"Saving" the World - One Photo at a Time

Photo by Amanda Hutchins

Jean Blann Hutchins would never describe herself as an artist. As a child, Hutchins did, however, aspire to saving the world. She planned to start her ambitious campaign by running an orphanage for children and animals. As she got older, she became more realistic, studying psychology and earning a Master degree as a social worker. Ironically, while Hutchins found the lack of creativity within a government run mental health agency frustrating and far too limiting, she had considered herself “very uncreative,” until she discovered a passion for photography a few years ago.

“My mom always amazed me with being able to create beautifully with every type of art and craft. I hate arts and crafts,” Hutchins confessed in a recent interview. “Taking photos, talking to other people about how to showcase them best and playing with them in Photoshop has taught me that I am creative, which I never believed before.”

A blonde, native southern Californian, Hutchins says that she’s too introverted to be labeled a true “California Girl,” but admits her temperament perfectly matches the temperate weather, and she’d never want to live anywhere temperatures dipped below 64 degrees. Much like the weather, Hutchins was always calm and easygoing. “Most of my life I was pretty unemotional and sort of glided through without examining feelings. I think I always considered it a sort of strength to not feel or show feeling too much.”

Although Hutchins thinks that her stoicism has made her more empathetic and diplomatic, she recently felt a need to work toward changing the way she deals with her emotions. Whether it was the aperture setting of her camera’s shutter or her exposure to the on-line artistic community, or both, Hutchins has been successful reconnecting to herself through her photography. Self-examination and feeling more deeply can be uncomfortable and “not always fun,” she says. The pure act of taking photographs and playing with them, however, is nothing but fun. “It's the act of getting lost in the playing that's so cool because, as an adult, we just don't make excuses to do that enough.”

She makes no excuses for her new-found artistic passion, though and feels that there will always be so much more to learn she will never tire of it. “Besides the peace and excitement I feel in taking photos and playing with them in editing, the best part of my new ‘artistic experience’ has been the people I've met. I've been amazed, humbled and grateful for very special people I've met from all over the world who have been so encouraging and have turned into great friends!

Friendship hasn’t always come easily to a shy Hutchins, but it lasts. Her best friend, Hai-Ping Hwang-Twigg, says, “I have known Jean since we were in 1st grade where we were in the same class and I said hi to her at the drinking fountain in the classroom and she did not speak at all and turned around and walked away.” Hutchins, who acknowledges a poor memory, does not recall this event at all and says, “I don’t remember such a thing, but figure if it happened, she probably just scared the crap out of me.” They both agree they are total opposites, Jean being the “quiet, thoughtful thinker,” according to Hwang-Twigg and Hai Ping being a “total drama queen, saying anything to anyone and not giving it a second thought,” according to Hutchins. Opposites or not, they both agree that the common language of their friendship has always been the ability to laugh at themselves and one another.

Hutchins has become less shy over the years, especially since her children were born. “I learned that you have to jump in and take charge sometimes when nothing’s getting done, whether you want to or not.” Her daughter, Amanda, is now 16 and her son Kyle is 12. They not only make sure she gets things done, they, too, laugh together on a regular basis.

“Two things that are very important to me in dealing with the world and that I wish I saw other people enjoy more are humor and acceptance. If we can't laugh at life's oddities, what a dull existence!”

Life with children and a camera are anything but dull. She and her daughter still giggle regularly about a little side-trip Hutchins took during last summer’s family vacation. Hutchins was just as excited about her new DSLR camera as she was about being on vacation. “We were walking near the Spokane River, and I fell on my butt and slid a little on an embankment and my daughter found it hilarious and always says it was the best memory of the trip.” Every time she brings it up, Hutchins laughs and reminds Amanda, “but I saved the camera,” which was fortunate since it gave Hutchins her new profile picture (courtesy of Amanda Hutchins), not to mention 1100 new photos to play with from this year’s family vacation in New York City.

With so many photographs to choose from, Hutchins had a hard time selecting just three of her favorites, especially since she dislikes the number three, because, she says, “I'm a square, not a triangle; hoping to evolve into a cube some day. Wouldn't that be nice - to be three-dimensional?” Her current favorites are:

We’re All Blue: “I like how this turned out with color and depth. I tend to be drawn to flowers and do a lot of macro shots, then get tired of seeing only flowers, and try to shoot other things and end up back at flowers.”

Dragonfly Silhouette: “I love silhouettes and loved my recent afternoon chasing dragonflies in a park all by myself - just got lost in the experience.” In Japan, dragonflies are symbols of courage, strength, and happiness, and for some Native American tribes, they represent swiftness and activity. It isn’t easy to capture a photograph of a dragonfly, but perhaps Hutchins’s success can be attributed to some new-found self-awareness: “I feel like I quietly tend to move in my own direction. I really don't want to move with the crowd. Not that I'm a rebel and want to move against them, [I] just want to wander around in whatever way feels right to me at the moment.”

Close-up and Personal: “This one I like because of how it turned out through Photoshop with contrasting and sharpening and whatever else I did to it. (I really should keep track of these things somehow.)”

Because Hutchins still attributes the term, “aspiring artist” to herself, she was reluctant to give advice to others. She did, however offer this belief, “I believe in good. I have faith in the power of beauty and nature and the energy will, and passion that people put into the world.”

The power of creating should never be underestimated. Photography has “saved” Jean Hutchins in some ways. Maybe she’ll have time for the world when the memory card is full.

See more of Jean's work at:

http://www.redbubble.com/people/photojeanic

http://www.imagekind.com/MemberProfile.aspx?MID=f89b2edd-7a0a-4a6b-87cc-851483c8fc1e

http://jean-hutchins.artistwebsites.com/

You’ve probably heard it before – “It’s the little things that make us happy – the little things that really matter.” Rodgers and Hammerstein liked, “'raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens.” Oprah didn’t seem to have any favorite things last year, but in 2008, she liked gratitude boxes, swap parties and hot chocolate cones. There are millions of favorite things lists, blogs, websites, stores and surveys. If you’re having trouble thinking of your own favorite things, Google “favorite things” and you’ll get 242,000,000 ideas in .14 seconds. Your favorite things might be quite different from Oprah’s, Google’s, Rodgers’ or Hammerstein’s, but I bet your favorite things – the things that make you happiest – aren’t “things” at all. If you’re perpetually searching for happiness, start with the littlest thing - make a simple “favorite things” list of your own.

These are some of my favorite things – what’re yours?

Seeing my daughter smile (the real one – not the “would you stop with the camera” smile) and hearing her laugh because it always makes me laugh even when I have no idea what’s so funny.

Seventy pounds of yellow lab grand-puppy sleeping in my lap. (It’s almost the only time I see her being good).

When three year olds ask me to color with them.

Hugs.

A rainy day, a bag of popcorn, and nothing to do but watch a good movie.

Babies – holding them when they’re happy and giving them back to their moms when they’re not.

Making someone laugh and laughing at myself.

Clean white sheets dried on the clothesline.

Email from people I know that doesn’t have “FW” in the subject line and real mail that isn’t a bill.

Watching my brother’s kids get along (probably because he and I never did).

Opening a new bar of soap.

Cold pizza for breakfast.

Hot chocolate, warm coffee and cold margaritas on hot days.

Bonfires, electric blankets, wool socks, and too big sweatshirts.

Finding money I forgot I had (and I wish it happened more often).

When my jeans start to feel too loose.

The smell of my own pillow.

When strangers smile at me for no reason (as long as they’re not too strange).

Looking through old photo albums with my grandmother (who remembers everything).

Old songs and new books.

Really listening, without needing to figure out what I’m going to say.

Dinner guests (and, no, not just because I won’t have to eat leftovers).

Organizing anything (closets, cupboards, other people’s medicine chests, parties, desk drawers, refrigerators, glove compartments, store counters, library shelves, people).

Long walks in new places.

Falling asleep on the couch every Sunday during the race (it’s the one time I never feel guilty about it).

Restful nights and good hair days.

People who listen.

Christmas cactus that bloom in October.

Honey crisp apples.

Riding (boats, bikes, planes, trains, cars).

Rocking chairs.

Taking pictures and then playing with them until they turn into something completely different and mostly unexpected.

Inventing life stories for people I don’t know.

Getting a compliment (even if I don’t believe it).

Shoes.

Christmas trees and lights that aren’t tangled.

The smell of baking bread, or cookies, or turkey, or anything that I’m not in charge of cooking.

Summer thunderstorms & winter blizzards when I don’t have to go anywhere.

Falling asleep in the sun while floating in the pool.

A book you can’t put down.

Finding clothes I love that come in every color (so I won’t have to shop as often).

Playing dominoes (even when I lose).

Finishing something I started (especially if I thought it would never get done).

Catching the biggest bullhead (but only if I don’t have to take it off the hook. That’s a catfish for some of you.)

Friends who let you bitch and friends who tell you the truth (even if you don’t want to hear it)

Front porches.

Three day weekends.

Peppermint ice cream.

Asking questions.

Writing lists.

Please share your own favorite things list. I'd love to know. See #49

Living the Dream

Richard Rizzo

If you’re like most people, last night’s dreams have dissipated before your morning coffee has cooled. Richard Rizzo is not like most people. His dreams remain vivid long after the coffee pot is empty and, from six hours to four days later, have been transferred from his memory to his computer’s, visually accessible to anyone with an internet connection. From the whimsical to the mysterious to the majestic, Rizzo’s art speaks for him, which is lucky, because, also unlike most of the rest of us, Rizzo doesn’t like to talk about himself if he can avoid it.

Born in NY, raised in Connecticut, and now living in Florida, Rizzo is the youngest of four children and is fiercely loyal to and protective of his family. Trips to New York City’s art exhibits and museums with his oldest sister were not only among his first experiences with art, they were also some of his favorite childhood memories. His favorite photographer has always been Ansel Adams, but DaVinci wins in his art and design category while Alexander Calder is his favorite sculptor.

For as long as he can remember, Rizzo wanted to be an artist and feels fortunate to have worked in the field of art and design most of his life, fulfilling his childhood dream. Self-employed for the past 20+ years, he worked in some capacity within the artistic community; from assistant to commercial photographers and film developer, set designer and back drop painter, to faux finisher, which eventually led to his own mural business. He was only 17 when hired to paint his first mural and counts that as one of his proudest accomplishments.

Self-taught, with little formal training other than a few photography classes, Rizzo says, “Designing, which plays a large role in my images, was developed throughout the years by self studying cinema, photography, ad designs, interior design and just about anything else you can think of.”

He was introduced to Adobe Photo Shop long before it became popular as a photo editing program and, if forced to choose only one artistic program, would choose it first today, with Corel Paintshop Pro Photo coming in a close second. Although it wasn’t until 2003 that Rizzo began using Photo Shop in earnest, he feels his first introduction to the program was at least partially responsible for his progression from photography and painting to his affinity for creating digital two and three dimensional works of art.

When asked, he generously shares the creative process and the frustration for his work, “Just Dessert.” “The key to any realistic 3D image lies in the lighting much like photography; only with 3D there seems to be fewer choices for making it look realistic. [In Just Dessert], the fruit and tree are models, the table is a basic shape with a texture, the water is made from within the program. I used PS to for post effects and tweaking.” He is willing and eager to try any digital art program available and the “technical side of my brain,” he says, helps him master the programs.

Describing himself as “friendly, but private” he most often prefers his own world to the one that the rest of us inhabit. “I get on FaceBook because it’s a great way for me to be social without being too social,” he says, laughing. His current companions and roommates are low maintenance best friends. Scout is a two year old Beagle who likes to shred his toys before he buries them, and Kody is an Akita mix who doubles as an alarm clock, waking Rizzo promptly at 4 a.m. every morning. Rizzo calls both of them “rescue” dogs, but it’s unclear whether he’s referring to the dogs or to himself. The tranquility of the small town he lives in fits his personality perfectly, yet he travels extensively looking for the next “beautifulest” place where he can exercise his photography skills. He still shoots with film at times, using his Pentax K1000, an “expensive, yet tough workhorse,” but has a Nikon Coolpix 8800 digital that he would eventually like to upgrade.

His current favorite place for taking photographs was Glacier National Park in Montana, bordering Canada. He poetically (and rather wistfully) describes it, “The majestic mountains and wilderness that covers the area left me in awe as I traveled the road around the park, the abundance of wildlife seem to be everywhere I went, the twisting roads and tunnels carved through the rock during the early 20th century was an amazing feat of early engineering. Meadows and streams were apparent surrounding the wall of glaciers while the piercing suns god rays blessed it for all eyes to see. My time there was very short but I could have easily spent weeks there photographing the area and still not have seen it all; to me it was heaven on earth.”

Although unique in many ways, Rizzo does share the important qualities and concerns of artists and people in general. He dislikes self promotion, crowded places and people who don’t use their signals. He admits to using art as therapy and worries about “dry spells” when his imagination and mood won’t cooperate with his desire to create. And he is his own harshest critic, yet has a hard time choosing his favorite works because, as he confesses, they are all “a piece of me, somehow.” He was, after much hesitation, able to choose three of his current favorites, and explain what each meant to him. All three may be seen by clicking the title links or at Fine Art America’s website: http://www.faa.com/, searching “Richard Rizzo.”

Richard Rizzo Favorites:
“Strange Afternoon simply because it is totally different from anything I have done to date. Obscured Relations is one that I did while in an abstract mood. And for my third I would pick Driving Wheels, which shows the greased gears of a steam locomotive. I was always fascinated with trains. One of my favorite memories is my dad taking me down to the Railroad depot in my hometown and watching the trains go by for hours at a time.”

Rizzo says he has no idea where his art will take him or where he’ll end up and doesn’t like to plan too far ahead. “I’m just along for the ride,” he smiles. Oh, and if you think to ask, he would choose the red pill.

Links:
http://fineartamerica.com/featured/obscured-relations-richard-rizzo.html
http://fineartamerica.com/featured/strange-afternoon-richard-rizzo.html
http://fineartamerica.com/featured/driving-wheels-richard-rizzo.html