22-OCT-2009
Medieval ruin, Bucharest, Romania, 2009
The foundations of Bucharest’s oldest medieval palace, dating to 1450, were uncovered in 1967 during archeological digs at the site. Known as the Old Court, the building’s supporting arched vaults are still intact. They were illuminated with colored lights, creating a rainbow of ancient masonry. My image is based on that color – it brings the subject to life and makes it magical.
17-OCT-2009
Colors of the Czars, Kiev, Ukraine, 2009
In my own imagination, I think of the colors of Old Russia under the Czars as red and yellow. This building, dating to the Czarist era, provides a perfect match of primary colors. A life sized elegant statue adorns an alcove, adding human scale, and I use a barren tree as a foreground layer to break up the color and suggest the presence of the seasons and of time.
20-OCT-2009
Post Office, Bucharest, Romania, 2009
The graffiti covered mailbox and the postal signage are bright red, enlivening an otherwise grim scene. A closer look finds still another version of red, a bunch of crimson roses on the bench. My guess is that the lady sitting next to them is a flower vendor.
18-OCT-2009
Entrance, The University, Kiev, Ukraine, 2009
The shadowed clock marks the time, as do the flow of shadows that fall upon the bright red façade. I organized the image as a geometric pattern of verticals and horizontals holding a circle and a rectangle. The brilliant red color breathes life into the image, demanding our attention and holding it.
27-SEP-2009
Maligne Canyon, Jasper National Park, Canada, 2009
The Maligne river vanishes from sight, only to emerge later at the bottom of a limestone canyon. I shot straight down into the canyon, where the river reflects the clear blue sky overhead. Looking very much like a huge blue fish here, the river becomes a powerful abstraction.
01-OCT-2009
Drydock, Granville Island, Vancouver, Canada, 2009
All three primary colors – red, blue, and yellow – make their appearance in this image. I abstract the ship in drydock by including only the stern, propeller, and rudder in my frame. I also chose the subject for its diagonal repetition and the wonderful tension-filled negative space that flows between the shop and its rudder.
21-SEP-2009
Lafontaine Park, Montreal, Canada, 2009
This park featured two linked ponds with fountains and waterfalls. I visited it on a warm Monday afternoon, and found it crowded with sun worshippers. I was drawn to this subject because of the sleeping man in the red pants and the reflection of those pants in the pond below him. The shimmering reflection becomes his dream.
26-SEP-2009
Portage and Main, Winnipeg, Canada, 2009
Portage and Main is an intersection in downtown Winnipeg. Many call it Canada’s windiest and coldest intersection. I paid my own homage to this famous spot on a lovely fall day. I fill much of my frame with saturated red flowers and green grasses, just to belie the frigid myth. I place the city’s World War I monument into soft focus as background context.
23-JUL-2009
Rizla II, Gloucester, Massachusetts, 2009
The red hull anchors the image, while the red lift just above it leads the eye from the boat to the dock. The others colors here are muted in comparison – the brown dock, green and brown buildings, and silver rowboat provide peaceful contrast and counterpoint. Meanwhile, the two men having a discussion near the doorway are virtually overwhelmed by the palette that plays around them.
25-JUL-2009
History mural, Ipswich, Massachusetts, 2009
The 1,700 square foot “History of Ipswich,” mural, painted on the wall of an old mill building, traces local history from the 1600s to the present day. This portion of the mural was painted on three walls that were perpendicular to each other. The most brilliant colors are the result of full sunlight, while all else falls into shadow. We see here how sunlight creates contrast and saturation, compared to the flattening effect of shadow on color.
24-JUN-2009
Tattoo Parlor, Port Angeles, Washington, 2009
Red draws the eye to it immediately. This red tattoo parlor, painted and decorated as if it was a cartoon, is conceived as an exaggeration. I isolate the caricature of the tattooed pirate lass, the word “tattoo,” and the single golden star on a field of red that virtually fills my frame. She seems to be daring us to enter.
25-JUN-2009
Totem, Thunderbird Park, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, 2009
The Indian tribe that designed this totem pole certainly understood the compelling power of two of the three primary colors. The open red lips of the figure, along with its screaming red nostrils, roar out at us from a vivid yellow face, framed in bold black lines.
I exposed on the yellow face, making the rest of frame go into deep shadow and enriching the colors in the process.
