Sheron Long's Blog, page 29
July 14, 2014
Cultural Encounters at a D-Day Military Camp
Reconstructed American military camp at Sainte-Marie-du-Mont during
the D-Day 70th Anniversary commemoration, 2014
© Sheron Long
Preserving Great Moments in History
The Normandy Invasion on June 6, 1944, did no less than alter the course of the world. Seventy years later, the world still comes to the Normandy landing beaches to honor what the Allies accomplished in WWII, one of the great moments in history.
Of course, the occasion deserves the internationally-televised speeches by world leaders. But this year I chose to visit village commemorations, the ones that speak volumes about respect among ordinary people.
French villagers bedeck their homes with flags and ribbons for the festivities.
© Sheron Long
These village festivities, including the reconstructed American military camp in Sainte-Marie-du-Mont, made me question if the merriment was suitable...
July 7, 2014
Creative Expression in Living Color
A Unique Work of Art
© shulavich/iStock
Works of Art . . . Inspired by the Rainbow Eucalyptus
Would you pay $2,000,000 for this work of art?
The colorful abstract will never show up at Christy’s or Sotheby’s with the Picasso’s, Rothko’s, and Pollack’s of today’s multimillion-dollar art world.
But it is a treasure to be valued.
Oh, I See
The rich colors and intricately layered textures are the work of one of the world’s most hard working and inspiring artists—nature itself.
The unique natural design is part of the growth cycle of the Eucalyptus deglupta (also known as the Rainbow Eucalyptus or Mindanao Gum).
Natural Artistry
© Ron Chapple Studios/Hemera
Revealing Peeling
The palette and striated “brush strokes” emerge as the tree sheds its bark, revealing the bright green inner bark.
The peeling...
June 30, 2014
White Box Plus InspirationEquals Surreal Dreamscape
Panic Room
© Jee Young Lee, courtesy of Opiom Gallery
Jee Young Lee’s Imagination Bursts the Limits of a Tiny Studio
In Jee Young Lee’s talented hands, an empty white box becomes the blank page on which the artist creates a surprising self portrait. Using paint and everyday materials, she transforms the small space into a surreal dreamscape.
When the room is ready, she carefully arranges the lighting, walks into her set, and snaps a single portrait.
Then she clears the space and does it again.
Monsoon Season
© Jee Young Lee, courtesy of Opiom Gallery
Rooms to Grow
Young begins with a 3 m x 6 m space (about 10 feet x 20 feet) consisting of three walls, built within a larger studio space she shares with other artists. Then she paints the plywood walls and begins adding handmade decorations, using anything from paper and Styrofoam to cups and...
June 23, 2014
World Press Photo Awards: Life Lessons in Images
World Press Photo of the Year: Djibouti City
© John Stanmeyer for National Geographic
The Social Conscience of Photojournalism
In the moonlit image, the silhouetted figures hold their mobile torches, like statuesque champions of liberty. An expectation of extraterrestrials? A full-moon cult gathering?
Where are we . . . and what kind of life lessons are in progress on this mysterious night?
The story invites interpretation.
World Press Photo of the Year
In fact, this World Press Photo of the Year touches on many issues. However, it is most importantly an image of connection.
African immigrants on the shore of the Red Sea near Djibouti City hold their phones toward neighboring Somalia in an attempt to catch an inexpensive signal.
The photographer, American John Stanmeyer, calls this subject of human migration an intertwining of hope and despair. The idea of moving toward...
June 16, 2014
Seeing Eye to Eye on London’s Street Art
In London, the street scene changes depending on the artists and the actors.
photo © Sheron Long
Something Creative This Way Comes . . .
Don’t blink if you’re walking down the street in London’s Shoreditch neighborhood. You could miss fresh street art and surprising street life.
Take the threesome above. Facebook man has spent so much time online that he turned blue. Does the same fate await the bench sitter with his smart phone, or will the mousey Cupid intervene? It’s a story about to happen in a restricted parking zone with cocktails.
And it comes with controversy. In fact, unsanctioned street art is illegal in London and often removed. Yet, the city itself has added perspex (plastic-like glass) over art by famous street artists, like Banksy, to preserve the works in recognition of their value.
An original Banksy in the artist’s...
June 13, 2014
Dîner en Blanc 2014 in Photos
2014 Dîner en Blanc at the Pont d’Alexandre III
© Meredith Mullins
Full Moon over Paris Bridges
What could be more magical? A full moon. Elegant white-clad diners. Sumptuous cuisine. Infinite champagne. A gentle breeze. Warm smiles. And a view of the Seine in the changing light of a summer evening.
The Dîner en Blanc was again a success, as the secret location for the spontaneous party led to six Paris bridges.
Our OIC Moments were spent on the Pont d’Alexandre III. We invite you to take a look.
The Dîner en Blanc white napkin salute
© Meredith Mullins
DIiner en Blanc: Chef de table
© Meredith Mullins
Thousands of mobile images at the Dîner en Blanc
© Meredith Mullins
The essence of style
© Meredith Mullins
A flurry of white feathers
© Meredith Mullins
White light from within
© Meredith Mullins
...
June 9, 2014
The Magical Mystery of Dîner en Blanc
Celebrating 25 years of no rain at the 2013 Dîner en Blanc in Paris
© Meredith Mullins
Live Life to the Fullest . . . with Style
Sshh! It’s a secret. The magical mystery of the Dîner en Blanc—The Dinner in White.
OK. It’s not exactly a secret, since more than 12,000 members of this “elite” club already have it on their calendar.
Thursday evening, June 12.
The invitées know they will arrive (somewhere) at precisely 9:30 pm. They know they will bring champagne, fine wine, crystal, and china.
They know they will cover the tables with white linen, punctuated with silver candelabras. They know they will bring gourmet dinner courses worthy of the sumptuous history of French cuisine.
Elegance is the spirit of the evening at the Dîner en Blanc.
© Meredith Mullins
They also know that the key word is elegance. They will dress in Gatsby white, as if...
June 2, 2014
Remembering D-Day
D-Day Invasion at Omaha Beach in Normandy
© Robert Capa/International Center of Photography/Magnum Photos
Life’s Choices on “The Longest Day”
The grainy black-and-white image of a soldier fighting a surging sea to get ashore, amidst the obstacles and debris of battle, is one of the iconic images of the D-Day invasion.
It is made with the camera so close we can touch the moment. Its sheer power is a dramatic reminder of the essence of war . . . and life’s choices that bring us to the midst of such a battle.
It was June 6, 1944—a day of triumph, courage, and unimaginable loss.
The Normandy invasion by the Allied forces was a turning point of World War II. For the world and for the photographers and correspondents bringing the news to the world, it was the most important day of the war.
As General Eisenhower told his troops, “The eyes of the...
May 26, 2014
Growing Radishes and Creativity
Radishes pop up in an icon of Japanese pop culture—manga comics.
© Koshi Kawashi
Take a Page from a Manga Comic Book
Creativity sprouts in likely places—i.e., anywhere:
In a Toronto street crack,
At the easel in a French atelier,
On a butcher-paper tablecloth in a Carmel cafe, or
Like this creative radish garden, within the pages of Japanese manga.
Planted by Tokyo artist Koshi Kawachi as part of his contemporary art series “Manga Farming,” the work places agriculture, a fundamental activity for the human race, in juxtaposition with a pastime of Japanese pop culture—manga comics.
A surprising seedbed? Perhaps. But manga—graphic novels of action and adventure, romance, sports, horror, business, and more—tell the tale of human life, the very life that is sustained by the food grown in the world.
...
May 19, 2014
The Star-Spangled BannerRides a Creative Wave
If video does not display, watch it here.
Minor Key, Major Creative Thinking
Just before the “Play ball” call goes out in baseball stadiums across America, fans pause to honor an American tradition. Hand over heart, many sing along with “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
It’s a warm day, a happy time, and the music is in feel-good major key.
Then along comes Chase Holfelder who, honoring the tradition of creative thinking that built America, decides to experiment. He sings the song in minor key and delivers a performance described by many as “hauntingly beautiful.”
First Burst of Creativity
In September 1814 during the War of 112, Francis Scott Key, a lawyer and amateur poet, began a poem on the back of a letter and thereby created what would become our national anthem. Originally titled “Defense of Fort...
