PYTHON HITCHING A RIDE IN KRUGER!

 

OK, this would be my biggest nightmare!     There's a saying that "Africa is not for sissies" and whilst the writer came out of this experience none the worse for wear, I would not have been in her shoes for anything.    Oi!

 

 

 

My husband Leon and I were on vacation in Hazyview and visited the Kruger National Park each day during our weeklong stay.

We are subscribed to the Facebook and WhatsApp groups: Kruger National Park Sightings. This group supplies visitors with real time information and sightings become a lot easier when you know which road to take.

On Sunday, 06 May 2012, we entered at Phabeni Gate and coincidently it was my late father’s birthday. I could not think of a better place to celebrate than in the Kruger Park that he loved so much.

We received a message of a lion sighting on the H3. We were not far from the area and decided to check it out. On our way there, we saw a couple of cars and safari vehicles and initially thought it must be lions.

While there, we were informed that there was a python in the grass and while we were searching, the python suddenly sailed out of the grass straight towards our car. I waved to the vehicle behind us to reverse, but he couldn’t understand what everyone was looking at. The next moment the python disappeared underneath our car.

Approximately two minutes later, the tourists in the vehicles around us started laughing – the snake had not come out from under our vehicle. One of the safari operators informed us that he saw the snake ‘going up!’

 

We drove approximately five kilometers to the nearest lookout point, Mathekenyane (Grano Hill) approximately 10 kilometers from Skukuza with a convoy of vehicles following us to enjoy a piece of the action.

When we parked on the hill, Leon opened the car bonnet and then asked me to bring the camera. Mr Snake was lying on the engine, eyeballing all the commotion around him. Leon patted the snake, took it by the tail and the snake exited the same way it came in.

The snake sailed away unharmed and luckily there was no damage to the car. Later that morning we received a message that someone spotted a very relaxed python on Mathekenyane!

 

 

 

 

The lions were forgotten for then and Leon had to drive me to Skukuza so that I could get some sugar water to calm my nerves. I was in shock and terrified while we drove to Mathekenyane with the snake somewhere in the car. Leon a real ‘Ace Ventura’ was extremely excited about the experience.

Later that evening we had a good chuckle about the reactions of the bystanders when the snake exited the vehicle. People were scattering in all directions and I am only disappointed that I was numb with fear and didn’t take more pictures.

The snake is estimated to be between four to five meters and we never once imagined the response we would get from this experience.

Leon and I are absolutely crazy about Kruger and visit as often as we can. Having a snake in our car bonnet was an experience that I will NEVER forget!

 

 

A MAN OF SUBSTANCE

Not often enough someone like Robert Redford comes into focus.    There is a consistency and a quiet sense of urgency about him that I like.    You don't really hear about him nowadays unless he has something important to impart.   

Whilst his life could have taken a vastly different track and he could have been living the high life of fame and money, he did not take that route.   Instead, he chose to give back to this world with grace and dignity (well ...... so it seems).   What I really like about  him is that he speaks such sense.   The clip above might make him seem like a tree-hugger until you realize that there is not ONE argument to be had against his rationale.   He's starting to get on in years but I really hope he sticks around for long enough to make an impression on the younger generations.    It is, after all, THEY who will inherit TODAY.

 

 

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At long last I can finally say that I have a website!    It's amazing how many people I interact with ask for my website.    It's ONLY taken a year but here it is www.josephine-cohn.artistwebsites.com.    FineArtAmerica is a website where people from anywhere in the world can look at all the wonderful things artists are doing and purchase prints/prints on canvas/acrylic/metal or simply framed.    VERY nice!  

 

It's my plan to showcase all my refraction, reflection and separation of light work on this website.   More will come later as I know that this is where my focus lies.   I've done a lot this year but I know instinctively that there's more to discover.    2013 will definitely be a year of digging in and discovering more cool things we don't always see. :-)

 

For the many people I have met in Houston/Sugar Land, there's a new market coming to town on the 7th, 8th and 9th of December.    It's called The Heart of Texas Art and Craft Show and I will be participating as one of the vendors.   This Show boasts a lot of vendors who do unique work.   The show organizers have run this show successfully in Dallas, TX for a number of years and are bringing it to Houston for the first time.   Visit www.heartoftexasshow.com to see what you can find for Christmas.

 

The year end is galloping towards us and before things speed up to a blur, I would like to thank each and every person I have met over this year.    Your observations and comments about my work keep me going.   So thank you, thank you, thank you.  

 

Here's to a good year next year.    I don't know if my book is still on schedule but I am still hoping for a March 2013 launch.    More about that later.

 

Many blessings to you and those nearest and dearest to you.  

 

 

 

JO COHN

 

 

 



SOME REALLY COOL REFRACTION PHOTOS

 

 

I'm sure many of my followers would have seen the media blitz on "SHOP SMALL" which has been all over TV in the past week.   This campaign is promoting shoppers to support small business and to visit local markets and buy from local vendors.   Personally, I think this is a FANTASTIC idea!    The timing of this campaign could not have been better and we'd love to see many people visiting the Imperial Farmers Market and to buy from the growing number of arts and craft vendors.  

 

I seem to be focusing more and more on photos which illustrate refraction and separation of light.   The pics above are a preview of what's to come and will be at MyTerraTree's booth tomorrow, Saturday 17th.   These images are zany and fun and improbable as it might look, the original photos come from refracted and separated light.  

 

Please swing by MyTerraTree's booth tomorrow.   I don't know if you feel the same way I do about shopping over the Thanksgiving holiday.   I'll forsake the crush and the rush for a more peaceful and relaxed way of shopping.   Hope you feel that way too!

 

Happy Thanksgiving! 

 

 

POST-ELECTION RETROSPECTION

The people of this country could  stop iconizing people like Obama and Romney or anyone else coming along in the future. Government is made of laws and we have to look to those in Congress to make the changes we are all wanting. In our particular scenario, there needs to be earnest bi-partisan efforts by those in the House of Representatives and Congress to make the changes which will dig us out of the hole Government has dug us into. I think that Governments of yesteryear were more true to the Americans they served because there were no lobbyists, politicians served their people with pride and honor and there was no hatred, greed, personal agendas and an allegiance to their parties which works against the betterment of this country.

As a general overview, Romney and his party did the best they could in this past election. For me, I was appalled that they singled out women as one of the important issues they ran on. At the time this topic was introduced, my immediate reaction was why are they singling out women and who gave them the right to do so? Why, for example, did they not include men. Men are subject to risks of STDs, HIV, Hepatitis A,B,C, not to mention parenthood which could all be a result of sexual behavior. Men could, and probably are, depending on Government funding to pay for their healthcare needs which are a result of risky sexual activity.   So why only women?  I felt this to be very unfair and in its subliminal message it reminded me of how we grew up in South Africa in a white, privileged society. We had everything we could dream of and more. We were blissfully ignorant that there was a whole other side to everything which we knew. It wasn't our fault - we just didn't know. So, when Romney (with the Republicans and the Tea Party bending his ear) singled out women, it smacked of the same old South African scenario in which I grew up. It gave me a small window to look into the male Republican mentality. Subliminally I felt that they considered women to be made of lesser stuff than men.

So our laws are what should govern this country. Those laws should not infringe on anything other than our national security and the welfare of the aged and infirm. As a woman on the street, the only way I can make a change is to elect good, solid and well-qualified people to represent me in any party. 

Going back to Romney and President Obama. Both men stood on the promise that they would make America a better place. They would correct as many of the wrongs as they could. Of course, until Republicans and Democrats learn to work together for the future of the people they serve, neither post-candidates would be able to accomplish this. It will be interesting to watch how successful Obama will be during his second term in office and whether he and his party will be able to move 'FOREWARD'. He has a deadline - November 2016

A MOTHER'S LOVE - AFRICA STYLE!

If you have ever lived in Africa, this is a sight we grew up with and regard as a phenomenon we hope that only other people have to to deal with - and not us. What I see when I look at this picture is a woman who probably struggles every da...

y to walk any kind of distance and when she sees herself in shop windows or bathroom mirrors she is probably distressed by the disproportion of her body. Other than her booty, she is not that large. I suspect that her condition is not only the result of "past the lips, onto the hips". When I look at the photo, I see something which is truly heart-warming. Here's a woman who is not only carrying her own weight but also the additional 25 to 30 lbs of her child. Funnily enough, I think this would make an amazing dipiction of the love of a mother. They are wearing similar clothes which are the same color, she is putting her child's interests before her own comfort, and the way they are holding hands definitely depicts the relationship of mother and child. Of course we all look at this photo in disbelief because it's not something you would see every day. I like this photo and I hope whoever took it was not being demeaning. Whoever took it actually has an eye for capturing something special.

See More

 

 

ARTOBERFEST

 

20TH AND 21ST OCTOBER 2012

 

GALVESTON, TX.

 

 

 

Well, its finally here!    Sometime ago I was accepted as a vendor in the annaul Artoberfest held in Galveston this next weekend.    There will be some 125 different art vendors participating next Saturday and Sunday in downtown Galveston.   The market runs from 10am - 6pm on Saturday and 10am - 5pm on Sunday.    Check it out on the web at www.artoberfest.com for directions and admission fees, etc.

 

In the past nine months a lot has happened and bears testament to the fact that God does help those who help themselves.   Starting conservatively, I joined the Imperial Farmers Market  in Sugarland with my refraction photos.   Pretty soon I decided to introduce my butterflies and although I have pretty much moved away from framed art into photo mattes, butterflies still sell well.

 

 

Over the past few weeks I have been building up inventory of landscapes, butterflies, refraction photos, mineral crystals, beautiful photos of the mission buildings at the Alamo, reflection photos and many more for the Artoberfest. There will be 2013 calendars, variety packs of notecards, photo mattes in 5 X 7's, 8 X 10's and 11 X 14's. Also 4 X 6's refraction photos for collages, sold in sets of five. Large 16 X 20 framed refractions will also be available.   All my own photography.  

 



 

 

 

 

The mineral crystals above are part of an internationally acclaimed exhibition of mineral crystals at the Houston Museum of Natural Science.**  

 

About four months back and totally be chance, I discovered that wonderful reflections can be achieved with the help of sea water.    It wasn't long before I was spending a lot of time on the shores of the gulf photographing my kitchen range.   Essentially I took photos of the exotic and not so exotic fruits and vegetables as the gulf waters washed past them.     I love these shots and have assembled them as collages so customers get more bang for the buck.   Where merited, I have them available as singles as well.

 

 

 

 

Whenever I get to the stage when I think I've come to the end of ideas, another one always pops up. Here's a sample of my new work. Great for diningrooms and kitchens.

These beauties are available in 8 X 8 square frames and 8 X 10 mattes.







 

 

 

 

 

Finally but most important of all, I have been offered a publishing contract for a gift book comprising wonderful quotes from famous people and the best of my photography.      The book is in the editing and layout phase at this time so I don't have too many details.     The publishers are shooting for a Feb/Mar/Apr 2012 launch - so watch this space.  

 

I hope that many of my local friends and followers will be able to make it down to Galveston next weekend.    I will be at booth # 67.   Look forward to seeing you there! 

 

  

 

 



 

** Published with the permission of the Houston Museum of Natural Science. 





 

 



 





THE KITCHEN COLLECTION

Here are the first photos I am including in my Kitchen Collection.    I decided to develop this collection of photos because there just isn't enough stuff out there to decorate our kitchens.    These roosters are available in 5X7's and 8X10's prints with black mattes.   I'll be adding more when they are available.  

In addition to the roosters, I am busy developing a very exciting range of fruit and vegetable reflections.   That's about as much as I want to say right now but most of you know by now that I steer right away from the normal stuff - so watch this space.    I'm excited about the new material.   This collection should be ready around September so visit the Imperial Farmers Market around that time.

Also a hot item is that I have been accepted to participate in the Artoberfest in Galveston 20th/21st October this year.   I'm really excited about this and I think it will be great venue to showcase all the new photography I am working on.   Visit www.artoberfest.com for location and artist information (it might not be available just yet but should be on the website soon).

Finally, due to quite a lot of interest being shown in the refraction photos, I am making the best of the range available in 16X20 prints.   These photos are only available in frames.   This should make some of you happy!

Stop by the booth soon and let's stay in touch.

JO COHN



SUMMERTIME BLUES!

There's been a resurgence in the interest in my Refraction Series of photos - so here's some old and some new pics.   These photos are available in 8 X 10, 11 X 14, 16 X 20, 20 X 24 and poster size.  

Great photos for beach houses, bathrooms, patios, spas or even offices.

Have a great week!

JO COHN





INTRODUCING FABULOUS NEW PHOTOGRAPHY

I've been keeping most of this work under wraps for a while.   Following my refraction and butterfly series, I took a lot of my work inside under indoor lights and using glass and water, did new reflection and refraction work with flowers.      Using the best quality flowers, the images are bold and lovely.

Myterratree's presence at the Imperial Farmers Market in Sugar Land, TX is starting to pack a real punch.   Original water refraction work is still available framed and unframed in 11 X 14's and 8 X 10's.  Butterflies are fluttering all over the booth.   Butterfly collages are available as prints or framed.   New to the butterfly range are my round, yellow frames - ideal for little girl's rooms or really great in sets for that empty space in your guestroom or cloakroom.    For smaller gifts, I have developed a small range of stationery, using my photos.     There are two different butterfly notecard packs and for those totally in love with my water refraction photos, I have journals with refraction covers.

From this weekend, a whole new range of photography will be available for sale in ivory colored 8 X 10 mattes or 11 X 14 mattes.    I have released a number of photo's not seen before.   Trees, sea-scapes, gypy musicians, flowers, one real nasty alligator and many, many more.  

Remember to visit Myterratree between 9.00am and 1.00pm tomorrow to check out new inventory.

Seeyasoon

JO COHN