Month: March 2012

tobacco barn

March 7, 2012

IMG_0345

Still working from the pictures of the March 1 and 2 snowstorm(s).

The Connecticut River Valley used to be tobacco growing land. This barn is used for horses now, instead of drying tobacco, but the original use can still be seen in the vertical hinged boards that would let in a breeze in summer. 

river’s edge

March 6, 2012

march 6

It could be the edge of any still water, but I saw the bank of the Connecticut River as I crossed it headed to the barn this morning, and it looked a lot like this. 

I don't know what I am going to do with March's new black and white landscape theme after the snow melts! 

wooded hillsides

March 5, 2012

march 5

Going south and east into Connecticut yesterday, and coming west and north today, I found myself looking up into continuous hillsides of leafless trees. The snow line was right at the Massachusetts border, and the Holyoke range had ranks of deciduous forest rising along the southern flanks. I love being able to see into the woods in the winter, to see the shape of the land underneath. The trees feel like the pelt of a creature, and the whole landscape seems both living and sleeping. 

 

And here you can see us in our fancy duds, ready to drive away to a night of food, drink and iniquity. It was a good time. 

formal wear

March Forth!

March 4, 2012

march 4

A tree, a crow in a field, a hillside behind.

Al's company's Christmas party is tonight. I have a formal gown, adorable black flats covered with tiny black roses, and some wrist and earring bling, ready to go. I've also packed my black turtle-neck and jeans if I require comfort later on. 

 

March inspiration and March 3

March 3, 2012

March black and white landscapes

What I didn't expect when I laid out my plans for the year in January was a snowstorm on March first, followed by gorgeous atmospheric weather and all the colors I've been thinking about. I'm not one to pass up inspiration when it whacks me on the head and gives everyone a snow day, so for a while you'll be seing small black and white landscapes in circles, inspired by the ones seen above. 

And the first of those is here. 

march 3

The advantage to driving a particular path routinely is watching things change across the seasons. I have a particular fondness for this field – the curve of it into the horizon defined by the woods at the edge, the lines of the rows of corn, as they grown green and are harvested. The cut corn stalks make particularly elegant hash marks against new snow. 

interiors

March 2, 2012

march 2

Timna helped me think of black and white things and pictures I might want to interpret pieces of. She suggested Edward Weston, and pointed me to the stunning nautilus shell. I used an edge of it yesterday, and the center of it today. 

I had thought I wanted to interpret entire images in (more or less overlapping) circles, and then attach them together to make an interrupted version of the original. But I am less sure of that idea. Maybe I just need to experiment with how to get layers of black and white and gray together. 

After the snowstorm Thursday, all the world outside was shades of gray and white, and rain-soaked black. The snow was still stuck to everything; tree branches and telephone wires and fences and ponies. It was very beautiful. And made me want to make circles of it. 

March 1

March 1, 2012

march 1

I like March for a couple foolish reasons: March 4th is the only day of the year that is a command, March 14 is pi(e) day (3/14 = 3.14 which is a decimal approximation of the ratio of the diameter of a circle to its radius) and March 17 is Aerin's birthday. 

March is also black and white and shades of gray, and pieces of a larger thing. So the reason this circle doesn't look like anything is because it is out of context. I will show you the context soon.