Fishin’
Went fishing with my dad for Father’s Day and we didn’t catch a damned thing. Personally, I haven’t fished in probably 30 years, so I have an excuse. We learned a few lessons so next time we will be better prepared.
Old But Gold
This Music Hall sign on 4th Street is from ages ago, but I like that it’s still 1) being used, and 2) accurate despite its age. Bring back this aesthetic to all modern signage, please.
West End Ride
I was feeling restless and bad. Whenever I feel this way and the weather cooperates, I usually hop on my bike and exercise it out of my system.
After work was through and Myrtle had played enough ball, I decided to take a long, aimless ride with my Contax RX loaded with a fresh roll of Kodak Ultramax. I found myself over in the West End snapping the street in perfect evening light for about two hours. I think I managed to get some really great stuff, but that’s to be determined after the roll is developed.
I ran into Mandy at the Elm Street dog parked and stopped to talk to her for a bit. Then I went and had a few coney’s at the new Skyline on Fountain Square. I really like the walk-up window they have on 6th Street.
Rump & Roll & Rest
I was waiting for Rump & Roll to open for breakfast and Myrtle was resting her snoot on the window.
Summer Shit
The older I get, the more enjoyable this activity becomes.
A New-to-Me Newell
I photographed a turn-of-the-century home in Westwood that’s been in the same family since the 1940s today, and it had this absolutely stunning functional Newell post lamp on its grand staircase. I’ve seen plenty of these before in other historic properties, but I’ve never seen one with so much of (what I assume is) its original paint. Absolutely gorgeous piece of artistry you won’t find in an average new build.
Small Man, Big Chair
I think one of the things I like about this still life class is I realized I don’t have to draw the complete scene if I don’t want to.
In this instance, I didn’t feel like dealing with the chair, so I simply didn’t draw it. The figure was the most interesting piece of the composition. It seemed like the most fun part to draw.
I guess choosing your crop, much like in photography, should’ve been obvious from the beginning, but it only occurred to me this week.
1/4th Complete
See that area with the mulch? That’s what we have so far on the hill. It’s weeded, it’s planted with flowers and perennials, and it’s the first of four stages. The angle is deceptive in that it’s steep and not as flat as it looks.
We have a few trees we’ve planted outside of the mulched area, and those grasses in the middle are intentional. In reality, more of the hill is planted than just the mulched bit, but that’s the area that feels most “complete” so far.
Rosie’s Haul
A woman reached out to Ashley about taking plants from her yard so we can populate the hill at the end of our street in Judy’s memory. Her name is Rosie and she lives in the “Newport Island”—the area of Newport that’s sandwiched between off ramps along Route 8. She’s lived there for 49 years and has an adorable little house with an equally adorable yard filled with plants and flowers.
She can’t keep up with the maintenance of her yard any longer and thought we would benefit from taking some of them. We went over, she identified which ones we could dig up, and we loaded the truck up with everything. It was hot and dirty work, but the haul was undeniable. She’s singlehandedly provided so many wonderful plants for free so that we may make the garden Judy would’ve loved.
Night On the Porch
Chelsea and Vince came over this evening. We ate at Tuba then hung out on the porch with a few beers and watched the Reds Friday night fireworks show.
Life Imitates Art
Quietly documented thoughtful visitors to Taft Museum’s newest exhibit, The Scandinavian Home. I liked how this woman’s hat had a similar shape to the cloud in the painting.
Return to the Monument
I had to go back to the monument to get night shots. When I was there the first time, the lights weren’t turned on, so I left. As I passed it on my way out, they flickered on. It was annoying and I resolved to just come back another evening as I was tired of being there for an hour already.
The hardest part about a shot like this is getting the right light trails: too much and it’s obnoxious, too little and it’s a wasted opportunity to show motion.
Banter+Brews
A frame from an event I shot this morning at The Marketer for MA Design.
Skull Study
Drew a skull in class tonight. It’s harder than you think to get the proportions just right on something like this. I think because we all have one of these, we instinctively know if it’s off even by a little.
Judy’s Lawn
Since Judy died at the end of April, her yard has been left largely untouched. Her nephew, who lives out of town, is handling the fate of the house and will return later this month, but for now, we’re keeping an eye on it for him. We noticed the backyard was getting a little overgrown, so we asked him if we could take the mower over and cut/weed it.
I really miss her and I still can’t believe she’s gone for good.
Day Trip
Day trip to Lexington to drink coffee in curated wilderness, explore an arboretum, behold a gigantic Dixie cup, then a stop in Georgetown for some architectural flavor, and the backroads home where we discovered a charming pizza place full of a bunch of junk. Myrtle had so much fun.