Arts in the Berkshires

As I wrote last week, I was heading off to the Berkshires at the end of the week for a couple of days away and to hear James Taylor and the Boston Pops at Tanglewood. It was such a fun couple of days out of town. I went with a group of about 8 people and we rented a house in Stockbridge, which I would totally recommend if you're traveling with family or a group of friends. The main part of the house dates to the 1840's and featured original wide pine floors and a beautiful paneled living room.

This was a small window seat area that I took over as I still had a writing assignment due when I got there, plus was scheduling meetings with clients for this upcoming week.  The house had a new kitchen that had all the utensils and dishes you could possibly imagine. It had 5 bedrooms,plus pullout couches and can sleep up to twelve, all at great rates. It wasn't ready for a magazine spread or decorator house tour, but it was comfortable and perfect for our needs.

A little vignette on the front porch. 

I went out to the Berkshires a couple of years ago and visited Edith Wharton's home The Mount, which was amazing. I took a ton of photos and did several blog posts on the home and gardens, which you can read here if you'd like.

On this trip, I visited the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown and the Frelinghuysen Morris House in Lenox.

The Clark Art Institute is renowned for its Impressionist art collection, particularly its Renoirs. When we arrived, we were treated to a series of mannequins scattered throughout the grounds in "worker" vignettes which were explained during the visit.

The current exhibition "Pissarro's People"  is a showing of the works of French Impressionist painter Camille Pissarro (1830-1903).  Pissarro was on the forefront of the Impressionist movement and worked in oils, watercolors, gouache and print making. Pissarro's politics played a big factor in his art. As a devoted anarchist, he held a vision of a "Utopian" future where everyone lived and worked together as farmers in an agrarian economy. The "workers" were celebrated and artists likened themselves to workers in the field or factory.

 

The paintings were undeniably beautiful, however, it was hard to overlook a few facts about the politics. The field workers were depicted as healthy and happy to be doing their work but when Pissarro painted his own family, they were depicted reading, painting or doing hand sewing - decidedly less laborious pursuits. He himself did much of his work in the relative comfort of his studio and not out amongst the people.  His work was about his "vision" of society, not about the actual facts of society.  That said, his works depicting the illness and eventual death of a beloved young daughter were heart rending.

Also on exhibit was a collection called "Spaces" which is the large scale photography of Candida Höfer and Thomas Struth. Loved it!

The next stop on the museum tour was the Frelinghuysen Morris Museum in Lexox. Suzy Frelinghuysen and George Morris were both children of wealthy, powerful families and had the means to pursue their vast artistic pursuits. Suzy was a classically trained singer and pianist and performed to good reviews at the New York City Opera. George was a trained artist who was on the forefront of the Cubist movement in the US. George's parents owned a Georgian style mansion in Lenox, where he spent his summers out in the countryside. As his interest in Cubist art progressed, he looked to hang some of his works in the house. Mamma was not so interested in this turn of events and refused to let him hang the paintings. He asked for, and was given, 47 acres of adjacent land to build a studio.

The image above is mine taken the other day. The image below is the original studio, located in sight of the original mansion.

 Courtesy Frelinghuysen Morris Museum

Interestingly, and related to the Pissarro exhibit above, the Morris' original studio was a copy of a studio in France (I forget whose) that was designed to emulate a factory, because of the artists vision of "artist as worker". Once again, I'll say that a warm, spacious studio is hardly a sweat shop. The studio did have spectacular light and you could certainly imagine feeling creative in such an environment.

 Courtesy Frelinghuysen Morris Museum

When George married Suzy in 1935, they designed the rest of the house together in the manner of the Bauhaus International style.

Courtesy Frelinghuysen Morris Museum

The foyer featured 24x24 gray and white marbled floor with a spiral stair case, designed to highlight Morris' fresco on the wall. His sculpture at the base of the stairs was designed to reflect the finishes seen throughout the home and to direct the eye upward.

 Courtesy Frelinghuysen Morris Museum

The stairs originally had no banister, but safety concerns won out and the wrought iron banister was added to complement the fresco.

 Courtesy Frelinghuysen Morris Museum

The living room featured two frescos flanking the fireplace. The bas relief piece over the mantle was originally going to be a fresco like the other two, but Suzy decided it was "too busy" for the space and suggested something that was more textural, yet simpler. The floors were a gorgeous leather block. The seating is set around in a circle formation to enhance conversation. The amazing glass and mirror table is original.

Courtesy Frelinghuysen Morris Museum

This image does not do the dining room justice.

Courtesy Frelinghuysen Morris Museum

While I don't love Cubist art, I do now have a much higher appreciation and understanding of it. The Lenox house was one of three homes that George and Suzy shared, including a Park Avenue apartment and one in Paris. Upon George's untimely death, Suzy spent most of the last years of her life in the Berkshires amongst the art they created together as well as their collections, which includes two (I think) Picasso's.

How was your Forth of July weekend?

If you would like my help on your design project, I would love to chat with you! Please email me. Thanks!

 Subscribe to ::Surroundings::

Arts in the Berkshires

As I wrote last week, I was heading off to the Berkshires at the end of the week for a couple of days away and to hear James Taylor and the Boston Pops at Tanglewood. It was such a fun couple of days out of town. I went with a group of about 8 people and we rented a house in Stockbridge, which I would totally recommend if you're traveling with family or a group of friends. The main part of the house dates to the 1840's and featured original wide pine floors and a beautiful paneled living room.

This was a small window seat area that I took over as I still had a writing assignment due when I got there, plus was scheduling meetings with clients for this upcoming week.  The house had a new kitchen that had all the utensils and dishes you could possibly imagine. It had 5 bedrooms,plus pullout couches and can sleep up to twelve, all at great rates. It wasn't ready for a magazine spread or decorator house tour, but it was comfortable and perfect for our needs.

A little vignette on the front porch. 

I went out to the Berkshires a couple of years ago and visited Edith Wharton's home The Mount, which was amazing. I took a ton of photos and did several blog posts on the home and gardens, which you can read here if you'd like.

On this trip, I visited the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown and the Frelinghuysen Morris House in Lenox.

The Clark Art Institute is renowned for its Impressionist art collection, particularly its Renoirs. When we arrived, we were treated to a series of mannequins scattered throughout the grounds in "worker" vignettes which were explained during the visit.

The current exhibition "Pissarro's People"  is a showing of the works of French Impressionist painter Camille Pissarro (1830-1903).  Pissarro was on the forefront of the Impressionist movement and worked in oils, watercolors, gouache and print making. Pissarro's politics played a big factor in his art. As a devoted anarchist, he held a vision of a "Utopian" future where everyone lived and worked together as farmers in an agrarian economy. The "workers" were celebrated and artists likened themselves to workers in the field or factory.

 

The paintings were undeniably beautiful, however, it was hard to overlook a few facts about the politics. The field workers were depicted as healthy and happy to be doing their work but when Pissarro painted his own family, they were depicted reading, painting or doing hand sewing - decidedly less laborious pursuits. He himself did much of his work in the relative comfort of his studio and not out amongst the people.  His work was about his "vision" of society, not about the actual facts of society.  That said, his works depicting the illness and eventual death of a beloved young daughter were heart rending.

Also on exhibit was a collection called "Spaces" which is the large scale photography of Candida Höfer and Thomas Struth. Loved it!

The next stop on the museum tour was the Frelinghuysen Morris Museum in Lexox. Suzy Frelinghuysen and George Morris were both children of wealthy, powerful families and had the means to pursue their vast artistic pursuits. Suzy was a classically trained singer and pianist and performed to good reviews at the New York City Opera. George was a trained artist who was on the forefront of the Cubist movement in the US. George's parents owned a Georgian style mansion in Lenox, where he spent his summers out in the countryside. As his interest in Cubist art progressed, he looked to hang some of his works in the house. Mamma was not so interested in this turn of events and refused to let him hang the paintings. He asked for, and was given, 47 acres of adjacent land to build a studio.

The image above is mine taken the other day. The image below is the original studio, located in sight of the original mansion.

 Courtesy Frelinghuysen Morris Museum

Interestingly, and related to the Pissarro exhibit above, the Morris' original studio was a copy of a studio in France (I forget whose) that was designed to emulate a factory, because of the artists vision of "artist as worker". Once again, I'll say that a warm, spacious studio is hardly a sweat shop. The studio did have spectacular light and you could certainly imagine feeling creative in such an environment.

 Courtesy Frelinghuysen Morris Museum

When George married Suzy in 1935, they designed the rest of the house together in the manner of the Bauhaus International style.

Courtesy Frelinghuysen Morris Museum

The foyer featured 24x24 gray and white marbled floor with a spiral stair case, designed to highlight Morris' fresco on the wall. His sculpture at the base of the stairs was designed to reflect the finishes seen throughout the home and to direct the eye upward.

 Courtesy Frelinghuysen Morris Museum

The stairs originally had no banister, but safety concerns won out and the wrought iron banister was added to complement the fresco.

 Courtesy Frelinghuysen Morris Museum

The living room featured two frescos flanking the fireplace. The bas relief piece over the mantle was originally going to be a fresco like the other two, but Suzy decided it was "too busy" for the space and suggested something that was more textural, yet simpler. The floors were a gorgeous leather block. The seating is set around in a circle formation to enhance conversation. The amazing glass and mirror table is original.

Courtesy Frelinghuysen Morris Museum

This image does not do the dining room justice.

Courtesy Frelinghuysen Morris Museum

While I don't love Cubist art, I do now have a much higher appreciation and understanding of it. The Lenox house was one of three homes that George and Suzy shared, including a Park Avenue apartment and one in Paris. Upon George's untimely death, Suzy spent most of the last years of her life in the Berkshires amongst the art they created together as well as their collections, which includes two (I think) Picasso's.

How was your Forth of July weekend?

If you would like my help on your design project, I would love to chat with you! Please email me. Thanks!

 Subscribe to ::Surroundings::

Back In Woodstock Illinois

Well, Kyle and I have survived the 1886 miles. We only missed one target on our list. I will still have to visit Four Corners on another trip.
We slept a little less than normal and basically averaged 300+ miles a day looking for photo targets between the main spots.
Dads, I can't recommend anything more than getting away with your kids one on one, even if they are adult kids. Kyle and I talked about a million things. The TV was hardly ever on when we made it to hotels, mostly to see weather or news. Kyle and I had conversations of a lifetime and memories that will last forever.
We experienced everything from 30 degrees in ice, slush and snow to 91 and sunny in our week together. One of the most incredible things was the survival of the rental car in Monument Valley and Grand Staircase National Park.
I have also added the State of Arizona to my list of States where I got to personally speak with a State Trooper. He was graceful handing me a warning this time for my 85mph experience on the new Hoover Dam Speedway.
Our GPS was stolen at the Kayenta Monument Valley Inn so we had to fly in the dark for a few days. I called a friend of mine in Colorado to say hello and he told me they make maps out of paper that you could buy at gas stations. Who knew?
Thanks to all of you who came along for the photo ride on NikonSniper. We enjoyed your comments and good wishes. I will be chilling for a few days as my trigger finger is a bit tired. I am not sure how many photos we took ... but I kept 7238.
Have a great week. Keep on shooting! Only you can photograph the world around you!
NikonSniper Steve & Kyle

Graduation Road Trip

Well, here's the plan for the trip starting on Saturday evening!
Our son, Kyle graduates from Northern Illinois University around 2:00 PM and we will hang around for a few photos and will head home and then straight to the airport for a late evening flight (May 14) to Las Vegas.
Here is the route we will be driving in a somewhat clockwise path and photographing Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, Grand Staircase, Old Paria Town, Paria Canyon Wilderness, Lake Powell, Horseshoe Bend, Lower Antelope Canyon, Monument Valley, Mexican Hat, Goosenecks State Park, Arches National Park, Four Corners, Gallup, New Mexico, Painted Desert, Old Route 66, Petrified Forest, Flagstaff, Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam, and more Las Vegas Lights.
We will cover more than 1800 miles in a week and we are going to try to drive 50 miles straight through the dirt road desert to keep the mileage under 2100. How's about that? My last trip needed two rental cars ... this one might take three.
As I mentioned before, our trip will include a photography guide and will allow us to have a full moon to photograph over Monument Valley.
We hope you will join us for the ride on this complete photography trip. Kyle has always shown interest in photography and has even taken some pretty whack photos over the years. The photo at the top of the main page on NikonSniper is actually Kyle taking a picture into a mirror. I flipped the photo so you could read Nikon on the camera and altered his eye to give it a bit of a cyborg feel.
I will start posting photos from this trip on Sunday evening as we will be running and gunning until we can find an Internet connection to upload.
I will try to post a graduation shot or two from O'Hare Airport late on Saturday before we fly.

Hope you all have a great weekend!
NikonSniper Steve

Heading Home

Well, folks, we are in Las Vegas for the night and will spend most of Tuesday flying home. I have tried to stay a day ahead in my posting in case I hit a hotel with severely primitive Internet service.
Susan and I have covered roughly 1,400 miles, smashed 1 rental car window, lost a National Parks Pass, drove through heavy snow and several bought of hail. We still managed to take approximately 12,000 photos. These trips are like a rodeo ride.
I look forward to returning to this area with my son, Kyle, in less than 3 weeks. I hope you enjoyed the posts thus far and I have now placed many in reserve to post in months and years ahead. This trip altered my travel plan of attack for my return next month as I need to cover some things better in different weather.
I have to tell you ... this is a blast to experience together with your wife of 31 years. The handiwork of God is STILL very evident in this great land. From the racing lizard to the gracefully bounding deer, from blushing flowers to the cactus needles, from the valleys to the ice capped frozen red pinnacles of Bryce Canyon, God's hands are clearly shown.
Friend of mine, you are NOT an accident. A loving God made YOU! The Bible teaches that nature shouts out declaring there is a God. This God wants to know you in a personal way. I pray you would find him.
You may think I am nuts! That's OK. But have you ever wondered if God was there? I challenge you to earnestly pray "God, if you are out there, help me to find you." If you will really seek for truth, you will find Him.
Thank you folks for commenting along the way. It has been fun to bring these photos to you in this way. Stay with us as we continue to post from the Illinois flatlands and any other sudden travel stops that I have to make for my real job.
God bless you all.
NikonSniper Steve

Garmin Auto Pilot Really Works

Get the new Garmin Auto Pilot 9000! Just plug in coordinates of where you would like to go and your car drives itself. Just fill up your tank with gas, put your car into gear and climb over into the back seat for a nap or even SLEEP THROUGH THE NIGHT. Just think of the bucks you'll save on hotels. Imagine getting extra work done while traveling or watch a movie with the kids while the Garmin Auto Pilot 9000 navigates those canyon cliffs. You'll never need to buy wiper blades again. Ask for it at your local Best Buy store!

Come Fly With Me

I've Been Everywhere, Man

I've been to:
Reno, Chicago, Fargo, Minnesota,
Buffalo, Toronto, Winslow, Sarasota,
Wichita, Tulsa, Ottawa, Oklahoma,
Tampa, Panama, Mattawa, La Paloma,
Bangor, Baltimore, Salvador, Amarillo,
Tocapillo, Baranquilla, and Perdilla,
I'm a killer.

I've been everywhere, man.
I've been everywhere, man.
Crossed the desert's bare, man.
I've breathed the mountain air, man.
Of travel I've had my share, man.
I've been everywhere.

Jacked Up For A Road Trip

OK, … so I gotta tell ya. I can’t keep quiet any longer.

I am quite jacked up about a vacation I will be taking next month with our son, Kyle. Kyle is going to graduate in Engineering with honors from Northern Illinois University. We are whacko proud.

Anyway, the day Kyle graduates, he and I will race to the airport and jump a late flight into Las Vegas. For the first time in my life I will see and photograph places like Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, Grand Staircase, Paria Canyon Wilderness, Lake Powell, Horseshoe Bend, Antelope Canyon, Monument Valley, Mexican Hat and Goosenecks State Park.

On the way back to Vegas we will stop at the Grand Canyon and Hoover Dam. In Vegas, I will be attempting to do a lot more night lights on the strip. My tripod weighs about 30 pounds so I have never taken it with me to Vegas. It will be making this trip because Kyle is crazy strong and I’m paying for the trip. Therefore, Kyle will lug the tripod for dear old Dad. We will use the tripod for those choice targets that need time to shoot.

I can’t believe that our luck hit a jackpot when we found out that we will be in Monument Valley on an evening with a full moon. Google pictures of “Monument Valley” and you will see why I am very excited about this trip. I could get lost in this spot alone for months. Hopefully we get a combination of clear and cloudy skies, maybe even some rain. Look on Google at the kind of photos you get when there is a storm front.

So, … I just had to tell you this news. Please stay tuned. I wish I could take you all with us on this trip. In a few days, I will announce another big surprise for one of my followers that should also be fun.

So, join us for the ride. I look forward to seeing this part of the USA. I can’t wait to capture some of the unique beauty that God splashed all over Southern Utah, Southern Nevada and Northern Arizona.

Have a great day!
NikonSniper Steve

Mom ... Your Bag Is Down There

GNT Limousine, Thanks Tom!

Some of you know I returned home from Los Angeles late last night.

On my way to LA last Tuesday, I left my hat in the limousine. I knew I better call the limo service right away because it was a Yankee hat. This kind of hat is regularily used to start fires in the Chicagoland area. I usually have to apologize to everyone for wearing it around here.

I have many Yankee hats. This one was special because it came from my son, known as "Braff Zackton" on this blog. Braff is our diehard yankee fan along with his wife ... so I like this hat quite a bit.

The hat was returned earlier today and was carefully placed between the doors. Thanks Tom, you're the greatest. It doesn't even smell funny. Thanks GNT for sending this back out to me.

I'm tippin' my Yankee hat to ya Tom. Is that a good thing? Just glad to have it home again.

NikonSniper Steve

Please HELP for Southern Utah & Nevada!

Hey, fellow bloggies! I could really use some help for places to go to shoot landscape photography in Southern Utah and Nevada. I have heard these areas are fantastic so I think I will jump a plane and head over there for a quick trip from December 2 to December 6. I will be flying in and out of Vegas so keep that in mind when helping with ideas. I have heard that Zion National Park is a good place to start. Any specifics would be appreciated. So PLEASE help with any ideas even if it is a bit of a stretch because I won't be wasting time shaving and combing my hair on this trip! Well, I guess that isn't really a pretty picture ... but you get what I mean.

The Great Escape

Well, I am looking forward to another photography road trip. Here is the approximate route for our Great Northwestern Escape to Washington and Oregon. I'll be travelling with my wife, Susan this time ... so she will make sure I don't do the really stupid stuff I have attempted in the past. I know this will be a great getaway ... even if it rains!
We hope to bring you the very best in fall colors, mountains, rivers and Pacific coastline via photography. I am hoping we aren't too late for the peak colors. We will spend some days at Mount Rainier and Crater Lake National Parks. I have always loved this part of the country that is thick in beauty. God's creative touch is very unique here. The terrain was quite a surprise to me on my first trip so I expect it will be fun to share that with Susan now making her first trip to this very well kept secret.
So join us if you will on NikonSniper!
All the best.
NikonSniper Steve

Clicking Heels Together In Texas

Well, at this writing I find myself sitting in the San Antonio airport with a delayed flight home to Chicago. Schedule delays have always been AND will always be a nasty part of travel. Either way, I am very happy to be heading home after an eventful week in San Antonio, Houston and Austin.
One of the very bright perks of this trip was getting to see our daughter Tara who is at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio working to become a 68 Whiskey Combat Field Medic in the Army. She is doing great in her class and physical training. Grabbed this reluctant photo of her in the city. It is very fascinating to see how much this new world is changing her future. The hours and moments that we shared together here will never be forgotten. I thank God for this bonus of travel to Texas.
Tara was very happy to advance far enough in her training to gain some extra priviledges like ... wearing jeans off the base on her down time. Sounds crazy, huh? The Army is a very disciplined world and she says they almost don't know what to do now when they have unexpected free time. Tara and her friend, PFC Crabbe, sat watching a movie last weekend on television ... and they got to hold the channel changer! We went out to eat to some special places and went to the Riverwalk on the last two weekends. It is cool to see her develop new friendships with people from all over the USA and even some in our military from outside the country.
I also got to have an evening with my brother in San Antonio. We had a great evening out at Austin's Oasis catching up on what getting older is like and had some old laughs. I miss family now everywhere I go. Our family is spread out over Ontario, Illinois, and Texas. If I am here ... I miss there. But there is still no place like home. So here I sit on another flight delay ... clicking my heels together and repeating "There's No Place Like Home".
Those of you who follow NikonSniper are a very special constant now. Your comments on what you see here are very helpful when I am away from home and I appreciate them so much. Photography keeps me out of trouble. It keeps me busy and always looking forward to something unique to photograph and pass the time. Thanks for your kind words. I hope you enjoy these periodic rants along the way.
Here's hoping that you all can experience a bit of joy in feeling the greatness of "being at home". God bless you all you do.
All the best. NikonSniper Steve