What a Year!

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Me doing "monkey business" at the Pacific Science Center in Seattle, 

September 2012. (Thanks to Linda for the picture)

Well, another year is gone. Another year moving forward, making balance and taking few risks and hits here and there while still trying to keep yourself on track. This one has passed fast, as usually they do after you pass your "30's", which is part of life somehow.  Still, despite been fast, it is what we have done (or not) during it, that makes it a good one or not.

A lot of people tends to make a balance of it, that sometimes falls into "top ten of the year", "the best of..." or even the "person of the year", so I thought that making a list of things will be... but still, there are few things that made this year for me and I want to remark them here, sharing it as you like to share the good things that happen in life.

This year saw the visit of my sisters...

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"Untitled" (Sisters)

© Flavio Martín Morante_2012

which it was one of the moments I waited with anxiety for a while, after not seeing them for almost 2 years. Sadly not only time went really fast while they were here, but also the abrupt passing on Uruguay of one of my sister's best friends while they were here did tinted things with a different tone but made us somehow appreciate more the time spent together. A lot of good memories to be keep while awaiting the "next time".

The other thing that made this year for me was starting working at Port's Library. Not only I am really happy with the job, but also I have met a lot of interesting people and I have come across a lot of interesting material, which I hope this coming year will keep making me grow in many different ways.

I could go with few more things as it is with things related to my photography and our traveling, but I prefer not to extend myself on it since that what this blog has been for, but still saying that in both cases it has been a year of great learning, which it will help on what will hopefully come this year.

Last, but not less important, is the fact of been with Dawn another year...

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Dawn & I.

© Flavio Martín Morante_2012

celebrating the good things of this past year, reviewing the ones not so good to make them better, and looking forward to see what 2013 brings, which I (and both) hope it will good. For that I (and we) want to extend my/our best wishes to you, wishing that you make and project always, even if they are small things, because in the small changes is where big differences are made.

Best wishes and Happy 2013! 

Black & White (?)

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"Untitled" (Crow & Tree) *

© Flavio Martín Morante_2012

(*) the "off tone" in this picture is due to the fact that it was taken through a window.

We did finally got today our so forecasted "Snowpocalipse". Several inches of snow will be making happy anyone who did wanted a "white christmas". On the other hand, we did lost power around 3 in the morning, I did shovel a LOT of snow which it made me realized how bad out of shape I am :) and was told not to go to work today because the library did close due to the snow storm.

Yeah!!!! Winter is &*#@!!! finally here!!!

Those X-mas Cards.

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"Untitled" (Chicago, One Block Theatres)

© Flavio Martín Morante_2012

Dawn and I spent the past weekend on Chicago as our last visit of the year to the city. The weather kept the snow to itself but still gave us enough rain to make any umbrella to become a precious object.

Still, as always we managed to go around it like in a constant discovery, where as usual in this city of contrasts and ironies, raw reality and theatrical fantasy always walk side by side.

It will be now until spring.

Distant Lights

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"An Imaginary Postcard"

© Flavio Martín Morante_2011, Acrylic Painting. 24 x 30 inches

I am really happy to share today that this afternoon I was notified of the selling of one of my paintings: "An Imaginary Postcard" (above).

A little piece of myself going away but still happy for that. It is that kind of thing that makes my day.

Cheers!

Pending Debts

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© Flavio Martín Morante_2012 

Since the first time I saw the Port Washington "lighthouse" (actually is a pier head light now) I became fascinated with it. I walk there everytime I can or that the weather allows it, taking over there every person that comes to visit or pointing it to people that comes to the town, so I have a "visual debt" with it and I finally was able to pay it off.

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"Untitled" (Port Washington Pierhead Light, P. Washington-Wisconsin)

Acrylic painting on canvas, 30in x 40 in © Flavio Martín Morante_2012

Sadly the pier has been photographed tirelessly (even by myself) which it makes it a challenge to make an image of it, reason why I made myself to promise that if one day I would paint it in its "iconic" way, I would do it in a context that will have a reasoning behind (at least for me). That's how finally after many years I was able to do it as I said, making it as a part of a breakable triptych with the 3 lighthouses (or pier head lights) that I do like the most on the state of Wisconsin, or at least from the ones that I got the opportunity to see and walk on it. The composition of the 3 paintings is very similar, straight forward, centered and somehow distant, as if it was a typology about lighthouses on painting establishing a direct relationship between object and viewer. Nothing else.

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From right to left (from south to north)_

Port Washington, Manitowoc and Kewaunee Pierhead/Breakwater lights.

Lake Michigan, Wisconsin.

Each one a Acrylic painting on canvas, 30in x 40 in © Flavio Martín Morante_2012 

Happy with the result, I am putting now the brush down for a little and I will get myself back into the darkroom.

Cheers!

Lake Michigan's Tales

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"Untitled" (South Beach, Port Washington, WI)

© Flavio Martín Morante_2012

"Creepy sight" this morning while taking a walk with Dawn and the dogs on South Beach.

P.S_ Somehow it did reminded me of the bad movie "Tremors" in miniature scale.