Dull, dreary days typical of winter. Seems like never enough sunlight. So I needed a dose of color. And some of my favorite color can be found in the many varied rocks I have photographed – some from the Maine coast, some from the local stream beds and quarries, etc. Here’s a sample that lifted my spirits on a recent gray day.
Fifteen images today – all rocks but one. Can you tell which one is not?
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Thanks for the visit.
Plenty can be said about evolution while viewing these images of 387 million year old Devonian brachiopods. I’ve been digging them up and photographing them for a long time and have been fascinated by them for a variety of reasons.
They first appeared approximately 550 million years ago.
Over that long expanse of time perhaps as many as 15,000 different types have existed, thus the variety of shapes and sizes that these images suggest.
Today, believe it or not, there are some 300 to 500 species that are living descendants.
They are some of the earliest examples of multicellular organisms.
Invertebrate marine animals.
Today, the aforementioned reference to evolution, despite all these brachiopod facts, has more to do with my own personal evolution rather than that of the brachiopod.
As I have mentioned in previous posts, I am spending much more of my time painting – mostly large (5’x6′) canvasses – hopefully somewhat expressive endeavors. The impression of brachiopods remains so deep in my psyche these days that I keep gravitating toward them often when I pick up a brush.
A friend (yes, that’s you, Ken!) recently suggested that I share a work in progress and show some the various stages of a current piece. So here we go. The image above (a pair of brachiopods) was the start – a dark, scratch filled attempt at capturing a certain foreboding, primeval sensibility. It sat for months before I realized that it was time to make it something more.
So what you see from here are various stages displayed chronologically.
Tentative movements breaking out of that earlier monochrome feeling…
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…turning into some bold, somewhat garish color – with the intention of eventually muting those colors down…
…step by step until its current state (below). I’m not sure where this adventure will wind up. But then that’s the point for me – exploring and evolving!
Thanks for the visit. I hope you enjoyed this little peek behind the curtain!
Seems I’m always looking down when I’m out walking through the woods or climbing through the local quarry. Much to view down there – lichen, moss, fossils, rocks, etc. Kind of mundane sort of stuff!
But a closer look can often dispel that notion.
The images above triggered the next few – moss creeping over and around some Devonian fossils (a brachiopod followed by a couple of cephalopods).
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A visit to the quarry gave me further good reason to keep looking down.
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Along with finding all kinds of shapes and colors, I was able to find a very nice gastropod.
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I’ll end today with these recent attempts at exploring more of this whole “fossil” thing..
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Thanks for the visit.
I didn’t expect to get this week’s selection out on my usual schedule. More on that later. I got caught up in my library of images from my last trip to Maine. Seems there were more images to explore and those were what caught my eye. So, once again, here is yet another new group of images of Maine’s coastal rocks.
Obviously, it is a subject that draws me to it. And that’s what makes our annual visits something to always look forward to.
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For more than seven years I have been posting this blog weekly. Most times it has been a joy. Sometimes it has been more of a challenge. Lately my attention is being pulled in too many directions, making it increasingly difficult to maintain my established schedule. So, just to let you know, I will continue to post but not as frequently.
Thank you for your continued interest. So, for today, I’ll leave you with one last image from Maine – a late afternoon shot on the last late afternoon of our visit!
Generally, when many people think of Maine they often conjure up images of lobsters (and lobster boats), or perhaps moose if they go inland. I, on the other hand, remain mesmerized by its coastal rocks. The ability of nature and natural forces to create such beauty continues to amaze and astound me!
Last summer Cindy and I had to cancel our annual trip to Maine at the last minute. As disappointing as that was, it now gives us all the more reason to already be counting the days until our trip this summer.
Until then, I satisfy myself with trips through my photo libraries, reviewing past shooting experiences “Down East.” So, for today’s post, I managed to pull together a group of images that had been previously passed over. I think they work pretty well. I hope you do too.
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Thanks for the visit.
As I was reworking this fossil image I realized a desperate need for some color in my life. Three nor’easters in the first two weeks of March have tested my resolve as I (and many others) await the first real signs of Spring.
Drab, colorless days have forced me back into my libraries in search of colorful signs of life. So the rest of today’s post is a riot of colors that (hopefully) will soon be upon us – personally well needed given that snow is falling once again as I write this!
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Thanks for the visit.
If there were only just a few fossils to be found in Maine I’d have no need to go anywhere else to explore with my camera! Wherever I walk, from the shore to the lush woods, there is just so much to focus on. 
With each successive annual trip I expect my enthusiasm to wane – only to be happily surprised by the contrary. The coastal rocks continue to mesmerize me, as does everything else.
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Among the shore rock formations are small pools of water left by the tides, made rich and colorful thanks to various chemical and biological brushstrokes.
The designs in nature are everywhere. The ocean deposits a myriad of interesting subjects.
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Lichen on the rocks.
Lichen in the forest that butts right up to the shore rocks.
And, of course, fungi and various detritus on the forest floor.
Beautiful sunsets, visiting geese in the hundreds, crab rolls, blueberry pie, and the ocean!
My thanks to Eric and Betty for their hospitality.
Thanks for the visit.
I’m sure this is not what usually comes to mind when thinking about Maine colors.
Usually, it is Fall foliage or maybe blueberry patches in the fields – all of which are certainly beautiful.
As you can see, mine is a completely different take.
These images are the result of my climbing around on the coastal rocks and rock walls on the shores of the northernmost coast of Maine.
Footing was generally slippery and rather treacherous, but in the end well worth the risk!
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Since the topic is color today, I thought I’d add some images of New York fossils set against a rapidly deteriorating metal can that survived a fire.
A fresh look at some of the usual characters that often inhabit this blog!
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Thanks for the visit.
Winter has set in. And with that comes the temporary loss of color.
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Sometimes it’s like someone is messing with the local saturation slider.
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Sometimes it’s a small splash of color amidst the dreary.
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And other times it’s just a delicate hint of color.
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I’ve been on something of a “desaturation” kick lately. More specifically, black & white has really captured my attention ever since my trip to Paris. While the contemporary art scene was dreadful, the photo galleries had great work. And much of it was black & white. I don’t know if that’s what got me to rethink things or if Paris just particularly looks great in black & white. Whatever it was seems to have stayed with me.
Here are a group of fossil images from a recent trip to Ithaca that suggested black and white.
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I’ve been spending time printing for an upcoming show. The print below is one of three that will be in the show, entitled “Visitors, Visitations, Visions,” opening on January 26 at the GCCA Gallery on Main Street in Catskill. I’ll have more about it next week.
Thank you as always for visiting. More images at www.artmurphy.com
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