"A wilful act of vandalism"

More than two decade ago the well respected art critic Clement Greenberg had the art world in a turmoil over his treatment of a few David Smith sculptures.

During his life Smith had respected Greenberg and when the artist died Greenberg gained control of some of Smith's last sculptures. Smith had experimented with mixing painting and sculpture. Greenberg did not approve and had the works under his control, which Smith had given a coat of primer, placed outside to weather.

This was not the first time a sculpture painted by Smith had been altered. When a coat of red painted had been stripped from one of his works in the '60s, Smith had angrily denounced the action as, "a wilful act of vandalism."

Many of the buildings that were once part of the war veterans village have been left to rot. Others have been renovated to the point that they no longer have their original cottage look. There was an indoor swimming pool and a bowling alley among other amenities in the village. It was a remarkable little place sitting on rolling land on the southern edges of the city.

So here's the question: who are the vandals? The folk who paint graffiti over the walls and even roofs of the dilapidated structures or the folk who left the buildings to weather, to be stripped of their paint, to rot?

If you'd like to know more about the village, reporter Kate Dubinski and photographer Sue Reeve of The London Free Press have posted an article with photos on the paper's Website. See: 'Hidden gem' nears end.

Flock at The Forks

Tuesday is set aside for telling you where the graffiti shot posted recently was taken, I promise, but today and Monday I am running this picture of ducks at the Forks of the Thames; They are competing for food thrown by some children. I told their parents about the picture and if they and their children come looking for "their birds" I don't want to disappoint them.

Those of you who returned to find out where the graffiti shot was taken — uh, I guess you I can disappoint. Sorry.

Cheers,
Rockinon

Where is it? Tune in tomorrow.

Graffiti is everywhere. When my wife and I visited Italy a few years ago were appalled at the graffiti defacing old Roman structures. Graffiti artists: artists with no class, no respect, no appreciation of the art of others. Graffiti artist equals selfish artist. This graffiti is in London and marks an area that may soon be gone. At least, the graffiti will go along with the buildings. I have mixed feelings at the loss. Tune in tomorrow to see where this graffiti was found.

Cheers,
Rockinon

A sign of winter

It wasn't the first frost; that was in October. But this morning we had the heaviest frost. It's time to get out the windshield scrapers.

I'm not going to dwell on this because I like winter. I like the bite of the cold, the crunch of the snow underfoot. I get really tired of the constant whining of some folk about winter.

Buy some skies, get a toboggan, make sure you have snow tires, get a toque — note the order that these things come to mind. (The best thing to get is a kid, one about three or four-years-old and together make a small snowman. I refuse to call Frosty a snowperson.)

Cheers,
Rockinon

Like I said, I appreciate our farmland . . .

Beautiful, isn't it? This is just a short walk south of my home. To the south of here, homes. To the north, as you know, more homes. And soon, very soon, there will homes to the east and to the west. Finally, this will be homes.

There has to be a better way.

I appreciate our farmland...

London is constantly expanding, urbanizing the surrounding farmland. Face the setting sun and one captures a purely rural image. Turn around you have a picture of new homes butting up against the open field. I should have turned around and taken a second picture, which I could have run smaller than the main image. Sorry.

I was just so excited by the sunset. I knew there had to be a picture and headed out of town on Byron Baseline. At the top of the first hill, there it was — picture. I parked my car, climbed the fence and ran into the field. I ran from tree to tree trying to create some foreground interest. In the end, I chose one of the shots taken as I ran from one tree to the next.

When I was young I didn't appreciate Southwestern Ontario. But after driving through the American West a few times, I appreciate our rich farmland. I wish other did.

Trying to catch the wind

When a still shooter tries to catch the wind he uses a slow shutter speed. Then the stuff that is blowing in the wind will be a bit of a blur in the image. It is hoped that this motion blur will capture that feeling of movement, of swaying, buffeting by the wind. It's an effect difficult to control with a simple point and shoot camera.

Now, about the picture...It was taken from a hill overlooking southwest London, Ontario. On a clear day, from here one can see the farm silos of Arva above the northern edges of the sprawling southwestern Ontario city.

Cheers,
Rockinon