Flowering Tree

Flowering Tree, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

I took this photo yesterday, and edited it today. I'm not sure this is a cherry tree, but it reminds me of one of the best poetic statements about spring, maybe about life.

LOVELIEST OF TREES
By A.E. Housman

Loveliest of trees, the cherry now
Is hung with bloom along the bough,
And stands about the woodland ride,
Wearing white for Eastertide.
Now, of my threescore years and ten,
Twenty will not come again,
And take from seventy springs a score,
It only leaves me fifty more.

And since to look at things in bloom
Fifty springs are little room,
About the woodlands I will go
To see the cherry hung with snow.

Boston Seen from Watershuttle

Boston Seen from Watershuttle
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

Last week, I came across this photo that I took a few years ago from the water shuttle, while we were on the way to Boston to see the tall ships. Seeing Boston from the ocean is a rare treat, despite all the media images. This afternoon, I cropped the image to improve the composition, and enhanced the color just a bit. I am posting this today because I have been writing about Herman Melville, and thinking about old ships sailing to exotic places from Massachusetts.

Glimpse of spring

Glimpse of spring
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

Yesterday, while it was raining like mad, I caught a sudden glimpse of a fruit tree in bloom through a window. I took a picture with my digital camera, and later cropped it to focus on the image of blossoms framed by the window.

Forsythia

Forsythia
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

It is raining today, but the yellow forsythia is still shining. This photo of forsythia was taken in the sun, just a few days ago, but I am posting it now because the bright yellow forsythia blooms do not last. Seize the day.

Pansy Portrait

Pansy Portrait
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

Yesterday I came face to face with this flower, in a hanging planter at Heather's. It took me by surprise and made me laugh, so I decided to take a picture with my phonecam.

Pueblo Reflections

Pueblo Reflections
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

This is one of my favorite images of my mother, walking by a department store window in Colorado. I don't know who took the original photo, possibly my Uncle Ike, who was a great photographer. Anyway, the old black and white photo has been on my wall for years. I decided to scan it and colorize it with Painter's digital watercolor. As I did, I became more aware of the reflections in the window, and used some color to bring out these additional images of Pueblo.

Fruit of the Vine

Fruit of the Vine
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

I drew this pastel at a drawing group session one summer evening, and it wasn't easy to keep my fellow artists away from the grapes until my drawing was finished. The combination of grapes and wine reminds me of the Jewish blessing of wine as "fruit of the vine" so this year I used this image for a Passover greeting.

Apples in bowl

Apples in bowl
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

This is a pastel drawing that I made several years ago, and donated to an art auction. This time of year, I associate apples with Passover. There are lots of ways to make charoses for Seder. (And lots of ways to spell haroset.) Some people use dates, figs, raisins, even bananas. I like mine with apples, almonds, cinnamon and wine.

Earth Rising (Collage)

Earth Rising
Originally uploaded by randubnick.
This collaged image was done with acrylics used as watermedia paint (as well as some dry pigments). This is part of a series of planetary images that began around the time of the first moon landing. (Yes, many moons ago.) I came across this painting the other day, and took a digital photo of it as part of my ongoing attempt to create computer images of all of my artwork, old and new. I decided to post this now in honor of Earth Day.

Magnolia Celebration

Magnolia Celebration
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

Today it looks like a celebration of magnolias. Around Boston, the magnolia trees usually bloom in April, and I have been waiting. Yesterday, it was actually hot (in the eighties), and the magnolia started to open. Last night's rain and today's cooler weather will keep the blossoms on the tree a little longer. But I didn't want to risk missing anything, so this morning I went outside with my digital camera to capture the celebration in full swing. Then I cropped the image to focus on the blossoms decorating the branches.

Greenhouse Flowers

Greenhouse Flowers
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

I like to wander into garden stores just to look at the colors and patterns. Since I have been gardening today, I am posting a picture I took in one of my favorite garden stores. I edited the original photo for posting, emphasizing the long promenade of riotous color and the hilarity of the numbered labels.

Pink Bouquet

Pink Bouquet
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

This is from my sketchbook, a drawing made with colored pencil sticks. I started this on Sunday, and worked on it today for just a little bit to adjust some shadows and make the background color stronger. Drawing requires so much concentration that time seems to stop.

Tulip Marathon, Boston Public Gardens

Tulip Marathon, Boston Public Gardens
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

This is a picture of tulips all lined up in Boston's Public Garden. Last night, I cropped and enlarged this image from a photo I took in April a few years ago. I doubt that the Boston Marathon runners will see this view, but it is close enough to Boylston Street for a quick detour.

Turquoise Mountain Red Sun

Turquoise Mountain Red Sun
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

This watermedia acrylic is one of my paintings inspired by the Colorado mountains. I have strong ties to family and friends from home, and Colorado is still a part of me. I love the natural composition of the mountains against the sky, and given a blank paper or canvas, I am inclined to begin by painting the curving lines of the mountains.

Blue Flowers at Long Hill

Blue Flowers at Long Hill
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

Yesterday I went to Long Hill with Heather to walk the dogs. The gardens there are beautiful and different every time. Yesterday, there were fields of tiny blue flowers, so I took a picture with my phonecam. Today I cropped this image to focus on the flowers and to capture the look of a bright blue field.

Millenium Bridge to the Tate Gallery, London

Colorized Millenium Bridge to the Tate
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

Mel is in London today, so I am posting a photo that I took last December of the Millenium Bridge, which crosses the Thames River to the Tate Gallery. I cropped this image from the original photo to focus on the bridge, and colorized it with Painter IX digital watercolor, adding contrast to make the bridge stand out against the river, and a little color and brightness to capture the excitement of the trip and the sparkle of the bridge in the London sunshine.

Queens University, Belfast

Queens University, Belfast
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

Mel got back to Belfast today so I thought I would post this photo of Queen's University. I took this picture on my first trip to Northern Ireland last winter. To get this image ready to post, I cropped it to emphasize the long diagonal of the sidewalk, and to focus on the pattern of archways. I also brightened the color just a bit, while preserving the quality of the sky, somewhere between "not quite cloudy" and "almost sunshine".

Morning Trees in New Hampshire

Morning Trees in New Hampshire
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

Last night, I had dinner in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, then spent the night nearby in the New England Center, a conference center set in the woods. The room offered a view of the tree-tops from five stories up. I liked the way the trees looked in the morning light, so I sketched them using my Clie PDA. Later,I loaded the image into my computer and cleaned it up with Painter IX.

Lynch Park Walled Garden

Lynch Park Walled Garden
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

On a recent morning walk, I used my phonecam to take this photo of the walled garden at Lynch Park in Beverly, MA. It's a stone's throw from the beach and a pleasure to walk through even before the flowers come up. Today I edited the image, using Painter IX digital watercolor to create background contrast so the detail would show.

Garden at Sterling Castle in Scotland

Garden at Sterling Castle
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

I took this photo last summer in Scotland at Sterling Castle. The castle itself is amazing, but I didn't expect a beautiful garden inside the castle, looking down on the surrounding countryside. I came across this image today, and edited it to improve the composition. I decided to post it since Scotland is the honeymoon location for a famous couple who are no doubt staying in a castle, but probably not this one.

Lettuce Landscape

Lettuce Landscape
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

Yesterday I went with Heather to buy plants, including lettuce. This image is from a similar shopping trip a few years ago. Last night, as I was editing this photo, I realized that the trays of lettuce looked like fields on a farm, so I cropped the image to emphasize the visual pun. It was only after I named the image that I realized I had made a verbal pun as well.

Oranges for Juice

Oranges for Juice
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

I drew this pastel of oranges several years ago and donated it to an art auction. Yesterday, Mel came back from Chicago with a cold, so today I decided to post this image of Vitamin C.

Rows of Pansies

Rows of Pansies
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

I recently took a morning walk and was surprised to find the neighborhood garden store already open. Pansies don't look very sturdy, but they certainly are. The display of the pansies all lined up made me laugh. They are such whimsical flowers and it seems funny to see them so organized. I tried to capture the diagonal lines of the tables, which sounds easy, but can be a bit tricky with a phonecam.

Sunset Surprise

Sunset Surprise
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

Two days ago I took this photo with my phonecam at sunset. As I was driving home from Singing Beach, I decided to turn down a residential street that I always by-pass. The street itself was beautiful, as I expected, but I was surprised by the sudden glimpse of a hidden little cove and beach right next to the street, at curbside. The sky was amazing so I took a picture. This short excursion only lasted thirty minutes, but it was a great little vacation.

Old Neighborhood in Porto

Old Neighborhood in Porto
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

I took this photograph of Arlindo's old neighborhood when I was visiting Porto last November. Tonight I cropped this image from the original photo. I colorized the image to capture a wonderful day.

Magnolia Memories Chicago

Magnolia Memories Chicago
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

I made this pen and ink drawing back in the seventies when we lived in Chicago, in a two-flat on Magnolia Street in Rogers Park, next door to Alan and Idy. I am posting this today because Mel is on his way to a conference in Chicago. I photographed the drawing with my digital camera, then pulled it into Painter IX, where I cleaned it up with a little digital bleach. Once again, art conquers time.

Crocuses

Crocuses
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

Yesterday I took this picture with my phonecam. Here in Massachusetts, the snow is just melting, and the first flower of spring is finally emerging. There's nothing quite as resilient as the crocus.

Honeymoon Utica Ave

Honeymoon Utica Ave
Originally uploaded by randubnick.
I found this snapshot of my folks in my mother's old album today. They were married on April 4, 1943 and had time for a trip to New York before my dad left for his two years in Europe during the war. The double-exposed image looks almost like a collage, and intrigues me with its scraps of information. I decided to colorize it using Painter IX's digital watercolor. My folks used to play "Takin' a Chance on Love" on the piano, and I guess they really did take a chance, because they only knew each other for a few weeks before they got married.

Necklace with Garnet and Picture Jasper

Necklace with Garnet and Picture Jasper
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

Today Mindy and I were talking on the phone about making jewelry, so I decided to photograph this necklace that I finished recently, and post it here.

New Hampshire Road

New Hampshire Road
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

Today we drove to the airport in Manchester, New Hampshire. On the way, I made this quick digital sketch with my Clie handheld PDA. Later, I loaded the image into my home computer and cleaned it up using Painter IX. It's great to be able to sketch at a moment's notice.

Flowers at Mount Stewart House

Flowers at Mount Stewart House
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

Tonight I cropped this image from a photo I took last summer at Mount Stewart House in Northern Ireland, a manor house with amazing gardens. It is too early for flowers in my garden, but the flowers in my photos are always in bloom