Note: This is my third blog post, based on an assignment from Annie Liebovitz’s online photography class, taught through the Masterclass website. This time, the assignment was to photograph a person in a studio-like environment and on location. I looked for a volunteer and was thrilled and surprised to get two volunteers: Nichole and her daughter, […]

My name is Isabella. I live with my mother in the woods. That’s all I know. I’ve always lived in the woods. My mother said that, when she was a girl, she lived in the city. A big city named Florence. She began working at the age of eleven for a family named Alighieri. She

No one falls in love with an abuser, said Mary Travers Murphy. People who become victims of domestic violence “are swept off their feet by a funny, loving angel.” From left: Mary Travers Murphy, executive director of the Family Justice Center, Father Paul Nogaro of St. Stephen Roman Catholic Church, and Connie Foster, domestic violence

Jewelry and other crafted items from an organization called SERRV International are on sale at Trinity United Methodist Church in Grand Island, N.Y. This is fair trade so more money goes to the craftspeople in third world countries, who design and make these products.

Medical marijuana (cannabis) can be beneficial to people with such conditions as cancer, HIV/AIDS, anorexia, migraines, tourette’s syndrome, glaucoma, dementia, and epilepsy, among others. Research on cannabis and on its medical benefits has been done in other countries. Raphael Mechoulam of Israel, who is seen as the guru of research, has identified the molecular structure

Yesterday, I went to Stella Niagara in Lewiston to paint a snow scene. Specifically, the lesson was to paint a bank of trees with at least one animal in front of the trees. Prior to class, I had drawn two foxes on the page. These animals were young and looked like they were nuzzling. The

Once upon a time, there was a little gnome who lived in a garden that, in season, was full of lush plants and bright colors. But, alas, when this story opens, winter has cast an icy grip over the land, and the lovely garden has gone dormant. The plants had been cut back, the trees

Today, I went to a workshop on oil paints at the Partners in Art studio in North Tonawanda. The workshop, which lasted for three hours, was taught by  Joan Horn, who is a co-founder of Partners in Art. Information presented in the class included paints, brushes, and painting surfaces, as well as the care of

On Wednesday, in between photo shoots, I asked Vienna Laurendi Haak to tell me about the autism support group that she runs in Grand Island, New York. This is what she told me about this group that provides community for families of kids with special needs. How and when did the autism support group get