st. louis loop

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St. Louis Loop Trolley – The Moonrise, The Pageant, The Tivoli, and Blueberry Hill – Joe Edward’s Babies

There is something captivating about miniatures that is hard to lay a hold of, other than perhaps they appeal to the child in each of us. This miniature is designed to showcase a scheme to have a trolley run right through the University City Loop and to Forest Park. I am not sure how it will work, but it would be something to behold. More info click here.

Speaking of miniatures and St. Louis, this video has a visual style which makes real scenes look like miniatures. I think it is rather well done.

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“Nature is Never Spent,” A Photo Show at Meshuggah, An Opening

meshuggah show card

Well, hello, blog readers. It has been a while, by the standards of this blog at least. I always experience a sort of version of the post-holiday blues when I finish a big endeavor like the photo contest. And, if one is prone to be low anyway, that can lead to a fair amount of intertia from time to time. At any rate, enough of that, except one final note on the contest. If you are a contestant and wanted judges’ comments and did not get them, please feel free to email me.

The Show
This Thursday I will be putting up a show at Meshuggah Cafe in the St. Louis Loop. I must confess that this has been a dream for a rather long time, as Meshuggah is a pretty cool place, and I really, really wanted to hang some photos there.

In contrast to the strength of that dream, but perhaps in keeping with the aesthetic of Meshuggah, the show is rather more subdued and consists of smaller prints than previous shows, framed in old, some rather dingy, vintage frames. It is titlted “Nature is Never Spent,” which is a phrase from the poem “God’s Grandeur,” by Gerard Manlely Hopkins.

The size of the prints, though, does mean that the pricing should be rather nice. I am envisioning prices between $30-100, with most on the lower end of the spectrum. The online version of the show and price list will be coming soon.

I am not necessary completely satisfied that I have evoked this poem as well as I did “Pied Beauty.” However, to be fair, it is a bit more of a daunting task. I see this poem as being about humankind’s impact on the earth as a result of the Fall, with the counterpoint that God still shines out through nature by the sustaining work of the brooding, nuturing Holy Spirit. I did wish to convey both the grandeur and mystery of God more and the depravity of humankind more, but, nonetheless, it is a start, and there can always be a second take.

Opening
If you happen to be in the St. Louis area from 6-9pm this Friday evening, May 29th, please feel free to come by for an opening. The cafe will be open for its regular customers. However, the owner knows there will be an opening. If you like, you can purchase supper or some snacks or a “cold frosty one,” as Mike Shannon is apt to say, or a glass of wine from the cafe. Of course, you needn’t purchase anything at all, but if folks were to buy some goods, it would be a nice thank you to Meshuggah. I may have some cookies there as well.

Hope to see some of you there.