The Art Journal
My Photographic Journal 2
A Clear Blue Day - Today's serendipitious shot I am struggling with the focus on the water at the moment. Today I used the Canon GX7 at f5.6 with its longer zoom lens than the Sony to get closer to the reflections rather than sitting on top of them. The result - The close up is generally blurred like the depth of field. There are occasional shots with some degree of sharpness in the centre of the frame. However, generally, I did not find photo serendipity to-day. The autofocus takes too much time to set properly before shooting when I am moving. I am travelling between 1 or 1.5kms as I approach the image so there is quite deliberate movement required to approach the reflection. Stopping is not an option as using the paddle to stop creates ripples and generally disturbs the water surface. Focusing the camera manually in this situation is just too complicated. This review http://www.cnet.com/au/products/canon-powershot-g7-x/ confirms my suspicions that the Canon G7X has problems in all the areas in which I am experiencing difficulties So I have now adjusted the aperture to f/8, turned on the continuous autofocus and will see what happens on the next kayak.. The Art Journal RSS
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My Photographic Journal 1
The Attack of Red - To-day's Best Efforts at Serendipity Today I begin a journal based on my creative thinking whilst I am kayaking and attempting to create art. The journal's content is philosophical and technical, reflecting on my creative struggle in the moment in a constantly changing and moving environment. In the first instance, I am trying to learn what the best camera is for the shots I want to take. I am not a camera technician. I have no real interest in the technical functionality of a camera. I am only interested in the content of the images as they appear to me whilst I am kayaking and what the best instruments are available to capture that content. I did some basic research on types of cameras after several years of struggle with an iPhone 5 only to discover the jpeg photo files on an iPhone are not big enough to blow up to 1 meter size proportions. Research revealed high end compact cameras, small enough to handle easily and quickly on a kayak offer good options. Reviews revealed Canon G7X and Sony RX100 Mark111 were best in class for my application and I acquired one of each. Now I am learning how I can get the best image with the limitations these tools have. When you are taking shots of the water surface - several things to consider. How fast the tide and the kayak are travelling, how close can I get to the image I see with my eye and what will the camera do to get that image for me. There are three ways of looking at photography says professional photographer Anthony McKee. 1) Staged technically - camera, lens, lighting etc fully prepared and constructed for the shot. 2) A frame and shoot approach where the camera can be adjusted manually. But the scene itself is fixed and constant. 3) Serendipity - point, shoot and see what comes out. This is my mode. So what do I need for serendipity to occur. This is what I am exploring this month in the journal. The Art Journal RSS
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I am Big In The Baltics
Paraphrasing the great Tom Waits song title, "I am Big in Japan", I am big in the Baltics as a result of some nice publicity, direct and indirect for the Drawings on Water Latvia exhibition. The main Latvian interior decorator magazine has featured it and an article on one of Latvia's more famous journalists used the gallery and the Drawings on Water images as the mis-en-scene for the picture accompanying the article
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Drawings on Water Head and Art Shots, Riga Latvia
A beautiful series of photographs taken showcasing the art and the audience at the opening of the Riga Latvia exhibition by Latvian photographer Igor Blazevich.
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Creativity, Mental Health and Well Being Event, CREA Gallery, Riga, Latvia
An important element of the Drawings On Water work is its genesis - from depression to well being through kayaking. As part of the exhibition, the Australian Ambassador, Gerald Thomson hosted and facilitated a morning tea event exploring the issues of mental health in Latvia on the Friday morning following the exhibition opening. The Head of the Latvia Mental Health Department, Ministry for Health, Toms Pulmanis provided a powerful insight about the prevalence of mental health issues and its cost to the economy in Latvia, Dr Dita Baumane Auza, gynecologist and leading Latvian art therapist discussed her practice as an art therapist and I discussed my own experiences. Audience members ranged from Latvian artists through to medical and mental health practitioners and a spirited conversation around personal experiences followed the presentations. A big thank you to Ambassador Gerald Thomson for his organization of the event!
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CREA Gallery Opening, Riga Latvia November 12, 2015
Juris and Vineta Straznov, owner of CREA Design Gallery hosted an opening event that included most of Latvia's leading architects and interior decorators. The exhibition was opned by Australian Ambassador, Gerald Thomson, Ambassador to Sweden, Finland, Estonia and Latvia.
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Australia in Portugal - Ralph Kerle
Great support from the Australian Ambassador, Anne Plunkett and the Embassy in Portugal for my exhibition. Read the reviews here. I have to say Ambassador Plunkett's opening speech was just superb and is still being applauded and talked about by those in attendance. I can't thank Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade enough!!
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Exhibition Opening, Espaco Espelho d'Agua Gallery, Lisbon, Portugal Oct 3, 2015
A short visual journey of the Drawings On Water exhibition in Lisbon
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What Sol Lewitt and Ralph Kerle have in common
The absurd life of Ralph Kerle continues!! I would never in my wildest dreams have ever thought that one day a Sol Lewitt painting would be at one end of a gallery facing the images of Ralph Kerle at the other. Bizarre and yet true! The Sol Lewitt image was painted by Sol on the wall of the Espaco Espelho d'Agua in the early 80s and only rediscovered when the Gallery was renovated a couple of years ago and then lovingly restored by its new owner as a feature wall. The other image shows the side wall of the Gallery and its external view onto the marvelous Monument of Discoveries. Ralph Kerle's Drawings On Water exhibition at Espaco Espulho d'Agua in Lisbon runs until October 31, 2015 The Art Journal RSS
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From a kayak on Middle Harbour to galleries in Portugal and Latvia – Drawings on Water goes to Europe
Paddle On Blue Water, The Spit, Middle Harbour, Sydney, Australia. March 4, 2014. An exhibition of photographs, Drawings On Water by Sydney artist Ralph Kerle comprising photographs taken during kayak journeys on Sydney’s Middle Harbour, will be shown in two European galleries later this year. The exhibition at Lisbon’s Espaço Espelho d’Agua (trans: Space Mirror Water) will be opened on 3 October by the Australian Ambassador to Portugal, Anne Plunkett. In Latvia, the Australian Ambassador to Sweden, Gerald Thomson, will open the exhibition at Latvia’s leading design gallery CREA, in Riga, on November 12. Around five years ago, Ralph Kerle began kayaking on Middle Harbour as a way of finding a non-pharmaceutical remedy for depression. His morning kayak soon opened up a daily world of new perceptions; offering boundless moments of insight whilst connecting him as closely to nature as the indigenous inhabitants of Middle Harbour, the Cammeraygals. ‘Drawings on Water visually explores the interplay between the surface of the waters of Middle Harbour as creative inspiration and the power of physical movement in kayaking to free the mind from mental darkness and to recharge the soul with the light of new thinking,’ says Kerle. ‘Drawings on Water is something very beautiful and—most importantly for us—unusual, different from other photos that we are used to seeing,’ according to Vineta Stražnova, curator at CREA in Riga. ‘It is real photo art, because it is so natural (not photoshopped) and the colours are so vivid. The works have something in common with abstract art as well as what we can see and feel in real nature.’ Espaço Espelho d’Agua owner Mário Antonio de Almeida said, ‘This is exciting work, a marriage of technique and beauty and the space in Lisbon where it will be presented could not be better. With big windows onto the Tagus River, Espaço Espelho d’Agua offers bright space and an intimate relation with the river that gives it its name.’ Ralph Kerle is an acknowledged global leader in the development and application of creative skills in organisations. He is a former Associate Director of the Sydney Theatre Company and ran the iconic Melbourne alternative cabaret venue, the Flying Trapeze Café in its heyday (1978-81). He studied at the Victorian College of the Arts, majoring in dramatic art. Dates: 3 to 31 October 2015: Espaço Espelho d’Agua, Lisbon, Portugal. Website: http://www.espacoespelhodeagua.com/ 28 October 2015 to 10 January 2016: CREA, Riga, Latvia. Website: http://crea.lv/en/#!home Further information is available at www.ralphkerlesart.com. To arrange an interview please contact Ralph on 0412 559 603.
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Water Notation Retail Display
Nice to see Water Notation 1 , part of the Limited Editions Gallery being included in retail decoration displays. This display can be seen at Frame88, 88 Penshurst Street Willoughby. NSW Australia 2068.
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The Water Line in Gallery 307 Exhibition
The Water Line I am exhibiting the Water Line and 6 of the iPhone unlimited prints.in a group exhibition at Gallery 307. 307 Sailors Bay Road, Northbridge, Sydney Australia. The exhibition is built around a series of new works by their established stable of artists. I am delighted to be included for the first time. The exhibition is open until May 13th.
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