"Houston is my muse," says Laurie Ballesteros on her blog, Photine:
I enjoy exploring every aspect, from its well known avenues to its hidden corners. I am especially drawn to capturing the elements of the city that never change. The buildings, the parks, the streets ... the city that we inhabit every day but often walk by without seeing.
So you can see why, when she reported for jury duty, she wanted to record this view of her city:
Like many juror artists, Laurie Ballesteros has to make room for art in her life. She's a middle school choir teacher, which would give her the right to do nothing but watch TV at the end of the day. Instead, she takes pictures -- or heads for the computer, where she administers a web site called Houston Photobloggers, runs a Flickr group with over 250 members called "Assignment: Houston," and most importantly maintains the photoblog Photine, where her lovely images can be seen and also purchased. She has a wonderful eye not only for the urban landscape, but also for found still life (like these clarinets), color (this thread display), flowers (this bottle brush), everything. Her work gives you the idea that the world is considerably more beautiful than you thought it was.
All rights in this image belong to Laurie Ballesteros. Thanks to her for allowing it to be reprinted here and in the American Gallery of Juror Art.
