Objet Trouvé

Saturday I had to get out of the house and away from tabletop photos. I headed for one of my favorite areas, the Heights only this time I went to the west side where it is more industrial. Saw lots of things to photograph that I didn't and then came across the mother lode of painted over graffiti on an abandoned Walgreens. There was one wall about fifty feet or so long that had multiple colors of paint used to paint over gang graffiti. I shot forty plus shots and could have shot dozens more but Janet's patience wears thin with my photography.

Needless to say for a wall shooter I was in hog heaven for a few minutes on the shoot and also when I got them into the computer. I posted forty two of the photographs to Flickr.

Here is three more from the Heights that I did a few days ago. These are "redos" of shots that I did after Ike when the electric was out. I thought maybe I could get sharper images with the FX frame on the D700.

I always have some conflict in knowing what to call these photographs. They are part my randomness theme that I have been doing for several years. They are also part design, color, form. Everwhat, I enjoy doing them; I enjoy looking at them.

After Ike, I called them found objects or derivative art. They are of course "found objects" and some, taken from work that was actually produced as art, are derivative. A friend, Michael, has suggested the French term Objet Trouvè, basically "Found Object," which, if I could pronounce it, would be as good as anything.

I frequently see abstract images on walls, sidewalks, shadows. I like to take the larger, break it down and seeing how I choose to reform or redesign it as something different from a wall, a sidewalk or shadow.

The photographs seem to be forming into two groups that are related but distinctly different. One that is more the randomness theme using torn posters, splattered paint, weathered surfaces. The other, like most of these seem to go more in the direction of simply design/color/form. Many contain elements that would allow them to be in either group. I greatly enjoy doing both.