Train Trip in the Rain (Boston to New York)

Train Trip in the Rain (Boston to New York)
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

I took this picture with my phonecam a few weeks ago on the train, heading from Boston to New York to visit my aunt. It was pouring rain, but I was so happy to be making the trip that I didn't mind. Not that I had much of a chance to get wet. I walked out my back door, down the alley and around the fence to catch the commuter rail to Boston. At Boston's North Station, I caught the "T", and after a few stops on the Green Line, changed to the Red Line and arrived at South Station with enough time for coffee and a muffin before catching the Amtrak to NYC. By the time I arrived at New York Penn Station, it was sunny. Right in Penn Station, I caught the subway and rode uptown to the stop for my aunt's place, then got off and walked the three blocks to her new apartment. "That was so easy," I said when I saw her. "We're practically neighbors now! I only had to walk a few blocks to get here."

Winter Tree with Red Berries

Winter Tree with Red Berries
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

This morning I decided to walk at the mall for exercise, just as a change of pace. On the way into the mall, I noticed this tree, with red berries hanging from the branches. It looked so pretty that I took a picture with my phonecam. It was nice to have this quiet moment of reflection outside the mall. I wish I had used the time to reflect on the date, because once I got inside the mall, it was a madhouse.

Chicago Souvenir (Snow Scene in Rogers Park)

Chicago Souvenir (Snow Scene in Rogers Park)
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

Today we had a phone call from a good friend from Chicago. He and his family were also our neighbors when we lived in Rogers Park and taught at Loyola University of Chicago. So tonight, I found this photo that I took in back 1979. (The photo is carefully labeled "January 1979 pre-blizzard," because a few weeks after this photo was taken, Chicago was hit with a record-breaking, history-making, car-burying, mayor-retiring snowstorm.) I scanned the image in the computer tonight, then cropped it to remove the rounded 1970's photo corners, and adjusted the color to tone down a pink cast, just enough to capture the whiteness of the snow. But I left a bit of the pink, because I liked the effect, almost like sepia tones. I often say that no matter how cold it is in Boston, you don't know from cold until you have lived in Chicago. But we had warm friends and great times there, and will always have good memories of a terrific city.

Driving to Logan

Driving to Logan
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

Last Saturday, we drove one of our Belfast visitors to Logan Airport so she could catch her plane back to Northern Ireland. It was a snowy, slushy day and it was around four PM, so there was traffic. But the sky was amazing, so I took a picture, thinking that later I would crop out the cars, the windshield, etc. But looking at the image tonight, I decided to use the reflections of the car lights and the arc made by the windshield wiper as part of the composition. The frustration of slow-moving traffic can make us "see red". But if we just calm down and enjoy the opportunity to really look, we can see a lot of other colors, too.

Winter Sunset

Winter Sunset
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

This is a quick sketch that I did tonight at the computer, using digital chalk in Painter IX. This is drawn from my imagination, but inspired by the muted colors and soft outlines and amazing sunsets of winter.

December Moon

December Moon
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

Once in a blue moon, you see a sky this beautiful. I recently took this picture with my phonecam and tonight cropped the image to improve the composition. A lot can happen between sunrise and sunset, even on an ordinary day. And every day has problems and challenges, but if we remember to look, we can see that good things happen everyday, not just once in a blue moon.

Winter Walks

Winter Walks
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

Here in Massachusetts, January seems to have arrived in December. It is too early to have the kind of snow and cold temperatures we are having this week. But when it is warm enough, we take the dogs for short walks, sometimes walking in nearby wooded areas to avoid the heavy salt on the sidewalks. Besides, the dogs like the adventure of it. . . . Here is a picture I took last week on one such walk. Tonight I cropped the image to improve the composition.

Portrait in Progress as of December 13

Portrait in Progress as of December 13
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

Today I had a chance to work on this portrait that I am painting for my friends. I adjusted the angle of the eyes and modified the hairline a bit. In addition to some other small changes on the face, I changed the position of the tie and made the tone of the jacket more even.

Scene from the Train (Between Boston and New York City)

Scene from the Train (Between Boston and New York City)
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

This is a photograph that I took from the train on my recent trip to New York. I edited this picture tonight from film I just had developed. I decided to post this because two of our Irish visitors took the same train today from Boston to go to New York City. I told them to be sure to sit on the left-hand side to catch the coastal views. Despite the amazing scenery, it was a challenge to get a good pictures from the train. The train windows darken the image, not to mention my pesky flash which decided to go off whether I wanted it to or not.) So it took some editing to salvage this picture. But I like the composition and the effect of the muted colors.

Moving at the Speed of Erosion (On Commonwealth Ave)

Moving at the Speed of Erosion (On Commonwealth Ave)
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

Mel and I have been spending some time with our visitors from Belfast. Today we met two of them in Cambridge, and then drove into Boston, snapping photos all the way. We got stalled in traffic on Commonwealth Ave. Ciaran said that we were "moving at the speed of erosion", and we took advantage of the fact to take more pictures. But by this time, it was hard to see through the car windows, which had been sprayed with slush on the streets of Boston. So we decided to open the sunroof and try taking pictures that way. That is how I took this picture with my phonecam. Later, I tried to edit the photo on my computer (rotating and cropping), but I decided that I prefer the original, not only because the image is clearer, but because this version preserves the crazy way the photo was taken, and captures the fun we had today.

Blue Shadows on Snow

Blue Shadows on Snow
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

This morning there was a lot of snow to shovel, but it was sunny, not too cold, and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. The morning light cast long blue shadows on the snow. As I shoveled, I stopped to take pictures. Tonight I edited them, and this is my favorite of the bunch.

Afternoon Whiteout (Through the Window)

Afternoon Whiteout (Through the Window)
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

Today's weather forecast was for a bad snow storm. This morning, I shoveled what turned out to be several inches of snow just before the snow turned to rain. I thought (and the folks on the radio seemed to think) that we were all done with snow for the day. So I was quite surprised when I looked out the window around 3 PM to see heavy snow, near whiteout conditions at times. I took some pictures with my digital camera and edited them tonight. I had to get the contrast just right to make it possible to see the snow on the branches, the snow blown against the window, the falling snowflakes, and the headlights of the cars creeping along the street. Here is the image I like the best.

Belfast from a Distance

Belfast from a Distance
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

This is a view of Belfast from a distance, from a photo taken at Belfast Castle. Tonight I cropped this image to post in honor of two friends from Belfast who are visiting. We picked them up at Logan Airport today and drove them up to New Hampshire for a party with Mel's UNH colleagues. Distance gives you a new perspective on a place, whether that is a place you have visited or a place you call home, and it was interesting to get our friends' perspectives on visiting the US. Although my visits to Belfast were shorter than I would have liked, looking back, it seems that those visits, however short, were long enough for me to feel connected to the place and to the great people I met there.

Southern Colorado Landscape

Southern Colorado Landscape
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

This is a picture of the scenery between Pueblo and Colorado Springs. I cropped this image from a photo I took during a visit to my home state. You can see the arid landscape in the foreground and the blue mountains in the distance. I still feel very connected to friends and family from home, and Colorado has influenced me in many ways, from my attitudes to my art to my cooking. I am posting this tonight because I am doing some Colorado cooking, making green chili (a recipe from Pueblo) to take to a pot-luck up in New Hampshire tomorrow. I hope they'll be ready for those jalapenos!

Porto Geometric Fantasy

Porto Geometric Fantasy
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

It's time for another picture of Portugal. This image began with a photo that I took on a visit to Porto two years ago. I remember being interested in the geometry of the composition, the strong lines of the church and the long diagonals of the building on the left. Tonight I edited the image. In the original photo, you can see a line of cars parked on the opposite side of the street, so I began by cropping those out. Then I opened the image in Painter IX and added some color with digital watercolor, for the most part using more intense versions of colors that were already present in the picture. I call this a fantasy because the image is digitally modified, but this is really the way Porto looks to me.

Snow on the Hedge

Snow on the Hedge
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

Today we had the first snow of the season that really covered the sidewalks and didn't melt within an hour. Instead of going to the gym, I went outside to shovel. Although I often shovel for usual practical reasons, I also shovel for the exercise. I love the way the snow looks before it has been disturbed. My reward for shoveling is a chance to play in the snow, which (as my dogs remind me) is great fun. It also gives me a chance to take photographs. Here's one I took this morning with my phonecam when I looked up from shoveling and found myself nose to nose with the hedge.

Portrait in Progress as of December 4

Portrait in Progress as of December 4
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

Today I had a chance to work on this portrait that I am painting for my friends. I made several small changes, concentrating mainly on the smile, trying to capture the same expression as in the photograph I am using as a reference.

Branches with Red Leaves

Branches with Red Leaves
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

It's December already! (How did that happen?) I took this picture just a few weeks ago, but by now almost all the trees have lost their leaves up here north of Boston, and the temperature is dropping. It feels like it's almost time for snow, serious snow, and I am still trying to re-adjust to the cold weather. Winter has its own beauty, which I intend to enjoy as much as possible. But first, just one last look back at the gorgeous color of autumn.

Clementines

Clementines
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

This is a pastel that I did a few years ago of clementines on a green glass plate. While I was in New York, my aunt and I walked over to Broadway and bought some clementines in one of those tiny New York grocery stores with beautiful fruit and flowers stands on display outside. At my cousin's suggestion, we picked up some clementines, and later, my aunt and I ate them on her new red plates in her new apartment. Back home today, on impulse I bought some clementines at the grocery store here in Beverly. Clementines make up in flavor what they lack in size, so I am posting this pastel as a reminder of a visit that was very short but very, very sweet.

Manhattan Back Yard

Manhattan Back Yard
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

Here's one of my favorite views of New York City, from the back window of my cousins' apartment (which is one of my favorite places to go in Manhattan).

View of Park Avenue, NYC

View of Park Avenue, NYC
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

I took this picture in 1988 from Mel's office at Baruch, where he was teaching at the time. That office had a great view of Park Avenue, the Pan Am and Chrysler Buildings, and the taxi cabs in the street below. My trips to New York City were much more frequent when we lived in New Jersey, but I still get there occasionally, and it is fun to take the train down from Boston. I scanned and cropped this image tonight; I think the pink cast is due to early morning light, but in any case, I like the effect. I am posting this image tonight in celebration of my train trip tomorrow to New York City to visit family, especially my aunt who recently moved (back) to New York from Colorado.

Colorado Sky at Sunrise

Colorado Sky at Sunrise
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

This is an image of the sky at sunrise that I cropped from a photo taken during my most recent trip to Colorado. The Colorado mountains are so amazing that sometimes you forget to look at the sky, but there's a color and light show at dawn every day!

Down the Road at Long Hill Gardens

Down the Road at Long Hill Gardens
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

Long Hill Gardens is one of the best places to go for walks, with or without dogs, but we prefer with dogs. After we walk around gardens near the house, sometimes we walk all the way back down the road towards the entrance, through the double line of fruit trees. In the spring, we see blossoms on the fruit trees and look for lilacs near the fence. In the fall, we see apples and crabapples. I took this picture a few weeks ago on one of our walks, and tonight I cropped it just a bit to focus attention on the road.

Self-Portrait in Blue

Self-Portrait in Blue
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

I just finished reading a book about melancholy in English literature, so I thought this would be an appropriate image to post today, even though it is just the painting that is blue, not the artist herself. I painted this a few years ago as an early assignment in a portrait painting class, which was to paint a self-portrait using only one color. I think this painting is more successful as a painting than as a portrait. (Does it look like me? Maybe some.) Notice the intensely pained expression, which is due not to melancholy but to the stress of being both artist and model simultaneously.

Thanksgiving Day Snow

Thanksgiving Day Snow
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

We had an early morning dusting of snow for Thanksgiving, and I took a quick picture with my phonecam before it melted. I wanted to document the snow for Mel who is in Florida (which is no doubt why it snowed). Today I edited the image in Painter IX and used digital chalk to remove some distractions in the background.

The Pi of Pie

The Pi of Pie
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

As I took my pie out of the oven, I was admiring its perfect geometry and the pattern of the (ready-made) crust, so I took a picture with my phonecam, trying hard to square the circle. (Later I used my computer to crop the image to improve on the placement.) In art and in life, I believe that noticing is important, whether you notice a great smile, the color of a leaf, or the geometry of a pie. Noticing leads to appreciation, even gratitude. (How can you be grateful unless you notice?)

Cranberries

Cranberries
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

Today I made cranberry orange relish, but while I was getting the ingredients together, I found myself admiring the colors of the cranberries so much that I decided to take a picture with my phonecam.

Heaps of Pumpkins

Heaps of Pumpkins
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

I guess it is about time to make the pies, so here are some pumpkins. I took this photo with my phonecam several weeks ago at Russell's Orchard in Ipswich. Last night I cropped the image to focus on the bright colors of the pumpkins.

Colorado Springs Slight of Hand

Colorado Springs Slight of Hand
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

This image is from a photo that I took on my most recent trip to Colorado. I liked the sky and the mountains in the photo, but there was a pesky street lamp in the way. Tonight, I decided to try a little slight of hand, so I opened the image in Painter IX and covered up the lamp post with some digital chalk. While I was at it, I darkened some distracting clutter in the foreground. Then I cropped the image to focus on the timeless magic of the Colorado mountains.

Portrait in Progress as of November 20

Portrait in Progress as of November 20
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

This is the portrait I am working on as it looks tonight. Today I made some changes to the face, trying to catch the same expression as in the photo I am using for a reference. I also made some adjustments to the figure.

Gold in the Woods

Gold in the Woods
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

This kind of scenery is fairly common here in Massachusetts, but that doesn't make it ordinary to me. I see this wooded area almost every day. Recently I walked by this scene in the late afternoon and the sunlight made the leaves look golden against the trees, so I decided to take this picture. Tonight I cropped the image to improve the composition.

Lisbon Cable Car (Coca Cola)

Lisbon Cable Car (Coca Cola)
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

Here in Boston, it is getting dark earlier, and the air is getting colder. It's time for a nice sunny image from Portugal. I took this picture on a hot July day in Lisbon several years ago. This is where Mauro parked his car so we could go explore the Alfama, the oldest part of Lisbon. You can see the layers of time in this photo: modern architecture in the background, old tile roofs and stucco walls, and then suddenly, there's that cable car with the Coca Cola sign.

Bright Leaves on Fire Bush

Bright Leaves on Fire Bush
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

Two days ago, I saw this fire bush, and took a picture with my phonecam. It was late afternoon, and the light was perfect. I was happy with this image just as it came out of the camera. So here's one more image to celebrate the bright leaves of November.

Island in the Fog, Kelleher Pond

Island in the Fog, Kelleher Pond
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

The temperature rose overnight, so the day began with fog, which burned off by mid-morning. But it reminded me of some photos I took last month when we had some very heavy fog. Here is one of them. Last month, I used my digital camera to take this picture of the little island in the middle of Kelleher Ice Pond, here in Beverly. I have been thinking that it is darkness coming so early in the day and the gray overcast skies that make me run to find the bright red leaves in the fall sunshine, before winter comes.

Gazebo with Red Tree at Long Hill

Gazebo with Red Tree at Long Hill
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

Here's another image from last weekend's walk at Long Hill Gardens in Beverly, Massachusetts. We almost always pass this little gazebo, but last week it looked spectacular against the bright leaves, so I took a picture. Tonight I cropped the image to focus on the gazebo, and adjusted the contrast just a bit.

Crimson Leaves

Crimson Leaves
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

We have been having cool nights and some nice warm days, so we are finally getting those brilliant red leaves I have been waiting to see. We are trying to take advantage of the good weather while it lasts by taking a lot of walks. I can't resist photographing the autumn leaves. I took this picture at Long Hill Gardens over the past week, just finishing up the unused film in a couple of disposable cameras from a recent trip. Yesterday I got the photos back and edited some of them last night. The color in this image is just as it came out of the camera. I did crop the image just a bit to focus on the tree, but that's it. Is this brilliant crimson due to the magic of nature or due to the magic of Kodak film?

At the COOP, Harvard Square

At the COOP, Harvard Square
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

This morning, Mel and I went to Cambridge for coffee at Peet's and then some time in the bookstores, first the COOP and then the Harvard Bookstore. This is a picture of the COOP bookstore that I took from the second floor balcony with my phonecam. Tonight I cropped it and adjusted the contrast to make the image a little clearer.

Portrait in Progress as of November 12

Portrait in Progress as of November 12
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

This morning I finally had a chance to get back to the portrait I am painting for my friends. Today I changed a few details and added some light on the face. I also sketched in the figure and painted in dark values for the background.

Porto City Center

Porto City Center
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

It's been just about a year since my last trip to Porto. This is a view I have seen on almost every visit, driving into the center of the city. Tonight I cropped this image out of a larger photo, and adjusted the brightness to bring out the detail.

Electric Roses

Electric Roses
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

I drew these roses on my handheld computer's paint program last year, and tonight I opened the file in Painter IX and cleaned it up for posting with a little digital chalk. I decided on the title because this is digital art, and because the colors are so hot. I am posting this today for a special friend whose birthday was today. We took art classes together in school, and always liked to paint with hot colors.

Fruit in Basket

Fruit in Basket
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

On one of my visits to Portugal, I took along some xerox color copies of my pastel still lifes so Mauro could see what I had been doing. Today I found out that he is planning to frame some of them to hang in his new kitchen in Porto. That's why I decided to post this tonight, a pastel still life that I drew a few years ago. I chose this one because it is hanging in my kitchen.

Hand-Painted Leaves

Hand-Painted Leaves
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

I can't resist posting just one more picture of autumn leaves. These leaves look like they are hand-painted, but they aren't, not really. I have been chasing autumn leaves because I love to look at the colors. Today I took this picture in my front yard with my phonecam, looking for deep reds and oranges. But when I loaded the image into my computer, for some reason the leaves looked pastel. I decided that I like the magical effect, so I decided not to correct the colors. Instead I just brightened the image a bit and cropped it to focus on the leaves. Fall is great just as it is, but imagine what November would look like if all autumn leaves were in pastel colors!

Pink and Gold Leaves

Pink and Gold Leaves
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

Here's another picture that I took with my phonecam in my recent search for colorful leaves at Long Hill Gardens. I like these pink and gold leaves; they look almost iridescent.

Red Tree at Long Hill

Red Tree at Long Hill
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

I have been on the lookout for red autumn leaves, which have been slow in coming to Massachusetts this year. But a few days ago, we went to Long Hill Gardens, where I saw this tree in bright scarlet. I took this picture with my cameraphone and tonight I cropped it to focus on the leaves and added just enough contrast to sharpen the image.

Pike's Peak Day Dream

Pike's Peak Day Dream
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

This began as a little sketch on my handheld computer's paint program (Clie.) But due to some problems with my handheld, I had to do a re-set with this file open. So I lost a fair amount of the original sketch. Tonight I loaded the image into the computer, and opened it in Painter IX, where I finished it with digital chalk. Things often turn out better than expected, in art and in life.

Pueblo, Colorado (School Picture of My Mother)

Pueblo, Colorado (School Picture of My Mother)
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

One of my favorite family photos is this image of my mother. It is hanging on my wall in the original black and white. The background is Central Grade School, which I also attended decades later. Tonight I scanned the photo into my computer, cropped it, and added some gentle color with Painter IX's digital watercolor. My mother's birthday was in early November, so I decided to post this tonight.

Pike's Peak, Colorado Springs

Pike's Peak, Colorado Springs
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

I was looking at my photo albums and found a photo of Pike's Peak taken over ten years ago. But Pike's Peak is a Colorado classic, one of the few things that remains unchanged when I go back home to visit. Tonight I cropped the image to focus on the mountains and enhanced the color just a bit.

Sunny Afternoon at Sloan's Lake

Sunny Afternoon at Sloan's Lake
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

Here's a picture of Sloan's Lake in Denver on a sunny afternoon. You can see the mountains in the distance.

October Snow

October Snow
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

Yesterday we had an unexpected October snow that came down in big flakes. I liked the way the snow looked on the fall leaves, so I grabbed my digital camera and took a picture through the window. Then I cropped the image and enhanced the saturation a little to make up for color that got lost in the transaction.

Clematis in Fall

Clematis in Fall
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

I took this photo with my phonecam a few weeks ago. Even without petals, the clematis is beautiful