Chip Simone Exhibits at High Museum

Atlanta Photographer, Chip Simone spoke on October 20 at the High Museum in conjunction with Atlanta Celebrates Photography. His exhibit The Resonant Image is on view until Nov. 6, 2011. Take a tour and you may find Chip in the galleries. He told the ACP crowd he has been visiting the galleries a couple times a week, so he could "talk to people who have never gotten to meet an artist."

This show is all about color. During the presentation Brett Abbot, curator of photography at the High, mentions the emotional power of color, which is something to think about as an artist. Here is another image from the show.

Chip studied under Harry Callahan at the Rhode Island School of Design. The artist explained that Harry's style was to get students to "become their own teacher by studying their own work." Chip Simone does this at the Atlanta Photography Group. He usually leads the monthly critiques there. The next critique is Nov. 2 at 7:30 PM and the subsquent first Wed. of the month.

American Hydrangea Society Meets in Atlanta

Founded by Penny McHenry in 1994 the American Hydrangea Society has become a place to enhance your knowledge about hydrangea through garden tours and lectures. This week Jamie Blackburn, Curator of the Woodland Gardens at the Atlanta Botanical Garden spoke to the group. He provided a clear picture of where the ABG is with hydrangea and where the garden is headed. His presentation was polished.

There is a section of the ABG in honor of Penny McHenry. There are also plans in the expansion of the gardens for more hydrangea, which have already been planted. Blackburn's long term goal is to apply to American Public Gardens Association to recognize the hydrangea collection in Atlanta.

Here is a list of named collections by the APGA:  http://www.publicgardens.org/content/napcc-collections-institution. This is quite a resource if you are particularly interested in a plant. To-date Blackburn believes the ABG has 13-14 species and 350 taxa of hydgranea. Currently the ABG is recognized for its maples and pitcher plant collections. Presently the only hydangea garden recognized is the Norfolk Botanical Garden with 190 taxa.

At the end of this meeting many hydrangea and other plants were raffled off.  Here is one of my images taken on this year's American Hydrangea Society Tour. This image was juried into the Women In Focus annual show by Brett Abbot. Available on Etsy.



Twist N Shout



Footloose is Better than the Original

I remember thinking "Oh, no!" when I heard they remade Footloose. I loved Kevin Bacon's dance scenes and the message to stand up for what you believe in of the original movie.

But the new show is better because it is updated and the messages are clearer. There were many scenes that could stand on their own as award winning photographs. Take a look at the show as set up photographs.

Kenny Wormald stars in this version as Ren McCormack. He can dance! And, he delivers the message the you can say no to pot. And, he also politely refuses Ariel's (Julianne Hough) request for a kiss. The children have fun in this show just by dancing. I saw the movie with my teenagers and was delighted to hear the respect around sex and watch the pot being flushed.

Afterwards, we started watching the original movie on VHS and the lines seemed to be exactly the same in both movies. The Volkswagon beetle was there too. But there were nice additions to the film as well. In the new show, Kevin has to rebuild the VW.
It is a great time to remake this dancing classic with the popularity of "Dancing with the Stars." Maybe Saturday Night Fever or Dirty Dancing will be next...

Ashe Simpson Garden Center in Atlanta has Your Camellia

What a garden find.... Gorgeous Camellias are ready for planting and blooming in your yard at Ashe Simpson Garden Center on Peachtree Industrial Parkway just north of the Brookhaven MARTA Station in Atlanta.

Owner, Carole Ashe-Simpson is considered a specialist in camellias. So, now is the time to head on over and ask Carole your questions and add to your garden. Camellias are beginning to bloom all around Atlanta. Here are a few images from the nursery.

And, if you don't feel like planting yourself, they will do it for you. Carole is a renown landscaper.

Ashe Simpson Garden Center
4961 Peachtree Industrial Blvd
Atlanta, Georgia 30341
(770) 458-3224

Georgia State Parks on YouTube

As part of my current photography show at REI Perimeter in Atlanta at 1165 Perimeter Center W Ste. 200, I presented photographs from 19 parks in a lecture last night. Today I added many of my images from the store and created this video set to Jason Aldean's "Days Like These."  The show is on view until December 4th.

Take a look! And, let me know what your favorite Georgia State Park is! The audience asked about my favorite. (I have visited 20.) And I said, "It is Cloudland Canyon because it is has lots to explore and it is right near the Lookout Mountain Scenic Highway."

One of the big take-aways from my talk is to ride up 985 when you are heading out of Georgia in that direction, if you can. And, if you are traveling west, try heading towards the Lookout Mountain Scenic Highway and enjoy a different view of Georgia.

Another take-away was to spend the night in the park, so that you can enjoy the sunset, sunrise and early morning nature. It is just $25 for a tent site per night, but make a reservation.

I also answered the question, "What am I doing next?" I am looking forward to visiting John Tanner park with my children. I am also going to really explore Florence Marina.

Print on canvas to Epson 3800

I recently purchased a 44" Epson 9880 printer, so I can print on canvas directly. Prior to that I was printing on canvas with my Epson 3800 by adding a strip of cardstock to the back of the canvas.


Cut 3/4 inch card stock strips the exact width of canvas.



Attach strip to back of canvas double sided tape.



Here's how I made it work for me. I cut a 1 inch strip from 110 pound cardstock the exact length of my paper. Then I attach 3/4 inch removable double-sided poster tape to the backside of the canvas. After that I adhere the cardstock strip (keeping everything perfectly straight) to the back of the canvas.

I set up a new paper size for my printer .25 inch longer than the paper size because it is .25 inches longer. In this case, I used the watercolor paper choice for the printer. Canvas is available in cut pages from dickblick.com. After I let the canvas dry, I take the canvas to a framer to stretch. Afterwards, I add a coat of finish either spray or brush on, so that the image is protected.

How do you print to canvas?



Pick Up a Box of Crayons for a Lot of Color

Looking for some ideas?

I bought a box of 24 crayons today to see what colors were in the box. Besides the usual
red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet there were gray, white, black and brown crayons.

There were a couple things that surprised me about the box. There wasn't a plain "pink" crayon.

I also was surprised to see the three languages on the crayons, but this makes perfect sense from a production point of view and children learning point of view. Wow!

There was the paint color celeron inside the 24 crayon box. I am hoping payne's gray is in the larger box of crayons... and I loved finding out that Amarillo (Texas) is the color yellow in Spanish.

Great photography assignment -- Pick up a box and shoot!

Art in America as a Valuable Resource

At a well stocked book store, I can flip through magazines unsure the best investment. Recently I subscribed to Shots magazine, which a wonderful black and white juried photography magazine. It provides fresh photos on a monthly basis around a theme.

At my photo review, one of the reviewers referred me to Art in America. The magazine covers all genres. The ads are just as important and enjoyable as the articles. Included in ads this month is info about the Houston Fine Art Fair Sept 16-18 search http://www.houstonfineartfair.com/. Many galleries and museums paid for full and half page ads. The images give a nice overview of the art scene. There is much to learn from the text in the magazine. After pursuing the current issue you will feel in the know. Openings, book reviews, and job appointments are all included. I especially like the Call for Artists+Competitions in the very back. Take a look: http://www.artinamericamagazine.com/.

Participate in a Portfolio Review for a New Perspective

This weekend I spent $300 and 140 minutes that will change the course of my photography in many ways. I am sifting through my notes and thoughts about the reviewers' comments. More than anything I received many new ideas about where to sell my art.

I was honored to participate in the Atlanta Celebrates Photography's Portfolio Review. This year I was lucky to meet with Kevin Miller, Dana Salvo, Jennifer Ward, Steven Kasher and Michael Itkoff. All five were smart and articulate. They had great suggestions and direction. The simple purpose of the review is, perhaps, to edit a final portfolio for showing gallery owners or other potential clients. I met with each reviewer for 20 minutes and took many notes.

Preparing my portfolio, picking images, and printing them was just as important as the event itself. The directions were to present 15-20 images in a hinged box. The photographs were to be sized from 11 x 14" to 20 x 24" and of one body of work. I chose an archival box by Century.  I selected a variety of my floral images all sized to 20 x 24". For the event, I selected a range of colors and flowers.

Fellow photographers, Dorothy O'Connor, Gail Des Jardin and Anne Berry were in attendance for their reviews too. And, I met many new-to-me photographers in the review waiting room. One part I especially loved was seeing other photography papers being used and learning what paper they were from the photographer.

In case this has you thinking... there is an upcoming photography portfolio review in New Orleans in December called PhotoNola. Los Angeles held a similar event, MOPLA in April. And, next March 16 - April 3, 2012 Houston will host their international event, FotoFest, which includes portfolio reviews for 500 artists.

You'll find out what actions I take as the year progresses, but in the meantime, I hope you will find a portfolio review to attend nearby.