Borrowing Art

I've been having an ongoing conversation about the ethics of photographing other people's art. Clearly it's one thing to take a photo of a public piece of art and identify it as such, while it would be clearly less ethical to take unauthorized photos in a museum or private gallery or home, even if the photographer gives the artist credit.

I'll stay away from that dicey territory here. Although I don't know the name of the Tacoma artist who did the work above, I appreciate their vision in turning an ordinary fire standpipe into a piece of colorful folk art. For a wider view of this, click here.

Oly, here I come!

Got the Arts Walk exhibit set up this evening, and I'm all a-tingle with anticipation. I'm eager to learn what people like (and, yes, don't like) so I hope you will drop by. My display is at the Christian Science Reading Room, 120 4th Ave E. in downtown Olympia, WA.

I'll be there much of the time Friday and Saturday evenings, except perhaps when I'm out looking at other folks' work, and except definitely for 4:30-5:30 pm Saturday, when I'll be enjoying (and taking photos of) the Procession of the Species. I will NOT miss that!

This image was taken in a downtown Olympia alley. Something about the subtle shades of paint on the way contrasting with the rust and red of the pipes. Also, there's a funny red-nosed face in the pipes, but don't look for it if you're afraid of clowns.

Seeing Differently

I've shot photos most of my life. But it was mostly vacation snaps, or perhaps an assignment for a class, or family or friend shots. Only in the last couple of years have I gone looking for images. And the other day when I was waiting for a meeting in downtown Olympia, it struck me how much my vision has changed as a result.

Instead of cooling my heels in a cafe waiting, I strolled through alleys. The rain gave way to a wet sunshine, and the light was magical. I shot some buildings, some sky, some details. Then I looked down. At first, I saw only the puddle. In an instant, however, I saw that it was a doorway to another view, an upside-down planet where I saw buildings and sky through the old bricks beneath the thin veneer of pavement.

Yet another reason not to take me on walks, if you're in a hurry to get someplace.