Lock (Apparently the best one) by Chipka
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No AI - This artwork was created entirely by hand or with traditional digital tools.
Description
There are times when those living in Chicago (and other cities around the world) are expected to deal with blunt force drama. I’ve been dealing with it for quite some time; I am—after all—largely surrounded by people whose hobbies in life seem to include overcomplicating things to a ludicrous degree, or dealing with complete situations with an incomplete set of resources…which brings me to this image. It’s a padlock. Apparently the Best padlock around. Or at least the best padlock for this gate across a dead store window. (When I saw this [as I wandered with Corey] I wondered if something had been locked into the dead, defunct, and dusty store, though in reality I knew that trespassers were simply locked out. Still, in light of the store’s condition, I imagined that something unspeakably banal had simply been locked in. Based on the way the beginning of this week has gone, I suspect that the thing locked inside is being kept there to avoid the spread of Post-Dramatic Stress Syndrome to innocent bystanders.
It comes as no surprise that “personal drama” levels would increase in Chicago during this holiday season. It’s Black Friday today—stores are open and offering “incredible” sales; the Christmas Consumption Machine is in full operation, and—as expected—it’s spewing all sorts of bad mojo all over the city.
I suspect a lock might be needed, the best lock around: one that proves quite handy when it becomes necessary to lock absolutely, positively, every walking/talking headache in the city out of your life. Things will improve—they always do: but until then, I’m posting an image of a lock, captured at sunset, and I’m imagining hordes and hordes of the wrong people stuck outside…not too far, I imagine, from a truck yard that’s just imploded.
As always, thank you for viewing, reading, and commenting and I hope you’re all having a great week, the beginning of a great weekend, and a great post-Thanksgiving (for those who celebrate that particular turkey-hostile holiday.) I have a load of catching up to do, and I hope to get around to it soon, unless of course, I’m rescuing the canine security staff from an imploding truckyard.

Comments (25)
Very good capture (one of the Best, as I see it) You've locked this title in perfectly.
this cature rocks with light and contrasts and color - dark and strong und tells a story .. great !!!! ( i need more english words ..sorry .. but really like this photo and art)
Dramatic psdlock pic, and a great rambling to go with it!
Love the rambling too! I can relate mate.
What an awesome light you got in this very nice padlock shot. Gives so lovely warm colors :-D
Chip, that's where they keep the leather-winged demon from hell. He's only released on Black Friday, and then he hangs around shopping malls and causes all the early Christmas shoppers to go beserk. More than they normally are, I mean. And that's why you won't see me within 2 miles of a shopping mall until well after the first of the year. Oh, yeah.... A cool capture, my friend! Love the warm tones here.
very lovely work!
Sometimes I think I'd like to be on the inside of that lock...away from the madness. Great shot/posting, Chip!
A humorous and oh so true commentary. I tend to lock myself away during this time of year. The light in this image makes everything look as if its covered in gold. Somehow appropriate for this time of year. Rod says this time of year makes shoppers go beserk. Today in Los Angeles a shopper at WalMart sprayed twenty other shoppers with pepper spray in order to clear a path to something she wanted. Police are looking for her. It is not known wether she was able to purchase the item before she fled. Merry Christmas everybody!
Great light, Chipka. Black friday is madness, as I saw on TV.
There's a song Don't fence me in" I wonder if anyone ever wrote don't...lock me in"lol love it all!~
I stayed home today bc I don't do black friday. :)))) I want to live. LOL!!!! Most excellent lighting and capture my friend. :))))))) Thank you for sharing how you feel. :))))))))) Carry A Smile In Your Heart :))))))
wonderful story and image to go with it.
Oh man. The LIGHT! Wow. This is outstanding. I love the way the shadows play around the edges, like opposing magnets. Love it!
Beautiful light, lines, and textures! The way the lighting brings out the textures is marvelous. I like the partially seen emptiness behind the lock. To me, Black Friday is synonymous with Don't go out, or at least not to shopping areas. I hate crowds, and pushy, agitated, irrational crowds are right up there on my things to avoid list. Excellent image and narrative. I love your recent story and will be back to comment on it, when my brain is functioning a little better. It's starting to doze off.
Stunning capture my friend. God Bless.
Xcellent ambiance lighting!
Excellent shot.
WONDERFUL COMPOSITION!
This is your best picture...I know...pretty lame;-) A most enjoyable ramble even though I am a little late for Black Friday. Lighting is simply superb.
I love the atmosphere here. Very powerful, somewhat dark, like an image from a horror movie. Beautifully warm colours. Great shot.
What little shopping I do for Christmas I do as much on line as possible now. It is souless for sure, but being trapped in a mad rush of lonnies who will pepper spray their "opponents" to save 20 bucks is not too far from souless either. And it is a souless season anyways, as it is now embraced. It's spirituality was lost long ago, perhaps maybe even when the Christian's stole it from the pagans a few millenia ago. A season of whanton theivery as the peasants purses are mindlessly plucked yet again by the commercial elites. Perhaps we are best locked in afterall.
interestingllaGreat image...li.nes, .textures, shapes, colours
Well, it seems to be a BEST lock after all. Nice and new and clean. Not that the gate, that it is keeping closed/secured, rates a BEST lock. But I do like the rusty textures and patterns.
Exclusive Close-up my friend!