I love photographing flowers and painting a more darker tone on the image, since there is a nice contrast to the colors of the flowers.  A photograph of poppies, one of those flowers that has such personality.

Hey there! So what comes to mind when you think of summer (I'm so looking forward to summer and it already feels like summer here in central California!)? When I think of summer...I think of watermelon, the sun, sprinklers, ocean/sandy beaches and the cool water that we jump in or drink in; days of relaxing in the warmth and feeling grateful for a slower pace season. For those of you that may not know, a few years ago I signed up to become a Compassion Blogger in order to use my blog as a tool to spread the important message of gifting love to children in need. Therefore, I'm grateful I was able to respond to Compassion's writing prompt for this month about water and what life would be like without it for a week. I can already imagine how uncomfortable I would be, how limited cooking meals would be, how smelly my family and I would be, how challenging it would be to wash our dirty hands and feet, since I love to be outside gardening and watching my kids play in the dirt and mud. I know my initial reaction would be one of panic if I turned on the water and nothing came out. I know I would feel a sense of relief as soon as I get clean water again. But that feeling of panic would only be brief since I know that clean water will soon be available to me because in the U.S clean water is readily available. Whereas, there are billions of people all over the world without access to basic clean water; something I have taken for granted. Read more about the staggering statistics of water around the world and if you would like to help others receive access to clean water, please donate to The Water and Sanitation Fund through Compassion. Thank you for reading my words and until fingers meet keys. . . enjoy your day!

I took this photo years ago and have always loved this photograph since capturing this image propelled me to have more of an interest in abstract photography. When I have more time on my hands, I hope to explore this subject matter more in depth. Therefore, stay tune...for now, I hope you all have a blessed and loving week.

When I took this photograph, I wanted to play with perspective and I got really low to the ground to capture my son being carried by his gracious cousin during a day at the river. In looking at this image, I am reminded of how it is important for us to help carry one another's burdens or, simply, to lend a helping hand. 

I was very excited to see the lighting through the door in these images and wanted to capture my son playing with his toy figurines that he got today. His battle noises were priceless as well.  

For this year's creative Easter project, I wanted to write a poem. I haven't been writing a lot lately but felt compelled to describe Christ's love. Happy Easter and rejoice in our living Savior. 

It is always fun having cousins visit and exploring new places. My sweet girl M had a great time getting her feet wet in this river near our home. She is definitely a get-your-hands-and-feet-dirty kind of gal. The more muddy her hands and feet are, the happier she becomes. I sure love childhood play; blessed to be able to capture it.

I love this photograph and plan on printing this one and hanging it up on my kitchen wall. The lines, shadows and light give this image movement. 

I am starting a free online bible study at Proverbs 31 of the book of 1 John and feel encouraged to share this freebie with you. It is learning and embracing the depths of love that God has for you and I that has given me a strong sense of peace and joy this day.  And I hope that you will be reminded of His love from this free print. Print it as many times as you like, but you cannot resell, redistribute or profit in any way from this design. If you would like to share this with your online viewers, friends and family, please direct them to this post and encourage them to download the print directly from my website. 

When I'm able to find time to photograph, I've been on this black and white kick of playing with landscape and light. I absolutely adore the sun illuminating on water and light glistening on land. Such joy to my heart in being able to capture such beauty. This print is available at my shop.

It was such a fun trip a year ago during my excursion in Mexico.  I loved every thing about this local church, from the lines, shapes and composition to the vintage quality.  Not to mention, the locals were kind.

I was working in my studio last week and looked outside the window and saw this beauty.  The week had been pretty rainy, foggy and chilly and I was super excited to capture this rainbow with my Canon camera.  How often do we even get to see a rainbow anyway?

One of my most favorite subject to photograph are my children playing. There is so much joy and freedom expressed when I observe them play.  If I'm not behind the camera, I try to jump right in to playing with them. 

I loved the reflection of the trees in the puddle and knew I wanted a photo of this while on a stroll with my little ones.  There is a beautiful contrast to the water, hard road and trees.

The fog this day was so beautiful as it surrounded the almond orchard trees.  I wanted to take a photograph of my little ones with their silhouette but they weren't too keen on being photographed in the cold.  Either way the image tone came out beautifully.  An instant download print is available at my shop for purchase.

Hey There! Thanks for dropping by my art blog. I wish you a great 2018 and one filled with fun adventures and awesome creations. For this new year, I hope to streamline some of my projects in order to balance my time and be more focus. This blog will focus more on my art and photography.

For a curation of fun stuff, art and photography connect with me on PINTEREST.
For more of my photography and fine art, connect with me at my website SHOP and ETSY.
For my art education materials, connect with me on my LEARNING CORNER or TEACHERS PAY TEACHERS.

I am not on social media daily but I try to post at least once a week. If you have a question or need to connect with me quickly, email me at artbysaroum@gmail.com

Have a great year!

This photo was taken with my camera phone and I wanted to continue with an old personal project with no deadline.  It has been a challenging few months in which I haven't been able to commit to photography or art as much as I hope but grateful for the times that I am able to do something creative.

What can I say about this image other than it makes my heart smile. Taken at La Jolla Beach, CA and how I really miss the ocean. The smell, the sound, the sand, the water...I hope to connect with it soon.