Blue Swallow Motel, Tucumcari, New Mexico. I’ve been busy and negligent with my posts. Now we are about to head off on a trip in our little motorhome to explore more of Route 66, as well as some of our favorite places. We will do a bit of Oklahoma, then Texas panhandle, then into New Mexico. We will be passing by this favorite: the Blue Swallow Motel.
This was taken in 2015 when we were traveling by car and planned a stay at this lovely motel.
 “What the Camera Doesn’t See” The photography of Judith Nicholls As Judy approaches her subject, she is constantly seeking what is interesting – both the beautiful and the not-beautiful. She is less interested in representing actual reality – in simply documenting a scene or object – as showing her personal view of it. Then after capturing an image, she continues to work with it until it fully reveals what was in her mind’s eye back at that shutter click moment. And although she sees this as a personal act of self-expression, she is kind enough to also share it with us all. Keep reading to hear Judy tell you more about a few of her favorites.  “Driftwood Store II” Driftwood, TX, photo on aluminum, 16 x 20 inches, $170 “I love old things, old buildings, old objects, old cars, almost anything old. . . I also love brick and stone buildings. This photograph was taken in January 2008 near dusk. It is the only photograph that I am aware of with the front door open, showing the antiques that were arranged in there at that time. Also unique that day was the flags and chair and table outside. Sadly, some years later the right side was painted, obliterating the historic words “Driftwood Country Store.” After a few years of my selling this as it was originally photographed (except for removing the many power lines), I modified it by replacing the late evening boring sky with blue and some clouds and a fringe of tree branches. You can see it like this by photographing it from across the street, and it is from such a photo that I took the fringe of oak branches.”  “The Big Tree,” photo on aluminum, 16 x 20 inches, $170 “The Big Tree is located in Goose Island State Park near Rockport, TX. I had taken many photographs of The Big Tree but was never satisfied enough with any of them to offer them for sale. One day I decided to try to shoot it with my infrared camera. An infrared photograph shows living green leaves as white. In this case, it provides a good contrast between the dark trunk and branches and the white leaves. The new fence (installed to protect the famous tree) also “frames” the photo from below, and the tree on the right “frames” it from the right and top.” When you visit us here at Bent Tree Gallery, you will always find one of the artists to talk to. We all work together to support each other and celebrate the art. When you come visit the art, you are meeting an artist. If you are lucky, you will come in and meet Judy yourself and she will tell you more about her art process (or you can contact her right now at judy_nicholls@verizon.net). B e n t T r e e G a l l e r y 105 Henson Road, Wimberley TX 78676 512.847.9438 More work from Bent Tree artists can be viewed online by going to the Bent Tree Gallery website (click here), and then clicking on the link to the individual artist. |
Witch’s Dance is a composite photograph I made a few years ago. My goal was to make something of the wonderful marionettes that I purchased in the Czech Republic many years ago. They represent a witch and, well, a cloven-hoof devil with horns. These are both ancient characters in myth and stories. The god Pan has horns and a cloven hoof. From Wikipedia:
We arrived in the Big Bend National Park area on September 25 and found the area beautifully green with lots of blooming plants. One can only assume from good recent rains. The photo above shows Texas Sage and very green Ocotillo in front of beautiful mountains. The down side was parts of the park were closed, which meant we could not go to a couple of our favorite places.
We like to stay either in the park or, if we can’t do that, in the Terlingua/Study Butte area because it’s quick to get into the park from the west. In this case the park was not entirely open and staying there was not possible, so we stayed in an RV park in Study Butte, then on our way out, another night at a park in Marathon, north of the Big Bend, before heading toward home.
This is part 5, and the last part, of my First Pandemic Trip series of posts. We left Wimberley, TX, in our small motorhome in September 2020 heading for Colorado. Our first real destination was Palo Duro Canyon State Park, then the scenic route to Great Sand Dunes National Park, then Mesa Verde National Park, a quick drive through New Mexico where Texans were not welcome due to covid, then Monahans Sandhills State Park, and finally Big Bend National Park. I wanted to finish this blog post this week because this week is National Park Week!
It’s bluebonnet season in the Texas Hill Country, and the hunt is on! I’m in luck for photos to show because I’ve been hunting bluebonnets for years… For the first one, what is more iconic of this genre than bluebonnets and a windmill.
Texans like to decorate their property. Fancy gates are very popular. But some people also decorate their fence posts. I think it probably started with tin cans to keep the rain from rotting the top of the post, but old boots are nicer…
This is one of my favorite photos New Orleans photos. This one was taken in 2007. Every time we return to New Orleans I look at this building again and of course photograph it, and this is the “best” it has looked… First it ran down even more, then they started repairing it, then it got renovated. It is fun to go back to places you have shot before to see what has happened to them.
I recently got a request for a largish canvas print of this and decided to reprocess it with new tools, and this is the result. Very similar, but better for printing large… Especially when you can’t get out to shoot very much, reconsidering your old photos is something that can be worthwhile to do. Including those you never took a second look at!
Two prints of one of my photograph of Dick & Charlie’s Tea Room sold on the same day this week. Since I love the building and the area, that pleased me…
What is Dick & Charley’s Tea Room? Click here…
We like to stay at the Caddo Lake State Park, either in their cute little cabins or in the campground.
You can see this building from Johnson Ranch, and also from there you can take boat rides into the swamp, daytime or sunset… We were there just before Halloween 2020, and Johnson Ranch was all decked out for Halloween…
I am honored to be awarded 3rd place in the Wimberley Valley Art League Spring 2021 Virtual Juried Gallery Show for my Still Life “The Dressing Table”!
Juror Maxine Price’s comments on this piece:
“Third Place: “THE DRESSING TABLE”, 12”x12”.
This is a small photograph that makes a strong impression of time and place. Shades of Grandmothers everywhere! The intricate trifold mirror and the reflections on it, the antique oil lamp, the delicate ornate clock and the beautifully decorated hand mirror exude such overall warmth and richness of detail that I would like to jump into that time and place and sit awhile.”
You can purchase my still life pieces including this one on my website:
https://nichollsphoto.com/album/New/index.html
You can view the show here:
https://www.wimberleyvalleyartleague.org/juried-show-about
A selection of my Still Life photographs are now available for purchase on my website and at Art on 12 gallery in Wimberley.
Online:
https://nichollsphoto.com/album/New/index.html
http://nichollsphoto.com/
This post is Our First Pandemic Trip, Part 4, September 2021. We left Mesa Verde with our next major stop Big Bend National Park. That is easiest done by driving through New Mexico. However, New Mexico at that time required people from states like Texas with high covid rates to quarantine for 14 days. It was not clear what we could and could not do, but normal tourism was not allowed. So I have a few pictures I took from the motorhome or very nearby, including some very interesting murals. We did overnight once in New Mexico, at Valley of Fires Recreation Area near Carrizozo, which has self-registration. And then to Texas where we overnighted at Monahans Sandhills State Park.