WORKING FOR THE SAKE OF WORKING

ALDERS ON THE BLUFF ABOVE LUFFENHOLTZ

I went out photographing yesterday evening. The alders are ready to open their leaves any day now, so I realize that if I wish to catch the wonderful hues of the unopened buds that I must do it now. I think this image is going to require that I sit with it for awhile. I worked it a lot last night, but I still am not satisfied that it is up to my "exhibition" standards. I did get to watch the sunset which was almost cloud-free.

I will be at the RAA Gallery in Eureka tonight for Arts Alive from six til nine.

SOME WONDERFUL COLORS

SUNSET AT THE MARSH

I sat on this image for a week or two, and this morning figured out how I wanted to interpret it.

Yesterday I  was at the studio of a really great painter, and we were discussing his current work. The piece that he is working on is a stunning landscape of the Elk River bottoms. The painter was showing me where he wanted to lighten up some hedge rows in an effort to bring the viewer's eye into the painting.

I have been doing similar things with my photographs in that I often lighten up areas of interest. In this photograph I lightened up the reeds so that they would stand out more so. I think it works.

ARCATA MARSH LANDSCAPES PART ONE

This is my photo-of-the-day from Sunday. 

This is my photo-of-the-day from Sunday. I am so gratified that nowadays I often get  a notion of what a composition will look like as a print even before I snap the shutter. Sunday while I was at the marsh, I was very aware of the possibilities for photographs. I was actually there to photograph the subject directly behind where I was standing for this image. I had been attempting to crop adjacent poles out of my landscapes when it dawned on me to embrace the towers and wires. I realized that they are there and a part of the experience. 

ARTS ALIVE THIS SATURDAY

My buddy Marc inspired me to make a poster - my first. Marc Chaton's exhibit is in the room next to mine. I invite everyone to come out.

FEELING THE NEED TO MAKE A POSTING

UNTITLED, ARCATA MARSH

I feel the need to post something. I took off a week from doing so, and have not really done much new work in the past seven days. I am particularly fond of this image. It is the manifestation of lots and lots of work. I think in many ways this image gives me as much satisfaction as any ever has. I was told yesterday that it has a strong mood.

ARCATA IN EUREKA IS NOW OPEN

THE HUNT BUILDING, ARCATA

I cannot explain why I photographed, printed and exhibited this image, but I did. I guess I just like it. I think that Marino's was located right next to this building.

Anyhow, I hung the show this afternoon in an upstairs gallery inside the Redwood Art Association's gallery at 603 F Street, Eureka. I invite everyone to check it out. The gallery is open from noon until five Wednesday through Sundays, and there will be an Arts Alive reception on Saturday March 3rd.

I think I am taking a couple of days off from posting here. I should post again on Monday.

Thanks for looking.

WILL I EVER LEARN ALL OF LIFE'S LESSONS

SKITTLES, ARCATA THEATER, ARCATA, 2010

I have been printing, matting, and framing all day long for my new exhibition that I am titling ARCATA IN EUREKA. The exhibit will be in one of the small upstairs galleries in the RAA exhibition hall in Eureka. All the images are of the study I have been working on in and around the plaza in Arcata.

The above image is one that I sat with for a couple of years, and just today figured out how to present it. This is a crop of a considerably larger image of the doors. I feel fortunate that my camera has enough pixels to allow for this.  I hope to hang the show at least by early next week, but if I continue on this roll, I may install it tomorrow.

The title of today's posting refers to the fact that I am still learning lessons about my egoic issues. It seems like whenever I think I am done that my "teacher" assigns a new and deeper lesson. I sometimes even forget that that is what is happening, and I find myself all caught up in issues of the ego. I found recently that I sometimes must allow things to "play" for awhile before I am capable of seeing what is afoot.

THE ALIBI

This photograph of The Alibi in Arcata is another of my series on the Arcata downtown area. I think that this works as a square image mostly because the building face is pretty square itself. This will likely be part of my Arcata in Eureka exhibit.

C Street Hallway Gallery

White Pony

This is another example of my early morning photography in Arcata. I find that after I have been working on photographing store fronts for awhile that I start to look deeper in to the subjects. I think that some of my more visually interesting works come from the closer look.

This image can be viewed at the C Street Hallway Gallery.

PLANNING FOR A NEW EXHIBIT

ALIBI

I just found out the other day that I will have one of the small galleries at the RAA facility. I need to hang the show early next week. Since this opportunity sort of came out of nowhere, I am scrambling to come up with a cohesive body of work. What I think I will do is come up with about a dozen images of Arcata, and title the show "ARCATA IN EUREKA". This is something I wanted to do for a couple of years, so here we go.

I am spending most of today helping with the installation of the Humboldt Photography Exhibition at the RAA gallery in Eureka. It should be a lot of work, and a great learning experience.

THE STREETS OF ARCATA

PACIFIC PARADISE

I have not worked in downtown Arcata for awhile. I feel that my vision became saturated at some point. Photographing in town is an experience. I mostly go there around dawn. I chose that time for the quality and direction of the morning light. I also do it then because there is little traffic, and few parked cars. There are always other people out then. Usually the folks out and about are delivery people and those opening up the coffee houses. There are always some folks hanging around Don's Doughnuts. I think I will need to go there very early, and before sunrise to catch that storefront sans people.

I once when there on a Sunday morning. I thought that there would be no activity, and that the streets would be clear of parked cars. I was mistaken. There were more cars than I ever encountered that early. I think they were left by those whom closed the bars, and took a cab home.

This image is two years old. I have not shown it yet either in cyber space nor in print. I especially like the colors, and where they are placed. It was taken with the Sony. 

A DIFFERENT TWIST

I took this image in Arizona

I am going to admit that I was looking for something to share today that is different from most of my work. I took this near Sedona. The actual photograph is a vertical image, but not nearly as interesting. I was at some famous place such as Montezuma's Castle. It was at a designated spot for the perfect shot of the castle, but I found this more interesting.

I think that it sometimes is challenging to come up with something original when making a composition. Let's say I am at the Grand Canyon, and am intent on creating a great image. I may ask myself "what does it take to create an original piece of art"? Many of the great artists have all ready made their images of the canyon, and there are many fine prints available for sale at the gift shop. I need to make the image one that is truly my own. So I as an artist need to come up with something that is not gimmicky, but that is truly unique, and that satisfies the senses and spirit.

My point is that for a work to be art it must give us a unique perspective on the subject. It is not always enough that the work is technically superb. In my opinion a work of art needs to have an essence that evokes a sense of spirit as presented by the artists creativity.