Sunday, January 29, 2012

Doing The Gallery Hop

Every time I visit Vancouver I do the gallery hop along South Granville Street.


It looks something like this.  Sort of a combination of a hop and a Mick Jagger strut.







This is a favourite view of mine, looking down Granville towards downtown and the mountains.




In fact, I like it so much I did two different versions.  (Really, I did three, but I wouldn't want you to think that I obsess.)  Do you prefer the softer or the more contrasted version?  I couldn't decide.

As much as I enjoy looking at the art hanging on gallery walls, I almost prefer capturing glimpses of reflections in the gallery windows and mixing them into a new form of art.



The picture on the left catches a painting of trees by Chris Charleboix (seen in the window of the Kurbatoff Gallery) mingling with the reflection of real trees outside.  The picture on the right is my transformation of it into one painterly photographic image.



I wasn't the only one lingering on the sidewalk.  Oh, but wait...are those men real or only reflections of art seen through a window?  (I flipped the image horizontally to make it more confusing intriguing for you.)




Well, these women are clearly the real deal.
(take a detour to Ragzedge, my art blog, to see the posterized version of this and the Granville St. view, if you 're up to it)



But this is a horse of a different colour!
(painting by Andre Petterson, as seen in the Bau-xi Gallery)




Some people clearly get very excited about looking at art (no, that is not my reflection on the left!).



Well, I do hope you've enjoyed this gallery hop!
Thanks for stepping lively along with me.

*

Looks like I lost my signature. 
Never mind, you know the drill, say it along with me,
"ciao for now, louciao xo"


To see other reflections from around the blogging world, visit James' Weekend Reflections

by clicking image above

15 comments:

  1. Very interesting! Have a nice day!

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  2. my favourite way to spend the day is to go gallery hopping....and this crawl looks great...I especially like your reflection shots....

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  3. What a fun gallery hop! Better than the real thing. The horse & reflection: absolutely amazing!!

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  4. oo-la-la! Beatutiful...

    I love your artistic approach to photography with such wonderful results! - as well as the original photo... All I can say is incredible! You have such an eye for truly *seeing* and of course the "other worldly" views of mixing the images... The horse looks like he's having a memory of days gone by with his head turning toward that reflection! Magical...

    You have lifted my spirits today! Thank you!

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  5. I love your artistic interpretations and wish that I had the skills and talent... Your colors are lovely and a gorgeous reflection of Granville St.

    Bises,
    Genie

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  6. these are amazing images ! love the 'gallery men' most. thank you for this lesson for the sense of sight and thought.

    please have a good new week ahead.

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  7. Thanks for the tour, enjoyed it very much. It has been many years since I visited Vancouver, would love to go visit again.

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  8. Judging by those coats, it's freezing cold there. You and those other gallery hoppers are real troopers! Love that crazy horse image; I'm not sure how it was achieved, but that's probably what makes it so intriguing...

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  9. Your magic with the window, trees and painted trees is clever and delightful. Thanks for the tour.

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  10. Robert N.
    Thank you very much for visiting and and taking the time to comment.

    Catherine,
    And what a lot of fine galleries you manage to find wherever you go to crawl around in! I'm happy to be able to take you along on one for a change.

    jann,
    Gallery hopping without having to leave home in chilly weather is the way to go. At least the rain had let up that day, inspiring me to get out and get going. The horse painting by itself (no reflections) is also quite amazing. Glad you like my take on it.

    Mystic M.,
    Oh, to learn that I have lifted another's spirits with my pictures is a real gift to me, so I thank you, in turn. Part of an artist's "training" (or innate ability) is to see the world a little differently, I think.

    Genie,
    I'm so pleased that you like what I do with my photos. I guess I'm more interested in making pictures rather than good photographs. Side effect of being a painter.

    Robert G.,
    Ah, to teach by example, this is the best method, though it was unintentional on my part. I'm very glad if you feel you've learned something from me about sight and thought.
    Wishing you a wonderful week full of inspired sights.

    Nita,
    I, in turn, thank you for your visit here. If you haven't visited Vancouver for years, you may be very surprised upon your return. There are places in town that I no longer recognize with all the new skyscrapers and towering condos. Not all of it bad. Definitely a big city now, but stunning against the mountains and silhouetted by the sea.

    Stickup,
    The winter temperatures here generally hover around 40-50F I guess. Having spent so many winters in the eastern maritimes where it generally feels as if my face is going to freeze and fall off when I venture out,Vanco uver temperatures seem almost balmy. Almost.
    The horse picture is pretty much just how it came out of the camera, save for some levels adjustment and a bit of cropping. Due to the way the gallery's windows are arranged (in a squared off U-shape), I was able to catch some of the street (left side) as well as the reflection of the other display window behind me.
    I hope I haven't disillusioned you too badly.

    Forest Dream,
    The horse painting is stunning, as is another inside the gallery. The artist has an amazing ability to bring life to his equine portraiture. I suspect it involves photography cleverly disguised with paint.

    Shayla,
    So nice you came along for the gallery hop! I'm not surprised you like the tree imagery. The paintings themselves have wonderful texture and a lot of gold tones that I know you'd appreciate.

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  11. My old neighborhood! I love how your vision of Gallery Row, and like you, looking North from Granville never fails to awe and inspire me. Wonderful shots!

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  12. Louciao, anyone who deems that photography is not an art should see this post! I am in absolute awe, sister! What amazing and creative shots! My favorite is the one with the trees. I love it! :)

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  13. Audrey,
    Oh, you were lucky enough to live in this area? No wonder you miss Vancouver so much. It's also fun to walk down the side streets and look at the older 3-storey apartment/condo buildings, though I usually don't have enough time to really explore. I must admit, this visit to Gallery Row I probably looked at more shoes than paintings as every shoe shop had a big sale on. Didn't buy any, though--shoes or paintings...or a condo, for that matter. But a girl (or older woman) can dream.

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  14. Bella,
    I am humbled (and very pleased) by your lavish praise of my photographic efforts. I know that there are many photographers who would look upon my pictures with absolute disdain because, really, I know nothing about what makes a good photograph and use all sorts of tricks from Photoshop. I'm more concerned with making an interesting picture than a good photograph. I'm really happy that my pictures have struck a chord with you. Thanks!

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