Tag Archives: healing art

2015 Image of the Year Poll – Vote Now!

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Images and article by Greg W. Gilstrap.  With the New Year just around the corner, it’s once again time for our (fifth) annual Photoremedy Image of the Year contest. We call it an ‘image’ contest because each of the finalists are either 1) a photograph, or 2) a photography-based digital art image. The list if heavily influenced by a few of the areas where I’ve been fortunate enough to visit this year- Louisiana, Arizona’s Verde Valley, and the Seattle area.

2014 Image of the Year Finalists

2014 Image of the Year Finalists

As always, we are offering what we like to refer to–tongue in cheek–as a Chicago-style approach to voting.  This means you can vote early and often. If you love a finalist, follow the poll’s progress and don’t be afraid to share it with your friends. Better yet, don’t hesitate to come back to register extra votes for good measure. Because multiple votes are allowed by individuals, this is more of a passion poll than a scientific sample. Last year’s contest drew more than 3,000 votes – essentially tripling the previous record of around 1,000.

The 2016 poll is featured at the bottom of this post. Click on an individual image below to view images, captions, and locations in slide show mode.

1) Entrance to Alcantara Vineyard – near Cottonwood, AZ
2) Houmas House Plantation – Vacherie, LA
3) Houmas House Plantation Porch – Vacherie, LA
4) Lake Union – Seattle, WA
5) Laura Plantation – Vacherie, LA
6) French Quarter – New Orleans, LA
7) Oak Alley Plantation – Vacherie, LA
8) Overlooking the Snake River & Blue Lakes Country Club – at Twin Falls, ID Visitor Center
9) Seat of Wisdom Statue at St. James Cathedral – Seattle, WA
Fall City, WA – 2015 Image of the Year
11) Summer Storm – over the Verde Valley near Sedona, AZ
12) Wildflower found on Clear Creek trail – near Camp Verde, AZ

As mentioned above, the 2015 images include traditional photographs and some that feature significant digital art enhancements. Like many, I enjoy both forms of artistic expression. All of these pieces were captured and developed while pursuing photoremedy–or photography-based healing art–as a means of coping with my ongoing chronic pain struggles and failed back issues. For more information about photoremedy, please click on the ‘Background and Initial Post’ tab (near the top of this page) for our working ‘photoremedy’ definition. Our poll follows – please select the image that you feel is worthy of being crowned Photoremedy Image of the Year. The contest closes at midnight MST, New Year’s Eve.

 

Louisiana 101

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I must admit I’ve struggled in putting together Photoremedy post number 101. Why? Because Louisiana is one of the most colorful and genuinely unique places Mary and I have visited. We delighted in the enchanting aroma of history and spice found as we pursued photoremedy in eclectic places from low-key Jeanerette to the authentic New Orleans Garden District to the celebrated French Quarter.

St. Louis Cathedral – New Orleans, LA
Krewe du Brew – St. Charles Street (New Orleans)
Historic LeJeune’s Bakery -Jeanerette, LA
Digital Art Based on Garden District’s Prytania Street

Volumes can be–and have been–written about the cultural gems of Louisiana. I found, however, that the place that most etched an enduring mark was the one that left me grasping to find the right words: the renowned Oak Alley plantation.

Oak Alley Plantation -

Oak Alley Plantation – Vacherie, LA

Ironically it wasn’t the beautiful people, lush vegetation or much-photographed Oak Alley Big House that took my breath away. It was the direct manner in which the attraction addressed the overwhelmingly somber aspect of its history – slavery.

Oak Alley Permanent Enslaved Community Exhibit
Digital Photographic Art based on Oak Alley Permanent Enslaved Community Exhibit
Oak Alley Permanent Enslaved Community Exhibit
Oak Alley Permanent Enslaved Community Exhibit
Oak Alley Permanent Enslaved Community Exhibit

This blog is intentionally more about photography than words. Nevertheless, I struggled in identifying the photos I took that best describe how this exhibit seemed to painfully sandblast my heart, while leaving me strangely satisfied. In the final analysis, this unusual mix of emotions was based on the relief of sensing that plantation attractions like Oak Alley have joined those of us wanting to guarantee that such an appalling part of history is never repeated (at home or abroad).