The Red of the Picture

And, so it shall be. No more political talk, except to say Twitter banned Trump – HA, HA. I’ve been looking for ways to express myself artistically until I start my project. You remember? The Jefferson Highway Project.

First, I have to motivate myself to actually drive around. It doesn’t help that our CoVid-19 numbers have shot through the roof because people need to travel, party and drink. They are not wearing masks, and not keeping to the 6 inch minimum distance rule. That’s right. Not Six feet. Six inches.

I can keep photographing this kind of material as long as the all seeing dog wants to go for walks. I just have to assemble a couple of pictures, which is much harder than it looks. I played with the base picture, the green picture, for hours. I added stuff. I sub-stracted stuff. Nothing was right.

Along came a magenta flower petal. I wasn’t sure at first, but when I saw them together, they popped and I knew. From there it was a short trip to the refining software and the result is in front of you.

Pictures like this one are far and few between. Often, there are weeks between the one you see and the next one. You can’t force them. They have to find you on their own. If you force them, they look forced, just like so many things in life.

Two of my favorite words are marinate and fishing. They are both about patience.

Marinate refers to the time between making the picture and editing the picture. Be patient. Unless you have a hard deadline, let them sit. Let them show you what they are.

Fishing refers to the way you work a scene. The picture won’t revel itself immediately. Be patient. Take your time. Explore the scene.

There is a third version combining both of the words. Sometimes, you might see me drive up to a location and bang, I make the picture. I leave and edit the picture almost immediately. I’m not violating either suggestion.

It’s likely that I’ve driven or walked by the scene in the wrong light, the wrong time of day or the wrong weather. I’ve had a long time to think about the scene and my expectations. I know the picture in my brain. When things come together I’m done in a matter of minutes.

There you have it. Back on the artistic track.

Stay safe. Stay mighty. Stay strong. Wear your mask. Wash your hands. Keep your distance. And, always look after each other. Enjoy all the art.