Follow the Light

Follow the Light  #8535

Nothing like coming home an hour early from work and noticing that the urban wildflowers in the alley were in full bloom and the orange Day Lilies were beautiful in the afternoon sun. Even though I am aware of so many people traveling and vacationing now, I'm happy to be home enjoying my local environment and my neighborhood flowers in bloom.

I hear over and over again that some people find the Day Lily to be an undesirable weed while others plant them and wish for their return in gardens each summer.  I'm of the mind that they are a worthy flower that I look forward to each summer.

Knowing that the purple silk background was still installed and ready for a photo I went downstairs to my inventory of vases and chose a tall, clear glass vase that would work well with the long tall stalks of the Day Lilies and other flowers growing nearby.  

Yes, of course, I made several variations with fruit, vegetables, wine and cheese but sometimes there is nothing better than following the  light patterns at sunset on my front porch home studio.  So here it is.  Simply beautiful afternoon light, at sunset, on our urban wildflowers growing within steps of our home.

WHAT WE NEED IS HERE

           by Wendell Berry  

Geese appear high over us,

pass, and the sky closes. 

Abandon,

as in love or sleep, holds

them to their way, clear

in the ancient faith: 

what we need is here. 

And we pray, not

for new earth or heaven, 

but to be quiet in heart, 

and in eye,

clear. 

What we need is here.

Aribert Munzner's Painting Tools

Painter's Palette - August 2015

https://instagram.com/p/58h5T-Live/?taken-by=wendywalks

Last night I had the honor to visit the studio of renown artist, Aribert Munzner, life long painter, retired art professor from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD), member of the Vine Arts Center and more recently, participant in the group art show "The Space Between The Words."

Just walking into his studio was a visual delight with a considerable number of large paintings 6' x 5' and countless smaller ones.  I found it easy to be drawn into the large ones that felt  like you're going into outer space or even into a storybook land.

It suddenly strikes  me now that someone could write a sci-fi version of Alice In Wonderland with the main character(s) walking into Aribert's painting that landed you on a planet in outer space. I'll have to mention it to him when I see him next.

Back to the studio; I love documenting artists tools, especially their painters palette.  To me, the above image resembles fish swimming in a very colorful body of water. When I showed the image I create to Aribert, he was delighted and shocked that something he passed by everyday could, on it's own, because a work of art. I must admit, I  love it when he's happy and admiring my creativity.

Approximately two years I visited Aribert's studio and created my very first "painters' palette" image from his tools. I didn't realize it at the time but it became the first of a repetitive photographic theme that I create whenever the opportunity arises.

Painters' Tools - August 2015

https://instagram.com/p/58hnfcriu2/?taken-by=wendywalks

This photograph didn't want to be left behind because it wanted to show off Aribert's brushes and jars with a kiss of a digital manipulation for artistic effect.  Again, my attraction to artists' tools.