Reflecting on Art

From Dave Brigham

I'm not gonna lie to you. I really like this picture. I can't draw to save my life - here's a real-life example of the kind of thing I drew as a kid. My drawing would look like that example today, if I tried.

I can't paint or sculpt or do interior design. I don't have the patience or fine motor skills to make jewelry or mosaics.

But I think I do OK as an untrained photographer.

I took this picture late fall/early winter while out and about in Boston with my son, Owen. I was standing at the Longwood T stop, waiting for a Green line trolley to take me into downtown Boston. When I'm on trips like this, as I regularly am, I'm always looking for interesting things to make photos of. Much of what you see on this blog comes from trips with Owen. A lot of times on these trips, or when I'm out and about on my own, I snap a picture and move on, often too quickly. I feel like I have a pretty good eye, but I need to work on my patience. And my technical skills.

Sometimes, I get lucky. In the case of this photo, I was just standing there waiting for a train. I knew I had time, because Owen tracks the progress of the trolleys and lets me know when one will arrive. I looked across both sets of train tracks, and across Huntington Avenue, and there was a picture waiting to be taken. I lifted up my phone and pressed the silent shutter.

So, what are we looking at here?

This is the campus of the Massachusetts College of Art and Design, or as it's known to students and locals: MassArt. Founded in 1873 as the Massachusetts Normal Art School, MassArt is the alma mater of, among others, Ben Edlund, creator of animated TV series "The Tick"; Muriel Cooper, co-founder of the MIT Media Lab; N.C. Wyeth, a well-known illustrator; and Martina Marek, who illustrated my children's book, A Wicked Good Trip! Sorry, couldn't help the shameless plug.

MassArt bounced around to different locations over the decades before taking over the campus of the former Boston Normal School in 1983 after that school, by this point known as Boston State College, merged with the University of Massachusetts Boston. I just loved how the old teachers' school building was reflected in the modern art college building. And the fact that the old building has "Boston Normal School" etched into its facade just made it that much more attractive to me. Click on the photo to enlarge it.

OK, I'm done reflecting on this reflection.