Thinking about geology today

Today I experienced my first minor little tremor of an earthquake. It was interesting if not a bit disconcerting. It got me thinking about geology, which got me thinking about rock, which sent my mind back to Maine where I spent a week this past June. The geology at Acadia National Park is laid out for everyone to see and also offers some unique geometry with which to explore visual relationships, line, shape, and contrasts.

One of the images I made in Acadia is all about shape, texture, and contrasts. It’s an image of a single, perfectly formed, oblong rock against a weathered piece of driftwood (actually it was large 15 foot span of beached tree). Since the day was overcast, I had no shadows to deal with and so there is a softness to the light resulting in soft edges and transitions. A slight blue cast is present in the wood which adds the needed color contrast. The roundness of the rock and it’s speckled pattern also contrast with the crack lines of the wood. Somehow I find the image to be peaceful and a bit mesmerizing. I’d love to hear what you think.

Rock and weathered wood

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“A Sense of Place” Continues……

There is still plenty of time to get over to the Artists’ Gallery   in Lambertville, NJ and take in A Sense of Place. This two-person show featuring the oil paintings of Materese Roche and photography by myself, continues through to September 4.

One of the images that I introduced at this show is of a wooded area where I made prominent one particular tree. What drew me to this tree was the placement of it’s few remaining brightly colored fall leaves. I composed the image so that the remaining leaves almost suggest the flickering of a flame. The early morning light was dim so that I could add a sense of mystery to the woods by exposing for the highlights. The tight composition I created emphasizes the tree and specifically adds symmetry to the image.

I made this image that I have entitled Monogahela Wood, in the Monogahela Forest of West Virginia during a trip with a friend. West Virginia is a beautiful state and one I certainly would like to get back to.

Monogahela Wood

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Collaborative Art Was Well Received

As part of our two-person show at the Artists’ Gallery in Lambertville, NJ, oil-painter Materese Roche  and I each unveiled a single artwork that we created based on a common image. The common image was one I made in Acadia National Park this past June. I gave Materese a converted Raw file that did not represent my finished work but which gave her a sense of the location and light.

At 6:00 during the evening of the Opening Reception and with a full room of people, we both uncovered our interpretation of the scene having each not seen the other’s work. The response was more than we could have asked for. While it may have been a bit of theater, it was also a lot of fun. Both pieces sold quickly.

The image below is my final work. The 14×20″ print which was framed to 22×28″ is entitled Cairns at Last Light and was made on Cadillac Mountain at Sunset. Working on a tripod of course, I used a Canon EOS 5d mark II camera with a Canon EF 17-40mm L lens with polarizer and neutral-density, graduated filter to hold back some of the light in the sky.

"Cairns at Last Light"

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