Dear Mr. Fantasy...

I took an afternoon walk... the clock has changed, fall behind, et al... needed some fresh air. I've also had the gauntlet thrown. Photographically speaking. Challenge? Nude. Parameters? Self as nude. Hmm... Let's see... fifty, fat, frightened... any more "f" words that immediately come to mind?

Nevertheless, I had the spark of an idea. We are allowed to have a bit of Photoshop freedom [amen] and so... this morning I did a test run for one layer of the idea. Those of you who know me know I have really long hair... I've been told it is always best to "accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative"... okay, I thought, this could work... take that hair and strategically cover some bits and I can keep my dignity intact and yet show a little artistic flair! Ahhh, yes... artistic flair, add a textured layer! With that in mind, I went to the park this afternoon to see what I could find for layer two.

Here's the thing. I live in Paris. I walk to my destinations. Luckily the Serres d'Auteuil is close by; my layer two thought process involved trees... I thought about it all the way there. I know the trees, I know the layout of the land... but, once I strolled through the gates, I got hit with the autumnal afternoon light and the very sensual sculpture shown above... Rapture! Joyous Restraints! May I just say thank you to the Renaissance artists who beautifully depicted women as they are/were... no airbrushing, no getting rid of excess baggage, just real honest-to-God women. Women with bodies, reveling in their femininity. Woot! :-)

The tree/hair layer idea is officially off the story board. I'm not sure of the direction just yet, but with a bit of guidance and a whole lot of inspiration, I think I'll get it right... I just need to "feel the fear and do it anyway".

This is all to say that the final presentation will not be a Bacchanal orgy overdose, but, hopefully, something tasteful, that I can look back on ten years from now and say, hey... you weren't so bad after all!

Something to make us all happy...