Photo Play

You can enhance a photo with some pretty dramatic effects, that is, if you manipulate the light levels.  Prior to the digital revolution, shooting slide film with a fully manual SLR camera, I used to achieve similar effects by slightly underexposing the image.  Often, I would focus, and set the aperture and speed according to the lighting, and then, close the aperture an additional stop for some added color saturation and depth. 

Aperture Revisited

Image of the day, an old painting, "Aperture", subtly updated through digital manipulation.  

After Courbet

Above, "Sleep", after Gustave Courbet.  I painted my own version, photographed the work, and then destroyed it by over painting.  Now, the painting has been digitally manipulated into something entirely new.

Power Of Water

Above, the aftermath of water on stones.  The result, smooth polished forms.  A beauty as calming as water itself.

Glass Blown Out

Above, an image from the collection at Chihuly Garden and Glass, Seattle, Washington.  The exhibition is well worth the price of admission, that is, if you are in the market to have your mind blown.

Enter

A photo shoot of my more recent work has been long overdue.  Today, I took the time to photograph quite a few paintings.  Above, see "Green Door", aptly titled.  My website has been updated with ten or so new(er) works.  Stop by, by clicking here.

Yesteryear Mixed Media Sketch

Another sketch from, well, a long time ago.  This one, a slice through an exhibit.  With regards to sketching technique, it is both loose, and tight, all at the same time.

Eighty Years Young

There is something endearing about government issued chunks of metal, that is, when they are not part of some weapons system, as in the case of the above geodetic survey marker, lodged in granite atop Flying Mountain, in Acadia National Park. 

The Dead Tree

Above, the majesty of the dead tree, a recurring theme in my work, gone all abstract.  This one, is on Beech Mountain, in Acadia National Park.  With it's unobstructed views, and easy landing/takeoff opportunities, it makes a good perch for a bird. 

What's In A Name?

In addition to other definitions, some have said that I am a surrealist painter.  Judging by the above piece, working title "Transparency", I think that is fair to say.

Zeitgeist

The word of the day, is "zeitgeist", the "spirit of the age", accompanied by an illustration.

Word At Play

The word of the day, is "transpose."

Mustang Design Language

The unmistakeable form of the 1965 Ford Mustang.  I should know.  We had one.

Crane Shot, Austin, Texas

A recurring theme in my photographic work is the crane shot.  As I've stated before, in photography, the crane shot is usually thought of as the mounting of a camera on a crane to capture an image.  However, to me, the crane shot is a photograph of the crane itself.  The crane is a temporal modern marvel, the ultimate in tool design, a graceful reach into the sky to effect change.  Now you see it, now you don't.  It is rare to see multiple cranes in one image, this is, more than two.  In the image above, taken in (growing) Austin, Texas, I am counting five, with a possible sixth in view. 

Keep Looking Up

There is electricity in the air, over Austin, Texas. 

Stretch Stretch

It has been a while since I did this, but I just cut canvas from a large bolt of fabric and stretched it over a frame.  The process all came back to me, and the results were right on the money.  The diagonal corner measurements were right on, so the frame remained square.  Also, the canvas was taut, and gave that drum sound when tapped.  I forgot how you can work up a sweat preparing a canvas.  

Not sure where this piece is going, creatively.  Even before I apply the gesso, now starts the staring, the gazing, into the blank canvas before me.

George Biddle, Another Recollection

The view through the woods from my boyhood home, to the home of renowned artist, George Biddle.  George Biddle and I became acquainted when he would be out for one of his walks, as he often did, and I was walking home from high school.  He was friendly, and open.  As I recall, we briefly discussed art.  He kindly invited me to stop by to visit, and now I recall that once I did, but he was not home at the time.  These are cherished memories.

Gone Digital

The image of the day, some digital fun.

Pensive Man

Another image from a couple of decades ago.  The above sketch, conte stick on rag paper.  I'm getting excited.  It may be time to get back into dry media.

Digging Deep

Above, a collage from my design school days.  The original is long gone.  So glad I have a digital record.

In The Mood

Another image from the design school sketchbook.  This one, a mood sketch for an exhibit.  Nothing specific, just getting loose.

Stone Mask

Picasso said something to the effect of, "if I knew what art was, I wouldn't tell you". Whatever it is, it seems to be everywhere.  Sometimes, it is right at your feet as in the above image, in the form of a stone mask, just waiting to be discovered, on the banks of Puget Sound.  No museum fees necessary.

Human Factors

Another image from my back pages, the design school sketchbook.  This one, a human factors study.  Does anyone nowadays sketch with markers and pastels?  I wonder. 

Pencil To Paper

Above, one of those sketches where you touch pencil to paper and draw with one continuous line, then, you're done.

Wear The Red To Find The Gold

A photo from photography school, using my Canon rangefinder camera, and slide film.  We were learning about photographing people, and panning for gold.  Subjects were advised to wear red.  Good tip.

Speaking Volumes

Volumetric form studies, from the design school sketchbook.

A Look Back

The painting of the day is "Autumn Scene", oil on canvas, 36" x 36".

The Look Of Winter

The look of early winter from a favorite vantage point.  And yes, the image has been digitally enhanced.

From The Sketchbook

A chalky pastel on cotton rag paper.

Emotional Impact

Above, one of my favorite photos, photographing people.  Yes, not so easy.  This image, was originally taken with my Canon G-III QL17 (awesome camera), using slide film.  Through the miracle of scanning, I am now able to update the image with color and filter enhancements, all for emotional impact.  Rest in peace, Barbara Bowen Splain, and know that you are remembered.  Yes, a photographic record can help do that.

From The Sketch Book

Above, "Seated Man", a charcoal sketch from my design school days.  I do miss the times when I sketched, every day, in a variety of media.

Moss Beneath Our Feet

Welcome, 2014.  The first post of the new year features an image captured long ago, using one my favorite mediums of yesteryear, slide film.  This image was captured with my Nikon FE2.  With slides, you were never entirely sure whether or not you had the image you were seeking, until you finished the roll of film, and waited out the processing.  At the end, the results were unforgiving.  This wasn't print photography which allowed for some latitude in processing, cropping and color correction.  When you captured the image, the result was fixed, well, until now, with scanning and the possibility of digital enhancement.