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dariapanichas

My 24-year obsession with ancient Danish burial mo

My 24-year obsession with ancient Danish burial mounds continues. Still on my (increasingly quixotic) quest to make a photo that captures how striking they are in person. In photos they tend to just look like random bumps in a field. Someday I’ll get just the right light and angle! ⁣
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Meantime, trust me when I say that these two were quite something in person. The first is extra cool because it still has a boulder perched on top (pinch and zoom!). Both are in North Jutland, Denmark, which has lots of surviving mounds scattered about.

A little swarm of shells collected last summer in

A little swarm of shells collected last summer in Ocean Grove, my favorite Jersey Shore beach. A quick search for “tiny butterfly shells jersey shore” revealed that their grown-up name is variable coquina (from the Spanish for “cockle” or “shellfish”).⁣
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When the waves hit the beach you can see thousands of them burrowing back into the sand, over and over. They’re pretty durable when closed and occupied, but when left empty and open they’re fragile like an unoccupied home. ⁣
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A lot of my photos are of small things; people often think the subject is much larger IRL. Swipe to the last slide to see the scale of these.

How I entertain myself on a Sunday afternoon when

How I entertain myself on a Sunday afternoon when my boo is off galavanting for the day 🍿

Instagram post 17959580915186176

Instagram post 17959580915186176

A favorite song for a favorite feeling 🌹

A favorite song for a favorite feeling 🌹

“Now that…that’s class.” 💎⁣ ⁣ So sa

“Now that…that’s class.” 💎⁣
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So said my studio buddy @orondekairi as he was checking out my shiny new Professional Line Photo Book, which was kindly made possible with a very generous coupon from @saal_digital. I can only agree, this book is 🤩BEAUTIFUL. It has a glossy plexi cover, gorgeous heavy paper and lay-flat binding. My photos look amazing: deep rich blacks, crisp whites, nice subtle tonality. I’m sure color photos or artwork would look electric. ⁣
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It was easy for a non-technical person to make. I highly recommend it for a gift, portfolio piece, or wedding/celebration album! ⁣
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This is not an ad or paid-for/solicited review, it’s just my own enthusiasm and thanks for such a wonderful gift! 🙏🥰 I’m giddy at seeing how lovely my work looks when it’s presented like this. If you’d like to see it in action, check out my reel posted before this.
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Also, the book is called “Seeing Stars” which is the name of this collection of photos. You can check them out on my site. Link in bio.

Instagram post 18021343189448247

Instagram post 18021343189448247

your moment of zen 🌊

your moment of zen 🌊

Wish I was ocean size ⁣ They cannot move you and

Wish I was ocean size ⁣
They cannot move you and⁣
No one tries…⁣
I've seen the ocean ⁣
Break on the shore ⁣
Come together with no harm done…⁣
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—Jane’s Addiction, “Ocean Size”

You can’t swing a cat in Denmark without hitting

You can’t swing a cat in Denmark without hitting a Bronze Age burial mound. They dot the farmland with an understated grace: sometimes in tall and imposing groups, other times solitary and barely noticeable. They’ve been found to contain adults, children, animals and treasures; however, for the most part the Danes leave the contents undisturbed, plowing around them.

I am obsessed with these things. When driving around I like to play “spot the burial mound”, keeping count, making up stories about the lives of the Danes’ ancestors interred within. (As an American descended from immigrants, I’m missing the gift of such tangible connections to one’s ancient forebears, which is partly why I find the mounds so enchanting.) I’ve been trying for years to make a really good Mound Photo, but have yet to do so. The mounds, which are so enigmatic and striking in real life, tend to just look like grassy bumps in 2D. I’ve never gotten quite the right distance and angle. After about 1,000 attempts, they are becoming my Waterloo.

My most recent try was a few weeks ago, when I spotted a few really good ones perched on a hill as my husband and I drove through through western Denmark. He pulled over on demand (he’s used to these shenanigans in the name of art and wisely always has a book on hand) and I hopped out to try my luck.

By the side of the road was a pile of cow poop. As I stepped around it to get to my prize, I saw a tiny snail snuggled in its depths, glowing in the morning sun. I spent a silly amount of time making photos of the mounds in a harsh light and cold wind. Then on my way back to the car I thought, eh, why not, and took a few quick shots of the snail before my fingers froze.

That evening I went through my photos and found that once again, I’d not gotten one decent image of those damn mounds. But that snail…well, that kinda worked out. A perverse gift from the Norse gods perhaps?

So here’s your Danish snail chilling in 💩. Here too are some mound photos from previous trips that don’t quite make the grade, just so you can see what I’m babbling about.

I’ll keep trying.

New Year’s Day on the beach in Søndervig, Denma

New Year’s Day on the beach in Søndervig, Denmark. (It’s on the far west coast, in Jutland.) A favorite place of mine, as the wind, waves, foam, dunes and northern light all make for many moods. ⁣
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Partway through this series you’ll see a photo of people silhouetted on the beach along what look like big rocks. The rocks are actually the remains of German bunkers built during WWII. More on those in an upcoming post. ⁣
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May your year be as lovely and inspiring as this beach 🌊 🥂

After quietly serving for years as Assistant Manag

After quietly serving for years as Assistant Manager of Bathroom Window Decor, my friend’s humble air plant (which previously looked like any other air plant, that is to say like a dead anemone) threw all caution to the wind one morning and busted out as a Bird of Paradise. ⁣⁣
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Who knew air plants could do this? My friend urged me to come over and get a photo as quickly as possible, before the party ended. I broke out of my usual black & white snobbery for the event, and soon found myself braced with one foot tiptoe on the toilet, the other on the edge of the tub, one hand clutching the camera, and the other holding an uncontrollably spinning queen at a distance which would allow me to get it in focus. Breathing threw everything into a tailspin, so I didn’t. Happy to report that I managed not to break anything, including my neck. ⁣⁣
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Thanks for a great morning, little dude. Even as you return to your usual state of greige tumbleweed, I will never again underestimate what’s percolating inside. 💪⚡️👑

Hey Insta friends! Want to support the arts? Need

Hey Insta friends! Want to support the arts? Need a devil’s walking stick or a giant sheep named Julius on your walls? Take a few bucks out of your crypto fund and head on over to @inliquidart Benefit Silent Auction, where you’ll find these two pieces of mine and the work of many other Philly artists! ⁣
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🔥Bidding ends on Saturday, November 19 at 5pm EST. You can bid online or in person at the InLiquid space at 1400 N.American St in Philly. To get more info on the pieces and bid online go here: https://e.givesmart.com/events/eLo/i/🔥⁣
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“The Benefit is a silent auction of contemporary works of art by more than 200 local artists working in many mediums, alongside gifts and certificates from small businesses who help InLiquid support the creative economy. Unlike many charity auctions, proceeds are split evenly between InLiquid and the participating artists as a way of directly supporting the artists.”

“I believe in the forest, and in the meadow, and

“I believe in the forest, and in the meadow, and in the night in which the corn grows.” —Henry David Thoreau 🌽

Thought they made a cute couple ☯️

Thought they made a cute couple ☯️

Weird gourd season!

Weird gourd season!

“All sorrows are less with bread.” —Miguel d

“All sorrows are less with bread.” —Miguel de Cervantes 🥖⁣
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Morning delivery in Santillana del Mar, Cantabria, Spain. (No, not there now, but spent a wonderful day there in May.)

🌟 There’s still time to check out these 8 pie

🌟 There’s still time to check out these 8 pieces that are on view in the “The Beauty of Stillness” show at the InLiquid Gallery through October 22! Take yourself and someone you 💜 out on an art date 🎨⁣
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InLiquid Gallery⁣
Crane Arts Building⁣
1400 N American St., Philadelphia PA⁣
Wed-Fri: noon-6pm, Sat: noon-5pm⁣

Without the work of two outstanding small business

Without the work of two outstanding small businesses here in Philly, my photos would still be sitting in a machine instead of on a gallery wall. Shoutout and massive 🙏 to Jeffrey at @stockbridgefineartprint, whose many hours of thoughtful advice on edits and paper resulted in the most beautiful prints, and Elaine at @framefatale, who hunted for a frame of precisely the right depth and patiently ensured that fields of black were speck-free (not a trivial process). I highly encourage everyone to go to these knowledgeable and very kind folks for all their printing and framing needs! ⁣
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You can see the results at the @inliquidart gallery until October 22. There’s an evening reception this Thursday from 6-9pm. Crane Arts building, 1400 North American Street, Philadelphia.

When I’m wandering the streets and get bored or

When I’m wandering the streets and get bored or think “there’s nothing to seeeeee…” (which is nonsense, there’s always something to see, especially in Madrid where this was made but you know how you can get kind of tired and fussy like a little kid), this little photo voice grunts “girlfriend, just look up,” and 99% of the time there’s something pretty great.

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