Private investigations -

"An Obvious Clue"
digital collage by Mick Mather

"... Dalton made his decision. No one noticed him on the street anymore. Every sort of greeting was ignored in turn. Distracted gazes omitted his presence and he was able to move about freely with neither fear nor question. While curious, he was going to use this unexpected anonymity to good advantage and become ever more an invisible man. Even so, the feeling of being watched made him uneasy. Then, after exiting the old movie theater, a sign. What appeared to be a period art deco design on the marquee made that spot between his shoulder blades ping. There was no mistaking it! Suddenly the personal classified ad in the morning paper, circled in red ink and shoved beneath his office door, became less cryptic: BEWARE THE DIAMOND DAGGER! ..."

A seaside secret -

"Mystery of the English Cove"
digital collage by Mick Mather

"... a relatively benign-looking bay seemed an odd backdrop for the abandoned vehicle. The famous brothers could smell more than the clean, salt air as they began taking notes and searching for clues. For instance, why was this stretch of Long Island dunes known as English Cove? ... "

Illustration Friday: Contained -

"Within Shadows Contained"
digital collage by Mick Mather

The word of the week at Illustration Friday is contained and anyone who's ever been caught out at night when a fog bank rolls in will probably connect with today's post. Just what is our dark lady doing anyway? Beckoning us forth? Warning us away? It's a mystery left for anyone who would like to have a crack at it.

Time for reflection -

"A Good Listener"
digital collage by Mick Mather

There are times to be heard and there are times to be silent. This piece is somewhat of a mystery as regards who is doing the talking. Is it another person, beyond the frame? Is the conversation internal? In this case, for me, it's the latter and we might all do well to remember that reflection is very often an act of listening. You might not hear what it is that you want, but you're quite likely to hear a little something about what you need.

Moody Monday: Light -

"Tripping the Light Fantastic"
digital collage by Mick Mather

I didn't specifically set out to capture a photograph for this week's Moody Monday - the theme is light - but that's what happened. Straight from the Kodak Z740 to the array of filters and plug-ins here at the Secret Visual Laboratory and, with a little musical inspiration from Bill Laswell and Pete Namlook via Outland 1, a little bit of mystery, romance and adventure was added. This just in!...scores of motorists at a local intersection found themselves out of gas in the middle of a traffic jam. Early reports claim that a mysterious "lost time event" occurred when stranded drivers began to realize that 24 hours had passed in what seemed like a normal 24 second passage of time for the traffic light at that intersection. Details and film at eleven!