Sorcerer's Apprentice

Four days of vacation are great.  Karen and I haven't been on a 

vacation since last May, when my mom took a bad fall.  Many

changes; way too much medical responsibility; way too much

involvement into her care, wishes etc.  Hint to the wise,

talk early to your children and keep talking.  We finally had 

the space to go and do something for us!  Great beaches, hiking 

nature trails, an afternoon nap; laps in  the pool until the 

grandma squad interrupted us with the daily "walk across " and 

asked us to join in.  Oh well - we swim laps and they bound back and 

forth.  Just giggle and leave: We're never going to be that old - are we?

Enough of that - my post is a photo taken not to long ago of some 

brushes with a mystery setting of tea candles - of course some 

drama provided by Photoshop.

Visual Influence

 Blogging has become a very interesting part of my life since

I started this year.  I have met many online artists that inspire me

to create something each day.  I have to admit that before 

blogging I was in the habit of waiting for inspiration to

hit.  I realize now that slogging through bad days and

nights of the rubbish I produce is a healthy process.  

I was browsing my hard drive for photo's today; trying

to find a thread to begin a digital work.  I was stunned to find 

a screen shot from a video I made back in the summer of

03.  For this one scene I had used marker on a variety of 

flower petal to write on.  In my hand is the word visual and

in the for ground is influence.  Think four years later and

I have run into a very creative person, Sarah Elizabeth, who has 

 a wonderful site, full of creative thinking, that has the 

name Visual Influence. Karen and I are off for four days of

vacation on Block Island, so no posts until Sunday.  

Times Square

Ok - enough of the sumi-e.  Too easy to come up with a little 

sketch each post.  I want to throw something out there 

that I'm just beginning to experiment with.  Solarplates

are a light sensitive material bonded to a metal plate.

You can use these in a variety of ways, but I've been 

making some layers in photoshop and printing on acetate.

The acetate is placed on the solarplates and exposed to 

sunlight. Water is used to wash away unexposed areas.

The plates are inked and can be run through a regular

etching press or a lighter paper can be used with a pin press

or baren.  My "Subway Attire" print is 8" x 10.5" and 

printed with Akua Kolor pigments designed for 

Japanese style printmaking. 

Spring

It is finally starting to feel like spring here in central CT.  

a couple of more weeks and I can actually paint from 

life rather than memories.

Bamboo

I have some antique journals that seem to record financial

transactions.  I've been taking scans of them, then

 combining them with other images in Photoshop.  For the 

most part I've combined them with other scanned objects 

or photographs.  In this instance, I reversed the image,

printed it in on rice paper.  I flipped the paper

and did a quick bamboo sketch.  The numbers and letters

are readable from the front side, faintly behind the bamboo.

When I view oriental scrolls, I am taken with the beautiful

 calligraphy that often make up part of the composition.

I suppose I was trying to re-create the flowing "grass

style" of Japanese calligraphy I am so drawn to.  This

image is 11.5 x 14.5.

Koi

Another of my reflection series.  Once again this features 

our koi.  Still experimenting with different filters, blend

modes and sharpening.  I've been trying the low angle

photo suggestion that Laura and Sarah  with 

some success.  I've also been trying different times of

day to get shafts of light illuminating the schooling

koi.  I printed it out at 10.5"x 14" on A3+ glossy paper.

My wife, Karen, thought the image blurry.  I think it is

due to the rippling of the water and kind of like the way

it gets blurry the closer you view it.  Kind of like the way 

a Seurat dissolves into points of color. 

Reflection and Koi

I've been continuing with reflections in my digital work.  About 

two weeks ago we had a rain storm that washed the remaining 

ice off our pond.  The big rains also provide a lot of clarity 

to the water.  I was very happy to discover that the koi made 

it through the winter ok.  Now I'm on a mission to get a credible

image of them seeming to swim through the branches of the

reflected trees.  This is my first attempt.  I need to get a more

luminous original.  Easier said than done.

Perfect Day

Katukawa Shusho (d. 1792) Late 1780's. John C. Weber collection.

Photo copyright John Bigelow

Yesterday was one of those perfect days. Karen and I caught an early train to

NYC to meet up with a friend we hadn't seen in a long time. It's sad when 

distance and careers get in the way of connecting with dear friends. We finally

decided we hadn't seen each other in 17 years. We met at the Asia Society.

They are hosting a wonderful exhibit, "The World of Edo Japan in Print and

Painting". While I count Japanese art as one of my main influences, viewing

the exhibit with Patricia Graham was eye opening. Pat is a former professor

of Japanese Art and Culture.  Her latest book, "Faith and Power in Japanese

Buddhist Art" is encyclopedic. We spent an hour or so viewing the exhibit before

lunch at Asia Societies excellent restaurant. Pat was accompanied by Lee Schneller, 

a fascinating woman, who has lived in Japan for over four years.  She is a premier

expert in landscape design based in Maine. Her company has designed more 

than 150 Japanese inspired gardens, using native plants. Watch her website

for the launch of a book on how to create continuous blooms late this year.

During lunch we turned to catching up on years of family, career, travels

 and children; then back for two more hours of viewing our influences til we 

stumbled out, bleary eyed from visual overload. 

We did manage a visit to two galleries owned by friends of Pat's that specialize

in Japanese art.  The Joan B. Mirviss gallery was especially exciting with many

pieces by Sakiyama Takayuki.  The ceramic pieces, some the size of bushel baskets,

are very earthy; evocative of sand dunes, beaches or plowed earth.  In late afternoon 

we departed, tired but inspired.  A day out with an old friend and meeting some

new ones - perfect.

New Reflections

I've been intrigued with reflections and shadow.  I started a digital

series on this subject a few weeks ago. Searching with the camera 

for subjects that look at first glance to be straight photography,

but at at closer examination seem a little off. I hate to disclose 

trade secrets, but four copies overlaid and filters in photoshop

produced this image.

Old Reflection

I was out today to photograph some new reflections for a

series of digital art I'm working on but decided to shoot

a few shots of a sculpture I did years ago.  A small piece,

not quite three foot square.  I have it perched on a

protruding piece of ledge in our back yard.  If not for 

the ledge I'm sure it would be sinking to the center of 

the earth due to it's weight.  It consists of two interlocking

welded steel pieces best described as three dimensional

horseshoes.  Six cast aluminum wedges driven in the center

hold the two steel plates and five cast lead plates at each

end.  A piece that is held together by it's own internal tension.

Much like myself.  Call it a self portrait.