Sunday, July 14, 2013

I found a penny

Today while I was taking my walk I found a penny.  It was head side up which is good luck.  But instead of picking it up I just took a picture.  That way I could take it with me and leave it for someone else to find.

My Mother's Inventions
A few years ago I met an artist named Kim Enloe at a art festival in Houston Texas.  His photographs were of unusual things that he would find embedded in concrete and asphalt. They were serendipitous finds of objects that were beautiful shapes and symbols.  He had a website where you could send in images of things you found. When I found the penny today it reminded me of his work. I had a copy of his autographed book on my shelf. I would show you his images but they are copyright protected.  I searched for his website, but it's no longer his domain name.  I searched for him and his work but no luck.  His book is still available - just click on the link under the picture.


Here's an article about Kim Enloe from 2008:  http://www.chron.com/neighborhood/heights-news/article/Artist-gives-new-life-to-discarded-objects-found-1791917.php.  The images he calls The Collected.  These are true urban art forms.  Images that are literally part of the community.  Items that you walk past everyday but barely notice.  But when you do stop and take a look you will see a beautiful simplicity.

Collect found objects:

  1. Take a walk every day this week with your cell phone in hand.
  2. Open your eyes and look for interesting things on the ground, on buildings, in the woods or in the sky.
  3. Take pictures with your cell phone getting as close to the objects as possible.
  4. Create a slide show or print the images and create a collage.




So keep your eyes open and you'll notice the endless beauty in our world.  And take the images home with you, leaving the object behind for someone else to stumble upon.  I'm going to keep looking for Mr. Enloe on the internet.  Maybe he's still looking for additions for his collection.

"This life unfolds from a formless source."
                                      - Muktananda

3 comments:

  1. There is a website similar to this full of found letters: http://foundmagazine.com/category/find-of-the-day/
    It is really neat!

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  2. This is a great idea. I have done similar things as I have been learning to practice presence and mindfulness. I try to discourage my pre-schooler from picking flowers as we pass people's landscaped and beautifully tended flowers. Instead I take pictures of the flowers for her.

    I used to not see myself as a visually artistic person. Now thanks to my iPhone camera and the various free apps like Mixel, Pic Collage, Greetings Studio, and Instagram, I am able to create visually interesting images to use on my blog in conjunction with my writing.

    Great post.

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