Observed Art

2012-01-01T13:46:00.000-08:00

Happy 2012 world . . .
For some reason, 2012 keeps bringing me back in time to when I was younger and, therefore, more hopeful. Perhaps 2012 really is a brand new, fresh-faced world. Perhaps we will all awaken in this new year and new world to see the sun rising and bringing with it not only warm colors, but a bright new promise, where people could be nice to one another . . . you know, instead of shooting one another . . .
It could happen.
So, in that spirit, I give you 2012 as the sun arises over Mt. Kinchinjunga. It takes me back and brings me forward, sort of back to the future.

Happy New Year all.

The World is Not Black and White

2011-12-26T13:36:00.000-08:00

Following on my last Art Walk show, titled a Black and White Perspective, I will be presenting a new collection in February, titled, The World is Not Black and White (double entendre accepted). Mostly there will be autumnal pieces, with a few springtime pieces, and a few autumnal abstracts.
The first piece is titled a Zen Garden, with our very own garden illustrated. It is a peaceful setting in which we contemplate the beauty of nature most mornings and evenings, a splendid way to begin and end each day.

The next piece is titled the road to Fall:

The next piece is an abtract of Fall colors, based on an actual Fall scene:

The next piece is a springtime showing of that famous street in our favorite city, San Francisco, Lombard Street:

Next is another autumnal abstract, under that name:

A final piece displayed here (there are more for the actual showing) is titled, simply, Fallish.

Award Winner

2011-12-07T12:10:00.001-08:00

An award . . . my first photo in the Fall collection below won an Editor's Choice award in the recent Charlotte Observer Photo contest of Autumnal pictures. The picture was created by stitching together three separate photos.

Blue Ridge Autumn

2011-10-23T13:26:00.000-07:00

Spending just a few days in the Blue Ridge, in this case near Blowing Rock at a spot called Wildacres Retreat, I am again struck by the subtle beauty of the Blue Ridge in October. There are flashes of dazzling color, but mostly the colors are muted and quite lovely. Here are a few I captured during our visit. The first is actually a panorama I created from three pictures. The rest are as taken.
So, enjoy the silent majesty of Autumn.

I hope you enjoyed this Autumnal display.

Art Walk's Coming

2011-09-14T11:23:00.000-07:00

I just finished creating a group of pictures that may appear in an Art Walk, or not, depending on how well I can figure out a little sizing problem. All pictures below were created with the notion that I would use a gallery wrap approach to the framing. I ordered the materials to complete the gallery wraps, printed the pictures and then discovered to my dismay, that I had printed them all using 16-inch wide canvas. See the gallery wrap materials assume a 17-inch wide canvas, so those materials will not work. So, now, I have these images, but still need to decide what to do about framing, stretching, or, more expensively, reprinting. But that's a future decision. Right now, I have these images.
The first is called, an Artful Buddha.

The next is a view of "The Guardians" a statue located in Brasilia, and photographed some 40 years ago.

Next up is a view of the Grand Canyon, or rather a tree at the edge of the Big Ditch.

Greece is the centerpiece of the next image, or more precisely a little village in a Greek isle.

From Greece to San Francisco, our fair city. Herb Caen, who used to write for the San Francisco Chronicle, referred to San Francisco as "Baghdad by the Bay", but that was 50 years ago, when something magical was attached to the notion of Baghdad, instead of people exploding themselves in marketplaces. But here's one view of that old Baghdad by the Bay.

Another of that fabled city's attractions is the bridge at the Golden Gate.

Strolling around the old town of Salem, North Carolina, is a charming experience. While so strolling, I came across a nice touch of light, shadow and texture in this next picture.

And finally, what could be nicer than a morning stroll along the shore?

Fall Art Walk

2011-08-07T14:12:00.000-07:00

Vertical and Horizontal Perspectives. That's how I'm billing my next Art Walk Show. I now have ready to go 8 pieces, four vertical shown below in an earlier posting (although I've eliminated a few) and four horizontal shown immediately below--scenes from the city.

The first is the Jackie O Lake in Manhattan's upper west side. It used to be a reservoir, now is a recreational park, quite beautiful, with classic Manhattan skyline effects, especially in the evening.
The pictures are all in the vicinity of 16 x 40 inches.

The second is a personal favorite of mine--a view from a 34th Street hotel in Manhattan. Manhattan at night. Hard to get enough of those views.

The next is a scene of Lady Liberty, that statue that has Governor Perry's britches all in a snit. But hell, he's a Texas Governor. What do they know about art or liberty?

The last piece is a sweet view from across the water of a village in Nova Scotia. It seems almost unreal, but real it is, and even lovelier in person.

Digital Art Wall Hangings

2011-07-25T11:44:00.000-07:00

I like wall hangings as a different way to display art. We have several, although most are either quilts or very old Tibetan silk wall hangings. I have tried to create some digital art as wall hangings, so far wioth only limited success. It isn't the art per se. I have plenty of candidates. It is the physical process of creating something that can be affixed to hangers of some kind and that will display without curling--the curse of photo art on canvas. But while I am working on what I might term the "logistics" of wall hangings, it is good to display some candidates that I might use in an Art Walk, perhaps the next one. I'm not yet sure.
But here are some. They are all roughly 40 inches by anywhere between 12 inches and 17 inches.

Art Walks Upcoming

2011-06-29T13:55:00.001-07:00

The last Art Walk, Floral Abstracts, seemed both appropriate and very successful, if the commentary by viewers can be believed. Even kids with their parents were struck by the pictures. For our next Art Walk, later this summer, I'm thinking maybe "Cloud Computing". Here is a grouping of some images I have created of "artful clouds."

Spring is Springing

2011-03-31T05:56:00.000-07:00

Spring has begun, even though, as usual, Spring seems hesitant to actually arrive and stay. I mean, it keeps going into hiding just when we arrange the welcoming party. Everything is more or less in bloom, and then the temperature dips down to the freezing level. That's not good. But meanwhile, the flowers keep on coming everywhere. So, I'm beginning to consider a spring line of floral abstracts for maybe the Art Walk in June, or whenever the next one after April 15th is to be. Here are a few possibilities of what I am calling "Floral Abstracts."

Art Walks

2011-03-03T05:28:00.000-08:00

Oops . . . turns out the next Art Walk in Concord is April, not May--April 15th to be exact. So, I'm still thinking about possible art for that show. The question is, will I have time to create the art? We'll see. But here are some alternatives to the ones I just displayed the other day. These are different in kind, more showy nature:

Art Walk In May

2011-02-26T13:10:00.000-08:00

The next downtown Concord Art Walk is coming soon, as soon that is as the winter has decided that it's over for the year. The following are tentative for that Art Walk.
The first, Gone Fish'n.

The next is a lockhouse along the C&O Canal.

Next, an early beach morning, in black & white, mainly.

The next is a Nova Scotia Lighthouse

Next online is another Nova Scotia coastal shot, early evening.

Next, a scene from Rockport, MA

And last but not least, is an early Morning scene of Seattle.

Check back later. There may be more.

Icy Dreams

2011-01-12T09:46:00.000-08:00

Immediately following our first snowfall a few days ago, came the ice. We expected more snow, but got ice instead. If you are driving, or walking, it's ugly, but if, like us, you can stay home, it has been simply beautiful.

February Art Walk in Concord

2011-01-07T13:42:00.000-08:00

The next downtown Concord Art Walk is coming to our little town. My next installment of my pseudo-Art for the event is shown below. None will sell, but what the hell . . . I have titled this showcase, "Scenes from an Urban Life." They are all from our past urban lifestyle in Bethesda, New York, DC . Click on any of the images to get an enlarged image.

Winter Has Arrived

2010-12-29T13:11:00.000-08:00

I know that the weathermen don't admit to a Christmas snowfall, but we saw it, even if late in the day. The next morning, what to our wondering eyes did appear, but bright white, fluffy snow. Happily, I had my trusty camera to capture some of it before it became messy. A few are below:

Fall Art Walk

2010-09-19T14:17:00.000-07:00

The next Art Walk is coming soon to downtown Concord. I will be creating some prints on canvas in 16 x 24 size and some will be smaller on glossy 11 x 14 size. Still determining which is which, but the lineup is below. The 16 x 24 follow in the first group.

Then there are the ones probably to be printed in 11 x 14 size:

Autumn Art Walk

2010-07-16T14:18:00.000-07:00

The next Art Walk in Concord is scheduled for the end of August, and I am readying some pictures of summer's colors. Here are a few below, beginning with Summer's Parasols, captured in Canada while we were visiting there.

Next, some brilliant colors mixing together to produce a dazzling array to treat our eyes.

Next is a picture of a secluded retreat, formed by twisted branches and protective leaves, giving shelter.

And then, one of my favorite subjects, the flittering critters that grace our garden:

Next, a little moisture makes any flower look bright and lovely.

And lastly, a slight color addition to a background provides delight.

Night Events

2010-07-11T09:58:00.000-07:00

While traveling back from Canada, we stopped to visit our daughter and her husband in Montross, Virginia. Because of generally low light pollution at their place, which is on the water, we have been able to get nice night-time pictures, like this moon shot below:

So, on this trip, we got to watch some fireworks on the 4th, sitting at the edge of the Potomac, watching thousands of dollars go up, literally, in smoke and flames as people on both sides of this great river fired off their rockets.

And then they were done. We returned home to their place and I was dazzled by the night sky, and the visible stars that we rarely see at home because of light pollution. So I ventured to take a few simple time exposures, pointing the camera skyward.

More Dragons

2010-06-13T14:03:00.000-07:00

Another dragon whirling about, alighting occasionally to delight the eye.

Dragons

2010-06-08T12:53:00.000-07:00

Another possibility for the next Art Walk. I love dragons, and this guy is especially cute.

2010-05-29T13:18:00.000-07:00

Some more possibilities

B&B20

B&B21

B&B22

B&B23

B&B24

B&B25

B&B26

B&B27

B&B29

Art for B&B

2010-05-27T09:42:00.000-07:00

There are two approaches to producing an art work for the kitchen wall. One is to develop and then print on canvas a piece that is approximately 60 inches by 36 inches. I am investigating alternative ways to do that, from using Edgar's printer (44 inches wide) to going to an outside printer. The second is to produce, say, three pieces, each approximately 24 inches by 36 inches and then hang them on a rod, as in wall hangings. The last one shown here, B&B19 is one example. But, first things first. Here are some possibilities for this project. The possibilities are endless.

B&B01

B&B02

B&B06

B&B07

B&B08

B&B09

B&B10

B&B11

B&B13

B&B14

B&B15

B&B16

B&B17

B&B18

B&B19

Art Walk, Summer

2010-05-14T06:18:00.000-07:00

A few more recently completed and ready:

Lincoln's memorial

Another perspective

A Critter

Summer Art Walk

2010-05-11T15:54:00.000-07:00

I'm busy readying some art for the next art walk in downtown Concord. Here are three pieces completed, but not yet printed.

Mothers Day Art

2010-05-09T08:37:00.000-07:00

On this Mothers Day, we need to celebrate the Mothers in our lives, and to recognize their Art in creating and sustaining our various lives.
Happy Mothers Day, Love

Summer In Full Swing

2010-05-04T05:37:00.000-07:00

Sitting in our gazebo on Sunday morning, our little skink, Jonathan, appeared inside the gazebo, looking for his morning repast. He posed, of course. Jonathan is nothing if not vain.

Then, when I adjusted my gaze outside to observe our rhodies, they seemed to just dazzle the world with their brilliant color. Just as I was looking hard at our little garden retreat, I remembered the NY Times project, "Lens: One Moment in Time". The Times has invited people all over the world to take one picture at 11:00 AM eastern time (adjusted for wherever you are around the globe) and send it to them. There's no prize, just the pleasure of participating in a global photography event. So, I snapped my picture--our retreat, where we sit for a few moments each morning and each evening, to just look at nature, our flowers, out koi's, our hummers, butterflies, dragonflies, whatever crosses our line of sight. It's our daily pause button, where we don't need telephones, radios, or TVs. Just our little nature retreat.

Summer?

2010-04-07T09:59:00.000-07:00

I am wondering whatever happened to the notion that Spring follows Winter. This year, we seem to have had about a week of Spring, followed hard on its heels by Summer--temperatures steadily now in or near 90. Flowers are popping up all over and then disappearing. Yesterday, our little wisteria (little only because I keep trimming it to avoid having it consume our entire front garden) popped solidly into its full bloom. So, we now have tulips, cherry blossoms, wisteria and azaleas, all competing for attention.

Cherry Blossoms

2010-04-01T06:20:00.000-07:00

The cold winter seems to have produced abundant spring cherry blossoms. Our weeping cherries sprang into full bloom suddenly and they are wonderful to behold.

Spring has arrived

2010-03-30T10:03:00.000-07:00

We experienced a horrific storm front Sunday night, with lightning strikes practically on top of us, rain arriving in sheets, hail, and wind. It was sturm und drang for about two hours, then it settled down into a quiet roar and heavy rain. Eventually, it left behind two inches. But throughout the storm, I had two thoughts. One: would our basement flood; and Two: would our tender young daffies, tulips, and newly sprouted weeping cherries survive this onslaught?
Early in the morning, I arose, crept downstairs and, delight of delights, the basement was dry and the cats were whining for sustenance.
As soon as it was light, I went outside, and what to my wondering eyes did appear but . . . lively flowers intact all over the garden, including especially, those delicate weeping cherries.
So here below, is my record of our delicate flowering trees and an oak not yet ready to yield to spring.

Spring Art

2010-03-22T05:47:00.000-07:00

Two more possibilities for the Spring Art walk are illustrated below:

The first is a pond reflecting its surrounding trees:

The second is an early morning at a misty pond in Black Mountain.

My next Blog posting will include a few pictures I am considering for our summer show. Old things that remain picturesque.

Spring Art

2010-03-18T06:41:00.000-07:00

It's Spring here in the North Carolina Piedmont, and winter has released its grip, allowing crocuses, daffies, forsythia and cherry blossoms to begin to brighten our days. With Spring, I begin to consider an upcoming Art Walk in downtown Concord. Some pictures I might enter in the show include some peaceful landscapes I find attractive.

First, a view of The Blue Mountains in Oz:

Next, a scene from our local horse rescue farm,. a place where old, sick, or abused horses are taken in and cared for by volunteers, who simply love horses:

Next, a visit recently to friends from our India days, provided this scene in the Georgia Mountains:

Up in the DC area, the C&O canal, with its old lockhouses, standing guard next to the canal, provide a sense of history and charm to a bustling region:

And lastly, the Potomac River at late afternoon, provides a sense of peace, generally lacking the our Nation's capital these days:

Downtown

2010-03-06T15:22:00.000-08:00

Our little town of Concord keeps changing. One restaurant, now Gianni's, a fine Italian restaurant is the last of four incarnations just since we arrived here. We think they finally got it right with Gianni's. But a number of other new arrivals, The Chocolatiere, amazing French chocolate pastries and other delectables, a new art gallery, and several reinvented restaurants have transformed our little town, turning it, hopefully, into a destination of choice for our surrounding neighborhoods.

Gianni's, truly fine Italian dining

The Chocolatiere, fine handmade chocolates, pastries and a glass of wine.

Art Gallery -- original art for your viewing pleasure.

Little Feather Gallery and Fine Crafts--the shoppe that means you don't have to go to Asheville.

Bistro restaurant

And the Old Courthouse, now a gallery and theatre in a classy old setting.

Portals

2010-02-24T07:33:00.000-08:00

A while back, I displayed some art I titled "Portals." Portals, doorways, entryways I find fascinating. Whenever I wandered around New York City, the doorways are what I found most interesting. While wandering around India, portals were wonderful. The Great gateway to India through which British troops marched out in 1947 for the last time, while the Indian national flag was raised is a piece of history. In Sanchi, the great stupa where the Buddha is entombed is simply remarkable. I display below a few of these "portal eclectica".

A Manhattan doorway:

A museum entry in Santa Fe:

Marble screen, Red Fort, New Delhi:

The great stupa at Sanchi:

The Gateway to India, Mumbai:

Old Courthouse, Concord, NC:

Entry gates to plantation in Charleston:

Shopper's Portal, Manhattan:

The Snow Event

2010-01-30T12:33:00.000-08:00

We have been having some seriously cold weather here in the south, and, since we have turned into weather wusses, we tend to want to hibernate. The weather just won't let us, however. Last night and this morning, we were run over by a "snow event". It caused me to have to get out our ice chopper and snow shovel (ugh).
On the bright side, however, we did get some nice pictures.

Weird Art

2010-01-26T13:33:00.000-08:00

Part of the journey in art is playing or experimenting with digital photographs to achieve images that are fun, or perhaps just plain weird. Some more below. The first two are from Nepal, sort of.

Then we have a Manhattan scene, sort of:

Oddart

2010-01-22T09:34:00.000-08:00

Thinking ahead to some new art shows. Who knows .. . it could happen.

Here's a mermaid about to take a dip:

Next a rainy night in Bethesda:

Followed by Veggieman:

And Hungryman is on the trail of Veggieman:

And last but not least, just tired, perhaps the perfect expression of today's American voter:

Summer Touring?

2010-01-10T13:57:00.000-08:00

Anyone thinking about summer touring? Some interesting places we have toured/visited are revealed below.
London's Big Ben:

Another view:

The little mermaid in Copenhagen

The Copenhagen harbor:

The lake at Geneva

Touring along the Rhine

Italian Yard Art:

Outdoor dining amidst the Mykonos windmills

The Daibutsu at Kamakura

Red Square in Moscow?

The Gateway to the Pacific

Waterside

2009-12-29T15:07:00.000-08:00

I know I'm getting a ahead of myself, but I'm beginning to think about some art for a spring Art Walk in downtown Concord. Some "waterside art" seems appropriate.

Merry Christmas

2009-12-23T09:51:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas To All
From The Schmidts
to our loyal readership.
All three of you.

Old Salem

2009-12-15T13:11:00.000-08:00

A recent visit to Old Salem, in North carolina, provided some wonderful pictures involving variation in texture. A few of my images are shown below.

Babes

2009-12-09T05:59:00.000-08:00

Another candidate for the next February Art Walk, wherein I will show some black and white art. This one is one of our favorites from days gone by.

The Taj

2009-12-08T13:26:00.000-08:00

Looking over some of my digital art of the Taj. It remains one of the world's great masterpieces. Pictures taken at different times of the day, especially at first light and by full moon, and from different perspectives always reveals something different and intriguing about this magnificent site.

Some More for the Art Walk

2009-12-02T08:28:00.000-08:00

A few more to add to the collection in my last posting below. These are all from the 60's. Some may make it into the next Art Walk

Winter Art Walk

2009-12-01T13:48:00.000-08:00

Winter is coming and soon another Art Walk in downtown Concord. Candidate art pieces for this show will be black and white from several different eras in the Artful Notes lifespan. Candidates include:

Fall Art Walk

2009-11-21T08:38:00.000-08:00

Last night was the Fall Art Walk, and tree lighting ceremony in downtown Concord. Lots of people out and about. Many lookers, few buyers. To be fair, the absence of any ability at the Art Walk venue to accept credit/debit cards makes such sales almost impossible. Nonetheless a good time was had by all. In addition to some calendars and notecards (one of which sold) was the following collection of Autumn scenes.

Life in Black & White

2009-11-18T17:22:00.001-08:00

I used to shoot almost all my photographs in black and white and process them down in my basement. Now, I use color almost exclusively. But I am rediscovering black and white as another art form, with which I am comfortable. I produced my first calendar in black and white (for 2010) since my first foray at calendars with my old Epson monochrome dot matrix printer (circa 1986). This one, Nature Studies in Black and White is nice. Here are a few of the pics used in the calendar.

Gianni's Wall

2009-11-16T10:43:00.000-08:00

Hmmm .. . Gianni's wall . .. sounds like the title of a great 1960s Italian film. But, it isn't. Instead I'm bringing you a few more pictures now hanging on Gianni's restaurant wall. They're all "cityscapes" of New York, including the last one taken at sunset of the Jackie O Lake in Manhattan. And no, those aren't the twin Towers prior to 9/11. The Jackie O lake is uptown, around 102nd street, west side. So, here goes:

The Wall at Gianni's

2009-11-09T05:08:00.000-08:00

sold one of my pictures off the wall at Gianni's, our favorite Italian restaurant in town. So, I am planning to replace that piece with one or more of several below. Two are from Florence, one from Venice and the last from Lunenberg, Nova Scotia.

Autumn Sightings

2009-11-06T13:31:00.001-08:00

More Infrared

2009-10-24T14:09:00.000-07:00

An Infrared World

2009-10-24T14:04:00.000-07:00