This Kenneth Noland painting, Fall Blues, has been on my mind these last few weeks. After a cold night under the stars, I wouldn't mind the sun coming up looking like this or this or this. Probably won't happen though...
Mikael Kennedy in NZ
While Cold Splinters jetted off to California for six weeks this last month, our partner-in-crime, photographer Mikael Kennedy, was out at the edge of the world in New Zealand taking photographs for Burton. Until Labor Day-ish, we hadn't seen Mikael for some time, so it's exciting to be able to share some of his photos from his time down under. For your viewing pleasure and ours. From the man himself:
I tattooed a world map on my wrist last year, right before I headed out to cross the United States for for an adventure called Ramblers Bone. I told myself after that run that I was gonna start looking beyond our borders for my next adventure. I was ready for something new.Later that spring, Burton Snowboards called and asked if I'd like to travel to New Zealand with them to photograph their team and winter collection for 2014. I stopped and stared at my tattoo for second in disbelief, and next thing I know, I'm strapped in, shooting out the open door of a white Eurovan called 'the pale horse' as we tore down the switchbacks through the mountain chasing the light. New Zealand is another world, this is just a glimpse.
Much more after the jump...
BIG BEND, EXPANDED
As I mentioned before, the current issue of Garden and Gun features a story about Big Bend National Park, written by me and photographed by Mikael Kennedy. And since it was impossible to squeeze in all of Mikael's photos into a five page spread, we've decided to post a few more here on Cold Splinters. Enjoy the expanded edition of the story after the jump...
Ecstatic Camouflage
The first time we mentioned Daniel Chamberlin here on Cold Splinters, we were referring to "Uncle Skullfucker's Band," an article he wrote as an editor at Arthur Magazine. Chamberlin, who now resides in Southwest Texas, is also the creator of the art above, which he calls "Ecstastic Camouflage," and describes as "explicitly psychedelic post-landscape photography.” Many of the photographs in the series were taken near his home in the Chisos Basin and Davis Mountains. (The photograph on the top is a close up of cactus from Terlingua, TX and sits proudly above my couch as you enter my apartment.) A little bit more from the artist on EC:
“It is a post-landscape photography that explodes anthropocentric notions of perspective by way of repetition and rotation, an organic visual drone. It is an attempt at revealing my communion with the so-called “plant mind” of shamanistic lore.”
Chamberlin is also the host of Inter-Dimensional Music, a fantastic show on Marfa Public Radio that you can listen to every Sunday night. I highly highly recommend it.MP3: Peaking Lights - Beautiful Son