Visual Ovation

Urban Wisdom

 

After some time away, we're back.  But wherever we go, we seem to be directed towards the same message.  This time the reminder comes from Venice, delivered to us on the first morning of our explorations.  This store window engaged us with a strong piece of urban wisdom superimposed on the soft and artistic reflection of the lovely statues that adorn the church across the campo. 

The message is universal:  Try to ward off complacency.  Don't be distracted by the unimportant.  Every moment is precious, a blessing, a gift, an opportunity.

And so,

Carpe Diem!

A Wish for the Season

 

Street Art Memorial - Natasja Saad

 

Street art can take many forms and have many meanings.  Recently, we saw one of the most poignant examples of this from the harbor in Copenhagen.  Alongside the usual collection of initials and names painted on the waterfront retaining wall, we were touched to see this memorial.  We wondered who Natasja (or Little T) might be.  And, of course, because the world really is quite small, a little internet research provided answers.

It turns out that Natasja is Natasja Saad.  She was an up-and-coming Danish rap and reggae artist who lived and began her singing career in Copenhagen.  She died tragically in a car accident in Jamaica in 2007.  Certainly, this brief recitation cannot do justice to who she was as a person or an artist.

The art of the street is, by definition, transient.  Images and text are often on display for only a short time, subsequently partially painted over by other taggers or artists, or sometimes obliterated completely.  Yet, sometimes the art is respected and left in place, as is the case here. 

Ms. Saad is buried in Copenhagen's cemetery for artists, Assistens Kirkegard, in the same company as Hans Christian Anderson and Soren Kierkegaard.  But she also has this informal memorial on the waterfront of her native city.  It is a street art memorial for an artist whose inspiration came from the music of the streets.  How poignant.  How fitting.

 An online memorial to Natasja Saad can be found at this address: 

http://www.myspace.com/tasjamusic

 

Out of Control in St. Petersburg

 

So, there we were, in St. Petersburg, Russia, a city that is so very rich historically and  photographically.  We were taking the requisite photographs of the Hermitage and other monuments, and loving every minute of it. 

But, of course, I had my eye out for street art of all sorts.  While walking with our guide, I glanced at the truck that was on my right, parked in the street, and saw this.  I don't really know what to make of it,  the image was only on the door.  But in light of the traffic situation in St. Petersburg, it did make me smile.  Just hang on....

If you know any more about the image, let us know.

 

 

Street Skulls

Street art + Day of the Dead = some great skull images.  So here are a few.....

From San Francisco:

 

 

From London...

 

 

From St. Petersburg, Russia, a very creative piece of car decoration...

 

 

A closer view of the other side...

 

 

Another image from London...

 

 

and back to San Francisco...

 

 

and finally, a more playful image, also from San Francisco...

 

 

So as the Day of the Dead approaches, lets celebrate those who have passed, those who remain, and the artistic souls who make images that join and delight us, no matter where we live.

Mystery, Beauty and the Day of the Dead

 

We are still thinking about the upcoming Day of the Dead celebrations.  We find these images quite captivating and lovely in a strange sort of way.  The Lady of Death is quite elegantly attired, with lovely jewels, but she gazes at us, waiting...

 The scales of life and death are kept in balance until.....when?

 

 

Death, and those who have passed, remain with us always. 

 

 

We reflect on life and death.  These images remind us about the mystery and beauty of both.

 

Preparing for the Day of the Dead

 

Wandering in the Mission District in San Francisco, on the hunt for street art, it was delightful to find these little sweet treats being prepared for the Day of the Dead.  Because every sugar skull needs a lovely butterfly on its head.  Here are some more...

 

 

And more still, tiny skulls that you could decorate yourself...

 

 

And finally, more abstract ones in another store window...

 

 

So I went to the Mission in search of street art, but I found so much more.    Sweet playfulness and creativity, all in the service of honoring and remembering.   Lovely.

 

Street Portraits

 We have become just captivated with the art of the street.  It all started in Vancouver.  And now we have started looking for it, we are finding it everywhere.  We are also finding places we never would have noticed before.  It is a whole new world out there, and there are many canvases available to be created upon. 

San Francisco is a living art gallery, with some amazing murals, some of which have been formally sanctioned, and some of which have simply emerged.  Photographing street art is meaningful not just because it is a delight to bear witness to amazing images, but also because street art, by definition, can be transient.  Indeed, a piece that we photographed just 3 weeks ago has already been painted over.  And then there is the issue of the names of the artists who create such amazing works under such unusual conditions.  Sometimes the name of the artist is clear, but sometimes pieces seem to appear with no attribution, and even internet research doesn't provide any clues. 

But even if there is a question about who it is who is doing the painting, there should be no question about the creativity and accomplishment of street artists.  The range of styles, the range of imagery - it is marvelous.  Here are a few of our latest favorites from our San Francisco wanderings.  Like the haunting blue lady by artist Mark Bode shown above.

Or the sweet portrait by an unknown artist, found in Lilac Alley...

 

 

And then there are pieces that are stunningly dramatic, like this one that reminds us of a modern Maori warrior, by Desi W.O.M.E.

 

And this one, which we call Fire Eyes (unfortunately we don't know the artist's name)

 

 

And then there is this lovely image, made all the more poignant by the vicissitudes of being outside, which we have called, "Black Tears."  It is part of a mural by Max Ehrman (also known as EON 75) and an artist who we only know as JAE 54...

 

 

So we celebrate the art of the streets and the artists who create there.  Wherever you are, wherever you live, take a closer look down alleys you might not normally notice.  You might be surprised what you find.

On Travel, Being Playful and the Art of Discovery

 

We have just returned from a wonderful trip and we are ready to make a confession:  We have finally discovered that we are "Bad Tourists."  Well, perhaps we knew it all along, but we have never as fully embraced it as we did on this trip.  And we certainly have never been ready to make such a public admission.

Oh, yes, before we visit a place we do all the right things:   We talk to fellow travelers, read guidebooks, scan a myriad of travel magazines, look online, plan our days...the whole shebang.  And then, when we get to where we are going, we put it all aside.  Well, perhaps not all of it, but enough that we leave ourselves the time and space to simply wander in a new place and see what we can discover.  After all, why should travel be such a serious business?  Why not follow the sage advice we stumbled upon on a wall on Brick Lane in London:  Be Playful?  OK, don't mind if I do!

In letting ourselves treat travel as play, we have made all sorts of delightful discoveries, finding urban wisdom and images that make us smile.  Sometimes you just have to follow this advice found in Amsterdam:

 

...And then you see things you might never have noticed before.  Like this image:  The love may be worn, but it still calls out to us in London:

 
And, wow, the invitation to sit and chat in front of a coffee shop with this resident of Tallinn, Estonia certainly wasn't mentioned in the guidebooks:

 

And then there are things that you could not have imagined having the good fortune to discover.  Take these lovely images from a mural painted by Eeva Janes inside the small chapel at the Consistory of the Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tallinn.  We would never have known they existed but for the generosity of the kind man who was pushing the front door just as we were pulling it.  We didn't realize until later that it was the Dean of the Church, Reverend Arho Tuhkru, who recovered from his surprise and so generously invited us in.  More than that, despite being on his way out with backpack in hand, he changed his plans and took the time to show us around.  He gave us the gift of his time and the gift of sweet images from the chapel that touch us, still.  Like this Angel...

 

 ...and these lovely flowers...

 

 

And this image of generosity and compassion... 

 

 But there was more, another lovely surprise.  Reverend Tuhkru led us to the top floor to show us this angel, an image recovered from a frieze painted when the building originally was built, in 1693.  It had been covered up for years until it was discovered when the building was renovated:

 

 If we had followed the guidebooks, we wouldn't have had the delight of these discoveries. 

So being playful, open and "Bad Tourists" seems to serve us well.  We no longer struggle about it.  We will go our own way in our travels, and see what we find and what finds us.  I suppose we just have finally decided that we are old enough now to choose how we approach and explore the new places we visit. 

Of course, this stance may not sit well with others.  We did receive a disapproving look from a fellow traveler when we revealed that we visited Stockholm and did not go to the Vasa Museum.  But, you know, the Vasa Museum will be there for a while.  The lovely piece of urban wisdom that we discovered on this Stockholm window won't be:

 
 

Words of wisdom for us all, don't you think?

The Kindness Flag Project has a Blog

 

Tuesday's post showed images from the amazing display of public art and healing called "The Kindness Flag Project" in Vancouver, Canada.

There now is a blog devoted to the project.  Check it out:

www.kindnessflagproject.wordpress.com

It may sound simple, or even simplistic, but the concept is profound:

 

Thanks to Ingrid Tamboline and everyone who participated in the Project for reminding us.

 

Healing Flags, The Kindness Flag Project

 

This is a story about the power of one person to make a difference and the power of art to help a community heal from trauma.

In June, 2011, in the aftermath of the loss of the Stanley Cup to Boston, there were riots in downtown Vancouver.  In addition to injuries, many businesses had windows smashed and there was looting.  But the response to this violation was amazing. The larger Vancouver community rose to the occasion to try to heal the damage done to the city's heart.  The next morning people flocked to the city center to start the clean up. 

But there was more.  On the boards that had been placed over broken windows, people began to write about their feelings.  Their messages were of anger, frustration and hope.  Another blog entry will focus on these.  But suffice to say that the layers and layers of writing were extraordinarily powerful.  Here is a small example from one of the boards:

 

 This is one of the buildings that took the brunt of the damage, the Hudson Bay Company.  You can see the boards behind the fencing.

 

 But this brings us to the other amazing development.  Do you see the layers and layers of prayer flags?  These were the result of the efforts of one woman, Ingrid Tamboline.  She remembered a project that had been developed to honor the visit of the Dali Lama to Vancouver a number of years before.  In this project, prayer flags were created and displayed publicly.  Ingrid's goal was simple and simply profound.  This poster shows her invitation:

 

And so the Kindness Flag Project was born. In an interview, Ingrid thought that only a few people would make these flags.  But the word was spread with facebook and flikr sites developing quickly.  Less than a week later, it was estimated that over 2,000 flags were fluttering over the damaged downtown area.

The riot occurred on Wednesday and we arrived on Sunday.  We had known about the riot, but we had not heard about the community response.  We took the sky train from the airport to the downtown, and when we emerged from the station we were amazed.  To see board after board with layers of writing and then look up to see layer after layer of prayer flags was incredible. 

The next morning we went out with the intent of trying to record this amazing piece of public art and emotion.  The more we saw and the more we read, the more powerful it all seemed. It would be impossible to photograph it all.  We simply hope our limnited collection of images does justice to the intent of the Vancouver community.

The image at the top of this blog is a collection of flags that to our eye typified the beautiful messages of love and hope and peace that were created.  But there were other messages as well.

Words of wisdom about the relationship between darkness and light in life:

 

 

 

Words of thanks to police and first responders (and this was a theme reiterated in the messages on the window boards, as well.)

 

 

 

There were comments of support to the Vancouver community (with a little humor added)

 

And a final comment about the power of social media for good:

 

We came to Vancouver hoping to capture some images of the lovely bay and interesting architecture.  But we found so much more.  In coming when we did, we were able to know Vancouver in a way that we could not have imagined.  We were able to see the strength of a community and the power of art to heal.  The flags gave messages of hope and inspiration to the sad Vancouver community and to us, as well. 

We think this flag summed it up beautifully:

 Google "Kindness Flag Project" and "Ingrid Tamboline" for more information about the Kindness Flag Project and what happened in Vancouver. To see more of our images of the flags, go to our Website to the "Transformation and Healing" folder. 

Summer Show 2011 Opens at Riverfront Art Gallery

 

It has been an exciting 2 days at the Gallery, hanging the new Summer shows.  The second annual "Showin' on the River" Juried Fine Art Painting and Mixed Media show is up, and it is a very exciting collection of work.  The postcard shows just a few of the lovely images.  We are particularly taken with Muriel Sutcher Knapp's "Mademoiselle FiFi."  And Kirk Hinshaw's playfully elegant collages delight us with their misty, magical Venetian backgrounds.

Last show cycle, Frank and I had a collaborative show, with images from the lovely Keukenhof Gardens in The Netherlands.  Over the last several months we each have developed new bodies of work that have been exciting to us, so this time our shows are quite independent.

Frank's show is titled, "Water Sorcery."  Here is one of the images, "Spirit in the Sky:"

 

 

 

Frank's show is a series of abstracts that reveal a beautiful alchemy of Bavarian early morning light, water, wood and good fortune.  He thought of calling the show, "Not your Opa's Bavaria"  because these are certainly not traditional alpine views and they were not the images he expected to bring home.  But in the lovely mystery that is photography, these were the images that came to him.  Did you think you could find the universe in a Bavarian water trough?  Well, you can.  Here is another favorite, called, "Water Dandelion,"

 

 

 

In contrast to Frank's show, which is abstract, delicate and subtle, my show is bright and hard-edged.  But it is no less a reflection of serendipity.  Called, "Art With Emotion:  Portraits from a Vancouver Alley," it pays homage to the amazing street art we stumbled across in an alley outside Gastown in Vancouver.   The title reflects the fact that there is a lot of emotion associated with street art:  In the discussions regarding whether or not it even constitutes something that could be called art; in the experiences of the artists who often are working quickly and surreptitiously, and in the content of the pieces.

This particular alley had a combination of a very large (probably 2 block long) mural by "Cold World Media" along one wall that has been described as legal or "semi legal," while the other side of the alley was covered in work that probably is not sanctioned.  This is one of my portraits from the amazing Cold World Media mural.   I have called it, "The Spirit:"

 

 
 

And then there was the other side of the alley.  The feel of the images on this side spoke to me more of separation, isolation and struggle.  They were very strong graphically and emotionally.  Here is one, by the street artist "S. Vegas."  I think it is an extraordinary piece of work and I have taken the liberty of giving it a title, "Grief."

 

 

 

Did I go to Vancouver expecting to be captivated by street art?  Nope.  But this is what came to me, and I am delighted to have found it.  I have created portraits that I hope honor the rich physical and emotional textures of the original work.

So come to Riverfront to see the new shows.  The opening reception is Saturday July 16th from 5 pm to 9pm.  The show will continue until September 11th, 2011.  Hope to see you there. 

If you visit, be sure to say hello to Mademoiselle FiFi.

Love and the Joy of the Number 31

This is a another little post about a big subject:  Love.

If one is immensely lucky in life, one finds love.  The shiny gloss of new love will inevitably become weathered.  But if one works hard, love will grow and deepen and become stronger over time, developing a more complex beauty.

 

And then there are other realities of the human condition:

   

There is good in the world:  Love, peace, beauty, togetherness. 

But life also can be harsh.  Inevitably there is sadness and loss, and sometimes they seem so big as to be overwhelming. 

But if one is really lucky, well, this sign said it all....

   

So this is for Frank. 

Thank you for making sure that love has always won.  Thank you for reminding me that the rainbow comes after the rain.

 

This is a most beautiful number.  How about 31 more?

Urban Wisdom

 

Today we were at a small town parade to celebrate the coming of the Apple Blossoms.  In addition to the fun of any small town parade, this young lady was serving a dose of urban wisdom.  Her message struck us as rather sweet.  It won't cure the world's ills, but it certainly wouldn't hurt.

But urban wisdom (even serious stuff) doesn't have to be stuffy.  We'll  take that message with a side of joy, please.

 

For Larkin

 

Larkin arrived today.  A little ray of sunshine and hope on a cold November day.  She begins the journey that will be her life held securely in the arms of her family.  And from those secure arms she eventually will embark on adventures that we cannot imagine today. 

What can we say to her as we welcome her into the world?  Sometimes wisdom comes from the strangest places.  The images above came from the streets of Amsterdam and Venice.  Perhaps she will visit these cities one day.  But the sentiment scribbled on walls so far away is universal, crossing all boundaries of race, culture, age, nationality, time and space.  In the end, life is all about love.

Welcome, Larkin, with Love.

Birth of a Blog

It's a Blog!  Beginning with the first labor pains over the weekend to today, our blog is born.  Frank acknowledges that while he is ready to give out cigars, I have been the one laboring.  And it has been quite a labor.  Those who know me know that to call me "technologically challenged" would be a kindness.  I am, in a word, a luddite.  I have joked that candles were perfectly good sources of light.  Still, I am slowly emerging from under the rocks to reach out into cyberspace. 

My first steps into the unknown came with the development of our photography website, which we invite you to visit:  www.VisualOvation.Zenfolio.com.  I have to say that the folks at Zenfolio are fantastic:  They have put together a beautiful  product, reasonably priced, with lots of options and very, very user friendly.  Their technical support is extremely patient and kind (Thanks, Laura).  It was a wonderful way to get my little luddite feet wet.  And so the next step was a blog - not quite as easy to set up, but here we are. 

So what is Visual Ovation and why are we here? Over the years, and in part coming from Frank's struggle with leukemia, we have developed a heightened appreciation for life and for living it as fully as possible.  It is no accident that "Carpe Diem" is on our banner  (it was a sweet delight and surprise to find a boat with this name in Amsterdam).  There is nothing like being in a reverse isolation room hooked up to an IV for chemotherapy (or to witness the person you love the most in the world in this situation) to make you feel that when you get out you'll "seize the day" every day.  And when, because of the skill and grace of a wonderful oncologist and team of oncology nurses (truly angels on earth); the love and support of friends and family; and serendipitous timing of medical advances, you become blessed with good health, well, you are not going to let that blessing go to waste. 

Part of seizing the day has involved trying to see more of the world.  But to seize the day doesn't necessarily mean leaving home.  It more reflects a process of noting and appreciating the beautiful, the artistic, the interesting, the curious, the surprising and the humorous as we find it.  Sometimes we are able to capture these moments in a photograph, sometimes in words, and sometimes they just will reside within us for private sustenance.

So for us, the name"Visual Ovation" represents the experience of seeing something and being filled with surprise or delight or interest.   The idea of "applauding the artistic in the everyday" reflects our view that there is beauty and artistry everywhere, if we just can let ourselves see it and acknowledge it and "applaud" it.  Visual Ovation Photography allows us to explore such images and it is in our website and this blog that we intend to share our views.  If you are interested in musings about photography - (a new love and passion), travel (an old love and passion) and life - well, we hope you will keep on coming back. 

The following picture comes from a recent trip to Amsterdam.  We are not sure if Amsterdam is filled with what we call "urban wisdom" of if we were just ready to see it.  But we kept finding images in the streets that spoke about life and celebration and living.  On our first day, Frank took this picture.  Words to live by, though we didn't expect to see this wisdom in metal letters on a storefront.  So here's to celebrating life, new adventures, and the Birth of the Blog.    -  Stephanie