Posted on by Anne Sandler · 25 Comments

Down in the Delta: Heringer Family Estates Winery & Vineyards

Oh, it is tough to get back into routine after a vacation. Almost over a sore throat, I checked to see what outings I hadn’t shown you before we left for our Panama Canal trip. I found this delightful winery in the Delta region sponsored by the Yolo Arts and Ag Project.

It was delightful because of the photo and artistic opportunities the Heringer Vineyards offered. There were many photographers and artists in attendance. Although late in the season, some grapes were still on the vine and beautiful against their colorful leaves.

All wineries have tasting rooms and beautiful grounds. Being in the Delta, the Sacramento River is nearby.

And there were many painters sketching and painting the beautiful scenes.

Let’s not forget the traditional old and rusted farm equipment.

My camera always leads me to plants, and that morning was no different.

I think this was the last outing planned by the Yolo Arts & Ag Project for 2025. They will start again in Spring 2026. I do appreciate the opportunities they offer us.

Posted on by Anne Sandler · 57 Comments

Lens Artists Challenge #259: Unbound

Thank you Dan who encourages us, this week, to “capture moments that break the boundaries of your routine.” Other than my recent trip to Australia, I’m pretty much a stick by home gal. I do count on my photo adventures to get me to break the bounds of home and routine. And I have been to many areas within two hours from my home that I would not have seen had I not had a camera in my hand and great friends to see them with.

But, there is another way to interpret Dan’s challenge and that is to see the work of someone who has truly broken artistic boundaries. One such artist is Philip Gloshoff who creates metal sculptures that can be seen at the Glashoff Sculpture Ranch in Fairfield.

Ranch visits are by appointment only. Marlene made an appointment for our photo group to experience these amazing sculptures. We met Philip Gloshoff and talked with him while at the ranch. His clothes were those of a guy who worked with metal, creating works of art.

Philip Gloshoff

Now for his art. There are a lot of photos in this gallery, but I’ve left more in my computer. I could go back and still see new sculptures.

I liked the way he made statements through his creativity and his liking for everything camera. He is truly out of the normal bounds.

Thank you Dan for giving me the opportunity to introduce this artist. Please remember to link to Dan’s post and use the Lens-Artists tag when you respond. We saw all sorts of fantastic fences last week through Dawn’s challenge last week. Next week Janet of This, That and The Other Thing will complete July’s guest host challenges. Look for her post.

If you would like to participate weekly in our Lens-Artists Challenge, click here for more info. 

Posted on by Anne Sandler · 41 Comments

Lens-Artists Challenge #216: Urban Environments

It’s been a while since I’ve been in a truly urban environment. Downtown Sacramento is as close as I’ve gotten, but I already posted many pictures of buildings and street art. So how do I put a twist on this challenge from Sofia? I thought immediately of San Francisco. In July, 2018, Marlene and I took the ferry from Tiburon to the Embarcado.

A couple of pictures taken from the ferry.

It was a full day of walking, taking pictures and people watching. The Embarcado attracts tourists of all ages, people who live in San Francisco and want to eat in well-known restaurants, and anyone who is looking for a speciality item. People watching was what I enjoyed the most.

I was immediately overcome with sadness and wonderment at watching a couple help their very senior dog. I’m now helping my senior dog, a schnoodle, although his stroller is much smaller.

Kids just love the environment on the Embarcadero. This red-head was a stand out and this girl was enjoying this unusual swing.

Street entertainers helped liven up the crowds.

Workers also need breaks.

Artists are also creating and selling their finished products.

And, I can’t close this post without crowd scenes!

Do you see Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream shop in the last picture. Of course I just had to get some Cherry Garcia! I want to go back and do this again. I love street photography. These were just some of the pictures from that trip. Maybe Marlene and I will do this again in the Fall.

Thank you Sofia for letting me go down memory lane with this twist to your challenge. When you post your reply to this challenge, be sure to link it to Sofia’s post and use the Lens Artists tag. Last week John’s challenge brought us to many places in a variety of ways. It was fun reading your posts. Tina leads next week’s challenge so look for her post.

I will be taking 3-weeks off. Yes, I’m actually going on a vacation! I’ll be back soon.

If you would like to participate weekly in our Lens-Artists Challenge, click here for more info. 

Posted on by Anne Sandler · 2 Comments

A walk in the park! Chalk It Up 2019

I’m late in attending this annual activity that started in 1991, but I made it to Chalk It Up this year. Artists claim their squares on the sidewalk that surround Fremont Park in Sacramento and create wonderful pictures.

The festival is a three-day affair on a weekend. Friday is the day the artists begin and they work through the weekend, finishing their creations on or before Sunday. Some artists had sponsors and they showed their names on the square. I’m not sure how much it cost to paint a square.

This is from their website: Chalk It Up promotes and supports Youth Arts by offering small grants to K-12 classrooms, and youth arts projects throughout the Sacramento region. We do this in large part with our annual Chalk It Up! Festival which encourages artistic expression of all kinds through a three day celebration of chalk art, live music, and regional food and craft vendors.

This year it was on Labor Day weekend (It may always be on this particular weekend!) and we chose to attend on Sunday. I was amazed at how many people were out on that last day, and how they calmly walked along the perimeter of the park. We were not allowed on the sidewalks. Some squares were finished but others were being worked on.

Once we walked around the park, we walked the sidewalks that ran through the park where there were food and craft vendors and a band. Different bands entertained throughout the weekend.

So, walk along with me! I did my photography thing while taking and processing these images. I cropped in when I wanted to show the picture and artists. While my watermark in on these as the photographer, I did not create these wonderful art pieces.

Posted on by Anne Sandler · 4 Comments

A bit of country: Clarence Scott Ranch, Winters, California

All the comforts of suburbia are great and I love it, but it’s nice to visit the country once in a while. Thank goodness for the Yolo Art and Ag project which gets us out into the country and on farms and ranches that we would otherwise not gain entry.

This was the case during a recent Thursday when we went to visit the Clarence Scott Ranch in Winters. This Ranch has a bit of everything and lots of scenery for photographers and artists. Hay and cattle are their predominat income sources.

I’ve begun to rely on just one lens when I go on a photo outing. It challenges me, and it’s easier to carry. And, at this point, less weight is important to me since this year has given me a few health challenges. My gear consisted of my Nikon D7100 and the Nikon 18 – 140 mm lens. It’s hard for me to grasp that my camera is OLD now and reduced in price for less than half of what I paid! But it’s the same for a car. Once it’s off the lot…….

On the way home, we stopped to photograph sunflowers and zinnias in Woodland. You’ll see these in my next post. Right now let’s look at the Ranch. The clouds were spectacular!

Artists and photographers were busy too!

I was also fortunate to watch a woman shoeing her horse. A first for me!

Posted on by Anne Sandler

The heat is back! Alpha Fired Arts, Sacramento

This is de’ja vu. When these pictures were taken, we were trying to escape the heat by shooting inside. As I type this, it’s about 107 degrees Fahrenheit! It’s going to be a long hot summer.

Since our Tuesday group shoots each week, we try to find indoor places, go on a road trip to the bay area or get up very early to beat the heat. A few times, we’ve called a virtual trip, asking members to shoot something and post it. It’s amazing what photographers come up with. But this particular Tuesday we were inside.

Alpha Fired Arts, in Sacramento, is a creative outlet for hobbyists, professional artists and teachers who shop for supplies. They even have paint your own ceramics available where you purchase anything from pre-made mugs to more elaborate items, and paint them. They are then glazed/fired. This is a perfect place for kids’ parties.

With triple digits outside, we were delighted to be invited inside by Ray’s wife, Sally, who is a pottery artist. When you enter, you’re inside the store, the painting room is to the left and small gallery to the right. Beyond the double doors in the back the creative work area lies. And, beyond that, are the kilns. We could not escape the heat in there!

I’ll show you pictures of it all. While the pottery was beautiful, it was a challenging shoot. I wanted to shoot from different angles and remain true to the artistic intent. All images were handheld and without flash.

I’m hoping it’s not a hot summer, thinking maybe some cooler temperatures will prevail–SOON!

This cube was in the gallery.
This artist created many shapes.
This one also.
I’m not sure whether the same artist did this.
I liked the colors in this one.
This bowl is one of my favorites.
This is the paint job on a dish. I liked it.
I’m not sure what this is, but it needed to be shot!
This is the work room behind the double doors.
This artist is creating flowers out of left over clay.
This man is painting the bottom of a vase.
Our hostess, Sally, is painting her vase.
One of the kilns
The paint room.
Shelves of paints.
A colorful piece.
Fishing anyone.

 

 

Posted on by Anne Sandler · 3 Comments

Meet me up Scotty: Ruth Bancroft Garden, part 2

If the cacti and their flowers weren’t enough for us to photograph during this Meetup outing, the addition of sculptures made it an outstanding experience. We were allowed to photograph the sculptures, which were for sale, if we gave credit to the sculpture. So, I put a system in place of shooting the name card before I shot the sculpture. Of course, there were times I forgot! I’ll do my best in identifying these amazing artists. My apologies if I didn’t get them all right!

The art forms came in all mediums. There were some sculpted from metal, glass, stone, and wood. Here are just a few.