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.

Renewal

Dr. Ju and I are back on our journey after a long hiatus.  It felt good to discuss art, mix paint, and create.  I feel that we have drawn strength from our time away from the canvasses.  We are collaborating, again, with renewed purpose.

Fasteners

Above, bolts at the Guinness factory in Dublin, Ireland.  The available light provided enough drama and visual interest, but I felt a need to change the predominant color from sea green to red.

Mao And Nixon In 1972

The meeting of Chairman Mao and President Nixon, as you have never seen it before, gone abstract through the miracle of digital manipulation.

Collection

Hope to view some fine art?  A visit to Smith College Museum of Art, in Northampton, Massachusetts, will fully satisfy.

Color Shift

The Hartford "Gold Building" has gone all purple, the sky has gone all deep buttermilk, and, I find it pleasing.

Rest Your Eyes, Rest Your Soul

Need a peaceful place to rest your eyes?  How about on the banks of the Ogunquit River, a place where land, sea, and sky converge in a harmony of form, texture, and color? 

1965 Mustang In Honey Gold, Sweet

What a joy to see this 1965 Mustang at an antique auto show.  Our family owned this vehicle, in the same color, Honey Gold.  Only difference, our car came with the vinyl top.  The lines, the form is unmistakable.  The design is nothing less than bold.

Go Digital

Abstract digital image of the day, another real to abstract progression.  Start with something real and recognizable, and transform it into something entirely different.  Oh yes, and have fun doing it, very important.

Autumn, Time To Reflect

A symphony of color, reflected in a pool of water.  There to see, for your eyes only.

Sukkoth Moon

The poetry of time, the heavens, the earth, and the harvest.

Web Design

The original web designer, this spider scores high marks for this lofty solution.  I have never seen a web quite like this one before.  And days later, it is gone. 

Majestic In Form

The majesty of the dead tree.

Nude Oil Sketch

It had been some weeks, too long, that I had painted in oils, so I seized the opportunity today.  Glad I did, it felt great.  

A couple of canvasses had been giving me trouble, that is, not transforming into an image I can live with, after repeated attempts.  I had been thinking the other day that it was time to do some figurative work, so today I went with that.  The above photo is a record shot to be sure.  I can't quite get a decent photo while the work is still wet and shouldn't be moved around.  The technique is sketchy, but pleases me all the same and I think I will keep it such. 

Year Of The Hare

The Year of the Hare has come and gone, again.  My painting, above, hangs on a wall in San Francisco, awaiting the return in 2023.

Poise

"Poise", is the image of the day.

Durable, Up To A Point

Hard to say what exactly caused this damage to the humble US one-cent coin.  It seems to have been scraped, cracked and had a piece bitten off, all without flexing or bending.  Must have been quite a grind.  Well, it gave me a chance to test out the macro function on my Nikon SO1, and, dress up the image in favored colors.

Real To Abstract

A digital photo of the Atlantic, gone abstract.  I may put this one on my wall.

Joy And Happenstance

I often miss the chance to capture video, glad I seized the opportunity here.  I find it often a joy, especially when water is involved.  Who knew that the star of the movie was ready to enter and exit, as if on cue.

Body At Rest, For Now

A peaceful spot for reflection and repose, unless of course, you consider that you are yards from the San Andreas Fault, marked in the background by the two successive blue posts.  The last time the fault made a major move, one side of the fault moved 16 feet relative to the other, in about a minute.  I believe it is the ocean side of the fault, seen here in Point Reyes, California, that is making a move for the Oregon coast.

Crane Shot

In photography and in film making, the "crane shot" is often thought of as an image captured by mounting a camera on a crane.  For me, the "crane shot" is a photo of the crane itself, one of the many recurring themes in my work, this one in service in downtown San Francisco.

View From The Top

A particularly cheerful looking tower viewer, this one perched on site at Coit Tower in San Francisco.  Wouldn't it be wonderful if machines brought only happiness and well being?

Art On Walls, San Francisco

I am always especially pleased to see my art hanging on walls.  This work, "Countenance", is hanging on a wall in San Francisco.  If only he could turn his head slightly to his right, he would see a spectacular view of the city.

Nothingness

The image of the day is the oil painting "Nothingness", plain to read, that is, if you can read ancient Chinese calligraphy.  This is a collaborative work by Dr. Yanan Ju and Rachmeal (yeah, that's me). 

Canonet G-III QL17, Workhorse Rangefinder Camera

Gone missing for a couple of decades or more, I recently located my old Canonet G-III QL17.  This camera came to me as a young man, as a much welcomed hand me down.  With all the manual settings and functions you would expect in a quality camera of the era (1972), this rangefinder camera came in a smaller and lighter package than a SLR of the period, and delivered superior results in its own right.  

With an ultra quiet shutter release, and an excellent 40 mm f/1.7 lens, moreover, it was a ton of fun to shoot, and looked great.  Known to be solidly built, the camera I have is one of the originals built in Japan, thought to be of higher quality than the later models which were made in Taiwan.  I always thought this camera was incredibly cool, and all this is confirmed with a host of current testimonials and reviews.  I was fortunate enough to have taken many wonderful images with this camera.

Can Words Add Beauty?

The poetry of the Atlantic.

Dada, Anyone?

An odd image to be sure, but what would one expect when Dadaism is invoked?

Rusty Manhole Cover

Behold, rusty manhole cover, just yards from the open Atlantic Ocean. 

In other news, this blog, "Hope and Fury", recently passed the 10,000 hits mark, and, also recently passed the 300 posts mark, both milestones.