Peter J. Crowley

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Monday Morning Sept 21st 2020

September 27, 2020 By Peter J. Crowley 6 Comments

A little before 7 am I roll out of bed and start the routine. Inhaler, rinse the powder from mouth. Coffee to desk. It it is quiet, not Vermont quiet but suburban indoor quiet. Palm on forehead looking down at the keyboard. My wheel spins waiting for a response. Repeated sips of Joe and the same look at the keyboard. Today this pause was lasting longer then most days. Does the music set the mood or does the mood set the music. A recurring theme today no music except for Tom Rush “Urge for Going” in my head. The mood is dark gray like the autumn sky. The first cup of coffee cooled I play Tom’s version of the Joni Mitchel song. Then Thirsty Boots, Eric Anderson melancholy is the mood that is set. Where am I urged to go?  A series of Icy winter landscapes. One posted to FB with the song. Another now posted here.

The road most traveled to Carl and Maarit’s 2008,-2014 Sunday football, frivolity and food.  My favorite world I still visit on the phone with Maarit and inside my head with Carl. Truffles with my coffee to get inside my mind to obscure reality of todays world back to my world. Just like that and it is noon time for breakfast. Hors d’oeuvre as the cucumber, tomatoes, peppers, onions and Linguica simmer awaiting the egg. I swallow the morning pills. The truffle kicks in along  as I wander through old life photos. Liz will be here soon with videos of Lilith now almost two the light of her life. Children are so wonderful lifting my spirits. There are highlights I find in the shadows. A short walk today vision is off. I’m taking steroids to help my lungs to recover from 12 days of hazardous air, ah the fire season. But I can see clearly enough to find an image and Auto Focus handles the details 1/2 block 3-5 images and back home.

Ground cover and flowers since March. May and June the garden, cooking and a few Vision Quests. So many flowers so few humans momentary interactions no real depth. Simon who I saw in Safeway in the parking lot I introduced my self we shook hands followed by a short conversation a portrait. This women and her dog Jasper on a walk in my neighborhood. I also shot a portrait of just her face. After I took the shot she comes over to me “just a minute” she walked to me to close but we old folks have so little interaction. I could not deny her she held out her arm to show me a tattoo. I feared it would be a holocaust number. It wasn’t it was a Philips screw followed by the letter U we laughed loudly.  She wandered off up the street repeating screw you with a loud joyful laugh.  Stale hot indoor air cleared late on the 19th. Out early on the 20th my lettuce has bolted, Beefsteak Tomatoes dead, other tomatoes not well late summer replaced by late autumn. Like early spring, summer, autumn is also missed. What is called the new normal that the optimists think and politicians pretend that there is going back to the old life. Fight climate change in your new Pickup, Massive SUV or any 7 0f the top 10 selling new cars, and protest against oil companies. Blame absolves you of your sins.

I don’t live in the new normal sure I wear my mask and rarely eat or go out anymore. My life is in my world of images, light, laughter, complete sentences and listening. Those who listen to me know how anti AI I have always been. Now AI scrubs away at human interaction Inara back in Zoom school there is a group of 5 who will gather three days a week in a back yard to learn and develop their social education. She will visit me once a week after pods. Sunday we went to Traditions for Kirsten to shop local and sorbet for us kids. A fruit fly on the window she though it was her new favorite bug. We alliterated Fruit Flies expanding from a tongue twister to Fabulous, French, Fried Fruit, Flies even the sorbet server joined into the loud guffaws. Out to the table we continued this silly word game. Silly has been absent from us as well. First follow the rules so we don’t get grandpa sick. May and she was able to return to visit. Lately there has been, fear and sadness in her eyes. We stop at the clothes part of Traditions to tell mom we are walking to the water but 1/2 block  on she says maybe the grassy area by the fountain will do. Our last stroll to Puget Sound from Traditions the playground was to crowded to many kids without masks she decides this from 50 yards away. Her decision to go to the grassy area was her fear. She is dealing, adjusting but there is a sense of loss. But there was French Fried ..fruit flies to bring childhood silly to return for a few minutes Sunday. But there were other highlights a trip to Westport to the cool 70’s with a breeze on the hottest day in Olympia where it reached 106 degrees. 

Upon arrival there is sun screen, a kite next the a large driftwood log that I can sit on, our spot.

My garden provided fresh tomatoes, lettuce, lemon cucumbers and visual stimulation. This flower child now a senior flower child longs for humanity. Conversations in person, lunch at a café people watching now relegated to take out picked up by Liz. And flowers in my window out my door the walks become shorter with less to see    repeated.

Old themes repeat Doors and triangles

Simplicity just light. It is always Light to share a story to appeal to humanity.  

Today’s 9/27 stroll postponed as I share light here. The afternoon showers arrive early. Yet a late afternoon walk in the golden hour. Seeing, breathing peace. 

A six day conversation with a Senior flower child and you.

love and peace

Filed Under: A Life in Photographic Art, Abstraction, Autumn, Color Fine Art, Fall, Flowers, Love, Negative Space, New Work, Nikon, Olympia Wa., Past life's, Simplicity, Sunset, Uncategorized, Waning light, Washington Tagged With: Blending the past and the present, Color Fine Art, Flowers, Humanity, Olympia, Seasons, Simplicity, Street Photography

March, April and May Quarantine Walks in Carlyon North

June 22, 2020 By Peter J. Crowley 8 Comments

Spent seventy three days in the neighborhood could not even ride with my caregiver to the market and wait in the car.

Here is a sample of what I saw.

March

March 23rd Safeway in the rain. Last trip to the market.

There is this tree on Carlyon on the right in this image on March 25th. That tree that I see an image there but I have yet to bring it out. My friend Arnold Prince a Sculptor used to say the figure is there in the stone you just have to bring it out. 

April

April Third my basil was a subject to study and eat. 

April 10th another tree this one more operative. This from the first time I saw this tree. I had not been here at this early hour as the sun crept around my image.  The image jumped out no pondering.

Tulips April’s delight this from the 13th in Tumwater. 

Shadows dance in the breeze. April 15th as I learn my new camera. I have been a B+W artist for most of my creative life. In 2017 my eyes started to not work as well manual focus didn’t work. Since then I have been trying to get the emotional feel in a digital image there is an edge to film. I’ll get it soon enough.

The beginning of new growth spring new life. April 25th 

May

Shot as an image to convert to B+W why? The green background has plenty of tonal range getting these subtle variations to hold in B+W. May first that was what I endeavored to learn. Every day the strolls are a self taught class.

May 8th I walked over to do the dishes, plan canceled. The twins next door were playing in great light! A half dozen images  download to computer post process. Smiling I start something else but three hours later I get up to make dinner and oh those lunch dishes.

Poppies back light May eighth. These also a neighbors her flowers are often my first stop out the door. 

The Fence is another subject with maybe 200 images made. Stretching around the corner always with a tale to tell. Will the restored or replaced fence speak to me time will tell. There are many unspoken  stories to hear. May 17th 

My Columbine May 16th on a dark misty morning. A great time to try my 70-300 very heavy slow lens. So it’s just a test I will learn a bit more about this tool. A shutter speed that by rule of thumb says will show my shake. Okay rule broken, a younger self I broke this rule often but at 70 bending down I was thinking the rule will win. It did six times but I made seven exposures. For this 1 out of 7 works for me.

White flowers hover over a Blue Plane saturation contrast creating the flight. May 22nd  an alternate reality.

So I have been released so June for now will have to wait. It is almost seven and there are lunch dishes to to before dinner peace 

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Color Fine Art, Humanity, Morning Light, Olympia Wa., Spring, Uncategorized Tagged With: Color Fine Art, Flowers, Humanity, Olympia, Seasons, Shadows, Street Photography

The Winter Side of March 2020

March 14, 2020 By Peter J. Crowley Leave a Comment

March 2nd Mexican Art at Traditions Cafe. These eyes of mine continue to improve steadier opens up my lens selection. Here Nikon 85 mm 1/100 F1.8 ISO 100. 

March 3rd outside my door 1/250 Nikon Micro at F-8 ISO 100 from about 5 inches away. A much lighter prime lens yet shake is still a big problem. The camera to subject distance  magnifies the visual shake.

Simon March 3rd Safeway parking lot. I saw him in the market we nodded to each other knowingly. I caught him outside introduced myself, he laughed when i asked to shoot him. “You have character, history and are the kind of person I am drawn to photograph.” We both laughed two images and a few minutes of talking, laughing a highlight to my day.

March 4th  around the block Spring peaks at me.

March 8th again the 85 mm a dark and cold morning my kitchen window my world view for to much of the time in recent years. But now my health better walking more, seeing better. Now spring!!

Spring!!! a view from March 11th around the block.

A Ray of light March 12th. Nikon AF [not on my D-3100] 28 mm to 105 mm  a much shorter turning radius on the focus ring. ISO 400 1/40 F4.5. No vibration control I am very pleased with the image Tech. and emotion. Is she not quite sharp? Of course she is 8 and never not in motion. 

peace pjc

 

Filed Under: A Life in Photographic Art, Close to home, Color Fine Art, Eyes of the child, Flowers, Nikon, Olympia Wa., People, Seasons, Spring, Washington Tagged With: Color Fine Art, Flowers, Olympia, Portraits, Seasons, Simplicity

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