The View from Above

I'm fascinated with the complex clouds I can see from a plane. 

I’ll fight you for the window seat.

For me, it’s about the only thrill left in air travel. Day or night, there’s often something to see from a new perspective, and it’s way more interesting than most in-flight movies (nighttime travel over thick cloud cover is a shameful waste of an opportunity, in my opinion).

Sometimes Nature paints with bold colors.

I love to look down at the patterns on the earth in clear weather: on the intricate patterns of landforms by day or the light-spangled darkness at night.

Even fairly thick clouds can offer amazing vistas of layers, canyons, or majestic peaks, and one of the most breathtaking spectacles I’ve ever seen was a nighttime electrical storm, as our plane skirted its edges.

Whenever I travel by air, my camera is always near at hand—and though it often isn’t equipped to capture some of the “best stuff,” I have sometimes managed to capture interesting images I can take back to my studio.

I couldn't resist this image, taken near Salt Lake City, UT.

Even those that don't make the best "photographer's choice" kind of image can offer me a wealth of subject matter. I'm always looking for ways to render them into paper sculpture in new and interesting ways. Perhaps I'll have pieces to show sometime soon!

PHOTO CREDITS: I took all the photos in this post, either on the outward-bound leg of a journey from Kansas City to San Francisco on July 13, 2011, or on the return trip July 18, 2011. These photos may be used under a Creative Commons license as long as they are not altered, and include an attribution to me and this blog.

A Satisfying "Find" in the Fog

Real San Franciscans thought the weather was "yucky."

Mist trailed in ragged veils between us and De Young Museum, and temperatures struggled to rise out of the 50s (F). "I'm sorry it's such yucky weather," said our aunt, as she dropped off my sister and me in the Music Concourse of Golden Gate Park.

My sister lives in Dallas, where they were in the vise-grip of a record-breaking succession of over-100-degree days. In Kansas City we hadn't fared much better, having also seen more triple-digit days than anyone needs to.

"Wait," we said. "You think this weather is somehow 'bad'??" We laughed, and spent the next few hours basking in the glory of a "yucky" day in Golden Gate Park.

Tucky's display was one of perhaps a dozen artists' displays
at the park. The most visible image here is his painting
Me and Cocoa.

For me, the icing on the cake was discovering a small art show in progress, in the middle of the Music Concourse.

The show was one of several put on each month by the Artists Guild of San Francisco, and perhaps a dozen member-artists participated.

The weather apparently had depressed the turnout. My sister and I are used to the kind of dense crowds one sees at the Brookside Art Annual in KC, or the Main Street Arts Festival in Ft. Worth, so we almost felt we had a private showing.

Tucky's Little Diva stopped me in my tracks.

The artwork was as high-quality as at most of the art fairs I attend in the Midwest, with a variety of media and styles on display. I didn't see anything that really riveted my attention, however, until I encountered the Little Diva, by an artist who calls himself simply "Tucky."

"Woah, can this guy ever paint!" was my first thought. There is so much to like about this painting, it's hard to find a place to start. You can't see it clearly in the reproduction, but the man's rich, painterly style bespeaks a mastery of brush and medium that is just delicious.

Not Far from the Tree again displays Tucky's originality
of composition and his luscious painting style.

His color work is a finely-tuned balance of vibrant and muted, and his handling of value and composition means that in his best work the viewer is irresistibly pulled in.

A Tucky painting could reward a buyer with years of looking. I feel certain that each viewing would yield fresh discoveries and renewed joys.

The little girl's personality shines through in Before the Show.

Tucky often paints his young son and daughter, and his deep understanding of his subjects' personalities really comes through in an appealing, satisfying way. You just know these little kids have very decided views and attitudes.

Tucky is a graduate of San Francisco State University and the Academy of Art. He also works full-time for the United States Postal Service, while fitting in painting whenever he can. According to a recent interview, he often paints in the break room at work.

Here is an artist whose work deserves gallery representation and a much wider audience than he currently enjoys. I'll do my part in that effort: you can see more of his work by viewing his website and blog.

IMAGE CREDITS: 
The two photos at the start of this post were taken by me, in Golden Gate Park. They are copyright 2011 by Jan Sherrell Gephardt, and are available for re-posting under a limited Creative Commons license that allows use with credit given. 
The images of Tucky's paintings are used here with his permission. Please do not use them without asking him first! And please look at his website and blog, to enjoy more of his work!