"Good Night Mrs. Grenbell, where ever you are"

There have been many beliefs, ideas, suggestions on the meaning of a rainbow. Some still believe there's the proverbial "pot of gold" at the end of it. Some of those people are still driving in their cars, flying in their planes, propelling in their boats to find it.
Forget about how they're formed which is basically when the sun shines on the droplets of water in the earth's atmosphere. They are an optical and meteorological phenomenon. Rainbows have always given me goosebumps. My particular belief is that they are a bridge leading me somewhere over THAT rainbow. Who can forget Judy Garland's mesmerizing version in the Wizard of Oz, "Someday I'll wish upon a star and wake up where the clouds are far Behind me.
Where troubles melt like lemon drops, Away above the chimney tops.
That's where you'll find me."

I recently "walked" over a "rainbow" with a special friend. It was a brief and totally serendipitous but sublime journey. Those sometimes are the most enjoyable kind. It was a passage that I would have preferred to continue but I knew it would have effects that may have caused pain. And while the hopeless romantic in me looked upon it as coincidence that it occurred, I wonder if Jupiter were aligned Mars and there was complete harmony in the universe would the end result in what the Greeks referred to as "fatum" or what we mortals refer to as destiny? While I consider myself a rather staunch pragmatist, the philosopher in me relies in the underlying layer of hope.

"ANSEL"

Oh well, I couldn't resist after posting about the Tetons, I had to go through my vault of pictures of the Tetons and one very famous image created many years ago by some guy called Ansel. I mean...who in the world names their kid "Ansel"?? And once they've named him that what the hell do they think he's going to grow up to be...selling hot dogs on the streets of New York??

I'm fairly certain you'll recognize the image that "Ansel" took and he just happened to sort of make a name for himself and it wasn't selling hot dogs on the streets of New York or any other street for that matter.

I give you one of his most famous images and then my meager attempt to emulate his image by shooting mine from the same vantage point that he shot his-The Snake River Overlook. Mine was taken some 60 years later. And as you can tell, it's no where near in the same class as his. I can at least get an E for effort as my dad used to say.

"Shane"

Almost this entire week we've had nothing but rain and clouds. For a minute I had to remind myself I'm living in the humidity capital of the world-St. Louis and not Seattle. However, as the ever eternal optimist that I am, I know we can expect sun by at least August. In the meantime I had to link today's post with my all time favorite movie-"Shane". I watched "Shane" last night for the billionth time (not really). I've seen it so many times, I can recite lines from it. It's more of sentimental movie than artistically relevant (I'll leave that one to "To Kill a Mockingbird") for "Shane" is the movie I watched with my dad the night before he died. Although stripping the sentimental nature from it, it was nominated for 9 Academy Awards in 1953, winning for Best Cinematography and George Stevens won a Best Director from National Board of Review. Not only is it a sentimental favorite it was filmed in my most favorite place to visit-Grand Tetons, Wyoming. I first went to the Tetons (Indian word for "breasts") back in 1970. I've been back at least 10 times since. The allure, majesty, grandeur, and I could go on and on with rather heavenly adjectives to describe them, you'd have to see them in person to understand their mystique. They literally bring tears to my eyes each time I see them.

I couldn't decide to post a picture of them on a sunny day or in keeping with the weather pattern we've been having here, so I thought I'd sort of combine the conflicting patterns and offer this one. Go rent "Shane" and stay to the end to listen to little Joey....calling out, "Shane, come back"....a tear jerker.

Back "Zen"

Often we truly think we've been on the path of straight and narrow. We believe we've set our compass and that any deviation will alter our journey. But as we've read so many times, (and I truly hate to be redundant or use risky platitudes) it's not the destination, it's the journey. We don't look at all the abundant and magnificent "layers" that are presented to us.


Take this particular image for example. There are several "layers" to it. There appears to be water droplets in the foreground, with some kind of foliage, possibly a lake or water in the background, with possibly a path. Can we pull off one of the layers to reveal something more fascinating or intriguing beyond the droplets? And once that layer is unmasked, what are we looking at now? Are we going to let one layer beset another? Our lives are often that way. We're on that "journey", we've set our course or compass and we encounter a multi layered life's event. Is this one of those magnificent layers that we must embrace lest we let it shrink away? Once we've understood why that particular event has occurred (and only we can answer this) cherish it, it has appeared for a reason. It could very well be a reconnect to something that we let go of many years ago.

WITHOUT THE ROSE

Love is like a rose good to hold and smell
but then that rose begins to die
and you go through hell

One thing you should know my friends
is that love can scorn
and just like life
every rose has it's thorns.

but as the rose you hold
withers and fades away
another rose has appeared
and your pain is taken away

This cycle of life
no one will ever know
why we would fight amongst ourselves
for that one single rose

And even though we try
to let our pain go
we can't do it
without that rose

This little poem comes from the noted works of Shelbie Bozeman, the rose comes from my garden. I just love roses....so delicate, intoxicatingly fragrant, and pure...something that I wish the way life was all the time. As she states in her last stanza, we may often try and let our pain go, but without the rose, it doesn't occur. I believe we each should have a "rose" in our lives to absorb that pain and share it. We so often try to go it alone for we fear to expose our vulnerabilities. For roses, even though are delicate, they embody a tremendous amount of strength. Find your rose.

The Blades of Wheat

The delicate blades of wheat are very intricate and refined giving way to a myriad of lines and forms. The very intertwining of the blades gives the viewer elements of doubt. And yet, the form itself speaks of similarity.

It's Clouds Illusions I Recall

The above "title" for this post comes from the very popular song, "Both Sides Now". Depending on who you prefer....Joni Mitchell, or Judy Collins, they were the two most popular artists that recorded this song, the song gives rise to the meaning of life and how it has affected you. "I've looked at clouds from both sides now, from up and down, and still somehow, its clouds illusions I recall, I really don't know clouds at all". In looking at this image of the clouds, can we often attest our life to that, the inimitable shape of them and the ever changing pattern that they give off. Isn't that what life is all about. Most of the time, it's not constant, but effervescent and challenging?? Would we prefer a static and mundane existence?

Finals are over

Final presentation of my portfolio was submitted last Tuesday. I chose as my subject matter the Pulitzer Museum and Contemporary Museum of the Arts. I could literally shoot there all day and could still get ideas long after the image was processed and printed. I continue to look at the finished product and see other shapes, lines, form within those images that are striking. The use of negative space is very powerful for me. Here are several of the images that were part of my presentation.

Hemmed In

This particular image comes from the Contemporary Museum of the Arts. It's outside in their courtyard. I especially like the dimension of looking down the walls with the reflection of the pool. With the tree centered between the walls, it gives the viewer the impression that whatever is beyond the walls and the reflection of the water, ends and just what is beyond those concrete walls?

And the Winner Is......

I don't like to toot my own horn and for the the majority of the time with my images I'm more content to shoot for my own pleasure and no one else'. I truly believe that image creation and satisfaction comes from within. It is pleasant however, to get a positive feedback on something that I've created, especially from someone who I don't consider a friend; because we all know that our friends are going to like what we do. At somewhat of an "urging" from others, I submitted several photos for our student art show at my community college. Not expecting to be recognized for these images and certainly not expecting to be chosen to be exhibited and certainly not expecting to "win", I was pleasantly surprised to have won 3rd honorable mention for this image. I am often somewhat amused at how judges determine their particular choices. I am even more perplexed at how they narrow down their selections for the number of images that were submitted truly had what I consider outstanding quality. Several of my classmates also submitted images that I considered excellent. Why this one was chosen is at best confusing. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. In light of that, however, I am truly greatful.

Inspiration by D-Zine

My post for today comes from the Carousel House at Faust Park. This structure is one of wonderful shape of line and form. Yet, it also lends to a complexity of shadow by the way it was shot. There is an intricacy of the arrangement of the glass and supports of the building. The circular walkway adds a significant amount of counterbalance to the overall picture.
I'm dedicating this image to a young "toddler" out there who continues to develop and perfect his art. He has shown a gifted eye for image creation.

I almost forgot, and actually forgot that you might want to see what's inside the Carousel House.....duh????

Chihuly

We were quite fortunate to have had Dale Chihuly's Glass in the Garden exhibit at the Missouri Botanical Gardens from May 2006-Jan. 2007. Some 950,000 visitors saw the exhibit. Three of his collections were added as permanent attractions to the Gardens. I have chosen an image of the Blue Chandelier which hangs in the atrium as you enter the Gardens. I have processed this image in High Dynamic Range as I am increasingly captivated by the tonal and contrast highlights that this process gives. The other two exhibits that are at the Gardens are the Walla Wallas (onions, that are shown in the fountain pools at select times of the year) and the Herons which are on exhibit year round in the Climatron. For more information on Dale Chihuly please check out his website. He is a multifaceted and talented man.
www.chihuly.com

Pulitzer Again

I was at the Pulitzer Museum again yesterday and was looking for some inspiration for my final project for my Photo III class. I've decided on Space and Form (I think-subject to change of course by next Tuesday) and how it gives makes the viewer look for variances in places. This particular image is one that I shot in High Dynamic Range (again). It's the corner of the walkway to the entrance to the museum. The process gives it a really striking sense of not just the form and shape of the walls, but the texture of them as well.