Art, Recent Personal Images

A Forty Year Love Affair

nature, tulip, parrot tulip, flower, art, photography, photograph

Professor Rontgen Parrot Tulip

New York, New York City, art, flower, parrot tulip, tulip, art, photograph, photography,

Parrot Tulips on 29th Street, New York City

I’ve had a forty-year love affair with the parrot tulip.  There are a few moments when I meet someone or discover something in nature when a connection is established that lasts a lifetime.  I’ve been blessed with a few of these moments, the first time I saw Patti’s  eyes, she’s been my wife for 45 years.  The moment I looked into Layla’s face in the delivery room, 26 years later I am still in love with my daughter.  Then there’s the parrot tulip.

The first time I saw a parrot tulip was forty years ago while walking in the rain along Madison Avenue in New York City.  A corner flower shop had a  funnel-shaped galvanized bucket full of parrot tulips among the flowers on display.  Even now I remember the response I had, it was mainly wonderment.  Looking at the tulip was like looking at a flame painted into a flower.

A few years ago I had a florist importer order direct from Holland two dozen parrot tulips.  They were delivered every Monday during their blooming period.  I would take them into my studio, study them and make new visual discoveries each week. The first image with the black background is an image from one of those sessions.

Earlier this year while walking in the rain along 29th street near my apartment in New York City I came upon two parrot tulips.  There were growing within a metal enclosure around a Ginko tree. I got down low to take a closer look when I noticed the taxis heading westbound on 29th street.  The image of that moment is the second one in this post.

To see more images visit: Eastep Image Archive

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art, perception, abstract, mirror, sculpture, photo, photography, New York City,

Reflection of the Flatiron Building from mirror sculpture at 23rd St. and Fifth Avenue, New York City

Art in public space Singapore

Art in public space Singapore

broken mirror,nature, woods

Broken mirror in the woods, Sarasota, Florida

When I think about how we see, I sense that we look optically with our eyes and we perceive with our minds eye. The amount of information we see at one time is enormous. Our minds eye selects, filters, organizes, categorizes, defines, and correlates what we see, then creates meaning by integrating with our consciousness. Did I mention this is done in a micro second?

Art can frame and re-frame the physical world and help us see and think about what we often take for granted.  It presents  an opportunity to expand our perception and enter a state of observation and hopefully, awareness.

These three images that did that for me.   The broken mirror reflecting the surrounding woods was alongside the road.  The women in Singapore were having fun with a freestanding set of translucent and mirrored panels and the sculpture near Madison Square park in New York created segmented and reflected views of the iconic Flatiron building, the Empire State building and a tour bus along Fifth Avenue.

These images posit the question, what is consciousness?  They even challenge our assumption of what reality is.  Is it what’s in front of us, behind us, what we see within one plane or what we saw just before we became aware of what we are now seeing?  More often than not, the role of art is to raise the question rather than propose the answer.

Art, Recent Personal Images

Planes of Perception

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Nature, Recent Personal Images

Black Birds at the Break of Dawn

Black Birds in flight

Black birds in flight

Black birds flying at the break of dawn.

From the Fine Art Collection visit EastepPhotography to see more

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Recent Personal Images

Japanese Dancer

Makeup for traditional Japanese dancer

Traditional Japanese Dance preparation, Pontocho Kaburenjo Theater

This young Japanese dancer was getting her make-up in preparation for a Japanese dance performance at the Pontocho Kaburenjo Theater in Kyoto Japan.

To view other Fine Art Photography images visit: EastepPhotography.com

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Recent Personal Images

We’re Watching

Security mirrors

Safety & security mirrors in Singapore

While photographing at a refinery in Singapore I came upon these mirrors used for safety in Singapore.

They’re included in a gallery of fine art images at EastepPhotography.com

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Travel

Let the Sunshine in

Lighting inside Egyptian tomb

Ancient Egyptians used mirrors to reflect the sun into a second mirror which directed the sunlight inside the tomb. This solution made it possible for the sculptors and artisans to see while working inside the tomb.

 

Interior of tomb at Deir El-Medina "Thebes"

Artifact on interior tomb wall at Deir El-Medina “Thebes” lit by sunlight reflected on two handheld mirrors

Ancient Egyptians used two hand held mirrors to capture the sunlight and direct it inside and onto interior tomb walls.  This made it possible for sculptors and artisans to work on hieroglyphs and pictographs within the dark interiors.  Deir El-Medina, “Thebes” is the location of tombs for many  artisans who built tombs for the pharaohs.

More images of Egypt

 

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Food

Homemade Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Rubarb sauce         Rubarb stalks

Rubarb Strawberry Pie

I made this Rhubarb Strawberry pie as a celebration gift for my daughter Layla

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Travel

Egypt

Pyramid at Giza

A man climbing on the great pyramid at Giza, Egypt

While editing images from Egypt I came across this one I photographed of a single person climbing on the great pyramid at Giza. The relationship of the person to the pyramid got me to thinking about the situation today in Egypt.

Small men with big egos may dominate a country for a short time. Countries with strong character and great heritage prevail.

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Recent Personal Images

Fourth of July

4th of July fireworks, Lake Lure, North Carolina

4th of July fireworks, Lake Lure, North Carolina

Happy 4th of July from Lake Lure, North Carolina

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