Hi all:
No blogging music tonight - I'm at home, it's kinda late and I don't want to wake anyone up. And my headphones aren't nearby - so oh well. My sleep schedule is all messed-up from this weekend, and I really should be trying to sleep, since I'm on the verge of getting a cold, but whatever...
Anyway, you're here to find out about art news, and I have a little to share. I just finished a roll of film today actually - I'll be dropping it off for processing tomorrow and we'll see if I got anything decent. Yes, you heard right - I don't process my own film. I pretty much stopped doing that my senior year of art school, when I decided that it was basically the pain-in-the-ass step between shooting and printing, and I no longer felt the need to do every little tiny step myself. Of course, if I needed to push, pull, or cross-process, I'd handle it personally, but for normal stuff, I'm thrilled to pay someone else. When I first moved to PA, I was nervous about finding a lab - but I found someone great who does everything out of her house. She had a retail space until the recession hit, and then she just decided to cut some costs. If she ever goes out-of-business, I'm going to be very unhappy.
This particular roll is the first one I've shot in the dead of winter with this camera, believe it or not. I was just thinking about that today, and am curious how the snow is going to read- particularly if any of these are decent enough to put through the printing process I've been using. We'll see...
Beyond that, I'm supposed to be in this show in March, but I have no idea if it is still happening. I asked the gallery director twice if she had made a decision on the work she wanted, and she said she'd let me know. In our last e-mail, she mentioned that they were struggling a bit due to the economy, so I have no idea what's going on. But, certain pieces will require re-printing, and if this goes on much longer, I may have to bow out. I'd rather do that than rush things and contribute less than my best effort.
Otherwise, I have no firm exhibition plans - which is fine right now. I can then spend most of my time creating new work (see previous post). I would like to do at least 1 show in 2009 though, even if it's just a group show. 1 show per year is good for the resume, and I feel like that is a very attainable goal. Once the new body of work is built up, I'll probably try and step that up a bit. The gallery in Easton, PA which I showed at in December is having another show in March, so I may throw my hat in the ring for that - we'll see.
On another topic, for the past couple of years, I have found myself gravitating a lot towards printmaking of various kinds: etchings, engravings, block prints, etc. I can't explain why - the tones, lines, the textural quality - I just love looking at them. Maybe it's back to that whole "loss" thing - how the detail or loss in a print changes depending on process, edition #, etc.
In fact, the first piece I ever bought from a gallery was an etching - which I just had re-framed, ironically using a frame for one of my older pieces which I no longer care for. Anyway, I still love it as much as the day I bought it.
Well, that's it for now - I'll keep everyone posted on the new work. Fingers crossed! FYI- the title of tonight's post refers to this evening: while manually winding the film back into the canister, (the camera has no rewind button or mechanism) I pulled some skin off of my finger. Not a lot, but enough to make me feel like I'd suffered a little. Between that and the frigid temperatures I endured while shooting, I'd better get something from this one!
Later...
-Marc
Monday, February 2, 2009
Saturday, January 24, 2009
R.I.P. Andrew Wyeth
Hi everyone:
Blogging music today: Def Jam's 10th Anniversary Box Set. This is one of only a couple of box sets I own, and I never get tired of it. Arguably the best collection of rap music ever compiled, by the world's most influential rap label. Public Enemy, LL Cool J, The Beastie Boys - the list goes on and on.
Well, the title of this post gives away the topic of today's blog entry. As many of you probably already know, Andrew Wyeth died on January 16th. Being from PA, the news made it to many of the media outlets, and I happened to catch an interview this week on NPR with the art critic for the New Yorker and an independent curator who worked on one of Wyeth's last shows. A debate ensued - one that has been going for a long time regarding his work, and I began to see a lot of parallels between his work and mine.
Admittedly, Wyeth wasn't one of those artists that I studied heavily during my career. I don't remember touching on him at all in art school and I never really gave him much of a thought. But then, I saw "Christina's World" in person, and I was completely blown away. The haunting nature of the work, the longing, the elongated limbs and exaggerated perspective - it is truly a remarkable piece - in my view, one of the greatest non-abstract paintings by an American artist of the 20th century.
The debate on Wyeth apparently has always been about how he shamelessly promoted himself and catered to his established audience with his familiar themes of rural living and the tough, hard-fought life of "ordinary" middle-class, working Americans. He was oftentimes viewed as conservative when anti-establishment was all the rage, and even voted Republican on occasion, much to the chagrin of other more liberal artists.
Seems to me that what people fail to realize is that he really was more "anti-establishment" than many of his contemporaries. He engaged in what many other folks though of as "realism", but his work could hardly be considered realistic in the traditional sense. In "Christina's World", he manipulated the landscape, figure, mood - breaking the conventions of realism to create a deliberate, personalized interpretation. He was his own man, not allowing himself to be swept up in trends he didn't find meaningful or attractive.
The part of the interview that really struck me was when a contemporary painter called in and basically said that Wyeth did nothing to advance the history of art. He wasn't on the forefront of anything, was arguably antiquated, and because he didn't work with contemporary, cutting- edge themes, he shouldn't be revered. In other words, it was a rant from a contemporary artist who hasn't gotten the attention he thinks he deserves and believes that only work readily identifiable as "cutting edge" (presumably in terms of thematics and medium) is worthy of mention.
The independent curator responded that while he may not have been addressing "sexy" contemporary ideas, all of his work was heavily influenced by themes with which we can all identify. Family, relationships, loss - crucial concepts to our very being. He kept kept returning to Maine and to PA for his inspiration and content - not because he was stuck in a rut his whole life, but because the connection he had with these places and the people in them is what energized his work.
For those of you who know my work, this probably sounds a little familiar to you. I definitely wouldn't call my work "realism", but I work with many of the same themes that Wyeth did. Loss, family, personal relationships and how they are connected to certain places, scenes and objects is at the core of my work. And let me tell you - I consider myself a contemporary artist and I think these themes will ALWAYS be valid. To me, the best of Wyeth's work accomplishes the rare feat of feeling both personal and universal at the same time.
So, Mr. Caller, if you're reading this, maybe you should try accomplishing that in YOUR studio. You may have a better shot at that fame you so desperately crave.
More to come next week...have a great weekend everyone!
-Marc
Blogging music today: Def Jam's 10th Anniversary Box Set. This is one of only a couple of box sets I own, and I never get tired of it. Arguably the best collection of rap music ever compiled, by the world's most influential rap label. Public Enemy, LL Cool J, The Beastie Boys - the list goes on and on.
Well, the title of this post gives away the topic of today's blog entry. As many of you probably already know, Andrew Wyeth died on January 16th. Being from PA, the news made it to many of the media outlets, and I happened to catch an interview this week on NPR with the art critic for the New Yorker and an independent curator who worked on one of Wyeth's last shows. A debate ensued - one that has been going for a long time regarding his work, and I began to see a lot of parallels between his work and mine.
Admittedly, Wyeth wasn't one of those artists that I studied heavily during my career. I don't remember touching on him at all in art school and I never really gave him much of a thought. But then, I saw "Christina's World" in person, and I was completely blown away. The haunting nature of the work, the longing, the elongated limbs and exaggerated perspective - it is truly a remarkable piece - in my view, one of the greatest non-abstract paintings by an American artist of the 20th century.
The debate on Wyeth apparently has always been about how he shamelessly promoted himself and catered to his established audience with his familiar themes of rural living and the tough, hard-fought life of "ordinary" middle-class, working Americans. He was oftentimes viewed as conservative when anti-establishment was all the rage, and even voted Republican on occasion, much to the chagrin of other more liberal artists.
Seems to me that what people fail to realize is that he really was more "anti-establishment" than many of his contemporaries. He engaged in what many other folks though of as "realism", but his work could hardly be considered realistic in the traditional sense. In "Christina's World", he manipulated the landscape, figure, mood - breaking the conventions of realism to create a deliberate, personalized interpretation. He was his own man, not allowing himself to be swept up in trends he didn't find meaningful or attractive.
The part of the interview that really struck me was when a contemporary painter called in and basically said that Wyeth did nothing to advance the history of art. He wasn't on the forefront of anything, was arguably antiquated, and because he didn't work with contemporary, cutting- edge themes, he shouldn't be revered. In other words, it was a rant from a contemporary artist who hasn't gotten the attention he thinks he deserves and believes that only work readily identifiable as "cutting edge" (presumably in terms of thematics and medium) is worthy of mention.
The independent curator responded that while he may not have been addressing "sexy" contemporary ideas, all of his work was heavily influenced by themes with which we can all identify. Family, relationships, loss - crucial concepts to our very being. He kept kept returning to Maine and to PA for his inspiration and content - not because he was stuck in a rut his whole life, but because the connection he had with these places and the people in them is what energized his work.
For those of you who know my work, this probably sounds a little familiar to you. I definitely wouldn't call my work "realism", but I work with many of the same themes that Wyeth did. Loss, family, personal relationships and how they are connected to certain places, scenes and objects is at the core of my work. And let me tell you - I consider myself a contemporary artist and I think these themes will ALWAYS be valid. To me, the best of Wyeth's work accomplishes the rare feat of feeling both personal and universal at the same time.
So, Mr. Caller, if you're reading this, maybe you should try accomplishing that in YOUR studio. You may have a better shot at that fame you so desperately crave.
More to come next week...have a great weekend everyone!
-Marc
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Distraction Jackson
Hi everyone:
I hope all of you are managing to stay warm. Definitely a bit on the chilly side lately - my Uncle was telling me that the last time he saw weather this cold was during Army basic training in the Rocky Mountains back in the '50's. He's told me all kinds of stories about it - guys eating snow, passing out along the trail, going to bed at 4:00 pm because it was too cold to do anything else, etc.
Blogging music today is "The Boss." Seeing him perform "The Rising" at the Inauguration on Saturday truly put the whole thing in perspective for me. Bruce, an acoustic guitar and a huge choir behind him - can it really get better than that?
So, as the title indicates, I want to talk about distractions. Not the "I'll worry about the laundry after American Idol" variety - something a little more valid than that (though admittedly, I'm a big Idol fan). I promised myself that I would focus on creating new work, not entering exhibitions, seeking out new representation, etc. After all, you need a cohesive body of current, kick-ass work to go out and promote with. But, I find myself being tempted by other things. I want to find that next perfect gallery/rep, and I'm getting impatient. I have no idea how long it will take to complete this "makeover" of my work, and I'm not sure I want to wait to explore until then. I guess this is something I'll just have to struggle with - perhaps a little "cheating" is ok, but as artists, it is really easy to do ourselves a disservice by promoting prematurely. I have to try and remember that and not fall into that trap.
I want to start shooting some new work this week or next week. I'll keep everyone posted. I've got this one spot I've been meaning to photograph for a long time now, but just haven't had the chance. I'm thinking the current snow on the ground might enhance things a bit - we'll see.
That's all for now. Stay warm in your igloos, and for those of you in California, keep your comments to yourself!
-Marc
I hope all of you are managing to stay warm. Definitely a bit on the chilly side lately - my Uncle was telling me that the last time he saw weather this cold was during Army basic training in the Rocky Mountains back in the '50's. He's told me all kinds of stories about it - guys eating snow, passing out along the trail, going to bed at 4:00 pm because it was too cold to do anything else, etc.
Blogging music today is "The Boss." Seeing him perform "The Rising" at the Inauguration on Saturday truly put the whole thing in perspective for me. Bruce, an acoustic guitar and a huge choir behind him - can it really get better than that?
So, as the title indicates, I want to talk about distractions. Not the "I'll worry about the laundry after American Idol" variety - something a little more valid than that (though admittedly, I'm a big Idol fan). I promised myself that I would focus on creating new work, not entering exhibitions, seeking out new representation, etc. After all, you need a cohesive body of current, kick-ass work to go out and promote with. But, I find myself being tempted by other things. I want to find that next perfect gallery/rep, and I'm getting impatient. I have no idea how long it will take to complete this "makeover" of my work, and I'm not sure I want to wait to explore until then. I guess this is something I'll just have to struggle with - perhaps a little "cheating" is ok, but as artists, it is really easy to do ourselves a disservice by promoting prematurely. I have to try and remember that and not fall into that trap.
I want to start shooting some new work this week or next week. I'll keep everyone posted. I've got this one spot I've been meaning to photograph for a long time now, but just haven't had the chance. I'm thinking the current snow on the ground might enhance things a bit - we'll see.
That's all for now. Stay warm in your igloos, and for those of you in California, keep your comments to yourself!
-Marc
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Calibration Situation
Howdy!
Happy 2009 everyone! I hope you all had a festive holiday - hopefully we'll all have plenty of things to celebrate in the coming year.
I woke up with a cold this morning, so my brain is not exactly at functioning at peak level right now. But, I thought I would say hello, and maybe complain a little bit about something...(big shocker, I know)
So, I've come to realize that my laptop, where I do most of my image work (particularly related to the www.sirinsky.com site) displays color balance differently than every other computer on earth. Don't ask me why - I absolutely have no idea, but it's driving me nuts. The website can look perfect on my laptop, but it looks way off on most other comps. I've looked at the site on both Macs and PCs, and although they of course vary a little, it is certainly within the realm of acceptability. My specific laptop is clearly the problem.
That being said, I don't want to fully calibrate it because the majority of the people looking at the site will be viewing it on a monitor that isn't truly calibrated. But, I need to figure out something. I'll probably just need to find a machine that I can use as my "base" and adjust the color on my laptop to match it. We'll see. I spent hours this weekend adjusting the color on most of the images so they look good on at least my desktop at home. Hopefully, the site looks good to everyone else as well. If something seems goofy, let me know - always nice to have the feedback.
Other than that, not a whole lot of news. Show in Easton comes down next weekend and I was told by the gallery staff that the feedback was very positive. Not quite as good as a sale, but I'll take it!
Well, we're due to get an ice storm here, so I'm off to do a preemptive salt, etc. More soon...
-Marc
Happy 2009 everyone! I hope you all had a festive holiday - hopefully we'll all have plenty of things to celebrate in the coming year.
I woke up with a cold this morning, so my brain is not exactly at functioning at peak level right now. But, I thought I would say hello, and maybe complain a little bit about something...(big shocker, I know)
So, I've come to realize that my laptop, where I do most of my image work (particularly related to the www.sirinsky.com site) displays color balance differently than every other computer on earth. Don't ask me why - I absolutely have no idea, but it's driving me nuts. The website can look perfect on my laptop, but it looks way off on most other comps. I've looked at the site on both Macs and PCs, and although they of course vary a little, it is certainly within the realm of acceptability. My specific laptop is clearly the problem.
That being said, I don't want to fully calibrate it because the majority of the people looking at the site will be viewing it on a monitor that isn't truly calibrated. But, I need to figure out something. I'll probably just need to find a machine that I can use as my "base" and adjust the color on my laptop to match it. We'll see. I spent hours this weekend adjusting the color on most of the images so they look good on at least my desktop at home. Hopefully, the site looks good to everyone else as well. If something seems goofy, let me know - always nice to have the feedback.
Other than that, not a whole lot of news. Show in Easton comes down next weekend and I was told by the gallery staff that the feedback was very positive. Not quite as good as a sale, but I'll take it!
Well, we're due to get an ice storm here, so I'm off to do a preemptive salt, etc. More soon...
-Marc
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Broadsided and Broadened
Hey all:
Before I begin my all-important post for today (how's that for self-indulgent?), I owe a huge apology to Ara Lucia. I've mentioned her in a bunch of postings - she's been a crucial part of my artistic development. Well, somehow we got our signals crossed and she didn't know about the blog until she happened upon it during a web search. I told her how sorry I was, but Ara, if you're reading this, sorry again - you know you rock!
Speaking of Ara rocking - her new website is up, and y'all need to check it out. I sent a link to a video a few months back showing the "behind the scenes" scoop on the photo shoot she directed. But, the new website is great, the images from that shoot are super-cool, and she simply kicks ass. Check it out: http://www.aralucia.org/
Final piece of business - blogging music is Sugar. One of Bob Mould's wondrous creations from the 1990's - pure guitar-driven rock with great songwriting. Who could ask for more?
Ok, now that all of that's out of the way, I promised y'all something. I seem to recall saying that I would have some new images before the new year. So, I decided to shock and awe and give you 2 of them! How's that for over-achieving?
The funny thing is that they've been ready for a while, but I didn't really know it. Let me explain.
So, I'm all hot and heavy on this new watercolor-looking process I've been doing. And, I've been focusing on the water series pretty seriously. The problem is that when I get going on a style and theme, I tend to block out everything else. I find I get too distracted with other image- making prospects if I don't focus in one area at a time.
Well, that's all well and good, but sometimes when you do that, you miss some things. Sometimes, those things are pretty important.
See, one of the issues with the new style I'm doing is that only certain kinds of imagery actually work for it. Images that are mostly mid-tones without much contrast, tonal range, etc. don't work as well. So, I've eliminated a lot of images along the way. Many of them sucked to begin with, so no real loss - I had just hoped that maybe something magical would happen during the process. But, I had a few images that I really liked on their own that simply weren't working.
Last night, I spent some time working on the abstract image of the wave you see here. I was really excited about it, but after 10-15 attempts, it was clear it wasn't happening. Some prints looked ok, but it seemed like the power of the photo was completely sucked out by the process. My wife saw the image and didn't have much of a reaction. But, she saw the "original" photo on my screen and said, "Wow, I really like that!" And I said..."That's it!" Why should every image in a body of work have to be created exactly the same way? Using some images as is, without the full "process" being employed will work very nicely I think - these two new ones being prime examples. I think they still have some painterly qualities and they certainly fit into the theme. They make sense with the others - and I'm amazed about how this simple moment broadened the horizon for what this series can be. As an aside, the other shot posted here (which I'm calling "Beacon" for now) was actually another view of the "Buoy" photo on my website, but it didn't work as well during the process. On it's own, I'm pretty happy with it.
It's worth noting here that when I say "as is," that's a bit of a misnomer. All it really means is that the final step in the process is missing. The print-making process I'm using actually has 4-5 steps to it, so when you look at it that way, the image has still been through the ringer.
These two images are also now posted to my website: http://www.sirinsky.com/ I made a couple other changes to the site as well, and if you visit often, you'll probably notice. Not a major face lift or anything - just a little variety for the new year.
Best wishes for a happy and healthy 2009. Until next year...
-Marc
Friday, December 12, 2008
Feeding Time
Hello everyone:
I'm guessing that if you're in New England, you're probably not reading this right now, due to the lovely ice storm you guys got as an early holiday present. How nice! Hope you guys are ok!
Blogging music today - Bad Religion Live at the Paladium. Right now, the song playing is "Fuck Armageddon, This is Hell." Damn, those guys still rock!!
Well, in my last post, I mentioned that I was in a new exhibition out here in PA. I went to the opening, not knowing what to expect - it was snowing/sleeting, the roads were icy, and some asshole was honking at me because I was going "too slow". Apologies that I didn't feel like slamming into something that night - but apparently he didn't care, since he tailed me for 2 miles and then when I parked, he made sure to slow down so I could see his middle finger. I've got a lot of ideas on what he can do with that finger, but I won't get into that now...
So, I didn't exactly walk into the opening in the greatest mood. But, actually, it was a very enjoyable evening. The gallery was packed with a very diverse crowd, drinks were flowing (perfect for driving on icy roads of course), and the show was actually quite good. I even liked how they hung my work - which I can't say very often. I made some great connections, got some good feedback, and topped off the evening with some sashimi and a glass of cold, unfiltered sake. Why can't all evenings end that way? Because I'd go broke, that's why!
Anyway, I'm having this problem that at first was surprising to me, but the more I think about it and analyze it, it makes sense. When I was "downsized" from my "job" recently, I had thought that while I was looking for a new gig, I be able to take the free time and create some great new art. Well, what I didn't realize is:
a. I have equal or less free time than I had before - because my childcare duties have increased, I'm in physical therapy for my knee and I'm looking for a new job almost every waking hour.
b. I don't feel creative right now - mainly because my fine art feeds off my success at "work."
The first point makes a lot of sense, and it was purely a miscalculation on my part. But the second part of this was very surprising to me. Obviously, one's state of mind is an important part of the creative process, but I didn't realize how much one career fed on the other. I learned early on to keep my commercial side and fine art side very separate (which is why I'm not a commercial photographer, etc.) - but I didn't fully understand the connection between the two until now.
I spoke with Ara (see earlier post) and I explained this to her, and she wasn't at all surprised. I usually know myself pretty well, but I guess on occasion, we all miss something.
I have one piece waiting to be made (about 1/2 way done) and then it will likely be time for me to start a new project. I have a very grandiose idea that I might share with you later, but it is going to take a long time to complete and planning for it could be pretty labor intensive. I have to snap myself out of this funk first - but writing about it is the first step I think.
Tomorrow is also the 1 year anniversary of my Mom's passing, and those of you who know me well understand that my relationship with her was...well...complicated. But, it's a rough time for me right now overall - which amplifies things. Also, I just found out a good friend of mine's mother is in the hospital, stricken with the same illness my Mom had. The coincidence in terms of timing, the illness itself, and the similarities in personalities between the two women is really uncanny. Best wishes for a speedy recovery...! (not calling her out by name, because the news is still very fresh).
Anyway, that's what I have for now. I'll post the new piece when it's done and I'll keep sharing news as it becomes available.
Winter is officially here - stay warm!
-Marc
I'm guessing that if you're in New England, you're probably not reading this right now, due to the lovely ice storm you guys got as an early holiday present. How nice! Hope you guys are ok!
Blogging music today - Bad Religion Live at the Paladium. Right now, the song playing is "Fuck Armageddon, This is Hell." Damn, those guys still rock!!
Well, in my last post, I mentioned that I was in a new exhibition out here in PA. I went to the opening, not knowing what to expect - it was snowing/sleeting, the roads were icy, and some asshole was honking at me because I was going "too slow". Apologies that I didn't feel like slamming into something that night - but apparently he didn't care, since he tailed me for 2 miles and then when I parked, he made sure to slow down so I could see his middle finger. I've got a lot of ideas on what he can do with that finger, but I won't get into that now...
So, I didn't exactly walk into the opening in the greatest mood. But, actually, it was a very enjoyable evening. The gallery was packed with a very diverse crowd, drinks were flowing (perfect for driving on icy roads of course), and the show was actually quite good. I even liked how they hung my work - which I can't say very often. I made some great connections, got some good feedback, and topped off the evening with some sashimi and a glass of cold, unfiltered sake. Why can't all evenings end that way? Because I'd go broke, that's why!
Anyway, I'm having this problem that at first was surprising to me, but the more I think about it and analyze it, it makes sense. When I was "downsized" from my "job" recently, I had thought that while I was looking for a new gig, I be able to take the free time and create some great new art. Well, what I didn't realize is:
a. I have equal or less free time than I had before - because my childcare duties have increased, I'm in physical therapy for my knee and I'm looking for a new job almost every waking hour.
b. I don't feel creative right now - mainly because my fine art feeds off my success at "work."
The first point makes a lot of sense, and it was purely a miscalculation on my part. But the second part of this was very surprising to me. Obviously, one's state of mind is an important part of the creative process, but I didn't realize how much one career fed on the other. I learned early on to keep my commercial side and fine art side very separate (which is why I'm not a commercial photographer, etc.) - but I didn't fully understand the connection between the two until now.
I spoke with Ara (see earlier post) and I explained this to her, and she wasn't at all surprised. I usually know myself pretty well, but I guess on occasion, we all miss something.
I have one piece waiting to be made (about 1/2 way done) and then it will likely be time for me to start a new project. I have a very grandiose idea that I might share with you later, but it is going to take a long time to complete and planning for it could be pretty labor intensive. I have to snap myself out of this funk first - but writing about it is the first step I think.
Tomorrow is also the 1 year anniversary of my Mom's passing, and those of you who know me well understand that my relationship with her was...well...complicated. But, it's a rough time for me right now overall - which amplifies things. Also, I just found out a good friend of mine's mother is in the hospital, stricken with the same illness my Mom had. The coincidence in terms of timing, the illness itself, and the similarities in personalities between the two women is really uncanny. Best wishes for a speedy recovery...! (not calling her out by name, because the news is still very fresh).
Anyway, that's what I have for now. I'll post the new piece when it's done and I'll keep sharing news as it becomes available.
Winter is officially here - stay warm!
-Marc
Friday, November 28, 2008
Delayed Gratification
Hi Everyone:
Well, it's been a month (to the day) since my last post - so I thought it was time for me to pop in and say hello. Blogging music today is Bloc Party - their new album called "Intimacy". Good stuff - better than their last album, but not quite as good as their first one.
Now, before you start yelling at me, I have a few reasons for the delay. I won't take up the whole post with them - but the two main reasons are:
1. My company joined the ranks of the other major media companies and laid-off over 10% of their staff - including the Managing Art Director (who ran the dept), a very talented Senior Designer and myself. In other words, they are now operating without a true department head or a photo editor and have to put out their entire book list with 5 designers. In a way, I may have been one of the lucky ones (I had been looking to leave anyway). But, if anyone has inside knowledge of an open full-time Photo Director/Editor, Photo Producer, Art Buyer, or Image Rights and Licensing gig - let me know! Links to jobs on Mediabistro and HotJobs are nice and all, but I've been job-searching full-time the past few weeks and have probably seen everything from the "usual suspects."
2. I had knee surgery a week ago and have been hooped-up on all kinds of goofinthal. Granted, a blog post in that state would have been fun - but I wanted to tone it down a little so I didn't have a narcoleptic episode in the middle of a sentence. I've also had a steady flow of out-of-town family in to help- so it's been a bit chaotic.
See, told you I had good excuses. My time has been occupied with job-searching and hardcore narcotics (not to mention some extended child duties). But, it's time to get back to art...
Apparently, I'm going to be in a show opening next Saturday. It's at the gallery I mentioned in my previous post - out here in Easton, PA. I figured, why not? Also, the submission process was unlike anything I had ever heard before. The gallery has a short list of folks they call when they have a big, un-themed group show. Anyone who wants to then drops off their most recent work at the gallery - all in one night. The work is then curated from there, and whatever fits is kept for the show. If you don't get a call, your work is in and if you do, you pick up your work.
At first, I was a bit stymied by this methodology - every other gallery I have ever worked with who does open calls asks for JPEG's or slides and then if you're selected, you deliver the work a few weeks before the show. The whole thing seemed strange to me - and everyone I mentioned it to also thought it was weird.
But, on the night I dropped off the work, I realized why the gallery does it this way. It brings lots of artists together to look at each others work - BEFORE the show is actually curated and finished. The artists get to meet each other, get a preview of each other's work - and even view pieces that might be edited-out before the show is actually hung. And for a gallery that prides itself on being an anchor for a particular community, this model makes a lot of sense. It was actually a very enjoyable evening - I could have stayed 5 minutes if I wanted to, but actually was there almost 2 hours looking at work and meeting people. Good times!
I'm also supposed to be in a show at the end of February at Flatfile in Chicago. But, I have no idea which work they want - I know the show is called SEPIA - so all the work is...yep, you guessed it - sepia-toned, or sepia-looking! I should probably check in with them though.
I know I really need to make a couple new pieces. You'd think unemployment would allow me some free-time, but lately, I've actually been as busy, if not busier than I was when I was working. Also, now that my knee is all jacked-up, it's gonna be even harder, since the process I use requires a lot of standing, leaning, etc. But, I'll make this promise - I will have at least 1 new piece before the holidays. Well, let's call it goal rather than a promise, but it's one that I think is certainly achievable.
I hope everyone enjoyed their Turkey, Turkducken, Tofurky, etc. I'm on the mend now, so more to come soon...
-Marc
Well, it's been a month (to the day) since my last post - so I thought it was time for me to pop in and say hello. Blogging music today is Bloc Party - their new album called "Intimacy". Good stuff - better than their last album, but not quite as good as their first one.
Now, before you start yelling at me, I have a few reasons for the delay. I won't take up the whole post with them - but the two main reasons are:
1. My company joined the ranks of the other major media companies and laid-off over 10% of their staff - including the Managing Art Director (who ran the dept), a very talented Senior Designer and myself. In other words, they are now operating without a true department head or a photo editor and have to put out their entire book list with 5 designers. In a way, I may have been one of the lucky ones (I had been looking to leave anyway). But, if anyone has inside knowledge of an open full-time Photo Director/Editor, Photo Producer, Art Buyer, or Image Rights and Licensing gig - let me know! Links to jobs on Mediabistro and HotJobs are nice and all, but I've been job-searching full-time the past few weeks and have probably seen everything from the "usual suspects."
2. I had knee surgery a week ago and have been hooped-up on all kinds of goofinthal. Granted, a blog post in that state would have been fun - but I wanted to tone it down a little so I didn't have a narcoleptic episode in the middle of a sentence. I've also had a steady flow of out-of-town family in to help- so it's been a bit chaotic.
See, told you I had good excuses. My time has been occupied with job-searching and hardcore narcotics (not to mention some extended child duties). But, it's time to get back to art...
Apparently, I'm going to be in a show opening next Saturday. It's at the gallery I mentioned in my previous post - out here in Easton, PA. I figured, why not? Also, the submission process was unlike anything I had ever heard before. The gallery has a short list of folks they call when they have a big, un-themed group show. Anyone who wants to then drops off their most recent work at the gallery - all in one night. The work is then curated from there, and whatever fits is kept for the show. If you don't get a call, your work is in and if you do, you pick up your work.
At first, I was a bit stymied by this methodology - every other gallery I have ever worked with who does open calls asks for JPEG's or slides and then if you're selected, you deliver the work a few weeks before the show. The whole thing seemed strange to me - and everyone I mentioned it to also thought it was weird.
But, on the night I dropped off the work, I realized why the gallery does it this way. It brings lots of artists together to look at each others work - BEFORE the show is actually curated and finished. The artists get to meet each other, get a preview of each other's work - and even view pieces that might be edited-out before the show is actually hung. And for a gallery that prides itself on being an anchor for a particular community, this model makes a lot of sense. It was actually a very enjoyable evening - I could have stayed 5 minutes if I wanted to, but actually was there almost 2 hours looking at work and meeting people. Good times!
I'm also supposed to be in a show at the end of February at Flatfile in Chicago. But, I have no idea which work they want - I know the show is called SEPIA - so all the work is...yep, you guessed it - sepia-toned, or sepia-looking! I should probably check in with them though.
I know I really need to make a couple new pieces. You'd think unemployment would allow me some free-time, but lately, I've actually been as busy, if not busier than I was when I was working. Also, now that my knee is all jacked-up, it's gonna be even harder, since the process I use requires a lot of standing, leaning, etc. But, I'll make this promise - I will have at least 1 new piece before the holidays. Well, let's call it goal rather than a promise, but it's one that I think is certainly achievable.
I hope everyone enjoyed their Turkey, Turkducken, Tofurky, etc. I'm on the mend now, so more to come soon...
-Marc
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