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