WHO ART IN HEAVEN 11-03-07

TRIP- 4 ENTRIES   3 OF 4 

Hi!

 

When I drove to Colorado for my last trip I left late in the day. I was only to the elevated semi at Fernley, Nevada (just past Reno) when the sun went down. I drove straight through the night stopping only for gas and to say Hi! to Wendover Will and the world’s largest polar bear in Elko.

About 5:00 AM, after driving the first 900 miles I stopped to sleep until dawn an hour later. I reached one of the most spectacular highway rest stops in the world at the San Rafael Ridge just as the Sun hit the face of the rocks.

 

I’ve probably made the trip to and from California to Colorado close to 50 times. I drive this stretch of I-70 through Utah the majority of the time. I have a feeling for the lay of the land. Even so, the time of day, the time of year, the weather, as well as my own state of mind, make it always feel like I’m doing it for the very first time. Every time I see the pool girl in Green River it’s like seeing an old friend. I always stop at Green River Coffee to fill the thermos with real coffee.

  

And when they are in season, as they were on this trip, I pick up a couple of their world famous melons.

From Green River I pretty much drove straight through to Breckenridge, Colorado to see my friend and graphic designer, Erin McGuiness, who I hadn’t seen in years. This was the first time I met her husband Dave and her rather cool kids, Andrew and Grace. Dave’s sister and her husband joined us for dinner. Andrew and Grace took all these pictures. Andrew, on his own, figured out how to set the self timer for the group picture. I found it in the instruction manual. After dinner and great conversation I was invited to spend the night, but hey, what’s another hundred miles when you’ve just driven a dozen.

 After shooting the White Wedding that you saw in the last email I spent another couple of weeks shooting a few jobs, visiting my friends and family and seeing art. Just off the Pearl Street Mall in Boulder is the Rembrandt Yard Gallery and artist residency. All the way around the building are quotes about art and life.

I happened to be in Boulder when the University of Colorado was having a special event. The Sibell Wolle Fine Arts building was about to be torn down to make way for a $63.5 million Visual Arts Complex. Students and art alumni were invited to fill all the now empty rooms of the building with art and art instillations. I went to the opening with my good friend Judith who loves art, wordplay and has a lot of soul. There were so many things to see that I returned the next day with my friend Darlene who has a good eye for light. It’s good to see with another pair of eyes.

The sole filled room on the left was created by my friends Melanie Walker and George Peters. The piece was called, “Carbon Footprint.” The desk and chair were covered with coal. The perfect touch of the half alive plant wasn’t planned until they came across it in a dumpster outside the building. Their spontaneous nature was also exhibited when they came across a room filled with empty boxes. They, of course, made art. That’s them jumping up and down on the bubble-wrap that was the walkway around the playful sculptures.

 

Another of my favorite rooms was created by Judi Strahota. I had known her years ago. She moved away and only recently returned to Boulder. That pile of black is made up of thousands of individual letters of the alphabet. She told me that it was pasta that she “shaked and baked” in a bag with graphite. I’m glad she was there when I came back the next day. The night before I wondered who had authored this wonderful work.

This portrait of Sibell Wolle was created as a group project by art students. The name of the exhibit was “TOAST.” I’m not sure if this was a reference to making a celebratory “toast” or if it referred to the building being “toast”(finished, ended, kaput)! Whatever the reference, this work certainly provided food for thought.

Looking at any square foot of the floor made me wonder if Jackson Pollock’s revelation about a new way to paint was simply noticing what was under his feet.

I also visited my friend Len Barron’s eccentric garden. Len and his garden have been a part of the Boulder scene for years. He was about to move and all of the different pieces were being given away. Len has given many presentations on Einstein dressed as Mr. MC Squared himself. As we sat in the garden, the light changing under the trees highlighting different objects as it moved, the space/time reminded me of when Einstein said,”People do not grow old no matter how long we live. We never cease to stand like curious children before the great Mystery into which we were born.”

I also had the pleasure of spending an evening with two fellow photographers, Christopher Brown and Bill Napier. We showed each other pictures and talked about how the images reflected our own view of the world. Seeing our different approaches was very revealing. They both find themselves in the diversity and perfection of Nature. “You,” as Bill pointed out, “take pictures of everything.” It was a delightful time that influenced my own take on taking “Nature” pictures.

 

In between visits I often found myself at the edge of a still pond or along Boulder Creek near the Library. I enjoyed watching the effects of a ripple upon the reflected Fall leaves.

It all seemed so alive.

When I was seeing my friend Ken Bernstein he asked me what it was like being back in Boulder where I had lived for nearly 40 years. Perhaps it is because I spend so much of my life on the road that I answered, “I don’t really feel like I left here. When I’m here it is as much my home as where I live in California. My life happens where I am. It is, after all, where I am living. When I look back at this day I will say that for these two hours I lived with you.” I spend a lot of my life shooting, writing and responding to these emails. You spend (isn’t that an interesting word) time reading and responding and forwarding these visual plays. Thanks for living these moments of your life with me. I’m greatly complimented. In the next email I head back to California. The trip held many extra-ordinary moments. I look forward to our next visit. If you want to be removed just send a reply with “No Thanks” in the subject line. If you received this from a friend and want to be added to the list send me an email. I will be delighted to include you.  jd@jerrydownsphoto.com.

I leave with a toast and a fond

 French, from à to + dieu God.

Love, Jerry

Jerry Downs Photography
P.O. Box 1082
Larkspur, CA 94977
415-686-2369
http://www.jerrydownsphoto.com/

MAKING CONNECTIONS 10-23-07

TRIP-2 ENTRIES   2 OF 2 -END 

Hi!

 

Joe and I stayed in Twin Falls, Idaho the night before our assignment at the farm about 20 miles away. Behind the desk at the motel was a large picture of a huge waterfall. I asked the desk person if she knew where the picture was taken. Having just driven through the semi-arid flat planes of Idaho, I was surprised when she answered, “It’s about 15 minutes from here.” We didn’t have to be to the farm until noon so we stopped at the falls just after dawn. The water flow is controlled for irrigation upstream so the full effect of Shoshone Falls only happens in June when there has been a very wet winter. I love watching water. The exact same water that was on the planet a billion years ago is the same water that is flowing down this stretch of The Snake River or the water that flows through our own body. The water cycle of river to ocean to clouds to rain and snow to river has happen so many times that the water we’re looking at has fallen over these falls many times. It has happened so many times that the water in our bodies has, at one time or another, made the same trip over these rocks in Idaho.

I have shot so many dairies in the last year that becoming one of the herd has become second nature. The scene has become so familiar that small differences in the pattern become more visible. I, also, find myself finding ever new ways to see my fellow creatures.

(As you have witnessed in my past emails), most (80%) of Horizon’s milk comes from small family farms. This dairy in Paul, Idaho is the largest of all their dairies. It covers many square miles. They milk over 4,000 cows a day. That requires a lot of hay…and corn, plenty of pasture, irrigation and manpower.  Right now they grow almost eighty percent of the food cycle that ends up as milk that ends up in the bones of people across America.

Because the pastures and alfafa and corn fields don’t have any herbicides or pesticides the land is much more of a healthy natural environment. There are more insects, more small mammals and more hawks – each being controlled and prospered because of one another.

Fortunately, it happened that we were there for the groundbreaking of the new dairy and milking barn. As usual, Joe manned the camera and I worked the crowd. Except for the two women who worked in the office they were all men, all farmers, all people who have been working on the land for years, all people who knew how to work as a team.

One of things I enjoy most about being a photographer is meeting and being with so many different kinds of people. Each has their own language and way of being with one another. With this group there is a lot of good natured joshing. “Hey Jerry, why don’t you touch that fence wire and tell me if it shocks you.” ” Make sure you watch where you’re stepping.” While setting up the shot I did a lot of mock yelling and and playful giving of grief. “I thought I told you to move over there”…..”You call that a smile?” It’s distincly different than lining up a group of people in suits when I’m dressed in a suit.

The next morning a group of sales people from the home office in Broomfield, Colorado were there to get a fist hand look at the workings of the farm and dairy. While we were visiting the maternity barn I asked Shawn, the farm manager, to stand in front of the sign that asked all who enter to treat each cow with patience and kindness. Two of the group were standing around in the back of the shot. I yelled, “Hey you two. Get out of the way.” Everyone paused at this foux pas and said in unison, “Say please.” I immediately came over and while giving one of them a hug said, “I’m so sorry. Forgive me. I forgot who I was talking to. I’ve been hanging out with these characters a couple of days.” I motioned to Shawn, Jamie and Tom. After I had taken the foot out of my mouth and we were all on even footing we hoofed it over to the calf nursery.

Of course, we took advantage of the magic that happens when the rotation of the Earth causes the Sun to disappear and reappear.

As always, after leaving a farm, I have an appreciation for the people and the land that feed us. It renews my own connection to the Earth. After writing these emails I feel more connected to the world, to you. Thanks for coming along. If you want to be removed just send a reply with “No Thanks” in the subject line. If you received this from a friend and want to be added to the list send me an email. I will be delighted to include you.  jd@jerrydownsphoto.com 

Happy Trails!

Love, Jerry

Jerry Downs Photography
P.O. Box 1082
Larkspur, CA 94977
415-686-2369
http://www.jerrydownsphoto.com/

Some trails are happy ones,
Others are blue.It’s the way you ride the trail that counts,
Here’s a happy one for you.Happy trails to you,
Until we meet again.
Happy trails to you,
Keep smiling until then.

Who cares about the clouds when we’re together?
Just sing a song and bring the sunny weather.

Happy trails to you,
Until we meet again.

Roy Rogers and Dale Evans

Correction:

I found the lyrics to “Tumbling Tumbleweeds” in my last email on the internet, and yet, as my friend Jenny Frank from Boulder pointed out, though recorded by Marty Robbins, among others, it was actually written by Bob Nolan, of The Sons of the Pioneers.

Love, Jerry

Jerry Downs Photography
P.O. Box 1082
Larkspur, CA 94977
415-686-2369
http://www.jerrydownsphoto.com/

Some trails are happy ones,
Others are blue.It’s the way you ride the trail that counts,
Here’s a happy one for you.Happy trails to you,
Until we meet again.
Happy trails to you,
Keep smiling until then.

Who cares about the clouds when we’re together?
Just sing a song and bring the sunny weather.

Happy trails to you,
Until we meet again.

Roy Rogers and Dale Evans

Correction:

I found the lyrics to “Tumbling Tumbleweeds” in my last email on the internet, and yet, as my friend Jenny Frank from Boulder pointed out, though recorded by Marty Robbins, among others, it was actually written by Bob Nolan, of The Sons of the Pioneers.

That’s Bob back there on the bass. That’s Roy Rogers right there on the right.

TRUE BLUE 08-08-07

 TRIP-3 ENTRIES   1 OF 3 -START

Hi!

Hello my friends. A couple of weeks ago I drove to Oregon to pick up my niece and nephew to bring them back to the Bay Area to spend time with their cousins. While I was there I shot some family pictures for a client/friend near Portland. Of course, I made a few side trips. As usual I left before dawn and was well on my way as the sun rose just past Santa Rosa.

I got off the highway to witness the wonder of the first light.

Though I have my own thoughts about the use of pesticides, I had complete admiration for the flying ability of this particular pilot. He flew under the powerlines and very close to the ground. I shot two pictures of him as he flew by and photoshopped them together when I got home.

I enjoyed the graphic details of the rural roadsides before I got back on I-5 as it passed through the mountains headed towards Mt. Shasta.

I stopped in Ashland, Oregon and visited a couple of good  friends who used to live in Boulder, my ex-wife, Jennifer and our mutual friend Janie. I shot the Magnolia while we walked through Ashland’s wonderful Lithia Park. The 100 acre park was designed by John McLaren, the same person who designed Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. Sometimes it’s good to just put down the camera and spend time capturing memories with conversation.

 On my way North to Crater Lake I enjoyed the way the white water of a farm sprinkler defined the dark outlines of this large elm.

Crater Lake National Park is a truly magical place. I stopped to take pictures at both entrances to the park. I was taking pictures at each place for a long time. A number of different people came and went. Without exception, every person, who was seeing the lake for the fist time, exclaimed an audible, “Wow.” I even heard the members of a family from France say, “Ooh la la!”

No streams enter or leave the lake. The nearly 2,000 foot deep volcanic caldera is filled primarily with fresh water that came from melted snow. With snowfall that exceeds 40 feet a year, it’s estimated that it took 800 years to fill the 6 mile wide lake.

At each turnoff there were opportunities to play with color, light, shapes and shadow.

I love playing with light. I like looking at the light on the scene before me and knowing that it was on the surface of the Sun three and a half minutes before. Reading the sign that explained why the blue was such a deep blue, I enjoyed learning that the white light, that contains all the colors, was transformed by the depth of the lake. The color red is absorbed near the surface and yellow is absorbed a little deeper. But blue light can travel to great depths where it causes water molecules to vibrate and re-radiate light in blue wavelengths. This vibration is what excites the eye that tells the brain to say, “Wow!”

After leaving Crater Lake I stopped at Crescent, Oregon. Besides finding a great “Hi!” picture, I also stopped to take a picture of the brown bear and the rainbow trout hoping to get another example for my series that illustrates another way our mind reads the world. Look at the pictures and do not read the words, say aloud the color of each word.

Even though thought operates at the speed of electricity (about 250 mph), different processes are given different priorities. The right side of the brain that tries to say the color lags behind (by a few milliseconds) the left side of the brain which reads language.

Further down the road I was traveling at 70 mph at the same time a large bug was flying across the road. Newton’s First Law of Motion was applied to our interaction. The bug was traveling in a state of uniform motion remained in that state until the external force of my windshield was applied to it. The remaining mass of protein spread up the glass until inertia finished forming the yellow splash into a shape that was perfectly positioned in the negative space created by the sky and forest. 

I think this is a good place to stop before we head off to the sunset at The Painted Hills National Monument where we will see layers of bright YELLOW and RED under an AZURE BLUE sky. If you received this from a friend and want to be added to the list send me an email. I will be delighted to include you.  jd@jerrydownsphoto.com  If you want to be removed just send a reply with “No Thanks” in the subject line.

 I’ll leave you with this picture of GOLDfish in a BLUE bucket that I shot on another trip to Oregon. These days it’s natural to question if the picture we are looking at was made up in Photoshop. This particular image is just as it appeared in the lens. That day Someone was looking down and looking up at me. Keep smiling and…

Have a Nice Day!

Love, Jerry

Jerry Downs Photography
P.O. Box 1082
Larkspur, CA 94977
415-686-2369
http://www.jerrydownsphoto.com/