Welcome to the second week! I wanted to switch things up from the magic realism/surrealist paintings and focus on a photographer whose work I have admired for awhile now. (plus I'm convinced he must be a lucid dreamer)

There isn't much I can say about the photography of Gilad Benari, other than...it is simply magical. What's more is that many of his themes are dreaming related, and each of his pieces has a beautiful description and poem as well...which makes his art a true experience rather than just a pretty image.

I hope you can appreciate his amazing skill using photographic developing techniques in the dark room, rather than photoshop to make his photographs simply spectacular. I urge you to visit his gallery on Deviant Art to see his full collection. Deviant Art Gallery

Enjoy.

Gilad Benari: www.giladbenari.com


**PLEASE CLICK ON IMAGE THUMBNAILS TO IMMERSE YOURSELF IN BEAUTIFUL FULL SIZE!!**

Walking on Clouds


"Walking on a thin line
But feeling on top of the world
My legs get lighter in touch
My head is full of thoughts of you

Love is not a pocket full of dreams
Love is a never-ending journey
It's only when I think of you
That I find myself walking on clouds"


A Place To Dream


"You need a rest
You need a good word
You need a dream
Relax.

Your world is restricted by your ability to dream
Find your place to dream.
It never ends here.
This is only the beginning."


Out of My Mind


"When
The voices pound the urban pump
The sky is cloudy with the industrial exhale
The streets are crowded with too much dead time
The tempo of this human race is pressing my heart

Then I
Take my time and step out of my mind
Take a walk to my haven, my hidden paradise
Where the city always sleeps and my dreams awake
Where I can hide behind walls of imagination and go free"


Out of the Woods


"Stretching my mind
Leaving behind
Where I used to hide
Where I was born
And where I died"


Bitter End


"It started out just like every other day, but some far empire decided this is D day
The world began changing right in front of my eyes. What use to be life, crawled up and died
I'm an angel, but now I'm unable to fly, watching the ground, this tree, the sky.
I'm fighting for air, while loosing my faith, climbing back to the sky, and crashing through space

The breakdown has started with this tear in my wings, but the restoration is near, and will begin with only four things. The ground, a tree and sky, and a powerful spirit simply fighting to fly."


Imaginary World


"I see myself floating on a cloud
watching life passing in slow motion
My problems are nothing but
little black dots fading into the white future

Deep inside my paradise I see me
sitting surrounded by splendor and beauty
Colors of the surreal are painting my mind
hypnotized by the thoughts of nothing at all

In my imaginary world
life around me is brilliant
All light, life and love
Everything is perfect, but me"


Thoughts of You


"I've been thinking
I've been crying
I've been trying
To get over you

I've been blue"


Solitude


"In a pocket full of silence
Where I grow into deep, into me
I take with me the thought Of you
In the times when I had better things to do

In a place where my tears grow trees
In a space left only for my fears
Am I where my cry makes no sound
Or is it that there is no one left to hear

In solitude I grow
Old"


Woodoo Master


"I am so proud and happy with this photo. I saw this tree near "Birkat Ram" in the Golan heights (Up north of Israel) and I almost drove pass it when I suddenly understood what it looked like. It wasn't easy getting the right angle, and I feel that this photo is one of my bests. Besides, It reminds me of "lord of the rings"..."


Hot Day, Cold Night


"There is a certain moment
When the day turns into night
That you experience a little of both
A hot day, and a cold night"


A Silce of Life


"Life is rushing to make up on lost time
I have to stop and catch my breath
Move to the stands and catch a good sit
Take some time to look around
Get myself a slice of life
Just so I can stay sane
Going through my life"


On the Streets of Marseilles


"The hungry for love go where the sun always sets
The thirsty for success drink from the river of dreams
The lost souls roam endlessly the streets of Marseilles
Waiting for someone to bring them hunger and thirst
Meanwhile, a lonely dog is guarding the streets of Marseilles
Barking at the naked pavement and heavy sky above
Hoping it will bring the rain and wash out another day
Suddenly, a feeling of hunger, a feeling of thirst...
On the streets of Marseilles"


User Manual to Life


"The user manual to life is a book full of things that life proves to be wrong. No matter what you write in it, life shows you that you know nothing. Actually, the manual should say just one thing - The truth waits for you at the end of the road, when you know what you have seen to be true for you, and even that is false."


Swamp Forrest


"A place you come to get away
Away from the city, the people, the pain
To wash away the thoughts of what you know
A place you find the power to grow
A small island of sanity where nothing makes sense
You need to escape to your swamp forest
And find what you never lost

Yourself"


Waking Out of a Dream


"I was running all night
I was in this castle and I was lost
Running up and down and out of my mind
Till I finally found my way
And now I'm walking out of a dream
Waking into today."


Dark Clouds Ahead


"Bad days to come
And there is nowhere to go
I will be stairing at the sun
In the days I will never know.

Don't be fooled by these quiet times
It is the noise of a dying heart
A storm is coming soon
Be sure I will play my part

Bad days to come
Dark clouds ahead
Soon I'll stop loving you
Soon I will be dead."


The Saint Year


"Little Balerina
Stays out of the pack
Lonely little dancer
Says a little prayer each day"


Stepping Out


"Going up or dropping down
living inside the never ending lines
Waking up to yesterday all over again
I think this is time for me to be stepping out"


Into Infinity


"Long way to go
If you run through it..
It will be over quickly
And wouldn't that be a shame?"


Coming Out of the Tunnel


"Years of living in the dark are soon to be over
The people that never understood me
The arguments I never knew how to end
The love I never knew how to get
I'm coming out of the tunnel
And entering the rest of my life"


The Walk Back Home


"I found my sanity
On the walk back home

The storm made me think
But I wasn't thinking of the good in my life
I was thinking of how rough life can be
And I didn't think about you.
About you and me

Walking back home
Thinking of you smiling face
Thinking of your delicate hug around my back
Thinking of how much I love your shelter from my storm
I found my sanity on the walk back home"


Out of Reach


"Let the wind freeze my face muscles
Let my thoughts run faster than me
Let the night take over the eye sight
Let myself get lost, get out of reach"


Lost In Translation


"Getting restless and clueless at the same time
The world is shallow and I'm in to deep
Lost in translation and nowhere to guide me
I seek for answers within myself
But I have no idea what are the questions

Paradise can be a strange place
When you have no idea you are there
Alone. Lost in translation"


Never Forget Your Past


"It's easy to forget where you came from
It's easy leaving you past behind
But your future is the outcome of your past
If you embrace your past you can control your future"


A Date With a Dream


"One day I'll wake up in my sleep
That would be my date with a dream
The world will be my playground
The birds will be my friends
Time will never end

One day I'll wake up in my sleep
No television, no walls, no small talk
No sound but my jiggles and small footsteps
And a light breeze of wind rushing through my kite
Time will never end

One day I'll wake up in my sleep
That would be my date with a dream
After a while I'll get tired and sit to rest
I'll put my head to rest on the grass
And wake up to my sleep

One day I'll wake up in my sleep
And sleep until I wake up
After my date with a dream"


Waiting for the Wind of Change


"Everything is still
It seems reality is here to stay
Maybe this is as good as it will get
But maybe our spirit is enough to make the difference

Still, here we are
Waiting for the wind of change"


I Can Still Remember


"I have a few scratched memories of our time together
The phone call that ended so suddenly
You smell stepping out of the bathroom
The giggle you made when I said I love you

I can still remember the weekend we slept outside
The empty field in the middle of autumn
Our backs against the green grass
Your smile blends into the red windflowers

I can still remember that I loved you
But I can't remember why
My head is filled with short sounds of your voice
But it's the echoes that drives me crazy"


Creating Your Own Path


"You say nothing ever goes your way
So you look for help and start to pray
How about creating your own path today
If you follow your light it will show you the way"


Date With a Dream


"No matter who you are
You are in for a special date tonight
A date with a dream, no matter what is your dream
The sky is waiting to grant you a wish, a love wish
Go and make your dream come true, even if it's only for one date"


Thanks for viewing.