Red/Cyan 3D glasses are need to view some of the following images( but not all of them).
Chetwynd is along the Pine Pass on Highway 97(fun fact- Highway 97 is a continuation of US Route 97, meaning that you can take ’97’ from central California to the Yukon Border). It is about an hour’s drive south of Dawson Creek, the ‘beginning’ of the Alaska Highway.
Chetwynd is a smaller community, with about 2600 people. It is on the northern side of the mountain range, and gets a lot of variable mountain weather. The BC prairies are to the north; to the east is Tumbler Ridge, famous for the dinosaur fossils.
Chetwynd itself is well known for it’s annual chainsaw carving competition. The wood sculptures line the road; there are new ones every year. It is a great place to take a break from the long drive; I can park and walk up and down the streets, admiring the art. Some of the sculptures are amazing in their detail. How much work would it take to create something like…
…like…
…ummm…
…it’s that time of year again, isn’t it?
Okay, to be fair, I modified the last two photos; all three are variations of the same photo. The second photo was altered with Photoshop’s ‘solarize’ tool, and the third photo was modified by using it again and cropping the picture. To be UNfair, I did not modify or touch up the first photo. He’s just there, along the highway, smiling at the passers-by. Look at that smile. He knows something. something about you. Yes, I am referring to YOU specifically. He knows your name… all of our names…
Art brings up a lot of questions. My questions are: Why is he hanging off a pitchfork? Is he tied to it? Is the pitchfork restraining him, or is just placed there for easy access? What is the crow whispering to him? Can mortal minds comprehend it, or do the whispers bring only madness? Why can I still hear the whispers now?
Okay, apparently two dimensional photographs make the sculpture look creepy, how about three?
No, there is still something dark and twisted with this sculpture, even with the bright colourful flowers. Look at that last photo; the hand is reaching out, ready to take us through the computer.
If it is creepy in the visible spectrum, Lets go to infrared. With my zomei 760 nm filter, most foliage looks bright white. It won’t look as creepy brightened up, will it?
You can really see the detail of the sculpture; every dark shadow and stain is revealed. What is it stained with? Don’t ask. The crisp white colour of the stature stands out from the living foliage, of which the colour is an off white. I’d say the other plants are best described as ‘bone-white’.
Oh, dear.
Well, in for a penny, in for a pound. Last year, I celebrated the holidays by inverting the colour of some of my photos. Let’s try that again, and see just how terrifying I can make the above photos.
well, that was something. Finally, lets invert the infrared.
… that is not better. That is much worse. Much, much, worse. If the photo were a little darker, it would be…
…
…
I am not going to sleep tonight, am I?
Maybe I’m too focused on this one sculpture. There are dozens throughout the town, featuring scenes of nature, history, sea life…
I’m done. I think I’ll wait for a different time of year to write about Chetwynd. Happy Halloween. Have fun, because I am going to hide in a closet and curl up in a ball until November.
Parallel Views 