This photo gallery is an ongoing art project that has been created in an attempt to capture a mundane moment of the day that I am experiencing. Most of the photography will be from the day the photo is uploaded although I imagine at times this will be challenging. It is a lesson in re-experiencing something I have seen over and over. Early into the project I had days where I had to really "try" to find inspiration. As time has passed, it feels like I am becoming more comfortable finding inspiration in the mundane. The project is a way of experiencing the world around me in a fresh way no matter where I am. Please feel free to contact me about any of these photos if they bring anything up for you as the viewer. I certainly do not anticipate brilliant photography in this project. Some of it might just be plain hard to look at--- but that is part of the project. The mundane! Have fun looking.

Renee La Roi is a photographer based in Tucson, Arizona, U.S.A.

September 2007
Surprizing that one year has almost past since my last entry to ABOUT. I have survived a summer in the desert! Not that it wasn't a close call. The days where the temperature hovered around 113 came to resemble the ones around 102 eventually. being outside is impossible in those temperatures. It is very much like living in a freezing cold climate. I came to love the desert creatures though--- seeing my lizards on our early morning dog walks, all the crazy desert flora that survive despite the lack of rain. AND then the monsoon arrives with tons of rain, which is an incredible experience in itself. My camera did not come out as much as I would have liked this summer, but never fear. The desert fall is here.

November 2006
The project is continuing although it has been limping along somewhat, but picking up the pace again. I made a major move to an exotic place for me--- from Canada to Tucson, Arizona and have been wrapped up in all those technicalities plus starting a new design job here. My inspiration is intense now as the project had originally been based on finding inspiration from the mundane--- and now-- to do that will be a challenge because everything is new and different--and inspiring. We will see how it changes the focus of the project. Certainly the content will be different due to my new surroundings. keep sending feedback as it is truly helpful.

July 2006
Photos will be sporadic now as painting seems to have taken over and shows are on with a few photos up-- The project is really changing now--- more just basic inspiration in general. Any life moving photography from my experiencew. Thank you so much for all your responses--- it really helps to hear how looking at these effects you, even if there is no movement at all! Many of you ask me where I am, which is so funny. I realize I have been in every direction in north + central american now for a year!

May 2006
Approaching the one year mark for the photogallery here online. It has been a very interesting experience to work within the every day mundane as well as with the ultra inspiration of the exotic and try to understand more how we experience what we see. How our history with the visual world around us, impacts our experience of it. Its clear to me that my photographic experience behind the lens is much more alive when in the exotic.

october 2005
The project is evolving. 5 months in. I look back over some of the photos and almost cringe at the end result of some of them. Others I am really satisfied with. What I am learning is that this project is very much about perspective- how we see - or, possibly how we form ideas and relationships with objects outside of ourselves and almost cannot see them anymore. This project has forced me to look again at the daily life world- the circle I mostly travel in - and see it some how in a fresh manner. It is almost like being completely non-judgemental about what you are looking at and sometimes finding beauty in things you never really considered looking at before although have passed hundreds of times. Above all, carrying my camera with me with my eyes wide open allows me to be fully present in the moment in a way that I have yet to experience with any other medium. (For those of you that know me, the most frequent comment I get is how my photos are beginning to appear like my paintings). Stay tuned. Who knows where this will go.

last note: It has been very difficult at times to get photos out. I struggle with this whole perspective and finding photo worthy inspiration. But in the end this is what this is about: finding inspiration in the familiar. It is too easy to go somewhere exotic and find that- what about in your own back yard?