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.

Stained glass window from St. Ann’s

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One of the windows over the altar in St. Ann's Church. They don't make them like this anymore!

More photos of the young people’s Way of the Cross

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…at St. Ann’s Church (Holy Family Parish) in Gloucester.  I saved these for today, Good Friday, because of the theme…

I’m sure there was no one playing the violin on the way to Calvary, but it sure added a lot to our way of the Cross to have this talented girl playing the violin in between stations…

A living Pietà!

Special thanks to Sue Demetri, who was the organizer/director/producer:

iPhone accessory lenses review, for GMG iPhonographers

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I recently acquired an iPhone 4s, and have been gradually discovering the possibilities of the camera.  Now I begin to understand the hoards of iPhonographers who have made the iPhone the most popular camera on the massive photo-sharing site Flickr!

The first and most obvious advantages of the camera are the fact that it has good resolution, generally takes good exposures (i.e. not too light or too dark), and is with you wherever you take your cell phone (i.e. practically everywhere) without adding to the junk in your pockets or on your belt.  Then there are cool apps like Instagram and Hipstamatic, which offer a variety of “vintage” effects, making it easy to add atmosphere to your photos.

Once I got involved in the iPhonography world, I noticed that some of my Instagram friends were taking awesome photos of the moon and other long-distance shots… which led me to check out conversion lenses for the iPhone.  I found what I was looking for on Photojojo.com, a site with more cool (and sometimes crazy) camera gadgets than I have seen in any other place. This is the complete kit I bought for $79:

Four of the lenses (macro, 2x telephoto, 0.68x wide angle, and 0.28 fish eye) connect using magnetism – you get a sticker with a magnetic ring you stick around the lens on the iPhone. The 8x telephoto screws into a special case, and comes with a tripod.

Here are some comparison photos of all but the macro lens to show you the results. I took them all from exactly the same spot in the rectory window, using the tripod (the first photo is the setup I used).

The iPhone mounted on the tripod with the zoom lens attached to the special phone case (all three included in the kit)

Continue reading “iPhone accessory lenses review, for GMG iPhonographers” →

Slideshow of Debbie Clark’s demonstration at the Cape Ann Museum

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Click on the photo to view a slideshow

The demonstration was fascinating.  Debbie’s creative process is very free and spontaneous – which works, I think, because she has developed great skill and has lots of talent!  She described how the some of materials she uses often change over time through interaction with each other and with the environment, so on-going change is a part of the artwork.  You can see some of the results hanging on the wall behind her. Really beautiful work!

Incidentally, these photos were all taken with my iPhone, many of them using some cool lenses I bought.  As you can see, the lenses aren’t “transparent”, in the sense that they cause some distorsion, but it’s an interesting effect. I’ll post about that later for anyone interested in exploring iPhonography…

More photos from the Way of the Cross

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The young people did a great job yesterday at St. Ann’s Church (Holy Family Parish) with their live Way of the Cross! Here are a few photos.

Peregrine Falcon visitor at St. Ann’s Church

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This visitor showed up at the church the other day. I think she was looking for a smallish seagull for dinner. I don't think she came to see the architecture, or to get the schedule for Holy Week...

Living Way of the Cross Tomorrow at St. Ann’s

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Continuing what has become an annual tradition, young people from Holy Family Parish will present a reenactment of the Way of the Cross tomorrow, Sunday (April 1), at 6:00PM at St. Ann’s Church.  Many of the players have previous experience in school plays and other dramatic productions. Come and join us!

Here are two photos from their dress rehearsal the other day.

 

Looking forward to the GMG Spring Fling at Bodin Historic Photo

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This Saturday, March 31st at 6:30PM, there is going to be a GMG “mug-up” at Bodin Historic Photo on Main Street! If you haven’t been to one of these before, you should really stop by. It’s always fun, with good company, good food, and good art too! I plan on showing up for at least part of the time, and hope to see all my GMG friends there!

Here’s a shot (from a previous event) of Fred Bodin with two of the artists whose work is represented in his gallery.

Fred and friends at the "Early Elf" Opening last November

 

Sailing the seas of eternity

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Seen in Calvary Cemetery in Gloucester. What a beautiful tombstone! There are some real gems of sculpture and craftsmanship in Calvary, in my opinion, showing the love, faith, and devotion of the deceased and their families. I’ll post a few more photos later.

More fishing boats at St. Ann’s

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A last photo of the murals in St. Ann’s.  It’s a pity they are in such poor condition.  However, we don’t have the money to do anything to preserve them right now…

Mural: The Blessing of the Fleet

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What interests me most of this mural (in a stairwell at St. Ann’s Church) is not the currently-out-of-fashion but historically correct liturgical garb of the presiding prelate (although, as a priest, I find it interesting), but rather the skyline on the shore.  I wonder exactly what view of Gloucester this is supposed to represent?  It certainly doesn’t match the current skyline, but obviously things have changed over the decades. The other paintings show that the artist paid attention to detail, so I don’t think he just made it up.

The art of Leon Doucette

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This distinguished, brooding portrait almost seems to depict some Spanish caballero of the type painted by Velázquez or El Greco. However, I met a cheerier version of this same face on Wednesday at the Cape Ann Museum.  It belongs to Leon Doucette, who was our docent for the regular 11AM guided tour.  He grew up in Gloucester, moved away for a few years (including college), and then moved back recently and started working at the Cape Ann Museum.  His local knowledge and love of art was evident in the tour he gave us.

Besides being a really nice person, he is a very talented painter. When he said he is an artist, I looked him up right away on my iPhone and found his blog.  My first thought when I saw his painting was, “why is this guy not 24/7 behind an easel?”  I guess it’s hard for an artist – especially a young man who is relatively new on the scene – to get enough work painting to do that full-time.  At least he has a job in an art museum!  But honestly, his work is really good, worth checking out. Here’s another image from his website:

The artist's father
The artist's father

Great, isn’t it?  There is a lot more on his blog.

Sadly, he doesn’t have any work on display right now in Gloucester. I am going to follow his blog in the hopes he announces a local show sometime soon.

I wonder how many other talented young artists like Leon are hidden in our midst…  They are the future of the art community here on Cape Ann.  I hope they get the support and recognition they deserve.

Fortunately, we have initiatives like the The Cape Ann Painter and Photographer Group, which meets the second Monday of each month from 9:00 to 10:30 at the Annie.  In general, from what I’ve seen, the Cape Ann art community is very welcoming and encouraging for artists who are new to the area.