Thursday, June 30, 2016

Kaleidoscope - New Original Piano Music!


Hello everyone, I hope that you are having a great artistic week! While I am feeling a little under the weather today, I wanted to be sure to share with you all a creative project that I have been working on these past few weeks. This is a new piano piece, titled “Kaleidoscope” that I wrote with a driving melodic line accompanied by a warm synthpad (cello like sound) and a drum. I recorded and mixed this work together with software on my laptop, playing in the parts from my keyboard. I added several effects the parts, altering the sound, seeking an ethereal quality to the music.  

It has been a little while since I composed any new pieces, and it was an engaging experience creating a musical work just for fun. I studied composition formally in college, but that always felt like work, so for this piece, I wrote music that I would enjoy listening to: simple, playful, and energetic. 

When I was a small boy, my grandmother had a basket that was full of Kaleidoscopes at her house. I remember looking through the small hole on one end, spinning the tube around to watch the fractal colors shimmer and collide. When I had finished writing this piece and listened to the whole work from start to finish, it reminded me of that sensory experience and I could hear the colors shifting from position to position.

Kaleidoscope



For the best listening experience, I suggest wearing headphones, which will give you a better sound quality than standard monitor or laptop built-in speakers. 

You can hear more of my music here:
https://soundcloud.com/charles-wolf-composer


Question of the Day?

What do you hear when you listen to this piece 
+
What would you title it?

Let me know in the comments below or at the Impulsive Artistry Facebook Page.

Thanks so much for listening; I hope that you enjoyed it. I will be back next week with another photo set from my recent trip to beautiful Vermont. As always, have an amazing creative day!

—Charles


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Tuesday, June 28, 2016

Climbing Mount Mansfield, VT - Photo Set.


Cairn on Mount Mansfield. Photo by Charles Wolf. 
Impulsive Artistry © 2016. All Rights Reserved. 

Hiking to the top of Mount Mansfield, the tallest mountain in Vermont (4,393 ft to the highest peak), ranks in my top 25 coolest and strenuous experiences to date. The peaks of Mansfield, when viewed from a distance, form an elongated profile of a human head: the forehead, nose, lips, chin and Adams apple. This climb took a little over 6 hours, 2 ½ to the top and 3 ½ hours down. Thankfully, the trails to the top do not start at the bottom the mountain or it would have been a much longer climb.

My wife and I arrived in the early morning. A mist settled in-between the trees from the low hanging clouds resting against the side of the mountain. The birds chirped from the branches above and the air was cool and damp. The trail began with a long stretch of gravel road with an even gradient upwards. At the end of the road, three paths branched outwards, and we chose the Sunset Ridge Trail—while still a strenuous climb, it was not the most direct route to the top. We crossed several streams as we hiked, using small wooden footbridges a few feet wide. As we ascended, the trees became shorter, and the path steeper.


Road up the Mountain. Photo by Charles Wolf. 
Impulsive Artistry © 2016. All Rights Reserved. 


A Footbridge. Photo by Charles Wolf. 
Impulsive Artistry © 2016. All Rights Reserved. 
    
In Vermont, June is similar to April in North Carolina: spring. The wildflowers are in bloom, the grass and leaves a vibrant green, and the streams are rushing down the mountains. One such mountain stream found its way onto the path that we climbed, forcing us to skip from stone to slippery stone to avoid plunging our boots into mud. The forest comprised of birch, oak, maple and evergreens at the bottom, gave way to only pines growing to our eye-level, and then even shorter. We had reached the end of trees and should have seen a stunning view of the surrounding landscape stretching out below, but as I mentioned in my last photo set, “Visiting Vermont,” the first few days were overcast and dreary and the clouds blocked our view. We chose this day to hike because the weather was forecasted for sunny, it wasn’t sunny yet and we pressed onwards and upwards.


Mossy Boulders. Photo by Charles Wolf. 
Impulsive Artistry © 2016. All Rights Reserved. 


Over the Ridge. Photo by Charles Wolf. 
Impulsive Artistry © 2016. All Rights Reserved.

One of the most beautiful scenes that I have ever seen in my life was a large rocky-sloped plateau, splotched with green lichen and marked with cairn disappearing into the mist. A brisk breeze chilled us through our clothing, rushing across the top of the mountain. Through the thick rolling fog, I could dimly see a larger hill rising up higher than the plateau and perhaps another beyond that. We stopped under an outcropping of stone and ate a quick snack as the cold air whipped past. Resolved to reach the top, we continued on our journey.


The Rocky Plateau. Photo by Charles Wolf. 
Impulsive Artistry © 2016. All Rights Reserved.


Misty Mountainside. Photo by Charles Wolf. 
Impulsive Artistry © 2016. All Rights Reserved. 

In several spots the path ended at large rocky boulders and we climbed vertically using small handholds. The air grew thicker with swirling white/grey mist the higher we climbed, and at last we reached the top. A sign marked the side of the path, declaring our victory; at least I think that is what it said…


Through the Gap. Photo by Charles Wolf. 
Impulsive Artistry © 2016. All Rights Reserved.  


Conquers of the Mountain! Photo by Charles Wolf. 
Impulsive Artistry © 2016. All Rights Reserved. 

Climbing down proved tougher than climbing up. The stones were slick, and we had to be extra careful to not fall onto our faces or into the muddy water. As we hiked, down the sun burst through a fog and the clouds began to move away from the mountain. Before we returned to the tree line, we got to finally see the spectacular view that we had missed on the way up. Of course by afternoon the sky was blue, but we had a wonderful time climbing to the top of Mount Mansfield. A memory and an experience that I will not soon forget!    


 The Fog Breaks. Photo by Charles Wolf. 
Impulsive Artistry © 2016. All Rights Reserved. 



  Clouds over the Green Mountains. Photo by Charles Wolf. 
Impulsive Artistry © 2016. All Rights Reserved.


A Stunning Landscape! Photo by Charles Wolf. 
Impulsive Artistry © 2016. All Rights Reserved.


Question of the Day!

What is your favorite or most infamous memory of hiking? 

Let me know in the Comments below 
or 


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Thursday, June 23, 2016

Visiting Vermont - Photography


Evening Clouds over Lake Champlain - Panoramic. 
Photo by Charles Wolf. Impulsive Artistry © 2016.

My wife and I enjoyed taking this past week off, vacationing in beautiful Vermont! We visited with family in the Burlington area, staying just down the street from stunning Lake Champlain, the 13th largest lake in the US. Across the water, you can see the Adirondack Mountains rising on the New York shoreline, blue in the sunlight. I have several Photo Sets to share with you all from this trip, but today will focus on my first few days of visiting Vermont.

I meet my wife in California where I grew up, and have wanted to visit her “home” state for many years, but this was the first time we have visited together. As a side note, I have learned that Vermonters are very strict about the rule that you must be born in Vermont to call yourself a Vermonter, hence the quotation marks, but her whole family is from there, which makes it a special place to visit. 

Anyway, we had a fantastic time exploring the gorgeous landscape, taking photographs, climbing to the top of the tallest mountain in Vermont, Mount Mansfield (future Photo Set), traveling up to Canada to see Old Montreal, and eating at several of the fine restaurants located in Burlington. We drove 16 hours and arrived to an overcast sky and misty weather. As the week progressed, the clouds finally broke, the sun appeared, and we enjoyed moderate weather (80s) until the end of our trip!  

So without further ado, let’s get to the photo set: Visiting Vermont!

Visiting Vermont Photo Set


Delaware Memorial Bridge. Photo by Charles Wolf. 
Impulsive Artistry © 2016. All Rights Reserved.



 Looking South to the Manhattan Skyline - 
George Washington Bridge, NY. Photo by Charles Wolf. 
Impulsive Artistry © 2016. All Rights Reserved.


Colorful Adirondack Chairs. Photo by Charles Wolf. 
Impulsive Artistry © 2016. All Rights Reserved.


Mist on the Green Mountains. Photo by Charles Wolf. 
Impulsive Artistry © 2016. All Rights Reserved.


Exploring Downtown Burlington - Ivy. Photo by Charles Wolf. 
Impulsive Artistry © 2016. All Rights Reserved.


Old Line to Burlington. Photo by Charles Wolf. 
Impulsive Artistry © 2016. All Rights Reserved.


Spectacular Sky. Photo by Charles Wolf. 
Impulsive Artistry © 2016. All Rights Reserved.


Golden Sunset - Lake Champlain. Photo by Charles Wolf. 
Impulsive Artistry © 2016. All Rights Reserved.


Visiting Stowe, VT. Photo by Charles Wolf. 
Impulsive Artistry © 2016. All Rights Reserved.


Beautiful Vermont. Photo by Charles Wolf. 
Impulsive Artistry © 2016. All Rights Reserved.


By the Lake. Photo by Charles Wolf. 
Impulsive Artistry © 2016. All Rights Reserved.


Glowing Light. Photo by Charles Wolf. 
Impulsive Artistry © 2016. All Rights Reserved.


The Storm Breaks. Photo by Charles Wolf. 
Impulsive Artistry © 2016. All Rights Reserved.

Question of the Day?

Which of the photographs from this set was your favorite?

Tell me in the Comments below 
or 
On the Impulsive Artistry Facebook Page!

Final Thoughts

These are just the first of several photo sets that I have of the amazing beauty of the Green Mountain State. Every day we were treated with outstanding sunsets, lovely landscapes, and crisp morning light. I hope that you enjoyed this photo set and will stop by again next week for the photos from our arduous hike of the tallest mountain in Vermont, Mount Mansfield, and the exquisite beauty of the climb.

Until then have a great weekend, start a new artistic activity, and have a fantastic creative day!

—Charles

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Tuesday, June 21, 2016

Black and White Photo Contest WINNER (Bonus Post)


A huge thank you to everyone who participated in the Impulsive Artistry Black and White Photo Contest! It was hard to pick the winner with the great selection of photos that were submitted. I look forward to more contests in the near future! Without further ado, here is the winning photo submitted by Kathy Jordan:


“Hot Air Balloon” 
Photo by Kathy Jordan, Raleigh NC.

If you would like to participate in future photo contests, be sure to like the Impulsive Artistry Facebook Page.

Have a great creative day!

—Charles

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