Category: Places

Never know what the day will offer

We never really know what a given day may deliver to our senses and sensibilities. This past Wednesday delivered a near miss (for me – less lucky for others).

15 minutes later I found myself waiting between two views; one a Wisconsin view;

the other a faded view of a mountain in Mexico.

Later in the evening, after installing microphones and video gear for an event recording session, I was shown a huge quantity of boxes filled with “stuff” from China. Apparently when “stuff” worth less than $5 is shipped 3rd class and can not be delivered to its intended recipient it sits in the main post office to either go to land fills or, in this case, be distributed by a post office employee to non-profit organizations. I found my self in awe of the quantity of “stuff” as well as the generous spirit of the post office employee who took it upon himself to do the work of sorting and extending the life of this “stuff.” The stuff consisted of 2011 calendar books, pens, aluminum water bottles, children’s small toys, tote bags, baby food spoons, (the list goes on). Literally thousands of individual items — all made in China. I could not help but consider, on the way home and since, how crazy our culture has become. Somebody paid to have all this “stuff” manufactured, shipped across the ocean, driven in semi-trailors across this vast land, distributed through our postal system, only to end up as junk in a land fill; not worth retuning to the distributor. In other words I witnessed an economy of manufacturing, shipping and distributing worthless junk to be buried in our mountains of metal, plastic and paper as a testament to our cultural values. Even as I type this I just received a call from just such a “junk pen distributor” wanting to sell me a lot with my company name on them. This is happening in every city’s central post office. It’s one thing to talk about a “culture of consumption” where we actually use our resources (excessively) and something quite different to consider our “culture of flagrant waste” — of materials, fuels and human energy.

Carry water (maybe start chopping wood)

For most of my life in Wisconsin our drinking water flowed out of the taps at everyone’s house. If we were out and about, as children, we drank from, what we called, bubblers (and the rest of the country referred to them as water fountains) found nearly everywhere. Of course we also enjoyed heading into the woods with our canteens; or attaching water bottles to our 10 speed bicycles; but we filled them from the taps or bubblers. Sure we’d buy distilled water; or sparkling water; but we didn’t “buy” drinking water. Drinking water “was free” in these parts. These days everyone seems to buy and carry their drinking water. This time of year it’ll freeze pretty quick on the porch. Was a time when I also chopped a lot of wood. And during the last week I’ve reconsidered pulling the old wood stove back into service in the old house.

(click photograph for larger view)

Leica M8, 50 mm Summilux Asph

iPad as artPad

For the artist, as well as the photographer, technology has most certainly evolved. I purchased Adobe Illustrator 88 (in that year), for something close to $500, to do design work on my $3,500 Mac SE. And of course also had to have Photoshop soon after. In 1990 Fractal Painter came along for another few hundred dollars. As the years went on the computers kept getting bigger and faster; and each iteration cost another $3 – $3,500; plus continuous software, memory and harddrive upgrades. The “serious” digital artist also needs calibrated monitors for accurate prepress work; and a Wacom tablet, starting at around $300, to most closely approximate the “feel” of traditional art materials. The 12″ Wacom Cintiq, which incorporates an LCD screen into the tablet will run $1,000; with the 21″ version running a cool $2K. And all this pretty much needs to be tied down to the desk.

Today I can grab a $500 iPad and any one of  a number of  $5 (ArtStudio) to $8 (Brushes or SketchBook Pro) apps and have an experience “similar” to using a $1K tablet on a $3.5K computer while sitting in a coffee shop, on a plane or in a train. The accuracy of the finger (or stylus) will not equal that of a Wacom pen… but… hey it’s a sketch pad.

(click images for larger view)

figuring — iPad “painting” by Lottermoser

And of course one can bring photos into the apps for “artistic” effects as well.

ann — iPad photo manipulation by Lottermoser

At this time the iPad artwork is limited in pixel dimensions. Yet it offers the artist a very portable, clean and useful set of tools whether a figurative, representational, or abstract expressionist. David Hockney recently exhibited a series of  work done on his iPhone and iPad using the Brushes app.

growing during chaos — iPad “painting” by Lottermoser

first out — iPad “painting” by Lottermoser

My friend, and painter, Jack Hernon, recently visited. I plugged in the headphones and set him loose in ArtStudio. We certainly agreed that the iPad would be a great companion on his flight home to Winston-Salem, NC.

Leica M8, 50 mm Summilux Asph

Wabi-sabi Wednesday (continued)

Consider this: Men mine iron ore; smelt it; turn it into steel; form the steel into sheets; transform the sheets into heavy equipment. At each stage labor and resources add value to the ore. People then use the heavy equipment to transform the earth; plant and harvest food; process that food; transport that food to super markets where we pick it up and drive it back to our kitchens in our steel vehicles. When the heavy equipment is used up and no longer functions as intended it goes to the scrap yard; where men cut it up and smash it into manageable chunks. This steel, now reduced to $100 per ton raw material (or $.10 – .20 per lb in small quantities) had a full life. It sits in the yards for decades; oxidizing, pitting and developing altogether new properties. The steel waits. Last week’s wabi-sabi wednesday photograph was just that — scrap steel in the yard of  Tyler Studios, ltd; waiting.

In the hands of a creative talent this scrap becomes raw material to create a beautiful “new” object.

(click photographs for larger view)

With each heat and hammer blow the craftsman adds new value to the old material. Additional photographs of this process can be found here.

The artist, Seth Tyler, has drawn the plans and made the prototype model as the first steps toward creating the full scale range hood.

Within a few months the completed range hood will hang in a fine kitchen. It will absorb the cooking aromas, heat, laughter, anger and tears of the family cooking and dining there. From morning coffee to celebrations it will continue to evolve with an ever changing patina; unique to its new environment; full of  wabi-sabi to be sure.

Leica R8, 35 mm Summilux (15 mm Super Elmar)

Fireplace Surround by Nathaniel Reinartz

This past Saturday I had the opportunity to photograph the beautiufl fireplace surround, hand forged by Nathaniel Reinartz; and installed in an equally gorgeous arts and crafts style home located on Milwaukee’s East side. Nathaniel brought many of the formal details of the original woodwork, as well as the masonry, into his metal work. Additional details of this piece (as well as some of Nathaniel’s railings).

Leica R8/DMR, 21 mm Super Angulon

Leica R8/DMR, 35 mm Summilux