Photos from the lake in the summer. Another apropriate song for this post would be "Back to the Lake" by Guided By Voices, but this Nick Drake song is a lot more wistful, which I think fits the idea of summer getting farther away. The lake will still be beautiful in the fall though; looking like a Group of Seven J.E.H. Macdonald painting.
How the shadows are painted is incredible. This gold light is the light that I see coming through the blinds right now. This painting is on display at the National Art Gallery if you're interested in seeing it, for those of you in Ottawa.
AY Jackson Edge of the Maple Wood (1910)
While reading Nick Haymes' new photo book Gabe, I watched in horrified fascination as doe-eyed 14 year old Gabe Nevins drifted into this scary adulthood that seemed impossible after immortalizing him in my mind after watching Gus Van Sant's Paranoid Park. Gabe reads like a downward spiral that documents the fading of Nevins' promise as an actor to the reality of drugs and living on the streets in California.
Gabe's health seemed to deteriorate with each page which caused me to have a growing sense of dread about reaching the end of the book. In a piece The Fader did with Haymes, they liken Gabe to River Phoenix, the star of Van Sant's My Own Private Idaho and who died tragically at 23 from a drug overdose. Intentional or not, Haymes' photographs are reminiscent of ...Idaho in their dreamlike dirtiness and clear bright colours with warm washes. In the same interview with Fader, Haymes concludes in saying that "...so far (Gabe)'s okay and I hope he’s going figure it out and get on the right path."
All photos by Nick Haymes, can be found in "Gabe"
This painting is at the National Gallery right now in the Canadian Contemporary section. Its size in person will surprise you. The little lights in the forest seem to glow. If you can, SEE IT! It's incredible.
Peter Doig "Grande Riviere" 2001
