Although my primary photography application is photojournalism, photo reference for drawing became a studio study during my first semester at the Vermont College of Fine Arts (VCFA). This may look like a digitally manipulated image, but it is actually my first attempt at drawing with charcoal.
I captured the scene photographically and later decided to translate it into the blacks, whites, and grays of charcoal pencils from ruined extra hard to extra soft, wet charcoal, vines, and chunky chalk. My instructor for this charcoal drawing was Linda McCune, a gifted artist, teacher, and mentor.
The original of this 29×42 charcoal on cotton paper is currently on display as a part of the VCFA student exhibition in Montpelier, Vermont. This charcoal drawing represents a portion of the support structure under the Copper Creek railroad trestle near Speers Ferry in Southwest Virginia.
Do not make the mistake of assuming this is a digital photo composite. This is a mixed media graphite drawing – my first attempt at working with graphite other than sketches with a No.2 pencil.
Credit for the concept and technical guidance goes to Linda McCune, a gifted artist, teacher, and mentor. Materials involved included: graphite pencils from 9H to 8B, graphite powder, glassine sheets, Dr. Martin’s Pen-White, and various grades of sandpaper. The maps are an historical appropriation for art. The original photography includes published and unpublished images from Southwest Virginia.
The original of this 29×42 graphite on cotton paper is currently on display as a part of the Vermont College of Fine Arts (VCFA) student exhibition in Montpelier, Vermont.
Lightning photography seems to have a geographic degree of difficulty. This photograph of horizontal cloud-to-cloud lightning was created on a night when the sky was busy with brilliant flashes. Typical of my experience in the Southeastern United States, it was an evening filled with frustration as most exposures captured clouds and rain squalls blocking a clear view of the actual lightning bolts.
My best lightning photos have been created in the Mojave Desert, Southwestern US. One of my very first successful lightning photos was a double fork of cloud-to-ground lightning captured just north of Las Vegas as a still image on my cell phone.
In Hawaii, we may only see one or two thunderstorms annually. Lightning there is a rare occurrence.
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