Over the last dozen years in these parts, the first week of December has brought us snow quite regularly. This past weekend’s wintry event was a stunner! I got out the day after for a sunrise session and was greeted with the kind of conditions I had visualized. Snow gently covered everything it touched and the morning light accented the landscape with warm rays. By combining geometry with both cool shadows and warm light, I was able to create the contrast in color and mood I was looking for. Again working with my Olympus E-3 gear, I worked to maximize depth and compression using small apertures and longer focal lengths.

Wintry Sunrise - (C) 2009 Paul Grecian

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The  Artist’s Gallery in Lambertville, NJ is excited to announce our holiday special exhibit featuring all of our artists! The exhibit begins Dec. 11, 2009 and runs through Jan. 3, 2010. An open house will be held on Sun. December 13 from 2-5:00 pm when you will be able to meet with the artists and  talk with us about the work hanging in the exhibit.

It will be a great opportunity to acquire a special piece for yourself or a last minute gift for someone you love. I’ll be there and looking forward to it.

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This was a neat project. The Reading-Berks Guild of Craftsmen, a chapter of the Pennsylvania Guild of Craftsmen, was chosen to decorate one of the Pennsylvania Governor’s trees in the mansion. As a member of the RB Chapter, I contributed two pieces. This is the first time I’ve ever made an ornament with my work and had to really think through my approach. It seems simple enough, but I wanted something sturdy and that would last.

After making the print, I applied several coatings of protective spray to prevent damage from touch or light. Then I mounted the print on acidfree board and overmatted it with same. To add the hanging string, I applied a pressure sensitive, acidfree  adhesive to the back of the mountboard and added a third mat to make a sandwich with the string between the boards.

It was cool to see the finished ornament hanging on the tree in video coverage  of the event. My ornament of the image Winter Reds appears just around the end of the video.

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Sure the leaves are all off the trees and the landscape looks more winter-like than fall-like, but I’m not willing to let go of my grip on autumn quite yet. This fall went extremely fast. The color was never really vibrant anywhere I looked around me here in Bucks County and the heavy rains and winds of October did a real job on any color that did occur.

When I wasn’t doing a show, it was raining, or I was preparing for the next show. Finally I had enough and just had to get out. Sure enough it was raining. But, with my Olympus E-3 and Olympus 50-200mm SWM lens (and some gortex clothing), I was able to spend several hours photographing at a nearby lake. Frankly, I didn’t find the scenery very inspiring, initially. But it was fun working in the rain (sometimes heavy rain), and I began to see the beauty of what was there. Colors weren’t the vibrant reds and oranges I visualized, but the rain made the umber leaves that remained standout well. The cloudy skies offered me smooth, consistent lighting, and if I could keep the blowing rain off the front lens element, I was actually getting quite stoked. By the end I found myself creating some of my favorite fall images ever.

Fall Woods on a Rainy Day

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This is the weekend (Nov. 21) for one of the premier shows on the east coast – North Penn Holiday Craft Market. Consisting of a group of almost 100 hand-picked craftsmen and artists, this show features an array of mediums and designs. It’s a one-day event and the crowd can become quite large, so plan to spend some time with us.

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An hour before leaving to set up for a weekend show, I split off a piece of tooth. A molar to be precise. Great! After much cursing and pacing I called my dentist only to get an answering machine telling me they were gone for the weekend. Great again! I called their emergency number (which is basically my dentists cell phone) and left a message there. No reply after an hour or so and I’m thinking I need to get to the show and set-up, broken tooth or not. Before leaving I call my dentist again.

Almost out the door and he calls back. He’s at a conference, not far, will open office for me and break off the broken part of tooth for me. Yea. I pull into the office lot, he pulls in 5 minutes later exactly on time. A room is prepped for me which includes turning on lights, computer, and oh, must have 70’s music playing or he can’t work. He breaks off broken part of tooth, tells me it looks like a crown will do, it doesn’t look too bad. No specialist required!

I get to show set-up a bit late, but fine. Guess where I’ll be Monday morning though. Not so bad really, could have been worse. BTW, my dentist rocks.

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The Lehigh Valley Chapter of the Pennsylvania Guild of Craftsmen is proud to be producing our annual show, the Holiday Marketplace, to be held this weekend Nov. 14-15 at the Swain School (1100 South 24 St., Allentown, PA).

This is an intimate show consisting of 30 fine craftsmen and artists working in a variety of media ranging from wood to jewelry and from glass to photography. What I really enjoy about this show is the laid-back environment and ability to spend time with each craftsperson and artist.

Holiday Marketplace is the perfect opportunity to get started on, or even finish, your holiday shopping in a low stress showplace.

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I was accepted into the Galaxy Art Show and Sale for the first time in 1999 and have participated on and off since then. In the first year I was gratified to be awarded Best in Photography. Ten years later I am gratified again to receive that award. Held in the Courthouse Rotunda, this show benefits NOVA and has become an important arts event in Bucks County, PA. The opening night reception is always a wonderful event and a pleasure to attend. This year my daughter and I went and enjoyed both the artwork and the fine spread of foods, desserts, and wine (just me on that one). The Best of Photography award is a ribbon and a monetary prize donated by generous people who support NOVA and the arts. Downward Facing Dog was the selected winning image. It also was one of the pieces that sold during the three days that the show took place.

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Thanks to the thoughtfulness of a friend who gave me a heads up to a coming deadline, I was able to submit a feature article idea for the Photographer’s Market 2010. As a strong believer in “write about what you know”, I suggested an article on the hows and whys of doing art shows. The article was accepted for inclusion in both Photographer’s Market 2010 and 2010 Artist’s and Graphic Designer’s Market.

Both publications are now available. As a long time purchaser of this series of books, I am pleased that my 2000+ word feature has played a part in the latest versions.

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I’ll be with the Reading-Berks Guild of Craftsmen this weekend in the Fieldhouse at Kutztown University, Kutztown, PA. The Holiday Craft Show is a  favorite of all the PA Guild shows and a fun event as well. Top artists and fine-crafters will be offering a wide selection of handmade and designed items in a variety of mediums. Easy shopping with live entertainment and tasty food offered, this is a great way to get special holiday gifts or something for yourself.

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