Start to the Day

I am very much a morning person. In fact, I love the beginnings of things in general — the periods where the potential is the most exciting. Dewy mornings are my favorite. With sunlight refracting through the water drops and blasting in all directions, it can actually be a bit visually overwhelming. It really is exciting work. The water drops can be clinging to a leaf, a flower petal, or a spider web. In each case the form of the drop will be different, but equally gorgeous.

Getting in close to nature like this, exploring these very small landscapes, is an endless journey of esthetic pleasure. I make images that express the fulfillment I get from these unique experiences.

exploring these very small landscapes, is an endless journey of esthetic pleasure

Paul Grecian

To make this type of image I prefer an Olympus Micro-Four-thirds camera with an Olympus 60mm F2.8 macro lens. Its small, light, and importantly, easy to maneuver without hitting parts of the plant or web I’m working with. I composed this image in order to have the large round light refractions behind the web create a visual harmony with the water drops.

Spider Jedi

When I first started exploring my vision through the medium of photography, it was the genre of macro-photography that drew me in. I really enjoyed the fact that I could explore the natural world an inch-and-a-half at a time. This ability was especially meaningful as I lived in the city without much natural area around me.

My interest in macro imagery continued through my college years where my photography coursework included two semesters of independent study. In both of these semesters my projects revolved around using close-up techniques. In graduate school, I was able to take a class on macro-photography specializing in flash usage. This gave me a unique skill to balance daylight and artificial light for very small subjects, an ability that can be crucial to the success of an image.

My preference with most macro images however is to use natural light. Reflected, direct, or refracted, I find natural light the most interesting and most esthetically pleasing.

In this image of a backlit grass with crab-spider, I was vey conscious of the way the light outlined everything, creating rim light. What I found especially exciting was the light refractions associated with the silk strand that the spider was producing. The light made the very thin strand visible and created a rainbow of colors. To achieve the angle and perspective necessary to make this image, I had to work hand-held – quite the challenge. Looks to me like a spider wielding a lightsaber, maybe this is a Jedi spider?

Sensations of Spring

When making any image, I am consciously and also subconsciously aware of my surroundings and how they make me feel. This means that there are many forces at work which impact the way I make an image. All of the sensations I experience in the moment play a roll in how I represent my world visually. Spring is a rather overwhelming time of year. There is so much life bursting forward! There is so much color and song and new found warmth. It all becomes part of a highly sensual, highly emotive, and highly stimulating event.

This image was made in a garden in Colonial Williamsburg, a location where my wife and I exhibit our art during the spring. We use the trip as a way to connect with our fans in Virginia and to create new works about the joyfulness of the season of regeneration.

All of the sensations I experience in the moment play a roll in how I represent my world visually.

Paul Grecian

For this image I was using a very odd lens not made for photography. It is actually a movie projector lens which I purchased from a Russian metalsmith in the Bronx who makes adapters for these types of “alternative” lenses. I incorporate the effect this lens allows me to create with my personal esthetic in order to create differently expressive images. I can see, and therefore control, the effect through the viewfinder which allows me to have a new experience while creating. That really is a main point to the art for me – new experiences.

Twister

Its almost impossible to watch kittens and not anthropomorphize them being kids getting in trouble, even when mom is right there. Peanut was one of those kittens that just always entertained. She was a litter of one for her mom Patches. This meant that she received all of her mom’s attention, and she liked it. Peanut was playful and just plain fun to be with.

Here she is walking along the edge of one of our garden plots as if it was some daring adventure. It was precarious for sure!

Twister is available as a Limited Edition Giclee print from my gallery on line HERE. It is part of an on-going and expanding collection of work in my Barn Cat Series.

Staying Connected

Wanting to stay connected with you all, Lin and I have created a great way to keep in touch that we hope you will like. We have joined Patreon, a patron and fan platform that enables you to be a part of our artistic process.

Lin and I have designed a variety of Tiers with specific benefits. You can choose the package which best matches your desire to accompany us on our artistic endeavors.

Both in the studio and around the farm, you will get an insider’s look at what the lives of two full time creatives is like. Each tier comes with specific benefits for you to select among, but all come with an increased level of interaction that we have not found fully possible on other social media. It is easy to set up your patronage, change tiers, or take a break if you want to, so we hope you will come along with us on this wild journey we are on. Many fascinating artists are already on Patreon, even major institutions like the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

Here’s the link – Shady Grove Studios on Patreon – join now or take a look around and float us any questions. We’d love you to come visit us regularly. With you “in the studio” we will continue to make the art you want and have an exciting shared experience.

Hanging In There

The life of a full-time artist is multifaceted. For me it is primarily about the creative process of exploring a personal vision, and means of expression through a chosen medium. But being an artist is also a life-style choice which includes every aspect of daily living. This is certainly true for my wife Lin and I who live on a small farm from which we create our art. Every aspect of our farm is geared toward the creative process. From the almost 200 year old farmhouse which contains our multiple studio spaces, to the fiber-providing alpaca, gardens for growing dye plants, the natural areas we foster, and even the barn cats, we derive most of our inspiration from this farm.

There is nothing about the current situation which keeps us from making the art we want to make. What has changed drastically is the normal marketing of our work we do at fine craft and art shows throughout the year. So far though, we are hanging in there. We are also working on new, exciting ways to stay engaged with our clients, customers, and patrons.

This picture of one of our barn cat kittens exemplifies how we all feel. A wonderful thing about animals is their ability to express for us many of the  emotions we experience. This rascal enjoyed the challenge of climbing, sometimes beyond its true ability. This piece is now part of my Barn Cat Series available at my gallery online HERE.

Peanut and Percy

Living on a farm with a bunch of cats is an experience unlike any I had growing up in Philadelphia. While there have always been cats in my home life, it is only since my move to Shady Grove Farm that I fully understand what a clan of cats is like. They are each their own personalities with behaviors ranging from socially dependent to absolutely fearful of us.

Even as an animal behaviorist by schooling, I am still surprised by how much the cat’s group behavior mirrors that of a pride of lions. Social interactions between the members include a lot of head butting, females sharing in the nursing of young, and group sleeping. Observing the cats interacting with each other and their use of the farm habitat has been fascinating and sometimes just plain fun.

Two of my favorite individuals in the group have been Peanut and Percy. Peanut (the kitten on the left in the image above) was a very precocious kitten. She interacted with her mother like a child; playing, chasing, and annoying her. Percy was dropped off at our farm with his three sisters last summer. He has a friendly disposition, never acting aggressively toward either my wife Lin or me. He’s a good looking cat as well and I knew I would want to photograph him.

Peanut has become a mini-celebrity in my work already. The interaction between her and Percy is so indicative of both of their personalities that this image is very special to me. Titled Nose to Nose, the print is now a part of my Barn Cat Series on my gallery website HERE

Red Wing

I recently asked friends of mine to list questions they had about the artistic process. One of the questions asked was why do I work in my chosen medium and not another. What is it about the medium of photography that has kept me so engaged for over 40 years? The image that I have titled Red Wing is very much pertinent to the answer. For me, being able to create in the moment when my emotions are running highest is very important. I appreciate the rush I get when I observe something extraordinary. To most fully experience something remarkable, I need to engage with it in real time. I can achieve that engagement uniquely through the medium of Photography.

This image was made recently in a wooded section on our farm.  It was a cloudy afternoon. I saw the flock through my studio window and almost just chose to observe. Then a rather desperate urge came upon me to engage. I’ve been working in a rather impulsive way recently, just grabbing gear and going. I knew which lens I wanted to use, which camera body to attach it to, and that time was fleeting. I also knew these birds would not like me approaching them. I began adjusting settings as I worked my way closer and when in position, my gut instinct took over.

This is a very significant image for me. It is an image that defines the kind of work I have come to make over the last five years, and especially within the last couple.

This image is part of my “100 Series” and will be limited to 100 prints in all sizes. Prints are already available at my gallery online – HERE.

Lots of Snow this Year…..

It’s still winter, even though we hit 72F yesterday. In fact this whole winter has been crazy mild. We’ve had way above average temps, and very little snow — except in the form of geese! Several times in the last few weeks large flocks of these magnificent birds have dropped into the fields behind our farm. It has been such a wonderful display. Big, white birds flying in unison, sometimes against the dark hillside made for an exhilarating experience.

Over the last five years, most of my work has been done on our farm. The arrival of the Snow Geese has added a new element to my series done right here on our 7 1/2 acres. Although I have done several series on large flocks of blackbirds, the snow geese afforded me the opportunity to create an interesting contrast. I composed this piece to emphasize a strong yin and yang relationship — with white geese against the dark hillside balancing the dark trees against the light sky. It is important too that some of the white geese cross the dark trees which creates a unifying element in the image.

I am offering this image as a Limited Edition print as part of my “100” Series. Only 100 prints will be made across all sizes. Order it now on my website here.

 

Washington D.C.

My wife Lin and I spend a few days in D.C. We had a couple objectives. First, as artists, it is important for us to be engaged in the world of art beyond the events where we sell out work. Second, Lin had sold some work to the Smithsonian which placed it in the National Museum of American History gift shop, and we really wanted to see it.

I hadn’t been to Washington for a very long time and never for any extended time. So I was very excited to go. And, honestly, I needed the spark that going to great museums gives me. I always come away from such visits with new creative gusto.

Lin and I went to the Renwick Museum, and The National Gallery of Art. Both museums are must-sees during any visit. The Renwick has a more contemporary collection comprising various mediums. The NGA has a collection of primarily paintings and sculptures by the masters. The current special exhibit at the NGA is called “True to Nature: Open-air painting in Europe, 1780-1870.” It was awesome!

Whats nice about D.C. is that if you are staying in walking distance of the Mall, you’ve got a whole lot to explore without needing to get into a car. We are already looking forward to another visit as there was so much we didn’t have time for.

Here’s Lin standing in front of the display of some her work (floral felt trivets and coasters, and felt-art inserted into tea cups). There’s a sign identifying her as the artist and a business card holder on the middle shelf. The National Museum of American History was fascinating, and having Lin’s work in their Museum Store was exciting to see!

In the area around Lin’s display is a variety of work by other artists. These hand-made pieces are all kept around the central check-out area and mostly behind glass.

See more of Lin’s work HERE.