Spring Tulips

Last year I had the opportunity to visit Keukenhof in the Netherlands. It had been on my "bucket" list for a long time, but there was never an opportunity to travel to see the tulips while I was teaching.  The gardens are extraordinary, with fields and fields of research tulips nearby.  I spend three hours photographing as many tulips as possible and fortunately had a sunny day to do it.

My florist grandfather was Dutch and my family has been in the florist family since the 1800's. So, of course I had to go see the tulips!

Here is a tulip montage I made last week.

Free Goldfish!

Several years ago, I put some "feeder" goldfish into my pond in the back of my yard.  To my surprise, they survived the winter and have since proliferated. Each spring, hundreds come to the surface after spending the winter hibernating in the muck. They gulp for air and have produced some bubbles along the surface of the pond. This is always a neat sign of spring and takes place as soon as some of the ice melts.

Right now, there is still ice on most of the lotus pond, but enough space for the fish to congregate. Soon the  blue heron will visit for lunch, but there are more fish than the appetite of the heron.  Once the lotus sprout in late May and June, the pond is covered with vegetation and the fish are hidden from view. So, the time to enjoy the fish is now.

Anyone with a quick net who lives in Ithaca can come by to catch some.  Let me know ahead of time, however.

Art Behind the Scientist at Tompkins County Public Library

I was invited to have a show and a talk about my art as part of the Art Behind the Scientist series.  I look at it equally as science behind the artist.  I truly believe that my experience and training in science has contributed greatly to my productivity as an artist. The scientific method has been very important for trying out new techniques and pursuing them in my art.  And of course, there is the primary subject of flowers in my first few years of photography. Then there is the digital dissection of the flower pictures to produce the photo montages.

My show is up at the library until April 8th and my powerpoint presentation will take place at the library on March 31st at 6 PM.  I hope those of you in the Ithaca area will come and see my show and to come for the talk and reception.

San Francisco Tea Garden

While taking a tour of San Francisco, I stopped at the lovely Tea Garden tucked into the Golden Gate Park.  The garden was gorgeous, with azaleas in bloom, winding trails, secret gardens, ponds with creative rock gardens, and the serenity that takes one away from the hustle and bustle of city life.  Hidden in a back pathway was a gorgeous statue of a Buddha.  I photographed the Buddha and made a new montage with lotus.  Notice that the bronze Buddha is sitting on an open lotus flower.

San Francisco 2011

As a retired biology teacher, but still active with the New York Science teachers, I attended the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) conference in San Francisco last week.  The site was excellent with the hills, cable cars, Golden Gate Bridge, the diversity of people, excellent food, and of course the conference.  I took over 300 images and am now trying to decide how to use them in montages.  Here is one idea using several layers of extracted buildings.

Florida birds

While on vacation in Florida, I enjoyed walking in marshes, along the beaches, and in preserves to capture images of various wildlife. The most prominent were the birds, always alert to securing the next meal.

Here are some.

Chile and Argentina Montages

While traveling with Grand Circle Tours in Chile and Argentina this winter to escape the cold North and to enjoy the South American culture, I took over 1000 digital pictures.  Now it is time to do something with those images and I just finished creating some montages from them.  They include two from Valparaiso, which is a port city where 17 hills tower over the basin city.  They mentioned that it was their San Francisco. The highlight of the trip for me was the visit to the famous poet Pedro Neruda's home on the hill and to see how he was inspired by the incredible views of the city and harbor.

In Buenos Aires, we visited the cemetery that contained Iva Peron's mausoleum.  At night, we enjoyed dinner and the Tango, which was an incredible display of talent.

Let me know what you think of these montages.