I
The 12x12"
Meadow Photographs
A collection of 12x12" inkjet print versions of
images from my ongoing blog project:
Introduction
I refer to these 12x12" square photographs with varying tonal mattes surrounding the images as "versions" because their original format in my ongoing blog project The Meadow are horizontal rectangles, and I had never placed tonal mattes around any of those blog project images. I thought, "landscapes should be long, horizontal images" . . . But (as I have written many times before) I take great pleasure in transforming my photographs in any number of ways (see for example my Chromatic Field photographs, or the symmetrical photographs, or the early 1994-2000 miniature square Studies photographs which were made from my archive of mostly 35mm and 4x5 inch negatives.
In the 1980's I found the square format the obvious choice for my Thing-Centered Photographs because the center of a square is--among so many things--the Place of praising; the space of honoring and celebrating the life (Consciousness) that exists in a thing. Intense seeing is something that must happen with the Eye of the Heart, and the center of a square is the Heart space of that format in which all four sides are equal. Being in the center insists that the viewer must engage the thing photographed directly. And, things centered are a metaphor for the Center of one's own Being, The Heart, the abode of One's divine Self or Supreme Consciousness. ALL things all pervaded by the same One consciousness . . . say the ancient and the contemporary Siddha yogis, like my teacher, Gurumayi Chidvilasananda.
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Often when I make square images out of longer formatted images, I essentially crop off the left and right sides of the image and present what's in the center space. The peripheral spaces in my rectangular photographs are often not essential to the initial intent or the meaning of the image because I tend to place the most important aspects of my seeing in the center of my camera's picture frame, no matter what format the camera (4x5", 35mm, or 2 1/4 x2 1/4").
When I first started making the 12x12" Book Collections I tried including some of my Meadow images in several of the Books, but early on I found it difficult to find Meadow images that worked formally as square images. However, after a year's work with the 12x12" format and the tonal mattes which surround the square photographic image, I gradually learned new ways of transforming longer formatted images into articulate square images. Now, I am surprised at how many square versions of the Meadow photographs I have in this project; indeed I think the 12x12" versions are stronger photographic images (for me) than the earlier longer rectangular versions. I find the 12x12" versions are more direct, more concentrated; they get at the essential, heart of the matter, the space, the Consciousness that pervades the Meadow, everything in it, around it and above it.
(See my Introduction to the first 12x12" Studies Book; and I invite you to visit my thematic link Landscape Photographs & Projects where you will discover that many of my best landscape projects were produced in square images, including the The Lake Series, River Songs, Images of Eden, and my New Mexico Landscapes.)
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In February 2023 I initiated my Inkjet Print Project with the intention of creating a physical print archive of my photographic works created for my blog projects (which I began making in November, 2010) to compliment the online archive I had created within my blog. In addition to the nine 12x12" Book Collections of inkjet prints I made of my favorite blog images which up to that time had (for the most part) never been printed, there now a large number of 12x12" Inkjet Print PROJECTS which present images which share a similar theme or intention, such as subject matter, concepts (for example: Still Life, Circles, The Early Studies Photographs (1994-2000), The Persephone and Steve Lacy Photographs, The Meadow Photographs).
It occurred to me recently, after completing the Ninth Book of collected 12x12" inkjet printed photographs, which are rather arbitrarily selected image collections of my favorites photographs from my archive of blog projects, I thought it might be a good idea to more intentionally organize the growing number of printed images I have been making for the past fourteen months. My model for this idea already existed in my blog: see my listing of recurring theme I have identified within my creative process here: Collections of Theme-Related (Blog) Photographs and Projects.
Because many people who have seen my 12x12" prints have told me how much they love the new Meadow images, it seemed like an obvious way to continue my series of 12x12" Thematic Inkjet Print PROJECTS.
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When my wife and I were looking for a place to move in 2008 (after quickly selling our house in Milwaukee) it was the Meadow behind the house we viewed (on a whim) in Canandaigua, NY that opened my heart and cried out to me "this is where we must live!" Gloria was not so sure about that, but fortunately for me, she agreed. We live in a community of forty houses which look out over the Meadow.
The living room in the house has a picture window which looks out and over our small back yard with interfaces with the large Meadow with its two ponds and a beautiful tapering woods which serves as a backdrop for the Meadow. The picture window and our back deck are both about ten or twelve feet above ground level; and these two view points are where I have made many of my Meadow images, though I certainly have made photographs from the Meadow's ground level as well. The two ponds provide me with a way of identifying many of my Meadow photographs: there is the smaller South pond and the larger North pond. And I have structured my presentation of Meadow Photographs accordingly, with a third grouping which consists only of Symmetrical Meadow Photographs which truly speaking are directionless.
I have loved watching (and photographing) the living, changing light, colors, and atmospheric conditions upon the "Meadow's Stage." And of course the space above the Meadow has been a constant and yet ever changing presence, often with fascinating or frightening dramatic flare . . . in this body of work which is for me a true pleasure to share with you, here, and which I intend to continue. Everything within and above the Meadow is in silent dialogue with each other, and with me.
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I encourage you to read the introductory texts I have written for my blog project The Meadow and the First 12x12" Book Collection of Inkjet Prints. All the images published in my blog versions of the 12x12" Inkjet Print Books and PROJECTS exist as 12x12" inkjet prints of impressive technical quality. However, the images published on my blog, in their default presentation mode (against a white background), can appear on your computer screen a bit unsharp, and at times a little flat tonally, particularly if you are viewing the images on a desktop or laptop computer. This is due to several technical issues including image compression, seeing the images against a white ground . . and other things. However it is possible for you to see the blog images with excellent resolution and full, luminous tonalities in an alternate viewing mode.
If you are viewing my blog images on a desktop or laptop computer, I highly recommend that you try clicking once, and then once again on each image which hopefully will allow you to see the images in the alternate viewing mode which will provide you with larger, sharper and more luminous images against a dark tonal background. (I have become convinced that white mattes around photographic images is a big mistake.) It will be immediately obvious to you that the quality of the images viewed in this alternative mode of presentation is a superior option to seeing my photographic images compared to viewing them in the default presentation mode. Also, once you have clicked on the images you can also zoom-in or zoom-out to make the images larger or smaller, using your keyboard strokes, and you can adjust the screen brightness as desirable from you keyboard. (To learn more about the technical issues involved in viewing my images on a desktop or laptop computer, read my explanation at this link: How to Best View My Online Blog Project Images).
The Photographs
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The North Meadow
Image #1 12x12" Meadow Project, North Meadow, blue sky, clouds & pond (hidden in shadow)
Image #2 12x12" Meadow Project, North Meadow Pond and clouds floating by in the evening sky
Image #3 12x12" Meadow Project, Angelic Presence in the sky over the North Meadow & Pond
I love this image. It's mysterious is a certain way, for me. I
sometimes refer to that mystery as "Angelic Presence."
I don't try to make photographs like this. Truly,
when the come, they're gifts of grace.
Image #4 12x12" Meadow Project, N Meadow and pond - two layers of morning fog
Image #5 12x12" Meadow Project, N Meadow and pond after an early morning snowfall
Image #6 12x12" Meadow Project, North Meadow and pond following an evening storm
Image #7 12x12" Meadow Project, Orange Evening Storm Cloud over the North Meadow & Pond
Image #8 12x12" Meadow Project, Ground view of the N Meadow, Pond and fog
Image #9 12x12" Meadow Project, S Meadow with pink clouds illuminated by the setting sun
Image #10 12x12" Meadow Project, A misty, snow covered N Meadow with its iced-over pond,
Image #11 12x12" Meadow Project, North Meadow, early morning fog, and a house with two lights on
Image #12 12x12" Meadow Project, N Meadow, & pond, Fall, birds flying over in V formation
Image #13A 12x12" Meadow Project, N Meadow, pond, yellow flowers, dark sky, storm forming
Image #13B 12x12" Meadow Project, N Meadow, pond, yellow flowers, dark sky & storm in the background
Image #14 12x12" Meadow Project, Snow dusted N Meadow and Woods
Image #15 12x12" Meadow Project, Early Fall morning; the fog is being illuminated by the rising sun
Image #16 12x12" Meadow Project, Rainbow over N Meadow and pond
Image #17 12x12" Meadow Project, North Meadow with snow covered pond & woods
The South Meadow
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Image #18 12x12" Meadow Project, South Meadow Snow with covered pond & woods
Image #18 12x12" Meadow Project, South Meadow, early Spring morning light after a storm
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Image #19 12x12" Meadow Project, South Meadow and peach colored light with long cloud forms
Image #20 12x12" Meadow Project, South Meadow pond & early morning fog
This image is part of a project entitled "Creation-Dissolution of a World"
Image #21 12x12" Meadow Project, South Meadow, fog, pond in foreground
Image #22 12x12" Meadow Project, A neighbor's back yard, South Meadow, early morning fog
Image #23 12x12" Meadow Project, another morning and a different view of the same backyard (above)
Image #24 12x12" Meadow Project, South Meadow Golden stormy sunset
Image #25 12x12" Meadow Project, South Meadow, Pink and Yellow Clouds at Sunset
Image #27 12x12" Meadow Project, South Meadow, a burst of light through the stormy clouds at sunset
Symmetrical Meadow Photographs
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I have created a blog link to explain how I construct my four-fold symmetrical
photographs, which involves four "straight" images mirroring each other
above and below, left and right (click here), however I sometimes feel
compelled to find alternative ways of getting to the final image. In
some cases it would be near impossible to explain how the images
emerged. And I should tell you that none of the Symmetrical
Meadow photographs in this project are pure examples
of the four-fold symmetrical construction process.
(Click here to learn more about my symmetrical images)
Image #28 12x12" Meadow Project, Symmetrical Meadow Photograph
Image #29 12x12" Meadow Project, Symmetrical Meadow Photograph
This Meadow image has that special mysterious feeling I refer to as
"Angelic Presence." The image first appeared in a blog project
The Angels, Part 3 (A Personal Story). The "source" image
for this symmetrical photograph is Image #12, above.
Image #30 12x12" Meadow Project, Symmetrical Meadow Photograph
Image #32 12x12" Meadow Project, Symmetrical Meadow Photograph
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The "straight" photograph below and the two symmetrical images following it are from one of
the most interesting projects I have ever had the mysterious pleasure of facilitating into
existence. I invite you to visit the blog project: Creation-Dissolution of a World and
read about my experience of making the photographs. (Note: the photographs
in the blog project are all longer rectangles rather than square images.
(Same Image as #20, above) 12x12" Meadow Project, South Meadow pond & early morning fog)
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Image #33 12x12" Meadow Project, Symmetrical Meadow Photograph, Creation-Dissolution project
(North Pond, Leafless Solitary Tree, early morning mist)
Image #33 12x12" Meadow Project, Symmetrical Meadow Photograph, Creation-Dissolution project
(North Pond, early morning, lifting fog)
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This project was first announced on
my bog's Welcome Page on
May 7, 2024
Related Blog Project Links
How to Best View My Online Blog Images with your desktop or laptop computer.
Symmetrical Photographs a collection of Images, Projects and Texts
Please visit the Welcome Page to my blog The Departing Landscape. It includes the complete hyperlinked listing of my online photography projects dating from the most recent to those dating back to the 1960's. You will also find on the Welcome Page my resume, contact information . . . and much more.
