Glassy-Eyed

“Still Life with Light Bulb, Glass and Succulents”

I didn’t plan on photographing another still life, it was accidental. By that I mean the trigger for the idea came about because of an accident: After I dropped and broke the large light bulb in the picture, I decided rather than toss it, I’d use it in a photograph along with other glass pieces; my other still life standbys, rusted metal and succulent bits, would also figure in … That led to the idea of shooting the tableau on a glass tabletop, so I could light it from beneath … And, that led to another accident: I was washing a small spherical fishbowl I thought would look great under-lit and it shattered in my hand, almost taking off the tip of my left pinkie finger … and that meant Paul had to interrupt a movie he was watching to run me down the street to UrgentCare for 5 stitches. It was then we remembered that earlier that morning Paul had broken a custom-cut glass tabletop, which had been sandwiched with a piece of metal that had rusted orangely, which then became the backdrop for this tableau …

I’m sure I could trace back even further and find other contributing factors to this still life’s inception, but let’s just enjoy its deceptively smooth, calm face and know: The accidental can also be the mother of invention.