041420: Afternoon Light

Posted on April 14, 2020 by artandfossils

Late afternoon rays of sun cutting through heavy wafting smoke in my studio. Seemed like a good opportunity to play and explore. These first five images are the result of that little exercise.

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This last one, upon completion, seemed to reflect the times – suggesting airborne toxin. And that got me thinking about my friends in Florence and the difficulties of their predicament (so similar now to our own).

So I couldn’t help but think about my times there, shooting the street shrines that always capture my attention as well as the many opportunities I have had to photograph the fossils in the Museum of Natural History.

A mollusk, a gastropod, an anemone, and lastly the skull of a whale.

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I’ll finish today’s post with a few of my favorite Florence sights – Galileo’s Tomb in the rear of Santa Croce…

The Duomo dwarfing the nearby side streets…

…and lastly the Sant’ Ambrogio Market where the best of everything can be found!

Thanks for the visit. Stay safe.

040720: A Little Diversion

Posted on April 7, 2020 by artandfossils

A few days before the floor fell out from under the world (as we knew it) I got a call from a person interested in some of my prints. They were from a series I did a number of years ago on the old Burden Iron Works in Troy. Today’s first two images are part of that project.

Not having viewed them in a while, I dug them up in my photo library. And that act took me down a photo “rabbit hole” that resulted in the contents of this post. It became a pleasant diversion for me. I don’t know if these images string together in any way, other than in my enjoyment reacquainting with them. So without thinking too much about it I thought I’d share them with you. We all deserve some little diversions these days.

Ammonite

Barnacle Laden Bivalve

Gastropods in a Tortoise Shell

Brachiopod

Brachiopod in Hand

Butterflies, La Specola

Devonian Drawer: Gastropod

Abstract Concrete 1

Abstract Concrete 2

59th Street Bridge

Railroad Spur, Long Island City

Railroad Overpass, Long Island City

Triboro Bridge

Thanks for the visit.

033020: Staying Home

Posted on March 30, 2020 by artandfossils

It’s hard to be enthusiastic these days about most things, at least that is what I’m often finding. Fortunately, though, a rare glimpse of sunlight broke through the dreariness the other day, enough to get me out the door with my camera. Doing was what was important, not so much results.

So, today a mix of things out my studio door – fossils (of course), rocks, etc. Just some things I decided to focus on, to find some solace in such a strange time. Best wishes and stay well!

Mollusc With Brachiopod Tiara

Brachiopods with Lichen

Cephalopod

Rock Flame

Brachiopods

Another Brachiopod

Yet Another Brachiopod

Brachiopod Potpourri

( A note regarding brachiopods. There are over 12,000 fossil species recognized. These marine invertebrates have existed on this planet for roughly 550 million years. The ones seen here are 385-387 million years old)

Shale

Gnarled Wood

Rough Skin

Grate

Industry

Thanks for the visit. Be well.

022720: My New Phone

Posted on February 27, 2020 by artandfossils

Well, new to me at least. My old phone died a few weeks ago and, of course, it needed to be replaced immediately! (How could any of us survive without…!) While describing the new one to a friend I referred to it, not as a phone with a camera, but rather as a camera with a phone! It was a genuine slip of the tongue. It was also quite accurate. I suppose this is nothing new but I am continually amazed at the rates of advancement.

Today was my first opportunity to play a little with this new camera/phone – just a stroll around my studio on a foggy day.

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Never thought I’d ever post a cat picture – “Jack”

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I’ll close with a couple of paintings that are works in progress:

Untitled 1 (60″x36″)

Untitled 2 (80″x65″)

Thanks for the visit.

011620: Gastropods Part 2

Posted on January 16, 2020 by artandfossils

The response to last week’s selection of Devonian gastropods was such that I thought it worthwhile to present more gastropod images – some of the ones that did not make last week’s cut.

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Thanks for the visit.

010920: Gastropods

Posted on January 9, 2020 by artandfossils

A good friend of mine is currently writing about gastropods, Devonian ones in particular, for a chapter in a book. He recently asked if I could provide some of my gastropod images to accompany his work and I happily agreed.

That got me to scour my libraries. I managed to come up with these ten (and many more). As they accumulated in a folder I began to create other categories – particular favorites being one of many.

So today here are ten different looks at the local 387 million year old gastropods.

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The remaining five images are from that other new category – personal favorites – a subject that I might dip into more and more as time goes by.

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Thanks for the visit.

121219: More Devonian Fossils

Posted on December 12, 2019 by artandfossils

Another selection for you today – all local 385 million year old invertebrate fossils. I’m too busy today with the hearings to add any more to this post. I hope you enjoy today’s images.

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I’ll leave you with this pic of my latest painting. Not sure if it will stay this way. It seems like they never do!

Thanks for the visit.

120519: Trilobites and Others

Posted on December 5, 2019 by artandfossils

This week’s post starts with three images containing trilobite parts. In this particular area it’s rather difficult to find entire, whole trilobites. So finding something like the impression of a trilobite eye (in the opening image) makes for a very good day in the field for me!

As is usually the case, the remainder of fossil images displayed today are local (Hudson Valley), all dug up by me, and all 385 million year old marine invertebrates.

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Snow finally arrived a few days ago and it looks like it will be around for a while. My first thought was to cut a path to my studio sitting down there in the woods. My second thought was to focus my camera briefly on the newly formed shapes that surrounded the studio.

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Thanks for the visit.

112119: Old is New

Posted on November 21, 2019 by artandfossils

It’s been hard to focus on the blog this week with all the hearings going on. I did have the time to put together this grouping of images that have been sitting in my earliest fossil library – images that had not ever been addressed before. So, even though they were originally shot twelve years ago, it was only yesterday that I finally got around to processing them.

It is a mix of various fossils – all Devonian marine invertebrates (387 million years old) and all found locally.

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Thanks for the visit.

110719: A Small Variety

Posted on November 7, 2019 by artandfossils

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.