As much as I love photography, and find it to be a deeply expressive medium, sometimes I like to get tactile.  I’m working on a wood panel 24 x 26″ which conveys an acquired texture of years of paint flaked off and repainted, handbills on top of handbills.  In Asheville you see many telephone poles with decades of staples where people have shared announcements of their concert, coffeehouse, gallery opening, political rally, and stage appearances of all kinds. it is a rich cultural history layering.  Below is a study for my planned work.  In process as I collect handbills, flyers, the ephemera of a creative town.

Annabelle had an ordinary life but one day her vision became clouded. When a chiropractor adjusted her neck, everything snapped into focus. But, walking home past a graveyard, she now saw the spirits of the dead, some sitting primly on their tombstones, some crouched over in agony. Their sad eyes followed her.

So the weather here has been … wintery.  Winter-ish.  Sure it’s January, but this is North Carolina.  The south.  This past week, since New Year’s, it’s been like New England.  Anyway, the weather finally broke yesterday, it actually went above freezing.  And today it was in the 50s, so your intrepid blogger headed for the falls.  Mostly the water was flowing just fine, and there was plenty of it.  But around the edges, there was still ice, and little rills where the ice had flowed into interesting shapes.  For the first one, I’m doing something I never do, which is post a picture without any modifications whatsoever, not even a trim.  The second is trimmed, and I brought up the exposure and highlights, with a crop and border.

More of those doorways to passages to interior courtyards. Downtown Asheville with iPhone 7 Plus. Finished with Photo Toaster.

Another trip to Asheville revealed more doorways that look as though they lead to magical places. These pictures didn’t need more than a touch up.

In a recent trip to Asheville on a rainy cold Sunday, the empty abandoned doors and cafes had a special piquancy through the gloom.

when I got out of the car at DuPont State Forest for my daily hike, I looked down and thought that someone had painted a fake carpet in the parking lot. Turned out to be patterns of ice in the frozen mud. Beautiful and intricate patterns of strangely fractal shapes. Nature is astonishing. And this pic is more beautiful than just another shot of the woods in winter, which must be experienced and not just photographed.

There is ice and mud everywhere, but that doesn’t mean not hiking at all. DuPont state forest, let’s go black and white this time.

I am appreciating the way ordinary objects are transformed by snow. Instead of a place to sit, a bench becomes a configuration of snow and light. From my favorite local walk. Sony RX100 with Faded Black filter.

This morning I found the cat’s outdoor water frozen solid. When I dumped the ice upside down into the sink, it was surprisingly delightful. When water freezes you never know what will happen.

iPhone 7 Plus, edit in Photo Toaster.