Silent New Year

Not a sound at the marsh today (January 1st, 2017). Hundreds of acres covered with a thin sheet of ice, perforated only by tiny islands of marsh grass and dead pin oaks. The few remaining geese and ducks have moved to the open water of lakes and rivers. Not a sound, not even “the sweep of easy wind …”.

Groves of dead oak still stand in silence after more than fifty years, gray with age but unaffected otherwise. Today’s blue sky and early afternoon light accentuated the bleached wood and made for a dramatic black and white image close to shore. 

First Note

“First Note”
Among the blessings conferred by early morning excursions into the marsh has been the opportunity to observe Red-Winged blackbirds as they usher in the day with their first notes. In the morning twilight, almost an hour before sunrise, this blackbird was first to rise from the marsh to greet the morning with its song. Abruptly, the landscape erupted in a cacophony of disparate songs; harmony in its dissonance.

Isolated on a dead pin oak before sunrise and silhouetted, Kirie-like against the eastern sky, its colors were indiscernible. It made more sense to process this photo in black and white without the slightly hued and muddled colors of the predawn sky.

This is a moment I wish for everyone.

Edge of Spring

Every year, a week or two before spring asserts itself, before the subtle transition of Northeast Ohio’s colorless landscape, before migrating waterfowl descend in great waves, the early geese arrive in pairs. Marsh grass, sedge and bullrushes bleached ashen over winter, and forests of gray hardwood provide a natural canvas for their return. What beautiful spots of time separating the seasons, momentarily bloodless before the trees go red with new skin and the marsh grows green.

Winter Fog No. 1

A blizzard buried Cleveland the first week of January 2008. Towards the end of the week, however, a warm front moved in creating dense fog and naturally diffused light. I drove into the country shortly after 6:00 a.m. looking for a good subject. As I hiked through a random field, this cluster of trees appeared shrouded in the fog. The sun was still below the horizon when I captured this scene using a tripod almost entirely buried in snow.

I’m producing this image as a 16″x24″, limited edition of 10, using archival pigment based inks (Epson Ultrachrome) on 310 gsm (heavy gauge) archival water color papers.  The combination of paper and inks have a projected longevity of 200-300 years (Wilhelm Research Institute).

Barns II

This pair of small barns is familiar to many Clevelanders, especially those who drive by the intersection of River Road and South Woodland in southeastern Cuyahoga County. The late morning light cast geometric shadows creating an irresistible Edward Hopper-like solitude. I wanted to capture an original view of these barns, one that didn’t “announce” the location but would be immediately recognizable once disclosed. Vertical lines anchor the image compositionally, and the oblique angle of light allowed me to make a stronger statement in black and white than color. By distancing the second barn and keeping the first in shadow I was able to create stronger separation and the illusion of solitude. The strong sense of depth in this image derives from the broad tonal range and the local use of contrast.

This was one of two barn images from this series selected by Tari Designs (Dallas, Texas) for display on glass panels at the Cleveland Clinic’s new hotel on their main campus.  The images will be printed on five to six foot glass panels and displayed in the hotel’s lobby.  Also, the design firm has purchased several large canvas prints from my Northeast Ohio landscapes for display.