WATERCOLORS

"Watercolors" is a series of photographs I have taken over the years at Point Lobos State Reserve two miles south of Carmel, California, and in Big Sur. My equipment has evolved from a Konica-Minolta Dimage I to  Nikon D800 with 14-24mm f2.8, 24-70mm f2.8, and 70-200mm f2.8 lenses. I have used a Nikon TC-20EIII 2x teleconverter to achieve certain artistic effects.

In these photographs, I have discerned nature's techniques and palettes of color—broad strokes, trailing wisps, evocative veils, impressionist dabs, pointillist dots, random splashes, cubist lines, and contorted angles. Game-changing artists from Renoir to Rothko had recognized this palette and derived transformative ways of interpreting what they saw and felt. Thus art evolved from realistic representations of the world to the extraction of nature's essence. In these photographs I have attempted to understand this process. What I found was life imitating art.

I applied minor adjustments to the images using Apple's Aperture 3 photo-processing program. This enabled me to contribute in a creative sense, other than to just the composition. It was my way to grow imaginatively and heightened my appreciation of what, after all, is nature's artistry.

Some might consider such adjustments a meddlesome intrusion into nature's handiwork. But scientists with one foot in the humanities have discerned beauty in slices of diseased tissue they have stained on pathology slides and in computer-manipulated images of galaxies and stellar explosions from deep space. It is a matter of "seeing into," not just "looking at." Yo will find no postcard images here, only attempts to probe the source of a postcard's beauty.

It is the journey that counts. Photography, like life, is a journey of discovery, a process of becoming.

 6 December, 2012: The author will discuss his "watercolors" series and exhibit examples of this work before the Carmel Foundation Photographers in Carmel. The event will take place between 1-2:30 PM.

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3-31 March, 2012: There will be an exhibition of photographs entitled "Watercolors and Sketches" taken by the author in and close to Big Sur. The exhibition will be at Bel Air Camera, 10925 Kinross Avenue, in Westwood in their lower-level display room. The opening is March 3 from 1-4 PM. Refreshments will be served.   

Items will be available for purchase on Friday, March 30 from 10 AM to 7 PM and on March 31 from 10 AM to 6 PM.

THE DONATION

August 2010: The Donation is now available in an electronic format compatible with the Kindle, Sony, iPAD,  and other electronic reading devices.

BOOK SIGNINGS

11 December, 2008: There will be a book-signing-reading event for "The Donation" at Counterpoint Records and Books, 5911 Franklin Avenue, Hollywood (at Bronson) 7 P.M., Thursday, December 11, 2008.

4 December, 2008: There will be a book-signing-reading event for "The Donation" at the Barnes and Noble at The Grove at Farmers Market,187 Grove Drive, Los Angeles. Tel: 323-525-0270. 7:30 PM, Thursday, 4 December, 2008

23 November, 2008: There will be a book-signing-reading event for "The Donation" at Book Soup, 8818 W. Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood, Ca. Tel: 310-659-3110. 2PM, Sunday, November 23, 2008.

MEDIA APPEARANCES

RADIO
20 February '09        WPBR Dr. Dan Who Cares Show (Lake Worth, FL)
23 January '09          WILY Tootie Cooksey (Centralia, IL)
9 January '09            WPBR Dr. Dan Who Cares Show (Lake Worth, FL)
23 December '08       WVOX Bob Marrone (New Rochelle, NY)
17 December '08       WOCA Larry and Robin Whitler (Ocala, FL)
11 December '08       CJAD Peter Anthony Holder (Montreal) and CFRB (Toronto)
 1 December '08        KSEN Jerry Puffer (Shelby, MT)
24 November '08       WOCM Bulldog Morning Show (Maryland)
24 November '08       KXYL (Brownwood, TX)
19 November '08       Michael Dresser After Dark Show (WI)




9 July, 2008: "The Donation" has been listed on the home page of CTSNet, the Cardiothoracic Surgery Network (www.ctsnet.org). CTSNet was founded in 1997 by the Society of Thoracic Surgeons, the American Association for Thoracic Surgery, and the European Association for Cardiothoracic Surgery. CTSNet provides a means for collaboration and information exchange among cardiothoracic surgeons and allied health care professionals from around the world. 52 cardiothoracic organizations participate in the CTSNet community. At this time, CTSNet has 34,421 members of which 27,301 are cardiothoracic surgeons.

NEAR MISSES IN CARDIAC SURGERY

19 January, 2011: Near Misses has been a best seller in Thoracic Surgery since its reissue in 2009. It has consistently ranked within the top 100 books in its category, mostly within the top 10, and #1 about 50% of the time.


August, 2010: Near Misses is now available in an electric format compatible with the Kindle, Sony, iPAD, and other electronic reading devices.


4 February, 2009: Near Misses in Cardiac Surgery has been reissued and has been listed in the CTSNet.org bookstore. It is also available through the following routes:

Bulk Purchase Information: 1.) through iUniverse Channel Sales representative. Send fax with purchase order number to April Williams at 812-349-0766. Call iUniverse at 800-288-4677 ext 5366 for questions. 2.) through Ingram Book Company (www.ipage.ingrambook.com) UNSOLD BOOKS ARE RETURNABLE FOR 6 MONTHS AFTER THE PURCHASE DATE TO BOTH IUNIVERSE AND INGRAM.

Individual Purchase Information:www.iuniverse.com; www.amazon.com; www.barnesandnoble.com.


9 July, 2008: Near Misses in Cardiac Surgery will be reissued in January of 2009 (iUniverse, Inc, Publisher) and will be a resource for phase 2 of CTSNet's safety reporting network. The premise of this book is that decisions, not incisions, are the prime determinants of cardiac surgical morbidity and mortality.

LIBRETTOS FOR ORCHESTRAL WORKS

PATER PATRIAE

27 March, 2012: "Pater Patriae" will be performed by the wind ensemble of the Chicago College of Performing Arts of Roosevelt University in Ganz Hall, 430 S. Michigan Avenue, Chicago, at 7:30 PM

16 September, 2007: "Pater Patriae" premiered at Mount Vernon during the annual gathering of the Washington Council and the Mount Vernon One Hundred. Conducted by Victoria Bond, the music was performed by Vol-Au-Vent, a Washington D.C.-based ensemble whose members appear with the National Symphony Orchestra. The narration was performed by Rick Davis, Artistic Director of the Theater of the First Amendment and the Center for the Arts at George Mason University.

THE INDISPENSABLE MAN

27 MARCH, 2012: The Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University will premiere "The Indispensable Man" on 27 March, 2012, in Ganz Hall, 430 S. Michigan Avenue at 7:30 PM. Also on the program will be "The Lincoln Portrait,"" by Aaron Copland and Carl Sandburg.

SOUL OF A NATION
The script for another presidential portrait, entitled "Thomas Jefferson: Soul of a Nation" has been completed. It centers on what Jefferson himself wanted to be remembered for as stated on his tombstone: the Declaration of Independence; the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom; and the founding father of the University of Virginia. Victoria Bond will compose the music which will be a concerto for violin, an instrument that Jefferson played with above amateur ability.

THE CROWDED HOURS
I am currently researching Theodore Roosevelt as the subject for a fourth presidential portrait to be completed in conjunction with Victoria Bond. The working title is "Theodore Roosevelt: The Crowded Hours."