Cloudscapes from the Heartland

Cloudscapes from the Heartland are two more examples from a series of abstracts begun about a month ago. Originally meant to be evocative studies in color, texture and motion, some have become suggestive of landscapes and other scenes. Both of these images began as landscape photographs — one of Sarasota Bay in Florida, and the other of a wind generator in the flat lands…

Seaside Transformations

There are days, in the afternoon especially, when the sand can burn your feet and the heat rises into your face. Closer to the water the sand is damp and cooler. Looking down at the shells deposited along the waterline one can contemplate the spiral structure that is home to many creatures of the sea.

Horizon Line

Looking out over the calm gulf waters at the distant horizon, the bands of colors across sky and sea are gently meditiative. Objects in the foreground may come unglued and seem to float. It can be worth a few minutes to let them.

Two Views of One Place

The qualities of a built environment have a lot to do with how people feel about a place. The alley behind the new Palm Avenue parking garage is wide, clean, new, and bordered on each side by towering walls of concrete. Looking down this oversized tunnel one is greeted with a surprising view of the run down and graffiti-graced backside of a Main Street…

Singular by the Sea

Two singular items. Their colors and shapes speak. Does it matter what they are, or is it better just to wonder what they might be?

Where the Land and Water Meet

The land and sea meet gently along Siesta Key on Florida’s Gulf coast. A wide expanse of white sand tapers gradually toward the water, and the water subtly deepens as one walks away from shore. And sometimes, land and sea intermix when heavy rain, or waves during a falling tide, leave channels in the sand where shallow pools linger until filled in by the…

Back Doors and Alleys

What is it with back doors and the alley? Utilitarian and faded, sometimes littered with discarded goods, a garbage can, maybe a place to park, the alley beckons with a bit of mystery. Unlike the front door’s public face, the alley may offer a glimpse behind the curtain, a slightly different view of the life of the city.

Water Features

Water can be a violent and stormy sea or calm and meditative, a soft yet powerful presence reflecting the sky above. Full of life, essential to life, water moves and changes like a living thing. These images pay homage to some of these qualities. The calm waters of Sarasota Bay spanned by the delicate line of the Ringling Bridge, and the rich freshwater swamp…

Readers in Flesh and Bronze

Large white tapered pillars support the upper level of the Selby Public Library in downtown Sarasota. The pillars create a shaded arcade on all four sides of the building. Near a side entrance that overlooks a small park is a lifesize bronze sculpture of a boy reading with his dog beside him on the bench. It is a romantic image inviting one to enjoy…

Details, Details

Understanding the “big picture” is important. But that doesn’t mean one should ignore the details in life. Sometimes, in fact, hints of the big picture can be glimpsed in the day’s details, like the mystery of a starry sky hidden in the door of an old Chevrolet, or the brief but brilliant song of a beach sunflower on a sunlit seaside dune. Stories exist…