Walter Law’s Mysterious Lanterns

October 20, 2022 by Howard Dale Posted in Events Leave a comment

I recently started to volunteer at my village’s historical society: The Briarcliff Manor-Scarborough Historical Society (BMSHS).. One of my first tasks was to help with the creation of a presentation on “Walter Law’s Mysterious Lanterns”

I’ve posted about them before. See:

Above long time friend of the BMSHS, Charlie Trainor introduced the presentation. In his introduction Charlie made the following points:

Who? Us. The Briarcliff Manor & Scarborough Historical Society
What? We almost became extinct.
Where? In this community, in this building, and in the Youth Center.
When? Over the past two and a half years.
Why? The Covid 19 pandemic and a storm named IDA.
How? We survived through the efforts of one very dedicated person, Karen Kotter Smith.
What Now? We need help. Real help. We need volunteers to assist in re-newing the kind of research and vibrant programing the Society has provided to the community in the past. Please see our “Wanted Poster”.
Facts you may not know: We receive no financial help from any government agency. We have on going expenses such as venue fees, storage fees, phone bills and office equipment. We are a tax-exempt 501-3C entity. We will appreciate anything you can do to help us carry on our mission to preserve and share our unique community’s history.

Kaaren Smith, Executive Director of the BMSHS giving the presentation. She addressed such issues as who was Walter Law? What was his connection to the lanterns? How many lanterns are there?; Where are they located? Where did they come from? How did they get to Briarcliff Manor? and more.

Some of the participants.

The Wanted Poster

A copy of the full presentation is available here on the Briarcliff Manor-Scarborough History Society website.

Taken with a Sony A7IV and Rokinon AF 24-70 f2.8 FE

UEFA Champions League Final

June 1, 2022 by Howard Dale Posted in Black & White, Events, People Leave a comment

The other day I went into New York City to meet and old friend and former colleague for lunch and to watch the UEFA Champions League Final between Liverpool and Real Madrid.

Real Madrid won despite Liverpool dominating the game. For example Liverpool had nine shots on goal where Madrid, I believe only had one. However, that one shot went in and regrettably none of the Liverpool attempts did. I have to admit the the Madrid goalkeeper was absolutely superb.

Taken with an iPhone SE II.

Hallowe’en’s coming

October 24, 2021 by Howard Dale Posted in Events Leave a comment

I guess Hallowe’en is just around the corner. This picture was taken from Sleepy Hollow Road. For any of my non-American friends who might not get the reference – possibly the most famous American Hallowe’en story is that of Ichabod Crane, his ill fated romance with Katrina Van Tassel and his encounter with with the headless horseman as described in “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” by Washington Irving. It’s a great read. Sleepy Hollow is the next town to mine and I’m often found walking in the nearby woods or in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery/The Old Dutch Burial Ground.

Taken with a Fuji X-E1 and Fuji XC 16-50mm f3.5-5.6 OSS II

Election Day 2020

November 3, 2020 by Howard Dale Posted in Events, People Leave a comment

On election day 2020 I had to go up to the lake house. On the way I stopped at Flory’s convenience store on Secor Road. This was the scene that I saw across the road.

The guy standing on top of the car is not a mannequin, rather he’s a real person wearing a Donald Trump mask. He was waving to passersby and seemed to be having a great time.

It little further down the road there’s an overpass over the Taconic State Parkway. Two other people were walking back and forth across the bridge. One was waving a Trump flag and the other a US flag.

Note that this post does not imply that I am a Trump supporter. I just couldn’t find anything handy related to the Biden/Harris campaign.

Taken with a Sony A6000 and E 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 OSS

New Year in Paris 2: Van Gogh Exhibition

September 14, 2020 by Howard Dale Posted in Events, Painting, Things Leave a comment

While we were in Paris my wife was keen to see the the new digital exhibition in the Atelier des Lumières. So off we went. According to the exhibition’s web site:

The exhibition immerses visitors in the paintings of Vincent van Gogh (1853–1890), a genius who was not recognised during his lifetime and who transformed painting. Projected on all the surface of the Atelier, this new visual and musical production retraces the intense life of the artist, who, during the last ten years of his life, painted more than 2,000 pictures, which are now in collections around the world.

The exhibition explores van Gogh’s numerous works, which radically evolved over the years, from The Potato Eaters (1885), Sunflowers (1888) and Starry Night (1889) to Bedroom at Arles (1889). The Atelier des Lumières highlights the Dutch painter’s expressive and powerful brushstrokes and is illuminated by the bold colours of his unique paintings. Warm hues give way to sombre colours. The immersive exhibition evokes van Gogh’s highly emotional, chaotic, and poetic inner world and highlights the constant interplay of light and shade.

The thematic itinerary retraces stages of the artist’s life, and his sojourns in Neunen, Arles, Paris, Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, and Auvers-sur-Oise. Visitors are transported into the heart of his works, from his early to mature years, and from his sunny landscapes and nightscapes to his portraits and still lives.

This is complemented by a new educational device inside the tank located in the centre of the Atelier: a selection of van Gogh’s famous paintings are represented in their entirety and accompanied by commentaries about his oeuvre and the museum in which it is exhibited.

The visual and musical work produced by Culturespaces and directed by Gianfranco Iannuzzi, Renato Gatto, and Massimiliano Siccardi, highlights the chromatic richness of his palette, as well as the potency of his drawings and his use of impasto.