Juxtaposition — urban concept art, is an abstract eye on downtown architecture. Cityscapes that challenge perception: figure|ground : positive|negative : front|back. Locations that confuse and defy spatial relationships. Design, pattern, texture, and colour differentiate: present|past : new|old : modern|classic. Viewpoint, angle, level, and line connect|blend|meld and then [frame] our peripheral vision. For sometimes we see too much information. Less is more than enough.

Archetype - A Glowing Oldie. When I stand back, squint a bit, this frame takes on a cartoonish look, becomes a caricature, something out of movies like Tintin or Hugo. The striated bands of light are strange: morning golden hour, a warm, soft, diffuse, glow reflecting off the cold glass high-rise across the street. Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Guardian Angle - Dazzling sentry, bold and arrogant, keeping watch over the anonymous inhabitants residing in the shadows. Protective matrix grid of indifference stacking relentlessly to a mystical vanishing point in the sky. A polarizing filter eliminates glare and saturates colours. Downtown St. John’s, Newfoundland.

Fresca - St. John’s is a fantastically colourful capital. Bright, joyous, welcoming to everybody, not just tardy fishermen obscured in fog. Where else can architects get away with beaming citrus tiles like this? Juxtaposed against an engraved wall reminiscent of an Italian fresco. Newfoundland.

Laid Back - Diagonal leading lines normally invoke an energetic, active, dynamic sense. But in this exposure, the heavily weighted corner seems relaxed, laid back, reflecting on the day with heavy eyelids. Quirky alignment of the subject and frame exemplifies the abstract mood. People look at me strangely when I shoot like this. Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Orange is the new Black - Old bricks: crafted solid, elegant, stately. Guarding a young frontage: complicated, vain, fussy. Will the superficiality of modern constructs stand the test of time? Warm afternoon sun, from over our vantage point up on Citadel Hill, Halifax, Nova Scotia.

The Reader - Halifax Library, on Spring Garden Road. Stacked boxes, one twisted off axis, the top cantilevered over the courtyard. I’d walked around it for two weeks, looking for juxtaposition, the right angle, or reflection, watching for the right light. On our last day, bling! Lizzy was spotting as I shot from the middle of the road, but drivers were so courteous it didn’t matter, they just slowed down to say hello.

The Rooms - A metropolitan landmark, towering above colourful, historic St. John’s, Newfoundland. On top of the hill, overlooking the harbour, this stunning, contemporary, art gallery, museum, and archives, was difficult to juxtapose. Here, it is reflected in the Canada building by crisp, clean afternoon sunlight. That worked.

Urban Fortress - I couldn’t resist the spectrum of colours arrayed by these two brand new buildings, not even on Google maps yet. St. John’s, Newfoundland, being the Rock, at the salty edge of civilization. Maybe that’s why people are so friendly and welcoming, no smoggy urban pretentions yet. 

Trouble Bound - Classic solid brick, warming up in the morning sun. Modern steel and glass, keeping its cool in the shade. Anchored by the tattoo parlour sign. Downtown St. John’s, Newfoundland. Polarizing filter to saturate colour, cancel reflection and glare.