Sunset, Christmas 2015

The last full moon of the year falls on Christmas day, an event that hasn't happened since 1977 and won't happen again until 2034.  I went to the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve hoping to capture this rare Full Cold Moon.  Clouds prevented the picture I had envisioned of a spectacular full moon rising over the vast emptiness of the prairie landscape.  But, waiting between the time when the sun slipped below the horizon and the moon peaked over the edge of the landscape, I made this simple picture of the unpretentious beauty that exists all around in the prairie.  A block of stone, an earth stirred by bison tracks, a sky slowly darkening, and the far away, excited howls of coyotes, a planet unadorned and unaware of celebration, changing with the constant rhythms of the universe.  A beautiful way to end this special day.    

Christmas Eve Peace

Some moments stand out more than others.  This image taken just before the storm is one that feels magical and significant to me.  May your Christmas Eve be filled with peace and joy.

Storm Clouds.  Tallgrass Prairie Preserve, 2015.  

 

Suspicion 45"X30" photography on metal

 

Surprise 18"X12" photography on metal

 

These are my two pieces hanging in the new exhibition "The Birds" at Lovetts Gallery.  Just in time for Halloween, the exhibition is themed after Alfred Hitchcock's 1963 horror film and showcases both national and international artists.  This was such fun to shoot, and there were so many directions in which to take it.  I chose to focus on the birds themselves, and their imagined "reaction" to the sudden massing and violent attacks of their avian counterparts on the unsuspecting village of Bodega Bay, California. 

 

The exhibition hangs through November.  www.lovettsgallery/exhibitions.com www.patrickimagery.com

 


Osage County

Summer in Oklahoma doesn't give up easily.  It hangs on even after snow has fallen in other parts of the country.  My last look back at summer is this shot taken somewhere in the tangled back roads of Osage County.  An unexpected turn, a stone bridge, a clear expanse of water, and the sky reflected back in Monet shades of summer.

The Last in the Total Lunar Eclipse Tetrad

My computer crashed the day after shooting the last of the total lunar eclipse tetrad on September 28 (more to do with Windows 10 than any End of the World Prophecy, although...), so I had to wait almost a week before uploading my images of the spectacular event.  It did not disappoint!  Moving very fast, the earth slid between the sun and the moon to create this celestial show of profound relativity.  The silence added to the solemnity of the alignment.  Here is a crop of the above shot:

And, just before totality :

Room With A View

This is the sun setting from the second floor balcony.

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Golden Hour - Tallgrass Praire

This is CR4420, one of the many long, winding roads in the Tallgrass Prairie.  I watched the orange globe of the sun sink beneath the horizon, and made this photo before I headed out of the prairie.  Many sunsets are spectacular and dramatic, but tonight it just got dark.  Even so, the sky as night descends is always beautiful

Check out this video.  I've done astrophotography of the milkway from the second story balcony here.  There is almost no light pollution.  It's the most peaceful, beautiful place.

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Summer in the City - One Williams Center

Here is my One Williams Center shot from mid-day today.  Blazing hot and bright!  Security would not let me take photos from inside - ever.  Today, they were on high alert for some reason.  Very fun way to spend my lunch hour.  Click to see it larger.

Hot Summer

It's 97 degrees out at 6:30 pm, and I have no air conditioning.  A new air conditioning unit will hopefully be installed tomorrow, but until then I am relying on an oscillating fan and plenty of ice water.  At least I have electricity. 

So, perfect time to upgrade my web site with all the florals that I made in spring.  What a great spring!  Tons of rain and cool temperatures.  Very unusual for Tulsa, which usually jumps right in to summer around the end of April.

 

  
Delinda@lovettsgalley.com was kind enough to update all my new work from the last six months into my portfolio, so take a look there as well.  I recently sold a 54"X36" photography on metal piece that was made in November, titled "Leaves".

And, if you haven't already, head over to Lovetts Gallery and see the "Lollipop Guild" Exhibition.  Everything in the show is 12"X12" or smaller.  It will hang until the end of this month.  I was excited to see the red dots next to my two entries, which sold the first evening.  "Jerry's Ride" and "Harry's Ride" both pay homage to the actors that played the part of the Lollipop Guild in the iconic 1939 movie, The Wizard of Oz (there were three members in the guild, but a two piece limit for the show) .

Don't forget -- there's still a one million dollar reward for the return of Dorothy's Ruby Slippers!

 





Jerry's Ride



Harry's Ride

  

 

Overachiever

My backyard is alive with irises of all colors, from purest white to darkest purple.  They bloom in beds of colors, and the latest is a kind of Dutch blue.  I've noticed that there is a second, smaller species of lavender iris blooming next to the blue.  I can loose myself in the scent and beauty of these amazing flowers until there is so little light left that my camera can't focus.  Irises are one of the things I am grateful for.

Iris Buds

My iris beds have shot up in response to the weeks of intermittent showers.  First the blue blooms, dark against the deep green ivy, then come the white irises with their gold beards.  Next will come the yellow and lavender.  This is a blue bud, still tightly wound, against a  backdrop of  the wooden fence.

Bestie

My beautiful babe, Hilly, helping me with my gardening chores.  

April Showers

This is one of my favorite times of the year.  I can sleep with my windows open, and enjoy my amazing home.  The scent of wisteria invades the entire house, and it is as if there is a florist's bouquet in every room.  What was a twisted, barren vine only days ago now hangs heavy with blossoms, spilling a lavender carpet on wet stone after the rain.

March Sunset

March, unpredictable.  The end of winter, a promise of spring, ...rain.  How had I forgotten how much I love the rain?  I used to live in places that had rainy seasons, and the rain would come down for days and nights without end.  It would go on for weeks.  Now, an entire day of rain seems like a gift.  It brings back memories, unsolicited impressions of the sounds and smells of rain on earth, rain on tin roofs, rain on sandy beaches, rain on city streets suddenly hushed by the hustle of people rushing to get somewhere, rain seen through the windows of shops, making traffic abstract and beautiful. Running in rain - soaking wet and feeling like a kid again, sleeping with the constant sound of the rain slowly lulling everything in the world into its peaceful reverie.  March is nature's workhorse, setting it all up for the ephemeral spring and glitzy summer, but staying in the background like a good rock drummer.  I like March, and savor her gift of rain even more now that it comes so rarely, briefly wrapping my world in otherness and introspection.    

Palms

Coconut palms display the many fronds that have dropped off in their lifetimes, and are a study in textures and light play.  Full image is below:

Day Building

A winter shoot of the Day Building, designed in 1926 by architect Bruce Goff.

Winter: The Sonoran Desert

Winter in the Sonoran Desert is the subject my first panorama of the new year.  It was made the end of December, 2014.  Below the panorama are two detail pieces of the 19" X 72" panorama.

Click on an image to see it in greater detail.