(Balance - Iao Valley, Maui)

As I drove around the back roads of Maui, I began to notice these small stacks of rocks balancing on larger rocks. At first I barely noticed it, but then began to "see" them everywhere! They were on the sides of the roads, on cliffs and even in the middle of rivers like the image above.

Intrigued, I did a Google search and found this:

There are many points of interest in North West Maui. As you travel from Kapalua one of the first interesting locations is Nakalele, sometimes referred to as "Hobbit Land". This is a wind swept overlook with knarled evergreen trees, wind swept rocks, and a great view of northern Molokai. There are a number of stacks of balanced rocks at Nakalele, hence the name "Hobbit Land". The rock stacking is believed to have been started by local fishermen, a way to mark the path to where they're fishing down the sea cliffs, the practice caught on with visitors who began stacking rocks too.

Whatever the origin or original intent, it has the feeling of a peace offering, a symbol that reminds us to live in harmony with the land and with others. It was encouraging to see that so many people were drawn to this same sentiment!

Click here to view all seven new Maui images

(Rising from the Sea - Maui)

(Submerged Rocks - Maalaea Harbor, Maui)

(Swimming Towards the Light - Kihei, Maui)

Do you generally prefer an image in black & white or in color? You can guess my answer, but I am intrigued as to why I prefer black & white.

Is it because I grew up in a black & white world where television, movies and the newspaper were all in black & white? My heroes were in black and white and the nation was segregated that way.

Am I simply more comfortable with black & white because I grew up with it?

Sometimes I think that it's too easy to create a color image (sorry to my color loving friends!) but with black & white you really have to work at the image to grab people's attention.

The image above was created by shooting into a swimming pool from above and at night. While the color in the image does add something, I still prefer the black & white version.

Which do you prefer?

(The Pools of Iao Valley - Iao Valley, Maui)

What if you were to take one of the worlds greatest musicians, and have them play in the NY subway for tips....would people still appreciate their work?

Read about this experiment performed by the Washington Post and written about in the short article by by Robert Genn below. While the article is interesting, the discussion afterwards is fascinating!

Cole





Context July 3, 2007

Dear Artist,

Did you ever wonder about the difference between a piece of art in someone's basement and a piece of art in the National Gallery? Did you ever wonder just exactly what constitutes "good" art?

Readers may be familiar with the recent experiment done by the Washington Post. The brilliant violinist Joshua Bell, fresh from a performance at the Library of Congress with the Boston Symphony, busked for free during the morning rush at a Washington Metro station. Joshua Bell performs with the BSO (January 2006)

Of the thousand-odd passersby, only a few stopped, or even paused, to listen. Small change fell infrequently into his open violin case--the very case that holds his $3 million 1710 Strad. Most were oblivious to some of the most beautiful and difficult music ever written for his instrument. Interviewed after leaving the building, it seems few commuters even noticed the guy in the baseball cap standing by the frequently swinging doors. Thinking back, Bell believes some thought his efforts offensive. The nearby skin mags, shoeshine lady and lotto ticket machine got more attention. View video .

Bell, when playing in more conventional venues, is a guy who makes about a thousand dollars a minute. Much has been written of his Metro debut. My take is that the Metro is now and will forever remain an inappropriate place to hold a concert. Any concert. Quality art deserves and needs a proper frame to be fully recognized as quality art. In art, perception and context are all-important. "Art pity" is not a significant generator of fans.

Many visual artists who read this will never see their work in the National Gallery. While there's a complex mix of machinations that needs to happen in order to be there, we can often make the choice to be in better venues. Quality mags beat scandal sheets. Commercial galleries beat barber shops. We can be selective about our galleries, too. The unfortunate truth is that it's better to be on Lord Bluffington's walls than on Joe Blogg's on the other side of the tracks. People who pay big bucks to put their bottoms in the front row are just a wee bit more likely to be enthusiastic. It's human nature.

Best regards,

Robert

PS: "I was oddly grateful when somebody threw a dollar instead of change." (Joshua Bell)

Read the discussion about this topic (this is the really good part!).

(Peas in a Pod - Iao Valley, Maui)

Here's where my work and I have been recently:

(Poudre River Spillway Detail No. 13 - Fort

The seven new Images that I created in Hawaii are being offered this month at 40% off my regular prices. These are new images and being offered for the first time.

An 8X12 image matted to 16X20 is now $180

The 10X15 image matted to 20X24 is now $300

To order, simply email me at Cole@ColeThompsonPhotography.com

And please remember that my booklet, "classic images in black & white" is still available for $7.95 plus $2.00 s&h. Read More