Tag Archives | Paros

Another year…

By John on February 18, 2016 in beauty, biking, darkroom work, Greece, John D.C. Masters, John Masters, mountain biking in Greece, Paros, Polly Jo Masters, quiet islands, silver darkroom, skill and craft, spiritual journey, spring in the Aegean, Uncategorized, working

I am 51 and a day today. This past year has been one that is still hitting me in waves, endless ripples from countless stones tossed in my emotional pool. I contemplate making a phone call and suddenly realize there is will be no one on the other end of the line. I imagine a voice and the softness of a cheek…and they are gone. My mother will no longer look up from the New York Times Sunday crossword, over her glasses, and announce, “Well, that’s done!” My father will no longer smack his lips after taking a sip of something tasty and raise his glass. He was always one for toasts. “Hear, hear,” she would chorus during better times.

Polly and Hilary in Provincetown, 1970.

I was thinking the other day that I have never been the “cool” guy. Never hip, never dressed in the latest fashion…I was feeling down that day. Then I realized I didn’t care. When I was younger, maybe, but then again I was envious of those around me who had better or more or newer or sexier (or so I believed)…not much weight there. Pretty superficial stuff. I hope they are happy in their respective lives.

So these days I do what I am wanting to do and this makes me happy. I am not treading on the lives of others and I am moving forward and slightly uphill. I am honouring my mother and my father in my life and activities. I am finally getting around to reading a short biography of St. Augustine given to me by my sister a few years ago. I am reading some Epicurus. I am back to building fine scale WW 1 aircraft which give me great joy and satisfaction, not just in their execution but in the research involved. I am in training for a very tough mountain bike race being held here March 6th. I have a photo shoot coming up next week which I have been looking forward to for months. It will be several hours of intense work, and then that stage will be done. Then I develop the film. Then I choose what to print, etc…intervals and stages, tension and release. One day I am 50, and then the next day…

Biking here on Paros is a good metaphor for my life. The stress of the uphill slogs are rewarded by not only the accomplishment but also the release of the inevitable downhill run, slaloming around rocks and through washed out sections of red dirt roads. Then it is uphill again.

It all feels pretty cool to me.

–JDCM

January on Paros…

By John on February 1, 2016 in beauty, biking, craft, darkroom work, Greece, John D.C. Masters, John Masters, mountain bike race, mountain biking in Greece, Paroikia, Paros, quiet islands, skill and craft

The header image is from New York, a view of the family property in Ancramdale. It is a winter scene. Looks pretty cold and all but monochromatic. That where I had been since December 1st, 2015. Much has happened since then. You all know that. Life and death. Pretty important.

I have been back in Greece since January 22 and today is February 1, 2016! Kalo Mina everyone! I am back on Paros and the weather has been lovely–mid-teens Celsius with light breezy winds. It was pretty cold when I arrived. It will get cold again, I think. I am a fortunate man.

A view in Marathi, Paros, February 1, 2016

It is so quiet here, so perfect. In a couple of weeks I will begin a new photo project and I am looking forward to that. There is also a mountain bike race on March 6th for which I am training. After two months out of the saddle I need some time to get fit, but hey, it’s like riding a bike, right? Ha!

One would think that I have some great wisdom to impart, but really I don’t. I guess I’ll have to paraphrase my friend Jac who reminds us all to follow your heart, do your exercises, and eat your peas…or whatever. The food is relative.

–JDCM

New spaces…

By John on November 8, 2015 in autumn, beauty, Greece, John D.C. Masters, John Masters, Paros, spiritual journey

After waiting over 6 months and living surrounded by boxes of books, photo stuff, odds and ends, and clothes I have finally moved to my new flat. What relief! I had lived (gratefully, mind you) in the previous apartment for so long and grown so accustomed to being crammed into an old building in need of serious repair that this new space really twists my head around. My light fixtures do not need re-wiring, the plumbing doesn’t smell of bacterial rot and shutters are not decaying and falling off of their hinges. These were everyday living conditions before last week. I also have almost twice the amount of room as well as an apothiki (‘warehouse’), so that much of what I had lived with before can now be tucked away–boxes of negatives, portfolios, seasonal clothes, extra stuff…all of this is now out of sight and out of my living area. And I feel no need to fill up the new and open spaces with stuff. I am enjoying the freedom of movement. I have an IKEA order coming, but it is not so much and only replaces some of what my current landlord has supplied. I want to put my own touch on things so I have purchased a new dining room table, some rugs, an easy chair and footstool, some lamps, a clock. I also bought some traditional taverna chairs down the street and stained them a yellow tone. As they dried I realized they turned a bright yellow ochre. It made me think that maybe I should have used the tetrachromy for my design. Just an idea. Next time maybe.

The move has also affected my dreams. Maybe it is because my bed now faces due north (it faced south for almost 3 years), but my dreams all week have been vivid, complex and memorable. Sometimes even a bit disturbing. I am not complaining, just keeping notes.

I think my overwhelming feelings are ‘Finally!’ and also ‘What now?’ This applies to my physical as well as emotional states. So many endings, so many beginnings, so many new spaces and ideas. There is plenty of room for all of this thinking and action. I’ll post some photos once the IKEA goods have arrived and are assembled. My current landlord walked into the flat the other day and exclaimed “So much light!” I’ll try to keep it that way.

4 new chairs

–JDCM

Just an update…

By John on October 29, 2015 in 35 mm photography, autumn, beauty, biking, craft, darkroom work, Greece, John D.C. Masters, John Masters, mountain biking in Greece, Paroikia, Paros, quiet islands, silver darkroom, skill and craft, Uncategorized, working

I have always loved the change of seasons. Whether in the Hudson Valley where I grew up or the small island in the Aegean Sea where I now live. I welcome each new season with joy and relief, only to say good riddance three months later after weariness sets in. This autumn is no different and there are many changes to go along with the weather. Clocks have been set back. Tea time seems more meaningful as darkness falls.

I have been living in an apartment full of boxes for the past two months. All of my books, shelving, camera gear, odds and ends…have been packed up and ready to be moved. At first it was an exciting feeling, to come home to this pyramid of brown cardboard. It has grown stale as the day approaches when I can finally begin to move from one side of town to the other. As one friend remarked last night, moving house is inspiring and makes one reevaluate routines. Like the change of seasons, this move will give me a new perspective. I need it.

My small photo show was, on many levels, a superb success. Many people came to the opening and I was struck by the wide variety of people I know here on Paros: people involved in the arts, those I know through the local biking community, others I have come to know over the years, students from a local art school…people who would ordinarily not mix. They crammed into the space provided by a small Italian restaurant and had a good time. I guess that was the point, really, to have a small gathering on a night in mid-October when there was ordinarily little to do. Many compliments, many questions…alas, not a single sale so I am stuck with 22 framed and matted photos. So I will choose one to put up in my new apartment. There is a part of me that wants to just burn the rest. But what to do with the frames and glass? Eventually I will get around to scanning the photos so people can see them online, which suddenly feels like cheating. Now I don’t want to do that. If you missed the show, you missed it. Is that so selfish?

I wasn’t asking a huge amount for these photos. They were priced inexpensively. If I had sold five I would have broken even on the costs. I think many people have no idea of the work that goes into a single image. Even had these been digital images, the work would have been substantial. They are not, of course, so we are talking days of labor to get the picture right and that is before matting, framing, the overall cost for the exhibit opening…I guess I am taking page from Robert Fripp’s advice to artists–work for free–an expensive venture.

My list for today is as long as my arm and I must get it all done.

–JDCM

Autumn, 2015…

By John on October 11, 2015 in 35 mm photography, autumn, beauty, craft, darkroom work, Greece, John D.C. Masters, John Masters, silver darkroom, skill and craft, spiritual journey, working

Here you go…

–JDCM

Temperate climate change…

By John on September 17, 2015 in 120 film, 35 mm photography, autumn, beauty, biking, craft, Cyclades stone walls, Cycladic stone walls, Greece, John D.C. Masters, John Masters, mountain biking in Greece, Paros, quiet islands, skill and craft, spiritual journey, stone walls, working

There are only a few days left until the Autumnal Equinox and it feels like it here on Paros. The crushing summer heat has fled, and in its wake the days have become clear and sunny, with cooler breezes. The tourist crowds have thinned considerably and our island is slowly being returned to us. There is nothing quite so lovely as the change of seasons.

So much has happened in the past 4 months. After my father died things changed. A re-assessment of my life, goals, raison d’etre…Once again I am looking into what makes me ‘happy’. Life, for me at least, is no longer about hitting myself with a hammer while thinking that the next blow wouldn’t hurt. Time to stop doing what I do not like, when at all possible.

I am also moving house. I have everything boxed up and ready to go save for my clothes, some small amount of kitchen stuff and what art is hanging on my walls. I move at the end of October and assume all of my own bills and rent. That will be a relief and a freedom I have missed.

boxed up and almost ready to go…

Here are some still lives from a friend’s back terrace…

Blue Vase, 2015

Ladder and Anchor, 2015

My header image is from a short bike trip I took to Antiparos recently. It is a reminder of two of the things I love to do and have been neglecting the past few months. It is also a reminder that William Henry Jackson may have had his mules but I have my mountain bike.

Yashica and Bike, Andiparos, September 2015

That’s it.

–JDCM

Happiness…

By John on July 21, 2015 in beauty, craft, Greece, spiritual journey, Uncategorized, working

Gouna is a traditional Greek fish dish–sundried mackerel, seasoned and grilled. Fasolakia are a type of green bean, like haricot vert, but much longer. They make an excellent salad. Together they make an excellent dinner with friends, family and loved ones. Especially overlooking the bay of Paroikia at sunset.

Gouna, fasolakia and Paros at sunset…(photo by Angelique Tsantanis)

I have so much on my mind…so many things to say that seem extremely important to pass along. When I feel this way I become verbose and sophomoric. Best to say nothing. I will say, however, that the inevitability of change has been on my mind for the past month or so. I can let it go.

The close-up. (photo by Angelique Tsantanis)

One choice I have to is to try to stay ahead of the curve. Although I have never surfed, I feel an apt metaphor lies in that activity. I can either ride the wave or let the wave ride me. I have let many waves ride me over the years. Time to shoot the curl.

–JDCM

5th Circle of Paros bicycle race…

By John on June 9, 2015 in beauty, biking, Greece, John D.C. Masters, John Masters, Paroikia, Paros, road biking in Greece, spring in the Aegean, The Circle of Paros Bicycle Race, Uncategorized

The Circle of Paros bicycle race has come and gone and I feel pretty good about it. The course was the reverse of last year so the hills were more vertical and the downgrades less intense. Still, I managed to ride it in about the same time as last year, coming in at 2:38:37 compared to last year’s 2:37+. Like I said, I am alright with that. My Boardman cycle was an excellent ride. About 6 kilometers from the finish my right hamstring cramped with a very painful charley horse. It is bad enough when that happens and you are not moving at 30 km/h on a 8.6 kilo bicycle…no time to stop! I had to stretch my leg while I was pedaling. Then I had to get my foot back in the pedal. There are loads of pictures of the whole race here but I gleaned a couple of good ones for you all…

The final kilometer…photo by Dimitris Chaniotis

The end…photo by Robert Van der Most

The times are here…

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4PyrkQmGFMMVy1TYjlDVVR2aE51TEM4a1lBWGFVUnk4eWMw/view

–JDCM

The Dancing Bear of Change…

By John on June 4, 2015 in beauty, biking, craft, darkroom work, Greece, John D.C. Masters, John Masters, Paros

It has been a month since my last post and, like a friend wrote so well, it is not because nothing has happened, but rather because so much has occurred that is tough to sort it all out. I’ll try.

I have finally delivered my new portfolio to the framers. I am only a few days off schedule, and I am alright with that. There are 24 pieces of assorted images, things that caught my eye. In fact I am considering of naming the portfolio just that–“Caught My Eye.” It feels very good to have this off my desk. Now I am thinking of what is next…

Summer is beginning here on Paros and the tourists and weekenders are ambling off of the ferries in larger numbers, with backpacks and rollies, hats and sunblock. The roads are more busy with cars and other vehicles so when I bike I must be extra cautious, especially in Paroikia or any of the other towns. Those are the most dangerous places to ride a bicycle here.

The Circle of Paros bicycle race is this weekend and I will happily participate. I have been riding more this winter and spring but not so much in the past few weeks. The weather, combined with a serious head cold, kept me off the saddle for almost a fortnight and I was also out of town for a bit. I am racing against myself, so I will keep it light and fun.

I have sold my high-end Canon gear and invested in a smart, small Fuji FinePix X-T1. The images are sharp and since it is a mirror-less camera, it makes almost no noise when the shutter fires. It has some gimmicky gizmos that I am not keen on, but I do have to use them. It also has an array of Fuji film simulations that are pretty good too. I find myself doing more with less. I purchased it with the kit 18-55 mm lens. I love that I can use my Voigtlander/Leica M lenses when attached to an adaptor.

Hazy Sifnos

Change seems to be all around me these days. The days change, and with them the seasons. Beginnings and endings are macrocosmic reflections of larger shifts. The best I can do is embrace the dancing bear of change and revel in its sometimes disconcerting waltz. I can try to lead, but only when the beast allows. I can do my work, help out when I can, and not worry about the tune. Like a young boy standing on the feet of an elder, I let my ursine partner carry me along…

–JDCM

A normal life of inventories and maintenance…

By John on April 25, 2015 in 35 mm photography, beauty, biking, darkroom work, Greece, John D.C. Masters, John Masters, mountain bike race, mountain biking in Greece, Naxos, Paroikia, Paros, quiet islands, silver darkroom, skill and craft, spiritual journey, spring in the Aegean, The Circle of Paros Bicycle Race, Uncategorized, working

Not much to report these days. More of the same–photography, working in the darkroom, mountain biking, road biking…a life beyond my wildest dreams.

I entered and raced the Athlos Nikolaos Stellas Memorial Mountain Bike Race last Sunday. I (phyllo 3, Mastero, John) came in 4th in my age group and event (35+, bike only) at 59:50. For some reason I cannot add links today. Go to https://twitter.com/poparou and click around…However, the scores listed have me coming in 6th in the 16-35 year old group. I am flattered. I haven’t been 35 in a long time.

JDCM in the yellow and black jersey…59:50, 4th place.

I took the ferry to Naxos the other day for a day trip and rode over 90 kilometers on my mountain bike. It was stunning. Spring in the Kyklades is not to be missed.

Agios Sozon Kalado, Naxos

Along the track past Maxairota, Naxos

I will be replacing the front forks of my mountain bike this week as well as the rear derailleur. This will be an expensive, but very necessary job. After almost two years of strenuous biking (with a bike that was well-used when I bought it) the current forks are worn out and have lost their lubrication. Unfortunately they are a sealed unit which means I cannot re-grease, etc…so out they go! After this big job I will have replaced almost everything except the frame. Necessary maintenance.

At the top…Agios Tryphonas, Naxos, 578 m.

I have inventoried my works in progress for my new portfolio. I have a few more prints to make, however this will not stop me from beginning the selenium toning process. I will be finished with this by the middle of May. It is an interesting portfolio, very abstract, and I sure many people will not understand it, or perhaps not understand what I see. So be it. We all bring ourselves to these things. It is not my job to guide people or tell them what they are viewing.

I will begin training in earnest for the 2015 Circle of Paros road race on June 6th this week. I have ridden the route many times since last summer. The rumor is that this year we ride the opposite direction. Clockwise…

–JDCM

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