AND SOMETIMES YOU GET LITTLE SURPRISES

I've been examining The Presbyterian Church sign photo for entry into a show, and while doing so, I blew it up to check out the grain level (purposeful grain level) and found the nice little surprise of spider webbing around the light. Little surprises that show up in the overall shot, well, let's just say, through the viewfinder, in the light of day, didn't see that one.

ON THE CORNER OF SOPHIA AND HANOVER

Last weekend, I spend Sunday morning roaming the streets of downtown Fredericksburg. The great thing about Fredericksburg is that I can go there every day of the week and find something new to shoot. And so it happened on Sunday.

I always start my excursion at the Silversmith House (the Fredericksburg Center for the Creative Arts) and just start walking in whatever direction my feet take me. On Sunday, I stopped at the Silversmith House to take some shots of their beautiful marigolds, then walked half a block to end up on the corner of Sophia and Hanover. Now I have walked this route many times in the past five years, but for some reason I only noticed this particular work of art that day.

There's this mural on the wall of what appears to be life in Fredricksburg in the long ago past that has unfortunately deteriorated over time. At one point, it was a beautiful work of art. My best bet was to shoot pieces of the mural.

I have a fascination with murals, wall art, signs painted on old brick from the days I worked with muralist Tim O'Connor in California. No, I didn't have anything to do with the murals, I worked other areas of his business, but I was intrigued with his work. He's produced three murals in 29 Palms, Good Times at Smith's Ranch; Jack Cones; and Johnnie Hastie. I had the opportunity of seeing Smith's Ranch from its conception to its completion. Tim's a great artist and I learned many things from him. Because of him, I appreciate what I see painted on the sides of buildings.

So, back to our mural. The next time you visit downtown Fredericksburg, take a walk to the corner of Sophia and Hanover and take a look at what once was a beautiful piece of art. In many ways, though the paint is peeling and faded, this mural is still a fine piece of art.

TILE ART

I had the pleasure of doing the Grand Opening photo shoot at Tile Art in Fredericksburg, VA. This place was so great, like a whole new creative adventure, not on the photography side, but with the way Melanie works with tile. The shop is set up with boards that you can mix and match almost any and all tile pieces.

This is the playground, so to speak. An array of tiles lined up in baskets with the boards above to make your choices. Melanie shares her creative vision, offering suggestions and choices of what piece works best with another.

 

And the tile is absolutely beautiful!