Juried Show Applications

I found out this week that the pieces I submitted for the Biennial Photo Exhibit at Hopper House were not accepted. I am not upset. I think they were top flight images. They just may not have been right for this show...... I tend towards pretty landscapes that are well crafted , but are sometimes not seen as 'art'.

The pieces below are what I have sent in with my application for the 2010 Photography Now Exhibit at the Center for Photography at Woodstock. Some are my nature shots and others are a little bit different. This show has the same judge so I may have the exact same results, but thought I would share them with you guys. My own little web exhibit as it were.

I will here about the entry in the next few weeks and will let you know. In the meantime there are more shows to enter and photos to take.

Orchid Complete!

Orchid Watercolor Finished

I am thrilled with how the Orchid watercolor turned out! I knew what I wanted it to look like and therefore how I wanted to paint it. This one felt like it flowed right out of my brush. Now to start thinking of how I want to paint the Mandolin I photographed a while back. I am tempted to try it in Acrylics.

Keep Makin' Art

Carl

Orchid Second Wash

Second Wash done. Starting to apply base colors for shadows in pinks and blues.

After a little more work. starting to add the color at the edge of the flowers and developing the main flower with a little strong orange color. This is the kind of painting you chip away at. Pick a section, do a little work, do the soft washes and then let it dry and put in a little detail. So far so good.

Keep Makin' Art

Carl

Start of Orchid Watercolor

Here is the orchid photo I took last week as a reference.

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First wash on background. I choose a flat gray I mixed that will help pop the flower forward in the painting. Getting a good clean wash done without runbacks is key here. This looks boring now, but sets the table for the whole painting.

Next i added the stem and the bud on the end. I used an nice clean mingled green with a dash of alizerin crimson in the bud. It is taking shape already. I will post more tomorrow as I start to develop the flowers.

Keep Makin' Art

Carl

Waiting....

I will go photographing this weekend in Harriman State Park. I hope to see spring snow crab apples like these I shot a couple of years ago starting to bloom. I'd like to get some new shots of them and also if they are blooming I know the mountain laurel can not be far behind.

Today is cool and rainy in NY a bit of a shock after the warm spell we just had. I can't wait to get out with my camera and shoot something new.

Keep Makin' Art

Carl

The cape is calling

Cape Cod has been on my mind of late. We really need to find a couple of days to sneak away and take pictures, paint and hang out in our favorite place. Now how to fit it in around work, spring photo work in the hudson valley and other stuff. hmmm.

Keep Makin' Art

Carl

Skylands the Highlights

The shot from Skylands this morning inspired me to look and pick out five favorites. It was tough, but these are what I came up with on the first pass. Now I really feel like spring is coming.

All the trees in town today started blooming. Hopefully Skylands will have some stuff this weekend.

Keep Makin' Art

Carl

Spring is here... Well almost.

I went to Skylands botanical garden on Saturday. I knew it would not be ready to shoot there, but I hoped I would find some cherry blossoms I could frame against some nice cheerful background or something equally spring like. but alas it is not time yet. Another week or two and there will be plenty to photograph there. So I went instead to my other favorite topic and photographed the water shots I posted this weekend.

However the signs of spring are evident if they are not blooming fast enough for me after the winter of snow where we had several storms measured in feet. I am more than ready for spring. So in the meantime I have posted this lovely reminder of what springtime (when it blooms) at Skylands will bring.

Enjoy!

Keep Makin' Art

Carl

Minisceongo Creek

I am considering the shots I took this weekend to be my 'spring training' shaking off the rust of not shooting outdoors for a few months. I ended up sacrificing my polarizing filter yesterday which really cramped my style and forced me to do things differently. I think you can see a difference in the shots from yesterday to today.

The stream I photographed is Minisceongo Creek which empties out of Lake welch in Harriman State Park. It flows to Stony Point and eventually gets to the Hudson one way or another. Where I was shooting there is a steep elevation change and many boulders in the path of the stream making some wonderful cascades. The best angles are smack dab in the middle of the stream shooting low and looking up, but you would be taking your camera (and possibly your life) in your hands to do this so you have to pick and choose your shots carefully. I shot over 150 images this morning and deleted about 75 percent in the first round of editing.... So you may see more of these shots this week as I finish going through them.

It was quite amazing having the stream to my self for a couple of hours after sunrise this morning. It was very peaceful with nothing but the sound of the stream and the birds to keep my thoughts company. This is the way I like it. I now feel ready for the explosion of color to come in the next few weeks. I will be taking pictures every chance I get. There are several locations I have been waiting to go to until spring. There is a waterfall tucked deep back in a corner of Sullivan county that I think I can frame in mountain laurel when that is blooming...

In the meantime I will keep working on my watercolor. the photo I took of one of my mandolins will be my next painting. Then the orchid I photographed yesterday will also make an amazing painting. I may try that as an acrylic.. We'll see what strikes me when i am ready to paint.

I am off to the studio. Peace and love to you all.

Keep Makin' Art

Carl

Spring is here

I went shooting with my friend Mike today. We were hoping for some of the trees to be in bloom, but they are not quite ready (Soon though!) So we shot a creek Mike had found a while ago with some great rocks and cascades. I may go back to this spot tomorrow early in the day before I start the mandolin painting.

Keep Makin' Art

Carl