"Bust of Belisarius" (Sculpture by Jean-Baptiste Stouf)

This emotion rich sculpted bust in white marble reflects the bold golden walls
that almost seem to impose on it's emotions and the bust shifts it's meaning when viewed from
different angles as the light changes and the shadows move.

"Desnudo Reclinado" (Sculpture by Francisco Zuniga)

I'm very drawn to this statue. Of all the statues at the UCLA sculpture garden this one holds my interest again and again. While this angle of the statue is dynamic I feel like I am robbing you by only letting you see one side of it. This statue is so low slung that I find myself compelled to crouch down and inspect at close to its own height. The proportions of the figure are dynamic with a large body solidly placed in a crouch supported by feet that are settled in position like elegant paddles and hands that offer just as much strength. And her head, though small by comparison has a strong presence, a dignity. And with all this strength and dignity portrayed through her body that seems to say something about her character she is crouching down almost as low as she can be to the ground. And she draws you down to the ground as well. There is a lot to consider there. I'd love to know what other people see in her.
(I may have to share a series of photographs of her, so that everyone can experience her more fully.)

"All the Cracks and Broken Bits"

On a campus that has the air of being expensively well kept, in LA where so many things aren't that old and certainly don't have the elegant patina of centuries of wear, it can be surprisingly humble and real to find signs of something beautiful showing its age and developing character. And, of course, my aesthetic sensibilities are always drawn towards patterning and how that can be broken down or convey meaning, so the bricks' regular pattern divided by cream grout and slabs of concrete then broken down by notches of freed grout and dark lined cracks running throughout draws me in and gets me thinking broadly. I hope you can find a trail of thoughts in this too.

"Light Infused Pear Blossoms"

Many pear trees are blooming white halos around the UCLA campus right now.

In this image I am interested in the comparison of two different sorts of gradients. The brick building with it's light striping at the base that gradually moves upward to other light architectural details until there is more of the darker valued brick and the light shining through the pear tree creating an almost solid white glow on the right and slowly allowing our eyes to pick up on the green foliage around the blossoms as they move away from the light. 

"Fig's Embrace"

I couldn't help but want to be drawn in by these roots, to be supported, almost in a hug. I found my thoughts exploring animism today (after wandering among statues and gazing at controlled nature for several hours of the day), even before sitting amongst these roots in the cool afternoon with the moist ocean air creating a vague impression of fog.

"Vivid Moment"

The Getty Center's white stone structures can be glaring in midday Southern CA sun,
though at the same time that white shows off a striking collection of structures.
But in the late afternoon the white surfaces are glorious.
They serve as a solid surface for the golden sun to reflect on and the carefully place trees
to cast their shapes onto. This image was just a moment brilliant color and then it shifted.
 It makes you want to just be in yourself and stare and stare to see every moment.

"And the Sky Softly Came Down to Join the Earth"

I'm fascinated by how despite the full value range in this image there is a subtly, a softness in the transitions so that it feels as if all the elements are melting into one another.
This was photo was taken a few weeks ago in the Ramona Grasslands preserve looking towards Mount Woodson in the twilight of a chilly early January day.

"Margins"

I captured this image, because it makes me think about something I can't quite describe. Something in this image is about edges of of things lost and found, strong and dissolving. This water and leaf are removed visually in this image from their original context at the divide between street and sidewalk, so there is even an edge here that is not shown but influences the image.

"Situated"

"Winter Growth"

I'm interested in the strong rhythm of the silhouetted tree trunks on the right and the softness of most of the
 growth by comparison as it layers subtly one branch or leaf on top of another.  Then there is one area of
 bold foliage, the remnants of a sycamore tree's leaves leading my eye down to the gloriously bright
yet tiny spot of orange where the two retrievers stand.

"Seeing Together"

Two gentle but curious souls I met on News Years day.
I was intrigued by their subtle and seemingly considerate social interplay.

"Leaning Giraffe"

I'm not sure what is going on with this giraffe and I think that is what makes me think about personality, expression, and character when I look at this image. I'm also fascinated by all the subtle diagonals, not only is the giraffe leaning oddly, but the strong shadows around him/her are just slightly angled creating a bit of an off kilter effect that adds to the mood of the image. This makes me want to capture so many kinds of animal likenesses.

Cherry Tomato Evening Harvest

Earlier last week I ventured out of my interior painting life and spent some time in my father-in-laws' greenhouse and a garden he tends. At the end of the day I even contributed to the cherry tomato harvest. It was a relief to be immersed in outdoor colors and textures.

Yellow and Green Before Hazy Mountains

The point of this photo was to capture what it feels like to be
buried in green texture and flowers so that what is vast seems more distant and less significant.

"Super Moon" Rising

Sadly this image does not do the moon justice! Perhaps later I'll get out my tripod for the first time capture it's drama.  This was a quick shot I had to get in during the softness of twilight. There is much texture and subtly to inspire the mood in upcoming paintings.

Aged Zinnia

The softening of the petal edges and the light speckling that developed have invited my gaze longer than in my previous posted photo when it was first blooming. 

Engrossed

I'm quite interested in how this photo captures how intently an infant gorilla and its mother can focus on their own separate experiences in a moment of close physical contact. 

Zinnia of the Greenhouse

I am intrigued by the stacking/layering moving up in space from the leaves to the
flower petals. This lone brilliant red zinnia was quite eye catching against the
varying greens in the greenhouse.

Poppy Pods

These large poppy pods have such a glorious shape and there is so
much in the details of texture and layering of shapes to capture me.

At the End of Cedar Drive

The layers of space and color set off by the texture of this brightly
lit grass made getting up ridiculously early yesterday worth it.