photography

Weekly Photo Challenge: Quest

September 27, 2016Photo Essay, photography, Uncategorized, Weekly Photo ChallengeAleppo, BBC, humanity, pen and ink drawing, photography, postaday, Syria, weekly photo challenge, White HelmetsAndrew Seal View all 7 comments

I have been struggling how best to respond to this week’s Daily Post Photo Challenge from Cheri in which she asks, “what quest means to you.”

Initially I thought, somewhat philosophically, that I would explore trying to represent the quest we all have had at some point in our lives for “the meaning of life,” but this week watching the horror and tragedy in Aleppo becoming more desperate each day, and seeing the heartbreaking images of little children, the same age as my beautiful granddaughter who is fifteen months old today, being pulled from the rubble of their homes, it is clear that the meaning of life had ended for them before it had even had a chance to begin.

Watching on my laptop one of Jeremy Bowen’s reports from Syria, one image stood out as a metaphor for all the White Helmet volunteer relief workers, first responders and medics who have lost their lives in the name of peace and humanity trying to save these children and families. This ambulance had been pulverized in targeted bombing and on its side are the words HAS YOUR HEART DIED, and hidden behind the pillar I believe the words read ALONG WITH YOUR CHILDREN?

How else to express both outrage and sadness but with pen and brush, ink and paper, as I have done too many times before:

And so you ask what is my answer to Cheri’s question,”What does quest mean to you?”It is simply that one day those responsible for these war crimes will be held accountable and brought to justice.

Aleppo 25.9.16

Here is the link to Jeremy Bowen’s report from September 14th:

Syria ceasefire: Aleppo district “pulverized”

Dedicated to five-year-old Rawan Alowsh who was pulled alive by her pony tail from the rubble last Friday and sadly to the memory of her three sisters and one brother, who were all killed in the airstrike together with their father, Mohammad Alowsh, 28, and mother, 30-year-old Kefaeh.

a royal sunday afternoon

September 25, 2016photography, Uncategorizedphotography, postaday, royal visit, royals, royalvisittocanada, william and kateAndrew Seal View all 4 comments

Look who visited down the road here in Kitsilano this afternoon, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge who looked stunning in her Alexander McQueen outfit.
The raised eyebrow belongs to Vancouver’s mayor.

first day of fall: the story

September 23, 2016Photo Essay, photography, UncategorizedFall, firstdayoffall, photo editing, Photo Essay, photography, Photoshop Elements, postadayAndrew Seal View all 17 comments

For those of you who enjoyed yesterday’s post for the first day of fall, I thought today I would tell the story of its evolution. Two days ago my wife picked up this beautiful fallen maple leaf as she was walking home knowing how much it would appeal to me, and how right she was. I immediately went outside and held it up against the clear blue sky, and as I turned it in the bright morning sunshine its glorious colours came alive.

Several photographs later I was happy with what I had captured, but now how best to use them. Using Photoshop Elements I created a different layer for each of the images, some of which were duplicated, reversed and re-sized as I placed them around the central leaf.

I could have gone on for a while but felt the need to stop, as it magically became the perfect image with which to celebrate the first day of fall. I hope you agree.

the beginning of fall

September 18, 2016photography, UncategorizedFall, iphoneography, photography, postaday, seasons, treesAndrew Seal Leave a comment

Returning from the Farmer’s Market today, Fall was in the air.

Here and Now: Part One

September 14, 2016Art, Uncategorized#discoverWP, Art, Art studio, bouquet, photography, postaday, watercolor, WPDiscoverAndrew Seal View all 10 comments

Discover Challenge: Here and Now

“Choose a moment and capture it in the medium of your choice.”

Bouquet 14.9.16

Nothing could be more now than being here in the studio this afternoon.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Edge

September 13, 2016Uncategorizedfamily, love, photography, postaday, weekly photo challengeAndrew Seal View all 13 comments

Spending last weekend with or beautiful granddaughter; what could be a better way to celebrate National Grandparents Day, and as you can see it also wasn’t hard to interpret this week’s Photo Challenge.

The Unwavering Spirit

September 11, 2016photography, Uncategorized9/11, 9/11 Memorial, 9/11 Memorial Museum, photography, postaday, Remembrance, September 11thAndrew Seal View all 7 comments

From St Paul’s Chapel, Lower Manhattan, New York

We visited the chapel on our visit to ground zero and the National September 11 Memorial Museum last year. The rear of the chapel faced opposite the east side of the World Trade Centre, as it does now to the Freedom Tower. After the attack on September 11 it served as a place of rest and refuge for recovery workers at the World Trade Center site.

As we pause to remember and reflect on that fateful morning fifteen years ago today this uniform together with the crushed remains of Ladder 3 that are so reverently displayed in the Museum, and about which I posted earlier this year, all serve to remind us of the sacrifice and bravery of those 343 firefighters of the New York City Fire Department who were lost that day, together with an additional 68 emergency workers and the 2566 innocent lives they were trying to save.

Hope & Healing at Ground Zero

The Gift of the Four Treasures: Part Two

September 6, 2016Art, Photo Essay, UncategorizedArt, Art studio, Brush and Ink painting, Chinese culture, Chinese history, Chinese painting, photography, watercolorAndrew Seal View all 7 comments

The Second Treasure from the Gift of the Four Treasures

In Part One I showed how special and meaningful the gift of the Four Treasures of the Study has been to me. In Part Two I continue to be inspired by this beautiful gift, interpreting yesterday’s Labor Day bouquet with these six variations.

The Third Treasure from the Gift of the Four Treasures

For this variation I ground the different coloured inks on the inkstone for the first time.

The Fourth Treasure from the Gift of the Four Treasures

In this fourth variation I used my traditional water colors together with the brush and ink,
producing a more vibrant and less muted image.

2-ivx

Five, Six and Seven.

Each of the variations began the same way, the brush charged with the freshly ground ink, its distinct aroma hanging in the air, the blank sheet ready and waiting to be brought to life.

Then as each image appeared the brush seemed to take on a life of its own creating arabesques as it danced across the paper. A definite moment of Zen.

The ink stick has been described as a scepter that conveys wishes for happiness and good
fortune, which was certainly felt in the studio this day.

For those of you visiting The Changing Palette for the first time I invite to learn about the history of the Four Treasures of the Study as I have done, which I have described in Part One.