Camera Obscura Bristol England

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

Artists and art critics have been interested in the camera obscura for several centuries, but it was first described by a Chinese philosopher in the 5^th century B.C.  Aristotle (384 to 322 BCE) described the principles of the camera obscura and pinhole camera when he viewed a solar eclipse as projected onto the ground through tiny spaces between tree leaves (a pinhole).

However, it was not until Alhazen (nicknamed "Ptolemy the Second”) that it was put together that the projected image on the screen was actually the rearranged (upside down) image of the light from the other side of the aperture (pinhole).  Alhazen was a mathematician, scientist, and astronomer who made many advances in optics.  He was even studying the magnifying power of a lens.  Alhazan is thought to have died in Cairo, Egypt  in 1040 A.D.

Leonardo da Vinci took his turn describing the optics effects and suggested their use by artists as an aid in drawing.  By the mid-1500s, another Italian Giambattista della Porta began publishing a series of books (“Magia Naturalis,” starting in 1558) about many topics, including the use of a convex lens and he receives credit for having perfected the camera obscura.  He also explained in popular terms how the lens of the eye was similar to the lens of the camera obscura, increasing the latter’s fame.

Today, the debate continues on whether or not famous artists, such as Vermeer, have used a camera obscura to aid in their realistic drawings and paintings.  I am not so fussed about these things because from what I have seen, if one can draw well from life, tools are aids.  If one cannot draw well, then the tools are a crutch.  But I think that one can see the difference in the struggle:  Just a theory.  I also tend to be more interested in the idea and how well its execution has evoked emotion.  Technique is a large part of the awe factor, but without the other qualities, the work can be dull.

While in Bristol, England, last week, I got to see the famous Clifton Suspension Bridge:  In person and on foot, but also, with a large camera obscura!  There is a nearby Observatory that houses a camera obscura.  The building is 337 feet above the gorge and river below.  Oddly enough, I took most of the images from inside the Observatory near the bridge (vs. of the observatory itself), and the image of it was taken from the bridge.  You will just see the tops of this building that once was a snuff mill.

The mill suffered a huge fire and lay dormant for decades until an artist, William West, rented it as a studio in 1828.  During his time there, he installed the camera obscura that is still there today.  The 5-inch convex lens and sloping mirror project an image of the surrounding areas outside (including the suspension bridge), but not a mirror image, onto a large white disk.  I was surprised by how bumpy this surface was. 

When my friend Wendy and I entered the tower room with the camera obscura and its projected image, it was dark and there were two women and three children enjoying the experience.  Of course, the entire space would have to be painted dark, with no other windows in order to clearly see the projected image.  I was surprised at how sharp the image was and on a bright day it is said to be even better. 

 

The lens and the mirror above it are naturally high up.  The mirror exists simply to direct the image, otherwise one would be looking at the sky above projected downwards.  The mirror is connected to a large metal pole that is on a pair of rollers.  The rollers rotate the mirror in a circle around the lens.  Visitors may push this long handle to change the view.  You may see in one image the blurred movement in the projected image while the mirror is being re-aimed.  I was amused when one of the adults pointed out to the children some people kissing in the park.  I really is true that one should be careful of public behavior:  someone is inevitably watching! Haha.

Later, the door was opened and I took a few shots of the room with more light in it so you can get a better idea of the hardware and set up.  

The Bristol Observatory

is one of the two camera obscuras open to the public in England.  Wendy was surprised that it now costs £2 to enter, having been free to visit for so long.  However, when researching this blog post, I found an article in the BBC that stated back in June 2013 that both the observatory and the camera obscura were for sale for £2M.  The article implies that there was some time in which the facility was not open at all.  I do not know whether or not a sale was made, but I was happy to be able to see this wondrous thing.  

The Observatory is listed on the “Buildings at Risk Register” by English Heritage.  Perhaps the small donation is enough to keep the doors open… or at least, keep a person employed for a bit.  The Observatory also houses the entrance that artist William West built to a cave that opens out on the face of the cliff overlooking the gorge.  We did not visit that, preferring to do some plein air painting instead.  

Follow these links for more information about the camera obscura in Bristol, England:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Observatory,_Bristol


http://visitbristol.co.uk/things-to-do/clifton-observatory-camera-obscura-and-cave-p24651
In general, the camera obscura information (ie, not just the Bristol c.o.):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camera_obscura
http://brightbytes.com/cosite/what.html

Stonehenge England

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

I have been visiting one of my Angel Academy fellow artist friends, Wendy, in Bristol, England.  The other day we drove to Wiltshire to see the famous prehistoric monument Stonehenge.

Stonehenge is believed to have been built anywhere from 3000 BC to 2000 BC. and while many observations have been made about how the specific placements of the stones coincide with natural events (sunrise, sunset, winter and summer solstices, and more), it still feels as though we have more questions than answers.  

It now costs eight pounds to get in, with a free audio guide that I felt was actually interesting and useful (I do not always appreciate this commentary in art museums).  Sadly, due probably to the negative behaviours of humans being selfish, one can no longer walk amongst the stones and the ropes that are quite tempting to jump over are fairly distant from the monument.  I behaved… really.

Although the consensus of Stonehenge is that it was a gathering place for people, I would have loved to have been alone and walking amongst the stones at dusk.  I want to touch them and smell them.  The audio guide told that there are over 90 different specimens of lichen on those rocks.  There are many colors in the stone, visible in their subtleties even at the distance we had to stay.  Some of the stones have enough iron in them that when they fall over or are horizontal, one can clearly see the ferric red color “flowing over” the stone.  And they believe that human sacrifices were done on these sacred stones.  I only see more questions than answers.  Are we not a complicated lot?

Don Elliot Franklin Barry Gallery Indianapolis

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

Happy birthday to Don Elliott!  Recently one of my long-time art newsletter readers asked me how I have built my art career.  Hmmm, I thought my art newsletter was a large part of sharing this journey.  Hahha, oops!  But, nonetheless, one of the things that I do is exhibit my art and do it in a place that permits me to meet new people.  Such was the case when I invested a whole lot of money to exhibit in New York City in 2005 (when I lived in central Texas).  

That event cost me around $10,000 (all on credit cards, I may add, a scary risk for me).  However, before that exhibit weekend was over, I had met Don.  He became one of my collectors then, as well as my new gallerist.  I remember clearly when he said to me, “Kelly, I love your work, but I must admit that it is going to take some time to develop a market for nudes in Indianapolis.” 

Not only do I appreciate his honesty, but I also feel really grateful that he has stuck by me all of these years when another gallerist might not have taken on the challenge of the Midwest.  Don has placed my artworks in collections in the USA and in Canada.  When I need advice on selling, I call him. When I need a frame that compliments my art, I give the project to Don.

 

So, “Cheers!” to a great guy.  Here are just a few of my artworks that he currently has on exhibit at the Franklin Barry Gallery… go on, visit.  Indianapolis has a lot to see!  [Don even has some notecards of images I took of the city during one of my many visits there.]

Franklin Barry Gallery / The Frame Shop
617 Massachusetts Avenue
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204
Tel. 317.822.8455
Contact: Don Elliott Web site: www.franklinbarrygallery.com

“Lei” and “Lui” sold together or separately.  36” x 10” oil on canvas

“Towards Siena” 24 x 16 inches, oil on board

“Il Dono” (“The Gift”), 25 x 18 inches, charcoal and pastel on brown Italian paper

“Daydreaming of Yesterday,”  18 x 25 inches, charcoal with pastel

“L’Inverno” (“Winter”), 18 x 25 inches, pastel with charcoal

One of my functional bronze artworks: 

“Oh Boy!” (5 male figures in relief, wall hung), 15 x 9 inches, bronze mirror

And these artworks that are not on my Web site, a charcoal drawing “After Prud’hon” and a small acrylic painting from Fiesole, Italy, titled, “Buon Appetito!”:

Franklin Barry Gallery / The Frame Shop
617 Massachusetts Avenue
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204
Tel. 317.822.8455
Contact: Don Elliott Web site: www.franklinbarrygallery.com

Happy Birthday, Don, and thank you!

Goat’s Beard Still Life Painting

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

Each time I begin a new piece of art, I set out to learn something.  In my new flat here in Florence, Italy, I have set up a still life.  I was inspired when I found a blank linen canvas left by my friends Milixa and Elkin, painters who lived in this flat before me.  The canvas is long and narrow, my favorite proportion for paintings.

Over a year ago a sweet Florentine friend of mine for many years and I were taking a walk outside near her home.  As we talked and walked past a vacant lot, Hafiza gathered what most people would have considered weeds.  I know something of her eye and her heart, though, and I knew that I would soon ooh and ahh, as many others have, over her natural treasures.  She gave me a handful of goodies, including three stalks with elongated pale green buds on one end.  I took them home that day in May, and the next morning, I awoke to spherical GIANT wish makers!  No, not dandelions, so much larger:  The flower is called “Goat’s Beard,” but apparently there are many varieties of this.

I gave one to my Florentine flatmate  that day.  One of the other two was damaged in transit to my new home earlier this summer.  Thus, I decided to create a painting sonner than planned, before I lost these gifts from a cherished friend.  Looking around the flat, I found a few object of interest and ultimately decided to try painting a still life composition on this long rectangular canvas.

I wanted to paint with very little color to see how many different tones I could create.  I was also curious as to whether or not I could paint some objects without actually copying the forms I saw in front of me.  In addition, I wanted to work more with paint layers.  This means that in general, I will wait several days before adding something to a part of the canvas, giving the paint underneath a chance to dry as much as I could.

I include an image here of my setup.  It is modeled upon the Sight-Size Method, but obviously I am not following it very rigorously.  I like the color and texture of the ceramic bowl, but I did not want to repeat the round shape that is in the flower.  So, I put a candle under it for height.  The paper towel roll is there so I can see how much the light fades on a cylinder as it nears the bottom.  My canvas is not aligned horizontally simply because I was working on the boards when I took this image and it is better for my back if I do not bend over as I paint.  Also, you may see that the camera was much lower than my eye when viewing the setup.  This gives the painting a different perspective, looking down upon the scene.

So, let us see how this movie ends!  It is back to the drawing board for me.

Happy Labor Day, USA!

If you like the things you are reading and can appreciate the time it takes to take and edit the images and write something that I try to make worthwhile for you, please consider making a donation.  $5, $50, $500, or any amount at all is truly helpful.  Thank you for your support and interest.  Kelly

Donate any amount you wish here

Zhang Huan Forte di Belvedere Florence Italy

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

Before I headed north recently to carve stone in the Medieval Festival in Pontremoli, Italy, a friend and I went to see the exhibit at the newly reopened Forte di Belvedere in Florence, Italy.  The Forte was built by the famous Medici family between 1590 and 1595.  The artist having a solo exhibit there is the apparently famous Zhang Huan.  [I am surprisingly ignorant about most of the contemporary art world.]

I did not particularly care for the large sculptures outside on the grounds.  I did not feel that they were well made (the hand-hammered bronze) or even aesthetically appealing in that space.  However, the views of the city from the Forte are quite good.  And I did enjoy the art that was inside and hanging on the walls.

I do not have the space here to cover the entire exhibit, titled “L’Anima e la Materia” (“Soul and Matter”).  But I can share a few images and my responses to them.  The works that really impressed me were paintings of ash on linen.  The artist became a Buddhist monk in 2005 and it changed his art, naturally.  The ash is actually the incense ash from temples around Shanghai.  The ashes are taken to the artist’s studio and continue to burn to give him a collection of different shades and textures to use in his art.

The artist juxtaposed his image of Jesus Christ in “The Last Supper” with an ash painting of Confucius speaking with his followers (the latter is shown here in entirety in the first image).  I have always felt that black and white (or monochrome neutral) images have a special kind of power for the viewer and thus, I was lured in to examine this work.  For me, the materials used are what is impressive or wonderful.  The textures and sometimes subtlety is intriguing.  Mystery is hypnotic for us, isn’t it?  It is important to keep our sense of curiosity occupied.

In another room was my favorite piece in the exhibit.  Up close who would not have thought of the beach with these swirls?  I also thought of the mountains and the stones you often find near their rivers… combinations of white and black.  I love the textures from the fires of the materials. 

And then, stand back a bit…. You see the grouping of tigers!  While Mr. Huan used triangles in the compositions of the Confucius piece and the tigers, the latter work is more successful.  In the two large panels in the first room (with Confucius and Christ), the first response was “What the … ?” as one wonders what is being seen or what the point is.  Upon closer inspection, one sees the seeming chaos has an order and a beauty.  And ok… but the tigers composition to me is beautiful from any distance and I find it more intriguing than a more precise image.

Now, maybe I did not read the accompanying text as much as I should have, but I had the impression that the artist wanted us to believe that he allows the ash to burn until he has a collection of whites, greys, and blacks with which to create a composition.  My friend and I both examined the sides and the images up close.  We believe that there is paint applied over the top of at least parts of the artwork.  In the seascape images, the sheer amount of work in sorting the ashes would have been the sign of … an extremely “dedicated” (read “insanely patient”) person.  In any event, however the work was created, the effects were lovely.

This last piece I share with you in a pair of sculptures in a bright silver material. One sculpture is of Buddha and one of Jesus.  The face each other and their gestures reflect one another.   For someone such as myself who finds religion interesting, but is not a believer, the idea of how similar are the religions of the world is not a new one.  And I felt that the point in this composition was not particularly edifying.  However, I really loved the way the reflected light danced upon the table and wall.  So, perhaps as with most things in life, we enjoy what we can and disregard the rest. 

Theexhibit “Soul and Matter” with  artistZhang Huan will continue at the Forte di Belvedere (Via de San Leonardo 1)through 13 October 2013 in Florence, Italy.  It is worthwhile, so I hope that you get to see it.  For more information, contact:  info@museicivicifiorentini.it.

If you like the things you are reading and can appreciate the time it takes to take and edit the images and write something that I try to make worthwhile for you, please consider making a donation.  $5, $50, $500, or any amount at all is truly helpful.  Thank you for your support and interest.  Kelly

DonateDonate any amount you wish here

Also, if you find yourself in Italy, you may enjoy the new app for iTunes: Chianti Food & Wine.

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