Photographically Painting the Blue Mountain Vineyard Image

 

About 15 years ago I created Pacific Northwest: The Ultimate winery Guide for Chronicle Books. One of the wine regions I photographed was totally new to me, the Okanagan in BC, Canada.

So a couple of years ago my wife and I revisited the region. But on this trip, I wanted to photograph Blue Mountain Winery Vineyards, which somehow we didn't include in the Chronicle picture guide book. (I highly recommend their wines.)

So early one the morning I scrambled up a steep rocky slope. Balanced on crumbling shale, I looked down on this scene. It was almost like someone planted a vineyard in Yosemite Valley.

That night reviewing the day's take on my MacBook Pro, I knew the image had great bones, even as an unprocessed RAW file directly out of my camera at the time, a Nikon 810 camera. But it just didn't make me sing opera. Yet.

So a couple of weeks ago I finally processed the RAW file in Adobe ACR (for my wife, that is Adobe Camera Raw processor). Better. But still no opera performance.

Starting with some basics, I wanted to keep the viewer's eye from wandering out of the photograph; so I darkened edges, like the vineyard edge center far left and road center right. Darken those edges.

Then I did some initial adjustments and started painting with textures, which also darkened the edges all the way around. 

I love adding detailed textures, layering them like watercolor washes to change color, mood and light. I shoot these texture images my walks, hikes and photographic safaris. 

This is just one of the dozen or so textures I painted into the Blue Mountain vineyard image. This photograph is taken during one of my escape camping trips along the McKenzie River in the Oregon Cascades. Then, using various blending modes to paint, creating the feeling inside of me.

But the sky was still blah. Adding several cloud images and adjusting the perspective, helped. Still, no dramatic standing ovation opera performance, yet.

I kept experimenting by adding various water textures in various blending modes. All told, the image took about one week to finish, with some of the time proofs just sitting on the wall to germinate.

A few finishing touches of painting with texture images made the opera and orchestra sing for me. My wife wants a large print on our bedroom wall. 

What do you think?

Should I print my photographs on rock?

Will my digital photographs last as long as these petroglyphs? 

These Dark Angel images in Arches National Park made me wonder. Some petroglyphs are more than 10,000 years old. 

My images? While I triple back up all my files, my storage media constantly changes: CDs, gold CDs, NAS hard drives, SSDs and now, the Cloud.  

When storm clouds rapidly approached me at Dark Angel, I wondered: should I be printing onto stone. 

Bad Spirit visits me in Mali

In Mali, a Himba tribe shaman told me about this really bad spirit.

Find out what happened to me as a result at my Artist’s Talk on Nov. 4 at 4:00pm 
Camerawork Gallery
Legacy Emanuel Medical Lorenzen Conference Center
301 N. Graham St.
Portland, OR 97227

Believe me, it’s magic.

My Personal God and the lion

The Karo tribe elders told me that each person has a Personal God to watch over them. That night a lion came roaring through the village right past my little tent with me in it. Man, did I hope that my Personal God was watching over me right then.

Both the Karo and Hamar tribes believe that each person has an invisible Personal God that hovers over them. While the Personal God is suppose to warn the person about any danger, one elder confided that his God must have been looking the other way when a snake bit the elder. 

Ten years ago Oregon The Taste of Wine came out. It's the book I'm most proud of creating. 

Oregon the Taste of Wine was first published in 2008. The publisher printed a second edition, with a few updates, a couple of years later. A second printing for a picture wine book is like finding a 1787 Chateau Margaux, just not as expensive.

Plus, it won all kinds of awards including Gold Medal for Best Regional Book and even snobby Wine Spectator called it "one of the best reads for wine lovers." 

 

Richard Sommer, founder of Hillcrest winery and rightfully founder of Oregon's modern wine industry, shows off a new camera to Dyson DeMara, who bought and continues production at Hillcrest.

And, it's still relevant today with surprising stories from folks like Richard Sommer, who had bottled Pinot years before Papa Pinot, who usually gets the credit. 

 

Milky Way above Willamette Valley Vineyards Winery.

A big thanks to Jim Bernau and all the kind people who taught me the taste difference between California Ripple and Oregon Pinot noir.

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A beginner seeks guide book to god-like powers

About 65,000 years ago a few Homo sapiens left Africa to populate our planet. In that time we sapiens have developed almost god-like powers over other animals and our environment.
 

What do you think these African Mursi tribe warriors see?

After 18 years of looking back onto the world from remote African tribes, I wonder, do we sapiens have the wisdom to wield our powers? Where's the instruction manual?

www.FiveFingerProject.org

 

Struck by Creativity Freeze

While creating this image, I choked up. I was totally afraid to make a mistake. I couldn't continue.

Chief Bolugedong dreamed his grandfather told him to take care of the orphans in the tribe. Africa, Ethiopia, Omo region, Suri tribe. 

I'd been working on this piece for days. It's about the Suri Tribe Chief who dreamed his grandfather told him to care for the tribal orphans. When I dropped in the perfect photograph with a child from my files, I started to like the myth image. 

Then, I froze, afraid to do anything else to it. 

Fortunately, the next morning a little inner voice said, "Hey, Janis, it's not precious. It's just art. So finish it. Surprise yourself." 

Do other artists choke up, afraid to make a mistake, afraid to continue? 

www.FiveFingersProject.org 

We all have at least two languages

Yesterday, while listening to the news, it dawned on me that we can speak two languages: The language of the world and the language of the soul.

 

 

• I was thinking in the language of the world when I asked the remote Konso tribe elders what advice they would give world leaders. 

 

• Amazingly, one elder answered in the language of the soul: “We are all made by God. We are all the same. No mater what your tribe, no mater what your religion, we all bleed the same color blood.”

 

Then he raised his hand with fingers outstretched to conclude: “We all have five fingers.”

Kids' chores remote Africa style

This little bare-bottomed Hamar tribe boy leads the family cattle every morning to the water hole more than a mile away. The image tugged at my heart strings while working on a brochure to pitch museums for a We All Have Five Fingers show. 

Would you include the photograph in the brochure?

Here's happens after you die

LaBun, the famous Bume tribe storyteller in Ethiopia explained to me that when a person dies, he becomes the devil trickster with skin like a rock and a single horn. 

Even though he lives underground, the trickster can cause great mischief for the living. 

Do thoughts of a deceased person haunt you? 

Bume tribe, Omo region, Ethiopia, Africa

I watched a Dogon shaman dream a Bad Spirit

After scrambling down and down over steep boulder-filled trail, my interpreter and I entered the tiny village of Koundou Gina. We wanted to meet the most powerful shaman in the region.

A woman enters the outskirts of Koundou Gina village, Dogon tribe, Mali, Africa.

As we hiked through dried stalks of a corn field, my interpreter explained that many people came from distant villages to meet with Dugui Dugene (Medicine Man). We met the simple harmless-looking shaman just outside his stone house.

Powerful Dugui Dugene (Medicine Man) showing me how he removes doogu doogu from a person. Koundou Gina village, Dogon tribe, Mail, Africa.

After a bit of chatter, I asked about Doogu Doogu and other terrible things caused by bad spirits.

In an casual tenor voice, the Medicine Man explained: "The bad spirit is created by God. Both good and bad spirits are created by God."

Medicines Dugui Dugene (Medicine Man) gathers in the forest to heal people that come to Koundou Gina village from surrounding villages. Dogon tribe, Mail, Africa.

Medicine Man continued: "We don't see the bad spirits because they have much magic power. They could be right here right now. We just don't see them.

The shaman paused a bit, pointed at me. Then: "But they can see us."

Squating with his back against the mud wall of his one-room house, Medicine Man continued: "I can see them in my dream. When I sleep at night time, I can see them. 

"The bad spirit look like a man. They wear clothes. But some of them has a cow head. Some has only one hand. And some has one breast. Some look like men but not complete man. And always have two, three or ten heads. 

Then he pointed to his hand. "Some have kind of feet here. The feet are cow feet."

 

My visualization of the Dogon bad spirit as described by the Dogon tribe Medicine Man in Koundou Gina village, Mali, Africa.

When I asked Medicine Man if he was afraid of the bad spirit in his dreams, he replied nonchalantly: "Afraid some, a little bit, but not that much."

Janis: "I would be very afraid."

Medicine Man: "If you suppose to walk with bad spirit and you afraid, they always come to afraid you. And if you afraid of them, you can be crazy. You can become crazy. They can do you something bad." 

Janis: "Can I take a picture of you like you are sleeping, like you are dreaming?

Would you call them primitive?

Ireli village, Mali. Dogon tribe elders make decisions in this togouna.

Togouna, Irelli village, Dogon tribe, Mali, Africa.

No ideological parties. No name calling. No party agendas. They talk. They respect each other. And they act like adults.

Medicine man, Irelli village, Dogon tribe, Mali, Africa.

Would you call that primitive?

Togouna in the edge of an Irelli village courtyard, Dogon tribe, Mali, Africa.

Fires rage towards four of my favorite Napa vineyards

Sunset over early Spring mustard flowers in Screaming Eagle Vineyard on Silverado Trail Road.
Napa Valley, California. Napa Valley wine country.

As I write this newsletter, with the fire situation in Napa and Sonoma counties changing by the hour, I’m not 100% sure that four of my favorite Napa vineyards will be spared from the devastating fires ripping through the wine country.

Early Spring valley fog begins creeping over Cain Five vineyard in the hills above Napa Valley, California. Napa Valley wine country.

At least four Napa vineyards are totally destroyed or significantly damaged. One Napa winery—Signorello Estate—has been completely destroyed. Nine other wineries reported damage to their winery, outbuildings or vineyards. 

All 5000 residents of Calistoga evacuated, and there are 1000s of homes already destroyed in the Napa- Sonoma area. This will be a vintage to remember.

Cain Five vineyard

Wednesday evening: I just received an email from Christopher Howell, winemaker at Cain Five Vineyard, that they are safe for right now.

Big oak tree in Cain Five vineyard in the hills above Napa Valley, California. Napa Valley wine country.

Early Spring valley fog begins creeping over Cain Five vineyard in the hills above Napa Valley, California. Napa Valley wine country.

The distinctive rock outcropping dominates the Cain Five vineyard in the hills above Napa Valley, California. Napa Valley wine country.

Screaming Eagle Vineyard

Spring mustard flowers in Screaming Eagle Vineyard on Silverado Trail Road. While the wine consistently receives rave reviews from critics, my problem is two-thousand dollars a bottle prevents me, a common photographer, from enjoying the wine. USA, California, Napa Valley. 

Sunset light colors the hills above the Spring mustard flowers in Screaming Eagle Vineyard on Silverado Trail Road. Napa Valley.

Oakville Ranch Summit Vineyard

Springtime view of Napa Valley looking towards Calistoga and Mt. Saint Helena from Oakville Ranch Summit Vineyard, Napa County, California,

Newton Vineyard

View of Newton Vineyard on Spring Mountain above St. Helena in Napa Valley, California.
Napa Valley wine country.

A hot air balloon and fog float in the Spring green Napa Valley below Newton Vineyard on Spring Mountain above St. Helena, California. Napa Valley wine country.

Looking at the lush view in these photographs, I can only imagine what the Napa hills and valley will look like after the fires rake through the area with their smudged black fingers.

Reflecting on America's 9/11: bees or missiles, which is better to twart an attack

On this anniversary of America's 9/11 attack, I can't help recall a story I heard from the tiny Bedik tribe tucked away in the remote southeast corner of Senegal.

My illustration of the Bedik story of bees killing attacking Muslims. Bedik tribe, Senegal, Africa.

On my first journey to the Bedik, the village "historian" told me the story of how Muslims once attacked the tribe because they refused to be converted to Islam.

It was terrible. Many Bedik were killed in the attack. Out of desperation, the tribe prayed to their spirits for help. The spirits then sent bees, many bees, which killed the Muslim attackers. The bees saved the tribe. And they still refuse to become Muslim.

On my second trip to the Bedik, not long after 9/11, I heard the story again, this time from the chief.  

Now, all these years later, I'm still trying to grasp similarities and differences between the Bedik story and 9/11.

Bedik village, Senegal, Africa.

Faith that their spirits would help by sending bees, saved the Bedik. 

America sent missiles. Will that be enough to save America?

Cows power China to become one of world's largest wine producers

When I visited Dynasty, one of the largest wineries in China, I went out to one of their vineyards near Jixian village in Tianjin area. Here I found cow-power fully used.

Workers use traditional cow-powered transportation for their morning commute out to the vineyards and other crops. Hebei province, Tianjin region, China, Asia.

Once in the vines, cow-power pulls the plow. China wine country, Hebei province, Tianjin region, China, Asia.

This view shows the business end of cow-power plowing. Here workers till the soil around peanuts planted between rows of Cabernet sauvignon vines. No space is wasted in China. Hebei province, Tianjin region, China, Asia.

You just can't beat practical cow-power: milk in the morning, engine for the morning commute to work, plenty of power to pull the plow and finally transportation power for the ride home at the end of the day. And if you had a lawn, the cow is your lawnmower.  Hebei province, Tianjin region, China, Asia.

Obviously, one disadvantage of bovine power happens during work breaks when the free-roaming cow can sneak a snack from the vines.  Hebei province, Tianjin region, China, Asia.

Break time in  the vineyard. Hebei province, Tianjin region, China, Asia.

Heading to the next vineyard block. And that's how Dynasty winery grows some of its wine grapes. Hebei province, Tianjin region, China, Asia.