Impressionist Art, On An Autumn Day, In Sacramento

"When everything looks like a magical oil painting,

 you know you are in Autumn."

~Mehmet Murat ildan

Last weekend, while I was in Sacramento searching for public art, and early turning trees, I spotted a really interesting building, which was being torn down. The side of the building, with it's exposed brick and painting chipping away, kinda made me smile. Not because it was fun to see yet another beautiful old building die, and take with it a little more local history, but rather because the way the paint and bricks were coming off the building, it reminded me of Claude Monet's paintings of poplar trees in autumn. I don't know maybe you don't see it, but I sure do! I love Monet, Renoir and Manet, and I see their work in the deterioration of this cool old building. Do you see a grove of Poplar trees? And do they have bright orange and red leaves, some of which have fallen to the ground in little piles. And there are a few purple ones too? Or do you just see a wall of bricks that have overstayed their welcome? Oh well, it's probably just me, I always see the most unusual things in autumn!

Poplars on the Banks of  the River Epte In Autumn

By Claude Monet

Oil on Canvas 1891

Impressionistic Poplars In Autumn

Sacramento, California

September 28th 2019 
Impressionist Filter

#13 Leaf Of The Day

October 5th 2019

September 28th 2019

Stockton, California

Nikon

~Mood: Happy

~Me  :)

The Strength Of Observation

"It's on the strength of observation and reflection that one finds a way, so we must dig and delve unceasingly."

~Claude Monet

I have spent the last week or so digging deep into my archives, trying to get photos moved to the new computer. I should have saved the images to either a portable storage device, or online cloud, but I procrastinate a bit, so now I find myself tasked with going through files going all the way back to 2003, to make decisions about what to store, what to keep on a flash drive, and what to store in one of the older computers I keep for just that... storing files.

It's quite a task, I have a lot of images to file, but it's a lot of fun too! I have been smiling a lot the last few days as I reminisce about my kitty Elvis... gosh I miss him... and all the flowers and interesting places I have been in the last decade! I have come across photos, and memories, I hadn't considered in years! I think tip-toeing through the archives more often! Sometimes one forgets just how happy they really are, and how happy they have been!

Life is good!

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

Spring And Monet

"It's on the strength of observation and reflection that one finds a way. So we must dig and delve unceasingly."

~Claude Monet

It's officially spring, which means I am going to be searching out all things pastel and garden! I am planning a trip, very soon, to the central coast. Monterey, Pacific Grove, Carmel, all along to coast of Monterey County, which will be an all day long event. One of which  that will leave me completely exhausted, but very happy inside! It will be a physical and mental workout to be sure, but nothing brings me to life inside, like a really good day with the cameras! The picture above was taken in the spring of 2005, at the Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park. It's gorgeous there in the springtime. It should be absolutely stunning right now. I might pay a visit there this week or next. I will be in the park to photograph the tulips at the Queen Wilhelmina Garden, so I will probably try to take in as much as possible.

The following are some photos I did this past winter. Again I was inspired by Claude Monet and his attention to light and color. There is a small amount of enhancement to bring the original photo to a more artist feel. Most of the time I refrain from doing too much editing to my photographs, but when I set out to do something a little different, something slightly more romantic of just give the subject a softness, I will use the editing tools to create my version of impressionism. I am hoping to get the paint brush out later this year and do a painting, but then again I have been thinking of doing that for several years and have ended up procrastinating. LOL. We'll see if this is the year!

Three Of My Favorites By Claude Monet...

The Complete Works Of Claude Monet

Two New Original Photos From Winter

The Cliffs Of Pacifica...




I get excited just thinking about the outing with the cameras! The 17 Mile drive is full of amazing beauty, and the purple ice plant along on the cliff side in Pacific Grove is breathtaking, as is the Monarch Sanctuary! So much beauty! Spring may not be my favorite season, but it is full of a lot of my favorite things. If only we could drop autumn leaves in spring time, life would be just about perfect!

"Every day I discover more and more beautiful things. It's enough to drive one mad. I have such a desire to do everything, my head is bursting with it."

~Claude Monet

Mood: Happy, Inspired

~Me :)

Color, Sepia And Black And White

"In photography there is a reality so subtle that it becomes more real than reality."

~Alfred Stieglitz

Last Saturday I took a cruise on San Francisco bay, and to my delight, not only did I have the natural scenes and amazing architecture to inspire my photography, but also a wealth of different lighting opportunities to work with. It's been stormy here in the Bay Area this past week, and with the rain and the wind, comes the brilliant clouds and shadows. Stunning! I was able to accomplish a good deal that day, mostly in there area of using natural filters around me. Sometimes I blocked the small amounts of sun that did show through the clouds, by using the curve of the boat, but one time I found the sun so amazing and stunning that I decided to use the water tower on Alcatraz to create an aura of sorts.

Water towers have always been a favorite of mine to photograph. There is so much that can be done with them. From angles to depth of field, to the curvature, to standing back and letting the sides of the tower filter unwanted light. But attempting to create an aura isn't easy from the boat. There is constant movement, and you can't always stand just anywhere, but Saturday was, as experiences go, was a positive one. As we circled around the back of the island, I waited until the sun was completely behind the water tower to take the photo. I knew I only had one chance, and so I worked to make the focus, and the distance just right. Well, it came out a little fuzzy, and the bounce of light wasn't quite what I was going for but fortunately, a little editing magic made all the difference.

My approach to photography, comes from my love of Impressionist art. The Monet in my screen-name, OndineMonet, is a nod to my favorite painter, Claude Monet. I try to present my photos with a slightly surreal touch to them. In order to show you what I see in my mind's eye, a small amount of editing is necessary. Sometimes it's just a matter of converting a photo from color to either black and white or maybe sepia. I have learned that it makes a tremendous difference, depending on what mood I want to set. Here... take a look at the black and white and compare. 


First Sepia


Now Black And White


See what I mean?

To me the first version, the one in color, seems much more relaxing to the mind and eye, but the sepia gives me a slightly uneasy feeling, while the black and white makes me feel like I could have been circling the island, on a day, many years ago. It's dark and not very comfortable as feelings go. I can almost imagine the ghost of Al Capone starring at me from some tiny window along the wall. Spooky.

So tell me, what do you think? Do you feel different emotions based on editing. Do the three pictures set a different mood, or are you affected the same way with all three?

If you like, feel free to share. I would love to know what you think, and how you prefer to do your photography. Does anything in particular inspire you to certain subjects?


Tell me everything.

~Mood: Inquisitive

Me :)

The Brush Strokes Of Claude Monet And My Most Asked Question On AOL Journals

Claude Monet's "Water Lilies"
Legion Of Honor
San Francisco, California
October 2nd 2013

Every day I discover, more and more beautiful things. It's enough to drive one mad! I have such a desire to do everything, my head is bursting with it."

~Claude Monet



#1.
The question I used to get asked the most, regarding my blog in the old AOL Journal days was not really about my blog, so much as my screen name... OndineMonet. It's simple really, it's a combination of my favorite mythical creature, the mermaid, specifically, Ondine, and my favorite artist Claude Monet. I have been in love with Impressionist art since I was a small child, and one of my favorite teachers gave me some art books to look at and read. I love the soft pastel colors, and how almost all of the paintings looked just like places I would want to live.

 As a grown up I know that, in reality, nowhere looks like a Claude Monet painting, although sometimes we have sunsets here in the Bay Area that take my breath away, for the same reasons his paintings do. Monet is always on my mind when I take a photograph of a sunset, or of a beautiful garden or moving water.

 It is a real treat, and it fascinates me to think of what kind of photographer he might have been! But if he had been a photographer, instead of a painter, I wouldn't get to see his actual brush strokes. It's the one thing missing from photography, that small sense of the person on a different, more relate able level. By the way, the second most asked question about my blog was... What does Ellipsis mean?

#2.
Ellipsis
1 a: the omission of one or more words that are obviously understood but that must be supplied to make construction grammatically complete.

b: a sudden leap from one topic to another.

2 a: marks or a mar ( as ... ) indicating an omission (as of words) or a pause.

It would have been just about perfect if Monet had painted mermaids. LOL But not to worry, I still continue to look for them whenever I am out on the San Francisco Bay! :) And by the way, Ondine isn't just a mermaid, shes also a curse, oh and a medical condition! See, Ondine's Curse.



Mood: Inspired :)

~Me :)

Looking Back At February 2013

I bring fresh showers for the thirsting flowers
From the seas and the streams;
I bear light shade for the leaves when laid
I their noonday dreams...

~Percy Bysshe Shelley, "The Cloud"

 It's time to close another month. This February was a mild one in the Bay Area, a fact that leaves me a little sad, and yet grateful for all the opportunities it provided. I enjoy cold February days. One of my favorite things about the winter months is how good a bowl of Campbell's Vegetable soup tastes after I have been outside, working with my camera, on a chilly day! However, the upside to having fewer truly cold winter days, came the opportunity to get outside and do a lot of late winter themed photography!

We had one blast of a cold, snowy storm come through the Bay Area, and it allowed for a leisurely trip up to the top of Mount Hamilton, in Santa Clara county, where snow had blanketed the mountain around Lick Observatory. The snow was so soft, and watching it melt in the trees made everything look like it was covered in tiny diamonds!

The sunsets in February were stunning, and the first of the spring flowers have arrived, much to my delight! All in all I have no complaints! Indeed, I have a lot to be thankful for this past month! The snow. The sun. The cool breezes. The flowers. The warm winter sun. The halos in the clouds. It's all good!

See...



"For me, a landscape does not exist in its own right, since its appearance changes at every moment, but the surrounding atmosphere brings it to life... the light and the air which vary continually. For me, it is only the surrounding atmosphere which gives subjects their true value."

~Claude Monet

On To March...

Mood: Content

~Me :)

Impressionist Photography In Late Autumn

"To my mind, a picture should be something pleasant, cheerful and pretty, yes pretty! There are too many unpleasant things in life as it is without creating still more of them."

~Pierre Auguste Renoir


The Japanese Bridge
By Claude Monet


For the most part I don't do a lot of editing of my photos. Oh, I might straighten an edge here and there, so sue me, I do a lot of photography here in the hills and in San Francisco. Unless you have lived here, you probably don't realize, there are NO straight lines anywhere! Something to do with earthquakes I think, or maybe it's just the fact that the earth is a ball... I have to admit... I don't know why it seems that way, but it does. I get straighter photos from the middle of the bay, than I do on the dry land of the city.

But when it comes to my autumn photos, I admit it, I sometimes put a little something extra into the editing of my photos. Not to deceive mind you, but to show you what I see, even if it is mostly in my imagination. I see everything around me with brighter colors, and soft twilight lighting. Although sometimes I manage to capture those amazing red sunsets we get in autumn, oh hell, what can I say? I am a total fool for autumn, and I just see it... well... differently than most folks do... through my crazy green eyes.

"For an impressionist to paint from nature is not to paint the subject, but to realize sensations."

~Paul Cezanne











I am an Impressionist photographer when it comes to autumn.

Now I need to work on the other 3 seasons.

Happiness. :)

Q. So tell me, when it comes to your photography, does any particular art form inspire you? Or does any particular artist influence you, as to what subjects you choose?

Tell me everything!

~Me :)

A Photo A Day For 6 Months: Day 115~ Color

"It's on the strength of observation and reflection that one finds a way. So we must dig and delve unceasingly."

~ Claude Monet

I did a lot of black and white photography last week, and while I love it, I can't help but want to highlight all the glorious color I see around me. The garden right now is in a full on outrageous display of color. Purple, yellow, apricot, red, you name it, that color is screaming... NOTICE ME! The leaves on my Japanese Maple is especially vibrant. It was an amazing crimson red for most of the year, but right now it is transitioning into a lovely copper color. Everything is so vibrant and vivid right now, you can almost see an exclamation point next to each leaf and petal.

"If the world really looks like that I will paint no more!"

~Claude Monet







~Me :)