Easter Egg Decoration

Easter in March? While it seems odd, I had the chance to visit my Grandsons, and part of our weekend was spent decorating Easter Eggs! The youngest grandson was involved all the way, but the oldest didn't see the point. I remember the process being something I engaged in as a youngster, but I cannot remember when it lost its thrill!
 

 I fell at SeaWall this winter before the snow started to come. Seven stitches, but I walked away from it with the help of my eight-year-old Grandson, Emerson. It was a windy day, and I had captured some nice shots of the wavetops as the wind blew the crests off them as they began to break toward shore. I turned, my left boot got caught in a crack in the ledges, and down I went! Emerson found the hearing aid that got knocked out of my head when I fell.

 

Reaching back in time. This young man was half the age he is now, and it seems to me that the last five years have passed in a moment!

Trails

 Living out in the woods the past few months has been a wonderful experience, teaching me that I had forgotten the magic of nature and what it offers. Here is an example of the "mysterious" nature of nature. Straight from the phone!

Another Edge to Things

 

I'm not sure what this image represents, but I found it out behind the school on the top of a fifty gallon drum. I was looking for water as I had assigned my photo class to shoot water, and it had rained quite a bit yesterday. 

Everything had dried up! There were no puddles, none of the empty boats had any water in them, and I wasn't sure I would even find something as a subject for  a photo.

But I found this... water and some object sitting on top of a steel drum with branches (easy to put out of focus) forming undulating and converging shapes in the foreground and middle ground. I enjoy the way the dark shapes seem to move across the picture plane.

The Foot of Schoodic Mountain

 I got back to camp yesterday afternoon in time to take a kayak paddle around the pond for a different point of view and was surprised at the space around Flanders Pond and the variety of dwellings that are on the shore. Some are hidden away and barely visible from the water while others have broad beaches of sand in front of them and sunshine falls brightly down.

Peaceful and beautiful at the same time, this paddle and the fact that I only saw one other watercraft, a powerboat, had a great relaxing effect upon me. For that I am thankful!

Camp Sky

 

As Jennifer and I are on Flanders Pond, the first thing we tend to perceive is, of course, the water. The owner of the "camp" we are staying in did a lot of limbing of the trees to allow the water views to be more accessible and it works very well. 

The only problem is that to enjoy any direct sunshine, one must walk out to the beach where there are no trees. I simply got this shot with my phone on the way to the beach while I was looking for "sunshine"! Straight shot, no edits or filters.

TOASTING MARSHMALLOWS

 As a celebration of our move "up to camp", Jennifer, my wife of fifty years and I decided we need to toast some marshmallows. With a hand held broad beam pocket flashlight I tried to light the scene as everything that wasn't burning (fire) was dark. After a couple of tries I came up with this photo. In "post" I noticed that the fire itself was the sharpest part of the image due to the intensity of the firelight.

The End of a Personal Era

 I have spent almost 15 years in this space, thinking, creating, and evolving in numerous directions, such as printmaking, drawing, painting, ceramics, glasswork, sculpture, and more. I am sad to see an end to my using this space, but at the same time, I am full of gratitude for the time I have had here and the growth I have experienced.

I also taught art from this space during the "covid" year, moving around the studio with cameras set up for students to visually participate in my demonstrations and with my development of materials and processes. I will always remember the interactions with students in an online environment. I cherish the experience I gained toward understanding students from a social-emotional perspective and connecting with parents, "meeting" them (virtually) in their own spaces.

This has been a fantastic journey, and I cannot wait for the next adventure!

MDIHS 2020 GRADUATION

What an amazing afternoon! 2020 MDI High School Graduation... the weather held off although it rained all around us, as evidenced by showers and wet roads on my way home. The ceremony went without a hitch, people got in, parked their cars, and celebrated with horns blowing and cheers of joy!

The overcast sky did nothing to suppress the enthusiasm and celebratory mood of the occasion as brightly colored and decorated vehicles dominated the full parking lot. The planners thought of everything as the stage was covered with a huge tent, parking spaces were numbered and locations for students and parents to sit were clearly marked and observed social distancing protocols. The use of masks when persons were near one was prevalent and smiles and tears of joy were everywhere!