Capturing Art Within Art
September 10, 2024
Albert Einstein once wrote, “The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious. It is the fundamental emotion which stands at the cradle of true art and true science.”
The mysterious motivates me and is part of what I explore and attempt to define in each image that I create. A few years ago I photographed a Circa 1870’s Japanese screen. In its age, design, and patina I discovered ‘other worlds’ of the mysterious as seen in The Road Home.
I love the fantasy that escapes through this image...
To see the screen I photographed to create this artwork and others, and to learn more about the fascinating history of Japanese screens click here.
Enjoy the mystery,
The mysterious motivates me and is part of what I explore and attempt to define in each image that I create. A few years ago I photographed a Circa 1870’s Japanese screen. In its age, design, and patina I discovered ‘other worlds’ of the mysterious as seen in The Road Home.
The Road Home © 2022
I love the fantasy that escapes through this image...
To see the screen I photographed to create this artwork and others, and to learn more about the fascinating history of Japanese screens click here.
Enjoy the mystery,
High Desert Collection
August 1, 2024
A few years back I was in a restaurant in Santa Fe enjoying the company of a silversmith, a hatmaker and a boot maker. It was a wonderful time to reunite with old friends from the western design world and discuss the art that is generated by the spirit of the west and how to keep it alive. With that spirit in mind, my newest collection of reptile images was inspired by the high desert and plains of the west.
Click here to visit my blog to learn more about how this collection was created and the inspirations that came from this study of work. You can also view the images in full size on my website in Gallery, Latest Images.
High Desert Collection © 2022
Long live the inspirations that come from the west!
Click here to visit my blog to learn more about how this collection was created and the inspirations that came from this study of work. You can also view the images in full size on my website in Gallery, Latest Images.
High Desert Collection © 2022
Long live the inspirations that come from the west!
New Art for Summer
June 1, 2024
Metal emerges as a weathered canvas, its bold hues standing up to time's touch, in this abstract macro photograph titled Crossroads.
Crossroads © 2021 Look Studio
Taken from an old Shell gasoline station sign, I focused my lense on a tiny area where a rusty horizontal indentation and a vertical ridged seam intersect. This, to me, stood out as a visual and figurative crossroad, where rust represents the trials we traverse through life, and the seam represents the changes, adjustments, and turns we take along the way to secure the course.
The power of metal as an artistic influence was fueled by an exhibit of John Chamberlain’s work that I saw at the Guggenheim in New York many years ago. His larger-than-life sculpture crafted from car metal and capsulized into provoking works of art were impactful in magnitude and strength. For more about his influence, please visit my blog, New Transformations in the Abstract.
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Crossroads works well in today’s contemporary home where metal, wood, glass, and concrete support, in form and function, the pace of today’s lifestyle with the ability to reflect on its purpose.
Wishing you a vivacious summer!
Crossroads © 2021 Look Studio
Taken from an old Shell gasoline station sign, I focused my lense on a tiny area where a rusty horizontal indentation and a vertical ridged seam intersect. This, to me, stood out as a visual and figurative crossroad, where rust represents the trials we traverse through life, and the seam represents the changes, adjustments, and turns we take along the way to secure the course.
The power of metal as an artistic influence was fueled by an exhibit of John Chamberlain’s work that I saw at the Guggenheim in New York many years ago. His larger-than-life sculpture crafted from car metal and capsulized into provoking works of art were impactful in magnitude and strength. For more about his influence, please visit my blog, New Transformations in the Abstract.
Crossroads works well in today’s contemporary home where metal, wood, glass, and concrete support, in form and function, the pace of today’s lifestyle with the ability to reflect on its purpose.
Wishing you a vivacious summer!
Revisiting Black and White
May 9, 2024
I have always loved black and white photographs. Black and white photography can take your breath away and prompt contemplation. It’s as if, with the click of the shutter, time stopped, freezing the world in monochrome. There’s a stillness in black and white artwork that makes you wonder about the place, expression, or symbolism of the moment.
There are many renowned black and white photographers, but one of my favorites is Ansel Adams. I admire his use of subject, light and contrast, and his mastery of the darkroom in capturing nature on film. Another of my favorites is Dorothea Lange and her captivating photographs of the Dust Bowl.
Dorothea Lange: Migrant Mother, Nipomo, California, 1936
Black and white photographs have a grounding effect on interior spaces. Whether you have a wall of grayscale family portraits, each framed alike, or a collection showcasing the works of a single artist, the medium allows you to create your story and palette with art. A black and white image can stand out beautifully against a boldly painted wall, as seen with Icebreaker below, or harmonize effortlessly amidst a vibrant array of complementary artworks.
Gayle Waterman, Icebreaker, © 2021
While I have enjoyed experimenting with abstract black and white images, I entered the realm initially with some hesitation. The standards are high and it’s difficult to achieve the stunning visual effect you get with black and white photography printed from film, via digital means. There have been many challenges but creating the images you see below has been an enlightening journey. Through trial and exploration, my knowledge of the nuances of light and graphic expression have grown.
Gayle Waterman, Crystal Palace, © 2021
Gayle Waterman, To the Point, © 2013
Gayle Waterman, Star Bright, © 2019
These images are among my favorites, and despite their abstract nature, they still draw me to find significance in the pattern or use of light.
Pendulum is one of my newest. Inspired by subtle shadows on a wall that were created by a metal shelf, the camera froze the grayscale gradient of the shadow in time to create the effect of a pendulum suspended in motion. To me Pendulum encourages us to reflect on the shades of our life and where we are at this moment in time.
There are many renowned black and white photographers, but one of my favorites is Ansel Adams. I admire his use of subject, light and contrast, and his mastery of the darkroom in capturing nature on film. Another of my favorites is Dorothea Lange and her captivating photographs of the Dust Bowl.
Ansel Adams: Half Dome, Blowing Snow, Yosemite National Park, California, 1955
Dorothea Lange: Migrant Mother, Nipomo, California, 1936
Black and white photographs have a grounding effect on interior spaces. Whether you have a wall of grayscale family portraits, each framed alike, or a collection showcasing the works of a single artist, the medium allows you to create your story and palette with art. A black and white image can stand out beautifully against a boldly painted wall, as seen with Icebreaker below, or harmonize effortlessly amidst a vibrant array of complementary artworks.
Gayle Waterman, Icebreaker, © 2021
While I have enjoyed experimenting with abstract black and white images, I entered the realm initially with some hesitation. The standards are high and it’s difficult to achieve the stunning visual effect you get with black and white photography printed from film, via digital means. There have been many challenges but creating the images you see below has been an enlightening journey. Through trial and exploration, my knowledge of the nuances of light and graphic expression have grown.
Gayle Waterman, Crystal Palace, © 2021
Gayle Waterman, Between the Lines, © 2017
Gayle Waterman, To the Point, © 2013
Gayle Waterman, Star Bright, © 2019
These images are among my favorites, and despite their abstract nature, they still draw me to find significance in the pattern or use of light.Pendulum is one of my newest. Inspired by subtle shadows on a wall that were created by a metal shelf, the camera froze the grayscale gradient of the shadow in time to create the effect of a pendulum suspended in motion. To me Pendulum encourages us to reflect on the shades of our life and where we are at this moment in time.
Gayle Waterman, Pendulum, © 2024
Memories Revisited
March 27, 2024
As Easter approaches, I’m reminded of a trip I took to Italy with several girlfriends in 2014. When we were in Rome we toured the Vatican and had a remarkable experience in the Sistine Chapel where a priest blessed my friend’s rosary and prayed with us. The energy that we felt in that moment of prayer was beyond anything I’ve ever experienced, and we will never forget that moment. When we walked out into the Courtyard of the Pinecone, I was drawn to the bronze, titled Sphere within a Sphere, by Italian sculptor Arnoldo Pomodoro. It is a powerful work of art, a little over 13 feet in diameter, emanating light and the innerworkings of the earth.
I felt compelled to capture Pomodoro’s sculpture with my macro lens and created an abstract image titled Unity. To me the intricate pieces of the sculpture represented humanity and our connection to each other, as well as the struggles we face.
With the beginning of Spring, I’m hopeful that the impact of this sculpture touches you too. Images and memories revisited provide comfort as we reflect upon them.
Happy Spring and Happy Easter!
I felt compelled to capture Pomodoro’s sculpture with my macro lens and created an abstract image titled Unity. To me the intricate pieces of the sculpture represented humanity and our connection to each other, as well as the struggles we face.
Unity ©2014
With the beginning of Spring, I’m hopeful that the impact of this sculpture touches you too. Images and memories revisited provide comfort as we reflect upon them.
Happy Spring and Happy Easter!