Arkansas

Arkansas as a travel destination?  It's not the Grand Canyon, but it does have its charms.  In Little Rock, the state capitol was designed, in part, by Cass Gilbert, who as every Minnesotan knows also designed the capitol in St. Paul.  The two buildings have much in common, although the Arkansas version lacks the ornate details of its northern sibling.  Some views:

The capitol as seen from the south side.  The sculpture honors students who integrated Little Rock High in 1957.

One has to look closely to see that this is not in St. Paul.

And this is not Governor Jessie Ventura.

Portugal in the "Off-Season"

Relatively few tourists go to Portugal in the winter.  No sunny beaches, blue skies, or suntans.  Expect rain every day and cold winds.  But the historic towns and beautiful architecture remain in place and the lives of everyday citizens go on as usual.  We visited in February, visiting Lisbon, Porto, Coimbra, and Sintra. Here's a sample of my images:

Rain in Coimbra

Boy meets girl in Coimbra

Waiting for patrons in Coimbra

Blue tiles in a Porto church

The sun comes out in Lisbon

A funicular ride is the easiest way to the best Fado district in Lisbon

The hilltops were spared significant damage in the earthquake/tsunami of 1775

My Time in Prison

The workshop I attended in Carmel Valley, CA, in March, The Luminous Print, led by John Sexton and Charles Cramer, was an eye-opening exploration of advanced printmaking techniques, both in the darkroom and on the computer.  But we also visited Ansel Adams' nearby studio where John worked as Ansel's assistant for three years, paid a visit to Weston Beach at Lobos Point, and spent a couple of hours at an abandoned state prison nearby.  The prison was decommissioned about 15 years ago and its yard is currently used by a sand and gravel company.  The interior was an eerie and haunting landscape of peeling paint, broken fixtures, and rusting metal.  And lots of provocative graffiti.

Israel

On a trip to Israel in March my wife and I got a chance to see historic sites, hike in national parks, sample the food, and experience the existential reality of Israel today.  We visited major archaeological sites, of course, but also got a sense of recent Israeli cultural and political issues.  What an interesting and complicated place it is.

Israel: vulnerable and nationalistic

Israelis have made the desert bloom with high quality fruits and vegetables

Tel Aviv is modern and secular

The northern city of Safid (Tzfat) is a center of Kabbalah, or Jewish mysticism

The Western Wall in Jerusalem is Judaism's most sacred spot

The wall is actually a retaining wall that supported the second temple, 
destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD

Boys serve in the armed forces for at least three years, girls for two

Incredible India!

A village elder in Rajasthan

On a three week trip to India with a small group led by Karl Grobl, my wife and I explored and photographed some of the wonders of that huge, diverse, and incredible place.  I'm still processing the many images on my memory cards, but here's a sample.

An early morning opium ceremony

Holy men on parade

Pushkar Camel Fair

Salon Show Open Again on November 8

Our Salon photo show is available through November 9, but only by appointment.  An exception will be on Thursday, November 8, 6-8 pm, when the Third Place Gallery (3730 S. Chicago, Mpls) will be open to the public.  Feel free to stop in and enjoy the art.

http://www.wingyounghuie.com/events

A Successful Show Opening

Several hundred people attended the Fourth Annual Photo Show for Wing Young Huie's photo salon Saturday night.  Eighteen artists showed their work, ranging from portraits, macro images, travel photography, streetscapes, and experimental work.  The mixture of styles and approaches was refreshing, and everyone seemed to enjoy the art, refreshments, conversation, and fellowship.  

I displayed two photos exploring the theme of layered reality (looking through a scene into another, reflections, etc.).  I'm intrigued by this idea because of the inherent ambiguity it can introduce and the juxtaposition of things that can be jarring or unusual.  The two photos are the Jensen showroom and Europa Cafe images shown in the Denmark posting below.

Eighteen individual artists showed their work at the Salon show this year.

Wing's studio is known as the Third Place Gallery in Minneapolis.