PATTERNS AND TONES

Christmas Tree Lane: Color in Motion No. 6 As the holiday season comes to a crescendo tonight, I've been thinking about how a great pagan tradition has survived religious dogma throughout the millenia. The natural desire for humans to light trees  in the darkest of winter has transcended time and is  such a pleasure to behold. Watching the lights dance and twinkle in the darkness brings such joy and delight, its obvious why the tradition has never wained. I used the lights down Christmas Tree Lane  as paint brushes this year to dab the dark canvas with streaks of color and the car lights as accents. As the rain fell, color oozed down the lane and mirrored the hues from above. I felt like I was in a fairy forest with colorful fireflies darting in and out of the trees. Into the new year I head with joy in my heart as I look towards finding happiness in the smallest of gestures and the knowledge that even in the depth of darkness, light and color can preva...

Christmas Tree Lane: Color in Motion No. 1 Since moving to Christmas Tree Lane in Altadena back in May, I've been anticipating what the lights in the giant 108 year old Deadora Ceder trees were going to look like. I had driving down the lane before but couldn't wait to see what these beauties looked like lit up in my very own front yard. Their magical presence has not disappointed and I get a thrill coming home every night to this 96 year tradition. What has captured my eye is the reflection of these lovely lights refracting on my pool. Earlier this year I began studying light and how we perceive it in my piece "Water Refractions"  . So I decided to play with the colored christmas lights floating in my pool at night. Enjoy the movement of lights here ! On this particular night the full moon was also dancing among the lights, so I strategically placed it on top of the "christmas tree" as seen in Color in Motion No. 1. In No. 2, you can se...

Kite Flyer: The Human Figure in Motion No. 3 In my last blog entry Kite Flyer: The Human Figure in Motion , I began to work on a project to create movement in a still photograph. The idea was to push the single moment into several steps in time on a single plane. I also stitched the image back together to symbolize the running thread of time through our lives. Today, I wanted to present to you several more approaches to that idea. Although I have yet to stitch the image together, the vertical and diagonal lines created by cutting up the photographic paper and realigning it, gives the image a feeling of motion I was looking of. Kite Flyer: The Human Figure in Motion No. 3 is exactly what I was picturing in my minds eye and I am so thrilled to see it come to fruition. Once I add the finishing touches of the orange thread, I will begin to think of other moments in time that I  would like to accelerate into motion. Lets go fly a kite! Julie Green December 10, 2016 ...

"Kite Flyer No. 1" 2016 On my way home from Hong Kong earlier this year, I had time to sit and ponder several projects I have been working on over the year. My exploration on light and how we perceive it, as seen in my pieces on Water Refractions  and my Sun Shadow series , as well as distortion in perspective, as seen in my woven portrait  series, are subjects that have captivated me this year. Bending light and perspective floats my boat. I then began wondering if I could move a single frozen moment in time by cutting the image up. As I slept on the 15 hour flight home, I had a vivid dream of my daughter running with a kite, its tail lingering behind her. I remember looking at the image of my daughter in the same way as Marcel Duchamp 's famous painting "Nude Descending a Staircase, No. 2" 1912 , with its depiction of rhythm and movement all on one plane. Except in my dream, I worked from a single moment and it was my goal to try to make, as Duchamp s...

"Variegated Norway Maple No. 1" 2016 In uncertain times, I always look to the trees. This lovely variegated Norway Maple pulsated brightly in the Northern Norfolk winter light earlier this year. These pictures are not manipulated in any way. This is how vibrant the tree and it's surrounding environment was after a 6 week storm. The light, harder than I'm used to seeing and more penetrating due to its angle, cast a spotlight on objects below even in broad daylight. I suppose I've been living in a desert for so long that when I see a rain drenched scenery, my eyes and my senses explode. I was grateful to be surrounded by natures grander, even in the simplest tree at a local playground. I hope to never loose this sense of awe and felt compeled to share this beauty with you today, in these times, under a variegated maple tree. With love, Julie Green November 26, 2016 "Variegated Norway Maple No. 2" 2016 "Variegated Norway Maple N...

"Kern County Fair No 1" 2016 I only attended two county fairs in California this year. Their dates and my schedule did not jive. But I did end up shooting the first and last county fairs in the state. The Riverside County Fair and International Date Festival occurred in February. The early date helped fair goers avoid the blistering heat of the desert later in the year. While Kern County ended the fair season at the beginning of October. Although technically it was Autumn, the summer sun was unrelenting and the harsh light was hard to escape. This is the first time I had revisited a specific county fair, as I wanted to round out the collection of images I had captured of the Kern County Fair back in 2013. What captured my eye this time around was the BMX Pros and their tricks on their bikes. They reminded me of all the skaters I used to hand out with in Walnut Creek: fearless, crazy and fun. The little kids were in awe of their theatrics and I enjoyed a new generati...

"Wong Tai Sin Temple No. 1" 2016 Wong Tai Sin, otherwise known as The Great Immortal Wong, is a Chinese Taoist deity who they say has healing powers. In the dark days we find ourselves in after the US election, I felt it was an appropriate time to share images of contemplation, of a people searching for answers and healing. I recently visited the temple dedicated to Wong Tai Sin in the northern region of Kowloon in Hong Kong to catch a glimpse of their customs and rituals. As an atheist, I find it fascinating to observe all forms of religion practicing their faith and witnessing how they pray. I do see how people derive a sense of calm and well being from repeating actions performed with a multitude of others doing the same thing. A sense of belonging must envelope their soul. The ritual of these Taoists lighting incense sticks facinated me and the repetitive action performed by the throngs of people that passed through overwhelmed me. I suppose it with the same a...

"Step Shadows No. 1"  from The Sun Shadow Series I've been exploring the crisp shadows the sun makes down here in Southern California for the last several years and I am still fascinated by the geometric shapes their silhouettes create. Just like seeing objects in the clouds, Sun Shadows (as I refer to them) are as equally fascinating to me. A recent trip to the Natural History Museum rendered these stark contrasting forms on the steps of it's granite steps. A sense of fluidity takes over when these patterns ripple across the horizontal slabs. I can almost hear a song being played in the repetitive spacing. I'm sure John Cage would have appreciated its angular form and space. It is for pure pleasure that I explore these abstract forms cast before me. They are a timeless genre that man has seen since the dawn of time but with harder shapes of granite steps and metal poles which lend a more modern graphic to the eye. Julie Green November 5, 2...

"Day of the Dead on Olvera Street No. 1" 2015 Last year I observed Dia de los Muertos on Olvera Street, the oldest part of downtown Los Angeles. The home made alters constructed featured framed photographs of loved ones decorated with candles, papel picado and flowers. Offerings of sugar skulls, breaded bones and water where carefully laid in out  to nourish their departed souls . Although they were remembering their dearly departed, the mood of the celebration was anything but somber. The mariachi band in the square's rotunda kept the beat for the dancers who's faces were painted like fanciful calaveras. Traditionally, Mexican and Aztec cultures used to wear skeleton masks. The more modern approach is now see in the painted faces. I was fortunate enough to befriend a family that were elegantly dressed for the occasion and they agreed to pose for me in the Avila Adobe, the oldest residence still standing in LA. Its thick 3 foot adobe brick walls, tar sealed ...

"Her Majesty's Sticky Wicket Croquet Club No. 1" 2016 It was a late summer's afternoon when Lady Christiane Cegavske paid us a visit. It had been some time since last we met and when I saw her raven hair, and her wry smile - I knew she hadn't changed a bit. Years before she left Los Angeles, Christiane had gathered a group of croquet enthusiasts and had inaugurated Her Majesty's Sticky Wicket Croquet Club. The games were usually played on rough terrain and preferably up hill in an unorthodox pattern. Wikipedia states that "in the game of croquet , the phrase "sticky wicket" may refer to a hoop (wicket) that is difficult for a ball to go through because of the narrowness of the opening. This usage is confined to the United States." And in true form, each sticky wicket in  Her Majesty's Sticky Wicket Croquet Club  was strategically placed in a most difficult spot and bent into its proper shape. Along with Lady Cegavske, who hers...

The Flakes live at Pickwick Gardens I'm a huge FLAKES FAN! These guys are like family to me and it was a thrill to see them do their stuff all over again a few months back. At the Pickwick Gardens in lovely Burbank, CA, The Real Boss Hoss rolled out another great show with an amazing line up including the amazing vocal stylings of  Tiny & Mary , instrumental magicians Mercury Futuregrade, SpongeBob himself: Tom Kenny & The Hi-Seas and East LA 1960's Garage Rockers The Premiers ! Front man Peepin' John McDonald was in fine form as was drummer extraordinaire Russell Quan . Guitarist Greg Fenwick and JT on bass kept the goof balls jumping, while Sir Brett Stillo showed us all how it's was really done. I was recently able to pull out a slim interview with these flakey fellows. A few of the members filled in the blanks but overall these FLAKES stayed true to their name. You can catch them doing an amazing cover of "You're Gonna Miss Me...