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