11/29/10

Commercial Photography: Now Available!!


I have such a deep understanding of how essential it is to capture important life moments with photography.  It is through our photographs that we share our memories for years to come.  It is also the way many of us communicate about our products, activities, or business with the world.

 

This is why I have decided to become available to the public for commercial photography ventures.  

I am now booking appointments to photograph in the Hudson Valley and surrounding areas for a affordable rate.


This includes:

-special events  (weddings, holiday parties, birthday parties, bar/bat mitzvahs, anniversaries etc.)

-individual/family portraits
-head shots
-fashion

-products
-architecture
-other subjects also considered

Holiday portraits printed on cards are available at a special rate until December 10th!




Please contact me at ejunterman@yahoo.com for additional information.

11/27/10

SPE Northeast review


Happy Thanksgiving everyone!  I hope your holiday festivities were wonderful!

This post is a little late coming.  I meant to write about the conference...ummm...right after it took place.  Unfortunately, life does not always agree with what you plan on doing. 

The picture above was taken on one of my strolls around Providence, Rhode Island, which is where the conference took place.  Every time I get to visit this city I say that I could move there in a heartbeat.  It is just the right mix of New England and city life that meshes great with me.  

The conference events took place at RISD.  I had not been there since I curated at the Sol Koffler 4 years ago--which I think got a name change.  In any case, the school is a great place to host a stimulating discussion on "The Experimental in Photography".  Yes, broad subject indeed...but the panels, speakers, and presenters were very well curated to compliment this topic.  Lots of praises went to the Northeast's newest Chair Bruce Myren, for his amazing organization of this event.

I missed the keynote, Spencer Finch, because of traffic coming in from Woodstock.  But, I heard it was an energetic and enlightening talk--great way to start things off.  I am sad I was not able to see it.

A few highlights from the talks include:

Sharon Harper (Cambridge, MA), Moon Studies and Star Scratches, No. 9, June 4 – 30, 2005, Clearmont, Wyoming, 15, 30, 20, 8, 5, 1, 5, 2, 1 minute exposures; 15, 8, 10, 14 second exposures, Digital C-print from 4x5 transparency, 50 x 40 inches, Courtesy of the artist and Galerie Roepke, Cologne

- Sharon Harper (Harvard University), "Photographing the Invisible"
A wonderful testament to the experimental is represented in Sharon's lengthy exposures exploring the night sky.  Often taken over a period of several months, her images challenge photography to capture process, time, and memory.

Meegan Gould (Brunswick, Maine), Image from the Blackboard series

- Meggan Gould (Bowdoin College), "Site-seeing"
I related to Meggan's work the most at this conference.  The image above is from the "blackboard series", which is on-going photographic studies of the spaces in which these boards reside.  Who does not have a secret love for blackboards?  She has recently started a series, which in a similar gaze, photographs personal computers....revealing what an individual's "screen" looks like.  Both series are full of personality.  She presented quite a few more projects--all with the same energy and excitement...please check out her website to see her complete works.  

Joe Deal, Sunset Beach, CA, 1978. Courtesy of Robert Mann Gallery. 

Joe Deal's untimely death this past year has left many people to reflect back on his work and consider its importance to the history of landscape photography.  Jan Howard curated Joe's most recent work at RISD and spoke wonderfully about those particular projects.  Having taught at RISD, there was a great number of people in the audience who knew him personally.  It was quite a lovely experience to hear about their connection to him and how he influenced them in the most grandiose ways.  NY Times did a piece on him after his passing which you can read here.


Overall this was a well-run and interesting conference and I am so happy that I was able to attend.  The benefits of going to SPE events is enormous--for someone in academia or not.  The community that SPE supports is centered around the idea of loving and supporting the photographic arts and continuing its exploration through education.  That is a kind of mission I can relate to.

11/3/10

SPE Northeast Conference--Novemeber 5-7, 2010

Calling all my former students, photo friends and peers...The SPE Northeast Conference is a great opportunity to hear amazing discussions, lectures and panels about the thing you love most--Photography! If you have never been to an SPE conference this is the perfect one to start with! See you there this weekend?
The Experiential in Photography
November 5 - 7, 2010
Chace Center, Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, RI
Hampton Inn & Suites Providence Downtown, Providence, RI
Here is a taste:
Keynote Speaker: Spencer Finch
Honored Educator: Deborah Bright

Additional speakers:
- Sharon Harper (Harvard University), "Photographing the Invisible"
- Meggan Gould (Bowdoin College), "Site-seeing"
- Angela Kelly (Rochester Institute of Technology), "Catharsis: Images of Post-Troubles Belfast"
- Janet Pritchard (University of Connecticut), "Seeing Yellowstone with New Eyes"
- Jan Howard (RISD Museum)," Joe Deal's West & West: Re-imagining the Great Plains"
- Monica McTighe (Tufts University), "Embodiment, Experience, and Photographic Images"
- Michelle Sheppard (Algonquin Regional High School), "Breaking the Bubbles and Rebuilding the Boxes: Re-Thinking Creativity After Standardization"
- Panel: "The Image, Written: Using Photography to Teach Writing" (academic practicum) - Rachel Somerstein and Lorraine Doran (New York University), Elizabeth Cornell (Fordham University), and Alden Jones (Emerson College)


The event is very affordable and well worth it!


More info can be found here.

11/2/10

oh martha...

oh martha stewart.  i cant tell if i love you or hate you!  i do LOVE this photo of pumpkins and squashes from marthastewart.com.  It is the perfect representation of the fall. 

HAPPY FALL EVERYONE!!!!

10/29/10

a trip to cape cod

Took a few days to relax in Cape Cod, Massachusetts last weekend to celebrate my 30th birthday.  It was a great way to spend my time--and was possibly my best birthday in years!  

The image above is a composite of the landscape that I was so struck by---the Cape Dunes.  They are amazing and J and I spent a bit of time hiking around and through them (sand is a great workout!)  

We also visited a wonderful exhibition at the Provincetown Art Association and Museum (PAAM) which was a few blocks away from our hotel.  Traces: Daniel Ranalli, Cape Work 1987-2007 was curated by Leslie K. Brown. The collection included several series of work all taken on the cape.  They were delightfully whimsical and deeply emotive at the same time. The image below is one that made me giggle-- and in the same breath-- I was awe struck.

Daniel Ranalli, Spiral Start #9, 1995/2009, From the series "Snail Drawings," Photographic diptych, Archival inkjet print, 20 x 28 inches, Courtesy of Gallery Kayafas


The exhibition is on view until mid-January.  Fall/Winter is a wonderful time to go visit this unique part of the Northeast seashore.  There are no people around!  They all left for the season!  You cant ask for better than that.

10/13/10

Reception in Amherst MA

I will be in Amherst for the reception on Saturday.  If you are in the area please join me!  I would love to see my good ole yankee friends!!!

10/8/10

Call for entries

My friend Lauren has organized this Call for Submissions.  A literary/arts mag is an essential need in the Hudson Valley and I am thrilled that Lauren has taken the initiative to make it happen.  I call to all my artist readers to send in work---this is a great opportunity!! 

See the website for more details here.

9/28/10

Video Art Invades Woodstock!!!!

Still from video "Newspeak" by Liz Unterman


Looking for something to do this Friday night?  What are you interested in?
a) good times
b) cool looking stuff
c) fun peeps
d) great food and beer

If you picked a, b, c or d -- the answer for you is: The Woodstock Video Art Festival!!!! 

Come hang out with me and the other amazing artists on Friday night for a party and video screening!  

Opening Reception:
October 1st - 5 to 9pm
 @
Image Factory
1534 Rt. 212
Saugerties, NY
(3.5 miles east of Woodstock)

See you there!

9/27/10

Hail to the Collector


Wonderful collection of found photographs by John Foster.  Nicely curated selection in this Newsweek article with comments from collector.

Read the Newsweek article here.

Whether they are beautifully disturbing, accidentally mesmerizing or breathtakingly simple--these images possess such an unmistakable charm.   

9/20/10

David Maisel in Woodstock--Sat. Sept. 25th



This weekend David Maisel will be giving the last lecture of the summer season at CPW on Saturday, September 25 at 8PM. His bio is as follows:

David Maisel is a photographer and multimedia artist based in the San Francisco area. Maisel’s first book, /The Lake Project/, was published by Nazraeli Press and selected as one of the Top 25 Photography Books of 2004 by the critic Vince Aletti. Nazraeli Press published Maisel’s second book, /Oblivion/, in 2006, and Cascade Effect in 2008. Chronicle Books published his monograph /Library of Dust/ in 2008, which the New York Times called "...this year's most haunting book of images." /Library of Dust/ was the subject of a symposium in 2009 at the New York Institute for the Humanities. Maisel is the recipient of a 2008 Artist Residency from the Headlands Center for the Arts and a 2007 Scholar/Artist Residency from the Getty Research Institute. He was nominated for the 2009 Alpert Award in the Visual Arts, and short-listed for the 2008 Prix Pictet Award. Maisel has also received fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Opsis Foundation. His work is widely exhibited, and is represented in major public collections, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Fine Arts Houston, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, among others. To learn more about David, visit www.davidmaisel.com .

This is a unique opportunity to hear such an internationally renowned photographer so close to home.

The cost of the lecture is $5 for students, seniors, and CPW members, and $7 for the general public.

9/13/10

A day in Catskill...


J and I took a ride to Catskill this weekend to go on the Catskill Artist Studio Tour.  Some amazing talent were featured on the tour including Portia Munson, Jared Handelsman and Susan Wides.  Unfortunately, we did not make it to their studios-- instead we got caught up exploring the beautiful town. 

Within Catskill is Brik Gallery --- which I had never been to before but heard a lot about.  It is a lovely space and was hosting an exhibition Cowgirls 3. 

from website:
"Cowgirls 3" is curated by Rich Timperio, who owns the famous Sideshow Gallery in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Timperio calls the show "Good old fashioned fun, light-hearted and adventurous. It celebrates the collective creativity in our midst and showcases the diversity and style of art in the twenty-first century.”

This was a powerhouse of upstate artists.  Kiki Smith (who just moved to the area!), Joan Snyder, Tanya Marcuse, Fawn Potash, Charise Isis, and Mary Frank-- to name a few.  Great show--had a lot of fun looking through the diverse grouping.  It is up until September 19th.  


9/9/10

Mr. Toledano takes over Brooklyn



Image of Angel by Phillip Toledano

It is very exciting for me to see this work by one of my favorite artists, Phillip Toledano, at one of my favorite galleries in NYC, Klompching Gallery.

Almost all of Mr. Toledano's projects connect deeply to the psyche of the American culture in a unique and previously unexplored fashion.  This project in particular, A New Kind of Beauty, not only examines the current mood of our societal quirks, but it also steps into a future that is currently unfamiliar to most.  We see glimpses of this beauty all around the American media but it is not generally experienced in most of our daily lives.  Mr. Toledano brings this front and center in a profound and sophisticated way--by the poses and lighting he has chosen---which is opposite of the normal bright lights and exposed posing we see in the media. Instead of criticizing and judging this new beauty, he has left it as a blank slate--one for which there is no room for us to judge, but instead we can just simply experience.

In this experience, I see a world where the identifiers of self have greatly changed. In addition, the identifiers of sex have been magnified.  I see a new type of human being.

Phillip Toledano's exhibition is at Klompching in Dumbo, Brooklyn until October 29th.

Above: See some of Phil's other fascinating projects in books form.  (And by the way...Phil is a part-time upstate New Yorker.)









8/31/10

new semester, some regional goodies & rambles

As part of my Photography class at SUNY Ulster, I set up a blog to share student work, photo events in the region and other passing art-like thoughts. Check it out here if you have a chance and let us know your thoughts.

On to other things...

I am currently writing my first post from my brand new 27" iMac!!! What an adventure this computer already is turning out to be. Technology like this totally inspires me to be wreckless and crazy! Gotta love it.

For the regional photographers, I would like to share that the Center for Photography at Woodstock's annual fellowship award deadline is approaching. Sept. 20 kids. Free to submit, you just need to live in one of the included counties. See their website here for more info.

I would also like to share with you some amazing jewelry work I have encountered. This kind of design and detail is totally in my frequency. I dig it more than anything I have seen lately. The references in her cut-outs are very much part of the Hudson Valley visual language.


The necklace you see above is part of Myriad Art which is created by regional artist Samantha June. Her etsy shop, with lots of goodies, can be seen here. In addition to being such a talented metal worker, Samantha is also an incredible musician! She sings in the band Desolation Angels. If they play near you---Go see them! Great times!

For now, enter the CPW fellowship and go buy some jewelry for someone you love....
...like me : )

8/24/10

Blog Highlight: Lens

Long time no blog. I have been off my game is many ways, yet on to new games too. Looking at less photography lately as an attempt to clear the head and inspirational palette as to allow for my true instinctual creative impulses to shine through.

That is all getting a bit old and I am starting to miss the galleries, blogs, lectures, books and prints!!! So I have posted a link to a blog I have truly enjoyed over the years and am recently getting back into.

Lens is the photography blog of The New York Times, presenting photographs, videos and slide shows that examine the world of photojournalism. A showcase for Times photographers, it also seeks to highlight the best work of other newspapers, magazines and news and picture agencies; in print, in books, in galleries, in museums and on the Web.

7/18/10

collect.give


Add to your photography collection and donate to a charity at the same time. That is the concept behind Collect.Give. With prints at about $40, this is a steal. Perfect for gifts or for yourself. In many ways, this is a more down to earth version of Jen Bekman's 20x200. Since they began in December 2009 they have raised over $10,000 for charities.

Image above by Kerry Mansfield and is still available for purchase here.

7/12/10

a work of tv art

Cast of Bravo's Work of Art

I remember my friend Isis auditioning in NYC for a new reality TV show about artists over a year ago. She was into it, but could not continue with the auditioning process because of her schedule. In any case, I thought, at the time, that this was genius. Why not have artists on a cut-throat reality show? We have everyone else doing it---chefs, housewives, dancers---- lets put some of that prize money into an artist's hand, you know?

The show just aired on Bravo recently and is called Work of Art. I hate to admit it, but I am entertained (but that does not take too much). There are a few artists whose process, which is recorded via interviews and other footage, is interesting and seemingly coming from a real place. And the end result are pieces of art that I appreciate and are accessible to me.

The access to the dramas of the studio and the critique process must be astonishing to someone outside the art community. If you have ever sat in on a critique or visited a studio---you know how quickly it can all turn into a therapy session. Overall, there is nothing truly new being explored here. It is actually quite tame compared to some of the scenes I have experienced.

If at the least, the American TV public gets exposed to some art outside the paintings they view from their hotel rooms--then this is a success. I guess. I am still torn about the commercialization of EVERYTHING. When I was visiting a former professor this spring she was talking about how disappointed she was in the ego-fest at the Marina Abramovic performance/installation at MoMA. She felt like Marina "sold out" and was presenting her work in a way it can never be truly appreciated. I had just gone to the show and was moved by her performance--- but it was the first time I ever saw her. I defended the work by saying that it exposed a whole new generation to the history of her performance work -- bla bla bla. Now that I think about it, I get my professor's point. It is one thing to cause a spectacle and it is an entirely different thing to talk about a spectacle that is placed nicely on a white wall. one is life changing, the other is just informative.

6/3/10

the potshow is coming to woodstock!!!


Ha, ha--- I bet you are thinking "Hell, the "potshow" has been in woodstock since the sixties". And yes, you are right about that. But this is the Slideluck Potshow. I know it sounds crazy but---Yes, there is a such thing as a Slideluck Potshow! Can you imagine a place where you can see projected photography and show off your favorite recipe? This is it!

Slideluck Potshow is coming to Woodstock and YOU can be in it!!! It is coming to the Center for Photography at Woodstock.

Submit to be in the most delicious exhibition in Woodstock history.

Submission deadline is JUNE 15. More info HERE.

5/28/10

reading...


Just started reading this book. Very excited since it has been recommended to me by a million people. It was suggested reading for Doug Beasley's workshop at CPW and I never got around to reading it. I will give a review when I am finished.

I have to say, that is one big advantage to the semi unemployed life--- reading time a plenty!

What are you reading right now?

5/18/10

NYFA MARK Artist Talk

I will be giving a brief artist talk at this event. Would love to see you there!!! It is free and we would all appreciate you coming and giving us feedback.

Rosendale MARK Artists' Talks

Throughout Spring 2010, 60 artists from five different regions of NY state participated in MARK, a program of New York Foundation for the Arts. Women's Studio Workshop, in its second year as a partnering organization with the MARK program invites you to attend artist talks by the 12 participating MARK artists in the Rosendale region.

Thursday May 27, 2010 6p-8:15p

Marbletown Community Center
Route 209 (Main Street in Stone Ridge, Also known as Route 209, directly across the street from Key Bank)
Stone Ridge, NY 12484

All participating artists will be giving a 5 minute presentation on their work. There will then be a 5 minute period of question and feedback.


MARK10 Rosendale Artists:
Michael Asbill
Cristina de Gennaro
Gordon Fearey
Allison Leach
Jill Parisi
E. Elizabeth Peters
Kaete Brittin Shaw
Elizabeth Unterman
Lori Van Houten
Pamela J. Wallace
Tona Wilson


MARK is the New York Foundation for the Arts'(NYFA) statewide six-month program for visual artists seeking a unique opportunity for individualized focus on the professional side of their creative practice. Partnering MARK organizations include Women's Studio Workshop as well as other arts organizations throughout New York State.

For more information on the MARK program visit nyfa.org/mark.

5/3/10

getting adjusted

I took a break from blogging for the past few weeks.

Getting this new semi-jobless life of mine into perspective.

It is slowly coming together. I think.

It is a beautiful thing to have time and freedom and I do not want to waste a second of it.

I get to be an almost full-time artist and I am slightly overwhelmed. Only because it is everything I have been asking for and I have to figure out how to make it work for me. Believe it or not- I still do not have as much time as I need to be in the studio or out shooting. Very complicated.

On the flip side, looking at new work is as important to me as making it. So, I will be headed to NYC for New York Photo Festival in Dumbo starting this Thursday. A lot of very interesting exhibitions and speakers over the 4 day event. I look forward to taking it all in and digesting it thoroughly.

The festival is very cool because it organizes several exhibitions and constructs a panel schedule around the topics of each show. The visiting curators include Vince Aletti, Erik Kessels, Fred Richin and Lou Reed.

In addition, they have a very large portfolio review event. Many wonderful reviewers are invited to participate--- it is a great place to showcase your work. Will most surely take advantage next year when this newer work is further along.

NYC is buzzing with photography that is not related to NYPH. Some of the exhibitions I plan on seeing:

KlompChing Gallery in Dumbo (very close to the NYPH events) will have a reception for Helen Sear on Thursday evening.

image by Helen Sear, courtasy of the Klompching Gallery

MoMA has a tremendous amount to see: William Kentridge (through May 17), Henri Cartier-Bresson (through June 28) & performance by Marina Abramovic (through May 31). I can seriously spend the entire day here-- and I just might end up doing that.

The last big thing on my list that I have to see is:

Haunted: Contemporary Photography/Video & Performance at the Guggenheim.

I will keep you updated....

4/2/10

notes from the blogosphere

I recently wrote an article for PQ (Photography Quarterly) about the photography blogging community called "notes from the blogosphere". Nymphoto wrote a nice mention of it as well as several other features from that issue on their wonderful blog.
You can see it here.


Nymphoto is a wonderful resource that I read on a regular basis. Nymphoto: A Collective of Women Photographers provides online exhibitions, group shows, collective publications and an open forum for artistic discourse. Nymphoto remains a trusted and innovative resource for women photographers. Got to love it.

Another brief mention of the long awaited PQ #98 was given on jen Bekman's blog Hey, hot shot here.

Hope you are having a nice week!

4/1/10

2010 is going to be a great year....



Ahhh... It is finally here. the 2010 workshop schedule. Check it out on CPW's homepage. Even though I am not running the program anymore I will still endorse it with all my might. Best workshops ever.

3/30/10

greetings from the sunshine state

A few days away in Florida for J's cousin's wedding. Fun times for sure. Nice to be in lala land for a bit. We keep hearing about the crappy weather back in New York and I feel slightly guilty since it has mostly been warm and sunny here.

Have not seen any art--- even though I had a list of spots I was hoping to check out. Busy with other things and time goes fast. The good news is that I was insired to take a few pictures. Imagine that?! One was even a self portrait. Maybe I will share when I return.

Be back soon on the rainy and dark side. Maybe I will bring some sunshine with me?

3/22/10

picture of my day


Have not been posting much in the last few weeks. Been very busy at work and in my personal life (see my two favorite boys above). Life moves fast and I am trying not too miss too much of it.

The big news is that I am getting ready to leave CPW next month. I have been there for three years and am ready to pursue other professional paths. I am hoping to move on to a full time faculty job and simultaneously pursue my own art with more diligence. I am applying for several positions, but have yet to receive any offers. Fingers crossed that something perfect emerges. If you hear of any positions that might suit me or have any advice about applying for faculty jobs, please contact me.

I love CPW with all my heart and will continue to be a part of its extended family. You will see me at all the major events there- listening to the artist lectures, volunteering, taking a class, using the facilities, or just having some fun with the extraordinary people who work there.

Most certainly not an end of something, but the beginning. So excited to see what the universe throws at me. I will keep you informed!

3/19/10

the light at the end of the long winter tunnel

the smell, taste and sights of spring air. ahhhh. deep breathes of warm, sun soaked inhalations.

and that light! what a sight for my sleepy wintered eyes. Those reflections and shadows are so uniquely spring.

3/11/10

book wishlist

image by Hank Willis Thomas

I mentioned Hank Willis Thomas in my last post because he spoke at the SPE conference. While he is on my mind I would like to acknowledge that his book Pitch Blackness is now on my immediate book wish list. It should be on yours too.

The image above is from the series Unbranded, which is represented in his book (which was published due to Willis-Thomas winning the first ever Aperture West book prize). By removing the logos and product information from these advertisements, Hank examines the ever so complicated Black image in American media.

You can purchase it through Aperture Books here.

3/8/10

notes from the field: an SPE overview

Jenn and I out taking a stroll on market St.

Back from a great national conference. Still processing all the information. Spoke on a panel about Language, Diversity and Community. Heard speakers including Kip Fulbeck, Hank Willis-Thomas, Dawoud Bey and so many more. Deb Willis was the honored educator and I was so looking forward to hearing her lecture---but instead a number of people who have been close to her throughout the years paid tribute to her exellence. which honestly, made me want to hear her even more- their words were incredibly moving.

Bought a few books at aperture, talked to many interesting artists and students, looked at art and played a little too...capped each night with a martini (or two...or three)

My only comment about the event is that for a topic as big as diversity I felt that there was not enough discussion time after each panel/lecture. To really dig in and get our hands dirty I believe that a public conversation is necessary. Even despite this, I think some important points and histories were discussed.

Dawoud Bey just posted his thoughts on the conference and a transcript of his lecture as one of the conference's keynote speaker's on his blog What's Going On.

Philadelphia was a great city for the conference. It was energetic and creative.
The bus that SPE organized for a gallery tour took us to the new yet wonderful Philadelphia Photographic Arts Center, and to Gallery 339 where I saw the exhibition Show by Henry Horenstein(who wil be teaching at CPW this summer).

Jenn and I got to walk around a bit and snap a few shots and visit the oh so wonderful Mutter Museum. Aside from the medical specimens that were intriguing beyond belief (I stared at deformed fetuses and objects that were lodged in people throats for hours)- there was a fascinating ceramics exhibition on display which explored the various perspectives surrounding the idea of "normalcy". So glad I made it there.

Another fun thing I got to do was see Justin Townes Earle (Steve Earle's son) at a great, small venue on the west side of town. Killer music- I highly recommend. Oh, did I mention that I went with Henry Horenstien. Yes, the man whose photographic texts taught me almost everything I technically know about photography at age 14-24 was rockin' out with me at a folk concert. This Crazy life.

A few images from my walk:






Happy Monday!

3/3/10

SPE bound

Tomorrow I will be Philadelphia bound where I will be attending the Society for Photographic Educator conference.

On Friday I will be speaking on behalf of CPW on a panel called "Language & Identity, Opportunities and Communities". I will discuss our residency program and its past participants.

Also, I will be going to hear many speakers including Dawoud Bey, Deborah Willis, David Graham, Phyllis Galembo, Kip Fulbeck and many, many more. I am so excited!

I will try to post from the hotel and give an update.

2/28/10

my sunday local artist ramble

image by Carla Shapiro
waking up this morning to the sound of hail balls hitting my window was surprisingly relaxing. I think I am just happy to have a day off to lay in bed for an extra few minutes. what a better way to spend my sunday morning in bed than to post another local artist ramble from my trusty 6 year old powerbook (kisses to the computer gods that this laptop is still operational).

As I consider all the interesting local artists I have encountered lately, one in particular comes to mind. I ran into her last night at an event for the Woodstock Land Conservancy and so I would like to briefly speak of her work today.

Carla Shapiro lives and works in Chichester, NY. I was exposed to her through CPW in which she has been involved on a number of levels- she has received a fellowship in 2003 and most recently she was featured in Landscape Forever an exhibition curated by Dion Ogust. After meeting her several times and speaking to her about her passion for teaching, we decided to host a workshop in the summer of 2010 in which she will instruct called "Portraits: On location". This workshop will help students to get a creative portrait (for assignment or project) on a location in a short period of time. The class will visit a nursing home and each student will be assigned an individual to photograph. Carla has been photographing the aging body for many years so this location suits her well. I think this will be an incredibly informative workshop.

Carla's work is about connecting to the world around her on a deep and meaningful level. May it be people or places, her images demonstrate a compassion and understanding of the cycle of life. By using experimental techniques such as toy cameras, she is able to add a layer of mystique to her images and is able to express this warmth without the expected cliches. Carla's images are complicated and peaceful all at once- which is such a realistic viewpoint.

Take a look at Carla's website here to get a more comprehensive view of her work and have a Happy Sunday!

2/27/10

book wishlist


Don't judge a book by its cover- bla bla bla. Forget that! This book sold me with its cover. Colorful, whimsical and intriguing- I need it! Add Playing with Pictures: The Art of Victorian Photocollage, 2009 (Art Institute of Chicago) to your booklist too.

This book has inspired an exhibition at the Metrapolitan Museum of Art in NYC until early May. See more images and read more about the exhibit here. I cannot wait to see it.

Copies of Playing with Pictures can be found at the Met store here.

2/23/10

fragmented and re-imagined- curtis mann




The Whitney Biennial 2010 is upon us and I would like to share the work of artist Curtis Mann, who will be featured this year.

Curtis Mann's work is so intriguing to me. It is my understanding that he uses found imagery and enlarges them to produce a new image. He then uses bleach to erase some of the image and essentially create a completely new one. For one of his projects he used images which originated at sites of conflict such as Gaza, Israel, Iraq, Lebanon etc. which were found on photo-sharing websites such as Flickr.

This process enables him to change the way in which we read and interpret these scenes. I see fragments of a place, of people and have to approach the image with my senses fully aware to decipher what it is I am looking at.

I was exposed to Curtis' work through Jen Bekman and bought a piece through the wonderful 20x200 print program (the image below). I was intrigued by the transformation these images had gone through. They seemed so personal- as if they originated from his own personal family photo collection- and when I found out they were not, I was very surprised.




See Curtis' perspective on art, life etc... on his blog featured here. Or check him out at the Whitney Biennial which is on view until May 30th.

all images by Curtis Mann.

2/18/10

book wishlist

This is the start of a brand new weekly post titled "book wishlist". think of it like a liz book club. i will be posting about both books that i wish i had and books that i have seen or own that i think are important. I will laways include a link to where the book can be purchased. It may often be amazon, abe books, the strand online, photoeye, aperture or icp.

Today's post is about Walker Evans and the Picture Postcard (Steidl & Partners, 2009). Did you know Walker collected postcards on his many travels? Even long before his photography became part of his professional life, he was building quite the inventory of the travel cards.

In the end he accumulated over 9000 cards. There was an exhibition at the Met last year highlighting some of the most interesting.

Buy the book here.

2/17/10

alternative venues for your viewing pleasure

image taken from Slideluck Potshow

Challenge #1: So many artists, so few spaces to show work.
Challenge #2: Such a limited audience go to see art in person
Challenge #3: contemporary work is not always meant to be hung on white walls

Solution: alternative venues.

not such a new concept, but an exciting one none the less.
alt. spaces for exhibiting art has been explored as long as art has been made (non profits to coffee shops to sides of buildings etc...).

as artists, we have so many wonderful organizations accessible to us who are coming up with new and different ways to bring art to the people.

here a just a few examples of the many institutions, organizations, individuals and publications working to create new ways to get work out into the world and expand the

Humble Arts Foundation: is a non-profit organization that is committed to supporting and promoting the work of new art photographers. The New York-based nonprofit serves the international art community by way of exhibition and publishing opportunities, limited-edition print sales, twice–annual artists grants, and various special curatorial projects.

Founded in 2005 by amani olu and Jon Feinstein, Humble has been a pioneering hub for showcasing new fine art photography, and has served as a resource for collectors, galleries, museums, curators, photo editors, and bloggers internationally.

One of the many wonderful exhibitions affiliated with Humble is 31 Women in Photography at Affirmation Arts which is coming up in early March and is co-curated by Charlotte Cotton and Jon Feinstein.

Humble has a very open submission policy - worth checking out.

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Slideluck Potshow: a non-profit organization devoted to building and strengthening community around food and art. Aspiring, Undiscovered and very accomplished artists, photojournalists, painters, designers, sculptors, fashion and fine art photographers all show their work alongside one another in a relaxed, egalitarian, and spirited atmosphere. This slideshow format offers emerging artists a unique forum and opportunity to reach new audiences. Past participants include: Elliott Erwitt, Shepard Fairey, Chris Buck, Alec Soth, Martin Schoeller, Elinor Carucci, Alistair Thain, Edward Burtysky, Doug Menuez, and Phil Toledano.

At each Slideluck Potshow event, the slideshow exhibition is preceded by a potluck-style dinner. Attendees bring food and drink, as the evening begins with two hours of dining on the home-cooked delights of the participants, while drinking and mingling. The potluck gives presenting artists and event attendees the opportunity to interact with each other in an informal atmosphere that encourages dialogue about the artwork to be exhibited.

Slideluck Potshow was founded by advertising and editorial photographer, Casey Kelbaugh, in 2000.
You can even find recipes for the potluck here.

Keep an eye out for Slideluck Potshow Woodstock coming July 17th!!!! Submissions will be due mid-June.
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Visura Magazine: an on-line, invitation only magazine featuring personal projects selected by the artists. The goal of this magazine is to be true to the artist's voices.

A very passionate group of people run this online publication- and work very hard to keep each issue coming out.

Some artists featured in the latest issue #7 are Larry Fink, Donna Ferrato, Jeff Jacobson and many others.

Every issue includes a "Visura spotlight" which highlights a student or emerging photographer.

2/14/10

my sunday local artist ramble

image by Stephen Shore

Across the river and through the woods is a wondrous place called Bard College. Within the realm of Bard's campus some of the art world's most talented educators reside. One of them is one of the most iconic names in contemporary photography (at least in my world)- Stephen Shore. He has been the head of Bard's photography program since the early 1980's.

Since I was in high school, photographs depicting the cultural American landscape was something that intrigued me and Stephen Shore's work was very much a part of that genre. His unfiltered, comical, and poetic look at the 20th century landscape represented everything that i understood about the world. The most visible landscape photographic work, to me as a young person, was Ansel Adams...and his landscape pictures are lovely and in some circumstances they are even breathtaking- but they were not from the world I saw in front of me. I believed that there were more metaphorical layers to the landscape than I was seeing in the art historical context- and it was not until i was exposed to contemporary work like Shore- Owens- Sternfeld-Klett etc... that landscape photography truly began speak to me.

Shore has a really interesting history. He started making pictures so young and found an audience for them very quickly. As a young person he hung out with Warhol and took many images of that scene (see below). There are several beautiful portraits in this series but my favorites are the environmental portraits which show the factory in all its glory.

Stephen Shore

Warhol with 'Silver Clouds' in Factory
1965-1967
Black and white photograph
19 x 12 3/4 inches
edition of 8

all content copyright 303 Gallery, New York, 2010

Stephen Shore's book Uncommon Places is in my opinion one of the most important photo book ever created. Mostly because it gave the next generation of artists the ok to creatively explore our society's cliches, contradictions, weirdness, sprawl and all the ugly that oozes to the surface of our landscape. It is not going to produce a perfect Ansel Adams- but it will create a new kind of beautiful. One that comes only with individual perspective and freedom. One that exists to explore instead of simply satisfy. Shore is like the Dean Moriarty of the art world- on the bus and ready to go.

image by Stephen Shore

303 Gallery represents his work which you can see more of here.

2/12/10

happy v-day

Card made by up up creative.

for love or money or both?

painting by Carmen Herrera

Never have I considered the possibility of being able to make a living from my art. Truth be told, I still can not grasp that idea. People who are able to do that are amazing to me- or they have big trust funds- either/or, it seems far from my reach. Despite these feelings, I have been contemplating ways to make it happen for myself. I know that I am in love with what I do- and have been since I was 14 years old- and yet the concept of having a career as an artist is overwhelming to me. I know that in order to attempt it, you have to put yourself out in the world in the most vulnerable way possible. Sure, I am as stubborn as it gets but rejection is scary. And maybe that is just it- making a living in the arts but not through my art is safe. I get to be around what I love but I do not have to risk so much in order to do it.

Being part of the NYFA MARK program I am starting to learn about different strategies to succeeding as an artist. First, of course, you have to determine what success is for you. Harder question than you might realize. I ask myself it and I come up with a different answer every time. So many definitions of success run through my head: Being happy-supporting myself-getting gallery representation-exhibiting often-having a lot of studio time-etc....

I found out about the amazing story of Carmen Herrera through the reading material given to me through this program. She is one of those rare examples of someone whose passion for art finally paid off with "success". Not until she was in her 90's were her paintings "discovered" by the art world. Because the art world often focuses on the trends rather than art as a whole- her work did not find its relevance until recently (you can see one of her images above). She was supported by her husband for most of her life and was able to be a studio artist because as she put it, "she had to".

This story is almost too romantic for my taste, but i am inspired. Mostly, I am happy for Carmen who deserves to be recognized in this way.

You can view the NY Times picture slide show here.

2/10/10

what up winter

not very much snow fell so far today but a few more inches should be on their way. I did get a chance to walk in the woods a bit this afternoon. the property here is so rich with interesting views, wildlife, and plants.

i hope everyone is having a nice winter day- staying warm and being inspired.