Just for Fun - Part One

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner
2010
© Larry Torno

Every so often, during one of my photo sojourns,
I come across something that makes me laugh. Guess Who's Coming to Dinner is such a moment and the surprise of the location made me take pause and capture it.

(click on the image for a larger view)

Sign of the Cross - Part Nine

Jesus Saves

2010

© Larry Torno

This is actually an image I photographed in 

2005 but only recently revisited, re-cropped and re-issued.  

     I like the flatness of the composition and the juxtaposition of seemingly mismatched items. And, since I am a graphic designer by trade, I'm fascinated by the layout of the type. The conservation of letters, by using the "S" for both words, and the idea to fill all of the available space, is an unabashed use of design. 

Botanica - Part Six

Mid-Century Modern 

2010

© Larry Torno

Something about this photo reminded me of the home and office decorations of the Mid-Century Modern era of the late 1950s and early 1960s. I don't watch the show Mad Men, but I'm guessing Mid-Century Modern would fit it in quite well on the retro set. 

     Maybe it's the stark simplicity that I recall from those 50s sitcoms or the looseness and graphic layout of the Matisse cut-out leaves, but this image strikes a chord in my heart. Its simple composition, white background and rhythmic pattern remind me of my childhood.

Botanica - Part Five

Layers of Petals
2010
© Larry Torno

A fellow artist commented of this photo, " Your botanicals are always your most emotional images"; a true and astute observation.
     Nature provides us with an abundance of linear, spherical and cylindrical shapes that are the basis of all art forms. I like extracting compositions that I consider to be pure design and I have an emotional attachment to the process of finding beauty.
    With the staggering heat wave that's hit our city, I find myself confined to a smaller radius of exploration and dwell upon what is nearby. To paraphrase a quote from Georgia O'Keefe, "One shoots what is around." This hydrangea came from my backyard and was sitting on a desk in front of a window with sheer curtains. The softness of the light falling on the complexity of the petals caught my eye and started this image.

Botanica - Part Four

Dolphin Devours Tulip
2010
© Larry Torno

It's probably not the best title I've given to one of my photographs but it sure was fun to write.
     A curator once told me, "When you're ready to title your work, think about what you were feeling or what you were seeing at the moment you created the photo."
    Consider this; the coloration in the bowl of the flower, as seen from below, has a soft luminescence that emanates from the base of the stem and fades into the shape of the petals. The unfamiliar cropping makes the black negative space as much a part of the composition as the invasive shapes of the tulip, stem and leaves.
     It would have been easy to keep this image in color, but when viewed in black and white, we see much more than what is obvious and expected.