Stitches
Posted: January 7, 2013 Filed under: Personal, Sketchbook | Tags: art, dog, drawing, health, illustration, painting, photo, photography, Photos, puppy, stitches, vet 4 Comments
Stitches – painting by Nicole Cleary
Before Thanksgiving and during a rather bad nor’easter, our little dachshund Leo started acting unwell. At first he was walking around a bit less. Then when he did walk, it would look slow and careful. Finally he seemed to just lay down almost all the time. We knew something was wrong, but just weren’t sure what it was.
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Help Us Heal From Hurricane Sandy
Posted: November 8, 2012 Filed under: Inspiration, Sketchbook | Tags: art, design, donate, fund, help us heal, hurricane sandy, long beach, new york, photography, Photos, relief, shop, superclearyphoto 2 CommentsMany families were displaced and traumatized by the destruction caused by Hurricane Sandy on the east coast. Thankfully my home was not affected by the storm, but some of my close friends and family living on or near to the affected coastal regions like Long Beach, the Rockaways, and Breezy Point have lost all their possessions, their house, and in some severe cases they’ve lost their entire town and are unable to return. The damage was absolutely devastating. As the temperature drops dramatically, some families are still without heat and hot water. It hurts to watch the people I love suffer like this. Help those most in need in the Nassau County, New York area by purchasing any “Help Us Heal” artwork by Nicole Cleary on Society6.
ALL EARNINGS will go to Saint Vincent dePaul’s Society at Saint Joseph’s Church in Hewlett NY. This society dedicates its funding to current disaster relief for families in need.
Thank you for your support.
Credits:
Photos by SuperClearyPhoto
“Help Us Heal” graphic by Nicole Cleary
Wedding – Our big day near Florence, Italy
Posted: October 19, 2012 Filed under: Personal, Travel | Tags: Bridal, Bride, Groom, Italy, marriage, married, photo, photography, Photos, wedding 15 CommentsI’m back with a new name, Nicole Michele Cleary. I feel an odd sensation when I look at my new name. Letting go of the past and starting a new family is a lot to take in, but I know this change is for the better. Opening up a new chapter of my life with new possibilities.
The wedding day itself felt like a dream, because it went so perfectly. The colorful sunset and gorgeous 70 degree weather in Fiesole, near Florence Italy, made the ceremony magical. Certainly a day I will never forget, not for the beautiful scenery, exquisite decorations, delicious cuisine, and swinging jazz band, but for the romantic, patient, supportive and strong man I married. He is who I was walking down the aisle to, my husband, my person. We could have gotten married in a McDonald’s, but this way had a bit of artistic flair :)
Below are some pictures of our special day by our beloved friends and family:
Shaun Cleary, my husband’s brother and best man, ©SuperClearyPhoto website link
Audrie Lawrence, a family friend. website link
Evan O’Reilly, my husband’s cousin and good friend. website link
Bride Getting ready – Fiesole, Italy – 10-8-2012 – photo by SuperClearyPhoto
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Reminds me what I’m doing this all for
Posted: September 2, 2012 Filed under: Personal | Tags: brooklyn, engagement, new york, nyc, photo, photography, Photos, promenade, wedding Leave a commentBeing engaged is an odd feeling. Everyone tells you “it’s a very big step”, and it is. One piece of advice that I’m glad I took, “take time to be happy about being engaged”. It is really easy to get caught up in the wedding planning, dinner arrangements, ceremony proceedings, creating and sending the invites. Especially when it gets down to the wire a few weeks before the date, it is really easy to lose perspective, and forget why the two of you are doing all this work. After just an hour photo-shoot with an extremely accommodating best man (our photographer), and a beautiful setting on the Brooklyn promenade over-looking the East River at sunset, we ended up with some great photos. More importantly, I couldn’t stop smiling. I was just happy to spend a stress-free hour with my fiance. It reminded me what I’m doing this all for.
Inspirational Artist Feature – Andy Goldsworthy
Posted: July 31, 2012 Filed under: Inspiration | Tags: andy goldsworthy, art, Artist, artwork, environmentalist, leaves, nature, photography, Photos, rocks, sculpture 9 Comments
leaves – sculpture by Andy Goldsworthy
Andy Goldsworthy creates sculptural artwork from the surrounding area’s environmental elements, commonly using rocks, sticks, and leaves, with the soul purpose of dissipating within a few weeks, days, or even just a few hours. Applying such a light touch to nature really leaves a lasting effect with the viewer. Even if the artwork has already worn away naturally. The way the natural light and shadow plays off his artwork in the course of a day is very thoughtful. Each piece is beautifully executed, but my favorite is the “Leaves” artwork above. Even though it seems very simple, it is actually very complex and time consuming. This specific piece was not edited with paint or anything of the sort. Instead, he sought out every leaf with a specific color tone and pattern. Then placed them artistically to create a natural gradient of color. After finishing every piece, the artist takes a photo to preserve the moment then moves on. The video at the bottom of this post shows some of his works in progress and also shows how his finished pieces degrade over time. Which is, quite simply, beautiful to watch.
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Inspirational Artist Feature – Jackie Wu
Posted: July 6, 2012 Filed under: Inspiration | Tags: art, Artist, geckokid, HDR, Jackie Wu, landscape, panoramic, photo, photography, Photos Leave a commentJackie Wu utilizes HDR camera lighting effects and panoramic views to create stunning landscape photography. HDR, or high dynamic range imaging, is a photo process that “compensates for loss of detail by taking multiple pictures at different exposure levels and intelligently stitching them together to produce a picture that is representative in both dark and bright areas” – wikipedia. I have been following Jackie Wu’s extensive portfolio for quite awhile, but my favorite has to be his “Good Morning London” piece below. The amount of color and detail captured in the photo is just astonishing.
Good Morning London photo by Jackie Wu
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Amazing Fireworks off the Intrepid Aircraft Carrier in NYC
Posted: July 5, 2012 Filed under: Inspiration, Personal | Tags: fireworks, forth of july, independence day, intrepid, july 4th, manhattan, new york, photography, Photos Leave a comment
4th of July fireworks – photo by Brian Cleary
Last night we trekked from Brooklyn Heights to 12th avenue and 46th street in Manhattan wearing our red, white and blue to see what we’ve never seen before, fireworks off the USS Intrepid, Aircraft Carrier. Our good friend Megan was kind enough to offer us tickets that she was allotted being staff on the Intrepid. We’ve heard this was the most impressive fireworks display with the best seat in the house. We were not disappointed. “O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.” I’ve never felt more patriotic than I did last night watching that awesome spectacle.
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Inspirational Artist Feature – Cliff Briggie
Posted: June 22, 2012 Filed under: Inspiration | Tags: abstract, art, Artist, artwork, Cliff Briggie, color, ink, liquid, photography, Photos, smoke 14 CommentsCliff Briggie’s technique focuses on photographing the movement in liquids. The consistency of the subject-matter also gives the appearance of dissipating smoke or a gentle satin fabric. Concentrating the colors in different areas creates a subtle transparency that plays with the light source. The mixing colors and swirling compositions make these pieces absolutely mesmerizing.
Photo from “Infusions” series by Cliff Briggie
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Midnight in Paris – My Trip And The Movie
Posted: March 7, 2012 Filed under: Inspiration, Movies and TV shows, Personal, Travel | Tags: Eiffel, Film, France, life, Midnight, Paris, Personal, photo, photography, review, Travel, vacation, Woody Allen 13 Comments
Paris from over the river Seine
- Photo by Brian Cleary.
“Midnight in Paris” is an inspiringly different movie. The first five minutes gives a magnificent ode to the city of Paris. It began with a lowly clarinet, sounding a slow, jazz tune. The scene transitions from street to street, monument to monument, from day to night to rain. Paris is beautiful in the rain. It glistens and shines, as if covered by billions of lit diamonds. It is so beautiful that it brought me to tears several times. And I feel that the director and writer, Woody Allen, mirrored that beauty in the film.
Everyone Should Travel
Posted: March 2, 2012 Filed under: Personal, Travel | Tags: artwork, Florence, Italy, photography, Travel, wedding 1 Comment
River Arno at Twilight, Italy
- Photo by Brian Cleary.
Everyone should travel. It expands your horizons, changes your world views, and effects your life choices. Be open to the change. From something small like listening to a new song you heard on your travels, to something large like choosing to get married in Italy because you loved it there that much.
Recently I traveled to Florence. The city of Florence is artistically beautiful, especially for me. I love to draw landscapes, trees, grass, flowers, etc. I was constantly amazed by the gorgeous countryside. It was a feast for the eyes, and all I wanted to do was see more. I traveled there with my fiance Brian. We meant it to be a scouting trip for our wedding coming this fall. I knew I was going to be pretty taken with it, but all my life I never thought I’d get married in Florence. Once I saw it, I knew a wedding there would be a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Nicole M. Cleary 