Sunday, August 23, 2009

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

Friday, August 14, 2009

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

Friday, August 7, 2009

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