Architectural Art – Still Life With Cat Studio

Fifteen years of one subject.

Architectural Art, City Scapes, Photography

I moved to Jacksonville in 2003. In 2004 I started photographing one of the cities most iconic pieces of statuary. It’s called “Life” and it was unveiled on Christmas Eve in 1924. It is dedicated to the 1200 Florida men and women who lost their lives in WWI. For an interesting read about the park and statue: http://www.jaxhistory.org/portfolio-items/memorial-park/

My first photograph of this statue was the start of my art photography business in 2016 and my very first sale.

As I look into the future and moving out of state and away from this beautiful and moving object, I wondered why I am still taking pictures of it- why it draws me so. I literally tear up every time I tell someone the story behind the statue. I took the final one in the sequence just days ago. I also wonder what I will find in my new home to replace it and the feelings it stirs in me.

Life in 2004 at sunrise with Venus and quarter moon.

After that I discovered a fascination with the statue and all of its personalities. Day time, sunrise and sunset. In costume and in storm.

Surge of Life
September 2017 after Hurricane Irma

Pride of Life
2013 The day after the Pride Parade

Guardian of Life 2017
http://www.viviennefrankel.art

Life and the Guardian at Daybreak 2019
http://www.viviennefrankel.art

A new chapter. Welcome Graham Hickling to Still Life with Cat Studio!

Architectural Art, Blog Posts, City Scapes, Photography

Graham Hickling is trained as a Wildlife Biologist in New Zealand before moving to the United States in 2002. He lived in Michigan for several years before moving to Knoxville, Tennessee, where he teaches at the University of Tennessee. Throughout his career he has combined his interests in photography and videography with his wildlife research activities. His primary interests are nature photography and macrophotography, however his eye for the quirks of humanity in the Southern landscape has led to a growing enthusiasm for street photography.

I’m looking forward to sharing his passion for photography with you soon as we grow his new collection.

G reflections Springfield House

Beauty in destruction

Architectural Art, Blog Posts, City Scapes, Nature shots, Photography, Storms

Hurricane Irma left so much devastation in my city. More than we have experienced in over a century. Yet in the midst of all the destruction, there is still beauty. The power that water holds over us mortals is felt in a visceral way when we see what it can do. These images are from a city park near my home. I have been walking to and around this park for almost 14 years. I have seen the park and it’s central winged statue at all times of the day and have photographed it often in many different settings and light. In many ways the statue (called Life) is an integral part of my life as an artist. I sell more art photos of this statue than any other local icons. So when I heard the park had flooded, and that the seawall had breached, I was devastated.

The worst of the storm had passed and the storm surge was beginning to recede when I walked down to see what was left. The following photos were taken within the first 48 hours of the storm passing. The most beautiful dawn light comes after a hurricane and I did my best to capture it and the power of the water still crashing into the 100 year old balustrade surrounding the statue.

Memorial Park Jacksonville

Riverside Avondale Preservation

The good news is that the park will be restored. the city has already begun some work and the Memorial Park Association and the Riverside Avondale Preservation group is also involved. Many of the marble pieces have been salvaged for restoration and many of the balustrade “chessmen” are now in safe keeping for the day they rebuild the sea wall. The statue itself was not damaged, in spite of being up to his ankles in crashing waves at one point.

Some great special order pieces to share

Alleys and Streets, Architectural Art, Blog Posts, Doors and Windows, Photography

Last week I had three special orders come in for big pieces. I love working with the bigger images. They are all Italian photos; one from Venice, one from Verona and one from Padua. I have been experimenting with different paper finishes so it was fun to see how the images would produce. I know these photos don’t give them justice, but I have to say I love the paper I used!

The first one is called Slices of Nautilus, pieced together using the Layers app by Instagram. The sidewalks in Verona are largely made of white and pink marble and all of the cathedrals have pink or rose marble floors and stairs. The marble is sliced so that you can see the fossils embedded inside. I printed this on metallic Luster paper by Epson. A new find for me. Wow do the colors pop and the image is so electric. The finished piece is 16X20 in the frame.

nautilus-slice-16x20

The next piece is from the Grand Canal in Venice. Many of the once elegant and colorful doors have begun to rot from the bottom up from exposure to the canal water. This particular set of doors caught my eye for the beautiful blue and green wood set into a red brick wall. I used Velvet Luster Paper for this one from Epson. It has a texture to it that lends a tactile feel to the image. With natural images and street art the Velvet paper is perfect. The finished piece is 16X20 framed.

blue-green-venice-doors

The last one is from Padua in Northern Italy. This was a Palazzo Archway in the old city center off the central square. This one is heavily edited on the Prisma app for a water color effect so it would match the customers decor. I also used the Velvet Luster paper for this one. It gave a canvas feel to the image so it worked alongside an actual watercolor they wanted to place with it in the same room. It is also framed to 16X20.

edit-padua-archway

All in all, I feel these projects came out great! My customers were happy and I am looking forward to doing more special pieces!