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The Secret to Finding Pure Joy: Think Like A Dog

August 29, 2011 by Lonnie Lardner

“Most men pursue pleasure with such breathless haste, they hurry past it.”        — Kierkegaard

It seems so simple. Finding and expressing pure joy should be one of our most natural, instinctive qualities. But sometimes we just get in the way -– completely disconnecting from our child within — losing the moments that really matter.  Maybe animals know something we don’t. I’ve always speculated that they are way more evolved than we are – after all, when they trip over something, they don’t have to look back and find something to blame for the fall.

A.A. Milne was able to capture the bliss attached to simple pleasures through the eyes of Piglet and Pooh:

 “When you wake up in the morning, Pooh,” said Piglet at last, “what’s the first thing you say to yourself?”

 “What’s for breakfast?” said Pooh. “What do you say, Piglet?”

  “I say, I wonder what’s going to happen exciting today?” said Piglet. 

   Pooh nodded thoughtfully.

  “It’s the same thing,” he said.

Now, Seattle’s most celebrated photographer/artist, Robin Layton comes on the scene with a fresh, deeply intuitive take on doggie delight. The video above  — profiling a day in the life of her adopted dog “Monkey” — was shot to remind us of the benefits of rescue pets. But for me, it is a reminder of what I might miss every day, if I don’t jump out of bed and look for the ball.

Filed Under: Creative Zone Tagged With: dog video, doggie delight, expressing joy, finding pure joy, inspiration from our pets, learning from our pets, rescue pets, Robin Layton, shelter dogs, Winnie the Pooh

The many lenses of Robin Layton

June 6, 2010 by Lonnie Lardner

Fine art photographer: At home on the field–or on the farm.

"Windy" Photo Sculpture by Robin Layton, 2007

When you first see her fine art collection of photographic images, you know she was born an artist. Then you hear about her days as a photojournalist, and you realize she’s always been breaking new ground.

Case in point: If you’re a baseball fan—you can’t help but remember the photo below. Ken Griffey, Jr. joyfully smiles at home plate under a “dog pile” of fellow Mariners, after he scored the game-winning run in the playoff series against the Yankees in 1995.

"Dog pile" Ken Griffey, Jr. scores game-winning run against Yanks in 1995. A Layton sports classic.

Layton shot that.

She wasn’t supposed to be assigned to third base that night–her editor at the Seattle Post-Intelligencer told her to take her place at first. But at the last minute, a fellow shooter asked if he could work that position, and Layton said okay. That dude is probably in rehab right now. Many consider this photograph one of the most memorable images of Griffey’s storied career.

Celebrity Cool:

Layton has since carved out a super successful, lucrative career shooting celebrity portraits and weddings.  Some of her clients include: Oprah Winfrey, Felicity Huffman, Jennifer Aniston, Kenny G., and Tobey McGuire.  Huffman, seen below at a recent Layton exhibition in West Hollywood, raves enthusiastically about Robin’s unique gift to capture what no one else can.

Robin Layton (left) and "Desperate Housewives" star Felicity Huffman at Layton's solo exhibition in West Hollywood, May, 2010. Photo Credit: Jayson Mellom .

Perfect Pairings:

Now, this super cool Angeleno/Seattleite has turned her lens toward the marriage of an unlikely duo: nature and industry. Once declared one of the world’s eight most talented photographers by Life magazine, Layton gracefully juxtaposes stunning photographic abstractions with quirky remnants of industrial hardware, antique farm equipment, and weathered doors and windows. At top, she pairs a rare Midwestern barn vent with delicate images of egrets captured in Point Reyes, California.

Below, Layton nestles “Nest Egg” within a set of blue shutters with original paint from the 1800s, and (at bottom), she frames Big Bear “Monet Trees” with a funky cranberry picker from the 1930s. Definitely worth checking out her sites: (Fine art: robinlaytonworks.com) (Commercial: robinlayton.com)

"Nest Egg" Photo Sculpture by Robin Layton, 2008

"Monet Trees" Photo Sculpture by Robin Layton, 2006

(Robin Layton Exhibition video, West Hollywood: ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LeG_7HA1Hzc)

Filed Under: Artist Spotlight Tagged With: abstract photography, celebrity portraits, Felicity Huffman, Ken Griffey. Jr., photo sculpture, Robin Layton, wedding photography

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