Murals: Street Art in León

When I was in León, Spain last summer, I photographed a mural adjacent to the famed Gothic cathedral in the city's center.  I had my iPhone with me and it served very well to produce an image that has since received some attention and been featured in an exhibition at the Shrode Gallery at the Mitchell Museum in Mt. Vernon, Illinois.

Modern and Medieval:  This image was taken in the summer of 2017.  My iPhone was ideal for producing this wide angle view. (You can click on images in this blog for a larger view.  Hit the "Escape" or "esc" key to return to normal viewing.)

As I walked about the city's center yesterday afternoon, I returned to la Calle de las Palomas (Street of Doves) to see if the mural was still there.  It was.  There were also two other murals that I hadn't photographed at the time, one of a lion, and in the center, famed boxer Muhammad Ali.  I had my Nikon D7200 with me this time and photographed all of the images on the three adjacent walls.

A closer shot.

The lion mural is directly across from the painting of the man with the Afro and comb.

The image of Muhammad Ali is in the center of the other two murals.

When I was in León for Holy Week in 2016, there was another work of street art near the Church of Santa Nonia.  I've walked most of the streets of central León.  There may be other major works of street art, but if so, I haven't found them.

I photographed Eyes of Santa Nonia on the morning of a Holy Week procession in 2016.  When I was here last summer, it had degraded considerably, but was still there.  Street art is ephemeral and  must be enjoyed while it is there.  Photography helps preserve it.

I will be blogging about Holy Week and much more during the upcoming days.  Please subscribe to my blog by clicking here is you would like to be updated when there is something new.


You can view my fine art photography website at:  www.tombellart.com.

This blog has been named one of the top 75 fine art photography blogs on the planet.

 

A NIGHTHAWKS for the 21st Century

Last week, my wife and I took our daughter, a high school senior, to Chicago to visit a couple of colleges.  We stayed in the historic Blackstone Hotel on Michigan Avenue, putting us within walking distance of the Museum of Contemporary Photography, the Art Institute of Chicago, Millennium Park, and literally hundreds of other attractions.

As our time was limited, we did a quick run-through of the Museum of Contemporary Photography, then crossed the street to head North on Michigan Avenue.  Almost immediately, my daughter pointed to the barber shop inside the old Congress Hotel and said, "That would make a good photo." Sure enough, the Headrest Barbershop was the perfect subject for an early evening photograph. Because of the glass windows and its corner location, you could see the activity of a typical big-city barbershop inside.  I took several images before we moved on.

The Headrest Barbershop is at 520 South Michigan Avenue. (You can click on images in this blog for a larger view.)

Later in the evening, we spent several hours at the Art Institute of Chicago.  One of the many impressive paintings we saw was Edward Hopper's Nighthawks (Click here to view the painting in another window) from 1942.  It's the nighttime scene of a diner at an intersection of two streets, with three patrons at a counter and an employee standing behind it.

Later, as I was looking at my photos on the computer, it occurred to me that my photograph of the barbershop, while very different from Hopper's Nighthawks, has much in common.  We're viewing ordinary people doing ordinary things through the very public glass window of a corner shop.  My photo certainly doesn't portray the loneliness of Hopper's image, but it does capture real people living their lives in 2016.  For me, that's what street photography is all about.

Despite the bright colors of the scene, I also decided to do a black and white image.

We also found time to visit Millennium Park, where my daughter got friendly with the famous "Bean" sculpture.

Cristina and the Bean.

You can view my fine art photography website at:  www.tombellart.com.

Beanie Santa Turns 10 (Again)

Around the holidays, I sometimes re-post a blog entry from a previous time.  This one is from the Christmas season last year.  So, Beanie Santa is now eleven.  Hope you enjoy.  

Ten years ago I played around with Photoshop as much as I do today.  One project that I took on for fun during the Christmas holiday of 2002 was a painting of a beanie Santa seated in an antique child's rocker in front of the Christmas tree. It's turned out to be my most popular holiday-themed artwork.

Most of you know me for my black and white fine art photographs, especially those of Mayan Indians in Guatemala.  I've also done award-winning landscapes, animal photographs, and lots of other genres. However, I love to make Photoshop work for me in whatever endeavor I choose.  It would have been easy enough just to position the doll in the chair and snap a photo.  But I wanted more -- a painting! 

Beanie Santa by Tom Bell.  Copyright 2002.  All rights reserved.

Many of you know that when I'm not doing fine art photography, I use my camera, Photoshop, and Corel Painter to create digital images that are more akin to paintings than photographs.  Back in 2002, I was using only Photoshop, version 7, I believe.

This image came about because I'd been looking for a way to do something creative with my Dad's old chair.  It's a child's rocking chair that my Grandfather had made for my Dad in around 1922 or 1923.  My dad kept the chair, then passed it on to me for my son.  Over the years, the rocker had broken one of the runners, and the woven seat came apart.  My dad patiently rebuilt a runner, and then using bailing rope rewove the chair's seat.  I assure you that with it's age and wear, it has much more character than it ever did in the roaring 20's.

My wife had acquired a Beanie Baby Santa.  When I seated him in the chair in front of the Christmas tree, my idea for holiday decor was transformed into the ideas for a painting.  My mission was to bring out the warmth of the seating and the texture of the wood. I even wanted you to get a feel for Santa's wooly red costume.  I rearranged some of the decorations on the tree.  The red star to the left of Santa was a must to add some balance, and the gold reindeer to his right brought out the balance on the other side. I used available light, with some daylight coming in from a window on the right because I didn't want the image to feel artificial.

In Photoshop, I added some brush strokes with filters, but the thing that really made it pop was I rendered a lighting effect while adding texture.  With some final color adjustments, I was able to bring out the golden warmth of the seating and the rich red of the chair.  It's cropped as it is because you don't need to see more to get the whole story.

You can view my website at:  www.tombellart.com.

IPhone Cases Are Now Available at tombellart.com

Fine art images from my website are now available for your iPhone 4/4s and iPhone 5 cases.

You can view  my website at:  www.tombellart.com.

A Great Venue for an Art Exhibition

You can see an exhibition of my photographic paintings in the Luna Gallery of the Yellow Moon Cafe in Cobden, Illinois, through June 2.  The opening reception is Saturday, May 4 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.

Great Blue Herron (20X40) on exhibit at the Yellow Moon Cafe.

Some friends, my family, and I were at the restaurant this Friday to celebrate my wife becoming an American citizen.  We would have been there whether or not my art work was hanging on the walls, because the food is fantastic.

My wife, Maria (second from right) became a U.S. citizen on April 19.  I'm on the far right. My son and daughter (the younger ones around the table) and very good friends, Terry, Alejandro and Pam (left to right), helped us celebrate the occasion.  My artwork is in the background.  We're at the Yellow Moon Cafe in Cobden, Illinois. 

It's a gourmet resturant that doesn't try to be pretentious.  The nearby (two or three doors down) anthill gallery curates the exhibitions at the Yellow Moon Cafe.  If you're anywhere in the area (very rural southern Illinois, yet on the very touristic Wine Trail), you should make an effort to drop by.  You'll be impressed by the reasonably priced gourmet fare; you can enjoy a visit to the anthill gallery or nearby vineyards; you can also relax and have a good time.

Some reasons to visit and see my artwork at the gallery:  you love really fine food; you love great artwork (you can visit to see my artwork without being a customer of the cafe); you were a student at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale and want to revisit the area; you're a bit bohemian; you love wine and vineyards; you have exceptionally good taste and can combine one or more of the reasons  above.

You can view my website at:  www.tombellart.com.

Luna Gallery Exhibition in April

I'm now represented by the anthill gallery in Cobden, Illinois.  It's a charming art gallery in the heart of Southern Illinois' wine trail, and the owners, Bob and Linda, also curate the Luna Gallery at the nearby Yellow Moon Cafe.

The Luna Gallery is the location of my next exhibition, beginning in April.  At the same time, an exhibition for another award-winning local artist, Paulette Aronson, will be held at the anthill gallery.  You're invited to the joint reception at the anthill gallery on Saturday, May 4 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.

Pomona General Store.  One of my paintings that will be exhibited in the Luna Gallery in April.
Pigmented ink on canvas.  18X24 inches.  Framed.

You'll see some of my newest photo paintings in the exhibition, most with a Southern Illinois theme.  Luna Gallery hours in the Yellow Moon Cafe are Wednesday through Friday 10 to 2p.m.; reopening Friday 6 to close; Saturday 10 to close.  The Yellow Moon Cafe is located at 110 N. Front Street, Cobden, Illinois.   Luna Gallery hours in the Yellow Moon Cafe are Wednesday through Friday 10 to 2p.m.; reopening Friday 6 to close; Saturday 10 to close.  The anthill gallery is just a few doors down at 102 North Front Street. Gallery hours are Sunday and Wednesday, noon to 4 p.m.; Thursday and Friday, noon to 6 p.m. and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday.

You can view my website at:  www.tombellart.com.

Beanie Santa Turns Ten: The Back Story

Ten years ago I played around with Photoshop as much as I do today.  One project that I took on for fun during the Christmas holiday of 2002 was a painting of a beanie Santa seated in an antique child's rocker in front of the Christmas tree. It's turned out to be my most popular holiday-themed artwork.

Most of you know me for my black and white fine art photographs, especially those of Mayan Indians in Guatemala.  I've also done award-winning landscapes, animal photographs, and lots of other genres. However, I love to make Photoshop work for me in whatever endeavor I choose.  It would have been easy enough just to position the doll in the chair and snap a photo.  But I wanted more -- a painting!

Beanie Santa by Tom Bell.  Copyright 2002.  All rights reserved.

Many of you know that when I'm not doing fine art photography, I use my camera, Photoshop, and Corel Painter to create digital images that are more akin to paintings than photographs.  Back in 2002, I was using only Photoshop, version 7, I believe.

This image came about because I'd been looking for a way to do something creative with my Dad's old chair.  It's a child's rocking chair that my Grandfather had made for my Dad in around 1922 or 1923.  My dad kept the chair, then passed it on to me for my son.  Over the years, the rocker had broken one of the runners, and the woven seat came apart.  My dad patiently rebuilt a runner, and then using bailing rope rewove the chair's seat.  I assure you that with it's age and wear, it has much more character than it ever did in the roaring 20's.

My wife had acquired a Beanie Baby Santa.  When I seated him in the chair in front of the Christmas tree, my idea for holiday decor was transformed into the ideas for a painting.  My mission was to bring out the warmth of the seating and the texture of the wood. I even wanted you to get a feel for Santa's wooly red costume.  I rearranged some of the decorations on the tree.  The red star to the left of Santa was a must to add some balance, and the gold reindeer to his right brought out the balance on the other side. I used available light, with some daylight coming in from a window on the right because I didn't want the image to feel artificial.

In Photoshop, I added some brush strokes with filters, but the thing that really made it pop was I rendered a lighting effect while adding texture.  With some final color adjustments, I was able to bring out the golden warmth of the seating and the rich red of the chair.  It's cropped as it is because you don't need to see more to get the whole story.

This image (along with many more painting and my fine art photography) is available on my website at:  tombellart.com.  You can use this code: YKJYTT  for a $10 discount on purchases of $50 or more through the end of the year.

For those of you who might like to try a similar project, I'd be interested in your results.  If you'll send me your best efforts, I'll post my favorites in a future blog entry.

Another Pacific Painting

I just though I'd share another of the photo paintings from my most recent trip to the Pacific coast of Guatemala.  My daughter wanted to practice gymnastics on the black sand beach.  I had my camera in hand. 

It is another print that will look great when printed to canvas.

For those of you who regularly read my blog, most of my posts are about fine art photography.  However, it's important to stay creative and try different things.  A photo painting might be just the thing to fill your creative need as you're waiting to find the perfect subject for your next fine art shot.

You can view my website at:  http://www.tombellart.com

Painting a Pacific Sunset

I didn't do a great deal of fine art photography on our vacation to Guatemala over the Christmas break.  We spent about six day between the holidays on the Pacific coast, where most of my photos were of family,  ocean sunsets, and relaxing around the pool.  However, some of the photos, especially the sunsets were spectacular.  I decided to have a go at painting some of the sunsets:

My son with some of his cousins on the black sand beach.  Click on the image for greater detail.

Pacific coast after sunset.  The black sand is volcanic.  Click on the image for greater detail.

 I just goes to show that you should bring your camera even when photography isn't the primary objective.  These paintings should look great on canvas!

If you're in to mysteries and the amazing, you might enjoy the previous entry from my blog:
Mystery of the Miracle Frisbee, an event that took place on the very beaches you see above during our vacation.

You can view my website at:  www.tombellart.com.