Abstractions 2
By Jim Sizemore
The “Hip Shots” series of photographs feature images that were grabbed “on the fly” with little regard for framing or focus. The object of the exercise is to create dynamic images, not perfect ones.
Hip Shots
March 19, 2018
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abstractions, composition, graphic design, images, photography, relationships | Tagged: art, focus, images, labor, photography, relationships, trains, travel, work | 
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Posted by Jim
Today’s Gag
April 21, 2017
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WPA Color, 1939-1943
February 1, 2015Signs
When my bother, Vernon Leroy (Lee) Sizemore, retired from the military, he earned his living as a sign painter, a skill he had picked up in vocational high school and sharpened by—among other things—painting pin-up girls and fancy lettering on the noses of airplanes. In the years before his death, he was doing broadsheet window signs for grocery stores and night clubs. Some of his expert brush lettering signs were finished with glued-on glitter, especially those promoting bands and singers. Near the end of his life, he fell off a ladder while hanging an exterior sign and wound up with a severe right-side head injury. He was in a coma for months. Once he woke up, I visited him several times in Denver. He always had something interesting to say, riffs that would start O.K., then wander off into fantasy, not making much sense—but to my ears they were weird poetry. And when he drew Picasso-like portraits of people, me included, he always left the right side of the head blank. When I asked why, he said because that was the way they were.
Lee was a wonderful older brother. Because of all the good things he taught me during trips to museums and theaters, letting me tag along when he shined shoes in South Baltimore bars, and schooling me in basic sign layout theory, I’ve dedicated this post to him.
(Click images to enlarge.)
A collection of photographs like the ones above, on a wide range of subjects, are in the archives of FSA/OWI (Farm Security Administration/Office of War Information). These rich color images, taken within three years of the invention of Kodachrome, serve to inspire as much as to document. To see more of them on this site, type “WPA color” into the small search window in the sidebar on the right of this page. For the complete collection, visit the WPA site by tapping the link in the sidebar box marked “Photography.”
2 Comments | bars, boys, business, culture, death, doctors, drawing, education, family, illustration, jobs, kids, labor, layout theory, lettering, memoir, posters, relationships, signs, teaching | Tagged: business, coma, death, drawing, employment, family, images, labor, lettering, medical, military, poetry, relationships, sign painting, work | Permalink
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WPA Color, 1939-1943
January 23, 2015Kids
The first photograph in this WPA (Works Progressive Administration) series is a time machine, shooting me back 70 years. We did a lot of “visiting” between families in the mountains of south-western Virginia in the late 1930s, 40s and 50s. It was a social event, entertainment, a cheap vacation. But at those gatherings it always seemed there were too many kids and too few beds. So I spent my share of time taking a quick nap after being played-out, sprawled out like the group in this image. Or, with the addition of a thin blanket, down for the night with lots of close company. Being somewhat shy, perhaps like the wide-eyed girl in the photograph, I was usually the last one to go to sleep and the first to wake up. But always, whomever we were visiting, my family was made to feel welcome. And when the time came to go home, our host’s warm sendoff usually went something like: “You’ll come back real soon.”
(Click images to enlarge.)
A collection of photographs like the ones above, on a wide range of subjects, are in the archives of FSA/OWI (Farm Security Administration/Office of War Information). These rich color images, taken within three years of the invention of Kodachrome, serve to inspire as much as to document. To see more of them on this site, type “WPA color” into the small search window in the sidebar on the right of this page. For the complete collection, visit the WPA site by tapping the link in the sidebar box marked “Photography.”
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A Visit from POTUS
January 19, 2015
My name is Amanda Rothschild and I’m the manager of Charmington’s, a café in Baltimore City. That’s me to the lower right of President Barack Obama in this picture.
(Click image to enlarge.)
The president visited my restaurant because our workers get paid sick days, even though Maryland law does not require employers to offer them. Because our employees have paid sick time off, they can take the time they need to get well or take care of their families. They don’t come to work sick, spreading germs to their co-workers or our patrons.
This year we have the chance to pass the Healthy Working Families Act in the Maryland General Assembly and give more than 700,000 Maryland workers paid sick days. Sign our petition and tell Maryland legislators that you think workers should be able to earn paid sick leave.
When the president dropped by yesterday for a sandwich, we talked about our paid sick days policy. I shared with the president that having paid sick days makes our employees healthier and reduces our staff turnover, saving the business time and money. He told me about his work to pass paid sick days legislation in the U.S. Congress and that he is encouraging every state to give workers earned leave.
President Obama cannot do it alone, he needs for people like you and me to make our voices heard. Please join me in signing our petition to tell Maryland legislators that you think workers should be able to earn paid sick leave.
Thanks for your activism and visit us at Charmington’s soon!
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Posted by Jim
WPA Color, 1939-1943
January 12, 2015Labor
For those struggling throughout the Great Depression, the New Deal WPA (Works Progressive Administration) promised not just employment, food and shelter, but hope for the American dream.
From 1939 – 1943 workers participated in massive public projects from building roads, to making art across the country. A collection of photographs depicting this period are in the archives of FSA/OWI (Farm Security Administration/Office of War Information). They show not only a monumental time in American history, but a still applicable vision of American fantasy.
While most of us are familiar with the Dorothea Lange’s Depression-era photos, this particular era of American life has been largely forgotten. These rich color images, taken within three years of the invention of Kodachrome, serve to inspire as much as to document.
(Click images to enlarge.)
A collection of photographs like the ones above, on a wide range of subjects, are in the archives of FSA/OWI (Farm Security Administration/Office of War Information). These rich color images, taken within three years of the invention of Kodachrome, serve to inspire as much as to document. To see more of them on this site, type “WPA color” into the small search window in the sidebar on the right of this page. For the complete collection, visit the WPA site by tapping the link in the sidebar box marked “Photography.”
Leave a Comment » | business, business as usual, class, history, human resources, images, jobs, labor, labor relations, men, photography, pictures, public service, time warp, transportation, women, work relations | Tagged: business, business as usual, employment, factory, farm, history, images, labor, photography, pictures, railroads | Permalink
Posted by Jim
Today’s Gag
May 13, 2013
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Posted by Jim
Hip Shots
May 11, 2012The Bridge: Steel II
By Whyndham Standing
(Click images for larger views.)
The “Hip Shots” series of photographs will feature images that were grabbed “on the fly,” with little or no regard for framing and focus. The object of the exercise is to create dynamic pictures, not perfect ones. With this ” shoot-from-the-hip” method the more frames exposed, the better the chances are that you’ll come up with something interesting — a related series that may be arranged as a post. If you’d like additional tips for using the technique, or to submit your own images, drop a question or note in the “Leave a Comment” section, below. This feature will appear most Fridays.
Copyright © 2012 Whyndham Standing.
Leave a Comment » | business, Hip Shots, images, labor relations, photography, transportation | Tagged: Baltimore, business, business as usual, construction, CSX, employment, Fort Avenue, Fort Avenue Bridge, hip shots, images, labor, Maryland, photography, pictures, railroad, replacement bridge, shoot-from-the-hip, tips, tracks, transport, work | Permalink
Posted by Jim
Hip Shots
April 20, 2012The Bridge: Steel
By Whyndham Standing
(Click images for larger views.)
The “Hip Shots” series of photographs will feature images that were grabbed “on the fly,” with little or no regard for framing and focus. The object of the exercise is to create dynamic pictures, not perfect ones. With this ” shoot-from-the-hip” method the more frames exposed, the better the chances are that you’ll come up with something interesting — a related series that may be arranged as a post. If you’d like additional tips for using the technique, or to submit your own images, drop a question or note in the “Leave a Comment” section, below. This feature will appear most Fridays.
Copyright © 2012 Whyndham Standing.
Leave a Comment » | Hip Shots, images, labor relations, photography, work relations | Tagged: Baltimore, CSX, employment, Fort Avenue, Fort Avenue Bridge, hip shots, images, labor, Maryland, photography, pictures, railroad, replacement bridge, roadway, shoot-from-the-hip, skilled labor, steel, tips, tracks, transportation, welding, work | Permalink
Posted by Jim
Hip Shots
April 6, 2012The Bridge: Footing
By Whyndham Standing
(Click images for larger views.)
The “Hip Shots” series of photographs will feature images that were grabbed “on the fly,” with little or no regard for framing and focus. The object of the exercise is to create dynamic pictures, not perfect ones. With this ” shoot-from-the-hip” method the more frames exposed, the better the chances are that you’ll come up with something interesting — a related series that may be arranged as a post. If you’d like additional tips for using the technique, or to submit your own images, drop a question or note in the “Leave a Comment” section, below. This feature will appear most Fridays.
Copyright © 2012 Whyndham Standing.
Leave a Comment » | business, Hip Shots, images, labor relations, photography, work relations | Tagged: Baltimore, bridge construction, business, business as usual, CSX, employment, Fort Avenue, Fort Avenue Bridge, hip shots, images, labor, Maryland, photography, pictures, railroad, replacement, shoot-from-the-hip, tips, tracks, transportation, work, workers | Permalink
Posted by Jim
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