{"id":56752,"title":"HAW & HPA Artist: Richard Praast","description":"Meet our latest contributor, photographer Richard Praast from Kalmthout in Belgium","content":"<p><img src=\"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/izwxgrnt6ltzlt4asvp1zlugpousbgi5x6emr2x3g8bfnvzy.jpeg.jpeg?w=1140&amp;v=2\" alt=\"izwxgrnt6ltzlt4asvp1zlugpousbgi5x6emr2x3g8bfnvzy.jpeg.jpeg?w=1140&amp;v=2\" \/>Since a few months a couple walks through the street where I live on their way to their daily walk in Rivierenhof park (Antwerp) and they always waved at me. After some time we met \u2018for real\u2019 and it turns out that the man (Richard Praast) is a nature photographer -and a very talented one at that!<\/p><p><img src=\"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/rkzra4ny2onmcb18diiyvzicq6gw9meyyx6jy6kz4prtnwlb.jpeg.jpeg?w=1140&amp;v=2\" alt=\"rkzra4ny2onmcb18diiyvzicq6gw9meyyx6jy6kz4prtnwlb.jpeg.jpeg?w=1140&amp;v=2\" \/>Some time later, after I told him about Healing Art Works and our partner Healing Photo Art, he gave me a USB stick with photos and said: \u201cDo with them as you please, they are yours now.\u201d I opened the heavy file and was blown away by what I saw: over 200 gorgeous photos, like the one you see here. Perfection regarding subject, composition, light\u2026 After seeing 10 photos I was in tears due to all that beauty.<\/p><p><img src=\"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/z0nnkupic8jcs4f2wcgersfrntj8fkk1aplxqyvksqdol22w.jpeg.jpeg?w=1140&amp;v=2\" alt=\"z0nnkupic8jcs4f2wcgersfrntj8fkk1aplxqyvksqdol22w.jpeg.jpeg?w=1140&amp;v=2\" \/>Beauty very close to home at that, since most of these photos where made in Rivierenhof, the park that starts right next door to my home. I sent some of the photos to Elaine Poggi -the Founder of Healing Photo Art- and she promptly featured one of them on her homepage, in the \u2018News\u2019 section, together with this quote by Richard: \u201c<span style=\"font-family:'Roboto Condensed';\">\u201cOf all the prizes I have won, this is perhaps the most beautiful. If someone is going through a difficult time and a photo can bring them a little comfort, then I am happy.\u201d<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-family:'Roboto Condensed';\">I\u2019m not crying, you are crying. Life can be so beautiful.<\/span><\/p><p><img src=\"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/vvoxskr0ktshhcm6dfzoaaz0nfe7zmsw2ir6f6xltumc1ktb.jpeg.jpeg?w=1140&amp;v=2\" alt=\"vvoxskr0ktshhcm6dfzoaaz0nfe7zmsw2ir6f6xltumc1ktb.jpeg.jpeg?w=1140&amp;v=2\" \/><\/p>","urlTitle":"haw-hap-artist-richard-praats","url":"\/blog\/haw-hap-artist-richard-praats\/","editListUrl":"\/my-blogs","editUrl":"\/my-blogs\/edit\/haw-hap-artist-richard-praats\/","fullUrl":"https:\/\/healingartworks.org\/blog\/haw-hap-artist-richard-praats\/","featured":false,"published":true,"showOnSitemap":true,"hidden":false,"visibility":null,"createdAt":1780584059,"updatedAt":1780585981,"publishedAt":1780585981,"lastReadAt":null,"division":{"id":429778,"name":"Healing Art Works"},"tags":[],"metaImage":{"original":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/zkljyn5gku29xzvrnagpisz7sst3ycjupif10hckbgi1z6ic.jpeg","thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/zkljyn5gku29xzvrnagpisz7sst3ycjupif10hckbgi1z6ic.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/zkljyn5gku29xzvrnagpisz7sst3ycjupif10hckbgi1z6ic.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"metaTitle":"","metaDescription":"","series":[],"similarReads":[{"id":55674,"title":"HAW Artist: Michael Denardo","url":"\/blog\/haw-artist-michael-denardo\/","urlTitle":"haw-artist-michael-denardo","division":429778,"description":"Michael Denardo: My photography is influenced by a myriad of different interests. &nbsp; One of which is abstraction and the ability to fracture, redefine and reimagine what I see to give me new sensory and visual landscapes. Creating novel relationships between organic found matter and my hand painted backdrops allows me to present them on a spacial plane that confuses and challenges the viewer.","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/uepdbi7xwkc6kfi43vlhb7vzyfnid6cod1m2ycjawltnj1vm.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/uepdbi7xwkc6kfi43vlhb7vzyfnid6cod1m2ycjawltnj1vm.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"hidden":0},{"id":55563,"title":"HAW Artist: Pat Boets","url":"\/blog\/haw-artist-pat-boets\/","urlTitle":"haw-artist-pat-boets","division":429778,"description":"Pat Boets: \u201cI was always a creative chaotic, from childhood on.  Schooled in the fine arts, being hugely influenced by comics and fantasy art.  But profession wise, I actually have always worked in nature, from salesman in a garden center to finally a self employed ecological gardener.","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/pftfuawrzhmzacfsyfhgf5yrabyhziq4kaon2a2k0cl1b4pd.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/pftfuawrzhmzacfsyfhgf5yrabyhziq4kaon2a2k0cl1b4pd.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"hidden":0},{"id":55567,"title":"HAW Artist: Wayne Moss","url":"\/blog\/haw-artist-wayne-moss\/","urlTitle":"haw-artist-wayne-moss","division":429778,"description":"Wayne Moss is a life-long traveler and creative who has performed from the stage of heritage listed theatres to the deliciously miasmic floors of illegal dive bars.  When not making travel videos for Youtube he loves to wander the back streets of cities around the world with a camera and the hope of conversations with random strangers.","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/pxruq7hpteh1opmwqzvgn6qczrxuyauiiofxelokmyrwwjq9.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/pxruq7hpteh1opmwqzvgn6qczrxuyauiiofxelokmyrwwjq9.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"hidden":0}],"labels":[]}