Stolen Wolfpack Photography from the Raleigh Sheraton

Last fall I was commissioned by the Sheraton Raleigh to provide wall art throughout their lobbies and restaurant, Jimmy V's.  Because I haven't shot NC State sports since 1997, I licensed these two images from the talented Ken Martin and Peyton Williams, two photographers that cover the Wolfpack today.
The Sports Wall in the downstairs lobby featured these two images along with two others as 36"x60" canvas photographs printed and mounted by my good friend Jim Casteen over at Filmgraphics.  A lot of work went into these making them look as good as they could be.
Obviously a fan...probably a state fan...thought they looked good enough to steal.  Last Saturday night, these two prints were removed from the wall...ripping the screws right along with them.
The Sheraton is currently trying to look at video from the back door, but as yet haven't found who did it.   It would not have been easy to carry one print, let alone two prints without being seen that night.  Hopefully the video cameras will provide some clues as to when and who took the prints.   I'm personally not being hurt by this.  The Sheraton wants to replace the photos obviously.  There is a large gap in the wall where they once hung.  I will have to recreate the images for the wall not being able to charge the full price again.  What I'd much rather do is rehang the original prints after they are returned.
Today NC State will be playing Miami at the ACC tournament in basketball.  I don't relish the fact that there is some NC State fan smiling at his stolen treasure while watching the game.  Hopefully it's not an NC State fan.  If they want to buy the prints at the original cost and then pay for replacements, then I'm sure the Sheraton won't press charges...but then I can't speak for the Sheraton.
I'm sure that they... like I do... just want them back.   If you see these prints anywhere, please let me know at simon@simong.com.

What I would like to do is charge the perps the full price for the prints they stole...pay also full price for replacements for the Sheraton.  We'll pay a licensing fee to the two photographers, but then the stolen prints will be donated to the Boys and Girls Club building in Raleigh.  Any profit after production will also go the the Boys and Girls Club.  That's just my two cents.

Dad in the workshop.

My 85 year old father moved with mom last year into a retirement living community not far from my house.  Their health was not such that they really were going to be able to take care of a large house anymore, so we finally convinced them to move into something that would offer extended care when the time came.  Unfortunately, Dad had a workshop full of tools that he cherished and had to give up.  I salvaged as much as I could from the estate sale and with the help of some friends moved it into my own unfinished garage.  Funnily enough, my garage is almost 85 years as well.  Right before Christmas, I went to work converting the unfinished space into a place that he can come over and tinker with his tools.  Last year we painted every monday.  This year, I think you'll find us in the workshop...maybe making frames.

Well...it's a little late posting this don't you think?

A collaboration with my 14 year old daughter whose artwork is pretty amazing to say the least.   The animal theme just came about when I asked Gillian for a drawing and she handed me all these.   I had already photographed the church in the snow a couple of years ago with the intent on doing something like this.   Three weeks before Christmas, we photographed our dog "Crash" staring up towards Jesus.  Crash is the perfect model.  Does everything I ask.  :)   If you want to be on our Christmas/Holiday card list, you'll have to send us work in 2014.  I'm also open to ideas for next year...I'm starting to run out.

"Do you know where your children are?"

I knew when I saw this house exactly what I wanted to do.  Fortunately there are plenty of kids to choose from in this neighborhood and I was able to get a brother and sister with some great innocent looking costumes to contrast with the house.  It's so much fun to do these.

2013 NC State Fair

Wanted to get at least a little time tooling around the NC State Fair this week, so I headed out this morning for a couple of hours before the crowds turn up in force.  For a little while I thought it might rain, but the clouds parted and it became a beautiful day.   Mr. Simon's and I had a discussion about what fair weather is supposed to be.  "Well...there's fair weather...and then then's fair weather...two completely different things!...I do better when it's fair weather."  Mr. Simon's sells great  authentic rootbeer floats.  Huge ones for $5.00.  I was a little bloated this morning after having one at 10am.

NC State Fair Photography Competition

Back in 1985, I entered my first NC State Fair Photography competition.  I captured a first place blue ribbon for a photograph of the old mail boat out at Ocracoke.  I entered again the next couple of years, but photography was judged against fine art instead of separately, so I stopped entering.   Last year I joined the fray again and took a first place ribbon.  Feeling the need to support the fair competition again this year, I entered this image taken out at the Jim Hunt complex last year.   To my amazement it captured this years blue ribbon. Two years in a row.   As my art teacher will undoubtably say next week..."That ain't too shabby!"

Happy Accidents

After playing in "the darkroom" as I now call fiddling with the computer, I just threw some like images together in layers and blended them along with some additional tweaking of filters and sharpening...well in other words I didn't worry about going easy.  Everything was just thrown together like a poorly designed recipe.   Sometimes though the end results can be very pleasing.  I think these qualify, at least to me.