Category: Sculptural Forms

Cedarburg Garden Gate by Dan Nauman

Dan has been quite busy at his Big Horn Forge (we’ve also been working on his website for almost a decade). He had me photograph a recently completed gate for a stone walled garden in Cedarburg, WI. A fabulous gate for a fabulous garden. A gallery of additional views can be seen here.

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Laurie, the highly skilled gardner also kindly gave me some of the recent harvest.

and a couple other pieces recently photographed for Dan

above photographs created with Leica R8/DMR and various Leica R lenses

Transportation as sculpture

Stopped for a few groceries and found this in the market parking lot. Some vehicle designs simply take one’s breath away. The Shelby Cobra qualifies as one of them. And this Excalibur variation on that theme actually does better. Something about the the added length and width makes a classic even lovelier.

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The great lake Michigan and sculptural gates

“Adopt the pace of Nature; her secret is patience.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson

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A week or so ago I had the opportunity to return to a subject I’d photographed last spring. This gate, created by Dan Nauman, fits so well into its environment that photographing it becomes very difficult during daylight. The natural surroundings seem to absorb the organic forms of the metal. We created these night photographs in an effort to separate the organic metal forms from their natural environment (for an upcoming magazine article). If you open and drive through this driveway gate you will arrive at the residence, above the great lake Michigan seen in the black and white photographs above.

Nathaniel Reinartz’a new metal work

“It is discomforting to know that if only Beauty could be found then Beauty would cease to exist.” — Dominic Rouse

“A thing of beauty is a joy forever; its loveliness increases; it will never pass into nothingness.” — John Keats

Yesterday provided an opportunity to photograph and add to the portfolio of Nathaniel Reinartz. Nathaniel continues to demonstrate his remarkable attention to nature’s details; as well as mastery of his craft. The detail of the candle holder on this sconce also attests to his exploration of new forms.

An opportunity to communicate with the ancients

Last week I was given the opportunity to photograph an ‘ancient’ stone carving for the purpose of evaluation by experts in antiquities. Working with this object, arranging light to bring out its form, color and texture without exaggeration, proved a challenge. With each failed attempt I learned more about this beautiful object and the light falling upon it. Click this link for additional views of this remarkable piece of stone. Vertical = 8.575″, Horizontal A = 7.755″, Horizontal B = 4.043″

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The deliciousness of this or that moment

“Expression to my way of thinking does not consist of the passion mirrored upon a human face or betrayed by violent gesture. The whole arrangement of my picture is expressive. The place occupied by the figures or objects, the empty spaces around them, the proportions, everything plays a part.” — Matisse

Then, from the kitchen in my brain, came, “like poets – photographers cook visual lyrics; a dash of content; proper ratio and proportion of all the ingredients; maintain a sense of spontaneity;  always some emotional spice; and like every good cook – just knowing – the deliciousness of this or that instant.”

daughter, granddaughter

lunch within Casablanca

delightful timeshare

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H2O @ 0 degrees C

For the past couple years I’ve posted a Photograph A Week (PAW) on my web site. The PAW files from 2007 can be seen here.

For 2008 I’ll transition to post the PAWs on this blog. While this image is not the pick for this week (50); it does come from the past week’s exploration of the world of water in solid form. More alternates for this week can be seen here.

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