Park View: Sunset by Chipka
Close
Hover over top left image to zoom.
Click anywhere to exit.
Members remain the original copyright holder in all their materials here at Renderosity. Use of any of their material inconsistent with the terms and conditions set forth is prohibited and is considered an infringement of the copyrights of the respective holders unless specially stated otherwise.
Description
“I paint,” he said, stepping through rain-damp grass.
“What subject?” she asked. “I adore painting…it’s such a glamorous discipline!”
“Houses,” he said.
“How wonderful!” Her enthusiasm grated; the sound of her voice drew goose-bumps across his skin. “I’d love to see your work.”
“I think you misunderstand,” he said. “I’m not an artist. I paint houses. Eaves and shutters, window-frames and doors. I give color to architecture, and when Autumn arrives, I rake leaves.”
…
As I walk, things pop into my mind and the dialogue above is what filtered through the brain-space deep beneath my scalp. I have no idea who this house painter is; nor can I guess about the life of the woman to whom he speaks, but I know that they were in my head as I walked through the park near the lake…Which park? I can’t remember, but that’s not important.
I went in search of subjects to photograph. I’d been visiting Corey, as is our weekend custom, and Corey wasn’t far away. It was sunset. The sky was dramatic, as were the buildings in the distance. Winter was behind us, but the ground was still wet. Snow had melted long, long ago, but the water that remained hadn’t all evaporated.
As I wandered, with characters babbling in my head, I snapped this picture. Maybe the woman lives in one of the apartments glimpsed here. Maybe the house-painter is Alex, from previous Dhalgren-inspired posts. Or maybe—just maybe—the characters are no one in particular. At any rate, this is what I saw as I thought of them…only I changed it a bit, and perhaps, in some strange way, it is Alex’s world, just at the beginning of the Event that changed everything.
As always, thank you for viewing, reading, and commenting, and I hope you’re all at the start of a fantastic week.
Comments (28)
blinkings
Great photo my friend. I too love thinking about other people's lives in the big city. I find it easy to get caught up in my own little world and sometimes forget all the other dramsa going on around me.
Roxam
your post-work on this image is spectacular, it certainly punctuates the symbolism (eye-of-the-beholder, and all that jazz)--definitely an exclamation mark (and not an over-used one)
sharky_
Very impressive capture. Aloha
beachzz
I thought I was the only one who did that--wondered about people as they walked by. I love the idea of the painter, and think the woman then probably dismissed him as too plain or ordinary and went on her way. If only she knew that painting houses and eaves and trim takes more talent than she'll ever know. THAT I know for sure, having just done some myself. God, Chip, I don't know what comes over me when I see your fotos and read your narratives; they turn me into this chatty Cathy rambling on about the silliest stuff!!
prutzworks
very nice postwork
durleybeachbum
A very striking image, quite depressing in a way. Reminds me of Betjemans line.. 'the workers flats in fields of soya beans stand glistening in the sun'. And your woman. Maybe she is the same Yankee tourist who 'does' Europe in 10 days..I've met a few of those!
Meisiekind
Oh I had many conversations going on in my head while sitting on the beach in the middle of the desert with just the mighty Atlantic infront of me.... In many ways I cleared things up in my mind and finished some unfinished conversations!!! So yeah - not unfamiliar to me!!! Great image and I do not find it depressing... However, after the vast open spaces that I lived in for 3 weeks, I do feel a bout of panic coming on seeing people living on top of each other...
kgb224
Lol i feel a story coming my friend. Outstanding capture and story line.
helanker
Yes, Chip. I recognize it from myself, imagine a conversation or a happening and I am brewing on it. Wonderful shot you took there and the postwork looks burning beautiful.
flavia49
fantastic image and text!!
MrsRatbag
Wonderful image, I can see why you're inspired to create conversations!
Sea_Dog
Great shot - beautiful wouldn't be the correct word - maybe stirring or unsettling - or powerful. Urban and wooded at the same time. Well done.
zulaan
Fantastic postwork !!!
Faery_Light
Excellent photo.
sandra46
terrific excellent image! a great visionary postwork!
blondeblurr
The start of the sunset to be seen in the first building (?) nothing quite like what I imagined, when I read the headline... "Park View: Sunset" never-the-less it's still intriguing following your 'internal conversations', I am sure, we all have experienced them at some stage in our lives... (speaking of a stage), or just like an actor doing a soliloquy in a play, which sort of reminds me of: 'Voyage around my father', with Alan Bates or maybe even: Arthur Miller's 'Death of a Salesmen' with Dustin Hoffman. Ah, the mind wanders... BB
watapki66
Wonderful work!
mbz2662
i love the dialogue! It made me smile :) It also made me wonder, is she a snooty woman, would she come to care for the house painter? did He live in an old restored house (of course, that he restored himself) somewhere? wonderful !
EBSPhotographic
The grain and burnt edges of the buildings are both excellent. Fantastic sky as well.
myrrhluz
Once again, your work has sent my mind off in a lot of directions, and I need to try to rein it in to sound somewhat coherent. I too wondered about the woman. I'd like to give her the benefit of the doubt as one who has, through nervousness, sounded pretty silly myself more than once. Perhaps she's just nervous and trying too hard. Then again, 'glamorous discipline' is a rather pretentious phrase and makes it more likely that she is a shallow airhead. His two and one word answers are a comical contrast to her effusive enthusiasm. At last he has to exert effort and a greater number of words, to make himself clear. At that point, I suspect she tries and fails to find a graceful exit line, and departs. This is a remarkable image! The sharp contrast emphasizes all of the the little boxes of people living in such close proximity, yet so separately. The composition which has the buildings rising out of the trees, emphasizes their otherness. They seem a strange dark presence. The colors also add to this otherworldly feel. Excellent work!
Mousson
Wonderful!!!
SIGMAWORLD
Excellent.
auntietk
I love the way language can be used to express different things. I recently read that Leonard Nimoy had been doing nude photography. ??? I looked it up. He's the photographer of course, not the model. Still. Language is funny. We have ferry boats here. They're part of our transportation system, and we sort of take them for granted. A year or so ago a friend of mine from out of town told me he'd taken the ferry to Whidbey Island. I asked him, "did you take your car, or did you walk across?" There was dead silence while he tried to assimilate my question. He then very accurately told me he had walked onto the boat and the boat carried him across the water. Did I remember to tell you I like your photograph? The postwork you've been doing lately is so dramatic and beautiful! Excellent image.
alwaysonmymind
Is it just me, or do you really have the knack of giving pictures that distinct 1960's-early 1970's televised sci-fi movie/series feel?
MagikUnicorn
B E A U T Y
kasalin
Very beautiful and an excellent capture, dear Chip !!! 5* Hugs Karin :)
tennesseecowgirl
Wonderful post work on this.. nice work!
Alex_Antonov
Beautiful work!