110719: A Small Variety

Some new images today along with a mix of other recent work. The opener, taken upon my return from a trip out of town, seemed to capture that mid Autumn feeling – leaves are down, colors are fading, and a fog suggesting increasing grays.The images that follow have no main focus – just a variety of things I’ve been playing with lately.

Fossil Mix

Mixed Media

Two details from a recent project on Galileo

Jupiter Moon

Gastropod

Brachiopod

Brachiopod drawing

Autumn

Flowers

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These two are the result of mirroring:  flowers…

…and part of a large conch. It almost looks like a polished wood sculpture.

Double Yams, entwined

Double Buddha

Thanks for the visit.

103119: More From the Quarry

I must admit that I have been captured by the random beauty resulting from the mineral oxidation of shale at my local quarry.

It’s pretty easy to spot the colors amidst the blue grays and blacks of the piles of broken shale.

Generally, the red, orange, and yellow stains clearly stand out. And, like most anything else, some of the stains are pretty ordinary.

But, upon closer inspection and with some discrimination, some of the stains create visual delights!

I keep saying to myself that I’ve found enough and may have played this one out.

But then, as I review some of the recent images, I look out the window, notice that the sun is shining, and I’m out the door for yet another trip to the quarry. We are already in mid Autumn and there will be fewer opportunities before winter sets in.

And, when the colors begin to fade along with the onset of dreary gray winter days, I’ll go back to picking fossils from the other layers where they primarily reside.

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I’ll close for today with a shot from my perch in the quarry. Piles of rock everywhere, fall colors and the Eastern Escarpment of the Catskills.

Thanks for the visit.

102419: Fall Colors

I drove up on the mountaintop the other day to take in the fall colors. Ended up visiting friends and found myself more interested in their “local sights” than the leaves!

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First and foremost was the barn.

Two views of the same window – from the outside, and from the inside at the tool bench.

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A blurred treestump above and white birch with clothespins below.

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Back here outside my studio, falling leaves are hiding the many fossils that lay about. I did, though, find enough to occupy myself on a fine fall afternoon!

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Thanks for the visit.

101019: The Local Quarry

On Tuesday I visited my local quarry. I usually stay away during the Summer months since hornets often make their homes on the undersides of loose rock. So, with Autumn now in residence, it was time. And, thanks to recent digging by the owner, new areas of exploration have opened up.

What I found was that a transitional layer of rock became available, leaving loose rocks that exhibit an interesting mix of the different layers.

The image above is a fine example. The shaley, brittle rocks of the lower level, often laced with colorful staining, seldom have much in the way of fossils.The surrounding rocks are from the upper layer, where the fossil “motherlode” usually resides.

The opening image, with a well delineated brachiopod sitting next to a yellow streak of chemical oxidization, exemplifies that mixing.

So, I was struck by colors and fossils, sometimes separately and sometimes together. I even found a couple of images (at the end of today’s grouping) that display the unintended handiwork of nature!

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Thanks for the visit.

111518: Late Autumn Color

First hint of snow appeared this morning. Out came the flannel jeans. Long sleeve t-shirts replaced the short sleeve tees. Life can be pretty simple!

This year I have been much more interested in the faded colors of late autumn.

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I’ll leave you with some rather playful, altered images that I have been working on. I hope you enjoy them.

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Thanks for the visit.

121417: Year End 2017

Ever since I first began posting this blog six years ago I have closed out each year with a selection of images from the year gone by. With an annual production of 600 to 700 fresh images posted yearly I like to take this time to look back and choose one last grouping from the year gone by.

So today I present a mix of images, not necessarily the best, not necessarily my favorites, but rather images that struck a particular chord when I reviewed the year past – ones that I thought deserved another look. Of course, then, it would be a wide mix – some fossils, some drawings and mixed media works, and other assorted subjects.

Hopefully these disparate images flow smoothly and are pleasing to the eye!

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Best wishes to you and yours this holiday season. Here’s hoping for a safe and happy new year to all.

111617: Moss

This little sprig of moss snaking its way across a fossil cephalopod gave me the idea for this week’s post. I’ve been leaf blowing lately here in the woods, hoping to keep my fossils from disappearing from view. And, in doing so, I noticed how so much moss has already covered the surfaces of many rocks. The vibrant greens draw the eye.

The more I looked the more I appreciated the juxtaposition between the moss and the fossils themselves. Exploring that became my focus this week.

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Thanks for the visit.