In part two of my session with Hawai'i Artist Wai'ala of Petals and Pigments, she showed me the process for dying natural fiber fabrics in an indigo vat.
Read MoreArtist Series: Petals and Pigments - Part Two
Artist Series: Petals and Pigments- Part One
Wai’ala is an artist, flower farmer, and natural dyer living on an off-grid homestead on the misty slopes of Mauna Loa in Hawai’i. Her work is focused on sustainability and connection to the earth. She is an amazing source of knowledge and inspiration and was generous enough to show me a few different natural dye processes during our session.
Read MoreArtist Series: Joy Ray
Joy Ray is a painter and mixed media artist who splits time between Kona, Hawaii and Los Angeles. Her work is bold and gritty, calling to mind the power of nature and other hidden forces.
Read MoreArtist Series: Nainoa Calvo - Part Two
Welcome to Part Two of Nainoa Calvo’s session! The remainder of our session that evening involved cooking up that amazing Uku. Nai then came back over to my place after he finished adding color and I was able to document him stretching the fabric over a frame and signing his print.
Read MoreArtist Series: Nainoa Calvo - Part One
Nainoa Calvo is a spearfisher and Gyotaku artist based in Hilo, Hawaii. He has a deep connection to the waters that surround these islands, and uses that to fuel and inspire his art. His passion for spearfishing is directly tied to his motivation to create these amazing prints. He may be new to the art form, but his talent is immediately evident!
Read MoreArtist Series: Amber Aguirre
Amber is a ceramic artist and sculptor based in Kona, Hawaii. She has been a full-time, working artist since she moved to Hawaii 16 years ago and is represented by some of the top galleries in the field of ceramics. Needless to say, it was a huge treat to learn more about her and her work! It was also so wonderful and soul-filling to talk conceptual art for a bit!
Read MoreArtist Series: Betty Moon Studios
Erika Betty, the owner of Betty Moon Studios, creates stunning pieces of art and functional homegoods using flora found around the Big Island of Hawaii. Her work is full of texture and life, drawing deep connections to this special island. The passion and joy she has for her art is absolutely infectious and I am so grateful for the chance to spend a morning with her, getting to know her and her art!
Read MoreArtist Series: Kristie Fujiyama Kosmides
Kristie Fujiyama Kosmides is a representational painter based in Hilo, Hawaii who draws inspiration from the natural world around her. Between the soft colors and ethereal movement, Kristie’s paintings feel almost like being in a dream. I was lucky enough to spend part of my morning in her studio, documenting her as she worked on two separate paintings.
Read MoreArtist Series: Bailey Ferguson
Bailey Ferguson is a Hawaii based artist that creates abstract paintings of the land and sea. She uses vibrant colors, bold marks, and rich textures to capture the unique essence of these spaces. I spent an amazing afternoon in her studio documenting her creating and learned so much about her process and work in general!
Read MoreArtist Series: Rebel's Roost - Part Two
The second part of my afternoon shoot with Kelli at Rebel's Roost Farm & Apiary was spent in her honey room, using the various ingredients we had gathered. She mixed up some flavored, creamed honey and made a batch of goat milk soap while I snapped away and asked millions of questions. The knowledge I gain and the people I meet are definitely part of why I love photographing makers!
Read MoreArtist Series: Rebel's Roost - Part One
In the next installment of my Artist Series, I visited Kelli of Rebel’s Roost Farm & Apiary. She walked me through the process of tending the bees in her apiary, milking goats, and finally making her amazing creamed honey and goat milk soap.
Read MoreArtist Series: Smart Shark Designs
Hawaii artist Martin Sanchez is serving up paintings and designs filled with color explosions and playful elements. I was lucky enough to spend a morning in his studio, documenting him at work on some new paintings.
Read MoreArtist Series: Moving Castle Pottery
This new series is all about the connection between an artist and the spaces they work in. In this first post of the series, I share images from my time in the studio of Moving Castle Pottery, run by Bella Freedman.
Read MoreAdventure In England: Final Episode
Oh boy, folks; prepare yourselves, this is going to be a long one.
On our second to last full day in England, we went for a long hike, starting in Windermere and winding our way through farms and over the hills in the Lake District. The morning started with a prediction (100% chance, in fact) for rain starting later in the morning, but we decided to brave it and get out there anyway.
The clouds (and humidity) started to slowly roll in as we neared our lunch destination in Troutbeck, but luckily they still held off on producing any moisture. If anything they added to the incredible views, creating a much different, and moodier, type of atmosphere for our hike.
Our pitstop for lunch was at The Mortal Man, where we enjoyed some simple sandwiches on incredibly fresh and delicious bread, and of course, local beer. The Mortal Man has been in existence since 1689, making it even more incredible that we were eating lunch on their grounds.
After lunch we continued on, starting out on Nanny Lane. It was kind of surreal walking on that country lane, as I imagine it hasn't changed much in quite a long time, and countless people have walked it before us.
Eventually we ventured off the lane and made our way up the hills, crossing over the old stone walls as we went. It is mind-boggling how many miles of those walls must exist, zig-zagging all over the countryside, and how they were all built by hand over the years.
We ended the day in Ambleside, after hiking close to 10 miles. Ambleside was a beautiful little (albeit touristy) town, with some stunning homes, and of course lots of history. We wandered around a little bit, treated ourselves to a beer at one of the pubs, and then ice cream and fudge at a local shop as well. We even stopped at the Roman Ruins that are in Ambleside, which was absolutely amazing to see.
After all that, we began the walk to the bus stop and the moment we stepped onto the bus the skies opened up, letting loose a full downpour. The timing couldn't have been a second better, and even put a nice exclamation point on the end of our time in the Lake District.
The next morning we jumped on yet another train, this time for a long ride headed to London. We had that evening to see the sites in London, though I didn't bring my camera with for that adventure. If you want to see images from that, be sure to follow me on Instagram (@aithom2), where I will be posting some images over the next few days.
Adventure In England: Part Three
Hello again! Time to dive into the third segment of images from our England trip this summer! Only one more to go after this!
After spending just over two weeks in Exeter we shifted gears and hopped on a train headed north with an end destination of Windermere. We made a pit stop in Birmingham where one of our friends is from, and he showed us around the city for the afternoon. I didn't bring my camera with, unfortunately, but I did take a bunch of images with my phone. It was really neat being in Birmingham for even just a little while, after spending all of our trip in smaller towns up to that point. This history and architecture of the city were incredible, and they have done some really cool things updating/modernizing areas as well.
The next morning we were up and moving again, on the train heading still farther north to Windermere. We arrived in Windermere that evening with just enough time for a quick hike, so we took advantage of that, along with the good weather, and explored around a little bit.
I was in awe of the landscape there, with the vast rolling hills and intense green surrounding us. The views of the city, farms, and lake below us were absolutely stunning, and no matter which direction I looked it made me stop in my tracks just to take it in. It was also a really unique experience because the trails are on private farmland, amongst the animals, and you use steps placed in the stone walls to continue on the hike.
Next Up: The final piece of our trip, with images from our big hike through the Lake District. Tune back in for some historic pubs and architecture, friendly farm animals, and stunning Lake District views!
Adventure In England: Part Two
Time for the second set of photos from our trip to England this summer! The first set of images below are from Sunday of our first weekend there. We completed yet another hike to a pub, this time starting at Castle Drogo and hiking to Fingle Bridge Inn for a simple lunch and some beers. The landscape on this hike was drastically different from the previous day; instead of vast, rolling hills and ocean views, we were treated to dense forests and lushly green landscapes.
After Sunday, we took a slight break from going to pubs every night and had some lazier nights in with our friends that we were staying with (which was much needed and appreciated). After a few nights of that, we were off to exploring again and walked to the Turf Hotel which is right in Exeter. Once again, it was a drastically different type of walk and landscape than some of our previous adventures, but no less beautiful than any of the rest.
At this point our time in Exeter, unfortunately, was winding down, leaving us with only a few more days to explore. Two of those evenings were spent, at least partially, in Exmouth. The first trip there was quite brief, but we did stumble on a local neighborhood party where the streets were decorated and there was a stage with music. We weren't there long, but it sure was a pretty little sight!
The next day we were luckily back to Exmouth for most of the day and were able to make time for the first item on my list of things to do in England: fish and chips on the beach. Unfortunately, it started to rain slightly right after we picked up or fish and chips, putting a slight damper on things. We made the best of it, however, and the rain cleared up rather quickly, allowing me to walk barefoot in the sand and get some photos of the beach.
Next up: Images from the next portion of our adventure, which brought us up to Windermere!
Adventure In England: Part One
This post is long, long overdue (as most of them have been, I suppose). But as the saying goes, "better late than never," so here we are!
This past July Scott and I went to England for roughly three weeks, with the bulk of our trip being spent in the Exeter area (with plenty of trips to the surrounding towns). We are lucky enough to have friends in Exeter who are extremely hospitable and allowed us to stay with them for most of our stay. Staying with friends not only made the trip more affordable but also provided us with some amazing views and experiences, as we were right in the heart of the city and got "tours" from the locals. The two photos below were taken our first night there, and needless to say it was an amazing introduction to Exeter.
Our second night in England was just as amazing, if not more so. After a home cooked meal, we drove to Topsham to get drinks at a pub called The Passage House Inn. Walking through the narrow streets was such a treat for me, and I quickly fell in love with the architecture of the area. The golden evening light certainly helped with the romantic feel of it all. We were treated to perfect weather that night, allowing us to sit outside and be treated to a fully spectacular sunset over the River Exe.
Our first weekend in England was also all too perfect. On Saturday we went on a hike that was nothing short of stunning. We started on the coast in Wembury, continued through some rolling farms (all the while with views of Wembury Bay), crossed the River Yealm in a water taxi, and ended at The Ship Inn in Noss Mayo. The color of the water there was an unreal turquoise; it was absolutely unexpected for England. We ate a simple, fresh lunch outside at The Ship Inn while watching the tide come in. It was truly a magical day.
Next up: Shockingly, part two of our England trip! Featuring the second part of our epic first weekend, though with drastically different scenery, and loads more as well.
Wyoming's Medicine Bow National Forest
Last fall I had the pleasure of traveling up to Wyoming, just south of Saratoga, to photograph a property for my company, Evolve Vacation Rental Network. The property is on both the Encampment and North Platte Rivers, and the fall colors on the banks and surrounding mountains were absolutely stunning. I made sure to take a few minutes to grab some photographs for myself as I was wrapping up the shoot, though I could have easily spent all day there.
After finishing the shoot at the property I started the drive back, via the Snowy Range Scenic Byway, through Medicine Bow National Forest. I made a point of stopping at a few places along the way, since it was far too beautiful to only drive through.
Flight
in Travel
Time for some more images from the air! Last September we were lucky enough to fly down to Clovis, New Mexico to celebrate Scott's nephew's baptism and first birthday. It was the first long flight I had taken with him, and it was such a special thing to be able to fly ourselves on a mini vacation like that.
Next up: images from an extremely brief visit to Medicine Bow National Forest, and west of there, near Saratoga, Wyoming.
Fall In Lime Creek Canyon
Hopefully you all aren't sick of seeing images from this magical place. And if you are, take heart, because this will be the last round, since we haven't been back for quite a while at this point.
Last September we headed back out to our favorite getaway, and as usual spent the time fly fishing (for Scott) and just enjoying the beauty of the area (for me). We had much better conditions for our September trip than we did for our July trip, with plenty of sunshine and near perfect temperatures. Plus, the plants had started to turn to that late summer/early fall gold that makes the landscape look richly magnificent.
Up Next: Images from our longest flight yet, down to Clovis, New Mexico.