Category: Things

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

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)

Wabi-sabi Wednesday

Wabi-sabi

witness weather’s work.
solid, water wed with wreckage,
a withered wind whipped leaf
within a well-worn wrapper.
winter will not wait.

WHAM!
a wizard will work this into a range hood
wrought worthy of a warm wok.

(click photograph for larger view)

Leica M8, 50 mm Summilux Asph

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

Friday: flower — still life?

The flowering plants have fallen over, wilted, dried, gone to seed. Very little green remains “outside” — only the pines and some grasses. The days have become short and the light, more often than not, overcast, dull and gray. If I continue to produce a flower photograph each Friday it will require more planning; no longer simply a stroll within so-called nature. From now until spring I’ll need to travel to a shop and make both economic and aesthetic choices.

This morning it was 32 degrees F outside so I decided to shift into this new way of thinking about Friday flowers by bringing one of the last blooms from a porch plant inside for visual exploration. As soon as I dropped the bloom into water the photograph appeared.

(click photograph for larger view)

Leica R8/DMR, 100 mm Apo-Macro Elmarit