Tag / photography

by shannonchance

Irish Lore on the Blue Ridge

Mike Heivly's studio in Charlottesville, Virginia, filled with the essence of Ireland.

Mike Heivly, Kevin Donleavy, and Dave Chance at Mike’s art studio in Charlottesville, Virginia — filled with the essence of Ireland.

The fragile gift bag I toted from Ireland sheltered two vinyl records by Jerry Crilly’s old band, Rakish Paddy.  Jerry sent one home as a gift for me and the other for his friend Kevin Donleavy, who we managed to locate in mid-November.

This vinyl record is a collector’s item, Kevin tells me.  He played the CD version on his radio show a few weeks back.

Incidentally, he has a new show airing this Saturday, December 29 on the UVA radio station.  Click here for directions on how to listen online.

The vinyl records were both a heartfelt gift from Jerry and a plausible excuse for me to find Kevin — who, I’d informed Jerry, Dave and I would be driving right past on our holiday trek across Virginia.

We met Kevin at his colleague’s studio in Charlottesville.  Mike Heivly has filled the studio, located in a church’s unused classroom, with fascinating poems and images of Ireland.

Mike is as enamored with Irish lore as the rest of us, as you can see by the images of his work.

It turns out, Kevin has enlisted Mike to help with documenting the railway in Charlottesville that was built in the 1850s by about 2,100 Irish and 90 slaves.  A full account is posted by The Blue Ridge Railway Project (at www.clannmhor.org), which explains “Clann Mhór – which in Gaelic means the Great Family – wishes to honor the history of these forgotten railroad workers.”

Mike also has beautiful images of Newgrange and the famine village near Dingle town.

Mike Heivly’s Newgrange series.
Irish musician and historian Kevin Donleavy.
Mike Heivly’s photos of the local railway tunnel that Kevin is working to have formally recognized for its historic significance.
Mike Heivly’s photographs from the famine village near Dingle, Ireland.

Although Dave and I were instrumental in re-connecting Jerry and Kevin, it turns out that Kevin himself is a master at connecting people. Particularly around subjects of Ireland.  Here’s an email I received from Kevin after our visit:

Hiya, Shannon agus Dave,

That was a pleasant enough event at Mike’s studio Saturday.  You two seemed to enjoy it, too.  Pretty neat projects that Mike gets into.
Thanks for bringing the 33 lp of the Rakes.  Very kind of you to drag it across the western ocean. Lovely songs on it, just as I had dimly recalled.
Am including some info about Iroid sculptor Mark Connelley. Hope his work interests yiz and catches your eyes. Strange, isn’t it, that everybody who goes to Ireland gets caught up in aspects of its culture ? Mirabile dictu, and that ! (Did you know I taught h.s. Latin for years ?)
 
All the best, Kevin

Dear Kevin,

 
I am happy to have made a connection with you.  While I hope that a variety of people like my work, I particularly want to make an impression on folks of Irish influence. Much of my work is inspired by the many ancient treasures found in that part of the world. There are some who feel the same connection that I do to this culture, and it is always comforting to hear from them.
 
The best way to learn about my work is through my website: http://macworks-art.com/. I have images up of most of my work with stories of how each piece was influenced. You can also follow my business page on Facebook (click the ‘F’ below.) I post images there of installations like the one in Charlottesville. I also post discussions and images of other artwork.
 
I look forward to browsing your links and learning more about your group. I am a big fan too of traditional music. Our local radio station, WNCW, has a show on Saturdays named ‘Celtic Winds.’ They do a fair job, but it consists of too many reels for my wife’s taste. I disagree, but that is the joy of music.
 
Thanks again for contacting me. I look forward to meeting you in person sometime too.
 
All the best,
 
Mark
 
 
 

MARK A. CONNELLEY

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Sculpture & Landscape Art | 828.384.8318 | macworks-art.com

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On Nov 7, 2012, at 8:22 PM, KEVIN DONLEAVY wrote:
Hi, Mark,

 
Was driving in the Emmet Street neighborhood here in Charlottesville the other day and saw your sculpture of  The Storyteller. Very nice work, and in an a propos siting, too, since the street is named after heroic Robert Emmet’s nephew:  John Patten Emmet was chosen by Thomas Jefferson to be on the initial faculty of the new U. Va. in the 1820s. 
 
Several of us will help spread the word about your sculpture within the Irish mini-community here. There is BRIMS, the Blue Ridge Irish Music School;  you can google them.  I myself do a regular program of Irish trad music on-line and FM on WTJU.org  here  (next show is Sat., Dec.1, from 10 am till 12 noon).  Have a gander at our website, www.clannmhor.org, where our collective is documenting the 2,100 or so Irish and the 90 slaves who built the railway here in the 1850s.  
 
Why don’t you e-mail and tell me more about your ogham-sculpture and other efforts, which will give us some background to this work of yours.  If you are ever in Cville, especially on a first Sat any month, I can have you chat on the radio program.  How’s that ?
 
Hope to hear from you,
Kevin
by shannonchance

Another Norman Rockwell Christmas at Kitty Lee and Glen’s

Introducing my Massie grandparents — Layton (Pa) and Lillian (Ma) Massie.  They are my Dad’s parents, and they used to live in Staunton, Virginia.

Layton McCarthy and Lillian Forsythe Massie.
Heather with Lillian (Ma) and Layton (Pa) Massie.
Amanda and Lilli with Lillian Massie a couple years ago.

Although Ma and Pa are no longer with us, most of their kids and grandkids (as well as their great grand kids and their great great grandkid) gather at my aunt Kitty Lee’s home each year to celebrate Christmas.

I enjoy this outing and the chance to catch up with Kitty Lee and Glen (who live in the picturesque Shenandoah Valley), as well as my Dad and the rest of the Massie tribe.

This is the way we’ve celebrated Massie Christmas since the mid-90s.  Before that, we’d all gather at my grandparents’ cozy bungalow at 414 High Street in downtown Staunton, Virginia.

The pictures below were taken December 22-24, 2012.

Arriving at Kitty Lee and Glen’s house for Massie Christmas.
Kitty Lee and Glen Layman at home in Harrisonburg.
Kitty Lee always decorates so beautifully for the holiday.
Dave playing with Kitty’s cat, Whitney.
Kitty Lee’s most recent needle point project (one of two angles shown here).
Enjoying the Layman sunroom (that I helped design many moons ago).
A view of the Shenandoah Valley on a clear day…
…and then the snow rolled in.
And the hills and silos were shrouded by snowflakes.
Kitty watching the snow start to fall.
Massie family dinner. Thanks Dad, Kitty Lee, and Glen for hosting dinner.
The kids aren’t so little any more.
Michelle, Kitty Lee, and Dave looking over my grandparents’ high school yearbooks.
Pa was in the drama club…
…and on the baseball team…
…and on the basketball team too!
Dad and Kitty Lee trying to find their parents’ photos.
Kitty Lee Layman, Buddy Deaton, Heather Massie, and Maureen Deaton.
My cousin Michelle and her daughter Ryleigh.
Ryleigh and Michelle admiring ornaments that record our family history.
Lilli keeps us all in stitches.
Amanda (Lilli’s mom) and her sisters Chelsea and Kaitlin.
Exchanging Christmas gifts with Dad.
Birds enjoying the snow, including a cardinal (the Virginia state bird).

by shannonchance

Dave Chance Downtown

We haven’t yet started moving Dave into his new photography studio at 610 High Street, but we’re starting to design how he will use the space.  Our friends Jenn White and Dan Bell met us there the other night to celebrate Dave’s news.

Looking north on the 600 block of High Street in Portsmouth, Virginia. Dave’s new studio space is at the back of his courtyard.
Dave in his new space.
Inside the space as it is now.
Jenn White and Dan Bell brought champagne to toast the move!
From the back door of the studio, you see the back side of five houses I designed on Green and London Streets.
We proceeded down the street to the Baron’s Pub.
And Jenn’s boyfriend Landon joined us.
Here’s the nearby St. Paul’s Catholic Church that’s near to our hearts.
by shannonchance

Christmas Fotos

2013 calendar cover

Dave and I put the final touches on our secret Santa project today.

Dave’s weekend was much more exciting than mine… I’ve been chained to my laptop writing all weekend. He went to two fun-looking holiday parties and so did Lucy and Matt.

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Dave spent Friday night at Virginia Beach so he could enjoy the AGC-VA Christmas party.
Saturday night he headed to Norfolk for an event at the very cool Monticello Arcade, home of Work Program Architects.
Lucy and Matt joined his new colleagues for a grown-up party, too.
by shannonchance

More on the Photo Party

I wasn’t the only one blogging about Glen McClure’s photographic extravaganza last night.  David Adam Beloff posted an intriguing blog as well.

 

by shannonchance

Thankful

Today I am so thankful for so many different things.

Dave is one I am ever so thankful to have in my life.  He’s turning 40 this Saturday, and I’m sad to be missing it. Here’s a little tribute to the love of my life.

Dava and Shannon in Sidi Bou Said, Tunisia. Once upon a time.
Dave and “baby” David, November 2012.
Shannon, Dave and Heather, Christmas 2011.
Dave in Bayeux, France.
Dave documenting WWII sites in Normandy, France.
Dave at the Eiffel Tower.
Dave documenting doors.
Reflecting Shannon and Dave.
Dave with his French espresso.
Dave and Shannon on Lourmarin, France.
Dave and Shannon.
Dave in southern France, 2012.
by shannonchance

Outward Bound

Glen McClure took this photo in County Mayo, Ireland. It’s available on his blog.

The day has finally come. My bags are packed, I’m checked in for my flight, and I think I’m ready to fly. I can’t say the same for Dave, who is still furiously editing photos. He’s been working day and night for weeks to meet his clients’ needs and help me get my computer equipment in optimal working order.

Unfortunately, he hasn’t yet started to pack. But no worries… we’ve got 10 hours until we have to bid adieu to our kitties and hit the road.

Marshall McClure, the beautiful and talented owner of Parke Press, will be driving us to the airport. We’ll be flying partway to Ireland with her husband, Glen. He will split from us at JFK because, while we as landing in Dublin, he’ll be landing in Shannon. He is going to spend a couple of weeks doing what he does best… photographing landscapes, people, and the occasional building. He often travels to the western side of Ireland to do so.

Dave and I have our work cut out for us in Dublin. We’ve got get the essentials for living in place. Once settled, we plan to join Glen on the western coast of Ireland for a few days. I’m looking forward to our little camera and Guinness club. I’m just wishing Marshall was going to be there with us, too. She’s one of my all-time favorite people and the party’s not going to be complete without her.

Wish us luck with apartment hunting! We’ll let you know how it goes….

by shannonchance

Reflecting Dublin

Traveling with a professional photographer has its perks.  I get to use fabulous hand-me-down cameras and I have a most astute technical advisor on hand.

It’s got some drawbacks, too.  A few years back, I’d started to adopt Dave’s eyes and to automatically see the world through his frame of reference.  The problem was:  I found myself all too tempted to copycat his compelling visual language whenever I was behind a camera.  Most people would see that as a blessing, but we found we were competing for the same spot of ground everywhere we went.  There always seemed to be one most-logical place to stand to capture that perfect image and Dave got there first.

I’d have to find my own photographic niche. So I started capturing images of what lies beneath the surface. I became fascinated by the reflections that dance off metal, glass, and water.

In this pursuit, I’ve combed cities throughout the US and Europe in search of reflections that tell a story.  I seek to capture the essence of each city I visit and mark its place in time.

I hope that when we look back at these images in years to come, we’ll know intuitively “that was Madrid in the ’90s” or “Dublin in the early part of the new millennium.” We’ll be able to learn something of history, of the city, and of ourselves in the image’s details.

For me, this hobby never grows old.  Each shop window becomes a full-length motion picture, revealing to me layer upon layer of time and of social reality. Every puddle and each car fender provides a kaleidoscope of vibrant images waiting to be discovered.  In the blink of an eye or the subtle shift of the lens, a reflection can transform completely.

My camera captures what the eye sees but the mind generally ignores: the fleeting images that inform our understanding of the world without us even realizing they are there.

Below, I’ve posted the first of the Dublin Reflections I will share with you on this blog.  This particular image is quite straightforward.  I hope it will be very easy for you to untangle the layers, determine what it “is,” and decide for yourself what it means.  There are far more challenging visual puzzles to come….

I selected this particular reflection to share with you today because I think it does a nice job summing up my hopes and dreams for the upcoming year.  It was taken in Dublin in March 2011.

Cultivate Living and Learning (Copyright Shannon Chance, March 2011)