Postcard from Port Townsend

In my last blog, I wrote about that moment of creation when an artist completes a work that he knows is exactly right. Well, just like the special image of Chicago in the last blog, the same can be said of this work. It is a photo I took a few years ago while spending part of a day in Port Townsend, WA.

Such a lovely town on the Northeast corner of the Olympic Peninsula, across the Puget Sound from the cities and countryside just north of Seattle. At first, I thought this unique structure might be a bed-and-breakfast. But I could find no mention of it anywhere, so it may just be a private residence.

But it made for a lovely photograph…or so I thought until I looked at it on my computer during post processing. It had some nice artistic qualities to it, but it just sort of laid there, if you know what I mean. So I did nothing to it for a couple of years…occasionally looking at it and trying some things, but none very successful.

Finally I realized there was just not enough color to make it interesting and the light left something to be desired. So, I converted it to black and white, then started using some of my other Photoshop plug-ins to enhance the sharpness while still giving it a bit of a sketch quality. Again, when I got it right, I knew it immediately. But, like most of my work, I let it sit for a while, occasionally going back and taking a look to see if I still liked it.

Well I did…and still do. In fact it is hanging on the wall opposite from where I write this blog. It is one of the “chosen few” photos that adorn the walls of my home. Maybe that is the ultimate proof of whether or not I really love one of my works.

And speaking of Port Townsend, you can view all my six of my best photos from that charming little city at my Website. In fact, I have been working on a major revision of my site for some time now. A long ways to go, but several of the revised and updated photo galleries are now on-line and I invite you to pay a visit. Several new works have been added and more are on their way. 

(To see a larger version of this photo, just click on the image)

To see more of my work, both in photography and digital painting, please visit my website, www.corkrum.com.