Chris

Khmer Empire Antiquities Part II

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In May 2019 I had the opportunity to explore the Art Institute of Chicago and Field Museum to research and analyze the ancient Khmer empire artifacts from Cambodia as research for an upcoming book. It was my delight to explore similar artifacts from this Labor Day in Kansas City at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.

There are a few similarities but also unique findings as well. As in Chicago it was in Kansas City that the description of these artifacts are incorrect. Minor points to help the general public understand but my way of thinking says that breeds ignorance. Let’s accept them for what they are instead of pandering, shall we?

As always though, I am grateful for the chance to explore more about this culture that has intrigued me since 1993 when I first discovered a book tucked away in the archives of a university library.

A partial bas-relief describing the Churning of the Ocean of Milk.
Sugriva the monkey king (end) leads smaller gods in this work.
Seated Buddha meditating for seven weeks. The serpent king lifts him up to prevent him drowning during a flooding storm. The artifact hosted in Chicago is more complete with the serpent’s head raised above and covering Buddha from the rains.
A pillar fragment with a heavenly maiden or devata in sandstone.
The crown on her head resembles the towers of the Angor Wat temple.
Except for the docents, we had the Nelson Atkins museum to ourselves.

Flexibility and Patience

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Aspen McDonald doing her thing

At some point in every portrait photographer’s career there will be a time when things just don’t work out according to the plan. Two characteristics will be very beneficial in getting around these situations; patience and flexibility. You also need to use what resources you have so the session won’t go to waste.

When my original plan to capture a model on roller skates through the park seemed like a good idea at the time, circumstances got in the way.

The golden hour should have been ideal but it was over an hour away. The lighting was complicated and scattered. The backdrop was beautiful in itself but was too distracting with the various trees, hills, rocks etc. Also, the surfaces to skate on were bumpy at best. Lastly, the model and her wardrobe was gorgeous but the backdrop did not compliment it at all.

Two lessons learned here

  1. Have an alternate nearby location.
  2. Make the most of what you got.

Even if I am working on a photo session and it all goes wrong, it is still worth making the most of the scene. You can walk away with something for your efforts and the model’s time. There were a few portraits to be proud of and to be honest, they actually came from the model’s suggestions on which area and poses we used. Again, remaining flexible and adapting helped salvage this photo session.

7/7 GHR Check-In

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This is my fifth month. How am I doing so far?

Time to review my progress from this past month. This is the 11th
annual attempt at creating life-long habits for myself. I’ve discovered
that because of the after the end-of-year holidays I am not mentally or
physically capable of sticking with resolutions for the upcoming new
year. I need a break so I take the whole month of January off to reflect
and plan.

Let me summarize this post for you: It’s been mostly photography and portrait sessions this month. After that? Little else!

Physical
Nope.

Yoga/Meditation:

Uh-uh

Technical
Learn Python: New computer is setup and so is Python again. Its even more of a challenge when learning Mac keyboard commands and shortcuts

Artistical
Sketching, drawing, doodling: Nope
Learn Spanish: Nope
Learn Chinese: Nope
Learn to play the ukulele: a little

DAM- Digital Asset Management: Nope
Write short stories. Raw. Coming soon
Write micro fiction: nope
Work on that novel: Progress on Angkor!
52 week challenge: fail

Financial:
Nope

See you back here on 8/8 for the next review of how I do!

6/6 GHR Check-In

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This is my fourth month. How am I doing so far?

Time to review my progress from this past month. This is the 11th
annual attempt at creating life-long habits for myself. I’ve discovered
that because of the after the end-of-year holidays I am not mentally or
physically capable of sticking with resolutions for the upcoming new
year. I need a break so I take the whole month of January off to reflect
and plan.

Physical
Disc Golf is hit and miss lately thanks to a lot of the courses being flooded the past month but we take em where we can play em.

Yoga/Meditation: Progress. I now know why they call it yoga “practice”. Have to keep trying. 

Technical
Learn Python: New computer is setup and so is Python again. Its even more of a challenge when learning Mac keyboard commands and shortcuts

Artistical
Sketching, drawing, doodling: Some improvement. Learning how shading works 
Learn Spanish: nope
Learn Chinese: nope
Learn to play the ukulele: nope

DAM- Digital Asset Management: Haven’t been shooting
Write short stories. Raw. Coming soon
Write micro fiction: nope
Work on that novel: Progress on Angkor!
52 week challenge: fail

Financial:
Significant progress here but the credit score is going backwards a little bit. Does that seem right to you?

See you back here on 7/7 for the next review of how I do!

Write Drunk, Edit Sober

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In writing a novel or even a short story the concept is there but the execution is not. Maybe I should follow along with the above quote?

The quote is attributed to Ernest Hemingway as his inspiration for cranking out his works.

Then again, he did eat a bullet at the end so maybe not the best advice.

Art 1

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Here are a few masterpieces of art I enjoyed while visiting the Art Institute of Chicago recently. As evidenced in my photo portraiture, I have a love for faces. We find portraits fascinating because we are fascinated by people like ourselves. We’re also fascinated by people unlike ourselves. It is who we are and that is what makes us delightfully human. Similar but different. Fascinating.

Khmer Empire Antiquities

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Because I am still researching my novel based on the Khmer empire in Cambodia, I had hoped to discover some relics or art from this period and the Art Institute of Chicago did not disappoint.

What was disappointing were the descriptions of the artifacts. Which temple site was this taken from? Did the institute know?

One more disappointing concern? The description placards all say “Angkor period”. To be intellectually honest, let’s call it what it is. These were all from the Khmer Empire of Cambodia in the 11-12th centuries. The name Angkor is a reference to two of the biggest temples in this region, Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom. The terms “Khmer” or “empire” were not mentioned.

All these disappointments are cast aside for now because of the thrill of discovery. They were beautiful in a way that only those who study the culture can appreciate. Up until this moment I had only discovered a bas relief of an apsara dancer in the Houston Museum of Fine Arts.

For now, I will appreciate the experience but will write to the Art Institute for detailed information about this amazing collection.

Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, Angkor period 12/13th century Cambodia

Buddha, Khmer Empire period, 11th century. Here the naga (snake) raises him from flooding waters during his meditation and protects him from the rains on his head.
A goddess Angkor period, 12th century Cambodia
A celestial dancer called an Apsara. Angkor period, 11th century Cambodia
Guardian Lion Angkor period, 12th century Cambodia

The Mother Road

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I have just completed driving the entirety of Route 66. It is almost 2,500 miles from Chicago, Illinois to Santa Monica, California. Double this for the return trip, of course.

Living one block away from Route 66 here in Tulsa, Oklahoma, we started our journey to California and back in February 2019 for one week. After a few months, we were able to again, start from the center here in Tulsa and complete the final leg to Chicago and back.

The United States is a beautiful country and I am extremely grateful to have experienced this journey. I’ll provide a photo tour after I’m done processing all the images and notes.