A few weeks ago we had our first snowfall of the season and it was absolutely beautiful. The way the landscape changed overnight was very dramatic. I latched onto my camera and went out to explore the area around the house. I had been attracted at once from the window of my studio to the snow on the bank on the other side of the river. I immediately went down and as the light began to permeate the cloud cover a soft yellow light began to shine through the alders on the opposite side of the river and wash across the water surface. I loved the interplay of reflection of the alders and the warming sunlight. It appeared as an impressionist painting. I shot a series of photos and immediately came up to my studio to address this image with it fresh in my mind’s eye. I had luckily stretched a canvas only a day or two earlier. The dimensions are 28″ x 42″ (seems to be a popular size for me as of late). I began painting with my eye set upon the still fresh image in my head and this painting fell from my brush.
Recently I was in Toronto removing my paintings from an exhibit that had been on of my work for a few weeks. While I was there I spoke with the artist that was setting up the next show. He commented to me that my paintings “looked as though I had breathed the paint onto the surface of the canvas.” I felt that was an appropriate statement because at times it feels that way when I am painting. It is a pleasure to do and a pleasure to share with you.
ENJOY!
In a world where imagination plays a significant role in everything one does often times things appear a little more real than they could possibly be. I often take photos of strange intimate little spaces because they have appealed to me in some way as seen in my last entry Abstract Inspiration (photography). I do not always have an explanation of why I might take a photo of a chrome chair caster for instance or of pieces of ice melting on the railing at the family camp. I just know that in these small spaces I find another world. It occurred to me one day that “what if these small worlds had inhabitants?”. What if these inhabitants were beautiful ice pixies or nymphs, what have you. I began this exploration in photoshop of combining nudes and a construction of wings from bird photos. It was a lot of fun to find poses and manipulate the wings to fit so that these nymphs would look very real indeed. The results are playful and interesting in how the scale works. I will include a few here. there are many more in the series. I will post more later.
ENJOY!
I am a big fan of abstract art as I know deep down that it holds the key to strong representational imagery. I have been seeking out these intimate vignettes of our reality for as long as I can remember. When I am out with my camera I can spend great lengths of time in a few square meters zeroing in on these compositions that lie all around us. With each turn and movement of the eye I find another angle that begs to be explored. Each of these compositions are a world into their own. I feel like I am discovering something new every time I set up the shot. I may stop my vehicle when something catches my eye such as the light source that is blanketing the landscape demands my attention. After taking a few shots from the distance I am invariably drawn into the scene and start an observation technique akin to using a microscope on a glass slide. If I have had an appointment with you and have been inexcusably late then I have to admit that this may be the reason why. I wanted to share a few examples of some of this work with you. My hard drive is jammed with many more which I continue to call up and study from time to time. Some of the photos also reveal vignettes of my studio space. The way the paint dries on my palette at times continues to catch my eye and I will compose images from that. I believe that art is everywhere always and that not everyone has the eye to experience it. I try to capture those images to share with others.
ENJOY!
I am adding yet another category to the blog to aid in highlighting my photography.
Yesterday was the 58th anniversary of my Mother and Father and we were having them come to our place for surf and turf. I went out for a drive to visit the best butcher in the land and to run a few errands. I usually carry my camera along for the ride because, as I have said to my students so many times, “You just never know”. While I was out we had quite a dramatic change in the landscape. The light changing after the snow squall was very dramatic and made for some interesting contrasts. I was stopping and starting my truck so much that I should have had one of those signs for frequent stops. I ran up and down the roadside snapping pictures as the sunlight revealed another interesting scene. I enjoy this type of impromptu gathering of images. I hope that you enjoy some of the shots that I am sharing here.
All images are copyright of Andrew Giffin and are intended for the use of this web site only. Please enjoy them responsibly.
ENJOY!
