Month: November 2016

Starry Skies

Photographer Unknown, (Starry Skies)

“Before we invented civilization our ancestors lived mainly in the open out under the sky. Before we devised artificial lights and atmospheric pollution and modern forms of nocturnal entertainment we watched the stars. There were practical calendar reasons of course but there was more to it than that. Even today the most jaded city dweller can be unexpectedly moved upon encountering a clear night sky studded with thousands of twinkling stars. When it happens to me after all these years it still takes my breath away.”

-Carl Sagan, Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space

Jeremy Barnard

Infra-Red Photography by Jeremy Barnard

Jeremy Barnard is a New England based photographer who has been taking photos for forty years.

“The new work I’ve been doing since 2006 is the infrared work. The infrared that I do isn’t startlingly surreal. Upon initial viewing, they look almost as if they are black and whites. But then you begin to notice some of the tonalities are reversed. A lot of people tend to think they are negative images or that they are solarized. I love the infrared. It has become my passion.

Our portion of the light spectrum that we can perceive is between 700 and 900 nanometers; just above that – from 900 to 1,200 nanometers – is the area of the light spectrum called near-infrared. What the army uses for night vision is heat infrared. We cannot with our eyes see near-infrared but there are species of animals, specifically insects, that can. Bees see infrared and some predatory birds can see infrared, including owls.

I am particularly interested in the fact that bees see it. I titled my infrared collection, “Through the Eyes of Bees.” What makes it interesting is that chlorophyll in plants is able to reflect infrared radiation almost 100 percent. Because leaves and organic things like plants and grasses reflect the radiation at almost 100 percent, they appear white.  A lot of the landscapes – people say to me, “Was this an ice storm?”  “Was this freshly fallen snow?” The photos end up looking a bit surreal.

Sarah J Maas: “The Darkness that Soothes”

Photographer Unknown, (Darkness)

“There are different kinds of darkness,” Rhys said. I kept my eyes shut. “There is the darkness that frightens, the darkness that soothes, the darkness that is restful.” I pictured each. “There is the darkness of lovers, and the darkness of assassins. It becomes what the bearer wishes it to be, needs it to be. It is not wholly bad or good.”

-Sarah J Maas, A Court of Mist and Fury

Man Ray

Man Ray, “Glass Tears (Les Larmes)”, 1932, Collection of Elton John

Tate Modern today announces a major new exhibition, “The Radical Eye: Modernist Photography from the Sir Elton John Collection”, opening on 10 November 2016. The show will be drawn from one of the world’s greatest private collections of photography and will present an unrivalled selection of classic modernist images from the 1920s to the 1950s. Featuring over 150 works from more than 60 artists the exhibition will consist entirely of rare vintage prints, all created by the artists themselves.

It will showcase works by seminal figures such as Man Ray, André Kertész, Berenice Abbot, Alexandr Rodchenko and Edward Steichen, offering the public a unique opportunity to see remarkable works up close. The quality and depth of the collection will allow the exhibition to tell the story of modernist photography in this way for the first time in the UK. It also marks the beginning of a long term relationship between Tate and the Sir Elton John Collection.

 

Phil Koch

Phil Kock, “Somewhere Over the Horizon”

Photographer Phil Koch created a series of horizons in 2010 as a photographic journey through the landscapes of Wisconsin. For the past few years, Phil has tried to break the pre-programmed rule of thirds and turn natural landscapes into portraits of nature. He presents his photography with vivid colors and contrast.

Reblogged with thanks to http://3leapfrogs20.tumblr.com

J. M. Barrie: “If You Shut Your Eyes”

Photographer Unknown, (Yellow and Green)

“If you shut your eyes and are a lucky one, you may see at times a shapeless pool of lovely pale colours suspended in the darkness; then if you squeeze your eyes tighter, the pool begins to take shape, and the colours become so vivid that with another squeeze they must go on fire.”

― J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan

 

Frank Buchwald

Frank Buchwald, Machine Light Number Three

Frank Buchwald is a interior designer and manufacturer of furniture, lights, and objects. He studied design at the University of the Arts in Berlin. He is also a painter and freelance illustrator.

Machine light number 03 is made of burnished steel and burnished brass with a  tube 60 watt lamp bulb. It is 24 inches long and 11 inches high.

Rich Stadler

Rich Stadler, BILLETSPIN Tops

BILLETSPIN spinning tops are precision crafted and custom designed by Rich Stadler, an engineer with over 25 years of experience. BILLETSPIN started in April of 2015; the tops are designed and manufactured in Wisconsin. The company is considered the most iconic custom spinning top company in the world, creating unique sophisticated designs that perform on the highest level.

Each BILLETSPIN top is machined from premium materials such as steel, bronze, copper and exotic materials like damascus, super conductor and mokume. Each top design goes through rigorous research and design stages before finally being machined by state-of-the-art CNC machines.

With dozens of unique designs, BILLETSPIN tops range from simple 1-piece models to more intricate 3-piece and higher. The tops are forged together and meticulously tested and inspected by hand for optimal performance and balance. All BILLETSPIN tops utilize high-quality ceramic or ruby ball bearings which allow for spin times of up to 20 minutes and higher.