Blog feed on Rhoda Gordon Bullock, MFA

Silent Auction/ART PRESERVATION ECHO PARK/METRO GALLERY

Metro Gallery's great space in Silverlake is hosting a silent auction/fundraiser this Saturday, August 19. Thirty artists have donated work, and the show looks great, lots of really interesting work. All this to support the Echo Park Historical Society. Very proud to be a part of this show.

I have three works in the show, one is the Vintage Echo Park image shown on my Current Projects page, and two are color photographs: one of the fountain and one of the Lotus this summer. The Closing Gala is Saturday night, from 7-9PM, Metro Gallery, 1835 Hyperion Avenue in Silverlake.

You can also connect and view the work donated by clicking Echo Park Historical Society.

Hope to see you there!

First Showing of Lotus This Summer and Alegria on Sunset

Photographed the first lotus blossoms of the summer. Just opening and mostly buds. The park & rec crew setting up today for the Lotus Festival this weekend. The most exciting photos today are of the fountain, backlit by the setting sun. Will go back and use medium format for these images. I used a slow shutter on some of them, around 1/60, thinking it would show the flow of water, as in waterfalls in mountains. The wind was a big factor this early evening, blowing the mist of the falling water far across the lake. You can see this in the photos along with some great lens glare that I like. Also used faster speeds as well. I will have them enlarged and may donate them to the ARTS/PRESERVATION ECHO PARK silent auction at the METRO GALLERY to be held on August 16-19 this summer. It's the Echo Park Historical Society's first ever art auction fundraiser. I will post the photographs donated on this site. Look for them in early August. Another new restaurant the Alegria on Sunset, just a few doors east of Millie's and Madame Matisse. I really loved it. Reminded me of Santa Fe. Everything made fresh and the Vegetales con Quesos, very original and beautifully plated. Will go back soon.

Early June, The Lake and Madame Matisse Restaurant

The entire city is blanketed in a foggy 'marine layer'. It's bright shade, known to some photographers as the perfect light. No harsh shadows, no squinting. The entire sky a light source, already diffused. The actual light on the lake today looks good. The photos show that even though no sun, the range of tones is wide. I experiment with a slow shutter speeds of 1/30 and 1/45. This allows the movement of the slight wind to be captured in the water, creating swirly patterns. The problem with using this slow a shutter, of course, is that the ducks are not all in focus. Also, used an aperture of f13 and f16. This works well, allowing the entire expanse of the new lotus leaves, to all be in focus. It's a pleasure for the eye, to see across the lake in the photo and to see it all clearly. I've used Photoshop to enhance contrast on this image, and have altered the color balance as well. I go to Sunset to discover a new restaurant, the Madame Matisse. Busy, friendly and a great menu. Local ambience with a French touch. Luckily, no kitsch or cute. Will go back to photograph the heart shaped vines twining around outside umbrella on Maltman.

Echo Park Historical Society Lake Tour

This was a two hour tour of the mostly surrounding neighborhoods around the Lake. Led by Echo Park Historical Society Guide, Dave Zahniser (staff reporter, LA Weekly). Lots of personal stories and theories thrown into what is actually a tour script, full of history and local lore. Here's the link to the Echo Park Historical Society, a very active group, (I just joined) that has accomplished Historical Landmark status, just this March, for the Lake. Go to www.HistoricEchoPark.org I saw Angelino Heights for the first time, and on the other side of the Lake, along Belview, more neighborhood, with great lake views. Dave took us all the way to Sunset, to show the Jensen Building, now an Historical Landmark. The building used to have an elaborate bowling alley. He pointed out the small figure on the far left of the original sign on top, a man throwing a bowling ball.

Echo Park Revisited with Photos of Water Debris

Today I photographed Echo Park. I love the park, I started doing images of it when i was a student at Otis, and did lots of photos a few years ago. I have not been to the park in a while, the lotus plants are not showing yet, planning on photographing them as they blossom, and will post images on this site throughout the summer. The vintage photo on the homepage was taken in 1968, when the trees dipped down into the water. I'm fascinated with the reflected images of trees and clouds in the water. The park seems European to me, like the parks the impressionists painted. It has a there there, no matter what the lighting or weather. Here is my best image today of a family of geese....using my canon10D with an arco ball head on tripod (my usual setup) and a Canon EF 70-210 lens. THESE IMAGES MAY NOT BE EASY TO VIEW These are photos of the far eastern corner of the lake, where all the muk and debris collect....this is a tragedy.....to see this kind of pollution of the water in echo park.... a dead turtle.....and a stranded baby turtle.....far from the families of turtles sunning themselves along the bank of the lake. There seems to be oil pollution of some kind, you can see the line of oil against the darker water......I hope my photos can bring attention to this and help find a solution to the problem. I'm not a documentary photographer....but could not help photographing this....in hopes to improve it. My son Dave, an emerging photographer, did some of these photos today, along with me.