meanings of our own

Sometimes images are created with a specific message in mind and all those who pass by it come away with the same understanding as intended by its creator.

At other times, however, images are vague, generic or multi-dimensional in significance.  Karen Miller came across this image of a  Red Cross worker painted as random graffiti on a brick wall along the streets of Mazatlan, Mexico and felt compelled to snap a shot.  

"I cannot be exactly sure what the artist was going for, but to me it meant something very important, very real.  It made me think that there is always violence and danger around us, but also people who want to help and heal."

Most of the time, images and their messages find us in every aspect of our lives and leave no room for interpretation as they state their case loud and clear.  Yet sometimes, perhaps when we most need it like young Karen journeying through the foreign streets of Mexico, we find images and attach meanings of our own--those meanings, which we, individually, desperately need to believe to be true.

  

architecture

Architecture can be a fascinating marvel, no matter how elaborate or simple.  Materials vary from place to place depending on economic levels; different textures can emerge and give the observer a feel for the local culture.

Throughout his walks on the streets of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, Clifford Day gazes at the colorful dwellings and lets his mind wander:

    

"The houses are stacked on top of each other, it's hard to tell whether the inhabitants have money or are poor; they all seem to live together.  Some look like they are in need of repairs and next door another looks as though it's falling apart, then next to that a very well kept one...I wonder how they do it...

I know it's the architecture of these buildings that caught my eye initially, but now I realize I am more intrigued and interested to know about the people who live in them..."