Postcard from Washington DC

I remember this day oh so very well! Some of my tale took place before this photo and a great deal more after. First the photo: I like this picture as the two young ladies gave Mr. Lincoln some scale and some badly needed color in the photo. They were posing for their mother so I took the opportunity to photograph them also.

But about this day…it started in Maryland where I was staying. I hopped on a DC Metro Train and eventually exited near the Lincoln Memorial, but on the other side of the Potomac River  in Virginia. I decided to walk up to the Kennedy Memorial in Arlington National Cemetery. It didn’t look all that far.

Well, trust me, it was. By the time I got to the Kennedy’s, I was already a bit worn out, but happy to see it and remember. And I was touched by the size and scope of the cemetery and all the fine men and women who served our country that are buried there.

But, I had to retrace my steps. Of course, I hoofed it…all the way down to the Potomac and across to the Lincoln Memorial. I noodled around for a while, took photos and generally tried to appreciate where I was. I then sat down on a bench to catch my breath and restore my strength…or so I hoped.

Truthfully, there was more to it than that. I sat for over 30 minutes, trying to get up enough courage to walk through the Vietnam Memorial. A few old friends have their names on that wall. Some years prior, I walked through the California Memorial and it affected me deeply. I really didn’t know if I could do it again. Eventually I did and made it through, but not unscathed. That was a terrible time in our history and a lot of fine young men died for nothing.

And while the long rest did improve my strength, I decided discretion was the better part of valor and hopped on a tour bus for while. I eventually got out at the Capitol Building as I had not yet visited it. After a little time, I walked (if you can believe it) down to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. Now that was a real highlight for that day.

While I loved looking around, I found there is a planetarium there that puts on regular astronomy shows on a domed ceiling. It has those wonderful chairs that lean back to afford a view of the dome during the show. God knows, I love those shows.

As I went to purchase my ticket, I was informed by the ticket agent that I was a senior citizen and could get in at a lower rate. I stood there agog…it was the very first time I was recognized as a senior citizen (but certainly not the last). It is a difficult thing to be told, then accept that one is now a senior. But, being a practical person, I took the discounted price and entered the planetarium.

I was really looking forward to seeing this show. Sadly, I never saw any of it. As soon as my butt hit that comfortable, leaned-back chair, I was gone…out like a light. I had done way too much that day and could not stay awake. I guess it was good that I got a discount because I ran out of energy, just like a senior citizen. It was hard to deal with that whole concept. But, it is what it is. Damn…I really wanted to see that show.

From there, I found the nearest Metro station and headed back to the house in Maryland where I was staying. It was, all-in-all, a good day and I accomplished a great deal. But one never forgets the day when you find out you are no longer young.  

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

Postcard from Camp Verde

In 1,000 years, will your house look this good? Welcome to the improperly named Montezuma Castle National Monument! Located near the town of Camp Verde, AZ, between Phoenix and Flagstaff, just off of I-17 (not too far from Sedona), this beautifully preserved cliff dwelling can easily be compared to a 20 room high-rise apartment…although this apartment is nestled inside a limestone cliff.

The castle was built by the Sinagua people, northern cousins to the Hohokam tribe. They lived in this area from about 700 to 1450 AD. Best guess is that construction on this dwelling began around 700 and took five centuries to complete the five level structure.

White people discovered this place in 1860 and gave it the name of Montezuma’s Castle, mistakenly believing that the Aztec emperor was connected to the construction. In fact, the castle was abandoned by the Sinagua about 100 years before Montezuma was even born!

Prior to 1909, when President Theodore Roosevelt declared it a National Monument, the dwelling was often looted for artifacts. Even after 1909, visitors were allowed to climb ladders to explore the building. In 1951, after extensive damage was discovered, access was closed off to visitors and remains so today.

No one knows why the Sinagua left the area, but it was probably due to warfare with the Yavapai Tribe and/or drought.  Another part of the cliff wall bears the marks of an even larger dwelling, which has not survived. Too bad. 

The visitor center includes a museum about the Sinagua and the tools they used to build the dwellings. The Montezuma Castle site houses many artifacts, such as stone tools, metates used for grinding corn, bone needles and ornaments of shell and gemstone which prove that the Sinagua were fine artisans. Worth a visit if you are in the area.

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

Postcard from a Potter’s Shop

The Water Jug Dream
(Ode to a Daydream)

 

In my mind there is a place
Of great beauty and of peace.
A place where I can finally rest,
And let my tensions cease.

There is a cabin in the wood,
Where I can make a Bauer.
Just a hammock in the trees
Filled with woodland flower.

 
A lovely brook flows past my home,
And whispers at it's play,
"Come and drink or swim with me,
or sing the song I play today".

I keep this dream within my heart,
For, heartstrings it does tug.
It blossomed forth from wildflowers,
Placed within my water jug.

by Diana Robillard-Hoy

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

Postcard from Tucson

This is one of my experimental digital sketches…this time the left wing of an old B-36 bomber that was on display at the Pima Air and Space Museum here in Tucson. Since I moved here, you’ve seen a few images of the many aircraft on display here. If you are an old aircraft nut like myself, this is the place to visit.

The B-36 was a very unique aircraft in many ways. First, the prop engines are mounted on the back of the wing…three on each wing. At the very end of the wing are two jet engines…so in all, there are ten engines to propel this rather large aircraft. The jet engines were actually added later in the production period which lasted from 1949 to 1959. The aircraft was eventually replaced by the B-52.

The idea for this unique bomber actually came during World War II. The US wanted a long range bomber that could bomb Japan from bases in Hawaii. The first prototypes came off the Convair production lines in 1945-46. But, of course, it never saw action in WWII.

It could fly higher than any enemy aircraft of its day and its large wings could carry enough fuel to fly 10,000 miles. It’s bomb load capacity was huge and could easily carry several nuclear weapon. However, when the jet engines were added, the range was substantially reduced.

The first models had 6 gun turrets, but those were eventually made obsolete with the advent of air-to-air missiles. Later production models eliminated the gun turrets and 6 crewman, thereby increasing its range again.

With the advent of the B-52, the role of the B-36 was reduced to reconnaissance. In fact, the aircraft never saw any combat duty. Still, its completely unique design gave this aircraft a unique place in aviation history.

Postcard from Venice

“Streets flooded. Please advise.”
― Robert Benchley

Of all the words written about Venice, the above 4 words may be my favorite. Robert Charles Benchley was an American humorist in the 1930’s and 40’s…best known for his contributions to The New Yorker magazine and Vanity Fair, to name just two. He also worked as a freelance writer and in Hollywood. There, he not only wrote for motion pictures but appeared in them…my favorite being a humorous short film entitled, “How to Sleep,” for which he won the Academy Award.

The above quote comes from a telegram he sent to his editor at the New Yorker. He had been sent to Venice on assignment and it was his first trip. Of course his telegram was just part of his unique sense of humor. Here are a few other quotes from this legendary humorist:

“Opera is when a guy gets stabbed in the back and, instead of bleeding, he sings.”

“Anyone can do any amount of work provided it isn't the work he is supposed to be doing at the moment. ”

“As for me, except for an occasional heart attack, I feel as young as I ever did.”  

“The only cure for a real hangover is death.”

“There are two kinds of travel: first class and with children.”

PS: The above painting of a backwater canal in Venice was one of my best sellers when I was doing art shows.

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

Postcard from Tucson

If you followed this blog for any length of time (this is blog #704, if you can believe that), you may have figured out I have a passion for sketches. While I have no talent to do them by hand, I love to experiment by creating digital sketches from my own original photographs. It is amazing all the artistic tech tools that have evolved since the early days of digital photography. 

I made my entrance into the commercial art world by creating digital paintings and sketches and did very well. Today there are far more tools available to the digital photographer to create these paintings and sketches than there were several years ago when I was on the art trail.

This weekend, I made a visit to the University of Arizona Art Museum to see a special collection of sketches and engravings from some of the greatest artists the western world has ever known. I saw artworks by Goya, Whistler, Guercino, Durer, Manet, and Rembrandt, to name a few.

What I learned is that for so long, sketches were considered of no importance. Often sketches were used as conceptual drawings for future paintings. So they had no artistic or monetary value. Then came the age of Da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Albrecht Durer. Suddenly, the world began to realize that many sketches were indeed great art. 

Later, other great artists like Peter Paul Rubens, Rembrandt, Jacques Louis David, and other famous painters such as: Honore Daumier, Edgar Degas, Egon Schiele, Max Beckmann, David Hockney, and Lucian Freud, exemplified the art of sketching. The word draughtsman (or draftsman) is the usual term for an artist who practices drawing.

Of course, I don’t consider myself a master of sketching, but I am a good photographer and I love to experiment to make my photos works of art different than most photos. An example is the digital sketch shown above.

It is of the pool area at my apartment complex. Nothing special in terms of subject matter. It is the digital technique of sketching that I used here that makes all the difference. It is a fun sketch for sure, but I like what I created. I am curious if you do also. I will keep sketching my photos and occasionally share them here.

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

Postcard from Morrow Bay

Sunset on the Beach

The sun was setting with all its power and glory
on the horizon behind the sea as I stood there
on the sand which lay along the water's edge.

The clouds in the sky had the effect of evolving translucent light
yet as the sun sank further down into the sea
this light was changing to a sombre silver-grey.

Darkness was descending upon me where I stood
yet in the far horizon before me daylight was
making its impact once again on the earth.

It was getting chilly and darker and a slight breeze
was beginning to arouse the waters of a once calm sea.

The tide was going out and I could feel the moisture
from underneath my feet being taken away.
The sun was drawing away the very waters of the sea before me it seemed and everything was beginning to have a haunted aspect,
for without light all seemed to attain a gloomy and ghostly atmosphere.

The sun was now but a tinge of orange
giving off its last rays of light being swallowed by the sea.
What a splendid sight it was I thought seeing something alive
and wondrous making its last impact with beauty and significance before vanishing temporarily and rising again on the opposite to where it set.

It seemed to suggest that where there is light there is life
and where there is no light life would be unbearable and dark.
Dusk had come and night was here so I thought that I had better depart
in order to live and enjoy the sight just seen at some other date.

George Krokos

 

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

Postcard from Chicago

Chicago

I'm goin' to Chicago
I'm goin' back that way, someday
I'm heading back to Chicago.

I'm goin back to Chicago
And you know I mean to stay
At the Hotel Blackstone when I go.

Though winds may winge and blow
Off th' lake and freeze my face;
Though it may heavily snow

Sideways and hit ten below,
It'll be warm at my baby's place-
That much I do know.

I'm gonna' ride that old Metro
To th' museum down the way-
See Mista's Wood and Georgie Bellows, too.

There I'll sip pernod
All day
And watch the icicles grow
When I go back to Chicago.

Morgan Michaels

 

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

Postcard from Mesa

Sometimes if you look either straight up or straight down with your camera, you can find some interesting subjects for a photo. So it is with this image. I shot this on the campus of Arizona State Polytechnic University in Mesa, Arizona. In this case, I looked straight up while inside a very unique building on campus.

I call this photo “Jumble” as it contains a hodgepodge of interesting architectural elements jumbled together to form a cohesive whole. You’ve got horizontal and vertical elements, not to mention lines running in all directions. But, to me, what makes the image all come together is the circular fan. Everything else is straight lines and rectangles. But by having something completely circular, everything just works. I am sure the architects of the building knew that also.

This building is Peralta Hall, designed by Lake/Flato Architects. The building is very open and makes excellent use of natural light. It is integrated with three existing building and creates a cohesive complex (To see these unique buildings in their entirety, check out this website) I took this photo while standing in an open air hallway. The classrooms are off to my right and left and above me on 3 different levels.

Many of my architectural photos are done in black and white and that was my original plan for this image. But, after a long hard look, I realized in this case, color adds to the visual quality of the photo. The more I look at this photo the more I like it. I hope you do also.

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