Whitney Lake ~ Artist

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Goblin Valley Overview

Goblin Valley Overview, a photo by Whitney Lake on Flickr.

Goblin Valley is a state park in Utah just west of Canyonlands and Arches national parks.

First discovered by cowboys searching for cattle, and later stumbled upon by a ferry operator

searching for an alternate route, the area was acquired and designated as a state park by Utah in 1964.

One cannot see the valley until nearly upon it. It is much like a broad swath carved out of

a flat plateau with a few surrounding buttes. Inside the swath are a multitude of somewhat

anthropomorphic sandstone figures that can be viewed as being either whimsical or spooky,

depending upon the lighting conditions / time of day.

One might encounter families with children or even school field trips here,

but the reality of what one is confronted with here is truly astounding.

The valley floor is ( I'm guessing ) about a half mile or so wide by maybe 2 miles long,

with 3 distinct areas full of these 'goblins'. The surrounding walls of the valley or canyon

are weathered sandstone of the most outrageous sci-fi type facades imaginable. In fact, part

of the movie 'Galaxy Quest' was filmed there.

I can't wait to go back.

...from my Flickr set on Goblin Valley. To see more please visit:

Goblin Valley photo set by Whitney Lake on Flickr

Images may not be copied, downloaded, or used in any way without the expressed or written permission by Whitney Lake.

Twisted Sisters

Twisted Sisters, a photo by Whitney Lake on Flickr.

I couldn't help but have ideas about this place when I drove by it...so I processed it in a retro style.

Like all art, the bigger the better, please visit Flickr ( click the photo ) and view in darkroom ( Press 'L' ) for a better view.

Some music for accompaniment....

See more of my Photographs from my Flickr Photostream at:

Whitney Lake Photostream on Flickr

Images may not be copied, downloaded, or used in any way without the expressed or written permission by Whitney Lake.

Friday, February 10, 2012

City Market Redesign

MAYOR INSISTS

NEW CITY MARKET REDESIGN

MATCH WHITNEY LAKE RENDERING

View of newly redesigned City Market from Southwest Entry ( click to enlarge )

Noteworthy Indianapolis Architect Lynn Molzan contacted me to collaborate on the new renovation for City Market in downtown Indianapolis, whose current ambience at the time was bland and uninspiring.

We had a small budget that didn't include much beyond new paint

and finishes but we were able to make a substantial improvement in the overall ambience which the venue demanded.

I started by building a fairly elaborate and accurate model of the City Market in Sketchup

with suggestive booth mockups and major accessories. Color was then added

to give us a good idea of what it might look like and the model was then ready for use

as a tool to find our viewpoint for the design rendering.

The Sketchup 3D model ( click to enlarge )...more photos of the model available at my website:

City Market Model

Although I had already created a Sketchup model which I could have taken 'to the next level' in a photorealistic style, two items made it unfeasible as well as undesirable. One, the level of complexity in 'stocking shelves' with 3D modeled goods would be overwhelming in terms of labor and memory consumption and two, a photoreal rendering cannot duplicate the artistic design qualities of a hand drawn piece of artwork, which is far easier for a client to grasp in the design phase.

Once a photoreal rendering is made, the project becomes 'set in cement' within a clients mind so to speak, and the idea of making alterations to the design becomes more difficult to access. A hand rendered illustration has a much lighter character to it, making it a far better choice within the context of presenting a 'design' to a client.

The most expensive line item was new lighting. Although the budget was small, the Mayor insisted that the final look follow my illustration as closely as possible. Some items were impossible, but the custom fabricated, massive red serpentine hanging fixtures which run the entire length of the market on both sides are my original design and were considered a must have.

View of Market from Southwest Stairway ( click to enlarge )

Detail view of custom fabricated lighting.( click to enlarge )

This project has been an absolute success in creating a festive market atmosphere

which generates excitement through the creative use of color and environmental character.

The final design illustration ( click to enlarge ) which was remarkably cited again and again

as the driving agent behind what the Mayor wanted the City Market to look like when finished.

More of my photography, design and illustration work can be found at my website:

www.WhitneyLakeAssociates.com

and many more of my Flickr award winning photographs at :

http://www.flickr.com/photos/whitneylake/

Images may not be copied, downloaded, or used in any way without the expressed or written permission by Whitney Lake.

Monday, January 2, 2012

Honeymoon In Vallarta

Honeymoon In Vallarta, a photo by Whitney Lake on Flickr.

The drive down from Guadalajara to Puerto Vallarta is an experience worth doing. Along the way there is the government sanctioned tequila country to pass through, which being very picturesque in it's terrain, ultimately descends into a low canopy jungle overhanging the road. About this time the road from Guadalajara briefly wends its way into the State of Nayarit before heading back into Jalisco. I see army men with automatic weapons.....ah....I'm in Mexico. At this state border it's about the illegal importation of fruit instead of narcotics.....which is kinda funny really, because as soon as you cross the state line, one sees multitudes of shanty fruit stands. I'm nearing Vallarta now...here is the in your face billboard at a T junction blinding me with advertisements for strip clubs and gambling....hey, I thought that I was going to someplace classy?

...sooooo....I'm entering into Vallarta from the north which I have been told is a place to avoid since it's your basic generic luxury hotel scene without real flavor...and that is true, however, in booking a hotel in Mexico in a place you've never been to before, I would still recommend something that you can be reasonably sure is going to be a clean and healthy environment.

I've heard some sparking reviews about this town, however I did not find it to be among the top 10 or even 20 places in Mexico that I would prefer to visit. Without going into all that, and the fact that a hurricane hovered off the coast for the week that I was there, I will say that there are a number of very good restaurants there, all in the 'Zona Romantico' or old portion of the town so named for the Burton/Taylor love tryst that occurred there...the best of which that I enjoyed was the Vista Grill overlooking the town and shoreline where I found a unique tequila called Almondrado, which varies greatly by brand. Whatever brand it is they have at the Vista Grill, which they would not tell me is I think, brewed in heaven. I haven't found anything like it in or out of Mexico yet.

....how would I characterize Vallarta in general?

It's an overpriced yet dismally dysfunctional vacation venue, unless you can get into one of the more intimate privately owned condo retreats that are south of town, and your primary interest is lying on a veranda.

Part of my Mexico set from my Flickr site...to see more visit at:

Whitney Lake at Flickr

Images may not be copied, downloaded, or used in any way without the expressed or written permission by Whitney Lake.

15 Seconds Of Fame

15 Seconds Of Fame, a photo by Whitney Lake on Flickr.

....according to popular legend, everyone gets it. For some it lasts longer, but it's still 15 seconds in the light of eternity.

I for one, can't wait until the 15 seconds are over for certain people, but I'm going to observe good social etiquette and refrain from naming them for purposes of maintaining my composure and escaping the possibilities of libel.

...from my Flickr set on Chicago. To see more please visit:

Whitney LAke Chicago Flickr Set

Images may not be copied, downloaded, or used in any way without the expressed or written permission by Whitney Lake.