Six requirements on living with an artist…

Work in progress...

 

After returning home yesterday from the grocery, I asked Leicalady “would you be so kind and put up the groceries?” She mocked me the rest of the day with many “would you be so kind…” Living with an artist is fun! Leicalady is not only passionate about her art but also everything else she cares about – our two precious boys, Annie, our seven dogs, seven horses, two Longhorns and of course Miss Piggy. The passion in her life is reflected in her art. I have learned over the years, that there are some important requirements to success in living with an artist. I am happy to share them…

 

1. Be patient.

 

2. Be supportive.

 

3. Give them their space.

 

4. Don’t make it about the money.

 

5. Cherish every work they create.

 

6. Share the passion!

 

Leicalady has so much more than the creative ability to mold perception and shape moods using the color in her brushes. Her artistic endeavors have been an inspiration to me for decades. Living with an artist is easy. It is perhaps one of the most rewarding relationships one can have…it can teach you things about yourself you didn’t know. Art is something amazing – make it a part of your life. Share it. No matter what type of art you make, it can be one of the most fulflling things that you can share in a relationship.

 

Living with an artist – no problem. Just never say “would you be so kind”. Just saying…

Cockeyed?

Have you ever come away from an art exhibit with the feeling that the artists must be “cockeyed” to paint such weird-looking art? Yesterday morning Leicalady and I settled into our normal Saturday routine. I had just finished my run and was waiting in the truck for Leicalady to finish hers. I picked up one of Leicalady’s art magazines and starting thumbing thru the pages – truly, every single image had to be produced by a cockeyed artist! I saw NOTHING that I thought was worthy of notable consideration. I am very visually open-minded. What could produce these artists to paint with such strange colors, distorted figures and really unusual impressionistic effects?

Curious, I turned to the magic of Google. I was shocked at the results. In the late 1930′s there was actually a Los Angles eye physician who claimed that such visual defects of nearsightedness and astigmatism account for what the average man considers weird in modern art. He went on to speculate that visual defects may have been responsible for much that is great in modern art and were perhaps a factor in the founding of the modern school of impressionistic art! He theorized that visual defects produce vision where details are lost, essential lines and shapes are relatively more striking but objects are blurred and colors, especially blue, are not seen correctly. Now it makes sense. Thank you for explaining it Dr. Lloyd A Mills!

I have worn glasses to correct my nearsightedness for fifty years. I started thinking that perhaps I too have the capability of producing bizarre art. Just saying…I love the cockeyed look. I try to capture the not so obvious. If nothing else, I satisfy the curiosity of my own mind…

No adjustment necessary...

Cockeyed is officially defined as the condition in which the lines of sight of the two eyes are not directed towards the same fixation point when the subject is actively looking at a subject. One treatment that appears to offer relief from this “eye defect” is vision training – also called eye exercises. I imagine that all artists practice some form of eye exercises. I am positive that the results vary – evidenced by lack of appreciation of the artists that I saw yesterday in Leicalady’s magazine! One thing is for sure – when it comes to art that I appreciate, there is nothing that compares to the efforts of Leicalady!!!

Cactus Jack

Eleven from ’11…

As I say goodbye to 2011 and bid farewell to the headlines that featured the saga of Casey Anthony, the loss of Steve Jobs, the great earthquake and Tsunami in Japan, the uprisings in the Middle East and the other news stories of the year, I cannot help but look back on just a few of my favorite images of this year. (it was very difficult to limit my choices to eleven!)

Rockport Texas

Things could be worse...

Beautiful Door County Wisconsin

Sky Baby

Annie & Christopher

Vintage MiniMac

Lake Michigan Clouds

Our Baby Boy

 

Yours truly...

So happy together...

 

The love of my life...

 

 

 

Where is this?

Enough hints…I need the village in Door County where this is located!

 

The name game...

Insight…more from Door in Black & White

Door County lighthouse...

 

Door County Wisconsin takes on a whole other perspective in black & white…still very beautiful but the contrast in black and white is spectacular!

 

Bruce's 1934 Ford "Pickmup"...

 

The Sturgis cowpath...

 

Sister Bay beach...

 

 

Thru the viewfinder…

Retro? There are so many new apps that create a “vintage” look from a  digital file that I had to give it a try. Leicalady and I have several vintage cameras to choose from but I thought the old Kodak Duraflex might work the best…I concocted a cardboard tunnel that I affixed to the viewfinder. I then would focus my Canon D5 thru the tunnel onto the Duraflex’s viewfinder. Confused? Here is a picture to help visualize…

Leicaman in action...

After a little help from Aperture 3.1 the images really began to reflect the old “vintage” look! The first subjects were of course the animals of the Rockin’P…

Little Mini Mac...

Here comes Flaca!

Lucky the old goat...

Saddle Up!

Pasture ornaments...

More from Door…

Door County Wisconsin is a photographer’s paradise. So many great photo opportunities. Leicalady and I shot over 400 photos…these are a few of my favorites…

Sunrise over Lake Michigan...

Bruce looking for Swans at Washington Island...

Bay clouds...

Two windows...

Cana Island...

Beautiful beach...

 

Cannot wait to get back...

Welcome to Door County Wisconsin!

 

 

Door County Wisconsin is often called the Cape Cod of the Midwest. The 70 mile long peninsula juts out into Lake Michigan. Blanketed with five state parks, eleven lighthouses and 300 miles of shoreline, Door County combines pristine scenery with renowned galleries and shops, performing arts and beautiful accommodations. But the most important feature of Door County is that it will be the venue for Christopher and Annie’s wedding. That was the reason for Leicalady’s and my recent excursion over the Thanksgiving holidays.

After meeting up with Peyton in Chicago Tuesday night we made the drive to Door County with Christopher and Annie on Wednesday. Annie’s parents have a beautiful cliff side home on the bay with a magnificent view. We all celebrated the new engagement announcement with a traditional Thanksgiving dinner Thursday.

Bruce and Debby treated us with a grand tour of Door County on Friday and Saturday morning – what a treat it was to have the guided tour from two Door County veterans! The holiday made it easy to understand why Money Magazine named it one of the top ten vacation destinations in North America with over 2 million visitors!

 

Special time...

 

 

So happy together...

 

 

So much to be thankful for...

 

Morning sunrise…

Wow!

This morning’s sky was beautiful. There was this aura about the colors that I did my best to capture. It is mornings like today that I am so thankful for being out of the urban environment…

False hope…

Texas is in the midst of a horrible drought. State climatologist, John Nielson-Gammon, has declared the worst single-year dry spell in over 116 years. This intractable drought has had a significant impact on the state’s economy – losses are already projected at $3 billion, and they are rising with every day of sunshine. While agriculture-related costs are large and very visible, the lack of rainfall is also taking a toll in other areas. Lakes, ranch tanks and ponds are literally drying up! Wildfires have destroyed well over 1 million acres of range land (as well as homes, outbuildings, businesses, and other assets), and recovery will be slow without measurable rainfall.

Weather has always been a hobby of mine. I even took a climatology course in college. (40 years ago) I put together my first weather station (Radioshack kit) the first year Leicalady and I were married. When we moved to the Rockin’P I stepped up to a Davis Instruments wireless, solar-powered station. Anyway, Saturday evening I noticed that internet radar indicated some nice storms heading our way from the southeast. The wind picked up and I could hear thunder crackling in the distance. I grabbed my camera as I wanted to document the beauty of the Cumulonimbus clouds that were quickly forming…

 

 

Unfortunately, the system drifted to the east of us – the Rockin’P did not even get a sprinkle! I guess we will have to hope for relief from a hurricane in the Gulf…