Visual Sorbet
Posted on June 6, 2010
Geometrics 1 - 2010
The newly painted walls of Fort Christiansvaern beg to be abstracted. As I worked with these pictures, I began to view them as visual sorbet, or palate cleansers for the eyes that appeal to the senses without carrying any other message.
Abstractions that lack any implicit social or emotional message may be a cop-out, or art-lite. On the other hand, perhaps their straightforward appeal to the senses, and the emptiness of mind with which one must approach an abstract image in fact is the message — and an important one at that.
Geometrics 2 - 2010
Messages from the Dark Side
Posted on May 30, 2010
The Invisible Hand - 2010
I didn’t intend to produce such dark images. They just seemed to happen. The first came from a picture of some sponges along the beach, and the second is the old “Steeple Building” in the Christiansted historic district. Yes, centuries before its most recent reincarnation as a National Park Service asset, the Steeple Building was a Lutheran church.
These may reflect my growing sadness and feelings of helplessness in the face of the tragedy taking place in the Gulf of Mexico — especially as that tragedy is just one outcome of the free market fundamentalism that has us in its grip. While it may not be healthy to focus on the negative, it can also be a mistake to bury it and pretend the darkness does not exist.
The Subversion - 2010
Tethered
Posted on May 23, 2010
Tethered I -- 2010
To be tethered is to be restrained, tied down, prevented from moving about freely. And that can feel uncomfortable to those of us whose moving about is usually unrestricted. However, some actions, when totally unrestrained or untethered, can trample the rights of others. So being tethered can also refer to being grounded, in touch with reality, one’s actions balanced by consideration for others and for nature’s limits.
The predominant feelings within a community or culture toward restraint or being “tethered” may help set the tone for economic and social discourse. And problems may arise when one attitude toward restraint gets out of balance with the other.
Tethered II -- 2010
Feel the Heat
Posted on May 16, 2010
Feel the Heat -- 2010
I had already titled this post when fellow islander and friend Bonnie Luria released her most recent blog post titled “If You Can’t Take the Heat…” Either great minds think alike, or summer has arrived and it’s just plain hot! Most likely the latter.
The blue gate at the bottom might help cool things down a bit. It is located along a small shaded street — an alleyway, really — in downtown Christiansted. Flanked by a graceful rusted signholder on the left, the gate guards a walkway that leads to the sunlit Caribbean blue harbor a block away.
These were not finished in time to be a part of my “Local Color” exhibit that just opened Saturday night at Maufe’ Gallery in downtown Christiansted. Although some of the prints that were in the show may be familiar to regular readers of this blog, several have not been seen here before. Click on the link above or the image in the sidebar to view the entire exhibit.
Blue Gate at the Comanche -- 2010
Local Color
Posted on May 8, 2010
Local Color -- 2010
The image above is the postcard publicizing my show of new work opening here in Christiansted on May 15th. I hope those who live on St. Croix will come, and I encourage those who live elsewhere to view the show when it becomes available on my website after the opening. I’ll post a direct link here next week.
Selecting the images for a show is one of the hardest tasks. Often, images that hold some meaning for me do not resonate with others. Even more confounding is the pressure to cover costs — both mine and the gallery’s — and the emotional reward of making a sale. The decorative, whimsical and happy images are often more likely to find a home with someone than those with darker themes. So when choices must be made, some of those less likely to attract a buyer get left behind. While this self-censorship may be rational when assembling a show, it can poison the well if allowed to infect the creative process itself.
On a lighter note, the image below is of a group of small fishing boats and dinghies stacked near the boardwalk in the heart of town. These simple boats have their own kind of beauty with their peeling paint in many colors, and the curve of the stem as it meets the keel.
The Stem's Curve -- 2010
Primarily Yellow
Posted on May 1, 2010
Walls of Stone, Walls of Color -- 2010
They are painting Fort Christiansvaern. No, not red; that was me that did that. But yellow, that wonderful golden yellow that one sees on so many of the historic buildings in old Christiansted. The paint and repairs are important to protect the structure, and historical correctness is being observed. Still, the crumbling walls and peeling paint give the fort some of its character.
The fort is unendingly photogenic as its shapes, angles and colors shift perceptibly as the sun moves across the sky — as if it were a giant work of art set beside the sea. Despite the shape-shifting beauty of the building, I have darker feelings about its original purpose and things that happened there so many years ago.
These images are two interpretations of the same original photograph. Perhaps they reflect some of my ambivalence.
Primarily Yellow -- 2010
Pictures from the Fair
Posted on April 24, 2010
Ag-Fair Yellow - 2010
St. Croix’s annual agricultural fair held in February is an eagerly anticipated and well attended event. And then there is the color.
There is a small village of food booths in one area all painted the same slightly greenish yellow. Vendors sell pates (vaguely like a fried turnover), johnnycakes, fried chicken and fish, a variety of fruit drinks and other local delicacies out of these booths.
One of the routes from the food booths to the animal, fruit and vegetable displays leads down a narrow street lined with vendors selling everything from t-shirts to honey to art and jewelry — and even a few local politicians hawking their wares to the sound of reggae in the background. Come early in the day to beat the crowds and the heat of the sun!
Vendors' Row -- 2010
Of Pigs and Goats
Posted on April 17, 2010
Beer? Did someone say beer? -- 2010
This pig has achieved local fame as one of St. Croix’s beer-drinking pigs, a rain-forest “attraction” for tourists. He is eagerly awaiting his next beer while the remains of the last froth down his chin. As long as he keeps drinking, he has nothing to fear from the barbeque pit.
In contrast, most goats do have something to fear. Stew goat, curry goat and goat water (soup) are favorite local dishes. Of course, a few like the billy below have higher value doing their jobs in the fields. The pigs and goats, animals eaten and not eaten, remind me of my grandfather who loved his cows and even would name them — and yet every fall would personally butcher one for meat for the winter. “Good old Bessie” he’d say as he presented a plate of steaks to the family for dinner. And he was right. She was good.
Billy - 2010
Experiments in brilliance
Posted on April 10, 2010
Southgate Beach and Green Cay -- 2010
I noticed that some of my prints had an overall darkness to them — in part because I was using relatively small areas of light and saturated colors within a darker background to bring shape and dimension and drama to them. Working on-screen with the light radiating from within delayed recognition of what was becoming a habit.
The epiphany came when I saw some images (example) on Pat Coakley’s blog, “Single for a Reason.” She used the full range of values, but the balance was predominantly light, even washed-out looking, with smaller pastel and dark shapes. It was time to break my habit with darkness and experiment with brilliance. The images here are two of the results.
At the top is a beautiful protected sandy beach and the cut between a small offshore cay and the mainland. The photo was taken mid-day with the sun high and bright — the kind of day where without sunglasses, the brilliance can be dazzling.
At the bottom is a candid shot of a young girl at the St. Patrick’s Day parade (hence the bits of green). She had been playing and visiting friends up and down the street, and had just returned to check in with her dad seated in front of me. It was a cotton-candy moment that deserved to be shown that way.
Not every image can be approached using brilliance, and not every attempt with a new approach is successful. Nevertheless, I have learned that experimenting and breaking habits can help prevent one’s style from becoming confining.
Cotton-candy moment -- 2010
The Dark and Light of it
Posted on April 4, 2010
Greathouse Ruins -2010
The strong shadows from the morning sunlight highlighted the geometry of this cotton plantation greathouse that lay in ruins — windows missing, iron bars staining the walls with rust, and the roof open to the brilliant blue morning sky. These old stone relics are gradually disappearing as they crumble or are converted into modern greathouses for today’s wealthy.
On the “lighter” side is this second floor doorway in a historic Christiansted building, apparently still occupied. The stairway, green doors flung open, and delicate curves of the railing invites one in.
Doorway with feelers - 2010
By the Sea
Posted on March 27, 2010
Offshore Reef -- 2010
Much of St. Croix is fringed by an offshore reef. On windy days or when there is a swell running large waves will crash on the reef. While the inshore waters remain relatively calm, the usual dark line at the horizon becomes snowy-white. On this afternoon some low clouds were drifting nearby, echoing the colors of the shallower water near shore.
Illusions can creep up while standing quietly on the shoreline. The lone palm tree in the image below dwarfed the few chairs and sunbathers on either side. When the sun ducked behind a cloud softening the shadows, the otherwise bald beach seemed a fairyland in blues.
Fairyland in blues -- 2010
Head to Toes
Posted on March 20, 2010
Sittin' in the sun -- 2010
People can be interesting from all angles. I was listening to a scratch band playing at a benefit in the forest when the man in front of me removed his hat. The graphic image created by his orange shirt and glistening scalp totally distracted me from my intended goal of getting some images of the musicians.
A similar thing happened with the dancing woman in the image below, whose billowing skirt and shuffling feet as she danced near the curb distracted me from my intended subject. These images illustrate how “distractions” can turn out to be serendipitous — and why it is important sometimes to disable one’s left-brain focus in order to allow the right-brain to take over.
Dancing Feet -- 2010
St. Croix — Hotel Caravelle Artwork
Mocko Jumbies
Donald Diddams 