Category: Art

Day 31 – Study in Red

StudyinRedw

The Red Wheelbarrow

so much depends
upon

a red wheel
barrow

glazed with rain
water

beside the white
chickens.

-William Carlos Williams

I feel like I have been neglecting my digital artistry and didn’t feel too inspired to do straight photography today. So, I found this image while working with photos from Portland, Maine that cried out to be even redder and grungier than it was. The poem is not a perfect fit but I think it is better than my image and let’s just say we are celebrating one of the awesome colors of autumn today.

Day 29 – Maple Leaf

Maple_Leaf2w

Autumn Movement

I cried over beautiful things knowing no beautiful thing lasts.

The field of cornflower yellow is a scarf at the neck of the copper sunburned woman,
the mother of the year, the taker of seeds.

The northwest wind comes and the yellow is torn full of holes, new beautiful things
come in the first spit of snow on the northwest wind, and the old things go,
not one lasts.

-Carl Sandburg

I have officially reached the point in the project where I just want to quit. I have better things to do, I’m still trying to get caught up from my vacation, there are too many demands on my time, etc. etc. Today I almost spaced it out my resistance was so high. But don’t worry, I’ll get over it. Many places I still want to go and photograph. I just have to carve out some time in my schedule. Maybe next week. This image by the way is from the archives of New England. I did the processing today and that counts. Just can’t get into the habit of doing it every day.

Day 28 – Barn

Barn2w

Let Evening Come

Let the light of late afternoon 
shine through chinks in the barn, moving   
up the bales as the sun moves down. 
Let the cricket take up chafing   
as a woman takes up her needles   
and her yarn. Let evening come. 
Let dew collect on the hoe abandoned   
in long grass. Let the stars appear 
and the moon disclose her silver horn. 
Let the fox go back to its sandy den.   
Let the wind die down. Let the shed   
go black inside. Let evening come. 
To the bottle in the ditch, to the scoop   
in the oats, to air in the lung   
let evening come. 
Let it come, as it will, and don’t   
be afraid. God does not leave us   
comfortless, so let evening come. 

 

-Jane Kenyon

 

Normally, I go out and collect photos and then try to find a poem to fit the one I choose. This afternoon I had the poem in mind and thought of the barn down the street. I wasn’t too happy with the sky so I blended in one also taken this evening but from a different angle.  Then a few textures and now it kind a fits what I had envisioned though still not quite as poignant and image as Jane creates with her words.

Day 24 – Fenway Park

RedSox2w

Along Came Ruth

You step up to the platter
And you gaze with flaming hate
At the poor benighted pitcher
As you dig in at the plate.
You watch him cut his fast ball loose,
Then swing your trusty bat
And you park one in the bleachers-
Nothing’s simpler than that!

– Ford Frick

I made it home last night about 1:30 eastern time and woke up bright eyed and bushy tailed at 5:30 Pacific time. Now jet lag is starting to set in in earnest so I thought a newly created image from the New England files would fit the bill. And of course Baseball is also an important part of Autumn.

Day 15 – Nubble Light

NubbleLight_BuzSim

The Lighthouse Keeper Wonders

 

The light I’ve tended for forty years
is now to be run by a set of gears,
the keeper said, and it isn’t nice
to be put ashore by a mere device.
Now, fair or foul the winds that blow
or smooth or rough the sea below,
It is all the same. The ships at night
will run to an automatic light.
 
The clock and gear which truly turn
Are timed and set so the light shall burn.
But, did ever an automatic thing
set plants about in early spring?
And did ever a bit of wire and gear
A cry for help in the darkness hear?
Or welcome callers, and show them through
The lighthouse rooms, as I used to do?
 
“Tis not malice these things I say,
All men must bow to the newer way.
But it’s strange for a lighthouse man like me
After forty years on shore to be.
And I wonder now–will the grass stay green?
Will the brass stay bright and the windows clean?
And will ever that automatic thing
Plant marigolds in early spring?

 

-Edgar Guest

 

I was asking myself today if I should post the most autumnal image I shot today or the one I liked the best. I opted for the one I liked the best. Still plenty of time for autumn leaves and such. We made our way into Maine today and there is a little more sign of color though we may have to wait until we get into the mountains of New Hampshire for the real deal. Meanwhile, variety is the spice of life and who doesn’t love a lighthouse? I ran this one through a simplify filter to soften some of the rust and peeling paint.

Monarch Butterfly

Monarch

Just started a flower photography workshop so I was out photographing in the butterfly garden at North Mountain Park when darned if a Monarch butterfly didn’t show up. It took its time exploring the butterfly bush and I was very happy to have my 180mm macro lens on the camera.

A little cropping, a little vibrance and saturation, a little sharpening. But really not much post processing required. Of course, I have another version that went through a full blown Photoshop artistry treatment.

Monarchw

Montefioralle

Montefiorallew

OK, one more from Italy. I just loved the way this one turned out. I had processed it in Topaz restyle some time ago. But I added a suitable background and used watercolor brushes on the edges. I think I may have to get this on printed for MY wall.

Italian Alleyway

Alleyway

As I am learning new skills in Photoshop Artistry I have been going back through old files to look for things that would benefit from a different treatment. This image is from a 2010 trip to Italy. It was quite dark and required some serious levels adjustment to be usable. From there I just gave the edges a watercolor treatment, added some textures and an Italian stamp.