Best Foot Forward

There are days when I feel I have taken on never-ending projects! As long-term readers will know, I’ve been working on an update to my print collections – a rather involved one. I kept thinking soon I’ll finish and get to tell you all it’s done! And the best I can do now is say that it’s more or less complete, but that I also recognize that I’m rarely 100% satisfied with anything, so it can at best be considered somewhat complete. Minimally at least, I have re-written the descriptions for all the work in my print galleries and added and removed and added various pieces, but am I truly done? Of course not!

And the initial project has ended up morphing even beyond that. For those who have never peeked, I have maintained an account at Flickr for nearly 7 years now. And as I started updating images on my main site, I became painfully aware that I had images on my flickr account that I had long since revised but never replaced there. And so, I began updating, and in the domino theory of life, I realized that out of over two thousand pictures, many simply were not photos I was proud of today. I hope in seven years we’ll all progress at whatever or chosen vocation or hobbies may be!

You can see where this is heading, right? Yep, I’ve been going one by one from the beginning of time through all my photos. Some are replaced with updated images – and all changed or not, are receiving a small border with my name – primarily as a calling card in case those photos grow legs and walk away. I don’t see myself ever putting actual watermarks on my photos. I have many friends who do, but for me, no matter where I put it, I find it distracting, and any watermark good enough to foil a determined image thief will be the only thing your audience sees!

I digress!

So, project Best Foot Forward has taken on two fronts as I update both my flickr account and my website making sure that all my images are in sync across my website and flickr. I’m down over 1,000 photos on Flickr. There’s a side of me that feels sad at that thought. It’s like a visual journey between Mark then and now has been pruned, but in the end, if someone has a chance encounter with one of my pictures online, I want it to make the best impression possible, you know?

And after that long explanation of how I’ve spent my Winter and Spring, I though I’d share with you a couple of new additions to my print collection! Both are from my fondly remembered time in Galway, Ireland.

The first photo (above) is from my first day in Galway. You may be wondering why the emphasis on day, and that’s because I had actually been in Galway once before. Having a month in Ireland, I chose to start my trip with a quick bus tour around the Island. Quick is the operative word. Many of our overnight stops were a blur, and Galway was no different. We stopped after sunset and left before sunrise. I never even saw the town in daylight! But I had read about Galway and the Aran Islands and the little I saw intrigued me enough to return. In the end, I spent about half my month in and around Galway. And I left with a very heavy heart!

But that was how I came to be standing in Galway the afternoon I took this photo, my first day back there. And winter days are short. After the bus arrived, I had only time to drop my bags off and walk down to the harbor before the sun started its descent. I would walk along the river and harbor on Galway Bay many more times before I left, but those warm rays from that first afternoon were never matched again! I guess it feels backward to have a sunset as your welcome to a place, but this photo is how I’ll always remember Galway and those colorful seaside houses.

The second addition to my prints is the picture above. As you may see it’s not a photo. I did this view of a little boat on the shore of River Corrib in Corel Painter based on one of my photos from that day wandering the river shore in Galway.

I read that the Corrib is the shortest river in Europe at a couple of miles in length. I don’t guess I ever walked the full river as this picture was taken where the pedestrian path ends at a boat ramp. Although the area feels almost wild, you’re very much in the center of the city. There was a collection of boats like this along the banks all quietly waiting for warmer weather. Even in the midst of winter, I saw a few people paddling on the river (parts of which have quite a swift current). I’m led to believe it’s a popular pastime in Galway, but I didn’t see it first hand. Instead this was the scene I saw, very much a winter image with yellowed grasses and cool blue skies reflecting in the waters. And that one little rowboat begged to be featured…

And yes, as I’ve done on the past few new works, these two are both on special until the end of May. So, if one strikes your fancy, don’t wait for a better price.

I don’t know if the next entry will have any new additions or not, but I sure do hope when that times comes I can at least say I’ve laid one of my long-term projects somewhat to rest then!

Thanks always for reading and sharing with your friends guys! Your word of mouth is invaluable!