Three things happened.
First–several months ago while driving a rural road, two deers leapt out from a stand of trees about three car lengths in front of me. They appeared to hesitate seconds and then decided to go for it–they crossed the road and disappeared into another stand of trees. I braked in time but, ironically, it was only then that I saw the sign with the jumping deer. I use this road often, many times at night, but I had never noticed this sign before.
Second– yesterday, I photographed my 11 year old grand niece playing soccer late in the afternoon. She loves the sport and often while we talk in her kitchen, as she talks about whatever we are talking about, she’ll unconsciously work on her foot work with a odd stuffed animal or toy left on the floor by one of her four younger siblings. Sometimes, she kicks it so hard it goes zooming into the next room.
Third, after returning home from the soccer match, my cousin Mary told me she’d gone to a movie while visiting New York City about Salvatore Dali, the surrealist painter.
Three unconnected events surfaced today in this image and remain unexplained.
Why even try?
©Pat Coakley 2009
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Another striking image. This one fills me with foreboding. I associate balls flying across roads with children being run over as they chase the ball. In short, balls together with roads freak me out.
When I read your comment (it was the first one) about foreboding…I simply said, “yes”. It is what animated this image, but I didn’t know it until I read your comment. This process is often subterranean. Once again, your observations are so helpful to me.
that is A1 beautiful imagery. I got the surreal sense before reading the words, why even try indeed. but i will…the point of view, the motion of the ball as well as it’s position, the intrigue suggested by the fluorescing sign approaching, all of these captured in a daylight scenario, the movement sculpted in time, it makes one stop and stammer some unintelligible recognition of something important and mystifying
Oh, Tipota, I’m so glad you “tried”…always unique and original.
I’m not even going to try… I’m just going to appreciate it as stunning work. Wow!!
Teresa, welcome and thanks so much. “Wow” works just fine for me!
Once again, a dreamy quality. This time, from one of those dreams filled with symbols that don’t match. The deer were there but now they’re not, the deer crossing sign has changed to a person crossing in the middle of nowhere, the trees seem to drag the dreamer forward and then, out of the forest flies a ball. Yep, sounds like the sort of dream I have. Perhaps that’s why I feel so comfortable looking at your images – because they’re like snapshots of my subconscious. I think Dali’s dreams must have been a bit like your pictures. With the sort of life and imagination he had I do sometimes wonder how he ever survived in the real world. Then again, there was always Gala to save him from too much exposure to that.
I love the details of this observation, Epic. My original teacher of Photoshop told me I should teach the Psychology of Photoshop and that was nine years ago! Lots of subconscious flowing under the bridge since then! Dali always scared me. I agree. I don’t know how he dealt with the real world but I’m going to be on the look out for this new movie.
A beautiful image filled with foreboding from the in-focus floating ball. Like tipota, I felt the surreal before reading your words.
By the way, it was explained to me that those deer on the road signs are dancing, not jumping…
Don, foreboding is a specialty in real life!
i can’t get over your photography. its phenomenal.