Isn’t this magnolia stunning?
It’s a photograph that was taken by Robin Scanlon of Ramblings, and she won second place for it as her entry in the Association of Hawaii Artists show at Honolulu Hale this past Wednesday. The first time I saw Robin’s magnolias on Ramblings they took my breath away, and I had no doubt she’d win!
Here’s what the juror, Michael Naylor said:
Second Place, Robin Scanlon, Quiet Presentation
Upon first viewing this photograph I asked myself "where is this place?" After looking a second time I realized I was looking at the interior of a flower. Ms. Scanlon’s photograph evokes a serene sense of place. Viewers are transported to a wonderful dream-like realm of contemplation. The image seems to gently glow as it invites us inside to explore. What makes this work successful is not simply technical prowess but the artists ability to alter our perception and re-evaluate our perspective.
I have had the pleasure of knowing Robin for quite some time and have seen much of her work (Robin took photos for me at both of my children’s first year birthdays :-). In her hands, and through her eyes, photography becomes an art form.
Robin has a special and very generous gift of Aloha for our Ho‘ohana Community: She will be giving me more visual tastes of Hawaii to share with all of you here on Talking Story on an ongoing basis. This, her prize-winning magnolia is but the first photo that will grace this site.
I’m going to have a hard time parting with it when she sends me another!
When I discovered Robin was blogging, I was so pleased to add her to our Ho‘ohana Online Community, confident that she would give all of you a much better feel for the beauty and variety of Hawaii than I could ever hope to with mere words alone (and in her travels she sees much more of the islands than I do.)
Do visit Robin on Ramblings for more visual splendor and for some real fun shots too (I love Dog Driving). If Robin is actually in the picture (very rare) then it was probably taken by her husband Kris, who is also an exceptional photographer. It was Kris who took my author photo for the jacket of my book, Managing with Aloha.
Welcome Robin, to our Ho‘ohana Online Community, and mahalo nui loa, thank you for the gift of art you so generously share with us. We all need more beauty in our world.