mosaic muse {water}

1. 7.52 · Shadows of white, 2. Low Tide, 3. beach wales, 4. “I don't believe you have to be better than everybody else. I believe you have to be better than you ever thought you could be.”, 5. it rained again, and again I walked..., 6. splash, 7. Tumble, 8. Spray, 9. Surprise, 10. Rainy Day, 11. twirl, joy dare, and rain dance, mortal muses "water", 12. Havin a drink, 13. icy flowers, 14. 2011 Waterdrop 21, 15. Walla Wallas, 16. 2011-10-12

I love water in all its shapes and forms and I was really spoilt for choice when putting this mosaic together - so many great water shots!  Remember you can visit each of the featured photographers by clicking on the numbered link below the mosaic.  Please do go and look at each one on its Flickr page - because the mosaic parts are square, you don't see the whole thing here and they're even better seen full size.

What's your interpretation of the water theme?  Share your favourite water shots with us by using the linky tool below, which will be open until Sunday evening.  And please feel free to use the mosaic muse button on your blogs as you link up.  Have a great weekend!


gilly of the camera points both ways

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power to change

There is power in water. Power to reshape the landscape, to slowly change the world. What takes humans substantial brute force to do can be accomplished by water, slowly but surely, over a long period time. You only have to visit the beach and watch for a few hours, to see the power of water. Shaping and reshaping the world around us, water has the power to change what other elements can't touch.

The events of our lives stream by like water, slowly but surely changing us. We can only go with the flow. Today I'm announcing a change, I'll be leaving the Mortal Muses after this post. It's been a wonderful, beautiful experience to be a muse, but I find that my time is limited and I can't sustain everything I have been doing. I'm excited to introduce Meghan Davidson of Life Refocused as the muse taking my place. I know you will enjoy getting to know her over the coming months.

I like to imagine that it's Meghan and me in her image below, having a chat and passing the baton, the water working its powerful magic around us all the while.

It's with much love and gratitude for my time as a muse that I say farewell. I'll see you around!

Kat of Kat Eye Studio

Sunset Chat by Meghan Davidson

the calm of water

I need water. Not only for nourishment, but for my livelihood. When I have an appointment at the spa, for a manicure, I adore every second of it. Everything from the scent of the cucumber water, to the way they spritz my hands with Evian, before I leave. Water calms me, immensely. 

My mother has a bowl that's called a rose bowl. She has bought roses, every other week, for as long as I can remember. And each time her roses begin to fade, she places the petals in her rose bowl. I have taken up with this tradition, as well. I place the petals of flowers, to float in a bowl of water on a table, right by our entryway. There aren't many people that come in to our home, that don't mention how much they like the water bowl. 

Water is an essential part of what makes me happy. A walk along the water, changes my mood to peaceful, no matter where I am in my life. I think that's why I loved, Red Kiwi's photo so much. The sun dancing along the water, the flare, the sky. I can just hear the gentle waves. 

Warmly, 

Christina {soul aperture}

trapper keeper landscape by red kiwi

ripples, reflections and refractions

Water is my canvas, my backdrop that comes in a myriad of shades of blue. I love the depth of the blue you see across different bodies of water from the deep dark indigo ocean to the turquoise sparkle of a plaster filled pool. There isn't anything more soothing to me then a blanket of ripples and reflections.

Water bends light in a way that both captivates and confuses me. Have you ever tried focusing on the surface of a sloshing pool? Capturing the soft rhythm of waves of water can be difficult. When I stand over a pool of water my focus will always be on the light refracted through the water. The blue serving as a background in this case for a map of white ribbons bending and swirling. Its almost a bit surreal.

Precisely my thoughts when I came across Kathy's (SightSpecific) photo. I am in love with the way the ripples look like the work of paintbrush washing over this lovely child and her pink hat. Truly a bit surreal and very much impressionistic. 


In this case DON'T stay dry, go get wet, play in the water and make your own art in the rain!

Lindsey | the modchik

the universe is made of stories by SightSpecific

magic

 "If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water." ~Loran Eisely
Long before I ever picked up a camera, water has been a huge source of inspiration. I remember as a young child, I loved playing in the sprinkler on a hot summer day. If I was lucky, the water would catch the sun's reflection and create a beautiful rainbow.

As a teenager, my parents sent me to camp during the summer. The camp I attended was located on a river, so we spent most of our days sailing. I remember waking up each day, running outside and feeling the breeze hit my face. We lived for those windy days...and the chance go to go on an adventure. But even on those calm days, there was nothing better than laying on the edge of our boats and watching the reflection change in the water. Those were the days.

I don't get to spend nearly as much time in/on the water as I did when I was young. The beach is a short two hour drive away and we are surrounded by lakes, but we just don't seem to go like we once did. So, I create the magic I once experienced as a child in my home. I turn on the faucet and let my camera become a portal into another world (okay, so that's a bit of a stretch, but you get the point). In so many cases, I find myself sitting there for what seems like hours soaking up every moment. And much like Kyla-UK's shot below, if I'm patient enough, I not only capture beautiful water droplets...I capture art.

Until next time,
Ashley of Ramblings and Photos

Macro droplets by Kyla-UK

l'eau est la vie

Water. For 9 months we live in it. We breathe it, inhaling, and exhaling. For 9 months it is our protection, our cushion. And then once we are born, while we have a different relationship with water, I do believe it remains a powerful, healing, essential part of our lives.

When I put my 3 year old in her bath, such a peace washes over her. She plays with her toys, she pretends she's a mermaid, she swims. When I need a good thinking spot, I jump in the shower. Something about that water through my hair, just puts me in a peaceful state of mind, and the ideas, like the water begin to flow. Even doing the dishes, I find clarity and peace. Water is a healer.

A bath, a dip in the ocean, a shower, a run through the sprinkler-these are healing moments. Moments of peace, moments of clarity in our busy lives. Water awakens our spirits, makes us feel alive. Water brings us joy. And I think it is not a coincidence. I feel like we are supposed to find comfort in water. It's where we grew, where our bodies, and our minds were developed.

I took this photo above of my daughter in her bath earlier this week. Completely happy in her tubby. I loved this photo that Leilani (Heavenly Flower) took enjoying a moment on vacation. Complete bliss.

~Audrey Amaro (MamaOwl Photography) of TodayJustBe

healing water by heavenly~flower
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Thank you Audrey for guest musing with us today. If you'd like to know more about Audrey, be sure to visit her at TodayJustBe. Also, if you are interested in a future guest muse role, please email us at mortalmuses9 [at] gmail [dot] com.

go with the flow...

There's a lesson in listening to water. Waves crash against the beach. Rapids on a river. The rain outside your front door. At the seaside, it stretches endlessly into a world of infinite potential. On the banks of a river, it swiftly flows along a quickly-paced ride. The drumming of raindrops, a dull staccato, drowns out all other noise. It's as if these sounds were designed to induce me into a meditative state, whispering a soothing message quietly in my ear. "Relax," it tells me, "Trust the current. Just let go."

Can you hear it too? You walk towards the edge of the ocean and close your eyes, the sounds of the surf fill your senses as the soft, repetitive ripples lap against your toes, your ankles, sometimes rolling up the back of your calves. You curl your toes into the sand, rooting yourself to the earth, fusing your energy to mother nature's becoming one in this powerful moment. Somewhere in all this, the tension that's been clinging to you releases from your body, relaxation setting in as your shoulders sink back into their true position. Opening your eyes, you look down, feel the power of the moment, and realize you've learned how to go with the flow.

But what if you don't live near the ocean or a river, and a rainy day in nowhere in sight? I like to sink my body into a steaming, hot tub, close my eyes, and listen to the water splash around me. That works just fine, and I think it just might work for 68beats too.

Holly ~ Soupatraveler

provocation by 68beats

seascape

Many years ago, I went to an exhibition of photography by Hiroshi Sugimoto at the Serpentine Gallery in London, a small but beautiful space of just a few rooms where his peaceful seascapes had been hung. He had taken them all over the world and at different times of the day, but there was a universality in the images. Each showed the sea and yet by showing them in this way, he was able to say so much more about the mystery of water and the nature of time. His point was that the sea looks just the same today as it did 5,000 years ago, or 50m years ago. The meeting of water and sky is a scene untouched by time.

So whenever I look at the sea and sky through my viewfinder, I realise I am seeing the same ancient horizon. On a recent cold morning, as I put the Rollei down on the beach to reach for my light meter, I glimpsed the shimmering sun on the water. I was struck dumb as the sun came out from behind a cloud, glowing over the sea which had been so dark just a few seconds before.

Kelly's seascape is also a timeless scene. Can't you just feel the sand between your toes and hear the crashing waves, just as people have for thousands of years?

kirstin of fleeting moments

ocean wash by kelly*green

my quiet place

It is only when we silence the blaring sounds of our daily existence 

that we can finally hear the whispers of truth that life reveals to us, 

as it stands knocking on the doorsteps of our hearts.  

~ K.T. Jong

Living an urban life I find the constant noise, movement, and "get-up-and-go!" attitude sometimes makes it difficult to find the quiet place in my mind. But whether we live in a big city or a small country town I think we all sometimes find ourselves lost amid the pace of our own daily lives.

I've always found the water to be a soothing, relaxing place for me to stop, gather myself, and reboot. Luckily I live on an island so I am surrounded by water. It may not be an exotic or tropical island (there are no palm trees in sight) but when I am seeking the rush of solitude that only water can give me, I am surrounded by rivers on all sides and the lakes and reservoirs of Central Park to give me what I need.

I grew up on the east coast just outside of New York City so I spent much of my childhood and young adult life running to the beach for my respite. It looks like sdanddoublee also knows the calming powers of a good day at the beach. I can just feel it washing over me as I take in this lovely scene.

Where's your favorite place to relax?

~christy {urban muser}

quiet by sdanddoublee

and the next theme is.........WATER

Since somewhere between 70-75% of the earth's surface is made up of water, most of us have no shortage of the stuff.  In fact, many of us at this time of year have rather too much of it, so let's make use of that and go for water as our next theme.

You might choose to photograph the ocean, a river, a waterfall, a lake, a fountain, or maybe just a puddle.  Maybe your water might be falling from the sky, as rain or snow, or it might show up in the form of mist or fog.  It might be morning dewdrops, or it might have hardened into ice.  It might be the water you shower under in the morning or the bath you soak in after a hard day, or it might just be the glass of refreshing water you're about to drink.  Maybe you'll find watery reflections, or steam on a mirror or a window.  It could even be a tear running down someone's face, or a wet pavement on a rainy night.  Look around you and notice just how many ways water appears in your life.

Here are some inspirational images of water to get you going.

sunlight and water by gilly

clean tap water by pmaelee

 untitled by lenoirrr

rain/sun by shawnee's sky

a hot bath is better than therapy by gilly

We look forward to seeing your WATER photos in our Flickr pool.

And remember to join us tomorrow when we start musing on Words - as always, on the last day of the theme we'll be holding our usual linky party where you can add your own links and show us how you've interpreted Words.

gilly of the camera points both ways