A Midsummer Night's Dream Assignment

I was given the plum assignment recently to design the cover for Prestwick House's Touchstone Classic Edition of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream.

I created one a few years ago, for a different edition, but I was never completely satisfied with my depiction of Nick Bottom (the peasant in the play who is transformed into an Ass). It seemed a bit too easy to simply place a donkey's head onto a model's body (although many engravings and paintings illustrate his "condition" in this way). Today's high school students (the intended audience) expect something a bit more sophisticated in this age of digital film effects. A "morphing" image between a human and a donkey would work much better I thought, if I could find the right models for the job (man and donkey).

My first attempt in 2004 – a little too pasted-on looking for me.

I sketched out a thumbnail and decided that it needed a few woodland faeries flying about his head to add movement and color.

Enlisting the help of some willing co-workers as models, I rented 2 faerie costumes and purchased a few inexpensive props such as silk flowers for the headbands, Halloween close-out faerie wings, and a roll of burlap from the local hardware store.

Assembling a few lights and a fan I photographed all the subjects separately keeping the same settings in the camera to ensure the exposures would be consistent. The models were wonderful and posed their hearts out. Thanks Paul, Kathy, Annie, and Jen.

The CD of "Faerie music" played during the shoot helped put everyone in a magical mood.

Paul H. The perfect model for Nick Bottom. A good sport too as he knew I was going to transform him into an Ass.

Annie looking wistful.

Jen about ready to take flight.

Kathy taking direction like a pro.

Annie from the finished cover.

...and Jen, the green faerie.

Kathy whispering "faeriespeak" into Nick's ear.

The completed cover.

Inside spreads.

All images Copyright 2008 by Prestwick House, Inc.

The Scarlet Letter

Photographed at dusk, October 13th in the Brandywine Creek State Park, Delaware for the Prestwick House Touchstone Classic edition of The Scarlet Letter.

My favorite shot but proportionally it didn't quite fit the locked-in shape for the book (see below).
The colors, the texture, the subject, all remind me of a Maxfield Parrish painting.

Final Approved Version

All images Copyright 2008 by Prestwick House, Inc.

Xperiments in Space and Time

Wanting to explore high speed photography I set about experimenting with showing a single object, in this case an orb, essentially occupying the same space (frame/image) in the same time.

All of these images involve a process similar to multiple exposure techniques found in traditional film photography, In other words, none of the orbs were "pasted" into the frame. The highlights and shadows always appear different depending upon the orb's position in the image.

All images Copyright 2008 by Larry Knox

The Oracle of Pythos

Taken a few weeks ago, this is the latest in a series of photos depicting a mysterious, ancient oracle that came to me in a single vision.

I found out, after building this scultpture, that some historians believe the trance from which the famous Oracle of Delphi despensed her premonitions might have been induced by a less than lethal dose of the venom from pythons.

The Oracle of Pythos: On the Shores of Troy

The Oracle of Pythos: The Copenhagen Effect

All images Copyright 2008 by Larry Knox

Cocteau's Garden

This caterpillar was found in a tomato garden, feeding off the plants. The white innocent looking fluffy pods are actually some kind of wasp or hornet egg which will feed off the host until it dies – eaten alive. Nature is neither cruel nor kind.

Nature reserves the right to inflict upon her children the most terrifying jests. ~Thornton Wilder

All images Copyright 2008 by Larry Knox

The Tree Spirit

On a beautiful fall blue-sky Sunday I decided to drive up to one of my favorite state parks with my camera in hand and do some hiking by myself.

I came across areas where the sun streamed down over rocky bluffs through the dense forest canopy, casting shafts of sunlight filtered through the yellow/orange lenses of the foliage. I stopped and stood in awe and silence. It was Sunday I surmised and this is my church. I felt connected and at peace.

A few miles further, near the end of the trail, over some rickety bridges, I turned a corner and saw this face mocking me...

"Some kind of Druid Dude, lifting the veil." –John Lennon

All images Copyright 2008 by Larry Knox

Moreauvian Nightmare

The day I took these photos, a commercial HVAC van slowed down and did a U turn further up the road and proceeded to slowly drive back towards me until it finally stopped, scarcely 20 fit from the "victim". He could have barely seen the fake skull I had carefully positioned at the top of the spine (having severed the head with a sharp spade and pocket knife) as it faced away from him. Digging a slight depression in the dirt, I submerged the realistic skull into the earth, building up the soil and weeds around it to give the impression it had laid there for some time–it's very weight pulling it under.

"What's that?" he asked loudly.
"A deer" I shouted back.
He just stared as I kept snapping away.
"Hit by a car?" he questioned.
"Apparently," I replied.

Looking very confused, he drove off slowly, not taking his eyes off the skeletal hybrid. No doubt he had a tale to tell back at the shop. I wouldn't be surprised if he even brought back a few of his buddies to see for themselves. Of course, a deer carcass with it's rightful head back in place would be all they would find.

All images Copyright 2008 by Larry Knox