Daniel Ruf

Past To Present

"A Picture is the expression of an impression.  If the beautiful were not in us, how would we ever recognize it?"  Ernst Haas

My college art professor, James Green, was also my employer, as I was his weekend yard keeper and all around handy man.  One of the vivid memories about his yard is that his cottage was surrounded by fragrant Lily Of The Valley, and since then I have been rather fond of them.

In the past few years one of my early Spring rituals has been to find a suitable cluster of these flowers to photograph, but I've come up empty handed until this past week.  Quite by accident I was walking through a wooded area trying to energize my creative spirit when I came upon a few lily plants along the trail side. 

While the lighting was, I thought, very contrasty mid day lighting, as I laid down on the small path my viewpoint improved dramatically.  As I've always told class participants, a change in elevation can make a dramatic change in photographic options, I was quite pleased with the new viewpoint.  Specular high lights developed in the background as well as a better point of view for the flowers.  The camera; my Nikon D300s with a 28-300mm Nikkor lens and a lens extender, which turned the lens combination into a macro lens.  WIth this came a softening of the background as well as the highlights causing the flowers to be "front and center" in the composition.

Later, in the editing process I decided to do a digital watercolor of this image with the help of the Alien Skin Snap Art software and my own use of Photoshop CS5's digital brushes.  While this is one of my first attempts at using the digital watercolor palette I'm pleased with the outcome.

While shooting this scene my mind fluttered back to the afternoons that I spent digging, weeding and tending to Mr. Green's gardens.  It also reminded me of the hours of patient tutelage that I gained while attending his class or tending his yard.

"Mentorship" is so important in a persons everyday life, whether it be a second grade teacher, a workshop instructor, or trusted friend.  It accelerates and empowers growth in all of us to propel us ahead on life's journey.

Thank you all for joining me at this blog site and I hope that Spring has been as enjoyable for you as it has for me...a time of growth and expression.

Sic 'em Bears!  Headed toward the Big 12 baseball championship!

My book "Places I've Been, Things I've Seen" and new book "Take What's Given" can be purchased online at-  http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/1868649

For more views of my work visit;

"A Piece Of Work", Spirit Lake, Iowa  http://www.apieceofworkinc.com

Lanesboro Art Center, Lanesboro, Minnesota   www.lanesboroarts.org

BetterPhoto.com   http://www.betterphoto.com/Premium/Default.aspx?id=251674&mp=V

http://500px.com/pigs4u

Telling Secrets

This past Saturday I was conducting my last session of a beginning photography workshop at A Piece Of Work, Inc. and I was joking to them about telling them all my secrets as I divulged to them that I had a file of "moons" in my editing software that I use for special situations such as the above image, a rather dark, somber production from outside my normal "comfort zone".  This led to an explanation of how the artistry of photography has changed so much since I sloshed paper in chemicals before I found the digital persuasion.   Today, while have a conversation with another artist, Hank Hall, during a creative drawing class that I'm taking, the subject of artistic secrets came up once again as I sat there listening with a big Cheshire grin on my face.  The grin wasn't so much about how two recent conversations managed to find the same "yellow brick" road, but more about the fine mentors that I've stumbled into on life's path.

Of course classes with the famed Ansel Adams at one of his Yosemite workshops ranks high on the list, but my college art professor, the late James Green at Principia College, probably had the strongest influence on not only my love of art, but also my energy with art.  While many profess to being artists, just as many lack the stamina and energy to pursue art activity.  While all of us, at one time or another, become so infuriated by the creative process it is of great importance to pick up the brush or pencil again and make lemonade out of our lemon rather than walk away.  I still can feel Mr. Green standing over my right shoulder challenging me to completion with a watercolor that I thought was a failure.

Before these two monuments art was not even a reality in my world.  The high school art curriculum was so close to a bad joke that it only lacked a punch line.  It wasn't until college, when art instructors, at least in my realm, actually took their art seriously and were real WORKING artists, not mere instructors of art, that the institution of studio art began to take on a life in my mind.  Recently I've had the opportunity to witness 3 art shows given by 3 different high schools, two of which were quite good and one that was appalling, to say the least.  In the case of the two quality exhibits the art teachers were actual working artists, meaning that in their free time they were slinging paint or throwing pots.  In the case of the other show the instructor not only was a "retired" artist of a youthful age, but didn't even bother to show up to the reception of the student work.

Art in America deserves the best in quality instructors as well as quality time to produce enthusiastic students of fine art.  For too long art classes in our lower grades of education have  been listed as "elective" courses and given minimal time during the class day for the rearing of artistic production.  Just as woefully for art is the concept that art teachers need only be active teachers and not active artists. 

Lastly, I have my parents to thank, not only for raving every time I took a new step in an artistic direction, but for never suggesting that art wasn't a method of gainful employment...I was my own worst enemy in that department.  For too long American citizens have not seemed to take fine art too seriously, but why should they if the education process in our schools doesn't hold the creative process in high esteem. 

So, to all those mentors, mentioned and not, that have blessed my life with their gift of both art and education and all there secrets, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!

For more views of my work visit:

"A Piece Of Work", Spirit Lake, Iowa  http://www.apieceofworkinc.com

"Art On 16th"  http://www.hankhallarton16th.com

Art Of The Vine Gallery http://www.artofthevinegallery.com

Artisans Road Trip www.artisansroadtrip.com  

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