Robert Dueweke
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Viewing 10 posts - 1 through 10 (of 10 total)
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One of the biggest challenges I have with the editing process is that I am color blind in the blue-green and red-orange ranges. So I do a lot of guessing. Finding the right software for curating is an issue -- all of them seem to have a steep learning curve. For the moment, I am using Apple Photos. What is not clear is how to organize the original photos, edited photos, and backups. The photo of the Tufted Titmouse I edited slightly using Apple Photos. If I had the proper tool, I would have removed the branch that cuts across the bird's body.
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I wanted to focus on an environmental issue. After researching the issues in the state of Michigan, I drove a few hours through the Thumb area of the state to see what I would see. For the most part, I did not see many birds, other than a hawk that seized a roadkill as I sped by with no time to grab my camera. I then came upon a wind farm north of Vassar. What surprised me was the absence of birds. Was the absence due to the wind turbines, or the near freezing temperatures? Research indicate that there is an issue with the environmental impact of the wind farms. As I drove down the dirt road, I saw this bird hovering in one spot over the edge of the field. It was too far to manage a description of its species. I took this picture to draw a relationship between the life of birds and energy technology and the move away from fossil fuels. Since my mirrorless Lumix camera is broken (Panasonic says it no longer has parts for the G6, and the camera is not even 10 years old!). At the moment, I rely on my iPhone and a Kodak EasyShare that is extremely limited.
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(Activity 3) My favorite bird photo is of the Peregrine Falcon on the inside of the compound of the United Nations Headquarters in New York.
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Since I live in the Bronx and have been in lockdown for 6 weeks due to the virus crisis, I do not get out to the parks where I can view wildlife. For now, I see mostly European Starlings, Rock Pigeons, and an occasional Robin and a lost seagull in the city neighborhood. While traveling a few months ago, I was able to take some photos of birds, such as the following wild turkeys, a Red-billed Gull, and a Greater Roadrunner. (Activity 2)
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I enjoy reading Thoreau and Muir and sometimes their books accompany me into the woods. I find much inspiration reading Teilhard de Chardin, such as "The Phenomenon of Man." Their works remind me that we are all interconnected, no one is an island, and we -- including all nonhuman life forms -- are all inter-related in some fashion. In a cosmic sense, we are stardust. A favorite poet is Gerard Manley Hopkins. A striking line for me is from his poem "God's Grandeur" (1877): "The world is charged with the grandeur of God. Crushed. Why do men then now not reck his rod? Is bare now, nor can foot feel, being shod." (Today's journal entry:) My personal challenge is to slow down, waste time; know the difference between looking and seeing. This morning, a friend and I took a long stroll through the Untemeyer Park in Yonkers, NY. The sun was intensely bright against the cerulean blue sky. The air was cold and crisp, making one wanting to inhale deeply the breeze off the Hudson River. Birds were particularly quiet on this November morning. An occasional crow made its presence known in the tall oaks. I did hear the song of a bird I never heard before. It was beautiful and odd at the same time. It came from the high weeds at the edge of the woods. Then the song was not heard again. It was as though it fled because I had stopped to focus on its presence. One thing I noticed in the surroundings of this beautiful park made me deeply sad. Leaves of maples and others still hung to their branches. The trees should be bare at this time of year. Is this a consequence of climate change? The warmer days are extending more into the months of winter. Will fall eventually morph into spring and winter will only be a memory? What will the future climate be like if I do not learn to feel?
This is the picture I took today from the park. Across the Hudson River are the Palisades Cliffs in New Jersey.These basalt cliffs are over 200 million years old.
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I like using wet-on-wet to give an effect. Watercolor has a "mind" of its own. At times, I use a wrong color that I intended to use and then will need to readjust my strategy. With more practice I will be able to determine how the color flows. I even have to compensate for color blindness, which can make interesting results. After doing the sketch, I attempted to create the 3-D effect with yellow by using the layering process.
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Nice painting. Maybe because I live in the Bronx.
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Nice drawing. I like how you used the shadows and dark lines.
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1. I have no problem drawing from photos; I have done it before. My challenge was loosening up the hand muscles. They felt tight and not flexible. I couldn't get the eye-hand relationship to the drawing. I guess that comes with practice. 2. Later, I noticed the dried tree fungus on the branch. The fact that the fungus is dead might say something about the environment. It is important to notice details. Developing the skills of art is to help one to "see" rather than to "look."
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1) My interest in nature journaling was inspired by my study on climate change. In order to get a better understanding of the environment, I needed to get out of the city and engage wildlife through art. Art requires intense attention and observation. This skill is what I need right now. 2) In terms of approaches, I want to be simple. Begin observation and rough sketches, followed by description. Then I will let it evolve, as seen in the other journals. Journaling is not just an observation "out there," but also one that is "inside here," in one's own heart and mind. At one moment, I might feel free to sketch with a pencil and the next with watercolor. I think it is important to feel free with the medium, and at the same time, in tune with oneself.
This is the picture I took today from the park. Across the Hudson River are the Palisades Cliffs in New Jersey.These basalt cliffs are over 200 million years old.
I like using wet-on-wet to give an effect. Watercolor has a "mind" of its own. At times, I use a wrong color that I intended to use and then will need to readjust my strategy. With more practice I will be able to determine how the color flows. I even have to compensate for color blindness, which can make interesting results. After doing the sketch, I attempted to create the 3-D effect with yellow by using the layering process. 
Viewing 10 posts - 1 through 10 (of 10 total)