Author: Kimsmithdesigns

Documentary filmmaker, photographer, landscape designer, author, and illustrator. "Beauty on the Wing: Life Story of the Monarch Butterfly" currently airing on PBS. Current film projects include Piping Plovers, Gloucester's Feast of St. Joseph, and Saint Peter's Fiesta. Visit my websites for more information about film and design projects at kimsmithdesigns.com, monarchbutterflyfilm.com, and pipingploverproject.org. Author/illustrator "Oh Garden of Fresh Possibilities! Notes from a Gloucester Garden."

Snow Day is Sports’ Day on Cape Ann TV

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Lisa Smith writes, “While the snow flies, hunker down and watch your favorite Cape Ann High School sport teams play on Cape Ann TV Channels 20 and 67. We just added a bunch of games to the programming line up. The games air on both channels 20 & 67 from 9 am to 11 pm on Tuesday, January 27.”

Here is tomorrow’s line up:

 Cape Ann TV Channel 20:

9:00 am GHS Hockey v. Lynn Classical

11:00 am GHS v MERHS Boys Basketball

1:00 pm GHS Girls Basketball v. Lynnfield

3:00 pm GHS Boys Basketball v. Winthrop

5:00 pm MERHS Girls Basketball v. North Reading

7:00 pm RHS Girls Basketball v. Mystic Valley

9:00 pm RHS Hockey v. Mystic Valley

 

Cape Ann TV Channel 67:

9:00 am RHS Hockey v. Salem

11:00 am MERHS Girls Basketball v. Georgetown

1:00 pm GHS Boys Basketball v. Beverly

3:00 pm RHS Girls Basketball v. Mt. Alvernia

5:00 pm GHS Girls Basketball v. Salem

7:00 pm RHS v. MERHS Boys Basketball

9:00 pm GHS Hockey v. Pentucket

Meeting on Proposed Sculpture at Solomon Jacobs Park is CANCELLED

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City Councilor Paul McGeary writes:

Dear friends:

Due to the likelihood of severe weather this evening, the ward meeting that was to have been held at Maritime Gloucester concerning the proposal to erect a sculpture by the renowned artist David Black at Solomon Jacobs Park has been CANCELLED.

Councilor Melissa Cox and I will work with the Committee for the Arts to reschedule the meeting soon. We will let you know when a date has been set.

While we’re on the topic, here are some things to think about as we prepare for the storm:

  • Pay attention to the city website for updates on things like parking bans and school closures. While you’re at it, you may register for the city’s “Code Red” telephone call alert system at this web location: http://www.gloucester-ma.gov/index.aspx?nid=384
  • In particular check before you put out your trash and recycling tonight. Pickup may be problematic or cancelled entirely tomorrow.
  • Stay off the Back Shore and the beaches. Everyone is awed by the power of the sea, but this is a dangerous storm. We don’t need our emergency responders taxed by having to rescue those who stray too close to danger.
  • Check on neighbors who are elderly or infirm. If you can help them prepare for the storm or during the storm, I’m sure they will appreciate it.

The city will make every effort to keep you updated as events warrant. Stay off the roads and in your homes and most of all, BE SAFE.

A Hummingbird’s Glittering Gorget

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Allen's Hummingbird Male California ©Kim Smith 2015

Male Allen’s Hummingbird and Aloe Blossoms

While visiting Liv and Matt in southern California we saw what seemed like zillions of hummingbirds. It’s early spring there with many flowering trees coming into bloom and the hummingbirds are on the move. They are drawn to the flower’s nectar and they also eat the small insects that are attracted to the blossoms. Unlike the Northeast, where typically only one species of hummingbird breeds in our region (the Ruby-throated Hummingbird), fourteen different species of hummingbirds have been reported in southern California. The five that are most common, of which we saw three, are Allen’s, Anna’s, Black-chinned, Rufous, and Costa’s Hummingbirds. Looking at the gorget is one way to tell the different species apart however, that can be a bit misleading because unless the light is hitting the brilliant iridescent feathers at just the right angle, the feathers will look dull and dark.

The gorget (pronounced ˈgȯr-jət) is the patch of feathers found on the throat or chin of an adult (not juvenile) male hummingbird. The word gorget comes from the swath of metal worn by knights-in-armor to protect their throat. The Eastern Ruby-throated Hummingbird takes its name from its gorget. Hummingbirds have possibly the most iridescent feathers known in birds. The beautiful iridescence is found not only on the gorget but the wings, head, neck, and back. Reasons many are speculated as to why hummingbirds have iridescent feathers; perhaps to confuse predators, to attract a female, or to guard its territory.

Allen's Hummingbird Red Gorget Male ©Kim Smith 2015JPGMale Allen’s Hummingbird

As the male Allen’s Hummingbird turns its head from side to side, the light catches the barbed cells of the glittering gorget. The photo above and the photo below perfectly illustrate how, with the tilt of its head, you first see the iridescence in the gorget, and then not at all.

Allen's Hummingbird Male ©Kim Smith 2015

Allen's Hummingbird Female ©Kim Smith 2015Female Allen’s Hummingbird

Allen's Hummingbird Male iridescent wings ©kim Smith 2015Iridescent Wings, Cap, and Back Feathers

Fun hummingbird fact: A group of hummingbirds may be called a bouquet, glittering, a hover, shimmer, or a tune of hummingbirds.

allen

 

 

Snowy Days are Here to Stay!

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Gloucester City Hall winter snow ©Kim Smith 2015Gloucester City Hall

Gloucester Our Lady of Good Voyage winter snow ©Kim Smith 2015Our Lady of Good Voyage

Niles Pond Snow ©Kim Smith 2015Niles Pond 

The World’s Largest Ocean and the Tiniest of Birds

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Black-chinned hummingbird Goleta Santa Barbar Ellwood mesa ©kim Smith 2015We were happily surprised by the sight of the diminutive Black-chinned Hummingbird perched atop a thicket, spotted while hiking down the steep descent to the beach at Goleta, Santa Barbara. I loved the view of the region’s smallest bird juxtaposed against the world’s largest body of water, the Pacific Ocean. In the background you see Santa Cruz, one of the eight Channel Islands that comprise the archipelago off the southern coast of California, along the Santa Barbara Channel.

More photos from beautiful Santa Barbara to come.

Black-chinned hummingbird Goleta Santa Barbara ©Kim Smith 2015Black-chinned Hummingbird

Goleta Santa Barbara Ellwood Mesa ©Kim Smith 2015

Art Haven 7th Annual Buoy Auction!

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Colleen Apostolos-March Homegrown ©Kim Smith 2015Colleen Apostolos-March “Homegrown”

Fabulous Buoys, Super Delicious (Donated) Food, Wonderful Venue (Donated), Exquisitely Organized, with a Roomful of Friends ~ Outstanding Event for an Outstanding Organization!

Traci Corbett Buoy ©Kim Smith 2015jpgTraci Corbett’s “Draggers”

Blue Lobster Art Haven Buoy Auction ©Kim Smith 2015Lily Linquata’s “Blue Lobsters”

Glitter fish Art Haven Buoy Auction ©Kim Smith 2015Shelly Bradbury “A Fish Created”

Art Haven Buoy Auction -2 ©Kim Smith 2015

Art Haven Buoy Auction -3 ©Kim Smith 2015Art Haven Buoy Auction ©Kim Smith 2015David Brooks Muffy White Art Haven Buoy Auction ©Kim Smith 2015Organizers Muffy White and David Brooks

David Brookks Ann Margaret Ferrante Art Haven Buoy Auction ©Kim Smith 2015

David Pratt, David Brooks, and State Representative Ann Margaret Ferrante

Lotus Art Haven Buoy Auction ©Kim Smith 2015Lotus

Harold Burnham ©Kim Smith 2015

Harold Burnham

Nancy, Casey, Heidi Dallin LGloucester Stage Art Haven Buoy Auction ©Kim Smith 2015Gloucester Stage Company’s Nancy, Casey, and Heidi Dallin

©Kim Smith 2015Common Crow’s Kate

Muffy White Art Haven Buoy Auction ©Kim Smith 2015Muffy White

 

Sculpture Proposed for Gloucester Waterfront: GMG Readers Opinions Wanted

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What do think about about the proposed installation of the sculpture “High Seas” at Solomon Jacobs Park?

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Ward meeting Monday on proposed sculpture at Solomon Jacobs Park

From Paul McGeary:

Dear Friends,

On Monday, Jan. 26, at 6 p.m. Councilor Melissa Cox and I will be hosting a dual ward meeting at Maritime Gloucester on Harbor Loop to present the proposal to install a sculpture by the renowned artist and son of Gloucester David Black.

David, who was born here and was valedictorian of his class at Gloucester High School is making a gift to the city of a sculpture entitled “High Seas.” The sculpture will be located at Solomon Jacobs Park, between Maritime Gloucester and the Coast Guard Station.

David, who traces his roots back to the early families of Gloucester, including the Tarrs and the Wonsons, whose names appear on the old paint Manufactory across the harbor from the park, is a world famous artist. His works appear in cities around the world, including and Berlin, Germany, Washington DC, Nagano, Japan, and Cincinnati and Dayton, Ohio. His sculptures epitomize the best of modern art, capturing in steel and shape the spirit of a place.

“High Seas” evokes billowing sails and stormy seas in a modern idiom.  It embodies Gloucester’s past and its future. It is fitting that it be located just down the hill from the Fitz Henry Lane house. David is very much in the tradition of the artists who have found inspiration in Gloucester for more than three centuries. He is donating his normal commission to the city as a gift to the place of his birth.

I encourage you to attend the meeting to hear for yourself about this exciting opportunity to enrich our city’s already rich artistic and cultural legacy.

 

Santa Monica and Day One in Sunny Southern California

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Santa monica Pier Ferris Wheel Pacific Park ©Kim Smith 2015Santa Monica Pier and Ferris Wheel

I arrived Tuesday afternoon and was met at LAX by Liv, after which Matt, Liv’s fiancé, took us to a fun seal-frolicking lunch at a marina in Marina del Rey near Matt’s office. We then headed over to their home in Santa Monica. The spacious and light-filled modern apartment is only several blocks from the main boulevard, Ocean Ave, the luxury hotel-lined street that runs along the water.

Everyday we explored the local beaches and hiking trails. When Matt wasn’t working, he joined us, too. We had plans to visit several museums, but it was just too sunny and gorgeous outdoors and neither of us wanted to be cooped up inside. We discovered beautiful vistas and exquisite flora and fauna on every adventure and at every turn. Liv and Matt have done some extensive hiking and climbing in the few short months they have been living there and they were so sweet to show me some of their favorite spots, and we explored new places they had not yet been.

Liv Hauck ©Kim Smith 2015

All along Ocean Ave it seemed as though everyone was outdoors walking, running, biking, and surfing in the warm late afternoon sun. I really wanted to see the Santa Monica Pier and where Matt had proposed to Liv.

Santa Monica Pier Pacific Park roller coaster ©Kim Smith 2015

The historic 100 year plus Santa Monica Pier is still used by anglers and is home to Pacific Park, with the world’s only solar-powered ferris wheel. The wheel is 85 feet in diameter, displaying a dynamic light show created by 160,000 energy efficient lights. Tired and hungry we left at sunset. I hope we can spend more time at the Pier on my next visit.

Santa Monica Pier ©Kim Smith 2015

Santa Monica Pier -2 ©Kim Smith 2015SantaMonica-Pier-1877-1Early incarnation of the Santa Monica Pier 1877

After dining at the charming, charming family owned and operated French restaurant, Le Petit Cafe, located only yards away from her front door, we went home to have a look at the Excel spread sheet Liv had organized, prepared to cram as many wonderful adventures as possible during the upcoming week.

young-wolff_2197Image of the Santa Monica Pier courtesy wikimedia; image of Le Petit Cafe courtesy Le Petit Cafe website.

Kathy Archer’s Upcoming Photography Show

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5de2a61f-47c4-45a8-83fc-1bf8ee964a11Hello Friends,
I’d like to invite you to view my latest photographic work
at:
The Kingston Gallery 
450 Harrison Ave #43, Boston Ma. 02118
www.kingstongallery.com
February 4 – March 1, 2015
Opening reception, Friday, February 6th,
5:30 – 7:30

The first Friday of each month is an evening when the galleries and shops of the SOWA District stay open late allowing visitors to drop in and view their work.
It’s a fun way to spend an evening in Boston.
Bring some friends, schedule a reservation at a local restaurant and make a night of it!

I will also be in the Gallery on February 12th and 19th
from 12-5pm
I hope to see you there!

 

Israel Horovitz’s Park Your Car in Harvard Yard at the Théâtre Du Petit Hébertot, Paris

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We walked through the door very late last night, at 2:30am, after several delays leaving LAX. I am hoping to have time to look through and post some photos tomorrow after catching up with work.

During the visit with Liv and Matt, my husband Tom was contacted by the Théâtre du Petit Hébertot regarding the use of one of my photos of Rocky Neck in the fog. The theatre company is performing the Israel Horovitz play Park Your Car in Harvard Yard and included the mockup poster in their request. I love the poster and hope they use it! OPus Coeur - Affiche avec vue du port de Gloucester

FREE Third Annual New York Portfolio Review Competition Sponsored by the New York Times

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Len Bugess provides GMG readers the link to the Third Annual New York Portfolio Review here.

Lineup of reviewers this year includes:

  • Felicia Anastasia, founder, Anastasia Photo
  • Rocio Aranda-Alvarado, curator, El Museo del Barrio
  • Elizabeth Avedon, correspondent, L’Oeil de la Photographie
  • Sam Barzilay, creative director, United Photo Industries and Photoville
  • Nina Berman, photojournalist, Noor
  • Clinton Cargill, director of photography, Bloomberg Businessweek
  • Pamela Chen, editorial director, Instagram
  • Stacey Clarkson, art director, Harper’s
  • Sean Corcoran, curator of photographs, Museum of the City of New York
  • Tanner Curtis, national photo editor, The New York Times
  • Barbara Davidson, staff photographer, Los Angeles Times
  • Jessica Dimson, national photo editor, The New York Times
  • Marion Durand, photo editor, Medium
  • James Estrin, co-editor, Lens blog
  • Liza Faktor, co-founder, Screen
  • Michael Famighetti, editor, Aperture
  • Elizabeth Ferrer, director of contemporary art, BRIC
  • Beth Flynn, deputy editor of photography, The New York Times
  • Michael Foley, owner, Foley Gallery
  • Angel Franco, photojournalist, The New York Times
  • Ruth Fremson, photojournalist, The New York Times
  • David Furst, international picture editor, The New York Times
  • Genevieve Fussell, photo editor, The New Yorker
  • Alice Gabriner, senior photo editor, Time magazine
  • Lucy Gallun, assistant curator in the department of photography, Museum of Modern Art
  • Greg Garry, photo director, Out magazine
  • Alessia Glaviano, senior photo editor, Vogue Italia
  • Lea Golis, contributing photo editor, Vanity Fair
  • MaryAnne Golon, assistant managing editor and director of photography, The Washington Post
  • David Gonzalez, co-editor, Lens blog
  • Angela Hala, photo editor, Stern
  • Josh Haner, senior editor for photo technology, The New York Times
  • Eric Himmel, vice president and editor in chief, Abrams Books
  • Lisa Hostetler, curator in charge, department of photography, Eastman House Museum
  • Pam Huling, chief operating officer, Blue Chalk
  • W.M. Hunt, independent curator/collector, Dancing Bear
  • Michael Kamber, founder, BDC
  • Steve Kasher, owner, Steven Kasher
  • Amy Kellner, photo editor, The New York Times Magazine
  • Brenda Kenneally, freelance photographer
  • Niko Koppel, metro photo editor, The New York Times
  • Dana Kravis, senior photo editor, Marie Claire
  • Elizabeth Krist, senior photo editor, National Geographic Magazine
  • Pat Lanza, director, talent and content, Annenberg Space for Photography
  • Adrees Latif, editor in charge, Thomson Reuters
  • Olivier Laurent, editor, Time LightBox
  • Becky Lebowitz, sports photo editor, The New York Times
  • Sacha Lecca, deputy photo editor, Rolling Stone
  • Sarah Leen, director of photography, National Geographic Magazine
  • Jean-Francois Leroy, founder and general manager, Visa Pour l’Image
  • Adriana Letorney, co-founder, Foto Visura
  • Graham Letorney, co-founder, Foto Visura
  • Meaghan Looram, deputy editor of photography, The New York Times
  • Santiago Lyon, vice president and director of photography, The Associated Press
  • Michele McNally, assistant managing editor for photography, The New York Times
  • Andrea Meislin, owner, Andrea Meislin Gallery
  • Paul Moakley, deputy photo editor, Time magazine
  • Azu Nwagbogu , director, Lagos Photo Festival
  • Amy Pereira, director of photography, MSNBC
  • Emma Raynes, director of programs, Magnum Foundation
  • Molly Roberts, chief photography editor, Smithsonian Magazine
  • Kathy Ryan, director of photography, The New York Times Magazine
  • Jeffrey Scales, picture editor of the Sunday Review, The New York Times
  • Ariel Shanberg, executive director, Center for Photography
  • Brad Smith, director of photography, Sports Illustrated
  • Sandra Stevenson, NYT Now photo editor, The New York Times
  • Aidan Sullivan, vice president, Getty Images
  • Mary Virginia Swanson, freelance editor
  • Mikko Takkunen, associate photo editor, Time.com
  • David Walker, executive editor, Photo District News
  • Vaughn Wallace, deputy photo editor, Al Jazeera
  • Patrick Witty, director of photography, Wired magazine
  • Denise Wolff, senior editor, books, Aperture
  • Jonathan Woods, senior multimedia editor, Time Magazine
  • Yukiko Yamagata, associate director for the Open Society Foundations Documentary Photography Project
  • Amy Yenkin, director, Open Society Foundations Documentary Photography Project
  • Cynthia Young, curator, International Center of Photography
  • Alison Zavos, founder, Feature Shoot

 

California Coast!

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beach caves, hiking, sunrise, sunset, lagoons, pelicans, herons, egrets, canyons, white-knuckle twisting roads, surfers, sister butterflies, hummingbirds, monarch eucalyptus groves, bike lanes, zero litter, blue blue sunny skies, sundown ferris wheel on the pier, barefoot breakfast at the beach house, old friends, new friends, happy daughter, sweet funny new future son–the magical world where mountains meet the sea, that is the California coast!
Fun photos to post when I return.

2015/01/img_1258.jpg
Santa Barbara Butterfly Reserve

Glorious Luminous Painting of Our Lady of Good Voyage by Black Artist Allan Randall Freelon

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2015/01/img_1332-2.jpg

Bing McGilvray shares from the Michael Rosenfeld Gallery website:

“The son of middle-class Philadelphia parents who valued education and the arts, Allan Randall Freelon, Sr. (1895-1960) became the first African American artist to receive a four-year scholarship in 1912 to attend the Pennsylvania Museum and School of Industrial Art. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania and a master of fine arts degree from the Tyler School of Art at Temple University. Freelon served as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army during World War I before joining the faculty of the Philadelphia Board of Education in 1919 as an instructor. He was appointed Art Supervisor for elementary and then secondary education, a position he held until his retirement. While working in the Philadelphia education system, Freelon continued to pursue a career as an artist in his own right. In 1921, he had his first solo exhibition, at the 135th Street Branch of the New York Public Library and that same year, he became the first African American member of the Philadelphia Print Club.

During a two-year course of study at the Barnes Foundation (1927-1929), he became well versed in the paintings of Paul Cézanne, Henri Matisse, and French Impressionism. He studied with Emile Gruppe and Hughe Breckenridge and worked with two of the best Philadelphia printmakers Dox Thrash and Earl Horter. His work caught the attention of the Harmon Foundation and was included in the famous 1929 traveling exhibition of works by black artists.

In the late 1920s, he began to summer in Gloucester, Massachusetts, a seaside New England artistic community where he completed luminous landscapes that echoed his impressionistic tendencies.

In 1935, Freelon participated in the NAACP organized exhibition, Art Commentary on Lynching. His piece, Barbecue – American Style, depicted a crowd watching a black man being burned to death. Such a graphic depiction of violence was a departure for Freelon who was labeled a “traditionalist” by Alain Locke.

Throughout his life, Freelon enjoyed a stable career as a regional painter but in recent years, with the support of a traveling exhibition organized by North Carolina Central University Art Museum, his work has attracted a more national audience.”

A Man and His Dog… and Plastic Pollution

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Niles Pond berm causeway Pollution ©Kim Smith 2015the ever-present plastic bottle litter

TBT ~ The Cheetah Coat

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Liv Cheetah coat ©Kim Smith 2015Liv sent this snapshot that Matt took over New Year’s. I designed the coat that she is wearing before she was born (!); and also designed a coordinating pencil slim skirt, too. The coat made appearances in a number of music videos, art films, and theatrical productions. I love that the ensemble has yet a new life and that she has fun wearing it out in the evening. I saved a few of the samples, just in case we were blessed with a daughter, and just in case she wanted to play dress-up.  There’s a leopard version on my website, with Gail Huff (Brown) modeling here.