Mary Bedy Photography

Boardwalk Companions 4 102120 It’s hard to put into words what the isolation of the pandemic has done to us. I’m sure it’s different for everyone. Obviously it’s harder on those who have been impacted financially and hardest of all on those who have lost loved ones or who have long-term health issues after contracting the virus themselves. My heart goes out to every one of them. Leaves on Ice 121618   That said, I don’t want to write a downer blog post when people are already not feeling like themselves and just want to get back to normal. So this post is about my attempt to make art or shoot photographs specifically to relieve the urge to make art when mostly in isolation. One of my favorite art subjects is the still life. Some of my favorite artists are the Dutch and Flemish still-life painters of the 1600s-1800s. Fruit, flowers, tables set with pottery and meats and vegetables, old books and lanterns, I enjoy all of it. I have drawn a few still lifes in graphite or colored pencil, b

Please Come In I really like to notice bits and pieces of things around me. I think that may partly stem from loving still life painting, in particular Dutch and Flemish still life painting from the 1600s forward. I used to paint still life when I was painting in oils (yes, the plural is “still lifes” for you grammar purests). I was always, however, painting from someone else’s photograph. I know a good still life when I see it, but I always had a hard time setting them up myself. I find I have the same issue when trying to set up a still life for photos, so I need to work on that. I am, however, good at spotting the wonderful still life in nature - the random gull feather on the beach next to an interesting rock, for example. The other way I satisfy my craving for interesting arrangements is to capture bits and pieces of architecture. Door knobs, windows, old brick walls with interesting texture. The nice thing about architectural detail is your subject doesn’t move and it’s already “

I like the industrial look. I like the shapes and forms of metallic objects created for industrial purposes even though they were not created to be “art” but were usually only created to be functional.   If you look up at massive electrical towers, there are some interesting shapes to be had. The outline of factory stacks can be interesting, old and sometimes decorative sewer grates are works of art unto themselves. As much as I love the local hiking trail, which I have visited literally hundreds of times in all weather conditions and seasons, and as beautiful as nature images are, there is also a place for the man-made, symmetrical, purposeful item when viewed for more than just its function.   When you look at a piece of machinery, think about what the inventor was thinking when he came up with that particular piece of equipment. Was he or she actually thinking just about function? Or was there also some thought to form involved in its creation? Is this thing painted a certain color?

Lake Huron Colors 5  I live in Michigan 18 miles south of the southern end of Lake Huron. I’ve visited areas bordered by each of the Great Lakes many times since I have lived in Michigan all my life. I live along the Saint Clair River that runs south from Lake Huron to Lake Saint Clair, a smaller lake, which leads through the Detroit River to Lake Erie, then East to Lake Ontario.  Lake Huron Wave Stage 4 053120 I know people who don’t travel much or who have never seen one of the Great Lakes do not always appreciate how large they are. When I take a trip to the northern tip of Michigan’s lower peninsula right to the Mackinac Bridge, the drive mostly on freeways, takes five hours. That’s five hours to drive the length of Lake Huron. And let’s be clear, you cannot see across to the other side of any of these lakes unless you are right at either end. You might as well be looking at the ocean.   Here are some facts for you. Lake Huron and Lake Michigan are actually considered one body of w

After the Thaw     Art is subjective, yes, but have you even looked around you and been mesmerized by the pattern of something mundane? The odd shadow shape, the cracks in the sidewalk that look like “something” that you can’t quite name, the worn paint on the parking lot pavement. No? You’ve never noticed these things? Might I suggest you take a closer look. 9th Street 2 When I was a kid - up to the age of about 12, I was attracted to art - paintings and sculpture of all kinds, but I didn’t really like or appreciate what would be considered abstract art. Art without a defined and recognizable subject didn’t do anything for me, then I discovered Paul Klee and Joan Miro and Piet Mondrian, and I started looking at abstract art differently. These painters spoke to me. With Piet Mondrian, not so much his later works for which he is most famous, but his earlier stuff whereby he took a tree or the shape of a pier and abstracted them until they were just shapes reminiscent of the actual thing

  San Xavier del Bac mission near Tucson, Arizona is a beautiful example of Spanish mission architecture and was built as a Jesuit mission in 1783-1797. It was named after Francis Xavier who was a co-founder of the Jesuit order in Europe. At one point in the church’s history, Charles III banned the Jesuits from the mission and turned it over to the Franciscans. This old mission has been called the Sistine Chapel of the West, although that “label” has been criticized by some as being “overblown”. It is the oldest European structure in Arizona, having been constructed after the original building was destroyed. The O’odam provided the labor for the building of the newer church, and it is still an active catholic church today.       Most of the interior and exterior is original, however some major renovations have had to be done over the years because of water damage. The interior painting had to be painstakingly restored in 1978 due to water seepage into the walls. Earlier on, repairs wer

Apparently, the study of the forest canopy is a still-developing science. There are may species of creatures that live in forest canopies that are never found on the forest floor. The canopy itself is the main gatherer of sunlight, obviously, but science has only recently gotten more sophisticated at studying canopy structures and biology due partly to the improvement and sophistication of climbing gear and other equipment. Previously, studies were done using hot air balloons and other more difficult means. Being able to place scientific measuring devices at the tops of trees in old-growth forests has gotten easier. Due to deforestation, many lichen species that are regularly found at the crowning level of trees are starting to go extinct which will cause further imbalance to an already fragile ecosystem.   For me, the forest canopy has always been a source of visual enjoyment. I love to look straight up in the local hiking trail and marvel at the structure and complexity of the tree b