Dogwalker

I spend a lot of time walking my dog. So it's no wonder that while I was down in Savannah this Phantom appeared to me. As she approached, I stood steady focusing on the flower that bloomed so red in January. When I started the project, I focused on the background to render some clarity and contrast. But as the series has progressed, I've found that I needn't be so rigid, that I just need to find what's most important to the scene. Here I've chosen the hibiscus flowering in winter.

Forsyth Park

Back to my trip down south last month, here's an image of the Spanish moss hanging over Forsyth Park in the heart of Savannah. There are many factors coming into play that make this pleasing to the eye: the moss framing the top, the woman and her bicycle providing a focal point to the right, and the silver and green cooling the palate.
It feels so much like a tapestry to me that I'm planning to use it as the backdrop for a new collage. Since starting that series called Out of Whack last summer, I haven't come across the right image to inspire a new piece. So I'm excited to get to work!
Also, if you're an artist and would like to create a blog something like this, I'm giving a workshop, Blogging for Artists, next Saturday at the East End Arts School. Details are here in the News section!

Seurat

Continuing my study of couples--a series that seems to be newly developing this summer--I was inspired to post this image taken a few weeks ago. When a student and I took a walk down to the town boat launch around the corner from my home, we immediately spotted the red umbrella and moved closer. I was excited to discover such a vibrant focal point amidst the panorama. Although it's quite dramatic and constantly changing depending on time of day and year, the wide open space that I pass by each day is difficult to photograph.

Lifting our cameras, I instructed her to play with the composition by deciding where to place the object (and therefore, the couple) in the frame. As she did so, I followed suite.

Afterwards, when reviewing the images, I was enchanted to find this one reminiscent of George Seurat's famous painting, A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte. I'm always amazed at how the French Impressionists influence my work and contemporary art in general .

To enhance its painterly effect, I can't wait to see how the photograph looks when I print it on watercolor paper.