Transitioning. Again.

Hi all:

Well, it has indeed been a while. Sorry about that - as you may have guessed from the title of today's post, things are still in a state of chaos. But, I now see an end in sight, and actually, I appear to be getting a reward for my months of headaches. More on that in a moment.

No blogging music today - except the random selection of tracks playing through the coffee house speakers. "Box Full of Letters" by Wilco came on a few minutes ago - I was getting my tea and went into a trance. I was transported back to Lollapolooza 1994 in Chicago, when Wilco was playing the second stage. They were playing this song, their first single - and people were still discovering them. I remember thinking at that moment: these guys have that "it" factor - you could just tell. Now I'm getting some weird, horrible lounge-style organ music. Sometimes change is good, and sometimes it isn't.

The family is now out with me in Leesburg, VA - and since we're partially unpacked, we've decided that a great idea would be to move again. We saw a new townhouse we just couldn't pass up - and it's only a few blocks from our current apartment. There are many great reasons for this change, but the benefit I alluded to above is that...wait for it...here it comes...I finally get my art studio! Many of you remember from previous posts that, when still in PA, we were planning to finish our basement and put one down there. Circumstances clearly changed before that could become a reality, but the new house has a finished basement, with an area all ready for me to make into an office and studio. Sometimes things work out for the best.

The only bad news is that I am really being forced to hold off on new work until I get settled into the house. The apartment is just too cramped, and though I can (and will) work on prepping images, printing will just be too difficult. But, the end is in sight and I look forward to making up for my forced sabbatical.

In the meantime, I'm still working on some ideas, have done a little bit of shooting and still have a bunch of images to work on. So far, my evenings and weekends haven't been my own, but that shows some signs of changing a little.

More to come soon - perhaps even a couple of works-in-progress. In the meantime, enjoy what's left of your fall (for those of you fortunate enough to have it).

-Marc

On The Post

Hi all:

Firstly, I want you all to know that even after a couple of beers and a weekend of unbelievable sports misery for yours truly, I made a special stop at Buzz Bakery to get y'all a blog entry. I know it's been a couple of weeks, and I thought I'd touch base.

No blogging music today - forgot my headphones at work and I don't think my neighbors on this picnic-style table want me to share my musical tastes with them. I mean, maybe they do, but I'm guessing not.

Things have been a little crazy lately. A couple of weeks ago, I was in 4 states in less than 1 week. Planes, trains and automobiles (seriously, all 3), and for a while, I wasn't sure where I was, what time it was, etc. I'm still a bit sleep-deprived and feel like I'm coming down with something. Actually, I'm surprised it's taken this long...just waiting for the other shoe to drop.

The major contributor to my lack of free time has been Ara Lucia's "We Vow" project, for which I am now starting to know wrap up post-production. Supervising the retouching and color work on this project has been quite an experience, and of course, I've been asked to contribute in some other ways too. I think Ara is pleased with the way things are going, and I'm glad that all the work we've put in seems to be yielding some strong results. Mike (the retoucher) and Ara are considerably more sleep deprived than I - and they've been great throughout the whole process. It isn't easy for someone to spend 12 hours working on something, then call someone and have them say "we're not there yet - we need to do more." I feel like an asshole at times, but they've been great. It's so unusual to have a team this supportive and dedicated, and I know Ara is thankful.

I move out of my friends' place and into my new apartment in Leesburg on Wednesday. It's been a bit of a whirlwind - selling the house (had some issues towards the end there, but everything worked out), the apartment, work, side projects - craziness! I ain't 22 anymore, and my body is really beginning to remind me of that.

No real fine art news to report - I've had to put some of my own stuff on-hold until after both the move and the conclusion of "We Vow." But, I'm anxious to get started and am optimistic that this latest roll of film will yield one or two worthwhile pieces.

In the meantime, enjoy what's left of your fall. It's my favorite time of year and it never seems to last long enough. So, go outside and play!

-Marc

Crazier Living Through Exhaustion

Hi everyone:

Wow, it's been a while.  Sorry about that - things have been a little out of control lately.  When you're trying to find a house, getting your old house ready to sell (settling in 2 weeks) and working your ass off at a new job, it becomes difficult to find time for yourself.  

So, I broke with tradition and found a coffee shop in Old Town with free wi-fi, so I'm blogging there today instead of my usual spot.  Though, I must admit I will probably head over to my old stomping ground later today to meet Rachael, Josh and Dahlia for cupcakes.

I just posted on my Facebook page that I miss my art stuff.  Don't get me wrong - I am SO thankful to Rachael and Josh for taking me in during this time of transition, but not having the space or supplies to create new work has been a challenge.  And, the space situation is not going to change any time soon - we had some housing woes and now need to rent an apartment for 6 months.   It's a 3-bedroom, but it's all one floor and the living space is a little small for the whole art thing.  Somehow, I went from possibly building an art studio in my basement to having less room than I had before - at least for a while.  

In art news, it looks like the NYC show fell through, at least for now.  The gallery has to move out of their space and it sounds like they are in some sort of limbo at the moment.  The economy has hit the gallery scene really hard in practically every major city, and I was sorry to see another casualty.  I hope they bounce back!  In the meantime, I'll just keep shooting and trying to create, so when the right space comes along, I'll be ready.  Investigating galleries in this area is one of many items on my to do list.

I just dropped off some recently processed film for scanning an hour or two ago.  I should have the images back today or early next week.  It's the batch that Tom had for a while, but never got to.  I hope this guy does a good job - he's relatively cheap, but I'm nervous about his ability to handle what I've given him.  My film never looks like what comes out of a regular 35 mm camera (or at least used to before digital)- mainly due to the fact that I'm shooting with something that is 90 years old, made of plastic and is meant to take 127 (which they don't make anymore), rather than 35.  The frame edges and tones are always a little goofy, and it takes someone with a little extra skill to get those images to a place where I'm ready to do my thing. But, if it works out, and this guy starts to know my needs, it could be a nice relationship.

In other news, my friend, colleague and inspirer Ara is embarking on her second major photo shoot next weekend.  I've agreed to be the "post-production supervisor" - a capacity in which I have never served on a shoot.  My role will be to make sure that the retoucher/post-production person is doing what he's supposed to do.  So, I head out on Friday after work to Chicago, at which point I will head straight to the hotel, crash, and be ready to be on-set at 6 am.  I'll only be on-set to observe and take notes (no art directing this time), so that on the back-end, I can make sure Ara's vision is being fully realized.  I come back late Sunday night, head to work on Monday morning and Monday night, I begin my supervisory work.  Tuesday is a trip to NYC for the annual Picturehouse event, and then I'm back on Wednesday night.   Then, a trip to PA over the weekend.  I'm yawning just thinking about it!

So, a lot of news, and yet, a lot more of the same.  I'll keep everyone posted on the new work, and if I go incommunicado for a couple of weeks, now you know why.  But, that saddle is waiting for me to get back into it, and I'll try not to keep it, or you waiting too long.

Until then...

-Marc

More Of The Same, With Some Differences

Happy Labor Day one and all!

This morning, in an effort to branch out from my normal wi-fi spot, I ventured out to a pasty shop on the other side of Alexandria, only to discover they were closed for the holiday. Same with the barber shop I had planned to go to trim the hedges I currently have on my head. So, I ended up back in my normal haunts, but with a s'mores cupcake. Definitely the best one I've had here - damn tasty I much say.

Blogging tunes today are courtesy of a new band out of Australia called The Temper Trap. I just discovered them a couple of days ago, and I'm really digging them. Best band to come out of the land-down-under in a long time I think.

Not a ton to report at the moment regarding the art scene. The main piece of news is a tad annoying - but it underscores a problem that exists everywhere in the contemporary art world: spacey gallery directors. Now, I'm not saying they are all that way, but many of them are. The reason? Well, I believe it is because many of them are or were artists themselves, and as a result, they are good at the creative side of things, but not so swell at things like running a business, paying their artists or providing appropriate service - either to their artists or their clients. They like selecting work and putting together shows - but don't enjoy or excel at the rest of the equation.

I've seen this problem again and again during my career - and it surfaced again this past week. Several months back, I approached a gallery that reps a photographer I hired once for a commercial project. She's supremely talented and I figured that any gallery smart enough to rep her is someplace I should check into (even though our work is VERY different). The response I got was very positive, and even though the director wasn't currently looking for new artists, she wanted a price sheet and some other stuff for her files. We even chatted about the fact that we graduated from the same art school.

So, I obliged...and heard nothing for months. I followed-up to make sure she received the materials. She said she was too busy to discuss it and asked me to recontact her again in July. So, I waited a couple of extra months for good measure...and then re-contacted her again this past week. Her response? She wasn't expanding her artists at this time...and thanked me for my interest. I even included the entire chain of communication for her reference - and she was STILL too spacey and disorganized to realize that she had actually asked ME for the aforementioned materials and that I was simply following-up with her. At that point, I gave up. I've spent much of my career working with people like that, and honestly, I don't have the patience or time to work with another one.

I'm still waiting to get more info on the SOHO show. My work is still at Foley Cox & Home in Hudson, NY and I think (though I'm not sure because I left town before I could get word) that I'm in what will likely be my final show at Connexions in Easton, PA. Maybe not, but their curating practice involves an open drop-off, which I obviously can't do from DC. We'll see.

Enjoy the rest of your holiday everyone...you deserve the break!


-Marc

Need The Stuff

Hi all:

I write to you from a Vicodin-induced haze, resulting from a whirlwind trip to Portland, OR for my brother's wedding this past weekend.  Probably 32 hours worth of traveling when you total up both flying and driving time - which did wonders for both my back, as well as my knee. Hence, the narcotics.   Hopefully I'll be back to normal in a couple of days - but regardless, it was a great event and I'm thrilled to have another sister in the family.  We love you Gianna!

Not a ton new on the art thing right now folks - I need get my ass back into the studio and make some new work.  Scanning guru Tom and I had to part ways - a function of my relocation and his schedule - so the latest batch of scans needs to be done by someone else who is equally capable and preferably not too expensive.  I don't know the labs out here yet, so after some exploring, I'll get those done.  It may take a while, but I envision the new work happening in a flurry of creativity - I'm clamouring for juicy image-making, and it kills me that those images are just sitting in PA right now.  But, I haven't been around enough to work on anything anyway - so hopefully I can get in a groove soon.

I've been trying to make a point of traveling with my camera at all times now.  I figure that I'm at a crossroads, in a new place, and out here on my own for now - which should provide ample opportunity for new work.  I haven't shot much yet, but with any luck, I'll grab a window here and there and I can keep a steady flow going.  I know - lots of optimism, but no results as of yet. That's all I have time for right now unfortunately, but it's gonna happen.

The other thing I'm craving right now is my art collection.  Obviously it's all back in PA right now, and although my friend has some nice work, I'm missing my own chosen inspiration. My friend actually has a couple of my pieces in her possession, and although they're old, I actually still like them.  It is VERY rare for me to see old work of mine on someones walls and not cringe.  But in this case, I feel like maybe I did something right for once.

In closing, I haven't mentioned 20x200 in a while - so I thought I would post one of their more recent offerings.  I'm really into the whole combination of old and new lately (hmmmm, I wonder where that's coming from), and I find this photo by Mike Sinclair to have a very timeless quality to it.  Though a large 4 th of July celebration is being depicted, the image feels very intimate to me - a quiet power.  Maybe there's an added resonance because of how rough things are right now in this country - but this image gives off a dash of optimism that I think we could all use right now.

Enjoy the rest of your week, and your holiday weekend in case we don't chat before then.

-Marc

Greetings From The Commonwealth

Hi everyone:

Welcome to my inaugural blog entry from the fair state of Virginia.  See what I did there - "inaugural" - playing on the "inauguration" concept in honor of my DC area relocation?  I know, brilliant, right?  

Blogging music is a mix on my I-pod shuffle, so I can't really mention anything specific - except that the latest album by The Sounds is on there, as well as some current stuff by Ida Maria and White Lies.  Beyond that, everything from Buddy Holly to The Pixies will be part of today's session.

I'm sitting in a cafe right now in Alexandria, VA called Buzz.  Very tasty breakfast items and a fantastic tea list, which is helpful to those of us who don't drink coffee.  It's only about 5 minutes from my friend's Rachael's place and I stopped here when I was in town last time for my interview.  But, they kinda have this weird issue with Wi-Fi access on the weekends - anyone who wants it has to sit at this long, table in the center of the cafe.  As a result everyone's kinda on top of each other, which I'm not a very big fan of.  I have a trace of claustrophobia in my genetic make up, and this is the kinda stuff that drives me a little crazy. Note to self:  find a different spot for weekend blogging.  But there is some comic relief - the woman across from me has a sticker on her computer that says "Can't Sleep - Clowns Will Eat Me."  Good stuff.

The other day, I was reminded me of something that happened to me near the beginning of my professional art career and I thought I would share it with you all.  

My first feature show as a professional artist was at a gallery in the Wicker Park neighborhood of Chicago.  At that time, the area was still a little rough around the edges and consisted of a few quality restaurants, some up and coming galleries and artists' studios.  One of the largest art festivals in Chicago called "Around the Coyote" was staged in the middle of this neighborhood - and it continues to this day.

Anyway, this feature show was in a gallery inside the Flat Iron Building, where many of the artist's studios were located (not to be confused with the Flatiron Building in NYC).  The piece I was showing was narrative work I created while in art school, and the gallery owner was very complimentary.  He gave it a nice spot in the gallery and at that point, I knew my career had officially begun.  But, my plans were to start here - gain some experience and use this as a stepping stone for other things.  So, after a year or two, I moved on from the Wicker Park scene.  

Some time later, I decided to drop by the Flat Iron Building for a visit.  The area was changing so quickly, and I wanted to see if I still knew anyone there, and if so, what everyone was up to.   As I walked through the hallways of this dark cavernous building, I saw folks I recognized, except this time, they were scowling at me.  Confused, I wound my way over to the gallery where I had my feature show a couple years earlier. The director looked at me intently for a second, walked slowly over to me, reluctantly shook my hand and said in this very snotty tone:  "So, are you a famous artist yet?" 

It became clear that I was being shunned by this community for daring to have aspirations beyond their starving artist lifestyle.  In their eyes, I was a traitor who used them for my own personal gain and dumped them when I no longer needed them.  The thing is, they weren't entirely wrong.  My plans involved galleries with freshly painted walls, windows and money to promote themselves (and me).  But, I needed to walk before I could run and I felt a connection to these beginnings and the people that gave a 21 year old newbie a chance.  I foolishly thought they would be happy for me. Lessons learned through naivety can be hard to swallow, and I walked out of that building for the last time a little bit wiser, but knowing that if I had it do all over again, I wouldn't have changed a thing.  

Today's visual stimulation comes courtesy of Mercantile Home, the gallery of Mr. Ken Jones Jr. I decided to post a little something different today- fiber art - which I know is a first for this blog.  I admire the skill of fiber artists, but it isn't usually my thing.  However, when I saw the work of Anneke Herrold, I was pretty damn intrigued.  The below piece shows 1/2 of a box that has been hand-felted using fiber collage.  The other 1/2 is painted, and the diptychs that she creates using these two processes are quite unique. Her materials combined with the small scale she works in creates a very intimate experience I think.

New job starts tomorrow.  Wish me luck!

-Marc

The Beginning of My Migration

Hi all:

No blogging music today - I'm writing this post from home, the kids are sleeping, and my wife has the hard drive with all my music on it. So, a little peaceful blogging today - but the subject matter of today's entry is anything but peaceful.

That isn't to say that the news is bad - it is in fact quite positive. In my last post, I alluded to some major news that I was waiting for the right moment to reveal. Well, my friends, here's the scoop:

After 9 months of "day job" unemployment, I'm starting a new role on August 24th...in Washington, DC. Northern Virginia to be more specific - and this of course means that, yes, I'm moving on out to "The Commonwealth." I say "I", rather than "we" because, although the family will of course be there eventually, I'm heading out on my own to get started and will be staying with my pal Rachael and her family until the house sells (or until it becomes impractical to be separated any longer). Due to some prior commitments, I'll be seeing the fam, or a portion thereof, almost every weekend through the month of September. Lots of driving and flights in my future...

Some of you may ask - how will this affect the blog, the art career, etc? Well, regarding the art career, I may need to take a little time off right at the beginning, but I fully plan to continue crankin' out the work. My house will become my "4 hours away studio," and I hope to do at least some art every weekend that I'm back in PA. As for the blog, the beauty of the web is that I can do this from anywhere. I may not have a ton of new work to show right away, but I'll be using this as a vehicle to keep everyone posted on things.

Throughout the past 9 months, DC wasn't even on my radar. But, now that it's happened, I think it will be a really good fit. Great culture, great schools, friends and family around - and it is relatively close to the Lehigh Valley, so we can keep up the relationships we've made here. It actually makes a lot of sense to me.

Not much else going on at the moment - this news seems to be pushing everything else to the periphery right now. But, I can't leave you without passing on some tasty art inspiration. So, I'm including a link to an artist I'm diggin' big time at the moment. His name is James Feehan - a Pennsylvania artist whose work I find to be a nice mix of "old and new." He draws on a variety of different styles, but everything has this contemporary touch that I just love. Oh, and his wife Susan Roseman is pretty darn good too!

www.rosemoonstudios.com

Enjoy your weekend - more next week I'm sure.

-Marc

Unwrapping A Birthday Blog

Hi All:

In honor of my birthday today, I thought I'd give you all a pretty new blog post, complete with ribbon. Actually, there is no ribbon...I suppose there could be one if I decide to post a piece of ribbon clip art or something. But, if i were you, I'd find that kinda lame...so we'll go with the traditional variety.

Blogging music today...Bob Mould Live DVD from his 2005 show at the 9:30 club in Washington, DC. One of the best concert DVD's I own - it spans from his time with Husker Du, through Sugar and up through some of his best solo work. Good times.

I saw something recently that I've been wanting to mention here - this is big news for the photo industry and something that I found to be a little disconcerting. It concerns an inconic image by legendary photographer Robert Capa called "Falling Soldier." The image was taken during the Spanish Civil War in 1936, and was reported to show a Republican soldier at the exact moment he was fatally shot in the back:

Now, apparently there has been some controversy about the authenticity of the subject matter for many years. Many art historians said the image was "too perfect," and doubted that it could actually be genuine. However, I was unaware of this when I studied this image in art school and when I saw the photo in person during a Robert Capa retrospective several years ago. After all, a big part of a photography - especially photo-journalism, is being in the right place at the right time. I just figured that, as a stroke of luck, one of the world's leading war photographers happened to snap the shutter at just the right moment.

Turns out I was wrong, or at least oblivious to what many already suspected. Barcelona-based newspaper El Periodico carried out a study of the photograph and determined that the photo was taken in an area called Espejo - where there was no fighting - rather than near Cerro Muriano in the southern Andalusia region, as has long been claimed. To back this comment, the newspaper published current photos of Espejo which show that the landscape corresponds to the Capa image.

The issue of "staged" documentary photography is a major issue these days, mainly because of how much easier it is now for a photographer to do post-production on an image using Photoshop or other methods. But, this issue goes back a long way - from claims that Matthew Brady and his team "re-arranged" corpses on the battlefield in the 19th century, to WPA photographers like Dorothea Lange "constructing" their images and cleaning/dirtying up their migrant worker subjects for the sake of the shot. The thing is, I don't get as crazy over this stuff as some people do - it is a photographer's job to create the best image possible to convey their message. I don't believe for one second that the amount of grime on a laborer's face takes anything away from the authenticity of a photo. Such images still maintain their integrity in my view.

This case is different, however. This particular image's place in history is based solely on the fact that it was photographed at the exact moment someone was killed. The way in which the photo was taken was meant to give that impression. If the image is indeed a fake, it was created, in my view, with the intention to deceive - and that I find to be incredibly disappointing.

I have some major news personal news, but I need to wait to post it until my next entry. But, needless to say, it will be worth the wait - so check back soon. In the meantime, enjoy what's left of your weekend and happy Monday!

-Marc

Mixed Bag of Goodies...And Not So Goodies

Hi everyone:

I'm sorry it has been a while since my last post - I've been running around like a maniac the last couple of weeks. A NYC trip, home for a day, trip to Chicago, f--ked up my back in the process...it's been a roller coaster ride and I'm exhausted.

This latest blog entry comes courtesy of the business center in the Fairmont Hotel in Chicago, where my wife and I staying this evening. An old friend of my wife's is getting married, and with her bridesmaid duties and all the craziness this evening is sure to include, we decided that staying the night would be a good thing. Tasty food at Tuffano's last night in Little Italy...best chicken vesuvio I've ever had. In fact, after I said this to the groom-to-be, he mentioned that their vesuvio was featured on the Food Network. Their tiramisu and canolis should have been on there too...YUM!

On the art side of things, it truly has been a mixed bag. Upon delivering my new work to Ken Jones, I was told that the piece they had sold a month or so ago was actually returned by the buyer. Definitely a first in my career, but not unheard of - probably didn't go with their couch or their spouse didn't like it as much as they did. Regardless, this is one of the disadvantages of having your work in a retail space (even a very upscale one) instead of a traditional "gallery" setting. Hopefully this is one small bump in the road and the work will continue to garner interest. I sold two more unframed prints to my pal Jenn (thanks Jenn!), so this news, while unwelcome, was by no means tragic.

But then, something happened on my trip to NYC last week which turned things around a bit. I was walking around SOHO and happened upon a gallery with some high quality, abstract works on paper. I walked in to get a closer look and struck up a conversation with the young lady who was sitting at the desk. We spent 30 minutes or so chatting about art, the gallery space, the artists being shown, and I come to find out that this 26 year old woman is the owner of the gallery. I'd assumed she was an intern or something - and I was overcome with emotion...it was awesome to see someone entering the field at such a young age, and in such a risky economy. Artists need people like her, and at a time when many galleries are going out of business and gallery directors and curators are changing careers, she's taking the plunge. BRAVO!

I entered the gallery simply to look at the work - not to promote myself in any way (see one of my previous posts about my feelings on these kinds of situations), but once she found out I was an artist, she asked that I send her some work "even if you're not interested, just because I like looking at work." So, I sent her some of my current work when I got back to PA, along with my website and my brand-spanking new artist's statement. A couple of days went by, I got on a plane to Chicago and soon thereafter I get an e-mail apologizing for her taking so long to respond (definitely new to the industry - grizzled veterans are not nearly so polite) and she indicated that she loved my work and wanted to "showcase it." Now, I've made no secret about my opinions on the NYC art scene - I don't think it's for everybody and don't necessarily believe that it is the center of the art universe. But, many people are of the opinion that it all begins and ends in NYC and a show in SOHO would be great for my resume. Additionally, the chance to accomplish this feat in a gallery that shows very high quality work with a young, dedicated director would be great. I have no additional details yet, but when I do, I promise to share them.

The business center here has a time limit, so more to come later. Back from Chicago on Monday and then out of town again for a couple of days, but I'll try for another entry next weekend.

-Marc

Thank You For Your Kind Distraction...

Hi everyone:

News abound today, as I sit before you with a cup of black tea and the start of a cold. And before you scold me, I've already plowed myself with vitamin C and zinc today - but honestly folks, I doubt it is going to matter. Everyone else in the house has it - I'm the last one standing, and it's already starting. I'm armed with all the stuff in the world to help, but resistance is likely futile.

So, before all hell breaks loose and I feel like complete crap, I thought I'd update everyone on some things. For blogging music today, I'm aware I should select Michael Jackson. But honestly, I'm not really in that kind of mood - and I'm sure I will be hearing all I can handle from Mr. Jackson in the coming weeks, so I'm gonna go another direction. U2 - to begin the process of getting pumped for the show in September in Chi-town. We'll start with 'Electrical Storm' I think (William Orbit Mix) and go from there. Sound good? Not that you have a choice...

Yesterday, I was in desperate need of some good news, and I got it. Mr. Ken Jones Jr. sold one of my pieces in NY! Normally, one sale wouldn't warrant mention, but in this case, he was introducing me to a brand new audience. All things considered, he and the folks at Foley & Cox Home managed to get a sale pretty quickly. I'm not sure which one sold yet, nor do I know who bought it. But, if you're reading this - I hope it brings many years of enjoyment to you or whomever you bought it for. So, it appears to Ken and I are off to a decent start. This week, we'll be chatting about a few more pieces to bring up there. Hopefully this isn't simply beginner's luck...

I'm also thinking about re-writing or at least tweaking my artist's statement. I've been using my current one for many years now, and though it still relevant thematically, my work has obviously undergone some changes. I feel like I could get something going that will zero-in a bit more, without telling the viewer what to think or feel. Writing this blog entry is partially an attempt to distract myself from this daunting task, but once I'm done here, it's time to give it a whirl.

I got a roll of film back yesterday, and something happened in the rewind. Some of the film got bent and some frames even came back torn, which I'm guessing happened in camera while advancing the film. That's what you get with 1920's technology - accidents...some happy and some not-so-happy. At first glance, the roll was disappointing overall, but I need to take a closer look before I declare it a complete failure. Maybe there are one or two surprises in there, but probably not more than that.

Tom still has my film for scanning, and I'm scared to check in with him. I told him he could have as long as he wanted - so I kinda need to stand by that and just wait it out - at least for a little while longer. I have a few other scanned images I was editing when I got distracted by life, and I hope to be getting back to those soon. So, a couple new pieces may still be in the works...provided they don't suck.

No images today folks - I've been a little bit distracted. Next time, I promise.


Enjoy the weekend and send me some white blood cells!


-Marc

Gray Skies, Smiling At Me

Hi everyone:

I'm writing this entry from the ark I built in my garage. Obviously this is a bit of an exaggeration - after all, everyone knows I don't build things. Create? Yes. Build? Uh..no. But, after 13 straight days of rain, I may need to learn. Anyone have a good blueprint?

Blogging music today- Interpol. Some argue they are nothing more than an updated, New York version of Joy Division, but I think that is a bit of an oversimplification. I happen to really like their stuff - well, at least some of it. Like many bands, I think their best effort was their first one - 'Turn On The Bright Lights.'

So, the problem with living in an area like the Lehigh Valley is that you are constantly running into people you don't necessarily want to see. In my case, it's old co-workers from Rodale - who constantly ask me where I am now, what I'm doing, etc. In NYC, this situation is not as common - you have millions and millions of people, so maybe you'd run into this every once in a while. But here, it's an almost daily occurrence. I'm sitting next to a former co-worker right now. I don't know her name, don't know which part of the company she worked in, but she is definitely a Rodalean. It's not that I mind seeing people from there - I actually liked most of the people I worked with, but after 8 + months of being unemployed, I'm getting kind of tired of putting a good face on my sob story. Plus, in this case, the other people sitting with this person are all decked-out in Nike gear, clearly having just worked out, and they are staring intently at me as I stuff my face with a full-fat orange scone. Awesome.

Anyway, onto art. In my last post, I mentioned a show that I was initially booked for, then never contacted about, for which I just found out a promo was mailed with my name on it. So, as promised, I sent an e-mail out indicating that I would not be participating and the reasons why. The response I got from the curator? "I'm sorry you're not in the show..... hope all is ok with you." Ummm...yeah...everything is fine with me, except that the reason I'm not in the show is YOUR FAULT!!! As predicted, she thinks the reason I'm not participating has something to do with me. Professionalism is simply too important to me, and I'm at a stage in my career where I am unwilling to put up with a lack of it.

In terms of new work, I'm still waiting for my scans back from Tom. In light our little "issue" of late, he can take as much time as he wants. I'll wait. A roll of newly processed film is also ready for me to pick up from the lab. I was starting to get irritated that it wasn't ready (well over 2 weeks), but then right before I called to put on my stank face, my wife said "oh yeah, I forgot, it was ready a few days ago." Grrrrr.

So, lately I've been having difficulty figuring out how and where to shop my work. Obviously, my relationship with Ken Jones is a great start - and it needs some time to grow. But, in the meantime, I can't sit idly by and rely on one channel to promote and sell my work. I've spent the last 8 + years of my career relying too much on one entity for this, and I've learned my lesson. And, since I'm not exclusive with anyone right now, I can do whatever I want. The problem is that I'm finding my work doesn't really fit into any standard classification - even by contemporary terms.

My work isn't right for most photography galleries because the photographic element isn't readily apparent - it's pretty subtle, and my work goes well "beyond the silver print." And, it isn't right for a gallery specializing in painting because, although much of it looks like painting or printmaking, it's photography and I don't want it "passed-off" as something it isn't. Mixed-media or printmaking galleries and dealers are probably a good fit in theory. But, which ones? Style-wise, some of the work is more abstract than others, so a gallery specializing in abstract work isn't a good fit, but one focusing on realism/traditional is not appropriate either.

Now, I know I said I would get much further with the body of work before I stepped-out to promote it, and I still have every intention of sticking to that plan. But, I can't help thinking about these things, and what I'm going to do when the time comes. Some groundwork might need to be laid now, and I'm feeling a little frustrated. Someone suggested looking overseas - which is a good idea, but I'm worried I might run into the same issues. Plus, where to start? This is why I need a really solid art dealer - someone who can work on finding exactly the right venues for me. I have a good business sense I think, I but I need someone who is entrenched in this stuff, has roledexes of connections, and knows how to utilize them. Ken may very well be the right person, but in case he isn't, I need to keep looking. Any suggestions - let me know!!

I leave y'all with some art - illustrator named Josh Cochran who I mentioned in one of my first posts. I own one of his prints already, and I'm thinking about picking up two more. This one would match up nicely with the one I already have:

Happy weekend everyone!

-Marc

No Offense Taken (well...maybe a little)

Hi all:

My weekend is shaping up to be a bit on the full-side, so I thought I would throw you off by doing an early AM blog entry today. I'm feeling like I got the first decent night of sleep in weeks - so this should be at least as coherent as my normal ramblings - maybe even more so!

Blogging music today is Longwave - "The Strangest Things." Besides this being one of my all time favorite albums, it is the perfect choice right now. The melancholy feel matches the rainy day outside - but it isn't pessimistic. The energy is pure rock, which is a great wake-up call in the AM, but it has elements that are very chill- which means you don't have a headache before you finish your first cup of English Breakfast Tea.

So, this week has been a weird one my friends. As the title indicates, there's been some offending going on. The odd thing is that there is a plethora of offenders - myself included. Let's start with that. Remember how I mentioned in my last entry that dropping in to see my scanning guru Tom unannounced might have been a bad idea? Well, turns out I was right - I emailed him to apologize and got a reply that was fairly pleasant by anyone else's standard of outrage, but for him, it was clear he was massively pissed-off. You know how there are certain people in this world you both want and need to keep happy? Your hairstylist/barber, auto mechanic, bike mechanic and plumber are folks that come to mind. Well, in my situation, Tom also falls into this category. Could I go out, spend a bunch of money on a very hi-res scanner and do this myself? Sure. Do I want to? Definitely not. Plus, he's got mad retouching skills - I consider mine solid, but his are on a completely different level. And with what he's charging me, it is really worth having him handle this crucial part of the process for me. So, Tom, if for some odd reason you're reading this, once again, my bad!

Next offender - Flatfile Gallery. Now, you might ask - how can they possibly offend if they are no longer open? Well, remember that the gallery decided to fulfill its obligations and honor the rest of their exhibition schedule for the year - the shows are just being installed at other spaces and Flatfile's former director is guest curating.

Well, I happen to fall into the category of artists who had a show on the books when the gallery closed. It's a group show, and the way we left it was that the director would let me know once a decision was made on which work she wanted to include. I wasn't given a date for the show, but assumed that was still being worked out. Anyway, a couple of days ago, I popped onto the Flatfile website and noticed the show opens on June 19th. But, I figured that had to be a mistake. My name is on the site as being a part of the show, but I hadn't been notified as to which work the curator wanted or when it was due. It was probably just an old date from before the gallery closed and things were finalized, right? Wrong.

One of my friends coincidentally happens to be in the show as well, and yesterday I got an e-mail from her announcing her participation. When I responded saying that I hadn't been contacted, she said "that's funny, because your name is on the promo card/invite that went out." Here's a copy of it:

Now, ladies and gentleman, I've been doing this for a long time now - but never in my entire career has a promo card gone out with my name on it for a show I'm not participating in. I'm kinda torn between being completely outraged and laughing my ass off. The reason for being completely outraged is pretty obvious I'm guessing. But, the reason I find this so humorous is that it is the perfect end to my imperfect relationship with this gallery. It just feels very fitting somehow that my swan song with this place involves a complete cluster fuck and total lack of respect. I thought about e-mailing the director, but you know what? This makes the break even cleaner. Screw 'em - onto better things. However, I may send an e-mail to my list letting everyone know that I am not participating, just in case they saw the promo. The best part is that I'm sure she'll turn this around somehow and make it out to be my fault.

Now, if that wasn't enough offense for the week, I happened upon another article in Aperture Magazine that really rubbed me the wrong way. The only solace in it is that this guy probably offended a huge percentage of the photography world as well. The article was an interview with Philip Jones Griffiths - a reportage photographer who is a long-standing member of Magnum and whose photos of the Vietnam War are perhaps some of the most well-known images from that conflict. A supremely talented guy, but completely narrow-minded and ignorant as well.

In this interview, Griffiths speaks about how he began shooting and that to him, photojournalism is the only worthwhile pursuit within the medium. He in fact states that when he first started out, he realized that "...to be doing anything else with a camera would have been an insult to photography." He further goes on to state that "...by my standards, photojournalists can be great artists, whereas those generally referred to as 'art photographers' cannot," and "...by my definition, 'art photography' fails to make the grade because it lacks content." He even had the gaul to state that "...art photography is more often a private pursuit by con men." Well, they say the best offense is a good defense, so here we go.

Now, I know that this guy has been shooting for decades and has seen more of the world than 99% of us have. And I know that, as many of us get further on in our careers, we bear witness to drastic changes in the world and our chosen professions, many of which we perceive as bad - in some cases because it's true and in others because change is simply scary for those who are set in their ways. But, I find it completely prejudiced, self-important, and even irresponsible for someone so respected in the photographic community to say "what I do matters, and everyone else is insignificant." Mr. Griffiths, you claim that art photography isn't democratic - but the views you presented are the least inclusive of all. Forget my work for a second, which is art photography in a very pure sense (and I feel has plenty of content, but I'm a little biased). How about people like Stieglitz, Adams, Crewdson, Parada - I could go on forever! I guess this just goes to show that even some of our best image makers don't really understand art.

So, I offended and was offended - such is a week in the life of an artist. Maybe I got my year's allotment out of the way all in one week. Time will tell. In the meantime, we brush it off our shoulders and move on. We all have our pursuits in life, and one of mine is creating imagery. I feel it to be a worthwhile one.

Have a good weekend everyone - and play nice if you can.

-Marc

Vote Early and Often!

Hi all:

Quick post today - I just submitted 2 images to JPG magazine for consideration. They actually had two themes I thought my work was appropriate for - who knew?

Anyway, please click on these two links to vote:

http://www.jpgmag.com/photos/1713706

http://www.jpgmag.com/photos/1713667

Thanks everyone, and please pass the word along!

More later in the week...

-Marc

Senor Surly and How It All Began

Hi all:

Greetings from sunny Trexlertown, PA - where, having finished my asiago cheese bagel, I sit listening to R.E.M.'s 'Life's Rich Pageant.' It just doesn't get much better than that!

Still no new prints to show - something about this image I mentioned in my last couple of posts is bugging me. I've worked the image to the point where I'm ready to move forward - if I want to. But really, I'm not sure I do. Technically, it looks like my work in some ways, but it isn't really screaming out to me the way my other work does when I feel like I'm onto something. I should probably do a test print or something - but I'm having a hard time getting motivated to do it.

As a means of distraction, I took in 3 more rolls of film to scanning guru Tom - who didn't look happy that I was adding 10 more scans to his pile. Maybe it's because I showed up without calling first - which isn't the usual arrangement. He's a nice, talented guy - not someone I want to piss off. An e-mail apology might be in order. Anyway, the story of this film is that I shot it when I was last in Chicago - much of it at the same site as some of my other work. But, when I dropped off the last batch of images with Tom, I forgot/misplaced them. Once I got there, I thought to myself "dude, I know you shoot selectively, but you sure as hell shot more than THAT! And what the f--k happened to that one image, and that other one...?" I found them a short time later, buried in a drawer for safekeeping - all processed, but still uncut and in the canisters.

I have higher hopes for this batch - though I was more excited about a few of these when I first saw them than I am now. I'm starting to think it's my mood or something - I've been a little bit of a crank lately (and yes, more than usual you smart-asses!)

My new goal, which I just though of while writing this entry, is to have my portfolio completely revamped by the end of the year. Seems like a tall order, since the work on the site spans 10 years. But, I really want to replace some of the older work and get things more cohesive-looking. I've been told that people can see an evolution of my work, which is good, but the time has come to switch out some of that older stuff - even though I still like some of it.

I've been thinking about an article I recently read in Aperture Magazine. It was a review of an exhibit at The Whitney some time ago called "We Are All Photographers Now." The show was predicated on a very interesting concept - thousands of images were submitted by amateurs and professionals, most of them electronically. Much of it was consumer/user-generated content from cell phones, low-end digital cameras, etc. Anyway, the article talks about how the role of the museum has changed (no longer the most-effective venue to reach a wide audience, purely prestige now, etc.) and the fact that, as the title states, everyone is a photographer now. However, as I read the article, I was reminded of a famous quote by Robert Heinecken: "There is a vast difference between taking a picture and making a photograph." I believe this now, more than ever - for every high school student doing amazing things with a homemade digital camera, there are millions and millions of pictures that are simply...pictures. Commercial and stock photography is another discussion (shrinking client budgets, etc.), but in the art world, the cream still rises to the top - it might just take a little longer to find it.

Speaking of cream rising to the top, a colleague of mine introduced me to the work of Ashley Taylor- a photographer out of California who uses a Polaroid SLR. I don't know her - but I'm guessing she is heartbroken over Polaroid going out of business. Anyway, I have a lot of respect for Polaroid shooters. The Polaroid Transfer process was demo'd for my class in art school back in the mid 1990's - before anyone had heard of it. It was the first time I realized the power of using photography to create a unique image, rather than an edition of mostly homogeneous prints. This idea would percolate with me for many years - and I can draw a direct line from the work I do now to that very moment (though no Polaroid work is involved in my work currently).

Anyway, a lot of people shoot Polaroid, but few do it as well as Ashley. My old, crappy laptop is not cooperating, so I can't post her work here. But, check out her site: http://www.4blankwalls.com/ Click on photos and then Polaroids - and enjoy! New i-book is in the works, so these issues should end shortly.

Well kids, that's all the time I have today. Headin' to a BBQ. I'll have some tasty meat and beer for everyone (vegetarians and vegans, I'll have your share too :)

-Marc

Movin' On Up (to Hudson)

Hi everyone:

Blogging music today - INXS. I've always been a fan (well, since "Listen Like Thieves" anyway), but I never truly appreciated Michael Hutchence's voice until after he was gone. I remember hearing Bono describe it like a six (or was it 12) string guitar...just a perfectly sincere tone.

I'm a bit exhausted at the moment and am leaving tomorrow AM with the family to go see friends in DC. So, let's get right to it...

You're probably noticing that I didn't get to the print I had mentioned in my last post. I am still working with the image, but some other things came up this week that took precedence - one of them being a cortizone shot in my wrist, which obviously complicated the whole manual labor thing. And make no mistake - this process is manual labor. It's feeling fine now though - thanks for asking!

The other hurdle that came up was a pleasant one - the art dealer I mentioned a few posts back decided to take some of my work to a high-end design studio in Hudson, NY. When we first chatted, he said he thought my work would fit in nicely with their vibe - and from what I've seen, I totally agree. But you can judge for yourself - http://foleyandcoxhome.com/ ( click on the "home"box). The work won't get there until next week, but you can check out the other stuff they have going on.

Now that we are officially working together, I can reveal the identity of this masked dealer of the night. His name is Ken Jones Jr. - based out of Easton, PA. A great guy with excellent taste (obviously), and in addition to his art dealer/consulting business, he and his partner Ron own a gallery called Mercantile Home - (www.mercantilehome.com/HOME.html). Every time I'm in there, I seem to walk out with something. It's a small, intimate space, but they always manage to have something for everyone in there.

Anyway, we're gonna start with 2 pieces - 'Descent' and 'Acquiescence' and see what happens ( probably more in July). Both of them are on my site (http://www.sirinsky.com/), and we went with them because they were already framed. But, I needed to do some tweaking to the matting on these in record time, which turned into a total fiasco, resulting in a week sans printing.

No visual aids today ladies and gents - I'll make up for it on the next one. Enjoy your holiday everyone!


-Marc

That Freaky Modern Art

Hi everyone:

The Afghan Whigs are now blazing through my headphones as I sit in my familiar Panera surroundings. I admit it's getting a little out of control - when I frowned at the length of the checkout line, the manager said "You're in here all the time - if I don't get ya now, I'll get ya tomorrow." Funny thing is - I rarely eat here (usually just tea or a tasty Jones Cream Soda), it's just a place for me to get stuff done without the rug rats scurrying about.

So, I sent out a massive e-mail blast yesterday to update everyone on the whole art thing. I realized I hadn't sent one in almost a year, mainly because I've been focusing on the blog and the website. But, it dawned on me that many folks had either forgotten about the blog or simply just hadn't looked at my website in a while. Plus, I had some new names to add to my list. Mmmm- tasty converts!

Anyway, one of the responses I got back was so hysterical, I simply had to post it here. It was from an old friend from high school whom I haven't talked to in years. Anyway, she sent me the following response:

"As you may recall, modern art kind of freaks me out, so if you could refrain from sending me updates I'd appreciate it, but would love to keep in touch!"

The thing is, if you knew her, you'd know this was no joke. And after she sent me this reply, I laughed my ass off because I remembered a conversation we had many years ago about art, and this is almost word-for-word what she said then. So entertaining in its closed-mindedness; it was worth sending the e-mail update just to get that response.

I'm thinking about finally adding a "Blog" link to the website, so everyone can link in a nice straight line. I didn't do it at first because I wanted to make sure I was committed enough to the blog before adjusting my site design. That stuff costs money ya know! But, I've been a good little artist over the past year, so I think it might be time.

Otherwise, the new roll of film looks pretty good at first glance. Lots to pick from, but I've noticed that I tend to edit in stages. No big surprises there - I am a photo editor after all. Even when editing other photographers' work, I usually pull the first round of images in more of a photo researcher mentality - aka: pull whatever you think might work. From there, I go back through and edit out similars, photos that are less-effective than the rest, etc. Then, I usually take one more pass through - just to make sure I've got a solid group of selects.

For my own work, the idea is still the same, but the process works a little differently. I do a lot of editing in-camera, because as I mentioned in earlier posts, I've always shot selectively. This is a little harder to do with a 1920's plastic camera, where happy and not-so-happy accidents happen on virtually every roll, but I manage. Once the film is processed and I get it back, I do an edit and select which images will be scanned. I usually select a few similars, since the nuances of a shot are sometimes very subtle due to the way the camera exposes the film. Then, once the scans come back, I edit again - and many scans are left completely untouched.

The final edit of course comes with the printing process. I can't tell you how many images I've had that I thought were a home run, only to learn during my crazy printing process that there is no way in hell they're going to work. The good part is that usually I can tell after the first proof if the image is viable. The rules are very different for darkroom or digital printing, but since this process is pretty much my own (unless there is something I don't know), I've had to make up the rules as I go along. But, that's all part of the fun I suppose.

Well, now that you've had a glimpse into my editing process (I know you're all so enthralled and still catching your breath), I thought I'd throw up a few of my all-time favorite paintings. They're three portraits by Theodore Gericault - a French artist from the late 18th/early 19th century who really began as a military painter (battles, portraits of Napoleon, equestrian portraits etc). His greatest masterpiece is widely considered to be the "Raft of the Medusa" - a pivotal image in the history of French Romanticism, and many would argue, the history of art in general. But, in my opinion, his greatest work was his "Portraits of the Insane" series. I'll never forget the moment I saw these in art school - it was during an art history course on 19th century European painting. The professor put up the slides on the projector and I was completely blown away. But then he said they were done in the 1820's! THE 1820's? This was the time of Romanticism! Nobody was doing anything like this at the time - showing people how they actually are, instead of some idealized vision. The composition was completely revolutionary; the brushwork a precursor to Expressionism and even Impressionism on some level. Completely ahead of his time - it would take another 60-70 years before anyone of note tried something like this again. I hope that one day I can see one of these in person.

Well, this has gone on long enough. Happy weekend everyone, and stay tuned for a new piece - hopefully next week!

-Marc

Big Apple and Veggie Tales

Howdy!

A little Wedding Present for the senses today as I blog on the heels of two whirlwind trips to NYC over the past 3 days. Throw in a Scholarship Benefit Auction for my daughter's school in between - and it's a wonder I'm still coherent enough to put together a sentence. Well, maybe I'm not - but let's find out, shall we?

Many of you know that I do not hold NYC up to the standard that most of the creative world does. However, I do enjoy visiting - and it is nice to live close enough to do a day trip every now and again. It makes for a long day (4 hours round trip), but I've been trying to get there about once a month or so - mainly for networking, job interviews, gallery scoping and tasty eats/drinks. One of my favorite things about NYC is that it thrives on the unexpected; the nooks and crannies. While I was there, I went to a secret bar (address and phone number not listed and it has a secret entrance), where I had one of the best mixed drinks of my life. But I also happened upon a gallery/frame shop - it happened to be across the street from where my friend and I were having lunch, and she was late, so I popped in. Gorgeous space and just the right size for a small, quality solo show - which is exactly what they had up on the wall. It doubles as a frame shop, but the framing area is downstairs and the space does a good job of juggling both, compared to many I have seen.

The owner was also very approachable - in fact, he engaged me in conversation. My feedback on the show must have raised a flag because he then asked if I was an artist. I don't usually profess this when I walk into a gallery, at least not right away. I always want to look at the work first, scope out the space and then, if my work happens to be a good match in my mind, I might bring it up. But, I think it is really important to look at the work first, and to be genuine about it. In other words, if you have to try, you probably shouldn't stick around - any more than you would stick around a museum room you didn't like. The last thing you want to do is approach a gallery with an incompatible creative sensibility to yours; and the last thing a gallery director wants is an ignorant or uninterested solicitor. And in many cases, you might love the work that is being shown, but it makes sense to just leave it at that for whatever reason.

Anyway, after he asked me, I talked about my work briefly, gave him a card and we'll see if he offers any feedback. It's a space I can really see myself showing in - bright, clean, unassuming yet professional. The stereotypical NYC gallery snootiness was nowhere to be found...

Otherwise, I'm still holding true to my word and developing this body of work more fully before hardcore promoting it. I have one more piece to work on from the last scanning batch, and 3 more rolls of film just came back that I need to edit. I hope to be filling up the website soon, and once that happens, some of the older work will start to come down. Also, of the two new pieces I recently posted, one of the prints has already sold, so get 'em now, while you still can!

Finally, next door to this gallery was a store/gallery called More North, which focuses on art and design by Nordic artists. The show in their gallery space right now is works on paper by a Swedish artist named Harald Lyth. The exhibition is outstanding - I found his work to be very emotive, and this piece was one of my favorites from the show.

Though I would love to own one of these, they were a little too much for my unemployed blood. But I did walk out with a wonderful little piece by Leena Axelsson - she makes these awesome ceramic garlics, and I just had to have one (I have a glass fruit collection, but this is my first vegetable). She makes them in 3 sizes and in 3 colors - yellowish/brown, purple and white -

but I chose the white - it just felt very elegant and understated.

Happy weekend everyone!

-Marc

It's Go Time

Hi everyone:

Tonight's blog was too important for me to award the soundtrack rights to any single musical act. So, I'm listening to a play list on my Shuffle right now- everything from The Jackson Five to The Sex Pistols is included...hopefully that won't result in too manic of a post.

The big news is that, as promised, I've got two new pieces to show y'all. Hot of the presses- I printed them up this weekend and have two editions I'm pretty darn pleased with - at least for now. So, without further ado, here they are, with some notes from "the horse's mouth:"

The name of the above print is "Lone" - as in "Lone Tree" - though I just found out there is a Lone Tree, Colorado. Who knew? And though this looks like it could have been shot in Colorado, it was shot right here in PA. And "So Lonely" by The Police just hit my Shuffle - how appropriate!

Anyway, this image represents one of my happiest accidents in quite some time - on a variety of levels. Firstly, when I shot it, I was kinda on the fence. It seemed like a scene I may be able to do something with, but I was thinking about 5 steps ahead because it didn't really look like much to me at first. The negative came back clean and the possibility was still there, but I still wasn't sure. But I included it in my scanning batch anyway - just as a hunch. When I got the scan back, I realized that Tom, my scanning guru, scanned it in color instead of the native b/w it was shot in. And I was thrilled because when I saw that image, I fell in love with it. It perfectly encapsulated a lot of what I've been feeling lately and I think it just works. In fact, the straight scan looked so good, I contemplated using it that way without employing my voodoo - and I will say that since I've been using this process, this piece looks the most like the original scan of anything I've done to date.

Next:

This one I felt had possibilities as soon as I shot it. Called "Tower", at least for now, this actually shows a radio tower poking out of the landscape. I grew up near a radio tower and I've always been a little intrigued by them. But for this, I knew I wanted it to look a bit abstract when it was finished, and my process was just what I needed to achieve that feel. As always, with my work, it's about the "essence" of something.

This one was also a b/w image scanned in color, but I converted it to gray scale before moving forward. A no-brainer...my ideas for color on this wouldn't have worked otherwise.

So, in printing these two images, I made some decisions for the future:

1. From now on, I'm only printing a max of 5 editioned prints with 2 artist's proofs for this body of work. Now, maybe it's because I printed both editions once, thought they looked great, and then realized they needed to be reprinted the next morning after I saw them fully dry. But, this process is too labor intensive to do more than 5 + 2, and really, I don't think it's necessary. Before, I was doing 10 numbered prints with no A/P's, and I think 3 prints is worth my sanity (or what's left of it). As an aside, remember that each print is unique because of the process - so get 'em while the gettin's good!

2. Because of the success with "Lone" (or my perception of said success), all negs will now be scanned in color and I will convert if necessary on the back-end. Without this step at the beginning, I probably would have passed over this image and not printed it. As it turns out, it is now on my home page - and if that doesn't say it all, I don't know what does.

Big shout-out to Tom for rockin' on these scans. There are several more where these came from - so hopefully I'll have a couple more new images in a week or two. In the meantime check out the website: http://www.sirinsky.com/ to see the images a bit larger.

Thanks again for being patient and enjoy!

-Marc

The Recovery

Hi all:

The title of this blog refers to my fun, but exhausting trip to Chicago last week. I'd expect my "recovery" to last quite a while, since the drive back was 15 1/2 hours through poorly lit mountain roads (except for the dreadfully flat, boring Ohio portion) with two screaming kids in the back. Not surprisingly, I woke up with a bit of a headache - so for blogging music, I decided to go with The Smiths. Chill, but not TOO chill so that my head falls to the keyboard.

I visited Flatfile for the last time during this trip (see earlier posts for reference), and I must admit I had mixed feelings. They had a postcard up on the wall for every exhibition the gallery ever mounted, and my name was on a whole lot of them - particularly early on during the gallery's infancy. I'm excited to start the next chapter in my career, but seeing all those postcards, the floor filled with office supplies and furniture being sold off - part of me was a little sad about it. But, onward and upward!

I also did some shooting while I was back - 2 rolls. I didn't feel quite as inspired as I did the last time I was there, but there is one shot that I'm praying turns out. The rest of it might yield a surprise or two, but I'm ok with having only one to be anxious about - especially since I should have a bunch of scans this week to get crackin' on.

Today's image is courtesy of a great artist named Mark Debernardi. A fellow Flatfile artist - I actually own a piece of his work: a spectacular self-portrait showing the artist with moth wings from Thailand - I should really take a shot of it and show it to everyone. A great guy - Mark greets all my house guests from our foyer, safely behind glass of course. The below shot is a really cool image of the WTC that he constructed using photographic collage and some other techniques that remain a mystery. So, enjoy all you New Yorkers! Web address for Mark is: http://home.earthlink.net/~mdebernardi/

And I have to show you guys this one too - because I just love it...

No other major news to report...I'll keep everyone posted on progress on the new work. Should be interesting!

-Marc

Are We The Waiting

Howdy!

Hope everyone's week is progressing nicely. I'm going to be doing the friends and family thing next week for birthdays, Passover, etc - so I wanted to get an entry in before the chaos hits. Tunes for my listening pleasure today is courtesy of The Sounds. Fun band, upbeat - something to counteract the rainy, cold spell we've had out here in the Northeast lately.

I had hoped to have some new work ready to post this week, but as it turns out, I'm still waiting for scans to come back...so it will have to wait a week or two more. Sorry guys. I'm also wondering that the hell is going on with the film I dropped off for processing like a week and a half ago. I called and left a message, but I'm starting to get a little concerned - I'd hoped to have my scanning pal squeeze in one or two more from that roll next week (provided they turn out), but that is starting to look unlikely. I've also got a framing guy and an accountant not calling me back - WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON PEOPLE? GET IT TOGETHER!

Since I'm playing the waiting game on my new images, I need something else to scratch my creative itch. I tweaked a few images on the website (http://www.sirinsky.com/) - just color and technical stuff, no new additions yet. I also plan to do some shooting this week as well - not sure exactly what yet, but I'm hoping to bang out another roll or two.

We also have a layout for how the basement will look, should we decide to move forward with finishing it. The front will be combo kids/guest room area and the back will be a home office/studio. Should be interesting to see if this actually happens - we're waiting for quotes on some things before we decide...WOW, my computer just went nuts and had to re-boot...lovely. Luckily, Blogger saves drafts every minute or two automatically.

A couple of weeks ago, I went to a mixer for creative professionals - very well-attended and made some new friends, but it was only marginally useful on the whole job front. It was almost entirely unemployed creatives, and nobody in attendance was in a position to hire any of them. Not exactly worth 4 hours on a bus. But, I had a great meal with my new friend Donna (http://donnarickles.com) and got some other stuff done in NYC while I was there. And yes, Donna's last name is really "Rickles." She's a really good sport about it, considering the hell she's caught for it during her life...

Not much else to report, but in keeping with my promise of incorporating more imagery into this thing, I've included a few pieces by artist Cathy Daley. I saw her work a few months ago in a show at Eli Klein Gallery in NYC, and I just fell in love with it. Her media for these is pastel on vellum, and at first they appear very simple, but to me, they feel stark and whimsical all at the same time. The feeling of motion and in some cases, pure unraveling that she conveys is really powerful. These low-res digital images don't really do her work justice - in person, they just jump off the wall.

Happy early Passover/Easter to everyone!

-Marc

A Glimmer?

Hi all:

Hope everyone is having a good week thus far. Here in the Northeast, we went from 60-70 degrees to 40's this week - gotta love it! I was in NYC on Monday for some networking and I froze my ass off! Having grown up in Chicago, I always say that it ain't truly spring until May.

Blogging music today is Social Distortion - a live album they recorded at the Roxy in L.A. Great disc - and I've been listening to it a lot the past couple of weeks. Why? Because recently, an American Idol contestant performed a creepy, weird, uncomfortable version of "Ring of Fire" by The Man In Black, and I found myself yearning for the Social D. cover of it (which they still play on tour to this day).

Anyway, most of you know that I have this weird thing when it comes to jinxes. I don't like telling people good news until it's solid for fear that the fate vultures will swoop in and snatch it. But, there have been some positive developments recently, and since this blog is about keeping everyone updated on things, I figure I should just let y'all know what's up. I'm knocking on wood right now, even as we speak.

The big piece of news is that I may be working with a new art dealer. He appears to be exactly the kind of person I've been looking for to push and distribute my work. Seems like he's an art dealer first and a gallery director second - which is just what I need. I'll likely get more personal attention and he already has some great ideas on new venues for showcasing my work. A nice, very well-connected guy with a lot of contacts in NY, the Midwest and CA - and if things work out, this could be a pivotal moment. We're still in the discussion stages - but the possibilities are definitely there.

The other piece of news is that my wife and I are discussing the possibility of finishing off our basement. Included in the plans would be an office/studio space for me - which would really be great. Currently, there isn't a lot of room for me to create work or do "work" and this will definitely help in a major way. A final decision hasn't been made yet, but it is looking quite likely. I expect that we'll decide pretty soon - and I'm guessing if we move forward, work would be begin by May 1st or so.

Everything is tied together - new exhibition/exposure opportunities, a new studio and the fact that right now, I believe I am creating the best work of my entire career. If these new developments do move forward, my hope is that they will feed into my creative process and kick my work up another notch. As an artist it is always important to find ways to get better- and external factors have a lot to do with it, though many would claim otherwise.

The song playing right now through my headphones is "Prison Bound," and I'm smiling because I think that I may actually be "breaking out." Keep knocking on wood folks - keep those fate vultures at bay!

I'll close with a photo for your viewing pleasure - newly discovered daguerrotype dating from 1848, showing a country estate in Manhattan. Thanks to my brother Eric for sending me the link to the story on the NYT: http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/03/25/ny.photograph/index.html

More soon...

-Marc