I hear and I forget, I do and I understand, I see and I remember
Tag Archives: emotive
The sun lit the morning
Making art, for me, begins with awareness—the ability to notice what moves us in an ordinary moment. Sometimes that awareness appears in the smallest places, like standing at the kitchen sink preparing coffee. That’s what happened a few mornings ago. I slowed down long enough to feel the energy of sunlight as it gently started the day. I thought, that’s beautiful. Creating images is part of my daily life, so I paused, embraced that quiet, and made a simple photograph—a moment of morning arriving, carried on the light of sunrise.
As we were driving along the border of Kazakhstan toward Mongolia, we crested a hill. The field in front of us, all the way to the horizon, was filled with sunflowers as far as the eye could see. I had our fixer pull over. I got out of the jeep, went into the field, and made a series of images of the golden carpet of sunflowers in full bloom. It knocked me out!
Over the next couple of years, the magnificence of those sunflowers remained alive in my memory.
I wanted to learn more about sunflowers. My curiosity was not just about the beauty of their bright blossoms, but what they were all about. I ordered mammoth sunflower seeds, planted the seeds in a circle in my yard, waited, and watched. Over three months, I photographed the stages of growth from seedlings to decline. What I observed increased my appreciation for their beauty but raised even more questions.
Why did every flower develop a similar spiral pattern? Why were the seeds packed in so tightly and at an angle? My research revealed many connections between nature, mathematics, philosophy, and the rich history of intellectual inquiry — more on that in a later post.
The short-form answer to my questions is that the spiral pattern and the angle of the seeds in the sunflower represent the most efficient way to pack seeds in space and ensure reproductive success. The spirals are called “golden spirals,” reflecting Fibonacci numbers. The elegant angle of the seeds to each other aligns with the “golden angle’’. The pattern of the seeds in the sunflower represents what, in mathematics and aesthetics, can be called beauty — more on that in a future post. Leonardo Da Vinci described this phenomenon, which can also be seen in hurricanes, galaxies, pinecones, and pineapples, as the “Divine Proportions”.
One day, when the flowers were reaching maturity, I watched a pair of wild Brazilian Green Parrots as they fed on the seeds. The two parrots took up positions next to each other on two sunflowers. While one ate, the other stood guard, watching for any threat. After a while, they switched roles. The one guarding then ate, and the other provided protection.
Like many children, I loved to go out in the rain and splash in puddles on the street.
Rain, like a cloud, is easily taken for granted. Water is integral to our existence. When we pause and observe, we have the chance to get in touch with something elemental in our lives.
Hurricane Milton, Sarasota, Florida
Different types of rain elicit a wide range of feelings. There is gentle, poignant melancholy in a light, mid-afternoon rain. It feels safe – even reassuring. Rain is a symbol of renewal and rebirth. When rain comes in excess it can be terrifying, bringing the potential for destruction. We use our technology to build roads, canals, bridges, levees, and dams – assuming we can control nature. Then a devastating storm comes and we are painfully reminded of our limitations and the need to live in ways that are in harmony with nature, respecting its power.
I can remember a number of times when I was about to leave a cafe in New York City and a thunderstorm delivered a torrent of rain, giving me the excuse to stay put, have another cup of coffee, and share more time with a friend.
Light is to photography what paint is to the painter. I made this image with colors contained in light. In the studio I used prisms to break up the spectrum of light and create this meteor of color and light.
My new online store eastepstore.wayneeastep.com is open for ordering prints. The curated collection has been edited for display art in the home, office, hospitality, health care and corporate spaces.
After choosing an image, you can select the medium, size, finish and framing; then pay with PayPal or your credit card from within the store eastepstore.wayneeastep.com
I thank you in advance for visiting the store and appreciate your sharing a link to the store with family, friends and colleagues. The web address is eastepstore.wayneeastep.com
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