The years seem like the wind across my face, as fleeting as a leaf floating downstream. It doesn't seem like that long ago that I posted a message on this blog, but it has been years. Pardon me if I get thoughtful or even philosophic, but lately I've been reflecting on a French poet's analysis of life. He said that there is one word that describes all of existence, and that word is "Goodbye." It's a grim thought, I suppose, because we are constantly leaving behind the moments of living. The first sentence of this blog entry as it is read is in the past. The last meal you ate is a memory no matter how good or bad it was. We can't hold on to the present moment and keep it with us except in memory. In our modern world we live longer and faster, but do we live each moment to its fullest? Perhaps we can anticipate an eternity where time does not exist and the magic word may be "Hello" instead of "Goodbye" and we will be able to keep the past and future always with us.

MAKING A PHOTO SPEAK TO THE EMOTIONS

Many people have asked me to describe what I am trying to do as an Impressionist photographer. It can be described in two words: simplify and intensify. In the practical sense, I look for emotional content in the everyday objects I encounter so that I can express the essence of their existence. Consequently, I do not photograph uncommon angles or juxtapositions or colors, instead I look for the everyday layers that makeup the common sights and events of life. I anticipate an enhancement of color and tone to recall the emotional impact of that moment. Later I apply colors to these objects in hues that are not seen with a camera. Often I simplify or remove texture and detail to further emphasize the object’s emotional content. In all this I try to recapture internal feelings and color, and to project them so that they are felt as they were experienced, or to cause them to be experienced for the first time.

LIFE CHALLENGES AND CHANGE

Just when I thought life was settling down to a comfortable cruise, I am informed that I have serious Sleep Apnia and have to wear an oxygen and CPAP mask to keep me breathing at night. I've heard about this kind of arrangement -- my brother-in-law has one, as do several other friends, but that was them, and not me, so I didn't think much about it. Isn't that the way it goes? You never understand someone else's predicament until you have to face it yourself. I'm wondering how all this will affect my artistic views. I certainly will not feel the freedom I felt watching the pigeons in Paris this summer. Someone once told me that you don't ever get over tragedy, you just get used to it. I hope so.

AGAIN IN PARIS

May 28, 2009 I'm by myself again in Paris. The City of Lights never changes, yet there is something different about it this time. Paris seems more "gritty" and much more busy. Perhaps it seems that way because I am tired and alone. The drizzling rain doesn't promote the "Paris in Love" kind of feeling, either. It didn't help that I arrived during the early morning rush. I managed to catch the RER from the airport to Gare de Lyon with the help of a Frenchman from San Francisco. He was friendly and was going in the same direction, so we talked about France and America and we rode the RER to Chatelet. He got off and I stayed on for Gare de Lyon. Even though I had a satellite map of the station and the street where the B&B was located near Gare de Lyon, I still managed to get "turned around" and wandered in the wrong direction for about an hour. After I found the B&B and got settled in, Me. Vundeheiler was very friendly and helpful . Later I ate some onion soup and a ham sandwich, then wandered, this time purposely, to photograph "the spirit of Paris." It is an ethereal and on going search, which I will continue.

HALOWEEN SURPRISE

We had an unusual Halloween surprise last year. But I forgot to add it to this blog. So here is a re-cap. After a night of unbearable pain the day before Halloween, which we thought was acid-reflux; My wife drove me to InstaCare in Sugarhouse to get some relief. However, within minutes I was aboard an ambulance with sirens screaming headed for the University Hospital with a full-blown diagnosed heart-attack. The University Hospital staff wasted no time, and that evening I had an artery stent in place and was joking with the hospital staff. "Trick or Treat" in that setting had a whole new meaning. I wondered, as I lay in bed in the ICU, since artists' works usually increase in value after they are dead, how might a near-death experience influence the value of my photographs? Fortunately, my heart sustained only minor injury – which was a miracle given the circumstances – and I was reassured that there will be full recovery. In fact, I was told that I will probably be healthier than before, because I will be forced to change my life-style – more exercise, fat-free food, etc. This has been and will be a life changing experience for all of my family, as we change our diet, physical activities and attitude about life. But I seem to be doing very well, and I am almost my usual self again with, of course, a much different outlook on the fragility and mortality of life. We thank God for His obvious help and for the prayers, visits and kindness of all our friends and family during a trying experience. Needless to say, it was the scariest Halloween in our memories.

EXHIBIT AT HOME

Many of my friends and acquaintances have expressed regret for not being able to see my recent exhibit at the Eccles Art Center in Ogden. There were many reasons – bad weather, a long tedious drive, and scheduling conflicts. So I am having an open house exhibit for two nights at my home on Friday March 28 and Saturday March 29. You can come any time during the day or evening up to 10:00 PM. The address is: 1087 South 1100 East, SLC.

Of course, I don't have as much room for display as the Eccles Center, which showed over 100 of my framed prints, but I will have some of the best prints from the exhibit and some new ones scattered throughout my home.

I feel that my mixed-media approach to photography using digital enhancement techniques can add vitality and color to my images. Mixed-media photographs have the inherent ability to express colorful emotions coupled with a sense of intellectual reality that is a part of every photograph. This advantage of believability can make an Impressionist photograph seem more “real” than a painting, while at the same time, lift the veil of reality to reveal the inner excitement of imagination.

To strengthen the emotional impression of my images, I simplify the design and image elements by eliminating extraneous detail and smoothing out the tones of color and increasing or decreasing hue intensity and color saturation. The result has the appearance of a painting but the feeling of reflected reality. I like to say that my prints are not really photographs or paintings; they are something in between or something all together different. If anyone would like to see my images, look at http://www.donthorpe.com/

TIME FLIES

It seems that each day is like a breeze across your face, felt for a moment then gone. I'm not making excuses, mind you, just an observation about life. To be honest, I'm not sure what I want this blog to be. Maybe it is a commentary about my life or perhaps it is an in depth look at my life as a photographer. Anyway, here I am trying to make some sense of who I am and why.

Lately I have explored the photographic images from my more-or-less recent trips to places like Maine, San Diego, and, of course, France. I say of course France because of my strong attachments to that country -- my wife is a native born Parisien, and I have been to France many times over the years we have been married. The majority of the photos at my website are of French subjects, and those taken some years ago in the Holy Land.

If anyone has an interest in such matters, I invite you to look at my website and tell me what you think of the feelings my photos encourage -- if any. I try create images that will lift the spirits of the people who look at them.