at the perfect time to get such a wonderful reflection of nature.  The reflection of the mountains, trees, and grasses are offset by the cattails in the foreground and the moss on some sunken logs..  It’s a perfect start to the day.

Morning Constitutional

Even the ducks have to get some exercise; in their case, it was on the way to breakfast!  The warm sunlight lit up the mountains and the treetops, while the cool shade enveloped the ducks and presented a nice contrast to a serene scene.

Mirror

Sometimes the most enchanting views are right at our feet.  That was the case with these sea grass plants.  The morning was perfectly calm, and allowed for me to capture what looks to be a mirror image of the grass.  It’s almost mesmerizing in its simple elegance.

Enjoy!

Note:  Each of these images is available in a variety of sizes and formats from my online gallery at https://fineartamerica.com/profiles/nadine-berg.