Happy New Year's Eve 2015!

Frosted Morning 12/30/15

We have been having quite an unusually cold winter here in Northern California with nights down into the 20s. I awoke this morning and found the neighborhood covered in beautiful, crystalline frost.

All photos by JEF

I Had That Dream Again

BEAUTY: Photography--Dave Sandford

Dave Sandford is a sports photographer by trade but he has branched out into some startling nature photos.

He said on Bored Panda:
"Recently, I have felt drawn to the lakes that are virtually in the backyard of my hometown of London, Ont., Canada. Specifically, the awe-inspiring Great Lakes. Lake Erie, the 4th largest of the Great Lakes caught my attention for this photographic essay. I chose to focus on Erie at a time of year (mid-October through December) when the Great Lakes can act more like oceans than lakes. With warm sunny beach days behind us, it is some of Autumn’s dark, cold and windy days that transform the Great Lakes into wickedly wild and treacherous bodies of water.

Lake Erie is 388km in length and approximately 92km across. It is also the shallowest of the Great Lakes, with an average depth of 62’ and the maximum depth of 210’. Lake Erie’s name originates from a native tribe who called the lake “Erige” (“cat”) due to the unpredictable and at times dangerously violent nature. Because of the shallowness of the lake, conditions can change dramatically in just a matter of minutes, with fierce waves springing up unexpectedly. Lake Erie’s unpredictable and violent nature has laid claim to some 1800-8000 shipwrecks dating back to the 17th century, most of which have never been found.

Over the last 4 weeks for 2-3 days a week, sometimes 6 hours a day, I did the 45 min drive to Lake Erie. The images here were made using my Canon gear, 1Dx body, 400mm & 70-200mm lenses, protected from the elements by my Aquatech sport’s housing and sport’s shield gear. Shot during the month of November on the North shore of Lake Erie, about 500’-600’ off-shore from a small lakeside community called Port Stanley, Ontario. Daily temperatures ranging from -2 up to 14 degrees celsius, sustained wind speeds of 45-50km/ph, gusting 70-100+ km/ph, the average water temperature of 11 celsius, and wave heights reaching 25’. It is days like these that most people stay away from the lake… It’s days like these, when Erie comes alive, showing it’s true power. These are the days I can’t wait to get to the lake and create images!"

The crispness of his images makes the waves look as though they are made of sand or rock. Water looks grainy. Waves become mountains. And the spectre of death rises in the last photo to point a finger...

http://www.davesandfordphotos.com/

BEAUTY: Installation--Karina Smigla-Bobinski

Here is the interactive drawing piece ADA by Karina Smigla-Bobinski.

From a statement on the artist's website, written by Arnd Wesemann (and roughly translated into English):
"Filled up with helium, floating freely in room, atransparent [sic], membrane-like globe, spiked with charcoals that leave marks on the walls, ceilings and floors. Marks which «ADA» produces quite autonomously, athough [sic] moved by a visitor. The globe obtains aura of liveliness and its black coal traces, the appearance of being a drawing . The globe put in action, fabricate a composition of lines and points, which remains incalculable in their intensity, expression, form however hard the visitor tries to control «ADA», to drive her, to domesticate her. Whatever he tries out, he would notice very soon, that «ADA» is an independent performer, studding the originaly [sic] white walls with drawings and signs. More and more complicated fabric structure arise. It is a movement exprienced visually, which like a computer make an unforeseeable output after entering a command. Not in vain « ADA» reminds of Ada Lovelace, who in 19th century together with Charles Babbage developed the very first prototype of a computer. Babbage provided the preliminary computing machine, Lovelace the first software. A symbiosis of mathematics with the romantic legacy of her father Lord Byron emmerged there. Ada Lovelace intended to create a machine that would be able to create works of art, such as poetry, music, or pictures, like an artist does."

http://www.smigla-bobinski.com/index.html

Reality Dress by Ece Ozalp

This amazing project was created for Turkish fashion designer Ece Ozalp's Spring/Summer 2016 Reality collection: projection mapping on one of her silhouettes. Stunning work.

http://eceozalpdesign.com/

BEAUTY: Photography--Alberto Oliveira

Brazilian artist Alberto Oilveira seems to operate in the great tradition of Latin American Surrealism. Starting as a painter, Oliveira moved to digital photography and manipulates his images to reflect a murky, submerged, vaguely science fiction-y world full of magical views and unexplained phenomena.

All pieces are untitled.

http://www.albertooliveira.com.br/

"Jonathan" by Christine and the Queens with Perfume Genius

An interesting collaboration between French singer-songwriter Christine and the Queens (Héloïse Letissier) and American singer-songwriter Perfume Genius (Mike Hadreas) (previously here).

Oh Jonathan
Don’t be angry Jonathan
Can you lay your hand on my forehead?

Through the darkest night
Can you handle the darkest night?
At the crack of dawn I am ashamed

Oh sister oh
Can you forgive me, sister old?
Can you lay your hand on my forehead?

Can you give it?

Seulement la nuit
Et pourquoi seulement la nuit?
Je sais que tu ne répondras pas

Seulement ici
Et pourquoi seulement ici?
Est-ce qu’ailleurs je ne t’appartiens pas?

C’est interdit
Et pourquoi est-ce interdit?
Je te croyais au-dessus des lois

Can you give it?

Walk with me in the daylight…

http://www.christineandthequeens.com/catq_language/
https://perfumegenius.org/

Merry Christmas 2015!

The sun's birthday and Saturnalia! Enjoy the day and Happy Holidays!

It's Midnight At Christmas

"Snowflake" by Kate Bush...

I was born in a cloud...

Now I am falling.
I want you to catch me.
Look up and you'll see me.
You know you can hear me.

The world is so loud. Keep falling. I'll find you.

We're over a forest.
There's millions of snowflakes.
We're dancing.

The world is so loud. Keep falling and I'll find you.

I am ice and dust. I am sky.

I can see horses wading through snowdrifts.
My broken heart, my fabulous dances.
My fleeting song, fleeting.

The world is so loud. Keep falling. I'll find you.

My broken heart, my fabulous dance.
My fleeting song, my twist and shout.

I am ice and dust and light. I am sky and here.

I can hear people.
I think you are near me now.

The world is so loud. Keep falling. I'll find you.

We're over a forest.
It's midnight at Christmas.

The world is so loud. Keep falling. I'll find you.

I think I can see you.
There's your long, white neck.

The world is so loud. Keep falling. I'll find you.

Now I am falling.
Look up and you'll see me.

The world is so loud. Keep falling. I'll find you.

In a moment or two.
I'll be with you.

The world is so loud. Keep falling. I'll find you.

Be ready to catch me.

The world is so loud. Keep falling. I'll find you.

Kate Bush taught me how to fly.

http://www.katebush.com/

I'll Be Home For Christmas 2015...

..if only in my dreams.