Our 2012 Columbus Skyline Poster Calendar has arrived.
Calendars are available for purchase at the German Village Meeting Haus – 588 S. Third Ave. in the Village. Proceeds will benefit the German Village Society.
Give a Holiday gift that’s functional all year and serves a good cause too.
Hours are Monday – Friday: 9 am to 4 pm and Saturdays: 10 am to 2 pm. Closed Sundays. Calendars are selling for $10.00.
Redwoods National Park
Rouge River Oregon
Lichen Life
Avenue of the Giants
Rouge River Pano
Lake Tahoe Pano
Tahoe Rocks
Lassen National Park
Sunrise over Shasta
Posted in Stock Photography, Travel Photography
Tagged Lake Tahoe, Lassen National Park, Mt. Shasta, Redwoods, Rouge River
More Than Wooden Shoes, Tulips and Windmills
Even though only 3% of the Dutch population works in the agriculture sector, Holland is the third largest exporter of agricultural products, trailing behind only the U.S. and France. Moving goods is not a problem, as the city of Rotterdam is the second largest port in the world.
One quarter of Holland is below sea level, with its lowest point being 6.7 meters below sea level. Its highest point – 323 meters above sea level – is referred to as a mountain. With more than 4,400 kilometers of navigable rivers, canals and lakes, sights like the ones below are not uncommon.
The city of Amsterdam is built entirely on piles and has 1,281 bridges. With water almost everywhere you look, bridges are as ubiquitous as windmills. Holland still has nearly a thousand old-fashioned working windmills.
The Dutch connection to land, water and environment is a way of life. There are twice as many bikes as cars and over 15,000 kilometers of bike paths. Everyone owns a bike – finding it is another issue.
The Dutch are equally serious about art, having the highest concentration of museums in the world – 42 in Amsterdam alone. The Van Gogh and Kroller-Muller Museums house the largest Van Gogh collections in the world.
And yes, The Netherlands and Holland are the same place.
Posted in Stock Photography, Travel Photography
Tagged bikes, canals, Holland, The Netherlands, Van Gogh, windmills
Geometric shapes, color, light and shadows come together in this image intense post of Bryce imagery. Time disappears while working in this conceptual 3D environment and we think time will disappear for you as well as you sit back and allow yourself to be immersed in The Final Frontier.
Posted in Computer Design, Stock Photography
Tagged 3D Graphics, Bryce, computer designs, digital graphics, Stock Photography
Six female bison have found a new home on the prairie at Battelle Darby Creek. Ranging from two to eight years old, they were recently trucked in from The Wilds, a wildlife park in Cumberland, Ohio.
Once the girls (cows) adjust to their new digs, the Metro Parks hopes to introduce a male (bull) bison – perhaps as soon as late spring. In the meantime, there’s little chance they’ll get cabin fever this winter, as the herd has two pastures to roam free. Native prairie grasses – Blue Stem and Indian Grass – cover the combined 46 acres, providing their primary source of nutrition.
Don’t expect to get as up close and personal to these bison as you might in Yellowstone National Park. The pastures are surrounded with a double fence – one inner electrified fence to keep the bison in and one outer wooden fence to keep over zealous humans out.
Bulls can stand 6 feet high at the shoulders and weigh up to 2000 pounds, while cows are closer to 4 ½ feet high and weigh in around 900 pounds. Calves can be 45 pounds at birth. The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine’s large animal services has taken on the task of overseeing the animals’ health.
BISON vs. BUFFALO – a lexicon stand off…
BISON – plains bison and wood bison – are native to North America. Having roamed the grasslands of Ohio’s Darby Plains when the first European settlers arrived, their numbers nationwide were in the tens of millions, until the mass slaughters in the 1870s.
BUFFALO encompasses two breeds and two continents – the water buffalo in Asia and the cape buffalo in Africa. The use of the term buffalo in North America is believed to have derived from French traders, as les boeufs translates to oxen.
Regardless of what you call them, don’t be fooled by appearances. As Mark Ferenchik recently wrote in The Columbus Dispatch, “they appear slow and docile, but are quite agile and can run as fast as a horse.”
Ferenchik further warns, “a bison’s tail often is a handy warning flag. When it hangs down and switches naturally, the animal usually is unperturbed. If it extends out straight and droops at the end, the bison is becoming mildly agitated. If its tail is sticking straight up, you should be somewhere else.”
Visit the Metro Parks web site for directions on accessing the bison area.
Get Involved: Join the Stewards of Metro Parks
Post written by Pamela J. Willits
The 2011 Columbus Skyline poster calendar is in, marking our 21st year. This year’s skyline is framed by the Andes Mountain range in Southern Ecuador, with a foreground view of the Scioto River looking upstream from Dodge Park.
In keeping with a tradition started by Fred and Howard years ago, the 2011 Columbus Skyline calendar is available at Hausfrau Haven, located at 769 S. Third St. in German Village.
Enjoy!
Having recently traveled to Ecuador, I spent some time in the famed Vilcabamba Valley. Located in southern Ecuador, the village of Vilcabamba thrives at the foot of the Mandango mountain. According to a Wikipedia entry, the area has been referred to as the Playground of the Inca having thought to be a retreat for Incan royalty. The presence of Mandango, the Sleeping Inca, is said to protect the area from earthquakes and other natural disasters.
The spirit of the Sleeping Inca isn’t the only thing unique to this valley. Often called the Valley of Longevity, locals claim it’s not uncommon for inhabitants to live past 100 years of age. The claims are not without scientific fact. Medicinal qualities have been found in the surrounding plant life. Analysis of fruits, roots and herbs in this equatorial region reveals high levels of anti-oxidants.
An article published by the National Geographic in the early 1970′s gave birth to the idea of Blue Zones. A name given to places where people live longer, healthier lives, the notion of such zones sparked controversy. Yet, elderly people in Blue Zones around the world are more active, youthful and energetic than those in the U.S. Sorry, no Blue Zones here.
In 1981, the Ecuadorian government hired medical journalist Dr. Morton Walker to further study claims of longevity. His research found the area’s mineral rich water was a key to the Vilcabambans prolonged optimum health.
Wikipedia also notes that retinas of 100 year-old residents of the Valley of Longevity are often comparable with those of 45 year-old city dwellers. What they fail to note is the location of the city dwellers – residents of Quito, Ecuador’s capital or those living in New York City. Factor in work related eye strain and medical researchers might not see eye to eye on this study.
In a post on About.com under Longevity Myths and Longevity Legends, Mark Stibich, Ph.D. sights the Vilcabamba Valley’s extreme inaccessibility as a factor, having protected the inhabitants from many modern influences including prepackaged foods and preservatives.
As the Vilcabambans days are spent hiking up slopes to cultivate and harvest fruits and vegetables and eating fresh picked foods, whole grains, seeds and nuts, with little animal products, it’s a safe bet that exercise, a healthy diet and lack of stress have gone a long way in helping them ward off the effects of aging.
Still, the age old debate over Blue Zones continues. The local government plans to convert the Vilcabamba’s Parador Hotel into a senior citizens center in conjunction with INIGER (National Institute of Gerontology Studies) in order to continue researching the benefits of aging under the ageless presence of the Sleeping Inca.
Post Written by Pamela J. Willits
© Larry Hamill
“The Topiary Park is a landscape of a painting of a landscape. If an artist can paint a picture of a landscape — art mimicking nature — then why not a sculptor creating a landscape of a work of art — nature mimicking art?”
— James T. Mason, sculptor and creator of the topiary interpretation of Georges Seurat’s painting, A Sunday Afternoon on the Isle of La Grande Jatte.
Now part of The Art Institute of Chicago’s collection, the 7′ x 10′ oil on canvas depicts dozens of Parisians enjoying a Sunday afternoon on an island park, situated in the Seine River near Paris.
Georges Seurat - "A Sunday Afternoon on the Isle of La Grande Jatte"
As Impressionism began to color the salon set of Paris, Georges Seurat’s own interpretation of the latest artist movement would become know as Pointillism. Based on contemporary optical theories of color relationships, Seurat’s brush technique systematically applied small amounts of paint to create depth, shadow and reflection.
Read more about the influence of color perception and the color theories adopted by Neo-Impressionist painters.
Photograph used on The Topiary Park's promotional poster © Larry Hamill
The Topiary Park, situated on the site of the former Ohio School for the Deaf, has become renown for its interpretation of Seurat’s famous Post-Impressionist painting. Here, in this seven acre park, visitors can enjoy the unique experience of walking into and through a work of art.
© Larry Hamill
The park’s roots first took hold in James and Elaine Mason’s dream of a topiary garden of their own. Upon his wife’s request that he build a topiary sculpture in their backyard, James envisioned something greater – to reinterpret Georges Seurat’s most famous painting. Elaine shared his vision with the director of the Columbus Recreation and Parks Department, who embraced the concept.
© Larry Hamill
In 1988, James created the sculptural frames, forming the basis of the park’s design. His vision was fully realized in 1992 and today, his frames still coax the yew trees into their beautiful shapes, a sight to behold in any season.
© Larry Hamill
The Visitor’s Center, located in a gatehouse at the park’s Town Street entrance, offers educational materials as well as souvenirs. Proceeds go toward the maintenance of the Topiary Park.
For information about volunteer opportunities, docent led tours and upcoming events, contact the Friends of the Topiary Park.
friends@topiarygarden.org
614.645.0197
480 E. Town St., Columbus, OH 43215
Post written by Pamela J. Willits
Eau De Vie © Larry Hamill
Here’s our sneak preview of the upcoming 2010 ART of Seeing book, due out in April. Published by Alcove Books, this annual photography collection is dedicated to editorial, fine art, landscape, nature, travel, and artistic commercial photography.
Their publications have been described as “stunning” by the San Francisco Chronicle. ART of Seeing offers professional photographers a means of reaching an audience of 6,000 creative buyers, photo galleries, stock houses, and collectors.
Glenn Steiner, an award-winning photographer and lifetime member of the American Society of Media Photography, juried this year’s book. Glenn teaches digital photography and Photoshop techniques at the Mendocino Art Center in California.
Strolling © Larry Hamill
The above images, Eau de Vie & Strolling, are from the upcoming publication. The following images were part of the ART of Seeing collections from 2007-2009.
Red Chair © Larry Hamill
Hovering © Larry Hamill
For more info or to obtain a copy please contact Tom Palmer at Alcove Books. ART of Seeing can also be downloaded as a pdf file from Alcove Books website.
Eye Mosaic © Larry Hamill
Posted in Photo Trends, Photography, Stock Photography
Tagged Alcove Books, ART of Seeing, digital graphics, Photography, Photoshop, Stock Photography
The year 2010 rings in the 20th year of our Columbus Skyline poster calendar, with this year’s skyline framed by Costa Rica’s golden mountains and the jagged Bryce Canyon.
After experimenting with a beta version of Photoshop, Larry created the first skyline calendar in 1991, using Photoshop’s first edition software. That year, Larry also coined the term, photilation, to describe his creative process of combining photography and illustration.
The 1991 edition featured the San Gabriel Mountains in California with a Costa Rican shoreline. Having traveled to exotic locations including Bali, Namibia, China and Ecuador, among others, all stock photography incorporated into each year’s calendar was photographed by Larry.
1998 Lisbon, Portugal with Andes Mountains of Ecuador © Larry Hamill
Intended as a fun piece with a practical application, each year the calendar has been embedded with faces of friends, family, pets and an assortment of other oddities.
In 2000, the Alhambra in Granada, Spain served as the foreground with the Lewis mountain range in Glacier National Park serving as the backdrop. Portraits of local celebrities, Fred and Howard, who formerly owned the Hausfrau Haven in German Village, can be seen in the Alhambra’s arches.
2000 Columbus Skyline Calendar © Larry Hamill
2000 Columbus Calendar Detail © Larry Hamill
Over the years, Kreber has supplied the color separations, while printing services were provided by Century Graphics, who sadly closed their doors last year. This year’s calendar was printed courtesy of Richardson Printing Corp. along with Millcraft Paper.
2001 The Seine River in Paris with mountains from Jaen, Spain © Larry Hamill
In keeping with a tradition started by Fred and Howard years ago, the 2010 Columbus Skyline calendar is available at Hausfrau Haven, located at 769 S. Third St. in German Village.
Posted in Computer Design, Photography, Stock Photography
Tagged calendars, Columbus, computer designs, Photoshop, skyline, Stock Photography
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