Inspirations – Cantus Arcticus by Jared Lim

© Jared Lim

I came across by chance “Concerto for Birds” also known as Cantus Arcticus, Op. 61 (an orchestral composition by the Finnish composer Einojuhani Rautavaara written in 1972) in youtube and fell in love with the music. It gave me inspiration to create something of the same title or concept. I like to create something fun, not a too serious image.

I was in Moscow last month, the day when I arrived, it was a beautiful day with the perfect “poofy” clouds all over the sky! I spotted two buildings outside my window with lines connecting them. However, there weren’t many birds, just 2 or 3. I took a couple of shots because the sky was too great to give it a miss. The next day early morning, I was awakened by the birds chirping! Lots of black birds on the lines! I took a couple of shots at different focal length. The final image is a composite of the several shots, the whimsical clouds, the lines and the birds. I spent a lot of time layering and arranging  the lines and birds since I wanted it to look chaotically organised like a music sheet yet with identifiable musical ” notes”. ~ Jared Lim

Inspirations – Sky Dance by Stephen Patterson

© Stephen Patterson

Kodachrome 25, exposed at around  1/2 second
while a using a polarizing filter

I was on my first trip down to Brier Island to photograph the unusual basalt formations at Green Head located on the eastern side of the island. Attracted by the returning fishing boats, gulls can be found flying in very large flocks overhead waiting for their chance for a snack. This day was no exception and there were dozens of swirling gulls overhead.

I remember thinking to myself for reasons unknown….”white brush strokes on blue!” perhaps being inspired by some impressionistic photos I previously made of moving blossoms in the wind. I panned the camera and 105 mm lens in a slight circular pattern following the movement of the swirling gulls to create the effect here. About 5 attempts gave me the image closest to what I was after. ~ Stephen Patterson

Inspirations – Sandhill Impression by Bill Lockhart

© Bill Lockhart

Canon EOS 1Ds Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM
Exposure: ISO 400, f/5.6, 1/20, @ 400mm

Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement that originated with a group of Paris-based artists whose independent exhibitions brought them to prominence during the 1870s and 1880s. The name of the style is  derived from the title of a Claude Monet work, Impression, soleil levant (Impression, Sunrise), which provoked the critic Louis Leroy to coin the term in a satiric review published in the Parisian newspaper Le Charivari.

So, what is an impression? It is defined as: “the first and immediate effect of an experience or perception upon the mind; sensation.”

As artists, we should be about the idea of conveying to others those experiences and perceptions we see reflected from light. The idea is that our experience may convey emotive feelings and sensations from our world experience. One does not see the world in static form, the world before us is alive and vibrant. As in our science, which tells us that our experiences are too often deceived by what lies before us. It is our perception and intellectual acuity that transforms what we observe into something profound and understandable.

As humans we need the exposure to the surreal to fathom what we are.

Thus, as artists, we should look for ways to find impressions, for such are basic to what we are and are often emotive and inspiring.

Don’t overlook what you might do as an artist, explore the world of motion and light. It is what we are.

In fact, the Cave Paintings show us, that as a species, as we first emerged from the darkness, it was our impressions that mattered. Such were compelling images that formed our ideas about life and experience.

Think of ways to find an impression of an experience that you have. Convey that experience using your artistic mind.

Humans need art to understand what we are. Artists should be about the business of conveying what we are to others. It is all about that critical moment in time which evoked our spirit and memory. ~ Bill Lockhart