Hue and Light

With Brightness and Contrast

I've decided to start another blog. It's not meant to replace this, just offer an outlet for my photography interests. The format for the images is larger, so you can see a better view without having to click to see the larger format on Imageshack.

I stil want to keep this blog focused on the interesting quirks of things I have experienced. I'm not going to shy away from photography here, but sometimes I feel this blog wanders too much into the photo essay and that isn't my intention. So if you want to see a more extended look at some of my photography, visit the new blog Hue and Light. I currently have posted two takes of a recent sunrise and several perspectives on these sunflowers.



Another Look

Before the Rising Sun

The apartment faces the east, so in the morning, we often catch the colors of sunrise. I snapped this image on Wednesday.


Before the Rising Sun

At Dusk

I snapped this photo back on New Year's Day.



A Dusky Wake

The Greenway in January

Yesterday, Sandra and I finished work early and the sun hadn't set yet so we decided to take a short stroll along the Richland Creek Greenway. This was a first visit since we moved at the end of October.

Of course, the winter scenery was starker, though more light slips through the leafless trees. In the summer around sunset, the trail becomes so dark so quickly that it feels a little like the woods are closing on you. But not yesterday, the dusky sky was quite colorful and visible from the trail.

And the Richland Creek was surging. Before we could see it, I could hear the water rushing. While Nashville's weather over the course of the year is rather wet, little precipitation fell last summer. As a result, when we visited the Greenway back in July and August, the creek was a rather lazy stream. In contrast, yesterday after the recent rains, a sense of urgency seemed to propel the water forward. Now that's a creek!

A Family Christmas in Cleveland

Photographic Interloping in the Kitchen

Ok...Sandra's mom and sister Reginia might not have wanted me taking pictures of them in the kitchen on Christmas. Putting my momentary intruding and their facial expressions aside, I can say that Sandra's family has been welcoming since I've been coming with her to visit Cleveland. It's been good to see her parents and meet her brothers and sisters.

It's also been rewading to be part of the family holiday meals, especially considering that Sandra's mom is a good cook.



Sandra's Parents

On this trip, I finally had the opportunity to meet Sandra's big sis, Reginia, so now I have met everyone in the immediate family. I know that seeing her sister was a nice moment for Sandra. Only her brother Leonard, who lives in Cleveland, does she see regularly when she visits. Her other brothers and sisters live throughout the country and she doesn't see them often.



Parents and Children

It's good to have that chance to reconnect with family.

Holiday in Public Square

On Saturday before Christmas, we returned downtown earlier in the evening so that we could walk through Public Square and view the holidays lights. In some ways, it was almost our own private tour as surprisingly few people were at the square.

With the backdrop of Terminal Tower and Old Stone Church, the light display appropriately fit the holiday moment in Cleveland. Here are a few of the photos:



Terminal Tower in Red and Green


Holiday Lights and Old Stone Church


Christmas Tree in Shades of Blue

Santas of the World

Returning to Cleveland meant an oppotunity to stop and visit the PNC bank lobby in the building that has been known by many names: National City Bank Building, Guardian Building, or simply 623-629 Euclid. I've written in several past posts about the lobby showcasing the splendor of Industrial Age Cleveland.



Santa Greets

Though, this time being the holidays, the bank offered the added bonus of Santa Claus, rows of Santa Clauses...



Looking Down a Lobby

...Santas of the World.



Santas from Russia, St. Lucia, France, and Denmark

Cleveland Museum of Art

Southeast View of the Cleveland Museum of Art

For the Christmas holiday, Sandra and I visited her parents in Cleveland. While I've been to the city several times now, there are still several places I haven't visited, though the Cleveland Museum of Art is no longer one of them.

Located in Wade Park on the east side of Cleveland, the museum originally opened in 1916. Throughout the years, additions and renovations have been made. Though, those past changes are minor compared to the major project which began in 2005. When this undertaking is completed, it should prove to be oustanding, offering two new wings, additional educational space, and a large central, skylit atrium.

On Saturday during the trip, the two of us decided to visit. For most of the time, we viewed galleries located in the original 1916 building. The upper collections focused on American period pieces, particularly from the 18th century. Both Sandra and I were impressed with the display structure, which combined the furniture and the paintings of the time. It definitely gives more of the impression of walking into history.

I would find it easy to spend days exploring the Cleveland Museum of Art. In our limited time, besides the American pieces, we viewed the armor collection, a small section dedicated to Fabergé, and rooms showcasing African and Egyptian art. Having recently seen a traveling Egyptian exhibit at the Frist museum in Nashville, I wanted to view Cleveland's offerings. Intact wall sections painted with hieroglyphics and a 3000 year old papyrus did not disappoint.

All of this just scratches the surface of what the museum has currently on display. The new East Wing is home to 19th century European and also contemporary art. It's something to look forward to seeing on another visit. With the museum closing at 4pm, we didn't have time to view it, because we wanted to see the traveling exhibit of work by Fu Baoshi.

Born in 1904, he lived through dramatic times of war and revolution in his homeland of China. Very much a traditionalist in his craft, Baoshi had to balance his own esthetics with his public role. The exhibit ranges from small seals to full scale artwork which dates from the 1920s to just before his death in 1965. Throughout his paintings, the tones, with shadow and light, resonate not only a sense of place but also relevation. In his works, fleeting wisps of a fog seem to lift to let us view the scene. It's both subtle and dramatic at the same time. Pieces like Whispering Rain at Dusk and Approaching Yanbian showcase his deft touch. I would strongly viewing Fu Baoshi's work. The exhibit closed in Cleveland on January 8th and has moved to New York and The Metropolian Museum of Art. For a look online, I suggest visiting the Past Exhibitions page on the Cleveland Museum of Art's website.

The arc of the Baoshi exhibit from Cleveland to New York also nicely illustrates how good the Cleveland Museum of Art is. It's one of the finest art museums in the United States. It won't make everyone's top 10 list, but it definitely is part of the discussion. If you're in Cleveland and love art, I would highly recommend a visit. I would love to visit again, particularly, when the renonvations are completed.

For more information online, visit the Cleveland Museum of Art's website.

Being With Family

It's a bit of juggle now with my family in the Chicago area and Sandra's in Cleveland. You have to try and split time between the two. So it was good to see my Mom for a week around Thanksgiving.

She also took this picture of Sandra and me.



Sandra an I

1720?

A local university, Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, is offering tonight the debut concert by Ensemble 1720. MTSU faculty combined with a few other local music instructors to form the group, which is dedicated to performing Baroque pieces with actual period instruments. While I couldn't tell if it's a novel idea, I will say that Ensemble 1720 does offer an interesting look into musical history.

The 7:30 performance is free and open to the public and will be held in the Hinton Music Hall inside the Wright Music Building on the MTSU campus. For more information, check the Ensemble 1720 news article on the Middle Tennessee State website.

Visiting the Aquarium Again

My mom enjoys aquariums, so it made sense to visit the Tennessee Aquarium, which Sandra and I have visited in the past.



Parrots at Ocean Journey


Butterfly in the Garden


Jellyfish


Butterfly, Turtle, Pipefish, and Rattlesnake


Sturgeon

For more information about the aquarium, visit the Tennessee Aquarium website or check my posts in the August 2011 archives.

Chattanooga with Mom

Chattanooga from Point Park

For the week of Thanksgiving, my Mom flew into town. For the first few days, she enjoyed trips around town, but on Friday, we travelled to Chattanooga. Our first stop was Point Park, which is an inexpensive location on Lookout Mountain for stunning views of Chattanooga and Lookout Valley.



Mom and Sandra

Besides the views, the park, run by the National Park Service, is dedicated to the events of the Civil War. For more information, you can read a previous post on Point Park or visit the National Park Service site.



Mom Mans the Guns


Sandra Takes the Second Shift

The weather, 60 and sunny, was perfect for a late November trip. Here's one more snapshot from the park.



Viewing Lookout Valley

We drove to downtown Chattanooga afterwards. A good lunch at 212 Market later, we walked a little around downtown. In particular, I wanted my Mom to see the Walnut Street Pedestrian Bridge. Not only does the bridge stretch beautifully over the Tennessee River, but the span offers a great view of both banks, including downtown Chattanooga.



Taking in the View

Music City Sunday Night

With a foundation in bluegrass and its Celtic roots, Sarah Jarosz's songs weave through landscapes which include American folk and even jazz. Still, on her album Follow Me Down, her sound stakes a very contemporary space.

While I like the her latest studio offering, her live performances with Nathaniel Smith on cello and Alex Hargreaves on violin surpass the recordings. I admit I have a preference for stripped-down accompaniment; less production often means more power. This is no different for Sarah. Her vocals and music ranges so dynamically live that the recorded performance sound a little compressed and flat in comparison. I believe this is particularly true for Sarah's voice. Though, don't mistake my criticism, Follow Me Down has been a nice addition to my music collection.

However, if you can catch her live, do. I'd have had the pleasure of hearing her perform twice, once in June last year and then recently this past Sunday. The June show was at Music City Roots and a recording of the show can be found in their Livestream archives. The show also has the songs individually posted on YouTube. Songs like "Come Around", "Tell Me True", and the instrumental "Old Smitty" are all great numbers to check.

Nathaniel is amazing on cello, while Alex holds his own on violin. Oh...and by the way, Sarah can play too—guitar, mandolin, and banjo. The group is quite a trio to catch, though Sarah's live dates are a bit limited for the upcoming months. For all her talent, she's merely a college student attending music school...ok...a Grammy-nominated college student who happens to be attending music school.

Lend her a listen.

The New Neighborhood, Autumn Pics

At the beginning of November, I snapped some images of the new surroundings.



Foggy Morning

Autumn leaves still hung from the trees.



Rising Color

A resident goose lounged in the late afternoon sun.



Basking in the Rays

I even caught this pond visitor.



A Heron in the Afternoon

Lines, Surfaces, and Curves

Here's a collection of photographs by me...



Curves of Movement


Waiting for a Thought Within


Sunrise on Wood

Wednesday Music

With the break between the semesters, I had an opportunity to hear Music City Roots live. The show, held at the Loveless Barn on Wednesdays, ecletically blends bluegrass with blues, country, rock and roll, and more. It has been a primary source for new music for me. This week was no exception as Derek Hoke, Anderson East, Julie Gribble, Snyder Family Band, and David Jacobs-Strain comprised the lineup.

The two highlights for me were Anderson East and Snyder Family Band. Anderson brought a stripped-down sound, just his voice and electric guitar. With such simple accompaniment, he hit the raw nerve of longing, that gut-wrenching emotion. It tears.

While not exactly a polar opposite, Snyder Family Band's music encompassed a very different spectrum. 16 year old Zeb plays guitar while 13 year old Samantha handles the fiddle with their father Bud rounding out the instrumentation on standup bass. The children's ages might mislead, but quite simply, the two of them can flat out play. Classically trained before moving into the blugrass genre, Zeb and Samantha showcase a tone which is exceptionally pure. I expect to be hearing great things from the two for a long time.

Christine and Dan

Later on Saturday, the family gathered at a banquet hall in the southwest suburbs of Chicago. Of course, it was good to spend time with my Mom and brothers. I don't see my older brother John and his side of the family often, so the time together does seem to count for more.


Sandra, Steve, Jamie, and Mom at the table

Of course, seriousness doesn't always suit every moment.

I took the some videos of the happenings using the Flip. At some point, I'll probably post a clip. For now, it's a very portable way of capturing moments. The above image is a still taken from a Flip video.

Jamie brought her camera and took some nice photos before and after the wedding.



My Brother John and the Newest Member of the Family, taken by Jamie Trudo

This was my first opportunity to see Christine and Dan's son, Bentley. He is John's first grandchild and my first great-nephew. Fascinated by cameras, Bentley will fix his gaze on the lens. It certainly makes it easy to take photos of him and I wonder if he has a career in acting waiting for him.



Dan and Christine, taken by Jamie Trudo

And a wedding post is not complete without a picture of the newlyweds.

Sharing a life together ranges through all the emotions. Whether you are young or old, there is no preparation; you live it. I wish them well.

Prowling the Web

After doing some rearranging of the blog, I'm getting ready to post. Perhaps my posts might even catch up with the current date in the next couple of weeks (I'm only 3 months behind right now). But...

...until then, I wanted to share these links to some fantastic photography. While on Yahoo, I saw a link to a set of National Geographic photos. Actually, the photographs are submitted by users and are selected daily by the editors. I particularly enjoyed the river picture which can be seen either through the previous link or on the National Geographic website in their Daily Dozen section. The image can be found in December 2011-Week 4. Though I would suggest browsing the selections--amazing photography!

After checking out the National Geographic photos, I clicked on Yahoo for a smaller set of photos, an interesting look at 3-D body painting. Again, amazing...