I spent most of the day in front of my palette and easel, and created a number of oil paintings. I started doing a color chart, in order to have a sense of how the different colors on my palette blended together. Before I finished, but after I ran out of room on the palette, … Read more
We recently took a trip to Colorado to view the fall colors. Great weather, compared to past years. I much prefer sunny days for this type of photography! While there, we visited Rocky Mt National Park, including Bear Lake. As is now becoming an annual habit, I walked the mile or so loop around the … Read more
We found a cool old bridge south of Douglass Kansas today. These old iron bridges are becoming endangered around the state; I know of 3 in our county alone that have perished in the last 20-30 years. This one is unique in that it has a wooden driving surface. No concrete or anything like that, … Read more
After a few years of dabbling with watercolor painting, I took up oils in June of this year. It’s been an interesting experience, as the two mediums are quite different. On the other hand, color theory, use of tonal values, etc. is common to both approaches. The cost is definitely higher, though not as bad … Read more
For the Labor Day holiday weekend, I’ll post something from our last big holiday. This post got forgotten in my drafts folder and is from a trip to Colorado last 4th of July. Open for the past 18 months after being closed for the past 5 years, and scheduled to be closed again in the … Read more
I’ve added 5 new images to the sales gallery at Smoky Valley Photography. Included are 3 from the Smoky Valley area, one from the Grand Canyon, and a photo I took of Jerry Garcia and Bob Weir in 1980, at the Warfield Theater in San Francisco. Happy 77th Birthday, Jerry! The images are available in … Read more
My friend Jeffrey sent me a package of some art supplies used by his late mother, and included some brass rubbings she made while visiting some churches and cathedrals in England in the early 1980s. The first 4 images and the text portion of the last image are from the Thomas Wilmer memorial brass plaque … Read more
As shared previously, I have an interest in unique vintage playing cards. It’s hard to define my tastes, but I know what I like when I see something! I’ve found a few interesting vintage card designs in recent months and this is one of my favorites. Released in 1948, the cards were designed by famous … Read more
I’m posting the images of this deck on the occasion of Sheryl’s birthday, and I’ll make no comment about the relation of the first image with reality. The Romance Español dual deck of cards was designed by Carlos Saez de Tejada, the artistic director of the Fournier card company in Spain. They were produced in … Read more
After weeks of rain, Kanopolis Lake is getting close to capacity. The only time it has had more water was in 1993 and 1951! As a result virtually all roads into the park are closed, making it difficult to capture pictures of the flooding. I got one shot of someone rowing across one of the … Read more