12/29/08

inspiration from my dad...

My brother, his girlfriend and I all chipped in and bought my dad a film scanner for the holidays. I know he had a collection of really beautiful slides, but I did not realize how amazing they were. I have included a few in this post because I am so in love with them. These are just the tip of the iceberg and I cannot wait to see what else he has.

These are all pictures taken of my mom, Rosalie. They were all taken in the beginning of their marriage (a few possible before they were married). The ones of her by the beach are on their honeymoon in 1971.





I think they are so elegant and well composed. Aside from my mom being drop dead gorgeous, my dad has a loving & intimate gaze- which makes these so incredible to me.

I hope you like them too.

12/27/08

my top 5 photo moments of 2008

image by Edward Burtynsky

I am feeling a bit sentimental as this year comes to a close, and decided that I wanted to share some of what I consider to be the most significant photographic moments of 2008. These are simply photo-related experiences that I have had personally and not a survey of everything that has happened this year. I would love to hear what your memorable moments were in the art world too. Please leave comments.

(These are in no particular order)

1. The incredibly huge Lee Friedlander retrospective at SF MOMA was pretty awesome. It was great to see all the work separated in categories and laid out with so much thoughtfulness. The museum is beautifully designed and more affordable and accessible than its east coast cousin.

2. The lecture by Edward Burtynsky at the SPE conference in Denver, Colorado has made it to my list. He was full of information and creative input on art and the state of our society. A very important photographer who is addressing concerns that will be present for many generations to come.

3. The announcement that Polaroid is closing its film division. Devastating news to many of us who are not purchasing digital backs for our medium & large format cameras (I just do not have a spare 30 grand laying around) and are now left with a forceful push into an unknown world.

The list of artists who have made work inspired by this historic instant film is endless, and now they will represent a completely extinct art form.

This also means no more polaroid transfers. Which to some might be a waste of time, but I think they are awesome and will be missed.

Like the "save the whales" campaign, the dedicated polaroid people have started their own fight: Savepolaroid.com.

On the bright side, thanks to Fuji, instant film will still live on. I tried it this summer- it is not half bad at all. they are not capable of complete transfers...yet.

A good article written in the NY Times is here.

4. The photo blog community is growing larger and more interesting. I have been reading more of them in 2008 than ever before (you can see my side bar for a list of the blogs I keep up with). Though some are obviously better than others, I think blogging overall is an excellent platform for immediate commentary & discussion. For some, it is an alternative to publishing. For others, it is a place for self-promotion. I personally like it all.
The bottom line is that we all have a voice, opinion and unique perspective....blogging is just another way to share that. For me, I live in a slightly isolated community so reading blogs helps me to feel in touch and connected with the outside world.

5. Barack Obama's Flickr page. even i do not have a flickr page. but after seeing that Obama has one, well, it might be my new years resolution to start one up. Sites like Flickr are completely changing the way we view images by making them more accessable than ever in our history. what will this lead to and how will it alter our visual language?

12/22/08

the great christmas memories...



These images are from a new book, which I first heard about on Leslie Brown's blog- and then got to look at it and developed even more appreciation for this collection of photographs demonstrating the spectacle of visiting Santa's lap. It is Scared of Santa: Scenes of Terror in Toyland by Denise Joyce and Nancy Watkins. You can check it out on amazon here.

I have always been a little afraid of the Santa I saw at the mall as a kid...I thought he was creepy and weird (and drunk). But I thought I felt this way because I am Jewish and never considered Santa as anything special. But, now that I see these images I realize there is a little bit of fear of the man in red & white in all of us.

Happy Holidays!

12/19/08

and then there was snow...

when i got home i had to take this picture.

finally...Woodstock's first real snow storm of the season. i am psyched to see the snow everywhere. it brings Woodstock to life.

There is something so poetic about walking on a fresh bed of snow and watching as you leave behind your own distinct markings. Next thing you know, your footprints are gone. The trace of your walk is covered by more snow- and you are erased from the landscape. It is a beautiful thing.

I have to say, I am a bit spoiled and therefore able to romanticize the snow. For one, I walk to work. That eliminates the stress of having to drive in a storm. Secondly, I have a carport (yes, like the Floridians). So I do not have to dig my car out the day after. Though, I still have a little bit of shoveling to do, of course.

12/17/08

my literary ramble...

image by Elinor Carucci from the series Crisis.

As an attempt to learn more about poetry, I will start a weekly (or almost weekly) post featuring a poem or two and an image picked out or created that I think relates to it. I shall call it "my literary ramble"...

Today's poems are by Emily Dickinson...someone who's work I have been able to relate to since I was a teenager.

I ENVY seas whereon he rides,
I envy spokes of wheels
Of chariots that him convey,
I envy speechless hills

That gaze upon his journey; 5
How easy all can see
What is forbidden utterly
As heaven, unto me!

I envy nests of sparrows
That dot his distant eaves, 10
The wealthy fly upon his pane,
The happy, happy leaves

That just abroad his window
Have summer’s leave to be,
The earrings of Pizarro 15
Could not obtain for me.

I envy light that wakes him,
And bells that boldly ring
To tell him it is noon abroad,—
Myself his noon could bring, 20

Yet interdict my blossom
And abrogate my bee,
Lest noon in everlasting night
Drop Gabriel and me.

________________________

HE touched me, so I live to know
That such a day, permitted so,
I groped upon his breast.
It was a boundless place to me,
And silenced, as the awful sea 5
Puts minor streams to rest.

And now, I’m different from before,
As if I breathed superior air,
Or brushed a royal gown;
My feet, too, that had wandered so, 10
My gypsy face transfigured now
To tenderer renown.

5

12/15/08

how do I look? screening this Thursday


Kathleen Sweeney and I have curated a film screening that I am very excited about and would like to invite you all (all 3 of you) to attend. It is this Thursday, December 18th, at 7pm at the Center for Photography at Woodstock, 59 Tinker Street. Click here for more info or directions.

We put out a call to the young female film makers of our region (ages 13-18) and asked them to interpret the question How do I look? We got a wonderful response and chose 7 films to screen on Thursday. The talent in our area of New York is overwhelming. These girls are incredible!

Thanks to great programs like Indie Media Programs and Children's Media Project the girls have a place to learn and grow as artists.

I hope to see you on Thursday.

12/12/08

Photogravure blog

photogravure by Lothar Osterburg

Have you been wanting to keep up on photogravure artists but did not know how? Check out this blog: The Art of the Photogravure. It is a serious guide to the history and technique of photogravure as well as extensive coverage of artists (historic and contempoary) using this process in their work.

The artist I featured above is teaching a photogravure workshop with CPW in the summer 2009. He is incredible! You can check out what The Art of Photogravure has to say about him by going here. Or you can check out his personal website here.

12/11/08

feeling like i am in a daze...


It's pouring rain outside + the sky is gray + i have not been getting enough sleep = i feel like I am in a trance today.

12/9/08

blogger-in-residence at art:21


I imagine that most people who are reading art blogs already know about the amazing PBS series art: 21, which celebrates & examines contemporary art. What you may not know is that art: 21 has a fabulous blog too. Check it out here.

The topics discussed here are not limited to the artists who have appeared on the series but expand to many other corners of the art world. They even have a blogger-in-residence! It is currently Merrily Kerr who is an avid art critic and founder of New York Art Tours. As the resident blogger she is writing about her experiences in the NYC art scene. Read the blogs here.

Does anyone know what ever happened to that other great series called The Egg?

12/4/08

great art - 5x7 inches - support org - have fun


The Annual 5x7 show at the Woodstock Byrdcliffe Guild is opening tomorrow during Woodstock's Open House.  It is a lot of fun to see how everyone constructed their little 5x7" pieces of art.  They remain anonymous until purchased and they are all priced at $100 (all $ goes to support the Guild).  

I have a piece in the show...let me know if you can guess which one is mine and I will give you a prize.

CPW will be open as well with hot apple cider and an awesome photo book sale.  Actually, all of town is open and the shops have special events, food and sales.  Totally worth the trip.

Stop by and say hi.

12/2/08

I cannot stop thinking about this work...


Alain Paiement's work is haunting me...in a good way. I think these images are incredible and I have not been able to get it out of my head since I saw it in the Canadian photo mag called Prefix.

I have always dreamed of being able to float in the sky and look down at the world...observe the patterns of life from a new perspective.

Here is the statement from his gallery's website:
Alain Paiement was born in Montreal in 1960 and received his MA from the University of Quebec at Montreal in 1987. He constructs photographs that depict multiple spaces simultaneously - conventional building-scapes that are deconstructed and sewn back together again into a seamless quilt.

You can see more here.