2010 Arts Place: Photo Sketches

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- Asphalt barge, Welland Canal.

Photo sketches in 3 themes:

* Our aqueous heritage (homage to boat stuff)

* In a Peruvian market (homage to Ketelbey)

* Imaginary prisons (homage to Piranesi)

Photo sketches, by D. Richards
photography liberated.
Arts Place Gallery
714 King St., Port Colborne, Ontario
tel 905 834-9060
October 14 to November 21, 2010
Thursday to Saturday, 12:00 noon to 5:00 pm.
Reception Sunday, October 17 at Arts PLace, 2:30 pm to 5:00 pm

D203-018A
08-01-04 - The Chicago "El".

The photo-sketch approach is an attempt to apply aspects of the technique of watercolour sketch artists to photographic subjects. In particular the use of pencil or pen outline to define the structure of a picture, followed by a wash of blended colour to provide additional rendering and affective value. Many digital photo-editing applications now provide a wide variety of tools to this end.

It would be a mistake to dismiss this as an example of technology imitating art, although there are plenty of applications that do seek to superimpose an artificial look of painterly brushwork on top of any photograph. But other more authentic tools do provide a digital analogue of what the sketch artist actually does in the field. For instance, laying down a preliminary outline of the basic structure of an image. This can be done digitally by tools that analyse the contours of an image. The boundary where tonal values are in sharpest contrast constitutes a potential outline. The sketch artist in their initial assessment may do much the same thing intuitively, laying down guidelines to whatever seems interesting. On this basis the application of texture and colour effects can proceed. Digital tools are available that will operate within an outline effect and can apply a selected amount of blending to a photograph's original colours that is similar to the use of watercolour pigments.

Thus, an image can be partially abstracted into a basic structural outline, within which a measured amount of colour and tonal blending can be added. This closely simulates what the artist is doing when a wash of colour is applied, in effect, ignoring pixel-level details within the outline that are irelevant to the artist's vision of the subject. The final result retains or enhances a sharpness of line along with a parsimony of irrelevant detail. Both of which can be strong features in outdoor watercolour sketching.

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07-05-13 - There is no escape, Welland R.

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10-06-19 - Hydraulic lock, Kirkfield.

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V10-07-19 - Homage to Piranesi, Peterborough.

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10-02-25 - From Carceri Invenzione, by Piranesi.

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V10-09-07 - Hydraulic lock bed, Kirkfield.

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V10-09-07 - The screaming tunnel.

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V10-09-07 - Spectral figure, NPBG.

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09-06-23 - Not for sale! Pisac market, Peru.

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09-06-23 - Dye seller, Pisac, Peru.

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09-06-23 - Variety pak.

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09-06-23 - Fish market, Pisac, Peru.

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09-06-22 - Generation gap, Peru.

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09-06-23 - Curio shop, Pisac, Peru.

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- Tugs, Port Colborne.

d223-070c
- Asphalt barge, Welland Canal.

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- Fire buckets and lifeboat, Whitehorse.

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- Dredge #4, Bonanza Creek.

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- Hamilton beach.

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10-06-12 - The wind is fair for France.

websrch:The wind is fair for France