Natural Tree and Metal Sculpture Installation in Northeastern Kansas

I was riding my mountain bike on a certain series of trails in Northeastern Kansas this past summer, getting lost in the forest - which by the way is one of my favorite things. On one wrong turn I ended up finding quite a pleasant surprise. I had recently been studying sculpture in college, and on this wrong turn I saw a series of very old, rusted, metal automobile frames. The forest must have grown up around these hunks of metal, or just consumed them over the decades. Some of them were literally sunken into the trees and raised off of the ground, hanging in the air. The trees made them a part of themselves over the years. So being someone recently fascinated by studying sculpture, I thoroughly enjoyed this "found art". In fact it still is one of the best sculpture "installations" I have ever seen. You can't recreate decades of natural growth reclaiming and consuming man-made machines.

Meditation on My Time in the Kaw River Valley of Kansas, and The Coming Departure

     My dad was a farmer who grew up in the depression in Kansas, with his older brothers who may or may not have participated in a small bit of bootlegging. His dad was a farmer in Kansas. My great grandparents came from Czech. I have always felt intensely connected to this Kansas landscape in which I still find myself. Even when I traveled, I still felt the intense pull to be "back home" which to me means the flowing flat landscape of endless earth matched with endless sky; the intense, wind driven landscape that is Kansas. Summer-times in my childhood I would travel often to and from Northeastern Kansas and Wichita, Kansas. To this day some of my favorite memories are looking out the window in the backseat, talking to the moon at night, and gazing at endless fields of wheat, flowing in the heavy Kansas wind; it was the closest thing I knew to an ocean.

Northeastern Kansas Farm Field, Late September After Harvest. Photo by Ed Tajchman ©.

     I have lived near the Kaw River Valley in Lawrence, KS for about eight years now and will be leaving this place soon. About five years ago I got a mountain bike and began riding so I could get in shape. I lost seventy pounds and discovered a connection with nature.  I discovered forest trails in the river valley, rode across beautiful land with turkey buzzards, hawks, deer, coyotes, foxes, and an endless amount of grasshoppers. Part of my rides I would ride on a flat trail enjoying the changing fields of corn and soybeans through the seasons; other parts were spent playing in the forest. During this time I photographed this spot multiple times of day and multiple seasons. Someday maybe I will make a Monet like series of paintings about it.

Kansas Horizons and the Windy Ocean Ride

      Living in Kansas, one thing there is a lot of is wide open sky and flat land. Below is a picture from one of my long bike rides in northeastern Kanas. By bike I mean bicycle, a mountain bike really but I use it on the road a lot. Being between earth and sky, feeling the wind push and pull you, which is a constant daily moving force in the Kaw River Valley; gives one a feeling of connection with the earth. A peace found in the spirit and body, a kind of calm as you look over the horizon and see nothing but endless earth and endless sky. I have felt this same feeling being in the ocean and looking at the horizon, and feeling the waves push and pull. Here it is the wind that pushes and pulls, and the ocean in any direction is at least 12 hours away.
      I used to fight the wind when I started taking long bike rides, foolishly cursing and shaking my fist at it as if it would respond or correlate to such a small meaningless being like myself. The wind does not listen to me or anyone else, it is a great equalizer. It's ever shifting invisible energy pouring over every animal in the same degree, more or less, depending on where you stand on the earth in any given moment. In Ken Burns' film about The Dust Bowl (which ravaged farmland with endless tidal waves of dust and wind in the 1930's) they speak of this same kind of - bending one's self to the will of the wind, the wind will of course never bend it's will to yours, thus the wind is the great equalizer.

"For what is it to die, But to stand in the sun and melt into the wind,"

-Kahil Gibran 

Photo: Ed Tajchman 2015, © all rights resrved.

Art Found On an Amsterdam Train

I am always going through old photographs I have taken, and sorting through old artworks as well. This is a photograph I took when visiting Amsterdam, Holland. I found this exquisite piece of art on the train I was riding in-between Schipol Airport and the city. 

I really like the design, and the first artist it reminds me of is Basquiat. Nice abstract shadow portrait with  some abstract symbolism and lots of energy. The artist only used 3 tones (4 if you count the background), and I presume it was done in a hurry since it was on a train. I kind of like the fact that the crown of the head is on a different plane, kind of lending an almost mystical aspect to the composition. How does that  Grateful Dead line go....? "You get shown the light the strangest of places if you look at it right". This day in Amsterdam was definitely one of those moments for me. 

I don't know who the artist is, but if you are familiar with the street artists of Amsterdam, please tell me who it could be. The chances of the piece still being there are slim, and if it is, it is definitely faded. You could look at me as an art conservator of sorts!

Art found on a train between Schipol Airport and the city of Amsterdam.
Artist unkown, photo by Ed Tajchman.

Meeting of the Drivers, Dakar, Photo by Ed Tajchman

This is another photo I took while I was in Dakar, Senegal, earlier this year. I like it because it's a kind of meeting of drivers of buses and trucks. Even the guy with the horse and buggy is in on it. A contrast of old and new. Stay tuned to this blog for more of my great photos.

Ed's Art Workshop is Redone, Also Discussing Dakar and New Painting

I am pleased to announce that my official gallery website Ed's Art Workshop has finally been redone, with some of my newer work being previewed there. My older work will eventually be archived at the site, but for now I am pleased to slowly roll out pics of my artwork from the past couple of years. I have been discussing this in the past several posts. I will release more previews week by week so check back in here and at the gallery for updates. 

Earlier this year I was fortunate enough to travel to Dakar, Senegal. Having never been to Africa, this was of course quite an experience for me. This is one of the watercolors I did when I came back home after the trip was over. There are a lot of artists in Dakar and I met some of them during my stay there.

Long-Necked Bird-Man by Ed Tajchman. Watercolor and Ink.

In various places throughout Dakar, one can find many colorful designs. I found it refreshingly like my own artistic sense; interesting designs and forms in bright colors. A good example are all the transport buses around the city. They can be very full sometimes. See my photo below,..... I took a lot of photos while I was there so I could preview some more of them here in future posts at Modern Art Quotes.

Transport Bus in Dakar, Senegal. Photo by Ed Tajchman

Each driver customizes his vehicle in a different way. A lot of the same color and design motifs are used from bus to bus, but with a lot of personal variation added in.

Photo Tour of Sunday Morning and Afternoon in Amsterdam, Holland

I was in Holland earlier this year. Unfortunately this time around I only got to spend an afternoon in Amsterdam before moving on in my journey, but it was a memorable one nonetheless. I took a couple hundred photographs this day, after I arrived early on a Sunday morning and before I left; a couple hours before evening approached. 

In my header at the top of the page I know I say I share my artwork here at this blog but have failed to provide any real substance in that category for some time now. What I consider 'my art' are my paintings and drawings, and more recently my acrylic paintings. I do have several good paintings that are the beginning of a new series of works for me that I am very excited about. I hesitate to present them just yet before I finish all the details, and before I have more work in the series done.

My point is that although today, now, I am starting a series of  posts showcasing my photographs of my walking tour of Amsterdam, my real work is these paintings described briefly in the last paragraph. I am not dissing on photography by any means and I really enjoy taking pictures and working with them in graphics editors, but my heart of hearts is in my paintings. I don't want to take anything away from this series of photos I will present here though. 

Today I present four photographs of my journey, starting with my arrival at the Amsterdam Central train station from the airport and my entry into the city early Sunday Morning.  In future posts the tour will continue along with a brief journal of my thoughts and whatnot at the time as I move along. Eventually I will put them together in a slideshow, hopefully with the playlist I had going in my MP3 player that I listened to as I walked along, making for a real re-creation of my visual and mental tour of the city. Some of the photos have obviously been manipulated as I see fit.

First we have me arriving at Amsterdam Central Station from Schipol Airport at about 7 in the morning. Schipol is like 20 minutes outside of the city center.

Next I step out of the train station after finally figuring out how to store my luggage in a locker. Now its already 8 in the morning.

This is just one of the many small cars parked right on the sidewalk or whatever, all over the city. Unlike American cities, here people drive and park almost anywhere and everywhere their car can fit, and still pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorists get along perfectly with little regulation.

The last photo I present in this first edition of my walking tour of Amsterdam is another one of those tiny cars, do you call them 'smart cars'? You would never see a car this tiny in the states. This one has the logo of The Bulldog on it, which is a series of coffee shops in Amsterdam. 

Alright that's it for today, I will continue with this in future posts. Maybe it's not that exciting for some people, but after many hours of travelling, three airports, customs, waiting for luggage for like an hour and a half, arriving early Sunday morning in Amsterdam was quite sublime, and exciting for this American, and a fantastically memorable time.

More Scenes From Amsterdam, Holland

A few articles back I posted a few photos I took while I was in Amsterdam last year. Well I took a whole lot of photos and will be dishing them out here on this blog from time to time, so here is another set. Again, like a lot of my photos I have digitally altered the color, large sized originals are available for a fee, all are copyright by me. The first one below is of a whole lot of bicycles lined up in a row, which you will find all over Holland, school kids don't even take the bus to school, they all ride their bikes.

Next up is a mural I found on one of the walls that comprises the huge maze-like city center. If I had to find it again it could take me hours. But then again by my second day of wandering I was getting the hang of finding my way around a little easier so maybe it wouldn't. Anyways, it says 'amusement' which of course Amsterdam is full of. I don't know who the artist is, it says in tiny print in the corner of the photo but I cannot read it. If you recognize the artist, feel free to comment. I really like this mural, it's got crazy bag people (or maybe they are speakers or robots), a cowgirl, a clown, very cool.

Last but not least is a very common sight in the city, a canal with buildings on either side of the street. The whole city is like a wheel with rings of canals extending throughout the whole area, it's all built on water. I like the digital touch-up I did on this one (originally a day shot) because it somehow for me, captures that feeling I remember of walking around at night, everything kind of hazy (fog and rain) and gloomy, but in a good way. A kind of happy haunted feeling. There is nothing more fun than just chilling and walking around this city and this photo reminds me of that.

Denver, Colorado Cityscapes

As I said in another recent post, not too long ago I was in the city of Denver, Colorado. Here is a quick view of downtown Denver through the eyes of my digital camera with some help from my digital editing.

commissioned by Denver artist Lawrence Argent, 2002

I really like this one (above) It's a giant blue bear sculpture looking into a building. Big sculptures that give the landscape a surreal feeling always appeal to me.

The badminton darts on the lawn of the Nelson Atkins Museum (left) Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen) in Kansas City is another well-done example of this. (It's like you stumbled onto the lawn of a giant). The orange ribbons thing in NY's Central Park though? (Orange Central Park gates, by Christo and Jeanne-Claude, 2005) I don't get it, there didn't seem to be a theme to it other than well, orange banners; really a laborious process with not much surrealistic affect if you ask me.

Another sculpture from Downtown Denver, (photo and color effects by me). I couldn't find the sculptor's name for this one, if you know it, make a comment. The last photo below is a clock tower I saw on our way to the art museum that was glowing purple.

Native American Art and Statue from India

Not too long ago I was in the city of Denver, Colorado and while there visited the Denver Art Museum. I photographed a few pieces in their collection (older pieces that are irrevocably in the public domain) and thought that I would share a sampling of them here at Modern Art Quotes. I highly recommend that if you are in the Denver area that you visit the museum and see the whole collection, there is a lot more to see than the sampling I have provided below.

The first one I want to discuss is a painting on animal skin; a Native American war scene, from the Crow tribe. The United States were enemies of the Lakota, and so the Crow would work as scouts for them.

war record painting, 1880 White Swan, Crow

Below is a detail of that same painting. I like that it is painted on animal skin, and also that it depicts a historical scene; telling a story. I also like the graceful animal shapes and the interesting way the figures are drawn. The liberal use of color is very cool, European art was only starting to use color in such a way at this time (1880).

detail from painting shown above

The next piece is also Native American, a Seminole shoulder bag. I really like the patterns and the colors used; really amazing. And again, if you compare it with European design of the same time, the work is relatively very modern.

shoulder bag, Seminole, early 19th century

The last one is a statue from India. A lady looking in a mirror, it was made in the 800's, but it could depict a woman from any time, a kind of timeless depiction. (I am not knocking women, but it is a very typical kind of imagery that one can identify with when looking at it, no?)

Woman with mirror, India,
Madhya Pradesh 800's

Again, I recommend that if you get a chance to visit Denver you should stop by the Denver Museum of Art, they have a wide-ranging and interesting collection that I could not begin to describe here, you should see it for yourself.

Quick Glances Through Amsterdam

I Took a trip to Holland a few months back and am just now getting to sort through some of the photos I took while there and sharing them; here are three of those, from the city of Amsterdam. (I know I have mentioned this before on this blog, maybe not; but painting is my artistic strong suit, photos and digital production is more of a hobby.) If anyone is interested (for a small fee) I do have the original unaltered versions available at high-resolution, see my email links on the right.

All three photos don't exactly go together but I think it gives an idea of the juxtaposition of the new and the old, which you see a lot in that city. (Imagine it's like a "one of these things doesn't belong here" type thing from Sesame Street.) The top and bottom photos have been digitally color-altered obviously.

©Ed Tajchman, all rights reserved

I like this one because the juxtaposition is obvious and interesting, the modern sign signaling no entry or warning, with the classic buildings on the canal.

I thought this photo of a sign to a shop in the red-district of Amsterdam was funny. Funny for obvious reasons and interesting because of the contrast between the sign and the classical element of the stain-glassed windows; of which only the bottom part can be seen due to the composition of the photo.

©Ed Tajchman, all rights reserved

Amsterdam is a city built on water and full of canals, one of which you can see above. Zo, (Dutch for 'so') I hope you enjoyed some of my quick glances through Amsterdam, you will be seeing more of my thoughts and visions from my trip in the near future here at Modern Art Quotes.