Sunset Time

Sunsets on the Tallgrass Prairie are not always cinematic events - but they rarely disappoint.  I sat waiting for the sun to set, munching on the big bag of  Fritos I'd gotten many miles back at a tiny gas station.  The bathroom had a sign over the sink - "push for water" - just in case you were totally stumped by the faucet handles.

The sun was scheduled to set at 6:09.  Right around that time the coyotes began to howl.  Two deer ran through the field and stopped when they noticed me.  We stood looking at each other for a while, and then they simply walked on toward the setting sun.  At a far enough distance, they stopped and stood for a long time, looking at the sun.  The coyotes began again.  I watched as the blue sky darkened and the white clouds turned pink.

It was as if everything in the prairie was celebrating the moment, the last rays of light, the coming of night.  This is my capture of the evening.

RED - EXHIBITION Emotion in Color

It's been a long time since my last blog.  As I look at the photos from my last blog post, they have already been published in my book TULSA'S ZIGZAG STYLE, which is now sold through Blurb.com.  Amazon Books charges a commission on the books they sell, and art books are already very expensive because of the cost of printing artwork.  So to keep the cost down I now sell through Blurb.

As my title suggests, the new exhibition at Lovetts Gallery @lovettsgallery.com is the inspiration for my return to blogger.  RED had it's private showing and client party last night and it's now open to the public.  I always love the shows.  If you love art, be sure to take in the show, which will hang for the next few weeks.  Watercolor, acrylic and oil paintings, bronze and wood sculpture, jewelry and wood turning are all on display, as well as a few installation pieces.  I am delighted to see such fine work.

A couple of standout pieces for me were the amazing landscapes by Romona Youngquist.  Fields of bright red poppies in rural settings with incredible skies.  Solid, masterful brushwork and a total command of the entirety.  Two busts by Chad Awalt blew me away; Obatala and Pana.  He sculpts wood that turns out looking like marble, but with the gorgeous wood grain.  Obatala is a pale, almost white sycamore, and then he comes up with the cojonas to etch and paint the finished piece with the lightest turquoise and yellow detail.  Mind boggling.  

I got to meet Robert Caldwell, a wildlife artist from Virginia.  He had his easel set up in the gallery and was working on a very detailed close-up of an elephant.  Interesting to see the hours of focus and concentration that go into a finished piece.  And I love wildlife!  

The person I spent the most time with was Bill Evans, a wood turner.  I knew pretty much nothing about wood turning when we began talking, but I liked his large burled piece sitting next to my photograph of Red Canyon.  He had three pieces in the show, and his last piece is just amazing.  He combines wood of different colors and grains and then turns it by increments to reveal the shapes that are formed.  I can't even describe the process, although he attempted to give me an idea with pictures of the steps that led to the finished piece, Bowl with Lip.  Look for yourself at  http://www.lovettsgallery.com/artists/147.

Although I took a dozen pictures at the gallery, I'm sorry to say that my old iphone is junk.  This has convinced me that I do need to upgrade my phone -- just for the camera.  Here are the two pieces that I have in the show.  They are both 48" X 32", dye-infused photography on metal.  Both were taken during my trip last December, through Nevada, Arizona, Utah and Colorado. 

Red Canyon, Dixie National Forest

Elevation

Natural Light Interiors

In my first group exhibition of 2016, I chose two natural light interior photographs.  Both are hanging in the "OKLAHOMANMADE" Architectural Photography Exhibit at the IAO Gallery in OKC.  It is sponsored by the OKC Foundation for Architecture, and runs through April. 

Kansas City at Night

This photograph is a composite of several shots taken on a pleasant evening in 2014. Union Station was about to celebrate its 100th Anniversary Gala Event, and the entire city was excited about that.  In addition, the Kansas City Chiefs were set to celebrate their 23rd edition of Red Friday.  My nice night shot was elevated to epic proportions by all the celebration.  This makes my realize how long its been since I made a night shot of a city outside of Oklahoma.

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