Joma, the artist ...
For quite some time I worked intensively on the Frontispiece for the first Salon of Theosophy, initiated and set up by Erica Georgiades, and co-hosted by both Lyndon Smith and Taposhri Ganguly. The first session took place on September 7 and it was a great pleasure and honor to be the guest of this first edition of the Salon and to work on the Frontispiece.
Watch the first edition of Salon of Theosophy, click here
A photo series by David Grossman
New York IS the center of the World
Pandemic-wise we are slowly reaching the mountain top. No one quite knows what our new reality is going to look like once we’re over that top, but it’s good to look forward to inspiring possibilities. With or without masks, with or without an adequate vaccine we will need to come together again to celebrate and live the life in all its splendor.
David Grossman specializes in “catching the moment”; using his lens he tells the story of people’s emotions, whether it is sadness, fear, concern, or just heartwarming happiness.
This time it is very much HAPPINESS but also CONTEMPLATION, demonstrated through parades and gatherings packed with CULTURAL DIVERSITY, with 20 interactive images taken during the four seasons New York each year goes through.
What you are about to see took place in the city that never sleeps. New York, the Big Apple, or whatever name you want to give to this metropolitan wonder, soon will enter a new phase, and no matter what that new phase may look like, New York IS the center of the World, where all are ultimately ONE.
The original inhabitants of North America we call “Native Americans.” Everyone else is an immigrant in that they can trace their family lines to other countries and continents; and for the majority of Americans in three generations or less. New York City is a prime example. It is a multicultural Mecca reflected in the number of parades it hosts every year honoring its citizens whose roots can be traced around the world. ; Ireland, Nigeria, Germany, Pakistan, Greece, Mexico, India, Panama and Korea are just some of the countries represented. The following photos are a sampling of the rich cultural diversity that is New York City which is sometimes called a small country off the coast of America.
Spring Fields, photos taken on an early evening in May 2014
I was on my way home from a Gurdjieff Group meeting in Bavaria, which is about a two-and-a-half hour drive on mostly country roads. Because of its extraordinary beauty, I wanted to take that first shot of a solitary tree, but on this stretch of the road there was no hard shoulder and it was not possible to stop the car. Consequently I had to drive quite a bit further, until I was able to leave the car on a parking lot and hiked all the way back to the location where I had spotted the tree.
Once back in my own car, only ten minutes down that same road, after passing some hills, I saw the same rapeseed fields hit by rays of sunlight against the dark storm cloud background, so I stopped and setup my tripod once more to take the other shots.
If photography is painting with light, I always look out for colors and contrasts. Many times I have to tweak the colors in post processing to get the right results - in this case the evening sun was just at the right angle, and all I had to do was selecting viewpoint and exposure.
Joma, the artist
Dear friends,
As always, I am happy to inform readers of Theosophy Forward about what I have been doing recently.
Working on preparing the details and Artworks for my next exhibition in the city of Lisbon, that will happen later this year; you are all invited to come. I share some of the works that are going to exhibited.
Beauty of Winter Light
For me, photography is painting with light. I am always on the lookout for special light conditions - the actual motif and its positioning is what most often catches my eye, but before the actual capturing click, I spend most of the time rearranging the camera's position, while focusing on the background and the light behind the object.
David Grossman – USA
David, a professional photographer and life-long Theosophist, regularly contributes to Theosophy Forward. This time his theme is a rather intimate one: Kissing, Caring and Loving. The 2020 world is not really a harmonious, peaceful or loving place, though Love is supposed to be the cement of the universe. As the well-known Burt Bacharach and Hal David song goes: “What the world needs now is Love, sweet Love, it’s the only thing that there’s just too little of.”
So, let’s kiss, care and love …….
The 13 images are accompanied by quotations and sayings, underscoring the moments caught on David’s camera.
It's the kind of kiss that inspires stars to climb into the sky and light up the world.
Joma Sipe, a gentle soul and fine artist
As always, I am very pleased to share with the readers of Theosophy Forward what I was up to recently.
Have been pretty occupied preparing the details of my major exhibition in the city of Porto. It took place between November 9 and December 6. Much needed to be done. I gladly show you the poster of the exhibition below.