Alley Cat

Some people say I do my best work in dark alleys so it’s only natural that I’d pick one to get from 18^th Street to 17^th Street in downtown Denver. From the multi-pane windows of an early 20^th century parking a rich glow leant a painterly effect to the grimy stone walls.

Escape to Denver

After two weeks stuck at the house waiting for a new roof to be installed I had a virulent case of cabin fever and decided to drive to Denver Friday. The trip was exhilarating and tiring at the same time. I stuffed as much into those 32 hours as I could.

I needed to absorb some city energy and Denver's booming downtown proved to be just the ticket. Since our January trip to LA I've had cityscapes on my mind; zoomy metal and glass piercing the sky, contrasting eras fighting for air space and psychedelic reflections that seem to vibrate in the panes. 

500 but who's counting

Butternut Squash, Studies and Abstractions, East Conway, NH, October 2, 2003

Google tells me that I've made 500 blog posts over the last ten years. My records show 470 so we can agree on two things: it's a lot and I can't count. My first post was in 2006 but I only did a handful. Then in 2009 I got after it and haven't missed a post since. Topped out at 74 a couple of years when I was an undisciplined young man.

For this post I want to do something to recognize your endurance. It can't have been easy.

Here beginning with "Butternut Squash" above, it's the one I think of as the seminal image in my return to photography, are a few oh so carefully chosen photographs that trace my ascendancy from a total novice I was to the total novice I am today.

The captions tell the tale. You'll find the title, the name of the series of which the image was the first and location and date. I hope you'll click on the image in your email notice so you can see each one full size. As always your comments are most appreciated. Thanks for watching.

Vanishing Point, At the Edge of What's Left, Pine Ridge Reservation, SD, July 23, 2004

John Snyder, Monumental Heads, North Conway, NH, September 8, 2004

Silent Running, The Fog Series, Putney, VT, October 2, 2005

Bicyclists, Street Series, Munich, Germany, March 29, 2006

Sagrado Corazon, Divine Light, Peñasco, NM, August 1, 2006

Brush Strokes, The Fog Series, Taos, NM, December 4, 2007

Found Art, Found Art Series, Rinconada, NM, March 7, 2008

Cuba and Perros, The Last Shepherd, Taos Plateau, NM, December 26, 2011

Vielle Ferme, Baudinard sur Verdon, France, September 23, 2012

Pow Wow Colors

A pow wow is a gathering of Indian Nations in circle of friendship according to Richard Archuleta of Taos Pueblo. The renowned Taos Pueblo Pow Wow was held this weekend and in recognition of the event is this composition. It’s something of an homage to Taos photographer Lenny Foster and his extraordinary “Healing Hands” series.

Tribal regalia, a detail of which is shown below, brings a frenzy of colors to the three-day extravaganza. 

A deer in the headlights

Ulrich Gleiter, a German painter living in Saint Petersburg, Russia, was a house guest of ours a while back. While he was here he asked if I would take a Russian passport photograph for him. He made it clear that there could be no smiling. The resultant image looks like a booking shot for a one way trip to a gulag. His wide eyed innocence is humorous in a bleak Russian sort of way.