Icelandic Adventures

Everyone (or mostly everyone) has a bucket list of landmarks they want to see, places they want to visit, or activities they want to do at some point in their life. These lists are usually filled with tropical destinations, well-known cities, skydiving, etc. After the winter we had in Boston, very few people would choose to visit a country with a colder climate, especially one with ICE in the name! Which explains the strange looks from family and friends when I expressed my excitement to be going on vacation in Reykjavik, Iceland. After spending an eventful 6 days roaming the city, as well as some popular tourist destinations not too far away, I was not ready to leave (even though the temperatures had been up in the 60’s back home). A week filled of roaming the city during the day, drinking with locals at night, trying to catch a glimpse of the Northern Lights, and much more led me to realize just how gorgeous the country of Iceland really was. I highly recommend going and revising your bucket lists to add in Iceland as a future destination. Need reasoning as to why? Check out some of the pics I took (using my LG G3 phone and edited with VSCO cam). Time to get back On My Grind so I can start crossing more off my bucket list!

Overlooking Reykjavik from atop Hallgrimskirkja Church

Another shot from atop Hallgrimskirkja.

And another.

The Organ at Hallgrimskirkja Church.

Reykjavik Waterfront.

The Harpa Music Hall.

A Personal Touch

My goal in creating this blog was to share various types of art, photography, advertisement, and anything in between, with all of you. I had always wanted to post my own work, but found myself coming up short when it came to creating work worth sharing. Over the summer and early fall, I have taken up hiking; mainly around the White Mountains in NH, having bagged 5 peaks (4 of which are on the AMC’s 4000 footer list). These hikes not only presented me an opportunity to enjoy the beauty of New England, but to also capture a number of these scenes via my iPhone camera. By using VSCO Cam (available on both the Google Play Store and App Store), I was able to create a number of edits to these otherwise standard pictures. Over the next few days I will be creating a post for each of these hikes to (finally) display my own work, but first I will give you guys a small sample of what’s to come. Feel free to comment, scrutinize, or admire any of these as you see fit and be as always, Stay on the Grind.

Mt Tecumseh, Grafton County, NH.

Mt Monadnock, Jaffrey, NH.

Mt Madison, Randolph, NH.

Mt Washington (Ammonoosuc Trail), Coos County, NH.

Hyperrealism At Its Finest

Dominican-born artist Ruddy Taveras began painting at age 12. He joined the National School of Fine Arts in Santo Domingo in 2008 at the age of 19, devoting himself to create some of the most hyperrealist art we have seen to date. For those of you who may be unfamiliar, hyperrealism is defined as: realism in art characterized by depiction of real life in an unusual or striking manner (Merriam-Webster). I have featured artists who specialize in this style on here before, however, Taveras’ work truly caught my eye. His aim is to capture reality in the same detail as a high-resolution photograph, seems a bit crazy right? Maybe not.

 

Ruddy Taveras may not have perfected the art of hyperrealism quite yet, but he sure is off to a strong start. I’m sure this is a small sample of things to come from this young Dominican artist. Keep reading to check out more of his work!

Top Shots x The Masters x 2014

One of my favorite tournaments in all of sports has come to a conclusion, leaving me to wait another year for this spectacular event. Sorry, but I’m not talking about March Madness. I’m talking about The Masters. Decades of history uphold this event as one of the best in sports, one that can be won by a 21 year-old amateur or a 46 year-old veteran. While most people may not be big fans of actually watching golf, I know there are plenty who will enjoy the beauty and serenity of the 2014 Masters Tournament via pictures.

April 10, 2014: Round 1

Golf legends and honorary starters Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, and Jack Nicklaus greet one another on the first tee before the start of Round 1 Thursday.
Photo: Rob Carr/Getty Images

Phil Mickelson’s struggles started early, as he is seen here hitting out of a 2nd-hole bunker during Round 1 on Thursday.
Photo: Michael Madrid/USA Today Sports

Bill Hass cranks down on his 3rd-hole tee shot during Round 1.
Photo: Jack Gruber/USA Today Sports

Bubba Watson and his caddie, Tom Scott, take a walk along the water on the 15th hole during Thursday’s action.
Photo: Harry How/Getty Images

Steven Hale, caddie for Keegan Bradley, takes a seemingly lonely stroll down the fairway on the 18th hole Thursday.
Photo: Andrew Redington/Getty Images

Dustin Johnson is caught, in this amazing shot, walking on the 16th hole during Round 1.
Photo: Harry How/Getty Images

Ernie Els, accompanied by both his and his partner’s caddie, wait on the edge of the 17th green.
Photo: Harry How/Getty Images

Jason Day is captured here taking a shot from the woods on the 14th hole Thursday.
Photo: Andrew Redington/Getty Images

Bubba Watson isn’t too pleased with his bunker shot on the 2nd hole Thursday.
Photo: Harry How/Getty Images

John Senden, Boo Weekley, and David Lynn make their way up the 1st fairway during Round 1.
Photo: Jack Gruber/USA Today Sports

Lee Westwood makes his way through the rough to find his ball on the 13th during Round 1.
Photo: David Cannon/Getty Images

Matt Kuchar reacts to a putt on the 17th hole during Thursday’s action.
Photo: Jim Watson/Getty Images

 

April 11, 2014: Round 2

Adam Scott awaits his shot from the edge of the 16th green during 2nd round action Friday.
Photo: Harry How/Getty Images

A course worked adjusts the score board during the second round at Augusta.
Photo: Michael Madrid/USA Today Sports

Fred Couples, 54, seems quite happy with this shot during Friday’s action.
Photo: Getty Images

Graeme McDowell takes a peek in the bushes for his ball on the 10th hole Friday.
Photo: Michael Madrid/USA Today Sports

I can’t imagine Graham DeLaet was very happy after seeing how close this putt came to sinking on the 10th hole Friday.
Photo: CBS Sports

Jason Day is seen here taking a drop prior to his shot on the 2nd hole during round two.
Photo: Jack Gruber/USA Today Sports

Louis Oosthuizen attempts to find his now waterlogged ball along the edge of the 15th hole during Friday’s second round.
Photo: Getty Images

Luke Donald decides to try a different club after failing to hit out of this 7th hole bunker on Friday.
Photo: Michael Madrid/USA Today Sports

Matt Kuchar takes in the view while walking down the 2nd fairway on Friday.
Photo: Andrew Redington/Getty Images

Michael McCoy gives his ball to a luck fan after making his putt on the 10th hole during round two action.
Photo: Michael Madrid/USA Today Sports

Rory McIlroy is seen digging up some flowers with this shot from being the 13th green on Friday.
Photo: David Cannon/Getty Images

Trevor Immelman (right) and Graham DeLaet both crouch down to read their putts on the 7th green during Friday’s action.
Photo: Michael Madrid/USA Today Sports

 

Keep Reading for Pictures from the 3rd and 4th Round!

Tree Art

The Chinese district of Shijiazhuang is getting a splash of color thanks to 23-year-old Wang Yu. The Dalian Industry University senior turns otherwise dull tree trunks into beautiful works of art in a matter of only hours. Her motivation? to make Shijiazhuang more colorful. While I have seen many natural canvases, this one stuck out. After a quick search, I could not find Yu’s website nor artists such as Yu who seem to specialize in this type of stuff. However, if you have come across either please let me know. Til then, Stay Up.

Cups of Art

Chemming Boey creates amazing art by taking an everyday item and using it as his canvas. Styrofoam cups are used and thrown away thousands of times a day. Boey, however, turns these items into masterpieces. I have came across and posted similar projects before, with artists using shoes, guitars, furniture, and even automobiles to display their artistic talents. All are very cool ideas and this wont disappoint. Be sure to check out Boey’s Page to see hundreds of his works of art.

Ray Lewis Tribute

So originally I had this post set to drop minutes after the Patriots beat the Ravens… Unfortunately that never happened. Either way, Ray Lewis is the best Middle Linebacker ever to play in the NFL. Yes, he kinda did kill a man, but since he never actually got charged with the crime, well let it slide. Before I go on a rant about how I really feel about Ray, lets break down his career stats. I have also included a few of Ray’s highlight videos from High School, College, and the NFL.

Ray Lewis spent his entire 17 year career as a member of the Baltimore Ravens, appearing in 228 regular season games. In those games, he recorded 2050 combined tackles, 41.5 sacks, 19 forced fumbles, 19 fumble recoveries, and 31 interceptions for 3 touchdowns.

Playing in 21 postseason games, Lewis accumulated 211 combined tackles, 2 sacks, 6 forced fumbles with 1 recovery, and 2 interceptions with 1 for a touchdown.

While best known for his crazy pre-game dance, Ray will be missed for the leadership and intensity that he brought every single time he stepped on the field.

Thanks, Ray Lewis, for 17 years of laying it on the line and giving us the opportunity to witness one of the greatest linebackers EVER step on the field, week in and week out.

Pencil x Picture

Ben Heine took an often used technique and put a personal touch to it. By placing hand drawings into real life settings, Ben gives us a very cool perspective to something that would have been, well, just a picture. Be sure to check out Ben’s website, enjoy, and Stay on Your Grind.

Finger Painting with Ray Massey

London based artist/photographer Ray Massey brings a unique twist on finger paints. Using simply a pair of hands and a lot of paint, Massey is able to create a variety of real life settings. While this post is focused on the “Hands” portfolio, Massey’s blog holds many other creative projects he has worked on.

Castle

Running Hands

Pencil Pot

Collection Pot

Banana Hands

Mosque

Footballers

 

Top 20 x 2012 x Photos

Starting a new year always brings an inspiration to set new goals and start new projects. So I figured I would start blogging again as part of my ‘New Years Resolution’ list. Anyway, whats a better way to bring in 2013 than to share what I found to be some of the best pictures of 2012. Be sure to check out the links attached to each photo for more info. Stay Up.

20) Purple Haze over Edinburgh Castle – Edinburgh, Scotland.

 

19) Lightning Clouds – Grand Cayman Islands.

18) Moonlit Rings – London, England. 

17) A 71,580 ft. Freefall – New Mexico.

16) Break in Time – Finale Emilia, Italy.

15) Superstorm Sandy – New York City, NY.