Ushering in a new World Tour era - in Welcome, Louisiana

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The World is only as large or as small as we want it to be - 'tis a lasting premise of the World Tour, which began in July 2011.  After visiting over twenty enchanting locales all over the world (all conveniently located within Louisiana), the State of My World proved to be much larger than I ever envisioned.  I have had the good fortune to share my experiences with others through my blog, photo exhibitions and in performance with my one woman show, Louisiana: The State of My World, which was most recently produced in Hammond, Louisiana (once part of the British Territory of West Florida). To accompany the performance and to bookend the last 5 years of my ever-changing, never-changing, life-changing World Tour, I created the World Tour songbook featuring photographs and lyrics to 7 of my World Tour adventure tunes.  You can peruse/purchase on blurb.com or  wait for the State of My World tour bus to arrive in your hometown (teehee) as I am currently retooling the performance piece and will soon be searching for exciting new venues to share my world.

But alas, for every ending there is a  beginning so in 2016 - it is time to begin anew.  I am embarking on a new World Tour expedition!  I'll explore familiar areas but with a new angle - said angle will be revealed once I actually go somewhere - but for now I thought it apropos to welcome in this new endeavor by visiting Welcome, LA.

Welcome, Louisiana

Welcome is located on the West Bank of the Mighty Mississippi. As per World Tour protocol, one of my favorite parts of my trip to Welcome was the journey itself. I was stuck in swampy traffic for an hour, but I took the opportunity to write a song that I'd been meaning to write and the sights were a delight.

Waiting for Traffic

Crawfish Season! 

In Welcome I discovered fields of sugar cane, wildflowers and long endless roads.

Sugar Cane

Wildflowers

Long Endless Road

The Inner Geographer in me noted that Rome(ville) was just across the river from Welcome, so off I went..

The Bridge to Rome(ville)

However, the Inner Geographer in me didn't complete any postgraduate academic work so had a heck of a time trying to find Rome(ville). The tomatos really should have tipped me off..

Again, true to World Tour form, there were signs to let me know I was on the right track.

St Mary's Chapel    Convent, Louisiana

And then I found the sign:

Romeville

Roman Road

Almost perfectly framed tree

I left the area feeling quite content

and ready to start a new chapter of the World Tour, 

exploring the World we live in.

Welcome Wildflowers

Til next time....

all content (c) Natasha Sanchez

www.nattie-concepts.com

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A Sense of Self - in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

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After a recent vacay to San Miguel de Allende, I made a rookie mistake (that I never made as a rookie) in the darkroom.  I ruined 2 rolls of film by processing them in the wrong chemistry. By the time I had discovered my film faux pas no amount of silver saving CPR could rescue the images.  When the blank rolls revealed themselves, I was disappointed, yes, but mostly all I thought was “Cool, now I have more material for my Mardi Gras costume”.  It also gave me the opportunity to write lines like “silver saving CPR”, haha. 

In truth, I didn’t lose that many photos.  Most of what I shot was for handtinting purposes, so I had captured the same images in digital.  Still I was very careful when I processed the next roll. The camera I brought still had film in it, I wasn’t sure what was on it, but I soon discovered images from Zwolle, Louisiana – shot in 2014!  Apparently it has been a while since I used that camera…There was only one image of San Miguel on the roll  – an image of a Buddha.  Somehow, it just made sense.   

Christine's Terrace

 
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The statue was on the terrace of the apartment I stayed in.  The first day I was there, my birthday, I woke up to a shadow of myself on the terrace.  

Shadow Selfie

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The next day I woke up to a hot air balloon, which I since learned is a fairly common sight:

Morning in San Miguel

 

Signs of the spiritual were everywhere, not just on terraces, but all along the picturesque landscape of San Miguel. 

Sunset Cross

La Parroquia

So naturally I was drawn to sacred and somewhat sacreligious selfies.. 

San Miguel Selfie

Slightly Sacreligious Selfie

 

The last day of my trip was spent at the amaaaazing La Gruta hot springs.

La Gruta

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(Where I took weird shadow selfies)

Weird Shadow Selfie

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The color is intense in San Miguel, hence my desire to handcolor the film photos. (4^th roll was the charm)

Streets of San Miguel

 There were two images in particular that I really wanted to handcolor – one was  the shop with the colorful brooms & bags,

Shop with the colorful brooms & bags

 

 the other was of towels at La Gruta.  The brooms survived, the towels did not.   I have no idea why, with all the intense color in San Miguel, that this was the one image I was sad I did not get on film. 

La Gruta Towels

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It would have been nice to have those extra two rolls of film to explore some printing options.  But unlike my 22, 32, or (who am I kidding..) my 42 year old self, my 44 year old self recognizes my good fourtune of the experience and what I was able to capture.  At the end of the day I was chillin with the Buddha on the terrace anyway.  All's good.  

Me 'n B

 Now I've got a Mardi Gras costume to prepare.

Til next time.. 

(c) Natasha Sanchez

www.nattie-concepts.com

Oh wait - carrots!  I also shot some carrots..  :)

(c) Natasha Sanchez

www.nattie-concepts.com

This & That in 2016

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 Hello. My name is Natasha and I produce a lot of nattie concepts.  I make photographs, create lumen prints and write songs and blogs about the State of My World.  I meant to do this in 2015 and that in 2014 but now its 2016 & I realize  I didn’t do any of it.  January begins my Nattie Concepts Recovery 12 Month Program.   Haha. (but true..) 

Over the past decade or so, I’ve created several one woman shows and photographic series, some I’ve cataloged, some I haven’t, so I thought 2015 would be a good time to do work on the ones I haven’t yet archived into perpetuity.   Since I didn’t get around to it then in 2015,  I think now in 2016 is even better.  (works for me) I’ve spent these first few days of 2016 cleaning  shoppe making way for new works of whatever and wherever my  world takes me.  (I feel Moscow _TN is in my future)

The World Tour songbook is in the works (7 whole songs!)  and I’m nearly finished creating the narrative that goes with “fLight”, my lumen print feather series.  There is another series/performance piece that bears some cataloging – Nattie and the Class of 2019 -   inspired by my time as a substitute teacher in the Spring of 2007 (high school) and 2008 (1^st grade).

Tic Tac NO

Revisiting the original tiny 3 ½ x 5 silver gelatin prints, I re-discovered the photos of drawings the first graders had made for me.  They were just returning to the city after Katrina and had never been in school before. But amidst the stories of the experiences & hardships they faced,  were their drawings, pictures that reflected the world around them as they saw it - pictures of flowers and butterflies and love.  It wasnt until revisiting this series that I realized these drawings weren't much different than my own lumen prints, both artworks reflecting the world as is. I began lumen printing not long after this assignment ended, and though I didn't make the connection at the time,  I'm happy to count a bunch of 6 year oids among my most inspired teachers & influences. 

Flower (handtint)

Azalea & Raindrops     Lumen Print

Butterfly (handtint)

Butterfly Ginger          Lumen Print

Oftentimes, it appears my work is varied - Lumen Prints! World Tours! Music! Betty the Bullhorn!  But in reality, the medium may change, but the expression is all the same. Sometimes it just takes me 8 or 9 years to figure it out...

I feel like there are more blogs with epiphanies in my future. (Funny that I started writing this on Jan 6th)  Of course then that probably means I won't get this cataloged until 2019, but that would probably work better anyway. haha. There will definitely be more lumen prints, more songs and world tours.  So stay tuned!

Til next time.. 

(c) Natasha Sanchez

www.nattie-concepts.com

For more on Nattie & the Class of 2019 visit:

http://www.fstopmagazine.com/pastissues/41/featured-Sanchez.html 

Reflecting on Reflections - Two shows in December

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December is always a busy, joyous time in the city for photographers and photo enthusiasts – PhotoNOLA , the New Orleans Photo Alliances’ photography festival kicks off December 10-13th.  The four day festival hosts a Gala at NOMA, an education day, portfolio reviews, gallery talks and month long exhibitions throughout the city. 

I’m super excited to participate in two exhibitions in conjunction with this festival.  Opening December 2nd,  I have photos on display in a Group Art show at Crescent City Brewhouse (527 Decatur) that includes photography, paintings and drawings. The show runs through January 3rd.   December - February,  I have photos on display in a shared show at Buffas (1001 Esplanade) with Eliot Kamenitz that we titled  “Works in Progress”.  The show opens December 9^th. 

While pondering what to display for these two shows,  I discovered an old “to-do list” on my computer from December, 2014.  You know its been a busy year when my December 2015 to-do list date has the exact same items on it. Looking back on the year I thought some nice, slow paced nostalgic prints would be best.  Then I realized that’s all I really shoot anyway. 

At Crescent City Brewhouse I have five of my small town pieces reflecting not time in the past, but in the present.  I’ve always been drawn to the timelessness of our very real, very modern world.  I love how photography captures our past in the present and influences our future.

General Store, Hwy 1

At Buffas, located just outside the Quarter, I thought it a good opportunity to showcase some photos from Photo Workshops that I lead in the French Quarter (and Garden District) for American Photo Safari.  In trying to decide how I wanted to portray the FQ, I realized I have a whole lotta reflection photos. It makes sense, I’ve had more than one workshop participant ask me “are we on the puddle tour of new Orleans?” (why yes, yes we are…) 

Heart of the City

 So there I go, combing through photos of what I know will be great reflections and then I realized – I was in most of them.  Oops.  

  Apparently I am drawn to reflective selfies  - which opens up an entirely new topic altogether...  Ha.Ha.  

 Not quite ready to branch out in the solo selfie circuit just yet, I put together a group of photos reflecting  an old quarter in what is becoming an increasingly modern city, as well as some lumen prints reflecting various symbols of the city.  (So natch, the termites made the cut).   

Passing Time               2015

NOLA Termites Under the Stars

Also in the show are landscapes from Eliot Kamenitz  and pieces from his Urban Archeology series. Come check out our Works in Progress on Wednesday, December 9th during the Worlds Most Open Mic. 

 For a full list of PhotoNOLA exhibitions, click HERE

Group Art Show - Photography, Paintings, Drawings & More

Crescent City Brewhouse

527 Decatur

December 1 - January 3rd

Opening:  December 2nd  5-7pm

Works in Progress - Photos by Eliot Kamenitz & Natasha Sanchez

Buffas Bar & Restaurant  

1001 Esplanade (Back Room)

December 1 - February 29th

Opening:  December 9th 6-10pm

 **For info on Photo Workshops Visit American Photo Safari.  I lead Garden District photo workshops Wed and Saturday and French Quarter workshops throughout the week. We teach photo/camera basics and composition - and how to shoot lizards (thats just me)**

Lizard Rest

The Importance of Pondering Carrots

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I wrote a song about carrots and a whole new world opened up. I’ve since gotten into carrot photography and made some new lumen prints, thought I'd share. 

 My carrot-as-art sojourn began  one day recently when I discovered  – I was out of carrots, oh my.  Not wanting to face the world without my beloved carrots, I hurriedly dashed to the store to immediately remedy this dire situation.  While on my way, I had another realization….who does this? haha.  Who flees to the grocery store in the middle of the afternoon to restock the carrot supply?  Or, the better question may be – cui bono?…who benefits?  

Two Carrots    2015

I don’t need to tell anyone of the nutritious virtues of carrots.  They taste good, they're good for you and bunnies love them.  More importantly, carrots are a root vegetable and they can help you to see.  My worldview often stems from looking at the root of matters. As a photographer and songwriter, I rely heavily on my vision, especially as I travel the world.  Therefore, it is no wonder that I will keep a tangible source of sight nearby.  Plus, look at the news we wake up to.  I find its better to arm myself with a clear vision just to face the news of the day and to decipher what is really going on in the world. 

Three Carrots & a Wayward Stem  2015

Anyhoo, long ramble cut short:  My carrot crisis led me to write a song about carrots.   But just like my Angus Young song isn’t about Angus Young, nor is my Justin Timberlake song about Justin Timberlake (though my Searching for a Tall Boy song is about a Miller High Life), my carrot song isn’t really about carrots, it is about all the rambling stuff above.  As a photographer, I got really interested in the photographic possibilites of The Carrot and began experimenting with Lumen Prints.  I overcooked the first batch, this is the second. Or third. I forget.  I have a lot to learn about printing veggies. 

So, to answer my own question - Who Benefits?  I would have to answer with Who Doesn't?   Sometimes what we need most in this world is a fresh perspective and a healthy outlook.  

Thats a whole lotta carrots.  

Sun Carrots   2015

I don't have a recording of my Carrot Song, you'll just have to check out my 3rd Thursday gig at the Neutralground (October 15th)  or at Nattie's Songwriter Circle at Buffas October 18th.  Til then, here's a gem I found on youtube.

happy carrot pondering.

 

(to appease all the internet medical fact checkers & WWII myth debunkers: this post is philosophical in nature and I am aware that "more studies need to be done on carrot vision benefits"...21st century disclaimer)

text & photos

(c) Natasha Sanchez

www.nattie-concepts.com

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Reaching New Heights - at Driskill Mountain, Louisiana

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Not only have I traveled the world from A(Algiers) to Z(Zwolle), I have also traveled the world from top to bottom.  Starting out in New Orleans with the lowest elevation of -8 feet below sea level, I eventually found my way to Louisianas highest elevation – Driskill Mountain at a staggering elevation of 535 feet.  

 On a whirlwind weekend trip of the world, I couldn’t help but notice that all the signs were there to let me know that the World Tour was on its way to higher heights..like this passing plane. 

and Poland’s General Store.

Driskill Mountain is located in Bienville Parish, south of Ruston and east of Shreveport.  The mountain sits on private property, which is graciously offered to the public by the landowners. After walking a little ways down the road you begin the (not so) harrowing hike up the hill (mountain).

 The trail is marked to let you know you are on the right path. 

Its about a 15 to 20 minute hike unless you stop to take pictures of butterflies,

tiny pinecones,

 ginormous trees,

and cool lighting. (then its about an hour)

Once you get to the top of the world, I mean, mountain, there is a kiosk to let you know you’ve made it and an overlook to Jordan Mountain, elevation 492 feet.   

 There are also benches in this very peaceful setting to contemplate things like…”where do you go when you’ve been to the top of the world (tour) and back?”

Guess you get back on the road.  

 Til next time..

World Tour News:

The Louisiana World Tour:The State of My World, an exhibition of 21 silver gelatin photographs, is on display at Northwestern Louisiana University in the Hanchey Gallery through September 26th.  The Louisiana World Tour will also be featured during the Lousiana Cultural Studies Conference in September. 

all content (c) Natasha Sanchez

www.nattie-concepts.com

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Shop the Shoppe:

Etsy

About the WORLD TOUR:
The Nattie Concepts World Tour began in 2011 under the premise that the world is as large or as small as you want it to be. Since that time, over 20 "international" destinations have been visited in Louisiana. 
Check out a preview of the Louisiana World Tour on my website
http://www.nattie-concepts.com/portfolio_-_photography/world_tour