Rain, 2008

Wet Clematis, 2008

Suburban Study (after Hiroshige), 2008

Marshland #3, 2008

You asked for it…

This is for Tracy & probably as close as I will ever get to using an emoticon.

Ever.

Marshland #2, 2008

Suburban Study, 2008

Untitled, 2008

Hydrangea #2, 2008

Now this is unkempt ~ much more the sort of thing I was looking for in the first set of photographs. The addition of more weeds is what did it. Of course I have to hit this all with the weed-whacker & get the yard cleaned up. I've intentionally let it go wild to take these photos but if I don't start mowing some of this down soon I'll need a machete.

Then again, I saw the first fireflies amongst the tangled growth tonight…

Garden Study #5, 2008

Hydrangea, 2008

I'm not sure if this is successful as a photograph. Conceptually there's a tenuous connection with the other photos I've been taking recently: random cloud-like shapes floating against a colored background field, botanical subject matter, the feeling of abandonment & diptych format… Yet I hesitated & almost didn't post it. If not for the air of neglect (abundant weeds, blemished leaves, faded blossoms & dead twigs) the picture could be calender photography, saccharine even. I can't decide if some sort of line has been crossed here or not. Still, I find the juxtaposition of the slightly overblown horticultural blooms with the glimpse of rampant weeds around the edges to be appealing. (Of course the flowers are so beautiful, with their almost artificial coloring I doubt anyone other than an avid gardener would notice all the encroaching weeds.) Pretty? Yes, but to my eye in an unkempt sort of way.

A few random slugs would have been nice…

Yew, 2008

Clover, 2008

Sky Study (the English Romantics), 2008

Sky Study (the German Romantics), 2008

Wild Sweet Peas (the Pre-Raphaelites), 2008

Untitled, 2008

Thunderstorm with Arabesque, 2008

Marshland #1, 2008

It's here…

Dammit, I was right… Summer stopped lurking in the marshes & appeared with a vengeance: florid, slightly feverish, panting lightly, reeking of sweat & it's face glazed with a sticky sheen of oily perspiration. (I don't mean that in a sexy way either…) I really dislike Summer. So much for the lovely, cool, Canadian air, at least for the time being. The temperature hit 97ºF. this afternoon & the air was thick with humidity. The natural result; a good old fashioned thunder storm. Above is a photo I managed to take (after forty-three attempts) of the lightning which made me laugh because it gives the impression that, like in a made-for-TV movie from the 70's, the Anti-Christ could be quietly living in the brick four-family house across the street. (Cue the scary music.) I just checked, it's still 87ºF. outside & the rest of the week is predicted to be more of the same. I suppose it could be worse… 

I could be living in Spain.

Wet Tree Peony, 2008

Garden Study #4, 2008

Garden Study #3, 2008

False Indigo, 2008

Behold the power of cheese…

See ~ I told you; this sort of thing is inevitable. I do, however, think that here we have left the realm of the surreal object & moved into the wonderful world of kitchen chemistry: isn't it great when the distinction between art & science begins to blur. That sandwich remained suspended by it's thin veil of cheese, no hands, for at least two minutes (or as long as it took for Seth to pull out his iPhone & snap a picture) & probably would have lasted longer but I was starving. The protein in dairy products is called casein & milk based paints have been around for millennia… Literally. According to one source, prehistoric cave paintings used milk as a binding agent & casein based paints were still being used for painting scenery when I was a Theater Arts minor in college thirty years ago. It was even used to produce an early form of plastic, used primarily as a horn substitute for decorative hair combs, fountain pen cases & buttons. Animal proteins (along with resins, gums & starches) were the foundation of all glues & binders until the advent of petroleum based products. Elmer's Glue, first developed by Borden's chemical division in the late 40's, was originally a casein based adhesive but is now made entirely from petrochemicals. The word 'casein' is derived from the Latin 'caseus' which (You see, I actually do try to come full circle in these posts.) means cheese.

Just for the record, that is a grilled Swiss on rye. I can't guarantee that all cheeses will have the same tensile strength.

Again, thanks Seth for the photo.

Garden Study #2, 2008

Garden Study #1, 2008

Suburban Study (Sunset), 2008

Urban Study, 2008

Suburban Study, 2008