Karen Axelrad Archives - TheAppWhisperer

Mobile Photography & Art – Flickr/Instagram Group Showcase – 7 April 20019

07/04/201907/04/2019 by Joanne Carter

After scoring a hat trick, I am back! As some of you will have noticed, I was off last week. Not one to take life easy, I managed to cram it with, Mother’s Day, my 50th birthday and a serious lung infection. An accomplishment even by my own standards. The lung infection leading the way, I spent my days and continue to do so, (desperately trying to avoid another hospital admission), dosing up with antibiotics, sleeping sitting upright (it can be done, I’ve learnt, once complete exhaustion sets in) and reading a wide variety of books. I got it down to two books every two days, a record for me. This is all in sharp contrast to the preceding two weeks where I, at least felt like, flew around Amsterdam and swanned around Paris, with a scrum of journalists in close contact throughout, trying, initially politely, to avoid some persistent esoteric amorous advances. No doubt, the grounds I picked up the lung infection but that’s a little unjust; I feel quite hip these days, sharing a serious autoimmune disease with a raft of celebrities. ‘Lady AppWhisperer‘, has a bit of a ring to it, don’t you think? The main treatment for serious autoimmune diseases (for the uninitiated) are strong immunosuppressant drugs. These are delivered to my home address every two weeks, straight from a refrigerated van, handed to me in person and placed immediately into my own fridge (middle shelf, with nothing touching the contents, ‘not too close to the back, front or sides‘, my nurse voiced, as she inspected my placement). Then every two weeks, I inject myself, the fun part is I get to select the location, will it be my left or right thigh this week? Or perhaps and I’m still striving to gain confidence, will it by my abdomen, just along from my tummy button, hmm – the mental battle continues for that one. The result is that in order to reduce the immune system attacking itself, my immune system is reduced to next to nothing, therefore, any bugs floating around, once caught, take quite a bit of shifting and this lung infection is still lingering and I foresee, will continue in a similar vein for the next week or so. It’s proving to be the hardest secondary illness I’ve had, since original diagnosis to eliminate…

Speaking of books, one was bought for me this week by my eldest son, Jake, ‘Do No Harm’ by Henry Marsh. It’s a book by a neurosurgeon (Henry Marsh) of forty years and once picked up, hard to put down. Perfect when you’re confined to bed. Reading the accounts and surgeries of his poor patients, certainly helped to keep my own predicament in perspective. One quote from this book stays with me “Anxiety might be contagious, but confidence is also contagious” and of course, that’s what we strive so hard, to build here at TheAppWhisperer for the community of talented mobile photographers and artists that share their work with us. This weeks mobile photography & Art Showcase is a bumper one (I missed last week, see above), as it plays out, you’ll view, what is sure to be called, a ‘superbly original and exquisite spellbinding twenty first love story’, asserted by many of the major mobile photographers and artists operating in our world today. It’s pure poetry, mysterious and yet glittering, enjoy!

Music this week – ‘You’re Still With Me (alternative ending) ©Ali Handal

Thank you to all the talented artists for submitting your works to our showcase this week. If you would like your work to be considered for entry in to our weekly Mobile Photography and Art Flickr Group, please submit it to our dedicated group, here. You can also submit images to our Instagram tag for this section #mobilephotographyandimagery.

Rita Colantonio, Deborah McMillion, Kristie Benoit, aka Tman, Jon Arne Foss, Paul Toussaint, Lorenka Campos, Isabel Afonso, borisbschulz2009, Paul Yan, Tomaso Belloni, Candice Railton, Susan Maxwell Schmidt, Susan Detroy, Kat McClelland, Jun Yamaguchi, zeeyan, Eduardo Llerandi, Ian Clarke, zeeyan, Eduardo Llerandi, Ian Clarke, Linda Hollier, Clint Cline, Catherine Caddigan, Laila, Oola Cristina, Gianluca Ricoveri, Vako Darispanashvili, Kate Zari Roberts, Judy Wahlberg, Susan Blase, Michael Beresin, Hanni K, TheiPhoneArtGirl – Meri Walker, Montse Abad, Karen Axelrad, Yasuo Furue, Basak Aytek, Poetic Medium, Catherine Caddigan, M. Cecilia Sao Thiago, Susan Rennie, Tuba Korhan, Fleur Schim, before.1st.light – Jane Schultz, Paula Broom.

Mobile Photography & Art – Tickle Your Fancy #62

23/03/2019 by Joanne Carter

Welcome back to our sixty second post in our Tickle Your Fancy section. ‘Tickle Your Fancy’ includes a round-up of between seven to eight links to articles from around TheAppWhisperer over the past few week, that you may by chance have missed. Please note, I’ve been a little unwell this week, so have not published as much as I wanted to.

Just to explain the title for this section Tickle Your Fancy is an English idiom and essentially means that something appeals to you and perhaps stimulates your imagination in an enthusiastic way, we felt it would make a great title for this new section of the site.

Artists cited include Amy Ecenbarger, Rita Colantonio, Valeria Cammareri, Deborah McMillion, Jenny Pieters, Feliz Ak, Kerry Mitchell, Fleur Schim, Diane Neubauer, Peter Wilkin, Lorenka Campos, Paul Yan, Paul Toussaint, Isabel Afonso, Catherine Caddigan, Ile Mont, p.a hamel, David DeNagel, Barbara Nebel, Karen Axelrad, Vadim Demjianov, Rob Pearson-Wright, Deborah McMillion, Linda Hollier, Rita C, Allyson, Tomaso Belloni, Yasuo Furue, 1968selin, Jun Yamaguchi, Clint Cline, Kat McClelland, Candice Railton, Gina Costa, Fleur Schim, before.1st.light – Jane Schultz, Gianluca Ricoveri, Kate Zari Roberts, Hanni K, Kate Zari Roberts, Barbara Braman.

Mobile Photography & Art – Flickr/Instagram Group Showcase – 17 March 2019

17/03/2019 by Joanne Carter

‘Thank you for sleeping with us’, read the headline on my bill as I checked out of a hotel in Amsterdam this week. It amused me ‘thank you for sleeping with us’, why would they use that expression? Was it a nod to the infamous red light district around the corner? Being thanked for sleeping with someone, is a little patronising, don’t you think? I’ve not been thanked for sleeping with anyone before, neither have I returned the sentiment. If I was, I’d feel as if I had just completed a service, as opposed to sharing a vivaciously intimate moment. Or were they implying, how important it is to sleep well and to be ‘well slept individuals’? The bed and pillows were delightfully comfortable, more so than most and had I had the time to achieve the recommended eight hours, this would have been the place to do it. We’re under pressure from so many areas as the world unravels on so many levels and we are under increasing pressure to achieve eight solid hours sleep but surely this must be ideology at its purest? We have to make time to sleep but what if our time is not our own, as was the case in Amsterdam, it was a press trip. However, I did manage to etch out a few awoke solitary moments, in between meetings and they were divine. This was an adventure, I told myself, an intriguing quest, and one that I would regret not seeing through at least a little further along the way. I walked into the hotel restaurant, found a seat backing against a wall (my preferred seating placement), I could see all who approached me, as I ordered North Sea Chowder with a glass of Prosecco, from the attentive waiter, what could be more ambrosial? I delighted in the process, as the waiter asked if I was dining alone and I replied with glee, ‘yes’, he removed the opposing cutlery as the chilled Prosecco slipped slowly down my throat. It’s possible to carve out special moments, just for yourself, you just need to be disciplined enough. Self care is a radical act, let’s all to try to have a #selfcaresunday. The feminist poet Audre Lorde says: “Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it’s self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.” Wishing you all a beautiful Sunday.

Many congratulations to the following artists for being featured this week: Peter Wilkin, Lorenka Campos, Paul Yan, Paul Toussaint, Isabel Afonso, Catherine Caddigan, Ile Mont, p.a hamel, David DeNagel, Barbara Nebel, Karen Axelrad, Vadim Demjianov, Rob Pearson-Wright, Deborah McMillion, Linda Hollier, Rita C, Allyson, Tomaso Belloni, Yasuo Furue, 1968selin, Jun Yamaguchi, Clint Cline, Kat McClelland, Candice Railton, Gina Costa, Fleur Schim, before.1st.light – Jane Schultz, Gianluca Ricoveri, Kate Zari Roberts, Hanni K, Kate Zari Roberts, Barbara Braman.

Music this week is ‘If Only For A Moment’ ©The Weak Need

Mobile Photography & Art – Flickr/Instagram Group Showcase – 10 March 2019

10/03/2019 by Joanne Carter

Why does anything exist at all? I’m an optimistic, don’t worry, but it’s a question which we all spend our lives trying, increasingly strenuously to avoid. Human life, is always held up against the massive fact of nature, impervious and indifferent to man. If we knew our exact end of life date, would we live our lives differently? When humans have brushed up close to death, they do live differently. I know that I do. I was lucky to survive at 24 years old with very serious liver tumours and luck really did play the main part in my survival. Consequently, I have felt on borrowed time ever since, I may live to be 101 like Dorothea Tanning, however it’s most unlikely, I have a short shelf life. But the great virtue of living to that age, is that you get lots of bites of the cherry, you can keep readjusting your career, keep coming back, keep reinventing yourself. This weeks mobile photography & art showcase is a colossal Kubrickian symphony of images, I am an evangelist for it, enjoy! I’m off to Amsterdam this week for a few days, I’ll fill you in on that, post NDA, have a wonderful week everyone, keep creating, live everyday as your last, as I do.

Many congratulations to the following artists for being featured this week:

Peter Wilkin, David DeNagel, nini_nini, Barbara Nebel, Catherine Caddigan, Ioannis Sidiropoulos, Cristina Rossi, Clare Pickett, Ritacall, Paul Yan, Allyson Marie, Candice Railton, Albion Harrison-Naish, Karen Axelrad, Gianluca Ricoveri, Kate Zari Roberts, p.a. hamel, borisbschulz2009, Gina Costa, Susan Rennie, Jun Yamaguchi, Clint Cline, Sheldon Serkin, woltarise, Arko Rayhan, Deborah McMillion, Ade Santora, Vadim Demjianov, Lydia Cassatt, Fleur Schim, Lorenka Campos, Linda Hollier, Tricia Dewey.

Music this week is ‘Everytime I go’ by Sarah Sample

Mobile Photography & Art – Flickr/Instagram Group Showcase – 3 March 2019

03/03/2019 by Joanne Carter

Enthralling, unexpected, beautifully assembled this weeks Mobile Photography & Art Showcase will please all; for it upholds our passionate belief in the continuities of mobile art. Nothing comes from nothing: In the truest sense, these works are a sign of the times, each one, committed realism. This is a showcase bursting at its seams with astute pieces exposing meaningful disruption. Enjoy!

Many congratulations to the following artists for being featured this week:

Oola Cristina, Scott Simpson, jon jon, Robin Robertis, Amo Passicos, Eduardo Llerandi, Deborah McMillion, Clare Pickett, Anastasia Potekhina, Jon Arne Foss, Y F, Karen Axelrad, TheiPhoneArtGirl – Meri Walker, Jun Yamaguchi, Enio Godoy, Rob Pearson-Wright, Debara Splendorio, Tricia Dewey, Lindy Ginn, before.1st.light – Jane Schultz, Gianluca Ricoveri, Clint Cline, Hanni K, Tracey Grumbach, Liliana Schwitter, Kate Zari Roberts, Susan Rennie, jilllian2 – Jill Lian, Barbara Nebel, Susan Maxwell Schmidt, Salwa Afef, Candice Railton, Victor Reynolds, p.a.hamel, Poetic Medium, Rita Colantinio.

Mobile Photography & Art – Flickr/Instagram Group Showcase – 24 February 2019

25/02/201924/02/2019 by Joanne Carter

“Love is or it ain’t. Thin love ain’t love at all.” ― Toni Morrison, Beloved. I read a lot as a child and I still read a good deal as a adult. Beloved, by Toni Morrison is one book that I read as a teenager, that really stayed with me. My great friend Rachel and I were hungry for literature, we read the same books, at the same times and then studied and reviewed them together. Rachel went on to teach A level literature at a grammar school. Beloved is not an easy read, compared I suppose with something like To Kill a Mocking Bird and by saying that, I do not mean to portray the latter as ‘easy to read’, but it is an incredibly rewarding read and it’s one that never gets tired. “Beloved is one of the few American novels that take every natural element of the novel form and exploit it thoroughly, but in balance with all the other elements. The result is that it is dense but not long, dramatic but not melodramatic, particular and universal, shocking but reassuring, new but at the same time closely connected to the tradition of the novel, and likely to mould or change a reader’s sense of the world”, Jane Smiley. Morrison has just published a new book, spanning five decades its said ‘underscores her rage and linguistic brilliance‘. The title is ‘Mouth full of blood’ and I hope to read it soon.

Literature is on a par with photography and art, they’re not dissimilar, each image tells its own story and that story is interpreted by the reader based on their own life experiences. Each image has been created with the upmost intelligence and hope. It is about the relationship between the artist and the viewer, it is important to become literate in both art forms. “writing with photographs constitutes not a minor subset of literary practice, but [is] rather a founda- tional aspect of the modern reading experience” (Beckman and Weissberg xiii). I am planning on expanding on these thoughts in our forthcoming book ‘Away with Words’ and would love it if you would contribute. To find out more about that, please go here.

Many congratulations to the following artists for being featured this week:

Laila, Robi Gallardo, Deborah McMillion, Jean Hutter, Kerry Mitchell, Robin Robertis, Sergiy Beliayev, Peter Klein, Oola Cristina, Karen Axelrad, Susan Blase, Deborah Field, Susan Maxwell Schmidt, Qingxian Guo, Chet K, Candice Railton, Kat McClelland, Vadim Demjianov, Kate Zari Roberts, Luc Borell, Jun Yamaguchi, Lydia Cassatt, Deborah Field, Catherine Caddigan, Gianluca Ricoveri, jilllian2 – Jill Lian, Juta Jazz, Barbara Braman, Susan Rennie, before.1st.light – Jane Schultz, Borisbschulz2009, ritacall, Fleur Schim, Clint Cline, Eduardo Llerandi.

Mobile Photography & Art – Flickr/Instagram Group Showcase – 17 February 2019

17/02/201917/02/2019 by Joanne Carter

When my eldest son was at boarding school, there was the most incredible sensory garden for all the children to enjoy, it was an empowering experience and helped many of the children to blossom. A sensory garden has the ability in many ways to become a sensory room. If you’re not familiar with the umbrella term ‘sensory room’ they are essentially rooms, with special lighting, music and objects, a therapeutic place, one of safety in which to deescalate experiences and promote self care, resilience and recovery. When we view art, it’s important to use all five senses too, as much as possible, to not just look and move on but to really try to understand the image, to get into the picture, literally.

Mobile art is as much about presence as the senses, about the awareness of what it is to move through it. Whether the artist themselves has fully utilised all of their senses when creating the art, we can heighten our own experience by not only cascading into the picture but by creating circumstances in which that might happen. When we participate in life with all our senses, whether we are in a sensory garden, a sensory room, viewing art, or making love, it is a far more rewarding form of participation and one that you will feel all the better for by throwing yourself into.

In keeping with my New Year Resolutions, this week you’ll find me at the Intercontinental Park Lane Hotel, as I start preliminary judging the Pink Lady Food Awards.

Many congratulations to the following artists for being featured this week:

Clint Cline, Sergiy Beliayev, Susan Blase, sculptorli, TheiPhoneArtGirl – Meri Walker, Oola Cristina, Paul Yan, Eduardo Llerandi, Laila, Kat McClelland, Susan Maxwell Schmidt, Deborah McMillion, Scott Simpson, Jean Hutter, Lorenka Campos, Shel Serkin, Jose Matos, Catherine Caddigan, Ade Santora, Rita Cal….., Jun Yamaguchi, Anastasia Potekhina, Hanni K, Enio Godoy, Candice Railton, Gianluca Ricoveri, Arko Rayhan, Juta Jazz, Sherrianne100, Rob Pearson-Wright, Kate Zari Roberts, Maarten Oorwijn, Qingxian Guo, before.1st.light – Jane Schultz, Barbara Nebel, jilllian2 – Jill Lian, Karen Axelrad, ArrrRT eDUarD, Debara Splendorio, p.a. hamel, Maurizio Zanetti.

Music this week is ‘Love you Forever’ ©Ryan Huston

Mobile Photography & Art – Flickr/Instagram Group Showcase – 10 February 2019

10/02/201910/02/2019 by Joanne Carter

“The feelings of desperation and unhappinness are more useful to an artist than the feeling of contentment, because desperation and unhappinness stretch your whole sensibility”. A quote by Francis Bacon but one I’m inclined to disagree with. Rufus Wainwright once admitted that he was terrified to settle down into a happy relationship, because without the emotional drama that came from all those dysfunctional love affairs, he was afraid of losing access to ‘that dark lake of pain’ he felt was critical to his music. I disagree that we should all be addicted to suffering, we need to be able to trust pleasure and utilise it to help create art. Too many artists put their faith in anguish. To have faith in the suffering muse, can cause us to become tormented artists, or to fetishise suffering. To trust love to create art, is more valuable for our mental health. Love your work, love it like it loves you and let it love you. There’s a trust in that love, the fiercest trust of all and I have in spades for you. Huge congratulations to all the artists featured this week.

In keeping with my New Year Resolutions, you’ll find me at the press preview this week of Diane Arbus: In the beginning and Kader Attia: The Museum of Emotion at the Hayward Gallery, SE1. I’ll report back but am expecting it to be nothing short of fabulous. It’s open to the public from 13 February until 6 May.

Many congratulations to the following artists for being featured this week:

“The feelings of desperation and unhappinness are more useful to an artist than the feeling of contentment, because desperation and unhappinness stretch your whole sensibility”. A quote by Francis Bacon but one I’m inclined to disagree with. Rufus Wainwright once admitted that he was terrified to settle down into a happy relationship, because without the emotional drama that came from all those dysfunctional love affairs, he was afraid of losing access to ‘that dark lake of pain’ he felt was critical to his music. I disagree that we should all be addicted to suffering, we need to be able to trust pleasure and utilise it to help create art. Too many artists put their faith in anguish. To have faith in the suffering muse, can cause us to become tormented artists, or to fetishise suffering. To trust love to create art, is more valuable for our mental health. Love your work, love it like it loves you and let it love you. There’s a trust in that love, the fiercest trust of all and I have in spades for you. Huge congratulations to all the artists featured this week.

Many congratulations to the following artists for being featured this week:

Buzz Kills, Irene Irene Marchuk Oleksiuk, TheiPhoneArtGirl – Meri Walker, Robin Robertis, Tricia Dewey, Tuba Korhan , Clare Pickett, Robi Gallardo, Ransom Candice Railton, Hanni K, ArrrRT eDUarD, Jun Yamaguchi, Eduardo Llerandii, Rita Colantonio , Tomaso Belloni, Nashira1901, Cathrine Cathrine Halsør, Dieuwke Geervliet, Nelson Goncalves, Poetic Medium, Gianluca Ricoveri, Barbara Braman, Karen Axelrad, jilllian2 – Jill Lian, Amo Passicos, Matthew Teter, Kate Zari Roberts, Karen Axelrad, Susan Maxwell Schmidt, Laila, Luison – Lrh Arquitecto, Sherrianne100.

Mobile Photography & Art – Flickr/Instagram Group Showcase – 3 February 2019

03/02/2019 by Joanne Carter

The path of true love… did it ever run smoothly? I don’t think anyone can say agree positively with that. Arguing the toss with someone you love – can be futile and the consequences make it uncomfortable. Disagreeing with restraint, is the ideal but how many of us do that, all of the time? Whether this week has meant you’ve loaded the dishwasher in silence with your partner, or with strong words and broken crockery, we have to make a time to come together and try not to cross some of the ideological lines. So, how do we do that? How do we get back to that initial feeling of being passionately in love? Well, this week, having cut one of my fingers gravely, way too early in the morning, I’ve been somewhat restricted in what I can do, driving, cooking, typing and washing my hair. Fortunately, my husband took care of the latter yesterday and it was a mutually blissful. Touch is a very powerful feeling and its not just physical, as you will notice when viewing this weeks showcase. You’ll be touched by the powerful mobile imagery and the story that unfolds. Each image a story in itself and built together as one hit musical. Expressing creativity is an essential human trait, if you don’t bring forth what is within you, what you don’t bring forth will destroy you (Gospel of Thomas) – not that I’m terribly religious.. No more is this apparent than in one of Britains treasured artists Tracey Emin and I’m off to meet her this week. Perhaps best known for her shortlisted Turner Prize 1999, work entitled ‘My Bed’. I’ll report back on how that goes, wishing you all a very beautiful creative, week ahead.

Thank you to all the talented artists for submitting your works to our showcase this week, it’s one of true splendor. If you would like your work to be considered for entry in to our weekly Mobile Photography and Art Flickr Group, please submit it to our dedicated group, here. You can also submit images to our Instagram tag for this section #mobilephotographyandimagery.

Many congratulations to the following artists for being featured this week:

Tracey Grumbach, Lorenka Campos, Poetic Medium, Karen Axelrad, Kerry Mitchell, Kat McClelland, Barbara Braman, Deborah Field, Clint Cline, Luison, Amo Passicos, Laila, Jun Yamaguchi, Maurizio Zanetti, Candice Railton, Rob Pearson-Wright, Gianluca Ricoveri, Tomaso Belloni, Jill Lian, Donald Williams, Barbara Nebel, Loulou Buntbein, Serigiy Beliayev, Salwa Afef, Catherine Caddigan, Lydia Cassatt, Jon Arne Foss, Juta Jazz.

Mobile Photography & Art – Flickr/Instagram Group Showcase – 27 January 2019

27/01/2019 by Joanne Carter

This weeks mobile photography and art showcase is fully persuasive, it’s a work of imposing scale. This ensemble presents an avant-garde approach to mobile art, that will awe the most stoic critic. The narrative maintains and enhances the credibility of each of each talented artist. This is an ambitious, inspiring, beautiful and empthatic interpretation of mobile art today. The rhythms of this showcase and the intensity of the art are peerless. Enjoy!

Many congratulations to the following artists for being featured this week:

Deborah Million, Lydia Cassatt, borisbschulz2009, Paul Yan, TheiPhoneArtGirl – Meri Walker, soul_engine, jilllian2 – Jill Lian, Karen Axelrad, Robin Robertis, Eduardo Llerandi, Kate Zari Roberts, Hanni K, Gina Costa, Tricia Dewey, before.1st.light – Jane Schultz, Sarah Kuhn, Tracey Grumbach, Y F, De allí para acá, Damien Campana, Irene Oleksiuk, Kathy Clay, Lorenka Campos, Rabbi Fahim, Clint Cline, Louise Whiting, Poetic Medium, Jun Yamaguchi, Susan Rennie, Catherine Caddigan, Candice Railton, Allyson Marie, Gianluca Ricoveri, Barbara Braman, Aka Tman.

Music this week is ‘Chariot’ by Jacob Lee