In one’s own backyard “Spirits” can dance as they do in Ramona du Houx’s art

Spirit Dance

Spirit Dance

Long summer days give way to evenings with golden hues coating wheat, grass or grains blowing in the wind. Long shadows stretch thirty times one’s height across the land. This is the magic of Maine, just before the sun says goodnight. Tree frogs chirp serenades welcoming the night, while birds dart back and forth scooping up insects with delight.

Such was the evening I took a walk through the fields out back. Something scampered in the bushes and I felt my adrenaline rush, just Mr. Beaver collecting his dinner. We starred at each other, neither blinked. Not wanting to disturb his ambitious gnawing on the birch tree I slowly backed away. A humming bird stopped just feet away and hovered in the air, turned and sped off. I followed not knowing where she’s take me.

After racing over two hills the sun was sinking faster. The bird stopped and danced amongst the wheat. A first I tried to take images of the humming bird. I should have known better. After all, she was just leading me to my destination.

The sun coated the wheat with such golden hues I was awe struck. Then purple hues, with a twinge of green could be seen. The wind whispered across the field like waves on the ocean. Slowly, peacefully I clicked the shutter. I was running out of film so I only managed a few shots.

Once I developed them I was taken by the depth of the wheat and the grass behind. The textures and colors reminded me of the hummingbird. These images were, to me, her spirit.

Flower’s in their mystic light by Ramona du Houx

To take a photograph of a flower is obvious. To show the energy and light within that flower and how it relates to its surroundings is always the challenge. Viewing these flowers allows us to think more about life. The images can calm, excite or balance our souls by taking us away from our daily routines.

Ice storm beauty merges with the snow in a dance with photo by Ramona du Houx

Snow Dance

Snow Dance

The wonders of winter in Maine are boundless. It truly is a place where you can feel all the seasons and participate in their magical offerings year round. Sometimes, transitioning from season to season we get mixed precipitation as the weather collides and then merges creating spectacles for us to marvel in.

In the autumn of 2013 after the leaves had floated to earth, and the harvest moon said goodnight it began to rain. But as it came down the rain took hold of a upper atmospheric change and snow began to fall. Back and forth the weather played between the seasons and over the course of a week everything outside was coated in ice. When the sun finally greeted the day the ice danced in its beams of light.

The crystals sounded like wind chimes as tree branches sighed. This magical ice palace of nature’s backyard was inspiring. As I swayed with the branches trying to free themselves of their ice coats I wondered how on earth trees go through such dramatic changes. I took my photos grateful to be able to witness nature’s moods and her dance of the season’s transitions.

Ramona du Houx exhibit – Berry’s

From the Morning Sentinel

WATERVILLE — The inside gallery at Berry’s, 153 Main St., features the artwork of Ramona du Houx.

Du Houx creates fine art photography that looks like watercolor paintings evoking mystery and a sense of wonder. Many find them nostalgic and some mystical. She is currently represented by Gallery Storks of Tokyo, Japan and is also a member of the Maine Artist Collaborative where she exhibits regularly at the Constellation Gallery in Portland.

Nature Reveals herself in Ramona du Houx’s abstract lightgraphs

I try to bring the beauty, magic and mystery of nature to viewers by amplifying nature’s essence.



TO VIEW THE ART: Please click on the thumbnail to see a larger version of the work.

There are no boundaries in nature, with everyone and everything interconnected. Where a river stops cannot be defined, nor can the end of the sky. In my “lightgraphs” no objects have clearly defined borders as they merge their core essences together creating visual abstracts of light.

In some cases the images resemble microscopic images, as if the core elements of what is being photographed has emerged to be recorded. It’s my hope that with these elements revealed the viewer has an opportunity to discover something about the natural world representational photographs cannot convey as nature reveals herself.

I’m represented by Gallery Storks in Tokyo, Japan and Gallery Insights of Solon, Maine. And a member of the Maine Artist Collective which exhibits regularly.

Constellation Gallery is closing but MAC continues and is having a fire sale- NOW

The 6 x 8 gallery panels for sale for only $25- or best offer at the Constellation Gallery

The 6 x 8 gallery panels for sale for only $25- or best offer at the Constellation Gallery


By Ramona du Houx

The Constellation Gallery’s, home of the Maine Artist Collective (MAC), recently held its most successful call for art with the Miniature exhibit, which just ended on January 29th. Five artists sold work and hundreds viewed the show over a two-month period.

But during the month of December the owners of the building hosting the Constellation Gallery announced that the gallery space was under contract to be leased to another tenant. While the Constellation Gallery is closing MAC will continue.

“Right now we are having a fire sale. Everything has to go for us to be moved out on time,” said David Marshall, MAC’s President and Portland City Councilor. Continue reading

Du houx show at Berry’s continues until February

Dream Sail

Dream Sail

From an article in Union of Maine Visual Artists Magazine:

The inside gallery at Berry’s, 153 Main St, downtown Waterville, features the artwork of Ramona du Houx. Due to popular demand the show, which started in December, continues throughout January.

Ramona du Houx creates fine art photography that looks like watercolor paintings evoking mystery and a sense of wonder. Some find them nostalgic and some mystical. Many have said the images have a healing nature. See more at http://www.photographybyramonaduhoux.com.

Ramona is currently represented by Gallery Storks of Tokyo, Japan and is also a member of the Maine Artist Collaborative and the Harlow Gallery. She currently has another exhibit until the end of the month at the Constellation Gallery, 511 Congress Street, in Portland, Maine.

“For me art reflects where we live in our communities, as well as where an artist is in their heart, mind and soul,” said Ramona. “In 1979 I began to paint with my camera to depict the interconnectedness of nature. I took the initial results to the Museum of Modern Art in New York, where they recorded them long ago. The continuing results have been unpredictable, intriguing, and thought provoking.” Continue reading

The Zen peace of Maine’s Western Mountains depicted in Ramona du Houx’s images

Western Mts.

Western Mts.

If you haven’t been to Central Maine, you are missing out on some of the most majestic and peaceful mountains anywhere. They remind me of the mythologies about giant dragons sleeping in fields thus transforming them into hills and mountain ranges. Their backs form the mountains. The long tails of these majestic beasts stretch throughout Maine up into Canada. They are, of course, part of the Appalachian Trail system. As their bodies sleep in mountain ranges, their spirits roam the night sky in constellations. Continue reading

Unpublished LIFE images by Gordon Parks are powerful look into America

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As the first black man hired full-time by Life magazine, Gordon Parks wanted to find and photograph all 11 of his classmates from grade school as a way of measuring the impact of school segregation. The photo essay he created was never published. Now it is on display at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston in the exhibition, “Gordon Parks: Back to Fort Scott,” beginning Jan. 17.

Gordon Parks hadn’t been to his hometown, Fort Scott, Kansas, in more than 20 years when he returned there in 1950 as a photojournalist. Growing up as the youngest of 15 children, Parks attended the Plaza School, an all-black grade school in the heavily segregated town. The images he took reflect white society at the time. They humanize race relations. They show us we are equal, that color doesn’t make the difference, character does.

If you can get a hold of the movie A Raisin in the Sun, with Sydney Poitier for a portrait of a black family during the same time period Parks took the Life images. It’s well worth the time seeing it. Continue reading

Ramona du Houx’s December exhibit at Berry’s in Maine continues until February from popular demand


by Morgan Rogers. First published in the Magazine Maine Insights

The inside gallery at Berry’s, 153 Main St, downtown Waterville, features the artwork, Ramona du Houx. Due to popular demand the show, which started in December continues throughout January.Ramona du Houx creates fine art photography that looks like watercolor paintings evoking mystery and a sense of wonder. Some find them nostalgic and some mystical. Many have said the images have a healing nature. See more at http://www.photographybyramonaduhoux.com.

Ramona is currently represented by Gallery Storks of Tokyo, Japan and is also a member of the Maine Artist Collaborative and the Harlow Gallery. She currently has another exhibit until the end of the month at the Constellation Gallery, 511 Congress Street, in Portland, Maine.

“For me art reflects where we live in our communities, as well as where an artist is in their heart, mind and soul,” said Ramona. “In 1979 I began to paint with my camera to depict the interconnectedness of nature. I took the initial results to the Museum of Modern Art in New York, where they recorded them long ago. The continuing results have been unpredictable, intriguing, and thought provoking.”

The photographic watercolor technique is always a challenge.

“I never know exactly what the results will be, that’s the exciting part of the creation,” said du Houx. “I believe every photograph has an audience, someone the work will speak to personally.” Continue reading

The story of The Golden Temple’s Tree Heart fine art photo by Ramona du Houx

Treeheart

Treeheart

For a year starting in 1980, I lived in Japan, spending the majority of my time in Kyoto. Everyday I would pass the Golden Temple, Kinkaku-ji, a Zen Buddhist shrine, on my way home to my home-stay family at the bottom of a mountain, where a stream ran out back through the garden. The same stream that goes through the Golden Temple. For months I had been promising myself that’d I’d spend time in the gardens of Kinkaku-ji, but never seemed to find the time.

Before I knew it New Year’s eve was upon us. My home-stay family adorned me in a traditional family kimono, and side by side with my home-stay sister, Yukika, we marched in a parade to a Shinto Shrine to celebrate our birthdays. You see, we both would turn 21 during the upcoming year, and by shinto tradition that is the year women come of age.

My obachan, home-stay grandmother, helped me put on the kimono. In Japanese she kept saying my breasts and hips were to large for the dress but with determination she’d make sure I could wear it. As she stretched the waist band around me I cringed, and I wondered how women ever tolerated corsets. At first I stumbled trying to maneuver in the sandals for the kimono restricted leg movement. After learning the correct way to walk, we set out on our journey. Yukika looked so graceful as she moved like the river’s flow. On the other hand I waddled like a penguin. Continue reading