Coffee and Conversation

The second of two events in association with Wild Together, the two person show consisting of works by myself and Beatrice Bork at the Artists’ Gallery, was Coffee and Conversation (held yesterday afternoon). Beatrice and I put together a nice spread of coffee, lemonade, various pastry and cookies for patrons as they perused framed photography and watercolors depicting the beauty of nature.

The weather was perfect and attendance to our Coffee and Conversation was encouraging. Several comments were made praising the show and how well both of our works hung together. I think so too. It’s been a real pleasure to show beside Beatrice this month. It’s not too late to see the works as it hangs through next weekend (June 4-6).

This morning I replaced several framed pieces that sold this past weekend so you’ll find no blank spaces in our show. Artists’ Gallery is at 18 Bridge Street in Lambertville, NJ (right over the bridge from New Hope, PA).

Patrons view work during "Coffee and Conversation"

 

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Still Time to See “Wild Together”

Wild Together, the 2-person art show consisting of works by myself and award-winning watercolor artist Beatrice Bork, continues this weekend with a Sunday event – Coffee and Conversation (2-5pm). Come out to the Artists’ Gallery tomorrow (Friday, May 28), I’ll be there from 11-6pm. Or come out for our coffee and chat event this Sunday and converse with both Beatrice and myself.

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Just Sing…

A friend of mine, Beatrice Bork, ends her emails with a quote I really like:

“A bird doesn’t sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song.” ~Maya Angelou

On a recent outing, a passerby informed me of a nesting Blue-gray Gnatcatcher. After a bit of searching I discovered the nest and took a position some distance away to observe. The male and female pair were actively working, seemingly putting finishing touches on the nest. I considered a variety of compositions based on the complexity of the brush, the direction of the light, and the behavior of the two birds. It was fascinating to watch these parents-to-be coordinate their activity and sing to each other.

I am using a good deal of glass for this image, a Canon EF 500mm f4.0 L IS with a Canon TC 1.4 on an EOS 1d Mark III body. All of which is of course on a Gitzo tripod with a Wimberley Sidekick inserted in a Foba Superball head.

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How Was the Bethlehem Fine Art Show?

As Bob Dylan would say, the answer my friend is blowing in the wind…Yea it was a tough one. I knew the forecast called for wind gusts in the upper 40 mph range, but the winds were magnified by the wind-tunnel that is Main Street in Bethlehem. This show has a reputation for these kind of winds but this weekend was different, a new scale of wind strength. It’s unfortunate because this is a fine show and deserves better treatment from the elements.

Around 1pm on Saturday I knew I was losing the battle and decided to pack it in. Not a decision I like to make. I wasn’t alone though, several others also had enough of the buffeting winds. I got my frames and matted work safely put away and began disassembling the display walls and then the canopy. I have a good canopy, steel construction. Even with the friendly assistance of Ruth and Steve (Ruth is a fine photographer who was checking out the show with her husband Steve), I was unable to fully take down before a blast of wind knocked the canopy toward myself and my van. The weights I have on each canopy leg anchored things a bit but also caused the bending of 2 legs and a broken roof rafter.

All-in-all I probably made out better than I could have. The winds got really nasty after I left and would have surely done more significant damage. I’ve ordered replacement parts today and will be ready for my next show. It’s an outdoor show in June. I’ve learned a few things this weekend but hopefully I won’t have to put them in use.

I enjoy outdoor shows so I won’t be giving them up. It just seems that for someone like myself who makes images outdoors, showing that work outdoors is a perfect fit.

I understand that people are still finding my business cards blowing around Bethlehem. If you find one, come say hi to me at my next show. Hopefully I won’t  just be blowing through.

Bent Canopy Legs Made of Steel

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Rainy Day Greens

After a weekend of rain the week before last, I needed some time outdoors. And so even though it was raining still last Monday, I grabbed by Olympus E-3 with 50-200mm SWD lens and headed out to a local park. I knew exactly what I wanted to do, make images of wet spring green color and walking paths. The E-3 and lens can handle the rain.

The rain never let up enough for me to consider changing lenses so I worked with just the one lens I had put on the camera. While the paths were usually empty, I did see several runners and dog-walkers even in the rain. Ultimately I spent about 4 hours photographing in the rain creating the images I envisioned before I arrived on location.

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Bethlehem Fine Arts and Craft Show – May 8-9

Lots going on this week, including preparing for this weekend’s Bethlehem Fine Arts and Craft Show in downtown historic Bethlehem, PA. Set up on the street which will be closed to traffic during the show, this event consists of over 80 juried artists. I’ll be across from Hotel Bethlehem near Moravian Bookstore.

Tomorrow, I’ll began hanging work for a two-person show I’m doing with Beatrice Bork. Final details are being worked out, but I’m already looking forward to seeing my and Bea’s work in the main room of Artists Gallery.

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