DELICATE COLORS

Yesterday morning, when I went out of bed at my usual time, at 7.30, I was greeted by the light of a new-born day! We are on wintertime now since Sunday last. Thus there is a grace period of about a week, when it is still light when I am waking up. Of course, I had to bear witness to this fine event by documenting it for you, dear readers.

The sun had just about crept above the horizon; the whole scenery was clad in mild pastel colors, just as to nudge me on my transition from drowsy to fully awake.

I have tried to do these colors justice and am showing you a picture a bit unlike earlier ones, which were high of contrast and saturation due to the sunny season. Permit me to add that I begin to appreciate delicate details in nature and print, now since I am getting older, and my aesthetic taste is getting fully developed. Of course, when I put pictures on the blog here, most of the time I give them an extra boost of saturation; I know from my own experience that most of us react more actively to stronger motives and color, and I would not like you readers to become disappointed in me.

Surprisingly, whereas I more and more prefer delicate colors, which shows in the prints I prepare for sale, the opposite seems to be the case for many great artists. Picasso comes to mind; in photography one has to look no further than to my forbearer Ansel Adams. As a photographer, he produced picture after picture on demand from a few early negatives, so you can follow the development of his aesthetic taste over the decades. The prints from his later years shine in high contrast, whereas those of his youth are much more delicate in appearance.

To continue on another thread, I am rather pleased with this kitchen window blog and am grateful that I started it some six years ago. Whereas, at the beginning, I saw it a bit as a necessity – produced only grudgingly, since it kept me from my main mission, to produce my two books, I have begun to understand that it now has become a main outlet for my creative endeavors. It is an easy format to work in and I will be able to keep up the good work for many years yet.

I am dedicating this post to a great man, not only a great artist, but also a very brave person, who kept going with his creative verve until the edge of his demise. When he received the verdict that his death was imminent, he produced a musical dealing with the travails of his last days. He went on by producing an album with the songs from the musical, which was released only two days before his death.

Long live David Bowie – In memoria!