Before ... and After

Wild Stallion, Jaffa, Israel, November 2012, Nikon D600 with FX 50mm lens, 
1/15 sec @ f1.8, ISO 1600, 0 EV, no flash © Steven Crisp  [Click on the photo to enlarge]

Now that is some impressive graffiti.  Certainly a talented artist made this mural on the side of a concrete bulding.  And I love how the artist ignored the depth and material changes in his "canvas".  I think it is really impressive.

Now if you take a look at the photo below, you will see what the building looks like without the mural/grafitti.

Now you might think this is a "Before and After" comparison, and it is.  However, the second shot is the "after".  Yes, for some reason, the building owner (I assume) decided to paint over the mural with this really attractive grey paint ;-)

Now I don't begrudge the owner doing whatever he thinks is needed.  Nor am I lamenting the loss of that great Wild Stallion mural/grafitti.  No, my point is that you must not assume things will always remain as they are.  Everything is impermanent.

That's not good or bad, it just is what it is.  So seize the day, and make your art while you still can.   Tomorrow, who knows?  Your mural may be lost, but everyone who has seen it will be the better for it.  And now look what you have -- another blank canvas.  What more could an artist hope for?

Eye Am Beautiful

Eye Am Beautiful, Art show in Jaffa, Israel, date, Nikon D600 with FX 28-300mm VR lens,
 34mm, 1/25 sec @ f3.8, ISO 3200, -0.7 EV, no flash © Steven Crisp  [Click on the photo to enlarge]

We were walking around Old Jaffa, and came across this enormous art show in a refurbished building in the Old Jaffa port.  The quantity and variety of art was impressive.

This one really grabbed my eye (sorry ;-)  It was much larger than life-sized, and created by zillions of little applications of color, making it look something like a grainy close-up photo.  Really cool.

And paired with this quote below, I think also quite meaningful:

"When you look and look and look into another person's eyes 

you are looking at the most beautiful jewels in the universe." 

-- Alan Watts

Day 1: Happy New Year 2011

Sunset in the Holy Land, St. Peter's Church, Jaffa, Israel, February 2009,

Canon PowerShot SD870 IS, Focal length 7.56mm, Exposure 1/8 sec @ f3.5, ISO 200, no flash,

© Steven Crisp [Click on the photo to enlarge]

Happy New Year everyone.  Did you celebrate?  Get to kiss someone?  Make any resolutions?

Here are my answers:  Not so much.  Yes, my lovely wife, Carol.  You betcha!

We stayed home, which for us is over here in Böblingen, Germany.  New Year's Eve in Germany (as in many places around the world) is celebrated with fireworks at midnight.  And our dog Frito is not a big fan of fireworks.  He shakes like a leaf when they go off.  

So we watched some TV, to drown out the sounds.  And covered him with blankets and kept him in between us on the sofa.  He did fine.

So what about my resolutions?  Well, here they are:

1.  Post a picture of beauty every day (right here, on this blog).

2.  Give something away every day (e.g., a donation, or to someone in need, or an unused item).

3.  Do some physical exercise every day (at least 15 minutes long).

And for the first item, at least, you can help keep me honest.  Or at least, check back and see what kind of pictures get posted.  In many cases, it just might be a picture without all this writing to slow you down ;-)

Well, let's see how it goes.  Here's wishing you the best in 2011.

• Donation:  to Vegan Outreach
• Exercise:  Running 11.11 miles (120 mins) (see next post for details)