Laura Griffin Designs

Pumpkins Galore…

I visited the Arboretum for a couple of hours this morning with a friend, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many pumpkins in my entire life! They were lining every main walkway of the gardens…just thousands of them. One section even had a hut built entirely of pumpkins, gourds, & maize:

What is even better is that the pumpkins were for sale. Imagine being 6 years old, walking into a place like that, and being able to choose one special jack-o-lantern pumpkin from thousands! Too cool.

A Trip to the Nasher Sculpture Museum

I went to the Nasher Sculpture Center this past Saturday with my friend Rhonda. It is one of the few museums in Dallas I’ve never been to, and it is full of Patsy & Raymond Nasher’s amazing private collection they began accumulating in the 60s. Most of the work is modern art, though they did have a few pieces from Rodin…including one of my favs “The Age of Bronze”. This was Rodin’s first great masterpiece, and at the time, he was even accused of making a mold of his model because it was so lifelike!

I’ll never forget the first time I stepped into the Rodin museum in Paris at 17 & saw Le Baiser. It literally took my breath away. It amazes me that he could take a medium like marble & create something so lifelike.

And a few more of my fav pieces from the day…

I loved the shape & curves of this giant eraser by Claes Oldenburg. The brush was made from thick metal tubing.

Not only were there sculptures in the museum, but they also had some paintings from the Nasher collection, including this Picasso. I’m normally not a huge Picasso fan, but I loved the brilliant colors used in this piece… (more…)

New gallery album

I created a new photo album in my gallery for all of the Killiney Bay pics featured in my recent video. The resolution is a bit better than youtube for viewing. You can check out the pics here.

P.S. Another tune is on its way shortly that I recorded tonight!

Killiney Bay, Ireland

As promised, I am posting the next installment of my trip to Europe…Killiney Bay, Ireland.

One late afternoon, I hiked several miles from Dalkey to Killiney & documented the journey with my camera. Once I reached the beach, I sat & listened to the song Almost Lover (by A Fine Frenzy) on repeat as I sat staring at the Irish sea. Words can’t describe Killiney’s beauty, and pictures don’t do it justice. I decided the best way to share my experience with you was to re-create it with a video taking you along on my hike. The background music is my interpretation of Almost Lover arranged on my Clavinova. Hope you enjoy it & get some small understanding of the beauty of the place.

All the best,

A new friend…

Check out the new friend I met outside my front door today…

It will be so fun to watch the babies hatch & learn to fly for the first time! Sometimes I am just blown away by nature & all the beauty we so easily take for granted. (more…)

Dallas Blooms…

I recently visited the Arboretum for the Dallas Bloom festival. I’m not sure if it’s just in my head, but I always feel healthier after I’ve spent a day outdoors breathing in the fresh air! This particular day was no exception. I captured a few shots I wanted to share with you here…

A purple daisy bursting with color…

A beautiful Japanese maple branch gently blowing in the wind…

And the vivid hue of spring tulips in bloom…

Fall Walk…

Took a walk around the neighborhood this afternoon, and snapped a few photos I thought I’d share. I was surprised to see so many beautiful roses still in bloom!

Isn’t this guy a cutie?!

Click more for additional pics… (more…)

A Day at the Fair: Part 2 – Birds & Butterflies!

I think the highlight of the State Fair for my mom was going to the “Birds of the World Show”. She was fascinated by how close we were able to get to some of the birds of prey as they swooped just over our heads. This white falcon was particularly beautiful. Watch out for those talons!

We also saw a number of exotic birds including a brightly colored singing parrot that knew the lyrics to four separate songs!

Now if you’ve seen this show at the State Fair before, you probably know that it usually runs like clockwork. Nobody misses a beat, and you’re amazed at the talent of the animals and their trainers. The day we attended the show, though, it truly was a comedy of errors. First, they announced a hawk was flying in from the ferris wheel when he apparently wasn’t loaded yet. Next, they introduced a bird who flew out from the stage & disappeared for about 10 minutes. He was later found & recovered from a nearby tree. And finally, it took about 12 different attempts to get one of the birds to obey a command to fly out to an audience member & collect a money donation. The emcee kept saying, “That’s just the way this show is gonna go today,” but I think we enjoyed it even more with all of its flaws.

The highlight of the Fair for me was visiting an enclosed butterfly garden that held hundreds of native Texas butterflies! I always jump at the chance to take photos of them. Here are a few of my favorite pics from the afternoon…

A trip to the zoo…

I visited the Ft. Worth zoo last weekend. It was a hot day, but it was lots of fun. I took along my camera & took some fun shots. My favorite part was the area where you can actually feed the birds! You buy these little sesame seed coated sticks for a $1 and then they hop right on your stick & eat away. Here are some of my favorite pics of our visit… including everything from birds to lizards & zebras!

All of the birds had truly brilliant-colored feathers…

You would think they would get full based on the number of folks that were giving them treats… but they just kept coming back for more.

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How to make a photo light box for under $10…

You may have noticed that some of my recent macro pictures have been taken with a white background. I actually built a light box for under $10 using a cardboard box, some white tissue paper & a piece of white posterboard. Beats paying $100 for a professional one! You can learn how to make your own here. Is great for when you can’t go outside for a pic or you need to take some late at night.  It works great with ott-lites or daylight lamps if you own any.  Happy photographing!