s.e.gibbons photograhy blog

Playing with moving pictures

2010-07-21T19:53:00.003-04:00

My first attempt at making a video. I am pretty happy with it.

My friend Ryan and I went to Annapolis, MD and Savannah GA, to visit some (of my) friends. I feel the video captures our trip pretty well. A good starting point for my first venture into the moving image.

SPE 2010 Philadelphia, PA

2010-03-07T14:44:00.006-05:00

untitled (self portrait), tin type, 2010. Philadelphia

In my attempt to do an SPE round up, I quickly found out one Walker Pickering, professor at the Art Institute in Austin, TX and fellow SCAD grad, just plain out did any thing I could do. To see his SPE Philadelphia 2010 round up video, please go to his student blog Shudder Budder and check it out. There is a great spot with friend Frank Hamrick and an interview I conduct with Tom Fischer.

Edited 3.28.10

The 49th Parallel

2010-02-28T11:37:00.006-05:00

The 49th parallel north, the clearing is the USA/Canada boarder

The 49th parallel is the boarder between the United States of America and Canada and the longest unarmed boarder in the world. Being from the US, I have seen Canada as I think many Americans have, a bit of a paradox. It is some what confusing to me how they can still be a British holding but have an entire portion of the country that speaks French. Furthermore, it was Robin Williams who called Canada a loft apartment above a really great party. This about sums up Americans' thoughts on our friendly neighbors to the North. But this may be changing.

Over the past week or so with the playing of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic games, I have come to see Canada and Canadians quite differently. They are a people more welcoming then most and rich in tradition and customs. They are, I guess it wouldn't be a stretch to say, our quiet close friends who always seem to have our back, no matter how much noise we make.

Ours seems to be a symbiotic arrangement. Not being from the boarder states I really can't say but somewhere the line blurs. Our cultures cross and influence one another. This, I feel for many Americans, is seen in the game of hockey. The Canadians call it their game, but the US has the National Hockey League, or NHL, the league most players strive to reach. Now, I don't know much about hockey but it seems the NHL has players from all over the world and it says quite a bit when the league shuts down for the Winter Games and allows the players to represent their home counries. This sets up a situation where NHL team mates will face off on the ice.

That will happen today at 12:15 local time in Vancouver, BC. But it is more then just team mates on different teams, it is two countries connected by much more then an unarmed boarder playing for gold, bragging rights, and who gets to call hockey their game. All of Canada and the US will be watching, even those like me who are not really hockey fans. A friendly rivalry will play out on the ice, and as hockey games in the past (namely the 1980 Lake Placid USA v Russia game) it will mean more then just win or loose. When it comes to one country versus another, it becomes more then a game. It becomes a statement about who is better, at least us very competitive Americans see it that way.

But all reading deeply, jeering and rivalry aside, it is still just a game and I look forward to cheering on Team USA. But more so I want to thank the Canadians, win or lose, for being a gracious host and for letting the US and the world get to know them a bit better.

Now if we could only figure out how the game of curling works. Congratulations to Canada for having the most gold medals and for hosting an unforgettable winter games.

Interview with Jon Cone

2010-01-18T13:37:00.006-05:00

Recently, I was ask by my employers Sous Les Etoiles to conduct an interview with Jon Cone to appear in the quarterly newsletter. He was nice enough to reply with some great insight, information and stories. Jon is a very interesting and accomplished man, having worked with many artist over the years and creating a new printmaking system called Piezography which Sous Les Etoiles used in the printing The Cities of Jean-Michels Berts.

Apparently Jon is a lobster man as well.

Here is the interview in it entirety.

Enjoy!

Ever Evolving

2009-12-02T20:52:00.009-05:00

Barn and Pond, Dan Burkholder, 2009

Photography has forever been a process that has been done in steps. In the beginning it was time consuming and, given the chemistry involved, dangerous. However, as the medium evolved the steps became few and the time and chemistry involved decreased. With the advent of digital photography, the process became almost instantaneous. Almost, because those pixel pictures still need to make it off the camera and on to paper, or now as it seems in most cases, the Internet. This requires that a photo be sent or uploaded. Since camera phones have been around, that has been easy, but the photos low quality and not so hot. That has now changed. With smart phones becoming smarter and their cameras becoming stronger, the ability to take, process and output an images has be come something that can be done with a single device in a short time.

Enter The iPhone.

This device is used by many people in many ways. With no shortage of applications it can be tailored to fit the individual's wants and needs. In the case of Dan Burkholder that is a one stop photo shop. He captures, processes and, I images, outputs his images to his site all from his iPhone. And now he is even offering workshops to that end.

Where does this leave the purest? Gasping for breath and trying to keep up. Photography has, since it's invention, been an ever changing medium that is constantly reinventing it self. It pulls from other artistic mediums and, since it is seen by many as the place where art meets science, why wouldn't it pull from there as well. In the early days it was with the elaborate chemicals and processes that were utilized to create images. It is as if photographers such as Niépce, Daguerre, Fox Talbot, Herschel and even Bostic and Sullivan, are part artist, part 'mad scientist.' It seems only natural that as we move out of the industrial era and into the digital age, photography should follow. And so it has. We have seen Agfa close and Apple take over; waved good bye to Kodachrome (sorry Paul Simon) and said hello to 50 mega pixels. But unlike the industrial era where bigger is better, in the digital age pocket size is the right size. And so photography has followed. Cameras are getting smaller and smaller while allowing for fine details. The iPhone has allowed that process to go one further. Acting as a mini computer, it allows the user to snap, process and output all with one device. Gone are the days of development, D-76 or Lightroom. It can now be done in the palm of one's hand.

Does these mean it is over for the super computers used to work on large digital files? Never. Thought photography has evolved though it's various stages, none of them seem to be truly gone. There are those still working in many of the antique process such as wet collodion, daguerreotypes, platinum/palladium and others despite the time and harsh chemistry needed. And thought there has been a drop off in the products available for sliver gelatin printing, it like the others, will never be truly gone. So it will be for digital photography as we know it today. Photoshop is in its eleventh revision. Each version of Photoshop could be seen (and is by some) as its own individual expression of the medium. So while we look at those working with platinum/palladium now as working in an antique process, our children may see those working or experimenting in Photoshop versions 7, CS and CS3 as working with past antiquated mediums. Who's to say,but it can be said that the one constant in photography is not 67 degrees but that it is an ever changing medium that never fails to be inspired by current technology and amaze with the collaboration of science and creativity.

Loss of a Great Collaborator

2009-11-20T01:12:00.003-05:00

Jeanne-Claude, of the collaborating group Christo and Jeanne-Claude responsible for The Gates, has passed away at 74. Here is the New York Times obituary.

Christo and Jeanne-Claude's work served to inspire many, and not just those in the art community. Their large and involved installations brought attention of the general public the concept of process and instillation art. I am saddened to say that I have never been able to experience one of their works in person, having just missed The Gates. However, I did come to know their work and be impressed by it at and early age. I was first introduced to Christo and Jeanne-Claude's work when I was in high school. I was at a summer program for the arts and we saw sketches of their work for Sounded Islands. What amazed me the most about these work, beyond the shocking pink, was that a single piece of art could be so large. I will never forget seeing those sketches and the feeling that anything could be accomplished.

Jeanne- Claude poetically stated that their worked expressed “the quality of love and tenderness that we human beings have for what does not last.” Christo and Jeanne-Claude's work reminds us that nothing is forever. Much time and effort is spent to enjoy only a brief moment, that moment, as with their works, is all the more special because of it temporary nature.

She will be missed and I hope Christo plans to continue with the works they had in progress.

The Cities

2009-11-14T22:32:00.004-05:00

Thursday night was the open of The Cities of Jean-Michels Berts at Sous Les Etoiles Gallery. This is an exclusive series printed in carbon ink. This entire exhibition was printed in house by me. I am happy to say the photograph and many others were very please with my work. I enjoyed printing this images in an edition of 5. It brought me back to my time in the darkroom. The process, thought it is digital, is quite close to working with wet prints in that the 'dodging and burning' is very evident. The difference thou is the amount of control on has with digitally adjusting and image and the tonal range of the process. The 7k ink systems allows for a tonal range close to that of platinum/palladium printing. It is quite subtly beautiful and worth seeing in person. The show will be on exhibit though January 2010.

John van der Schilden

2009-11-07T22:41:00.004-05:00

This week I had the pleasure of working with Canadian photographer John van der Schilden. He has shot for various magazine and has made an appearances on Canada's Next Top Model as a guest judge. He is a great guy and has some really awesome images. The spared Show Stoppers, in the October 2009 issue of Flare is a beautiful redeclaration of a behind the scenes of a movie shoot. Check out John in action in this Flare produced video.

A Million Little Pictures

2009-09-25T21:29:00.001-04:00

Somewhere on one of these walls are some of my photos! Art House Co-op's show 'A Million Little Pictures' opened tonight in Atalanta. It would love to see what the numerous entries added up to. Very much a 'sum is great then the parts' type show. Here are some image from the opening. There will be another show in San Francisco, Ca in January 2010. To bad its not in Brooklyn.

King of Pop poped the Internet

2009-06-26T19:33:00.000-04:00

Yesterday during the time of Micheal Jackson's death and the insuring news coverage (3-4 PDT) Internet usage spiked 11% from normal. It is pretty interesting to see what happens to our communication grids when major news breaks. To that effect CNET.com asks wither or not the Internet is a reliable source for news and info if it has the ability to slow/ crash at these times. Here is an interesting article/ opinions on that topic.
p.s. This graphic is where the spikes were the biggest.

The Edge is an Interesting Place.

2009-06-17T20:59:00.006-04:00

Based on what some of my Ladies with Lenses said, I have noticed an 'outside looking in' kind of feeling to a lot of my photographs. I do seem to be the observer of my family and in a way a self proclaimed black sheep. As much as I have wanted to feel totally included I always have felt more on the edge then in the thick of things. This has more to do with me in many ways then my cousins, for reasons I am not quite sure. I will have to go back and look at the last year to see what I can find that speaks to this.

what my day looked like

2009-06-17T20:28:00.002-04:00

At work we have daily status meetings, today's ran long. While some things were being discussed I began to doodle. This is what came out and I got a few complements on it. Not really sure what it means but I know parts of it were drawn when parts of the conversations took a turn. Read into if you want Dr. Freud.

The great edit

2009-06-09T21:48:00.006-04:00

I have sorted thought my 506 first round picks from my shooting over the last year, and while I am not done ( I got it down to 98) and I know I have missed some good ones. I don't really know what I want to make from all of it. There are many different routes I could go. For instances, I have quite a few photos of my father. I also have many photos of my family at gatherings, that is what i thought I wanted to document from the start. But then there are still photos from around the house and other places I go that I like, so I don't want to discount them. Here are a few from the selection.

my two cents

2009-06-05T21:50:00.005-04:00

I have been thinking lately about how I need to start doing more with my images. I feel I now have some, not all, of the tools to do that. This being said I hope to post more photographs here and start doing what I said I would at the beginning of the year, to post once a week. I have lots of new images, but it seems to be find the time to sit down and go through that that is the hard part. I hope/ plan to change that in the coming month or two. It all starts with making a promise to my self to make some changes and doing my best to live up to it. So there is my two cents.

Tech Support.

2009-05-16T13:08:00.004-04:00

Here is a little encounter I had with Gateway. Enjoy.
(background: I was in the process of reinstalling the OS windows XP and was short the apps and drivers disk. I emailed Gateway and here it is)

Orgional email:

Customer (Sarah Gibbons)
05/16/2009 07:51 AM
Hello,I am reinstalling the OS and I don't seem to have the second disk needed, the applications and divers disk that it is asking for. I don't believe I ever received this disk when I bought the computer. Where can I get one of these. I have tried the Drives and Download section of the web site and it is still not working.
Thank you.

Responce:

Discussion Thread
Response (Veena_GWSI351)
05/16/2009 08:55 AM
Dear Sarah Gibbons,
Thank you for contacting Gateway. I would be happy to assist you with this issue.I understand that you are facing an issue with the recovery disk.As per our records, your computer is out of warranty.Gateway updates the Restoration CD frequently. We no longer have the CD needed for your system. These CD's are included with the purchase of a new system and are not sold separately. To download drivers, please visit our Web site at the address below. http://www.gateway.com/support/drivers/ddaStep.aspFor further clarifications, please feel free to visit our website http://support.gateway.com

Have a nice day!
Respectfully,
Gateway Online Technical Support

My reply:

Customer (Sarah Gibbons)
05/16/2009 10:07 AM
I have got the computer working but it will not recognize the various hardware needed to play sound/use the Internet. As I noted I have tried the Driver download page. I will try again since that seems to be my only choice. Thank you for your assistance. As a long time PC user I will no longer be buying PCs, Gateway or others. This would be a non issue if this was Mac computer.

Have a nice day!
Respectfully,
an Ex-PC user.

Should be interesting to see what they say.

* UPDATE: They responded with almost the same message. In response, I got a MacBook Pro.

Closer to Home

2009-02-23T22:29:00.005-05:00

Here are a few images from my current series. I have begun to edit down the large amounty of images into something that better encompass the idea of family as identity. These are straight from the camera, I have done no work to them.
This is my father. There seem to be many photos of him as I go though and edit down what I have. I think this for a few reason. One he doesn't seem to mind me taking photos of him, and two, we are a lot alike. He is very interested in my photography. He wants to know about it and how it works and all the new tech stuff. I remember him taking photos when I was younger. He gave me his camera when I started photography in high school, I still have it, and the tripod that he used as well. I am thinking there will be more photos of my father later, in another series. In this image he is being threaten by my Aunty Patricia. He wanted to smoke a cigar at a family baseball game and she said she would whack him if he dared. She won.

Here is my younger brother. I like this image because to me it is both so much and so not Steven. He has change quite a bit in the last year and it is good to see him comfortable with himself. Also Snap wanted to see it.

Congrats!

2009-02-20T09:36:00.004-05:00

I would just like to send a heart felt, high five congratulations to The New Glitterati for her appearance in Gutter. As someone I only know though a friend, I have enjoyed following her blog almost daily for a while now. I can relate to her words and they inspire me to think, feel and, more often then not, laugh. I raise my glass of Cono Sur Pinot Noir (good stuff by the way!) to her.

Bike Funding is good for Everyone

2009-02-17T13:58:00.008-05:00

Senate Amendment Aims To Nix All Bike Funding

I do not agree with this at all. As a recent addition to New York City's daily grind, I am counting down the days until it is warm enough to ride my bike the 8 miles or so to work (something I admit I may have to work up to). I agree with Andy (author) in that more bike lanes in urban areas is a good idea. I see how much bikes are used here from everything to messengers to food delivery. It truly helps keep down the amount of cars. I think of all the bike messengers that we get at our office and try to imagine the grid lock if they were all using cars.

I also find it interesting that these two senators are Republicans. Will they ever get over themselves and look into the possibilities of new ideas? This funding for bike infrastructure is not 'pork.' It is useful and innovative in that it will allow more American (name me and others in cities) to have a safe, efficient way to get around, not to mention healthier.

It is nice to see the sun sometimes and I look forward to the time of year it is warm enough to skip the subway and ride my bike over the East river.

Oktapodi

2009-02-10T14:20:00.004-05:00

Oktapodi is a short film created at Gobleins school in France. It has been nominated for a bunch of awards including Best Animated Short. Take a look it is only 2 mins long. I laughed out loud. And watch out Pixar, this is great!

Counterpoint

2009-02-10T12:22:00.001-05:00

I was just looking at the ParkeHarrison's website. They have some really great images. Take a look.

Being Like

2009-02-09T09:26:00.001-05:00

I went to Yancy Richardson today to see David Hilliard's show 'Being Like.' I love David Hilliard, however, I must say that I was a bit disappointed with this show. First off, I think Yancy is a great space but there are never enough images to satisfy my want to see and Hilliard's work being large takes up a lot of real estate. In total there were only about 7 or so images. That being said they were all new images that I had not seen before and I found that very enjoyable.

The work kept with Hilliard's exploration of what is considered masculine, but I felt while all of the image were beautiful and done in his signature style, some had a more contrived feeling that I am not used to seeing in Hilliard's work.

Bleeder

This image, Bleeder is just such an example. While I like the image and I think it does raise questions about what a adolescent boy might struggle with when faced with conflicting ideas of masculinity, it lacked that subtlety of some Hilliard's earlier images.

Boys Tethered

The show didn't totally have this feeling of over contrived images. Boys Tethered and Letting go of the Day had that feeling of Hilliard walking in on a moment that his earlier images of his father have. While I will say that Boys Tethered is contrived, it to me doesn't have the same push over the top as Bleeder does.

Letting go of the Day

What I did noticed about the work is Hilliard has really expanded his pallet since his book in 2005. While many of those images were of young boys and men, these images had children and in once case Of a Certain Temperance a heterosexual couple in a sexual situation.

Of a Certain Temperance

And he is expanding his format. One image, Ransom Turned Around, was in the for of a cross, not the typical panoramic 3 frame format Hilliard is know for.

In all I did really enjoy the show, it was a great opportunity to see one of my favorite artist's work up close and personal. To see how someone chooses to mount and frame their images is always interesting. I look forward to seeing more new work from Hilliard and do hope he comes out with another book. There are many great image on his website that I would like to see in print, since I can't see them all on a wall at once.

Lobster Dog

2009-01-25T16:33:00.006-05:00

So not keeping up so much with the new plan. We will be getting Internet soon so that will help. In the meantime here are a few photos of Chloe and her first experience with a lobster.

It got her!

New Year, New Plan

2009-01-02T23:49:00.007-05:00

In looking at the blog of my good friend Katie Wright, who posts often, I have decided that I need to update more. I know I won't be able to post one a day, due to the no Internet status of our apartment at the moment. However, I should be able to do one a week. This will force me to show some of the images I have taken and keep me accountable for going to see shows at the many museums and galleries that New York has to offer. Or at least comment on music or current events. This is something I want to make time for and I hope will both allow me to think more critically about things and force me to be more creative. Two skills that have, I feel, slipped in the last few months.

I am currently working on images of my extended family, specifically my cousins, our get togethers and lives. I have a statement for this work but I don't feel it is quite ready for eyes other then my own. That being said, here is an image from our Christmas party.

This is my cousin Kirsten and her father my Uncle Red. She, who really hates it when I take her photo, is the third and youngest girl in a family of four, three girls and one boy who is the youngest of the four. Kirsten's two older sisters, Shannon and Taren, are both married, one with a small child. Uncle Red will be very sad to give away his last daughter. In a side note, Kirsten looks very much like her mother, Anne, here.

Here is an image from our New Years Hootennanny.

This is from the left, Dan, Sean's back, Sheila, Taren, and Shannon. Dan is Shannon's husband and some will say, very much like her father, Red. This was right before midnight and everyone was getting ready.

My cousins have got to the point where, while they still notice me taking photos, they don't mind as much. I try not to show any of them in a bad light and try to just take snap shot, slice of life, photos. I plan to take what I have shot over the last 6 months and see what jumps out and work from there.

Thought on Opie

2008-12-27T23:41:00.000-05:00

Untitled (Pearls)

One of the things I did think when seeing the Opie show, epically the mentioned Polaroids, was should children be seeing this? I didn't see any signs anywhere saying anything about the graphic nature of the images. Then it occurred to me that maybe there didn't need to be signs.

In looking up some stuff for the previous post I came across this, an article on how there was no X rating for this show.

I don't really think there should be. While I do think some people got 'more then they paid for' in then they didn't know what they were going to see when then went to the Gugg, I don't think the above mentioned article holds much water either. Yes, some will argue that some of the images are not far from porn, but I still think they are valid and do deserve to hang in the Gugg, a federally funded privet museum on the upper East Side.

And I think, and Shana may or may not agree with me, that the above images was the most sexual image of the Polaroids.

What do you guys thing?

Catherine Opie at the Guggenheim

2008-12-27T23:39:00.000-05:00

Shana and I went to see 'Catherine Opie: American Photographer' at the Guggenheim this past weekend. It was really amazing, not only the work but to see someone who is an out and proud 'queer woman' as she puts it, have a major show there. This above images is of her son Oliver. It is from a series about home life and the life of her town and how the media is part of all that.

The work span many of here series from the very famous images of her with Pervert written on her chest to her Ice Houses and Surfers series. There two series, both 14 images were show across a hall-like room from one another. It was a great way to view them, and according to the audio tour, how she always imagined they should be viewed.

However, I think some of the most powerful pieces in the show were the larger-then-life Polaroids. They were images of a performance artist with AIDS named Ron Athey. There was a lot of body modifications in the images including tattoos and different kind of needles. They were very moving and almost intimidating because of their size and confrontation. These images were not something one could casually glance at. They needed to be seen but cause they were 'yelling' and they needed time to be contemplated.

This is Mitch. He is part of the portrait series Opie did of her friend within the community. There was a great verity of people in these images, most of who would be considered part of a sub-culture. I found these images inspiring. They were taking quite a while ago and granted it was on the west cost, these people were living life they way they wanted despite what the main stream though.

All in all it was a great show. I am very glad we braved the freezing cold and wind to go. It was great to see some of Opie's work that is not the really "out there" stuff that she is know for and to see how her work as evolved from that of a passionate advocate to a family woman with children.

First Night

2008-10-21T22:36:00.003-04:00

Tonight is my first night in New York. I start my new job tomorrow and in some ways I feel like I am starting a new part of my life. I guess I am. I am getting my first 'big girl' job and moving to a new city, and not just any city but New York City. Go big or go home I guess, and that is just what I will be doing if I can't hack it, going home to CT. I know I am nervous but I have a good support group and it has amazed me how I only have to ask and help is there if I need it. There are so many people who have helped me, some I know well, some I know through others, and some I don't know, and I would like to thank them all. So here it goes, I jump and see where I land and what is around me. I'll let you know how it turns out when my feet hit the ground.

Pattty w/ 3 Ts and The Beast

2008-09-17T10:44:00.004-04:00

Pattty w/ 3 T's and The Beast

So this image will be in and up coming show in Annapolis, MD, title tba. The curator, one Katie Wright loved it. I am still kind of amazed she chose it.

The Project Continues

2008-09-11T16:47:00.006-04:00

After going to breakfast with my mom and some of her sisters and a friend whom we all call Auntie out of respect, I continued to shoot for my "Things for Sale in a Small Town." I am pretty happy with what I found, not just truck and cars. There were a few new things such as my uncle's dozer and a truck bed. There is a truck cap I wanted to shoot but there was some police activity occurring across the street so I decided to hold off. I am confident it will be there tomorrow.

Yellow Dozer, 151 Young St., East Hampton, CT

OH! and I found a bus. That is right a BUS! I was pretty excited about this one.

White Bus, Intersection of Glastonbury Tnkp and Sage Hollow Rd, Portland, CT

I plan to do some more looking later in this week. Gas still cost a lot of money to just ride around with out having some idea where things are. I want to verture further in to the surrounding towns, like Glastonbury, Portland, and Colchester. I want to try to keep it mostly 'small towns' with things like regional high schools. Not cities like Middletown.

Things for Sale in Small Town

2008-09-10T13:27:00.009-04:00

So I have started my new project. This whole thing came about from me driving around and noticing in the back of my mind that there were a lot of things, mostly cars, on people lawns for sale. That got me to thinking on our current economic crisis and gas issues. So I thought I would go and see what I could find. This is only one shoot, I plan to go out again later today to a few places were I know there are more things and a big more variety. I don't want this to be just about car, I plan to look for other things, such as firewood or, as on of my cousins told me, bunnies. I'll see what I can find. But I would like some feed back on what shots seem to be working best. I have not done any work on these images as my photoshop program is on the fritz.

Black Volvo and White Bayliner, 186 E. High St., East Hampton, CT

White Bayliner, 186 E. High St., East Hampton, CT

Grey F250, Intersection of Lake Dr. and E. High St., East Hampton, CT

Blue Blazer, 12 Portland Resevoir Rd. East Hampton, CT

Red F150, Intersection of Hebron Rd. and Blackledge Dr., Marlbrough, CT

Grey Blazer, 157 W. Main St, Hebron, CT

Happy Particle Accelerator Day!

2008-09-10T13:04:00.001-04:00

Today in Switzerland they are going to fire up the Large Hadron Collider. This is a particle accelerator complex. They are going to shoot protons at each other at a very high rate of speed with lots of energy to see what will happen. from what it sounds like they are trying to recreate some aspects of the Big Bang and look for the Higgs Boson or "God particle," the one that, if it exist, will make all the theories work. (we all know about looking for or trying to figure out that one thing to make it fit and make it all work... hard to find/ never happens). but the interesting thing is they don't really know what will happen. i am sure they have a pretty good idea but when you are playing to trying to recreate the Big BANG (note word bang) it might be a good idea to have some idea.

When Color Was New

2008-09-09T17:42:00.002-04:00

when Bess and i were out doing our walking around thing on the 5th, we went to see a show at the Julie Saul Gallery called "When Color Was New, vintage photographs from around the 1970s." now i don't know what Bess thought, but i thought it was kind of awesome and a great representation of big artist taken photos that looked kind of like "oh pretty color let's shoot that!" no really, there were works there by Jonh Pfahl, Joel Sternfeld (Bess's formar Prof...) and a Walker Evens' Polaroid. let's not forget the ladies with works by Helen Levitt, Jan Groover and Nan Golden. but the biggie for me was William Eggleston's NFS gigantic tricycle! it was really cool to see in person. i kind love that image (maybe because i love bikes). i would recommend going to see it if you get a chance.

on second thought i guess just Bess and i will be seeing this one as it came down on the 6th, sorry guys.

Sept. 11th

2008-09-09T17:26:00.001-04:00

i kind of forgot that Sept. 11th is coming up (it is my mother' birthday and that is how i think of it), until the other day when i was waiting for the E train and a cute tall blond, i am going to guess, German model-looking boy asked me, 'is this the train to The Ground Zero?' in a curious and excited tone. i said yes it will take you there and then he asked, 'is the stop called The Ground Zero?' i said no, World Trade Towers, then walked away, thinking no you idiot there was something else there before there was nothing. i guess it is good he got me, a non-New Yorker who was exiled from New England (ahh the college years) at the time of the attack. i thought about it while i snuck glances of him looking at his map. why would anyone want to go there. i have never been. i have only been to the towers once long before they were gone. then it occurred to me, that, as with most thing in America, it has become a tourist destination. this was both interesting to me and sad. i don't know if i will ever go see it, i don't know if i want to. but all the time i spend thinking about the Sept. 11th attack, i just keep trying to remind myself that this is something (ok maybe not as many lives lost in a single day) that happens every day in other nations and it is not as glorified as it is here. buildings that are bombed in Iraq don't end up being tourist destinations for supposed Germans, only in America does that happen. but then again, as with most things in America, it was bigger and more spectacular (please forgive the use of the word i don't me to sound like it am praising here) then most.

No choice for Bristol could means no choice for all

2008-09-02T18:11:00.004-04:00

i find it very interesting that Sarah Palin is McCain's pick. if she can't get her children to follow her lead how does she expect the nations to follow. Her daughter's pregnancy raises many questions. Palin notes that that Bristol has 'chosen' on her own to keep the baby. she did not chose, with her mother running for VP there was no choice her her, and if McCain/Palin win there will be no choice for America's women. Furthermore, Palin states that she will not support 'explicit sex-ed programs' in Alaska (Jazebel article) so how can we expect her to support them nation wide. i am sorry but the old stand by of absinenst-only education does not work. Bristol is case in point. maybe if this girl had the knowledge of, and access to contraceptives she would not be were she is. yes, yes her and the boyfriend (ET article) plan to marry. again like they have a choice. there is no way that the Republican party would allow any unwed mother to be the VP's daughter. i feel for this girl, she has no choice and should her mother win we all may caught in that same situation. much will be learned about Sarah Palin, a woman who doesn't seem to know here she stands on a lot of things that are important to this nation, from how she proceeds with her daughter and the 'choices' her daughter makes.

and the contender is

2008-08-29T14:54:00.001-04:00

Sarah Palin is McCain's pick for VP. not to sure how i feel about this, i think McCain is trying to win the hearts of the American people the same way Obama is, by picking someone who is recognizable by all. he wants to show he is hip, young, funny and cool, so Palin, a mother of 5 from Alaska was chosen because she looks like Tina Fey.

McCain we see through your sorry attempt to hang up your old white man gig and try to be hip.

some new things

2008-08-21T22:59:00.000-04:00

here are some new images i am working on, planing on pimping them soon.

who is this?

2008-08-04T14:52:00.000-04:00

ok so Obama choice Joe Biden as his running mate. does any one really know anything about this guy? quick glance at the above link didn't help to much, but i did find this photo and i thought he looked kind like this guy, Bob Barker.

coincidence... i think not.... i think Obama choice Biden for this reason!

flu[XX] MFA Thesis Show

2007-11-13T00:02:00.001-05:00

Come out some time in the next two weeks and check out my MFA thesis show. Thanks to all those who helped with it along its long road.

November 12-26

Alexander Hall,668 Indian St, Savannah, GA.

Reception to be held on November 16th from 5-7 pm

Gender is not a reflection of one’s biological make up, but a construction based on the society in which they live, and the ideas and values of that society. Individuals choose various signifiers to tell others what groups they choose to identify with.

Flu[XX] explores the capacity for a single being to navigate between the external expressions of their ever shifting, multi-faceted, (self) identification. Simply by not subscribing to the standard square or rectangular format, this work exists out side of the traditional uses within the medium of photography. Through digital manipulation and collaging, it challenges the single image. The multifaceted constructions relates back to the constructed nature of gender and its various subtleties and nuances. This work falls into its own undefended place between dualisms of traditional photography.

The Anchorage and Decay Constant

2007-11-12T13:24:00.001-05:00

November 9th was the closing reception for the joint MFA Thesis show of Sarah Jones, The Anchorage and Katharine Wright, Decay Constant at Alexander Hall in Savannah, Ga. This joining of two very different bodies of work was an amazing choice by the two artists because, despite the fact they are so different in visual style, they are similar in content.
Jones’s work documents the ‘compulsive nature of collecting, which in turn reveals a great deal about the collectors themselves.’ Her photographs were all taken at her grandparents homestead name The Anchorage and depicted everything from piles of books and boxes to quarters in egg crates, family photos and a Southern stable, the Confederate flag, which is, according to the artist, “heritage not hatred.” Like the generations before us who had seen hard times and knew the value fixing something instead of buying new, Jones’s grandparents were afraid to let any thing go for the possibility that it might be of use someday. The images ranged form postcards to posters in size and were hung salon style. Jones choice in frames, mismatched and aged wood, is a great addition to the work, giving the viewer the feeling that these images had been pulled from the house itself. Totaling in almost 50 images, it seems that Jones would be commenting on the collecting nature of her grandparents by collecting images of their decaying home.

Wright’s work is an investigation of ‘her world and the anxiety she feels about …the eventual loss of those closest to her.’ Done in a poetic manner with unusual cropping, Wright depicts those people and moments around her that, with her camera, she attempts to hold on to. The title alone Decay Constant suggest continual change and Wright is comment on the photograph’s nature to freeze time and become a surrogate. She expresses this concept further with her instillation pieces and with their choice of medium, wax, ice and formaldehyde. In glass jars, these substances hold something precious, such as a love letter, and try to preserve it, but in doing so have, in a way, ruined the object it was supposed to protect.

Both Jones’s and Wright’s show comment on our ever changes world and the ways in which we try to hold on to our collective past. There is, in both series, a sense of loss that that the artist is trying to evade by using objects as surrogate for the people closest to them and their own fond memories.

Atlanta Open Studio Night 11.08.2007

2007-11-10T12:55:00.000-05:00

It seems to be becoming a tradition for SCAD grad students from Savannah to head out to Atlanta in the fall to see some great work and hang out with their counter parts in the Big Peach.

That was the case on Thursday November 8th when SCAD Atlanta hosted the Fall Open Studio Night. The even was well attended and just a much fun this year as it was last year, even if the students from Savannah were a bit underrepresented. We, some of my fellow grad students and I, went to check out our work in the juried show as well as try to see the ever awesome Steve Aishman (shown here with Sav turned Alt grad Denise Lira).

After checking out the awesome works and having a little chat with Tom Fischer, we met up with Atl grad student Walker Pickering who thought it would be great to interview us for their website PhotoAwesome.com (keep checking to see highlights of the night). This lead to a great dinner with Walker, David Allen Jones and a few others. The conversation revolved around the two departments and general comparison between them. It was a great way to meet some new cool folks and have a few contacts in Atlanta. I look forward to hearing from these guys and see what they come up with on PhotoAwesome. I hope they can make it to Savannah in the spring for our Open Studio Night (here's me hoping we have one and do as great a job as the Atlanta program has!)

Here are a few instillation shots of some of the great photography we saw.

Steffanie Halley

Shana D'Attilio

Katie Wright

Thank to the Atlanta grad students and Steve Aishman for a great show. Don't for get to check out PhotoAwesome.com and SCADPhoto.

Drawings and Invented Math

2007-11-07T21:51:00.000-05:00

So I am getting ready for my up coming thesis show flu[xx]. I have one print left to print and I have cut out three prints, but more on that later.

I have noticed when I am stressed the counter in me tends to come forward. I will count steps, usually until I hit 30 or so, and then stop but some times keep going just for fun. It is 30 steps from where my computer is to the front door and from my bed room in at my home in CT to the kitchen to get a snack. This brings me to some thing new that I would like to explore, my like of prime numbers and repeating patters, as well as connections between these numbers. I find myself adding prime together and see where it goes. Today it started with this. I just began adding to try to get prime numbers and wanted to see where it went. Well this lead to other things. I began to draw an my paper and when I flipped this over I did a drawing on the back of the view from our cabin in Maine.

Images of Maine are not something new for me, when I am homesick or just want to draw something, that is usually what comes out. So in this one there are many of the fun things I would do as a kid there, such as boating and fishing. There is also one or our dogs swimming. I guess when people say to 'go to your happy place' that is where I go.

The next thing I came up with though, came straight of out of the conversation where I was as well as the invented math.

This is an images of our well at home, because we got talking about city water vs. well water and I went from there. I enjoy drawing and know I am not really that great at it but I figure oh well, it is fun. Maybe something will come of it at some point but for right now it is a fun way to explore ideas of home with the ideas of the invented math. Keep and eye out for more, as well as show info.

Known for Famous Photos, Not All of Them His

2007-09-15T11:20:00.000-04:00

Joe O’Donnell,who died Aug. 9, hijacked and claimed as his own some of the 20th century’s most famous images.

This article in today's New York Times discusses photographer Joe O'Donnell and how he had taken credit for photographs, such as on of John John's salute of his fathers coffin, that were not his own. I just find it interesting that many of these photographs that are widely know were not, at the time, accredited to any one photographer, which now causes problems with who gets credit for what photo. It seems that since the 40's 50's and 60's, photography and more specifically photojournalism has become much more important. Now all photos in papers are credited to someone, and there are photojournalism stars such as James Nachtway, and agencies like VII.

I just thought this was an interesting article, especially since it seems that O’Donnell wasn’t sued for any kind of copy right infringement, and wanted to hear what you guys thought about it.

Fueled by Cats

2007-08-10T11:28:00.000-04:00

This is how Bess Bieluczyk explains how my car runs. There are a number of cats who wait to get on the cat wheel to run and power the batter (the thing with lighting bolts) that turns the bike chain that makes the fuel level sensor go bong on its springs which tells me how much fuel is in the fish bowl in my car. Well that part is broken cause the fish bowl is full and the car says it isn't.

This was drawn today while we spent 3 hours at the dealership trying to figure out what was wrong with my NEW car. It was a good time there was soda and popcorn and snacks, fun drawings, The Price is Right and daytime soaps. Grand! Other then the big $$$ it will cost to get and install the fuel level sensor. Wish my car really did run on cats. It would be cheaper and I could play with them when they were not working. By the way that is Dee (Bess's cat) and Venus (Katie Wright's cat) working right now. Go cats go!

'Subtle Hysteria' and 'ID' MFA Thesis shows

2007-08-03T19:42:00.000-04:00

Yes I know it has been a while but I now have something new and exciting to post. My two good friends Bess Bieluczyk and Tori Purcell had there MFA Thesis shows tonight at Alexander Hall here in Savannah, Ga. Both have worked very hard and I am very excited to see the end products of all their hard work.

Bess's show, 'Subtle Hysteria' is a visual representation of her fictional domestic character’s quite outlet of rage and frustration. Dealing with the idea of a woman’s place in the home, these images were 20x24 C prints in white frames and looked great.

Tori's show, 'ID' makes the viewer question the categories that are used to classify people based on race, gender, body type and sexual orientation. The show was some what politically charged and also brought in to question appropriation as art. There were interactive pieces such as 'peepers' an various audio stations. This is a shot of a very large instillation of individual images making up the grid on the back of a panty hoes box. each image is wrapped in various types of panty hoes.

Both shows looked great and I am very excited for my friends to have there shows up and looking awesome. Congrats ladies.

For more on Bess Bieluczyk go to www.bessart.com
For more on Tori Purcell go to http://toripurcell.com

SPE national

2007-03-10T20:02:00.000-05:00

i am looking forward to SPE national in Miami. it is the first year that i will be going and i have never been to Miami. i am volunteering as a way to meet new people and save some money. the only down side is that Jay Gould's lecture and Kelli Connell's panel are at the same time. i am also looking forward to seeing some friends from the Maine Photographic Workshops. right now even the ride down is looking better then finals!