On the Fence

One of the dividends of being taken to the Reno Air Races (formally called the Reno National Championship Air Races and Air Show at Stead Field) this September was the chance to photograph sun-weathered hands. While the races were fine, the air acrobatics between races were better. And the jets dutifully rattled your eardrums. But except for a few photos of folks glued to their binoculars, I didn’t have much material for my hand paintings . . . that is until we were leaving the infield. That’s when folks leaning against the top rail of a low chain-link fence running between grandstands caught my eye. What perfect sets of hands from my perspective. So as I followed Michael, sister Cynthia and brother-in-law Bill, I maximized the point-and-shoot capabilities of my Nikon. Here’s a prime example of a painting-perfect photo:

For the first Fencing watercolor I chose these two images:

When I took these photos, I had no idea the top rail of the fence would become an image unifier, literally a supporting actor. In the past objects that weren’t being held in hands would be edited out. But as I was studying printouts of these images, I quickly realized the value of keeping the bar in. Here’s how the first of these paintings turned out:

And the second looks like this:

The photo of the couple (above) probably will become the model for it’s own painting. And I plan another with two tiers of rails with two actors apiece. Stay tuned for that one. In the meantime, check out larger images of the first two paintings in the Latest Hands gallery: http://www.scottponemone.com/gallery/latest-hands/

I’ve also returned to the Maryland Institute College of Art printmaking studios now that I tote a MICA ID reading “visiting artist.” Many thanks go to Prof. Quentin Moseley for making this possible. Using the image running atop this blog I cut a 6″ x 4″ resingrave block to create this white-line print in an edition of 16.

Sometimes even the most casual photographer captures an image that doesn’t need translation into a different medium. Here’s an example of one photo what will not model for a watercolor or a print:

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