Author: Matthew Green

I am a translator, origami artist/teacher, and photographer, a blogger, former philosophy professor, and I love to sing. You can see my photos on Flickr and buy prints of some of them on Fine Art America. You can find me on Instagram, Twitter (@mehjg), and in various and sundry other social media sites on the web.

Unitarian Universalist Church seen from Main Street

Posted on by Matthew Green
This church adds so much to the view in Gloucester, from so many different angles and perspectives, I can’t get enough photos of it…

Opening night at The Cave!

Posted on by Matthew Green

Last night was the Grand Opening of The Cave – purveyors of fine wine, cheese, and chocolate at 44 Main Street in Gloucester.  GMG was well represented, so I am sure that other photos will appear on the blog, but here a few shots I took:

Because wine was being served, they had to check our ages at the door:

Alexander Thompson was on hand with some of his delectable tomato marmalade, which being sold on site:

It went really well with these crackers and cheese, but it’s also good on toast (I can vouch for that, having bought a jar a short time ago), and I’m sure it’s great in any other context where fruit spreads are used.

They also sell fig spread, local honey… “tastefully” arranged on the mantlepiece.

They have a variety of chocolate too, of course, as their tagline indicates:

Unlike the classic cheese shop sketch by Monty Python, this cheese shop is well stocked:

Plenty of wine also grace the shelves. I was told that the emphasis is on Italian wine, although there is also some from California.

There were lots of smiles from behind the counter…

…and in front as well, as the visitors enjoyed the samples of wine, cheese, chocolate, etc.

Among the visitors was Fred Bodin (at the right below), at whose shop I had sampled The Cave’s merchandise last week.

He got a good shot of me being carded at the door…

Impressions of Ravenswood Park

Posted on by Matthew Green

The other day, a friend took me to Ravenswood Park for the first time.  Good thing I wasn’t alone, or I would probably have either gotten lost or missed out on some of the beautiful spots in the park! This is a great place to go for a walk. Just bring lots of bug repellant…

The Cave, “Cheese Chocolate and Wine” – grand opening this week!

Posted on by Matthew Green

Remember The Cave,  “Purveyors of Cheese, Chocolate, and Wine”, soon to open at 44 Main Street in Gloucester, covered in this post last month?  They will be having their grand opening on the evening Thursday, June 21, from 5 to 7PM.

I met the proprietor, Laura Cramer at Bodin’s Historic Photo and Fine Art last week at the Dad’s Night Out event. I got a nice photo of Fred and Laura together – but I didn’t notice that I didn’t have a memory card in my camera…  So, you’ll just have to use your imagination.

She had brought along a platter of delicious cheese, crackers and olives:

Since people were a bit slow to come into the store, she took the platter outside to tempt passers-by:

(photo by Fred Bodin)

The cheese was really delicious, and Laura really knows her business; she explained the origin and characteristics of each cheese, which she had obviously chosen with care.  Check out the store’s grand opening this Thursday! And don’t miss those evening events at Bodin’s Historic Photo. You’re bound to find interesting people and good food, not to mention Fred’s fascinating photos, paintings by local artists, and more.

Raindrops on roses

Posted on by Matthew Green

Some of our neighbors have roses right next to the sidewalk, and I took this photo with my iPhone the other day when it was raining. The two little round drops perched on top of the uppermost petal look like Muppet eyes to me… and the way it curls over is like a mouth.  As if the rose were a character from Jim Henson’s imagination…

On my origami “drawing board”: a Gothic church

Posted on by Matthew Green

I am refining this design to teach it at an origami convention in a little over a week. This is a more complex version of the origami church I first invented two years ago:

The simple version is folded from a square. The more complex one is folded from a 2×1 rectangle.

I will be teaching an origami class at The Annie on July 3, at 7PM, as part of the “Beyond Imagine” series of art evenings.  Exactly what I will teach depends on who shows up; we’ll start with something very quick and simple and work our way from there.

-Fr. Matthew Green

Photos from the Relay for Life “Luminaria” Ceremony

Posted on by Matthew Green

To jump straight to a slideshow, click here.

Last night I stopped down for the Luminaria ceremony of the Relay for Life at Gloucester High School in the Newell Stadium.  On one hand, I wanted to be there in memory of friend and family members who have died from cancer (including my maternal grandmother and a high school classmate). On the other, I knew it would be a great opportunity for some inspirational photography…

Here’s an explanation from the Relay for Life website (with my photos from yesterday):

“Simple white luminaria bags are transformed and illuminated after dark at every local Relay For Life event. Each one is personalized with the name, photo, message or drawing in memory or honor of a friend or loved one who has been affected by cancer.  Each luminaria candle represents a person.  They are our mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, friends, coworkers and so much more!

As the sun sets at a Relay For Life event, luminaria lining the track illuminate the night and a hush falls over the event that had been filled with the sounds of celebration. Relay For Life participants, survivors and caregivers then gather together for the Luminaria Ceremony to remember loved ones lost to cancer and to honor those who have battled the disease.

As participants walk the track lined with luminara bags in reflection, a caregiver who has lost a loved one may find comfort from a fellow caregiver who has faced a similar loss. Meanwhile, a survivor gains hope and strength from others who have followed the same journey and survived. All resolve to keep fighting to save more lives so no more luminaria bear the names of those lost to the disease.”

I don’t know the details of how the relay works, but there are clearly different teams who are camping out.  They set up campsites with different themes and decorations. Here are a couple:

Click here for the full-size slideshow. There are a few pics not included elsewhere this post.

-Fr. Matthew Green

More Stained Glass from St. Ann’s

Posted on by Matthew Green
Stained glass window of Christ appearing to St. Margaret Mary, pointing to his Sacred Heart.

It’s been a while since I shared some of the gorgeous stained glass from St. Ann’s Church.

Dad’s Night Out going on now at Bodin’s Historic Photo

Posted on by Matthew Green

20120614-173843.jpg
Come and try some wine and cheese from The Cave, which will open next week at 44 Main Street!

Several other places are also involved. Ask Fred and he can tell you where else to get special deals and treats tonight!

Another origami sighting in Gloucester!

Posted on by Matthew Green

The other day I stopped in to the Lone Gull Coffeehouse for the first time, and to my surprise and delight, saw origami!  Not stand-alone origami, but origami cranes used very creatively as part of a type of collage, by artist Kate Dagle.  Here is a sampling:

She has a a variety of different works on display – beautifully combining the cranes in different colors, patterns, and compositions.

While you admire the artwork, I highly recommend trying out one of the Lone Gull’s incredible variety of soda or lemonade. They have quite a list of different flavors they can mix into your beverage.  I had a “white peach lemonade”, which was delicious.

Brendan Pike’s art is on the wall in the background. It looks very nice, but I must admit, all my attention was focused on the origami…

The Lone Gull Coffee House is located at 146 Main Street.

-Fr. Matthew Green

“The Immigrants Speak” – and very eloquently, too!

Posted on by Matthew Green

On Saturday night, The Annie hosted a great performance called “The Immigrants Speak”. It is a part of Jacqueline Cooper’s project titled “Follow the Thread”, which focuses on “America’s Jewish immigrants and the birth of the garment industry.”

The presentation combined period photos projected on a screen, with live actors narrating in first person the experiences of early 20th century immigrants and workers in the garment industry.   Also part of this project was the Vintage Fashion Show held at The Annie back on May 20, the community workshop presentation “Gloucester Garment Industry” held at the Cape Ann Museum on June 8, and the ongoing FIT Exhibit at the Sawyer Free Library (May 18 – June 30).

Here are a few photos from Saturday night’s performance.

The performances were really enthralling. Kudos to all those involved!

“Follow the Thread” in Gloucester is hosted by the Sawyer Free Library. Sponsored by the Jewish Federation of the Berkshires, and supported in part by grants from the Cultural Councils of Gloucester, Essex, and Rockport, and Mass Humanities.

State of the Art Gallery II

Posted on by Matthew Green

Many times I’ve walked down Pleasant Street and passed by the State of the Art Gallery II (18 Pleasant St.).

Unfortunately, I have always been there at the wrong time to find the place open.  Last Friday, however, I was at the right time – and I am very glad I was! They have an amazing selection of art for sale.

I can’t really afford to buy these works for now (parochial vicars don’t get paid that much) but it’s well worth the visit jut to look a these beautiful, truly “museum quality” works of art.

I had a nice chat with Roger Armstrong, the proprietor.  They have another location on Rocky Neck.  The gallery I visited is located more or less across the street from the Pleasant Street Tea Company, so the next time you visit one, maybe you can stop by the other…

Sing at The Annie

Posted on by Matthew Green

The other day, my 3.5-5.6/18-70mm kit lens for my Sony SLT Alpha a55 died, so I went shopping for a replacement.  Joey tipped me off to the advantages of a 1.8/50 DT SAM lens, so I checked it out at Ritz Camera in Peabody.  After a few test shots, I was sold on it. Or rather, it sold itself to me…  It is good for low-light situations, so I decided to take it with me to The Annie for the weekly  7-9:30 PM Wednesday night “sing”.  As usual, it was a fun night, with songs from many genres and epochs, from the esoteric to the well-known.  Anyone who enjoys singing is welcome, so please join us!  It doesn’t matter if you’ve only ever sung in the shower before; if you have fun singing, come sing with us, and we will all enjoy it with you.

Alexander Thompson also brought along a jar of his fantastic bread and butter pickles, which we polished off completely.  He happened to have one of his jars of tomato marmalade with him too, and since I’ve heard such good things about it, I bought it from him, and will share my experience of it with our GMG readers as soon as I open it.

Here are a few shots that give a bit of the ambience of the evening, taken with my new lens! (and tweaked somewhat to improve brightness afterwards)

Bearskin Neck is heating up!

Posted on by Matthew Green

As the weather is starting to warm up, the shops, restaurants and galleries are opening up and getting down to business. I stopped by for lunch and a stroll the other day.

I had lunch with friends at Top Dog of Rockport.  If you like hot dogs, this is the place to go! They have an amazing variety of hot dog / topping combos, with creative names like “German Shepherd” (which comes with sauerkraut) and “Italian Greyhound” (with grilled peppers and onions). For those who, like me, don’t eat hot dogs, they have other offerings as well. I had a bowl of clam chowder, which was hot and delicious!

Kayaks were out and available for rent:

Corey Tevan (about whom I posted a while back) has added more paintings of trees and flowers to one corner of his gallery. I love his art – if I had the money (and the space to hang them) I’d buy at least half the paintings in his gallery:

Chris Coyne did some work on his gallery over the winter, and has filled it with more of his beautiful paintings of local landscapes and cityscapes. If I had a room for Corey Tevan’s work, I’d have another for paintings by Chris:

Eugene Quinn is also back after being away all winter. I didn’t get a photo this time, but you can check out his work on his web page.  I’d have to have another room in my dream house for his landscapes and still life works.  He also does portraits sometimes, but doesn’t have any on display right now.  He has a very sweet and affectionate dog named Layla who tried to “kiss” me on the lips. No thanks!

There are loads of other great galleries and shops to visit.  I hope to visit a few more of them soon and share more photos. It’s worth walking down Bearskin Neck just for the view at the end. Here’s a partial panorama (looking southeast):