“Back to Blue” refers to a series of floral images I created late last summer and early fall, and called “The Blues.” Done in shades of blue, the reference was as much to emotion and mood as to color.
Two images from that series have recently been recognized.
This image will be exhibited in New York City from May 6 – 17, with the Opening Reception of May 8. I am pleased to have this image shown in this venue! Many thanks to the New York Center for Photographic Art and to Stephen Perloff!
Another image from the series, “The Blues,” Ephemeral, was chosen as a Nominee in the 7th Annual Photography Masters Cup:
Ephemeral – Fully open datura flower
This is a fully open datura flower. These open at sunset, and began to fade at the first light of morning. The plants themselves are quite hardy, but the flowers truly are fleeting – and very beautiful.
These were my two favorite images from the series, and having them recognized in two very different venues brings me a great deal of pleasure. I am happy for the opportunity to share them again, although my current work seems to be dominated by bright colors and bold designs.
Act 3 in Red Windblown and tattered red ranunculus at sunset, April 30, 2014
The blog has been neglected for a bit this spring, while I have worked on other things. Later this month I’ll be giving some presentations on Floral Photography and also Color Management in Photography. Working on presentations for other people always requires thinking and rethinking of one’s own processes of creating, in my case creating photographic images. I come from a family in which some members do their best work in the company of other people, and other members require at least some degree of solitude to do any work at all. I’m glad I see both sides of that coin in my family, but I definitely am one who requires solitude and time to think to do my best work.
This summer holds a couple of significant anniversaries for me, and these have also stimulated my thought processes. I didn’t set out to think about these things in particular, but I have allowed myself the time to do it. I’ve also allowed myself some time to read, just for pleasure and not directly for learning, as I have done so much of my life. Of course, one may learn more from reading for pleasure, if the circumstances are right.
Some quotes come to mind:
Henry David Thoreau:
I never found the companion that was so companionable as solitude. We are for the most part more lonely when we go abroad among men than when we stay in our chambers. ~ Henry David Thoreau, “Solitude,” Walden, 1854
Began having a new vision of things. What was it exactly? Can’t say maybe. Can’t say at all less I think on it. I’ll think: emptiness in-forms perception; the point is not how much you know, what you know, or who you know; the point is emptiness and freedom. The loneliness of freedom… ~ Jim Stallings, Falstaff’s Diaries, 2011
Photography instructor, Barrack Naggan, in class critiques of photographs, 2009:
Would you hang it in your house?
The first two quotes had meaning to me at first reading. The real significance of “would you hang it in your house?” took me a little longer to grasp, as simple as it seems on the surface. A work a visual artist is willing to display in his/her home says “this is me. I’m revealing something about myself that I am willing to be seen within the safety of my home.” The same piece, of course, may be seen in many public places. In that context, the image is as much about the viewer as about the artist. The same piece, hung in the home, reveals much more about the artist.
I love photographing almost anything, but am probably best known for florals and portraits. As I prepare the presentations on floral photography, I have gone through a lot of my prior work. The most recognized pieces have been “Lily,” “Starting Over,” and Ephemeral.” These three are monochromatic to one degree or another. Within the world of roses, I am probably best known for my love of the Hybrid bracteata, ‘Mermaid.’ None of these images are hanging in my house, and in preparing the upcoming presentations, I was not inspired to print one for hanging in my house. I have two of my own images in my house: one of the Great Kiva at Chetro Ketl in Chaco Canyon (from film days!) and a monsoon season sky from 2009, done as an HDR. Those are images that are very personal to me, for a variety of reasons.
On the evening of April 30, 2014, I went to my mom’s house to photograph some of her roses for possible inclusion in the upcoming presentations. She grows beautiful roses, but I was not feeling particularly inspired that evening. Until, that is, I saw some old ranunculus flowers that were falling apart and ragged, having been abused by days on end of high winds and blowing dust. The light at that point was perfect – Golden Hour but diffused by a few clouds and all the dust in the air. I took four photographs of the ranunculus, each from a slightly different angle. When I saw the one in this post on the computer, my first thought was “I have to hang that in the house.” Until I saw it, I had not known what I was looking for, only that there was a void that needed to be filled. I had grown restless with my images, but I wasn’t sure where to go next. I ordered a large print for the house that night.
Is this a one-time-only image, or will there be a series of subsequent images of aging flowers that are nevertheless vibrant in their last moments? Only time will tell on that one. But this image tied together so many things happening in my life that I had been thinking about for the past several months – thinking about in wonderful solitude.
I hope to be a little better about the blogging process this summer. I am updating my portfolio site, and invite you to visit there as well.
The 25th Old Church Fine Arts Show presented by the Visual Arts Council of the Corrales Historical Society opened on Friday, October 4 with a wonderful reception for artists and their family and friends. The 2013 Exhibition of Fine Art is open daily from 11:00 AM – 5:00 PM, closing on Sunday, October 13, 2013 at 4:00 PM.
Fine Arts Flyer
Net proceeds and donation from Artists’ sales go to the preservation and maintenance of the Old Church. Visit the Visual Arts Council on the web at corraleshistory.com.
The Old Church is a beautiful venue for a Fine Art Show, as these images from this year’s show indicate:
25th Old Church Fine Arts Show
All adobe structures require constant maintenance. The Old Church is a much-loved historic structure, and this spring it received its annual “mudding.” On July 26, 2013, the Albuquerque metro area along the Rio Grande River was hard-hit by a strong, severe storm, eventually described by the National Weather Service as “hurricane strength.” Odd for the desert, but it did happen. The north side of this beautiful old historic building was severely damaged. A lot of time and money will be required to restore it to its condition before the storm.
Old Church north wall
Winners were announced at the Opening Reception on Friday, October 4. Congratulations to Frank Dobrushken for Best of Show with his black and white photograph, “The Dancers.” Cheryl Cathcart was awarded Second Place for “Suspended in Air.”
I was very pleased to received Third Place for “Floral Fireworks.”
Thanks to Jurors of the Show, and to the Visual Arts Council.
Floral Fireworks
I have a second piece in the show, “Cycles of Life: Sacred Datura:” sacred datura
October 3 – 31, 2013, artwork related to Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) will be featured at the Las Laguna Gallery in Laguna Beach, California.
From October 3 through October 31, artwork in a variety of media will be featured at Las Laguna Gallery, Laguna Beach, California.
Dia de los Muertos, the day the spirits of the dead are welcomed back, and honored with special foods and offerings at altars made especially for the occasion, is a major holiday in Mexico. Not surprisingly, it is also a major festive occasion in New Mexico and elsewhere in the Southwest.
I am pleased to have two images in this show:
Julie Saul (Juror) selected Spirit #1 for Honorable Mention in Professional Women Photographers’ Spring 2013 International Women’s Call for Entry.The Old San Ysidro Church, Corrales, New Mexico
The opening reception promises to be a lot of fun. In addition to usual reception fare (wine, appetizers, music), there will be face painting for all ages.
If you are going to be in the Laguna Beach area in October, consider visiting the show at the Las Laguna Gallery.
The results of the 5th Annual Pollux Awards have just been announced, and I am very honored and happy that five of my images placed as Finalists in this year’s competition.
In the category, “People,” my image ‘Muertos, Marigolds, y Motorcycles 1’ was a finalist.
Muertos, Marigolds, y Motorcylces
‘Spirits of the Old Adobes, Spirit 3’ was named a Finalist in Digital Manipulation.
Spirits of the Old Adobes
Two images were finalists in the category, “Nature.”
Life Cycle of Sacred Datura – an iconic plant of the Desert Southwest
This image will be shown in the Corrales Fine Arts Show at the Old San Ysidro Church during Balloon Fiesta, October 4 -13, 2013. It is also a finalist for this year’s Julia Margaret Cameron Award.
The second image in the “Nature” category to be named a finalist is this Japanese sea nettle. This image also won 3rd Place in the People’s Choice Awards in this year’s PX3 Prix de la Photographie Paris.
Pacific Sea Nettle jellyfish
A fifth image, ‘The Wonder of It All,’ was named a finalist in the “Portrait” category.
I would like to thank the WPGA and juror Julio Hardy for recognizing these five images.
I would also like to congratulate all the winners. Many of my friends are winners in multiple categories, and I’ll list them later, when I am sure I have checked and double checked to make sure I have not left anyone out.
These were series of 5 images each. This is representative of the “Flowers of Early Spring” series:
More White Iris,
while this image is representative of the “Jellyfish” series:
Pacific Sea Nettle jellyfish
It is an honor to have these images included in winners of the People’s Choice Awards for the 2013 PX3 Prix de la Photographie Paris. Again, thanks to all who voted for these images.
The Corrales Fine Arts Show, held annually during Balloon Fiesta at the historic Old San Ysidro Church in Corrales, New Mexico, is set to kick off the fall fine arts show season in the Albuquerque region. This will be the 25th Annual Fine Arts Show held by the Visual Arts Council to raise money to support the upkeep of this beautiful old adobe church. This is a venue in which I love to show my work. The show has all kinds of work in it, not just photography. While there is photography, there is also painting of all varieties, especially oils and watercolors; textiles; pottery; just a great variety.
I would like to thank this year’s jurors for selecting two of my pieces for inclusion in this show: ‘Floral Fireworks’ and ‘Sacred Datura.’
Floral Fireworks – Gladiolus that always blooms on the Fourth of JulyLife Cycle of Sacred Datura – an iconic plant of the Desert Southwest
The show is open 11:00 am – 5:00 pm daily, October 5-12, 2013, and
11:00 am – 4:00 pm on Sunday, October 13, 2013.
You may find more information on the Old San Ysidro Church and direction to it at this link.
If you live in the area, or if you will be visiting during Balloon Fiesta, make the Old Church and the Fine Arts Show a stop on your visit. There is no charge, and parking is free. The church is a part of old New Mexico, and part of the proceeds for the sale of artwork goes for maintenance of the Old Church.
A big thank you to the jurors of this year’s show.
Water is a valued resource in the desert, especially in these days of severe drought. Ponds can be found in places along and near the Rio Grande River, and a variety of plants and animals are attracted to such spots. Water is life-giving.
Sometimes water can be appreciated for simple beauty. I loved the various reflections in the water this particular day – the duck, the clouds, the trees, the rocks…
These Dutch iris were blooming earlier in May. Dutch iris are about as common as water here in the high desert of the Southwest. But sometimes the magical light, in combination with Dutch iris and water near the Rio Grande River, can produce some unexpected results. This image brought a smile to my face when I saw it uploaded on the computer. 🙂 I hope you enjoy it also.
Copyright Registration and Protection of Artistic Work in the U.S.
Copyright laws are very complex, and they are different all over the world. This post is directly relevant only to my artist friends (photographers, painters, etc.) in the U.S. The internet has made protection of one’s work difficult the world over, although it has, at the same time, made work much more accessible, a benefit for artists.
(Disclaimer: I am a photographer very interested in protecting the rights in my work. These are some of the things I have learned and some of the things I do. For legal advice, always consult an attorney well versed in copyright law. It is complex and is in the process of changing.)
In the United States, copyright is guaranteed in the Constitution itself. It is not in an amendment; it is in the Constitution itself! This leads to a couple of interesting facts. Copyright laws are written and revised by Congress (so don’t expect changes to occur at breakneck speed these days). Perhaps more importantly, depending on your point of view, copyright cases are heard in Federal (not State!) courts (have you ever heard the expression, “don’t make a federal case out of it?” There are reasons for that expression! Federal lawsuits are very expensive and time consuming!)
I’m always a little surprised when I realize that the only people I actually know personally who have registered their copyrights in their art are the instructor (an attorney/photographer) I had for a class, “Legal Issues in the Digital Arts” and I. In the U.S., an artist owns the copyright in his/her art from the moment a work is created (unless it was a “work made for hire” or for some reason the artist transferred the copyright). In the U.S., however, an unregistered copyright is pretty meaningless in cases of infringement.
Here is the U.S. Copyright Office Circular with which every artist in the U.S. should be familiar:
Among these advantages [of registration] are the following:
• Registration establishes a public record of the copyright claim.
• Before an infringement suit may be filed in court, registration is necessary for works of U. S. origin.
• If made before or within five years of publication, registration will establish prima facie evidence in court of the validity of the copyright and of the facts stated in the certificate.
• If registration is made within three months after publication of the work or prior to an infringement of the work, statutory damages and attorney’s fees will be available to the copyright owner in court actions. Otherwise, only an award of actual damages and profits is available to the copyright owner.
The short and the long of it is, if you are an artist who wishes to protect his/her works against infringement, the works need to be registered in the Copyright Office. And, for full relief in infringement cases, including statutory damages and attorney’s fees, the registration needs to be done within three months of publication (consult an attorney about how the Copyright Office interprets “publication,” if in doubt) or prior to infringement.
“It is expensive” and “it is too time-consuming” are two of the reasons I hear over and over from fellow artists who do not register their copyrights.
