“Nature as Art” was the name of my little photo business for a few years in Nashville and I was reminded of that theme during my week at Maquenque with lots of “little things” I photographed and enjoyed just seeing! 🙂
As much as I love most art, no artist can compete with the creative handiwork of God in Nature!
All art is but imitation of nature. ~Seneca the Younger
For more of Maquenque “Nature as Art” see these galleries:
Flowers in the wild here are for me kind of like birds and butterflies, I find new ones almost every time I go into the forest! Here’s 14 more added to yesterday’s photo. CLICK an image to enlarge and enjoy! I’m still working on the bird photos which may take a few more days or I may present them in little groups also. Keep reading!
Yes – these all grow wild in the rainforest even if they have moved some up near the lodge. And I really tried to get a name for each flower which I did for the 13 today and for all but 3 of the 14 for tomorrow. I make a big deal out of all the birds here and could just as easily for all the unique flowers. Enjoy and remember to CLICK an image to enlarge.
Today I spent some time in the garden trying to be Georgia O’Keeffe with her oversize flowers, curves and colorful shapes in leaves, mountains or whatever she painted. I love her work! Here’s 10 of about 100 photos I made today in the garden.
It was also a “practice” for next week when I will be at Maquenque Lodge, not only photographing lots of birds, but hopefully some “Nature as Art” photos of many other natural creations in that beautiful wilderness setting, partly from my tree-house room! 🙂 Click an image to enlarge it or start manual slideshow.
Art is born of the observation and investigation of nature.
No new flower or wildlife in these photos, but each one is a new expression of “nature as art” as I walked through my garden Sunday with camera in hand. I love doing this occasionally and though maybe the same subjects, the art is different each time!
Crown of Thorns
Blue Plumbago
Tibouchina or Princess Flower
Thornless Crown of Thorns
Clay-colored Thrush or Yigüirro singing in the rain.
Green Orchid Bee on Porter Weed
Once de Abril
Golden Shrimp Plant
Polydamas Swallowtail on Porter Weed
Shampoo Ginger
Torch Ginger
Triquitraque
Bougainvillea
Southern Broken Dash Skipper on Once de Abril plant
God’s Confetti — Bougainvillea
And that Yigüirro is singing his heart out every day now “calling the rains in” which happens every April in anticipation of the May rains or the beginning of the rainy season, our winter here. That is why he is the national bird of Costa Rica.
This morning after breakfast on the terrace I walked through my garden searching for butterflies (got only one) and instead was attracted to the many shapes, colors and textures in my garden (as I often am) – a gallery of modern art! Of Nature as Art! Enjoy what I saw through the slide show this morning:
And from my galleries you can download the digital files for free (down pointing arrow at bottom of enlarged image) or buy prints or wall art of the images (Click “Buy” button).
“Nature as Art” is what I called my little retirement hobby photo business from around 2004 to 2008, selling art photos out of 3 galleries in Nashville and in Arts & Crafts Fairs all over Tennessee and thrice out-of-state. It was fun at first but soon became hard work with back aches from lifting boxes and tent set-up, etc. and bottom line was my “hobby” was costing me more money than I was making! +Back aches! So I quit in 2008 and had no more back aches! Here’s a slideshow of some of my shows in 2006-2007, my peak year:
Nature as Art: Charlie Doggett Photography 2007
Webb School Arts & Crafts Fair, Bell Buckle, TN
In the Largest Antique Mall in Nashville
Franklin, TN Mainstreet Festival
Webb School Arts & Crafts Fair, Bell Buckle, TN
Annual Christmas Fair Nashville
White Oak Crafts Fair, Woodbury, TN
One of my current efforts is to get all my old favored photos preserved in my online gallery as my only backup in the “cloud.” I have added the old sales photos from my computer organized by the sizes I printed them for sale back then. You can look at them and/or order prints from the SmugMug connected quality vendors, just like you can with any of my Costa Rica photos. 🙂
When you click “BUY” at the bottom right of an opened photo you choose first “Paper Prints” or “Wall Art.” The latter menu includes metal images, my new favorite and they have my old favorite of canvas. Check it out on an image you like from these old Tennessee photos with the most options appearing on the popular sizes back then of 8×10, 8.5×11, and 11×14:
I’m not reviving this memory for money with only a $1 markup on an order credited to me. But as a service for anyone who likes to decorate with photo art, especially Nature as Art! 🙂 Their print options are high-quality and cheaper than I could sell them in my business back then! 🙂
I still have my “Enjoying Retirement” business cards but these are for a select few wanting photos:
NOTICE: I introduced a NEW BUSINESS CARD in September 2018 with one of my bird photos.
Okay, I’m not resurrecting my old photography business in the full sense, but a few persons have asked about getting my photos, so using what is already online, my photos are available for order through three websites I already use. Those sites produce the items and make the money with a small % to me.
For Wall Art the Smugmug Shop has good options (click “BUY” at bottom of enlarged photo) and my new favorite is the wall art photo printed on metal in the glossy format.I’ve ordered several for my house walls here in Costa Rica – birds of course! 🙂 There are several other items available with any of my photos printed on them under the headings of “Keepsakes” and “Phone Cases” and the best part is there are more photos to choose from on my Smugmug gallery!
The Cafe Press shop THIS SHOP CLOSED was set up years ago with Tennessee + USA photos you can still order if you like and one old Costa Rica Birds Calendar. I am slowly adding new Costa Rica photos here and items not available on my newer Smugmug Shop like T-shirts and calendars. See the direct link to Costa Rica Birds T-Shirts below. I plan to add some new bird calendars soon, then other items. Slowly! I’m retired! 🙂
My Bookstore is another animal! I mainly make the photo books for my own personal enjoyment and a way to show some of my photos to other people here locally. One of each is available to see in my Living Room. And all are available for purchase and include more than just reports on trips. I have even put a lifetime of scrapbooks together photographically in a 4-volume biography set of books for family history buffs. And yeah, there may be a fifth volume eventually about my retirement in Costa Rica. 🙂
The business cards were recently ordered and will be used locally when someone here asks about buying my photos. But you guys in the states have the same access to internet orders with less expensive shipping and no import tax, so maybe they are a better deal for you! 🙂 Enjoy!
Nature As Art
Costa Rica Style
Though I have this wall too full (cluttered), here are examples of both metal and canvas wall art photos.
Atenas, Costa Rica
-o-
THIS SHOP CLOSED
Costa Rica Birds on T-Shirts(CLICK title to see all 30+ choices)
Squirrel Cuckoo Men’s Classic T-Shirt
If you like birds and like having them on T-Shirts, here’s 30+ choices of birds you can wear on a very high quality T-Shirt from my CafePress.com store. (More to be added) In another section of that store you can find more birds on T-Shirts that I photographed earlier in various places in the United States including the Florida Everglades & Nashville Zoo. And also other products like calendars, coffee mugs or canvas tote bags. Fun!
MEN & WOMEN’S T-SHIRTS INCLUDED ON ALL 30+ BIRD CHOICES!