Blog – Seite 13 – by GG – Fine Art Photography

Update on: Lavinia Iulia Falcan Illustrates Children’s Book

Lavinia Iulia Falcan with her "Little Pink Cloud"

“In the clear blue sky, in a big white cloudy house, lived six cloud brothers. Five of them were grey, while the other one was pink. The grey little clouds used to always laugh and make jokes at the pink one, just because he was different…”
Cristina Donovici, The Little Pink Cloud, 2017

Lavinia just told me that there actually is an English translation for the book in the making. I can hardly wait to read about the Little Pink Cloud in English!

PS: Above you see Lavinia with one of her Little Pink Cloud illustrations.

Lavinia Iulia Falcan Illustrates Children’s Book

The Little Pink Cloud (Illustration: Lavinia Iulia Falcan)

“Imagination has brought mankind through the Dark Ages to its present state of civilization. (…) The imaginative child will become the imaginative man or woman most apt to create, to invent, and therefore to foster civilization. A prominent educator tells me that fairy tales are of untold value in developing imagination in the young. I believe it.”
—L. Frank Baum, The Lost Prinzess of Oz, 1917, Introduction

My friend and wonderful artist Lavinia Iulia Falcan has illustrated a children’s book and I just love the Little Pink Cloud! So far the book is available in Romania and in Romanian only, but maybe it will we translated into English so that children (and their parents!) here can also enjoy Lavinia’s wonderful pictures.

I met Lavinia earlier this year at “Emerging Visions / Plurality of Expressions” in New York where we both exhibited our art. She loves colors and indulges in them in her paintings, illustrations, and murals. Check out her art on her webpage and follow her on Instagram and Facebook!

“Skies/Himmel” a Winner at the 2017 International Photography Awards

I just found out that “Skies/Himmel” has made a 3^rd place at this year’s International Photography Awards (IPA)! The prestigious IPA is a sister-effort of the Lucie Foundation. The Foundation’s mission is “to honor master photographers, to discover new and emerging talent, and to promote the appreciation of photography.” Incepted in 2003, the IPA has this year received nearly 15,000 submissions from over 165 countries across the globe. I feel deeply humbled and grateful that the jury panel has selected “Skies/Himmel” as a winner in the Book – Monograph category.

Guessing Clouds

“Hamlet: Do you see yonder cloud that’s almost in shape of a camel?
Lord Polonius: By th’ mass, and ‘tis, like a camel, indeed.
Hamlet: Methinks it is like a weasel.
Lord Polonius: It is back’d like a weasel.
Hamlet: Or like a whale.
Lord Polonius: Very like a whale.”
William Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act III, Scene ii

Even though Hamlet might have been testing his chief counselor there and things did not end well, I just love guessing clouds! Do you remember spending afternoons lying in the grass with friends as a child, looking at the sky, trying to outdo one another in what you could see there? Telling stories about heroes, monsters, and adventures? What happy, carefree days those were!

And what do you see in the picture above? I see little clownfish Nemo playing in the ocean. Looks like he is having fun!

Types of Clouds

“I pointed out the different types of clouds and what they told of the weather to come. She showed me the shapes they held: a rose, a harp, a waterfall.”
Patrick Rothfuss, The Name of the Wind, 2007, Chapter 33

Nephology, the science of clouds, categorizes different types of clouds depending on their distance from the Earth and on their shapes. For high-level clouds the prefix cirro- is used, with alto- used for mid-level clouds. Low-level and mixed-level clouds usually have no prefix. Sheets of clouds are called stratus clouds, stratus being Latin for “stretched and spread out”. Puffy clouds are called cumulus clouds, cumulus being Latin for “heap or pile”. By combining altitude and shape, this system provides categories and names for all the wonderful cloud phenomena in the sky. Based on this system, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) publishes its International Cloud Atlas. And something named “stratocumulus stratiformis” just has to be beautiful, right?