Tag Archives: TEXAS
Galveston Island ARToberFEST…
I had to drive down to Corpus Christi last Friday morning from Houston. Fridays are the day I pick up my canvas prints from Ron Brant at Art Castle. My friend John Martell is off on a much-needed vacation, so I made the trip. Sunday is exchange day at the Rockport Center for the Arts, so I can take care of a lot of loose ends on this trip. Every month members can exhibit one piece in the Member’s Gallery. I’ll drop my image off at 1:00 pm on Sunday and head back up to Houston.
This is “Back Off”…without a doubt one of the most popular images I’ve made. I sell a BIG copy of it just about every show. This is one of the pieces I picked up from Ron on Friday. I’ll be stretching it this week to have it ready for the Galveston Island ARToberFEST next weekend. We’ll be setting up on Friday evening and exhibiting on Saturday and Sunday on the Island. This will probably be the last show we do this year.
I shot my first “Friday Night Lights” football game Friday night. Sports photography isn’t my thing, but I’ve always wanted to give it a try. It’s different. Instead of worrying about snakes and alligators, you need to watch out for those 250+ pound players getting you! It was fun…
I’m looking forward to an upcoming Wyman Meinzer workshop I’m attending in early November. More later…
Enchanted Oaks…
OK…So something really nice happened yesterday…
Sharon and I went over to the Rockport Center for the Arts for a “Gallery Talk” and reception. There’s a new exhibit and we wanted a chance to meet the artists.
Let me back up a bit. Last Sunday was Exchange Day at the RCA. Members are allowed to bring in a piece every month to be exhibited…and HOPEFULLY sold…in the Member’s Gallery. I chose this image…”Enchanted Oaks”. It’s definitely something different from me. This image had been printed on a 16×24 canvas. I made this image about a month ago when all of the wildflowers were in bloom. The oak trees here have been windswept forever….and their gnarled growth reflects that constant battle.
Sharon came up to me and said that a couple was leaving the RCA with “Enchanted Oaks”. We went outside and met this nice couple. I introduced myself as the artist, and we struck up a short conversation. They are locals, and she had REALLY enjoyed seeing this image. They said it “screamed of Rockport”…my EXACT intention. He purchased it as a Mother’s Day gift for her!
I LOVE to meet the people who buy my art. It really doesn’t happen too often, but when it does…
The Rookeries…
It’s that time of the year…
All of the rookeries are full of mating/nesting birds… and they’re all decked out in their FINEST mating plumage.
We’ve (Mike Collins and John Martell and myself) been spending some time out there…and the production has been rewarding. Everywhere you look there’s “life” happening. The amount of interaction between the various species is unbelievable! I made over 4000 images these two days. Of course they weren’t all keepers….
Please take a look at the Roseate Spoonbill and Great Blue Heron galleries for more new images of the rookeries. I’ll be adding more soon…
Boats…
It’s FINALLY sunk in for me…
Maybe..just maybe…not EVERYONE appreciates bird photography as much as I do. I know…it’s hard to believe…
I’m a photographer. Not just an Avian photographer. I probably enjoy photographing birds more than anything else. But I do MUCH more than just birds…
I gave my an assignment. Wake up early (thats NOT a problem for me)…Grab your Canon 70-200 mm f/2.8 IS II lens (don’t EVEN bring that BIG 400 mm)…and get out there and make some cool images.
So thats what I did. And guess what…I had a GREAT time! Here’s an image I made over the weekend. I took this early Saturday morning at the Key Allegro Marina in Rockport, TX. I spent all weekend just trying to capture the essence of South Texas marinas. Not all of the boats are nice. Many of them have to work hard every day.
I’m putting together a whole new galley on the website for these images. If you click on Galleries from the Home page…select Coastal Bend…and then select Seascapes…you’ll be able to see what I’m trying to do. Please let me know what you think…SEF
Roseate Spoonbill Mystery Solved…
I’ve been thinking about it a LOT! I’ve ALWAYS wondered…
This is an image I’ve posted before. It’s called “Good Morning”…and it’s one of my favorites. I had “Good Morning” printed BIG (30 x 40) on canvas, and placed it in the Member’s Gallery at the Rockport Center for the Arts several months ago. Member’s are allowed to place one piece in the gallery every month. If the piece “Red Dots” (sells), the owner gets the proceeds less gallery commission. It’s a nice benefit of being a member and supporting the Rockport Center for the Arts.
Well…”Good Morning” was sold early in the month. I was tickled for a LOT of reasons. I’m one of THOSE artists who enjoy the positive reinforcement of selling their art! I know it’s probably not exactly right, but thats how I keep score. I really like making killer images…and I REALLY like to sell them!
Many days I would think about who bought “Good Morning”. Where did he/she hang it? Is it a major focal point of their home? And on and on and on…
OK…So I was at the Rockport Market Days last weekend. This relatively young man walks into my booth and starts to look around. Out of the blue he says that he is redoing a historic landmark home here in Rockport and had purchased “Good Morning” as a prominent piece in their home! I was blown away…in the BEST of ways. He told me how much they enjoyed the piece and was going home to get his wife to come back and look. Unfortunately…they didn’t make it back…
I know exactly the house where this “Good Morning” lives now. Mystery solved! Every time I drive by this 100+ year-old home I smile…SEF
Birds As Art…
One of the 25 or so photography blogs I follow is Arthur Morris’ Birds As Art. It’s probably my favorite. Arthur Morris is arguably the finest bird photographer on the planet. From a reader’s perspective, he often seems to be rather eccentric and sometimes cranky. Having said that, I have learned a BUNCH of good stuff reading his blog…
“Artie”…as his friends call him (And unfortunately he’s not a friend.He doesn’t even know I exist!)…is sponsoring the Birds As Art 1st International Bird Photography Competition. For a modest $25 I can upload 10 of my images into the competition. There are about 10 different categories that I won’t bother to describe. Just photographing birds is geeky enough for most. Putting them into esoteric categories would be way over the top for 99% of you. I LOVE IT!
OK…So I’ve selected all of my entries. I haven’t uploaded them yet because the deadline isn’t until March 31. There’s still plenty of time for me to change my mind…make corrections…and just “think about it”.
The good thing about this competition is that all of the entries will be anonymous for the jury. All the judges see is the image…no signatures…no names…no nothing. I think I stand as good a chance as some of the “Rock Stars” out there. We’ll know soon…SEF
Whooping Cranes
I’ve been a busy guy…
My association with the Treehouse Art Collective in Corpus Christi is off to a fast start. They sold three of my images in the first week! This is a very nice gallery…and the owners are GREAT to work with. I’m very thankful for the opportunity to show here…
Bought a new…make that new to ME…lens from my friends at Lensrentals.com. They had a Canon 70-200 f/2.8 II IS coming out of their rental inventory…and I jumped all over it! I’ve rented glass from these folks and I’ve purchased used glass from them. This 70-200 looks brand new! The folks at Lensrentals.com really understand the meaning of customer service. Give them a try…
I just “found” this image of a Whooping Crane while post-processing some images. I had forgotten about this shoot out at the Crane House, and have a couple of keepers in there!
I’m dying to get out shooting again. I’ve been bogged down with all kinds of administrative stuff. Als the weather has been a factor. NOT THAT I’M COMPLAINING, but the weather has been challenging. We’re finally getting the MUCH-needed rain here in Texas. When it’s not raining, it’s been foggy and overcast. We need the rain…We need the rain…
More later…SEF
Gallery Updates…
I’ve been pretty busy trying to download more images to my website galleries. I think I’ve FINALLY locked on to a decent system…we’ll see!
This is a pretty little Black-Throated Sparrow that I photographed a couple of months ago down at the Santa Clara Ranch. I’ll be heading back down there at the end of April for another shoot.
Just had a busy weekend down in Rockport, TX. I tried to get out both Saturday and Sunday mornings to shoot, but just didn’t find anything happening. I watched a really nice Kingfisher work for a while, but couldn’t get a decent image made.
Met with the owner of a nice gallery/restaurant on Saturday night. I’d really like to get some of my images exhibited there. We also discussed another potential opportunity that I can’t discuss right now. It is potentionally VERY exciting.
OK…Please take a look at some of the new galleries. Let me know what you think…SEF
What! No Birds…
I’m trying something new. Not really new…but different.
I just got back to Houston from being down in Rockport. The weather has been very difficult for photographing birds. High winds (35+ mph) and LOTS of rain have all of the birds hunkered down. I tried every one of my “favorite” spots on Saturday and just couldn’t find anything to shoot.
These pilings are just off of Water Street in Rockport, TX. I always thought that if I could catch a real foggy morning I might be able to make a decent image. At one time these pilings had a deck attached making it a fishing pier. Obviously the deck is long gone…but the remaining pilings intrigue me. The image needs some more work, but I like it.
I received a call today from the Rockport Center for the Arts. I had dropped off an 11×14 matted print and a photo note card to the Gift Shop Committee for consideration. They are going to let me bring in some prints and cards to sell in the gift shop. Every little bit helps!