Brush Strokes and a Car Off the Road

I like this first one as it was just an impression left on the formica by the sink in my art room. These images abound when classes are working on painting assignments.








The second shot was taken in stopped traffic, which I rested in for about half an hour on the way home tonight... hey, what else to do but shoot a few pictures? I won't include the action (slow shutter speeds) ones, although they are always a lot of fun as they are unpredictable.

Stand By - Pencils Have Been Sharpened!

I had a fit with all the colored pencils in my "monkey box" and had to sharpen them. I'm so cheap with everything that I sharpen them with a knife so I don't lose all that precious colored center by sharpening with a regular sharpener. I like to leave the leads a little longer so I can draw more without having to put a new edge on them, and the knife cut lets me do that. So I'm looking at the chips I've shaved off into the lid of the "monkey box" and I find this picture.

Apple Gulls

The Bay gulls have discovered the apple tree in the edge of the field and they feasted there this morning for quite a while. I got a number of shots of them as they came in and were frightened away, but this one with them in flight was my favorite, with the implied motion and mixture of various shapes of their wings in flight. Lots of gulls!

Sunrise Over Taunton River

 This morning gave me a shot I had to stop for, and knowing that I was in the middle of the bridge and that there were likely going to be eighteen wheelers coming through at some point (there was only one, so that was good) didn't seem to matter. The sun was just reflecting off the clouds and the effect was beautiful. I think I would like to do a painting of this scene.

The Cactus Again

I think, after a closer look, I got a really good photo of the Christmas cactus today. Better than last Wednesday, eh?

Princess and the Pea

Jen and I went to the Fall Musical at MDI High School last night and thoroughly enjoyed the work by the kids. The lead (princess) was one of my advisees and she was great! The whole play was well cast, directed and designed and the final performance was to a sold out audience. Two photos I really liked I am posting.

Moon on the Way Home

I don't really understand why the moon has such a fascination for me, but it has for a while and I have made numerous posts with the moon as the center of focus. I was really struck on the way home from school tonight by the way the light of the moon played within the setting sun shining on the trees. Beauty is truly all around me.

Field Trip to Bangor and Orono

Dan and I took our Intermediate and Advanced Art students to the UM Museum of Art today and they were great! We saw some very cool work and the kids were entralled by what they saw, with some major artists. Here's a group shot! Below are several students examining a Picasso linocut.

The Cacti are Blooming...

... and a beautiful combination of complementary colors just in time for Thanksgiving (and Christmas). It appears as Jen has a green thumb as we also had peppers in our dinner last night from a plant that we brought in from the garden a couple of months ago. She does all the plant nurturing in the house and we have some nice ones!

 So these are photos I took after supper tonight, and I love the way the flash on my Sony Alpha compensates exposure.

The Oak Leaves are Hanging Tough

As the winds of the last few weeks flapped the fading leaves from the trees, I've watched the Oak leaves "hang tough" and still be among the last to drop. I've always liked oak leaves and feel that they are a beautiful arrangement in aesthetic design, and the wood can be gorgeous as well.