Today's blogging tunes are courtesy of Bloc Party. They're playing Philly tomorrow night, but the show sold out and I didn't get a ticket in advance because I thought I was going to be having out-of-town visitors. Oh well..such is life.
So, I had a moment yesterday - a photographic moment, and as it was occurring I thought to myself "Remember this chain of events - it will be great for the blog." So, here it goes.
I'm standing in my kitchen around 6:00 pm making dinner. The kitchen faces my backyard - and there's a sliding glass door that opens onto our deck. My youngest daughter Lila is already asleep upstairs, but my oldest, Mia, is hangin' out with me, asking to go outside and play. "Sorry sweetie, but I'm making dinner and it's almost ready - maybe tomorrow." While dinner is finishing up, I see that the door from our deck to the yard below is open, so I go outside to put the latch on, and I turn to my left and I see it. A picture-perfect moment in a neighbor's yard. The sky is just that right kind of overcast and the subtle light from the sun is coming through just perfectly. I think to myself immediately: ok, I need to shoot this in color - not good in B/W. Plastic camera or Nikon? Plastic Camera - the shot will be great for the series if it turns out. Ok, where IS my plastic camera? Upstairs - damn, no film in it. Do I have any color film for it?" I run upstairs - I have some old, expired 100 film. DAMN - 400 would be much better right now, but I'll take what I can get. Mia's downstairs playing - so she's good for a moment. MIA - GET YOUR SHOES ON, WE'RE GOING OUTSIDE FOR A FEW MINUTES! But I thought you said...? Don't worry about that- just get your shoes on! I load the film, thinking to myself, I hope the light doesn't die - I've got like 10 minutes to get this or it's over. Expired film - could be a problem, hopefully the colors haven't faded. We'll see I guess. I run downstairs, and check to make sure the baby monitor is on and the volume turned up. Then, we go outside. I begin shooting, Mia is behind me singing at the top of her lungs. Well, it's really more like yelling - why can't she SING now instead? She has a beautiful voice (like her Mother), and singing would keep me focused, where her yelling is distracting. Calm down Mia - relax. "Sorry Dad," she says and I smile at her. She runs around - but miraculously stays behind the camera - she doesn't even try to get in the shot. Very unusual for her - she must know something's up. I shoot the whole roll - various angles, perspectives. I take a breath once it's done - and turn to Mia and say, "Let's go eat sweetheart." "Ok Dad," she says, and she skips up the stairs, takes her shoes off, and I shift my focus to getting dinner on the table.
Such was yesterday evening. I'll keep everyone posted on how it all turns out! Happy weekend!
-Marc
Friday, March 20, 2009
Saturday, March 14, 2009
New Pretty, Shiny Things
So, I'm getting a cup of tea at Panera, and there's a guy having a conversation about the Philadelphia Eagles - right in front of the sugar and creamer stand. He sees me there waiting for him to move, and keeps talking. And talking. AND TALKING! I reach behind him to grab some sugar and he doesn't move at all - just stands there. Now, the old me from about 10 years ago would have said "How about having that conversation in a place that isn't in everyone's way?" Or, if I was in a particularly bad mood, it might go something like this:
"Excuse me - how about MOVING THE HELL OUT OF THE WAY!"
My, how I've grown. BTW: he continued talking in that same spot for 10 more minutes after I sat down.
Ok, now that I've gotten that out of the way, time to get down to business. I had a dream last night, and though I can't remember what it was, the soundtrack appeared to be The Editors- so I figured I should throw in "An End Has A Start" as the music for today's session.
I got some film back yesterday - not too bad, but not sure how inspiring it is. I shot it of a scene I had passed a zillion times - but this time I waited and took the shot during a snowstorm. Not sure how evident it will be, but we'll see. Gonna wait for Tom A. to finish up the other scans before giving him a new batch I think.
The family and I are going to be in Chicago in April, and I'm thinking about what I want to shoot when I'm there. I find myself constantly heading back to the neighborhood I grew up in for inspiration- there is just something magical about it for me, even though the memories are both positive and negative. There's something about that place- it still looks virtually identical to what it looked like when I was growing up, which to me is special in and of itself - considering how neighborhoods are being destroyed across this country. I don't want to live in the past, but so much of what I do is derived from it - and this area is even more valuable to me now that I no longer live in Chicago. I just have to decide what to shoot- I've got a couple of ideas, but nothing really concrete yet. Usually, I just walk around for a while and ideas come to me when I'm in the moment. I shoot this way a lot in fact, which is interesting because I'm not the spontaneous type. So much of my work relies on the "happy accident" (as one of my old photo professors used to say) and I think that my shooting method has adapted to my work in a way, if that makes sense?
Speaking of inspired, my friend Sylvia gave me some feedback on Image # 6 from my website. Keep 'em coming guys! She also told me that I've inspired her to start doing some of her own work again - which flatters me greatly. That's what it's all about kids!
Sylvia also was gracious enough to mention some galleries for me to check out, which I hugely appreciate. Thanks Sylvia! If anyone else has any suggestions (either for my own work or just for the hell of it), please forward the info along. I'm always looking for new galleries and venues, and on a personal note, with Flatfile closing, I'm on the hunt now more than ever!
Ok, so back to image #6 on the site. Here is a b/w version and a toned version - right next to each other. Let the voting begin!
Starting today, I want to show more images on this blog. Reading nothing but words on these things gets a bit boring, so I'm going to try and post at least one image with every entry. Sometimes it might be my work, but usually it will be somebody else's - and it may or may not be photography and I may or may not even like it. Maybe it will stimulate some conversation though.
The two images above don't really count, since they are tied to my last entry, so, in the spirit of fair play, I've included an image below that I haven't been able to get out of my head. I think it's just beautiful. There is something that is both serene and desolate about it - and the textures and lines in it I think are just great. The photographer is a guy named Rolph Gobits:
Ok, well that's it for now. Hopefully I'll have some new images of my own for the next post. Enjoy the rest of your weekend!
-Marc
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
like so many others...
Spring greetings everyone. Ok, a little optimistic, but why not - especially since my family and I seem to be recovering from the Black Death we all had last week.
Lots to blog about today, so get comfy. I'm getting cozy with a Jones Cream Soda and a little U2 for my listening pleasure. Anyone who's known me for more than 30 seconds knows that I've got a major soft-spot for those Dubliners. Definitely my all-time favs, and I just got their new one, and am letting it soak in. Still not sure yet - but for today's session, I went back to the beginning and have "Boy" piping through my headphones.
First order of business: R.I.P. Flatfile. I guess there was a reason why I hadn't heard about the status of this group show I was supposed to be in. After posting my last blog entry, I went back through my records and noticed the show was supposed to open at the end of February. I assumed they decided to ditch me at the last minute or postpone the show, but as it turns out, the gallery is closing. Apparently, the show is still happening - the director will be curating it as a guest at a different venue (Mars Gallery, from what I understand) and I am apparently still part of it.
I haven't oftentimes referred to Flatfile by name on here, but most of you know that I've had a relationship with them in some way for a very long time. I was one of their first artists to sign on and was represented by them for many years. The relationship devolved since I moved to Pennsylvania and I began working with them on a guest-artist basis since then, but I've had some tie to them during most of my professional career. When it came to Flatfile, I was never pushed in any direction and I knew that generally, if I created it, they would show it. This was the good news and the bad news - I got great experience and a strong exhibition pedigree from them, but there were times where I probably could have used a nudge. But, Flatfile grew to represent almost 70 artists at one point (not an environment in which I thrive), and individual attention simply doesn't work in that equation. But, despite our differences over the years, Flatfile helped put Chicago's West Loop Gallery district on the map, and I have a lot to thank them for. I'll keep everyone posted on the group show when more details become available.
I'm also in a new group exhibition at the gallery in Easton, PA I mentioned before - but this time, my experience was a little different than the last time I showed there. Not walking in with expectations I'm sure helped the first go-around, because this time, I was a little disappointed. The work in the show overall is fine (though I've liked others of theirs a lot better), but I'm not pleased with the way my work is being shown this time. I gave them 4 pieces to chose from, and they picked the two subtlest. But, they proceeded to hang them in an area in with absolutely abysmal lighting. There were a lot of pieces in the show that were bolder and that would have looked fine in that type of light, but mine CLEARLY don't. As soon as I saw them there, I said to myself - "I guess I'm not selling anything from this show." I've been wrong before, but this time, I wouldn't bet against me. But, as a professional artist, this is the kind of thing you have to be prepared for and let slide off your back (but it's nice to be able to bitch about it a little too). The work being shown is two older pieces - both on my website (http://www.sirinsky.com/). For those that care, they are #11 and 12 from the site.
Quick survey: I'm having some difficulty with deciding what to do with one of the images on the site. #6 - the shot of the wave crashing. I still like it, but not as much as I did before - and I'm thinking I might like it better as a pure b/w rather than a toned image. But, I'm not sure if I want to keep it on the site at all at this point - it's been naggin' me. Whadaya guys think? Keep it, tweak it or ditch it? I have a b/w version of it on my other comp - so I'll post it up here so you guys can see it and look at both versions next to each other.
In other news, I think I'm going to start submitting this blog to some directories. We'll see- but what harm could it do, right?
Still waiting for some scans back from Tom A. - might have end of this week, but I don't see myself touching anything for another week at least - I need to recover before working on anything, unless you want to be subjected to total crap - which I'm guessing you don't.
Also have another roll out for processing - shot it during the recent snowstorm. I'm thinking the whole roll could potentially suck, but then again, that's a possibility every time I pick up my camera.
I'll close with a drawing by one of my current favorites - Josh Cochran, which I think sums up how most of us are feeling these days.
Happy Hump Day!
-Marc
Lots to blog about today, so get comfy. I'm getting cozy with a Jones Cream Soda and a little U2 for my listening pleasure. Anyone who's known me for more than 30 seconds knows that I've got a major soft-spot for those Dubliners. Definitely my all-time favs, and I just got their new one, and am letting it soak in. Still not sure yet - but for today's session, I went back to the beginning and have "Boy" piping through my headphones.
First order of business: R.I.P. Flatfile. I guess there was a reason why I hadn't heard about the status of this group show I was supposed to be in. After posting my last blog entry, I went back through my records and noticed the show was supposed to open at the end of February. I assumed they decided to ditch me at the last minute or postpone the show, but as it turns out, the gallery is closing. Apparently, the show is still happening - the director will be curating it as a guest at a different venue (Mars Gallery, from what I understand) and I am apparently still part of it.
I haven't oftentimes referred to Flatfile by name on here, but most of you know that I've had a relationship with them in some way for a very long time. I was one of their first artists to sign on and was represented by them for many years. The relationship devolved since I moved to Pennsylvania and I began working with them on a guest-artist basis since then, but I've had some tie to them during most of my professional career. When it came to Flatfile, I was never pushed in any direction and I knew that generally, if I created it, they would show it. This was the good news and the bad news - I got great experience and a strong exhibition pedigree from them, but there were times where I probably could have used a nudge. But, Flatfile grew to represent almost 70 artists at one point (not an environment in which I thrive), and individual attention simply doesn't work in that equation. But, despite our differences over the years, Flatfile helped put Chicago's West Loop Gallery district on the map, and I have a lot to thank them for. I'll keep everyone posted on the group show when more details become available.
I'm also in a new group exhibition at the gallery in Easton, PA I mentioned before - but this time, my experience was a little different than the last time I showed there. Not walking in with expectations I'm sure helped the first go-around, because this time, I was a little disappointed. The work in the show overall is fine (though I've liked others of theirs a lot better), but I'm not pleased with the way my work is being shown this time. I gave them 4 pieces to chose from, and they picked the two subtlest. But, they proceeded to hang them in an area in with absolutely abysmal lighting. There were a lot of pieces in the show that were bolder and that would have looked fine in that type of light, but mine CLEARLY don't. As soon as I saw them there, I said to myself - "I guess I'm not selling anything from this show." I've been wrong before, but this time, I wouldn't bet against me. But, as a professional artist, this is the kind of thing you have to be prepared for and let slide off your back (but it's nice to be able to bitch about it a little too). The work being shown is two older pieces - both on my website (http://www.sirinsky.com/). For those that care, they are #11 and 12 from the site.
Quick survey: I'm having some difficulty with deciding what to do with one of the images on the site. #6 - the shot of the wave crashing. I still like it, but not as much as I did before - and I'm thinking I might like it better as a pure b/w rather than a toned image. But, I'm not sure if I want to keep it on the site at all at this point - it's been naggin' me. Whadaya guys think? Keep it, tweak it or ditch it? I have a b/w version of it on my other comp - so I'll post it up here so you guys can see it and look at both versions next to each other.
In other news, I think I'm going to start submitting this blog to some directories. We'll see- but what harm could it do, right?
Still waiting for some scans back from Tom A. - might have end of this week, but I don't see myself touching anything for another week at least - I need to recover before working on anything, unless you want to be subjected to total crap - which I'm guessing you don't.
Also have another roll out for processing - shot it during the recent snowstorm. I'm thinking the whole roll could potentially suck, but then again, that's a possibility every time I pick up my camera.
I'll close with a drawing by one of my current favorites - Josh Cochran, which I think sums up how most of us are feeling these days.
Happy Hump Day!
-Marc
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Happy Accident?
Hi all:
Well, it certainly has been a while! I didn't realize how long it had been until I logged on and saw that my last post was at the beginning of February! Sorry for the delay guys - things got really busy all of sudden, which I suppose beats the alternative!
A little Social D. for my blogging pleasure today. Not necessarily because I had a craving for it, but mainly because the headphones I had in my computer case are crap and I needed something loud enough to register on these things!
So, in my last post I talked about shooting a roll of film per month. Since then, I've actually shot 3! How's that for exceeding one's goal? They've already been processed and it looks like there's some good stuff there - I've got the images with super-scanner/imaging guru Tom A., and I'll probably have 'em back in a week or two.
Funny story though - the film I shot was from a batch of expired stuff my friend Brian sent me. Brian was an independent producer until recently (he just got a new gig) and I served on the PACA panel with him this past fall. While at the conference he mentioned that he had a bunch of old film in various formats, and asked if I would like it. Free film? You don't have to ask me twice!
Well, the film showed up a couple of weeks ago, and when he said expired, he wasn't kidding. I'm guessing some of it was 10 years old - I didn't even recognize some of the packaging, which leads me to the funny part of the story. I saw he included some 35 mm. T-MAX film in there, which I was excited about - so I shot a roll of it, but after rewinding it (which I have to do by hand in a darkroom, since my antique plastic camera has no rewind mechanism), I pulled it out of the camera and noticed it was not Kodak T-MAX, but rather Kodak COLOR-MAX! For the first time in my career, I didn't know what was in my camera.
More importantly, this was the first time I shot color film through this particular camera. But, as I said earlier, it processed fine despite the age, and some of the images looked good, so we'll see what happens. Up until now, beginning with b/w film has been a crucial part of my latest body of work, but who knows where this little wrench in the plan will take me? Worst comes to worst, I can always convert them to grayscale if need be.
On the gallery side, I dropped off some older work for a new show at the gallery in Easton, PA I mentioned in my earlier post. Who knows - maybe they can do something with them. I still like all of them, which for me, is a rarity with my older work. I also broke my rule and approached a new gallery in Miami about my latest body of work. They're not actively seeking new artists, but the director liked what she saw and she wants a price list and some JPEG's, so I'll probably oblige. Things like that have a habit of coming full circle eventually. Still no news from Chi-town on the group show this month that I was supposed to be in. I'll probably need to bag it if I ever do actually hear from them.
In other news, I was in NYC this past Tuesday to do some networking, and spent some time with my pal Kim - a talented photo editor, photographer and all-around cool chick. She just started a blog too, so check it out: http://putitonyourkite.blogspot.com/
Other than that, just trying to stay sane with all these strange weather swings and a house full of sick people. Happy March and more to come soon!
-Marc
Well, it certainly has been a while! I didn't realize how long it had been until I logged on and saw that my last post was at the beginning of February! Sorry for the delay guys - things got really busy all of sudden, which I suppose beats the alternative!
A little Social D. for my blogging pleasure today. Not necessarily because I had a craving for it, but mainly because the headphones I had in my computer case are crap and I needed something loud enough to register on these things!
So, in my last post I talked about shooting a roll of film per month. Since then, I've actually shot 3! How's that for exceeding one's goal? They've already been processed and it looks like there's some good stuff there - I've got the images with super-scanner/imaging guru Tom A., and I'll probably have 'em back in a week or two.
Funny story though - the film I shot was from a batch of expired stuff my friend Brian sent me. Brian was an independent producer until recently (he just got a new gig) and I served on the PACA panel with him this past fall. While at the conference he mentioned that he had a bunch of old film in various formats, and asked if I would like it. Free film? You don't have to ask me twice!
Well, the film showed up a couple of weeks ago, and when he said expired, he wasn't kidding. I'm guessing some of it was 10 years old - I didn't even recognize some of the packaging, which leads me to the funny part of the story. I saw he included some 35 mm. T-MAX film in there, which I was excited about - so I shot a roll of it, but after rewinding it (which I have to do by hand in a darkroom, since my antique plastic camera has no rewind mechanism), I pulled it out of the camera and noticed it was not Kodak T-MAX, but rather Kodak COLOR-MAX! For the first time in my career, I didn't know what was in my camera.
More importantly, this was the first time I shot color film through this particular camera. But, as I said earlier, it processed fine despite the age, and some of the images looked good, so we'll see what happens. Up until now, beginning with b/w film has been a crucial part of my latest body of work, but who knows where this little wrench in the plan will take me? Worst comes to worst, I can always convert them to grayscale if need be.
On the gallery side, I dropped off some older work for a new show at the gallery in Easton, PA I mentioned in my earlier post. Who knows - maybe they can do something with them. I still like all of them, which for me, is a rarity with my older work. I also broke my rule and approached a new gallery in Miami about my latest body of work. They're not actively seeking new artists, but the director liked what she saw and she wants a price list and some JPEG's, so I'll probably oblige. Things like that have a habit of coming full circle eventually. Still no news from Chi-town on the group show this month that I was supposed to be in. I'll probably need to bag it if I ever do actually hear from them.
In other news, I was in NYC this past Tuesday to do some networking, and spent some time with my pal Kim - a talented photo editor, photographer and all-around cool chick. She just started a blog too, so check it out: http://putitonyourkite.blogspot.com/
Other than that, just trying to stay sane with all these strange weather swings and a house full of sick people. Happy March and more to come soon!
-Marc
Friday, February 6, 2009
a roll a month keeps the dr away...
Hi everyone:
Kids are sleeping, so I'm blogging today without musical accompaniment. I'm also on the cusp of another cold, but I'm fighting it hard - as evidenced by my sleepy nature of late. Bear with me if I start to become incoherent.
I decided this week that I'm gonna try shooting one roll a month. Now, for most photographers, this is something they'd do in their sleep (note the sleep motif again). But for me, I've always shot VERY selectively - I do a lot of cropping in camera, and was never someone who subscribed to the "shoot a whole bunch of film - you're bound to get something" idea. My professors in art school would always say: "Film is cheap, so shoot a lot of it!" Problem is, they weren't a poor art student at the time. Plus, money was almost always tight during my upbringing, so I suppose I probably learned to be judicious about how I photographed. I also like to think that, even though I never knew I'd become a photo editor, I've always had a little bit of that in me.
Of course, a lot of this has changed with the advent of easily accessible digital technology - but a lot of people forget how much editing you need to do when you shoot 1000 pictures on a digital camera. And if you don't edit, you run into a storage issue, and things can begin to spiral out of control very quickly. I've always been a believer in "less is more" and I've shot that way my entire life. If I was a photo-journalist by trade, that might be different, but for the kind of work I do, this working method suits me quite well.
So, 1 roll a month - I've shot for February already and the film should be processed by early next week. If it sucks, I may need to shoot a second one.
The other item of note I wanted to discuss today was the pending case of the Obama poster illustration and AP's claim that they are entitled to compensation for the photo in their collection that was used as a starting point for the poster art. In many cases, photo editors are also image rights and licensing specialists - and this is an arena I know a little something about.
I thought about it, and at first, I thought AP was entitled to some compensation. But, upon thinking about it more, I wasn't so sure and then I heard an interview with an intellectual property atty in D.C., and though she didn't give her opinion (like I will below) I am convinced it is Fair Use - though I didn't agree with her on everything she said.
In situations like this, the criteria are:
1. Is the original factual or creative? The atty thought factual, but her reasoning sucked. She thought factual because the image is pure photo journalism, documenting an actual event, without a lighting set-up, etc. Obviously, we as photogs know this is B.S. - the way the photographer framed the shot, cropped it , post production, etc. is part of the creative process of making an image. A photo is a creative work, no matter what.
2. Is the piece transformative, or simply a derivative? Seems to me to be transformative - it's a completely different-looking image with a whole new meaning and audience, and the context for its creation is completely different than that of the original.
3. Is there monetary damage to the original as a result of the new work? In other words, in this case, does the presence of the poster/new illustration eliminate the need for the original picture or negatively impact usage fees on the original? Uh, no - nobody is going to use this illustration if they want a photo of Obama. Completely different audience in my opinion, and they would rarely (if ever) compete against each other for a usage fee.
4. Is it commercial or non-profit? This one takes some sorting out I would imagine, since the artist never received money from the poster, but the image has been used all over the place and is for sale. My opinion? AP will ask to be credited as a source wherever the poster illustration runs from now on, the artist will likely agree, and that will be the end of it. Nobody wants to see something like this drag on, particularly when the subject of the work is someone who is trying to fix the REAL problems we have in this country. Bad press for AP.
Well, that's my two cents for now. Have a good weekend everyone!
-Marc
Kids are sleeping, so I'm blogging today without musical accompaniment. I'm also on the cusp of another cold, but I'm fighting it hard - as evidenced by my sleepy nature of late. Bear with me if I start to become incoherent.
I decided this week that I'm gonna try shooting one roll a month. Now, for most photographers, this is something they'd do in their sleep (note the sleep motif again). But for me, I've always shot VERY selectively - I do a lot of cropping in camera, and was never someone who subscribed to the "shoot a whole bunch of film - you're bound to get something" idea. My professors in art school would always say: "Film is cheap, so shoot a lot of it!" Problem is, they weren't a poor art student at the time. Plus, money was almost always tight during my upbringing, so I suppose I probably learned to be judicious about how I photographed. I also like to think that, even though I never knew I'd become a photo editor, I've always had a little bit of that in me.
Of course, a lot of this has changed with the advent of easily accessible digital technology - but a lot of people forget how much editing you need to do when you shoot 1000 pictures on a digital camera. And if you don't edit, you run into a storage issue, and things can begin to spiral out of control very quickly. I've always been a believer in "less is more" and I've shot that way my entire life. If I was a photo-journalist by trade, that might be different, but for the kind of work I do, this working method suits me quite well.
So, 1 roll a month - I've shot for February already and the film should be processed by early next week. If it sucks, I may need to shoot a second one.
The other item of note I wanted to discuss today was the pending case of the Obama poster illustration and AP's claim that they are entitled to compensation for the photo in their collection that was used as a starting point for the poster art. In many cases, photo editors are also image rights and licensing specialists - and this is an arena I know a little something about.
I thought about it, and at first, I thought AP was entitled to some compensation. But, upon thinking about it more, I wasn't so sure and then I heard an interview with an intellectual property atty in D.C., and though she didn't give her opinion (like I will below) I am convinced it is Fair Use - though I didn't agree with her on everything she said.
In situations like this, the criteria are:
1. Is the original factual or creative? The atty thought factual, but her reasoning sucked. She thought factual because the image is pure photo journalism, documenting an actual event, without a lighting set-up, etc. Obviously, we as photogs know this is B.S. - the way the photographer framed the shot, cropped it , post production, etc. is part of the creative process of making an image. A photo is a creative work, no matter what.
2. Is the piece transformative, or simply a derivative? Seems to me to be transformative - it's a completely different-looking image with a whole new meaning and audience, and the context for its creation is completely different than that of the original.
3. Is there monetary damage to the original as a result of the new work? In other words, in this case, does the presence of the poster/new illustration eliminate the need for the original picture or negatively impact usage fees on the original? Uh, no - nobody is going to use this illustration if they want a photo of Obama. Completely different audience in my opinion, and they would rarely (if ever) compete against each other for a usage fee.
4. Is it commercial or non-profit? This one takes some sorting out I would imagine, since the artist never received money from the poster, but the image has been used all over the place and is for sale. My opinion? AP will ask to be credited as a source wherever the poster illustration runs from now on, the artist will likely agree, and that will be the end of it. Nobody wants to see something like this drag on, particularly when the subject of the work is someone who is trying to fix the REAL problems we have in this country. Bad press for AP.
Well, that's my two cents for now. Have a good weekend everyone!
-Marc
Monday, February 2, 2009
'till the fingers bleed
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
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
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
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