Orange on White, Like a Creamsicle
Photograph rebloged from J. R. Blackwell, photographer for Philadelphia Weekly.
Posts tagged ‘Photography’
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Weekly Photo Challenge: Binge on Orange
Orange is that funny color that either burnishes into a soft and soothing tone or shouts out its presence. Either way, we can count on orange to catch our eye.
Scale: The “Big Chair” and the Metaphor
What’s the big deal about a chair? Actually, this chair is so big, about four times larger than a typical chair, and it’s a work of art that has taken on a life of its own. Jake Beckman, a student at Swarthmore College, conceived and built the original chair, which found a place among the other standard-sized Adirondack chairs that dot the stretch of lawn in front of the main hall on campus. Even The Colbert Report featured a segment about the famous chair.
Several years ago the original chair fell apart and was discreetly removed from the lawn. However, the campus community, becoming attached to the Big Chair, clamored to bring the chair back. Jake agreed to return to rebuild the structure, and the chair resumed its place with the others.
I guess I wasn’t the only one beginning to think metaphorically about the Big Chair. Some unnamed inventives would come by during the night leaving the chairs in different arrangements, such as the Big Chair leading a line of the other chairs or the Big Chair in the middle of a circle. One morning the Big Chair stood upright while a semicircle of normal chairs tipped down in front of the Big Chair.
Now I was thinking hard. The chairs assumed the metaphor for power dynamics . . . and not just at Swarthmore! I thought about “Big Chair” people, folks that tell us what to do or think: politicians, pundits, advertisers, bosses, CEOs, presidents, board of directors . . . and I’m sure you can think of many more. Do we perceive these folks as big in influence, power, authority, and wealth and get drawn into a mindset that binds us to a deferential attitude? Many normal chairs sit on the lawn–there is strength in numbers when we act collectively. And normal-sized chairs serve a real function. We wouldn’t make 25 more Big Chairs!
On reflection, perhaps we do need the Big Chair–reminding us to keep the right perspective.
Depth of Feeling
Several years ago a friend invited to me attend a circus, as her company provided free admission to employees and their guests. I hadn’t been to a circus since I was a child, so I had few expectations of what the show might bring.
During one of the acts, the elephants reared up, one after the other, the hot, glaring lights reflecting off their skin. The bright spotlights washed out some of the color and the creatures appeared as stark images under the harsh lamps. The circus transformed into melancholy display, as I had become a spectator to another view of the performance.
UPDATE: March 6, 2015, Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus to Phrase Out Elephant Acts.
More stories about elephants:
Elephants Reunited
Newspaper Article Describing Training 1930s
ASPCA Circus Cruelty
Should Animal Circuses be Banned
Elephants
Serenity, the Gift
Serenity comes upon us when the vastness of our planet rises before us. We see ourselves as part of the miracle we call earth. It’s as if the universe is sending us a message that we belong to this place and time. When we stand alone by the seaside, we are not lonely. The moment stretches into an imaginary eternity as the waves return to the shore and the clouds pass away. We are alive, and we experience this transcendent gift in a moment of serenity.
Sonnet & Shadow: Weekly Photo Challenge
Sonnet XCVIII
From you have I been absent in the spring,
When proud pied April, dressed in all his trim,
Hath put a spirit of youth in every thing,
That heavy Saturn laughed and leapt with him.
Yet nor the lays of birds, nor the sweet smell
Of different flowers in odour and in hue,
Could make me any summer’s story tell,
Or from their proud lap pluck them where they grew:
Nor did I wonder at the lily’s white,
Nor praise the deep vermilion in the rose;
They were but sweet, but figures of delight,
Drawn after you, you pattern of all those.
Yet seemed it winter still, and you away,
As with your shadow I with these did play.– William Shakespeare
New Shoes
When I think of new, what comes to mind is shoes. Purchasing new shoes is often at a benchmark time in our lives. The baby begins walking and before stepping out into the world, must have a new pair of shoes. Before the first day of school arrives, parents shoe up their kids for a fresh start. For the bride, putting on the shoes is the final step as she prepares to walk into a new life with her partner. There are those times, however, when shoes become the outfit and if nothing else, well, it’s just fun to wear a new pair.
Captivating Yellow: Weekly Photo Challenge
Yellow owns it.
Like the sun that shines on a bright day, yellow claims its space. For the Dagger caterpillar, yellow serves as a warning to predators: I’m poisonous. The Swallowtail butterfly outlines her wings against a black outline. Golden tones in the sky or on metal sparkle against low light. Gold is a stable element and the sun our constant celestial companion, it’s no wonder that yellow captivates our attention.
Twinkle: the Radiance of Light
When light falls on water or ice, the many points of light fan out to create the twinkle that is so magical, especially around the holidays. Sometimes light falls on softer surfaces creating subtle coloring on subjects that might wander into the scene. 🐱
Psalmboxkey's Blog 
Written
on 03/07/2015