More Miami: Chuck Close lecture

Chuck Close spoke to a large crowd at Art Basel on Thursday Morning. The lecture was moitored by Richard Flood, cheif curator for the New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York City. For those of you who are not familiar with the story of Close, he was a successful painter and photography who had a disastrous spinal artery collapse in 1988. The doctors said he would never be a fully functioning artist again.

Over the hour that Chuck spoke, it became very clear that what he has not allowed refers to as "the Event" to destroy his life, though it strongly affects his work. He said confidently that "Art saved my life." Creating art is what keeps him moving forward. He said that "every aspect of my work "is totally determined by my disability." Chuck continues to paint, but in a totally different way than before his accident. He straps a brush to his hand (he refers to painting as "taking a stick with some hairs glued on the end, rubbing it in some colored dirt, and smearing it on a cloth"). He carefully copies photographs onto a gridded canvas, dot by dot, so that up close, his paintings appear pi elated, but from afar, they are unbelievably photorealistic.

Close spoke about moving beyond undergraduate & graduate work, and coming into one's own habits and freedom. "When your a good student, you make shapes that look like art...but it must look like some one else's art." In an effort to move into this freedom Close got rid of all his tools and all color, sticking to black paint only.

lastly, Close explained how his disability informs his work: he described himself as having a short attention span, not having a memory for the three dimmensional, but a nearly photographic memory for the two dimmensional. His work takes an enormous amount of dedication, to which he commented that "if you get an idea, you just have to be there long enough to resolve it."

More Miami: inspiration

Here are the photos I promised. Art basel wouldn't allo cameras, so these are mostly from Scope & Photo Miami. also, they were taken on my sanyo point & shoot so don't judge the quality :)

More Miami: Vik Muniz lecture

Vik Muniz spoke to a full house that spilled into an overflow room on December 8th at Art Basel. He spoke with a great sense of humor and poise about the progressions of his career, and what is work means to him. Muniz began creating sculpture, but eventually became far more interested in photographer. He was fascinated by the photo shoots that took place to document the objects in galleries; the light, the photographer and all the assistants; Muniz said the procedure made it seem as if the "object was made to be photographed". The irony is that if a viewer only sees the photograph, he only see's the object from the photographers way of looking, and sometimes the photograph even makes the subject look better than it really is. "As we grow old, we lose the ability to rotate objects in our minds" said Muiz.

These were the beginings of Muniz's reason for photography as means of distribution (his sculptures are never exhibited in person); he also uses the theory of photography to his advanteage. "I rely on the photograph to create that critical distance...it's my pixie dust." Munix feels the photograph seperates the viewer from the process. He spoke about watching people look at paintings in a gallery, how they walk up to a certain point in front of the canvas and then lean in, step back and repeat. He wants to find that exact moment when the viewer crosses the boundary, that moving out to see the image versus moving in to see the process. Muniz tries to "extend that tranformation" because "magic is where art meets science."

Vik then spoke with a morbid sense of humor about the state of the photo industry: ave something depressing to say......"Photography is useless. Being a photographer today is like being a painter when photography was invented."

The moderator asked Muniz to talk about his materials (ketchup, ciggerate ashes, chocolate syrup, wire, thread, etc). Muniz said that he "mistcasts all of his actors". Elaborating, he explained "It's just material. It's just stuff, it's what you make of it. People in the renessaince use mummy powder. I've never used dead people!"

Miami Trip: Photo Miami & more

Allison and I just returned from Miami: the art was incredible. We visited PhotoMiami, SCOPE, Aqua & Art Basel. I took photos at the first two, cameras weren't allowed inside of Art Basel. I'll be posting some various photos & writeups from the two lectures, (Chuck Close & Vick Muniz). Meanwhile, here are links to photogographers I discovered on the trip (mostly at Photo Miami). Their work is new to me, very inspirational, and worth checking out.

http://www.adadhannah.com/ does mainly movie stills: her museum stills are escpecially interesting pieces.

http://www.alanburjohnson.com/ breathtaking, delicate instiallations created with transperancies. see below, and be sure to look at his project, "Swarm"

http://www.abdelnnortt.com/ This artist does sculpture, videos and photorealistic paintings (below, "I never worry" oil on canvas) but his work was at Photo Miami via the Stephen Cohen Gallery. Read his artist statement, which is under "a freindly reminder". Its toungue in cheek and very quirky.

http://www.alexprager.com/ She's a young photographer from california. Vibrant colors, and something unsettling about her compositions, as seen below. She's one of my new favorites!

http://www.elzajo.com/ Her work seems to be a playfully morbid take on female sexuality. The pieces at Photo Miami were 3-dimmensional, including the one below which I can't locate a title for.

Thur Nov 20th: Struggle

Struggle: verb
to be coping with inability to perform well or to win; contend with difficulty

Hard times have not left the art world untouched; the LA times announced on November 19th that the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) has fallen on financial difficulties. According to the times, Museum Director Jeremy Strick said MOCA is "seeking large cash infusions from donors, and this week he did not rule out the possibility of merging with another institution or sharing its collection of almost 6,000 artworks."
The museum has relied on donors for about 80% of its annual $20 million budget. While the museum is not disclosing any of its current financial figures, but it has announced a six-month closure of the Geffen Contemporary exhibition space, in effort to cut operating costs. Thus far, MOCA has made no staff cuts.
In discussing options for the museum, director Strick said "All the possibilities being explored involve MOCA retaining its identity, continuing its program, expanding its collection", adding "I think it is time for this city to step forward and offer the kind of financial support commensurate with the work being done."
In comforting news, MOCA has not resorted to what many other institutions have been forced to; sell the highest valued works in effort to keep the establishments afloat. This contradicts the standard museum code of ethics. Stricks response to the pressure to sell: "our mission is preserving and protecting this collection."

Sunday Nov 23rd: Ben Grasso

"Whatever was left of it" , 2007 Untitled (treehouse), 2007 Ascending House, 2006 Gas Sation, 2006

Born 1979 in Cleveland, Ohio, Ben Grasso now lives and works in New York, New York. Grasso recieved a BFA in painting in 2003 from the Clevland, Ohio and his MFA (also in painting) in 2006 from Hunter College, CUNY, New York, NY. Prior to his education, Grasso had several residencies & grants. He has also had a number of group exhibitions as well as three solo exhibitions.
According to his artist's statement, his paintings "make more immediate the collective experience...Confusion, displacement, disaster, celebration and rebuilding are all at once urgent and elusive."
Grasso currently has a current exhibiton of paintings ("Close to Home") at the Kinkead Contermporary Gallery in Culver City, California. The gallery has specifically devoted itself to present new and emerging artists. (http://www.kinkeadcontemporary.com/)
-artist website: http://www.bengrasso.com/ (no information is available on his site; it appears to be under construction)

Thur Nov 13th: troubled

Troubled: verb

to disturb the mental calm and contentment of; worry; distress; agitate

In the current conditions, fear and lack of trust are causing stress and worry to mount in the minds of the American people. At the 2008 California Biennial, artist Patrick "Pato" Herbert's installations, "Text Messaging: 1,000 Points of Might" deals with these very topics. Hundreds of signs, which appear similar to campaign signs, litter the entrance to the Orange County Museum of Art.
One critic relates the visting ecperience on his blog, http://imoralist.blogspot.com/.

"For a few anxiety-filled moments we were stepping, shifting, and turning amid a sensory overload of knobs, dials, pedals, mirrors, gauges, and oncoming traffic.....
It may be said that the zeitgeist of our time is sensory overload, and our brains are suffering the overwhelming input of record-setting art and oil prices, seven years of Middle East war, global warming, two years of presidential campaigning, and the pillaging of nations by the rich and well connected from America to Zimbabwe. It has been a rough start to the new millennium...."

There is very little information about the work of Patrick Herbert online; I was only able to discover that he lives in california and his normal medium is photography.

Photographers Forum Contest Entry

Proof that Allison & I entered 4 images from our "Missed Connections" series in the Photographers Forum college photo contest

Sun Nov 16th: John Ganis

Because I was so inspired by the way Ganis spoke about his work, I've chosen to copy an exerp from his site to describe the series.

" ' Consuming the American Landscape' (2003) chronicles the use and abuse of the American terrain. Ganis’s color photographs not only present a view of the ever-changing scenery of the United States, but also serve as a powerful criticism against the destruction of such beauty in the name of progress. The subjects of his works embody a wide variety of man made destruction, including the effects of highway construction, the logging industry, oil drilling, landfills, mining, and the overall industrial landscape....Ganis’s artwork challenges the everyday American to take a step back and evaluate the consequences of such a lifestyle."

Ganis recieved his B.A. in Fine Ares from the Ohio Wesleyan University, Deleware OH and his MFA in Photography from the University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ. He currently resides in Detroit, MI, where he is a proffessor of Photography at the College for Creative Studies.

artist site: http://johnganisphotography.com/

represented by a publishing company: http://www.johnganisphotography.com/www.dewilewispublishing.com

M.F.A. in Photography, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ
B.A. Major, Fine Arts, Minor, English, Ohio Wesleyan University, Delaware, OH

Sun Nov 9: Edward Ruscha

The Back of Hollywood (billboard), 1977 acrylic-vinyl on canvas 192 H x 600 W (inches)

Burning Standard, 1968 oil on canvas 20 1/4 H x 39 W (inches)

Burning Gas Station, 1966 oil on canvas 20 1/2 H x 39 W (inches)

Standard Station, Amarillo, Texas, 1963 oil on canvas 64 1/2 H x 121 3/4 W (inches)

Born in Omaha, Nebrasks 1937, Ed Ruscha, according to his website, "has consistently combined the cityscape of his adopted hometown with vernacular language to communicate a particular urban experience." Ruscha was very influential in the the pop art movement. He works in painting and photography, though many of his processes might be considered "alternative". Some of his typologies, for example, are created using ketchup or blackberry juice.

Although not all of his works may be considred contemperary, I'm very interested in the typologies he has created and how I can allow them to affect my own compositions.

artist site: http://www.edruscha.com/

Thur Nov 6: Volatile

Volatile: (adjective)

* tending to fluctuate sharply and regularly
* a mesaure of instability

The oil market is one small reflection of the situation in which the American (and now possibly, global) economy finds itself. Oil prices soar and the deflate dramatically, in a change of plot line that could rival a soap opera. The Dow Jones drops, jumps, than drops more. "Volatility's here, and it's here to stay," said Ryan Detrick, senior technical strategist at Schaeffer's Investment Re-search.

According to an article from the associate press, "Economists are not optimistic about data this week on new home sales, durable goods orders, third-quarter gross domestic product, personal spending and income, and consumer confidence. All these reports are anticipated to show continued weakness."

I'm considering a semi-related series that deals with the lack of trust, if not fear, people have regarding today's economy, government, and financial systems.

Sunday Nov 2nd: Andrew Borowiec

Andrew Borowiec, born 1956 in New York City, spent his childhood in France. He received it BA from Haveford College in Russia (1979) and his MFA in Photography from Yale University in 1982. He has worked as a staff photographer, a photojournalist, and a photography instructor at four different colleges, including Parsons School of Design. Borowiec currently resides in Akron, Ohio.

All of the images above are from the 2004-2008 photographic series "The New Heartland". Borowiec has been exploring the changes of the Midwest Urban landscapes. For Borowiec, the project is about the details and repetitions which begin to tell the tale of Americans lifestyle.

His latest project is a departure from his earlier work, which has been black & white and focused on the industrial landscapes of the Midwest (mainly Ohio). He has 4 published books which document different industrial aspects.

The longer I focus on the closed service stations, the more I notice the details, the symbols and signifiers that become a constant across each photo, and I'm hoping these links appear across the board in my work as they do in Borowiec's.

While Borowiec is not represented by a gallery, much of his collection is housed at the Cleveland Museum of Art.( https://clemusart.com/)

Artist's site: http://andrewborowiec.com/

Thur Oct 30: Supply (& Demand)

Supply: verb

to furnish or provide with what is lacking or requisite

Trying to understand the sharp decrease in gas prices, and predict what will happen in the near future requires a basic understanding of the economic principles of supply & demand. No one needs a chart to recall the dramatic rise in gasoline costs. Traditional supply & demand curves look like this:





As the prices rises, the consumption falls. The normal "price-elasticity" law says that for every one percent increase in price, demand decreases by two percent The gasoline industry, however,doesn't respond in the standard fashion. Petroleum has a "low elasticity"; meaning a huge price increase is needed in order to create a drop in demand. During the summer of 2008, a large increase is exactly what happened in America, and as a result, the demand fell. Part of the reason for the recent decline in fuel cost is a surplus. The global recession also has an impact; America is not the only country feeling an economic pinch.
Gas prices are sure to increase again, hopefully Americans can control their demands and in turn control the supply.

Sunday Post: Christopher W. Trice

Montgomery Wards, Dixie Square Mall, 2001

Men’s Jackets, Montgomery Wards, Dixie Square Mall, 2001

Unidentified Store No. 7, Dixie Square Mall, 2001

Christopher Trice, a california-born photographer who resides in Jasper, Alabama, recieved his BFA from the University of Alabama in 1999 and his MFA from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 2001.

The photographic series shown above is from part of the Dixe Square Mall exhibiton. The Dixie Square mall is an abandoned enclosed shopping mall in the Chicago-land area. The mall was once very prosperous, but went out of buisiness in the late 70's . The mall has been empty for over 30 years, and is famous as the filming location for the chase scene in Blues Brothers.The history which remains is facsinating, including looting, illegal night demolition work, and attempted renovations. Despite good intentions, the mall still remains standing and decaying.
Trice takes an interesting photograph, but the history is what drew my attention to the series, and once I'm happy with my aestethics, I'll be trying to dig up the stories behind the closed service stations; when they closed, who owned them, what happened to the employees, etc.

"In The Dixie Square Mall Series, Christopher Trice examines the space and socioeconomic import of a long-abandoned shopping center in one of Chicago’s south suburbs. Dangling wires, fallen ceiling tiles, and peeling wallpaper evidence the decay of otherwise familiar store interiors now ravaged by vandals and weather alike. Yet the attention to color and closely controlled composition of Trice’s photographs transcend the merely documentary, generating a beauty otherwise absent from this crumbling structure." - critic Kendra Greene

Museum of Contemporary Photography: http://www.mocp.org/collections/permanent/trice_christopher.php

Thur Post: Decline

Decline: verb

to fail or dwindle; sink or fade away


Gas prices are falling fast. As of this morning (thursday), prices in some areas of the nation are below two dollars a gallon. Oil has reached around $66 dollars a barrel, the lowest point since June 2007. Economic experts are suggesting the sharp decline is a respone to the world economy downturn; if the global market continues to slip, demands for oil will fall as well.

These low prices (56 percent lower than july 2008) are still falling, despite OPEC's slashing oil production by 1.5 million barrels. They are suggesting cutting production even further if prices continue to plummet. "OPEC has a talent for cutting its nose to spite its face," said Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y. "At a time when oil prices are declining because the world economy has stalled, OPEC's actions will only make things worse."




http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12400801/page/2/
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/transportation/stories/102408dnmetgasprices.13f804ef8.html

Sunday: "Suburban Documentation" Chris Faust

"The edge, Prior Lake, MN"

"Little House on the Prairie"

"Clearing the New Gated Community"

"Sidewalks to Nowhere, Development outside

of Denver, CO"

The suburban Documentation project is shot in six states, a collaboration between photographer Chris Faust and architect Frank Martin. It was photographed in a variety of urban development, in both large and small towns. Faust focuses on what he refers to as an obsession with the "cultural landscape."

In his artist statement, he verbalizes something for which I've been searching. Motivation behind my project is based on what may be a fleeting chance to photograph historical moments. Faust states that "Landscape are constantly changing which has given an urgency to my need to document this change and record the decisive moment. Common subjects that anyone can see on any given day..."

Faust was born in 1955 and now resides in St. Paul, MN. He received his BA from St. Cloud State University in 1987 and a Master of Science in Educational Media from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse in 1980. He has had 11 solo shows and over 30 group exhibitions. He has also been the recipient of a McKnight Foundation Fellowship for Photography.

*Artist website: http://www.chrisfaustphoto.com/

*Faust is not represented by a gallery; prints may be commissioned and purchased through him directly.

*Exerp from an interview with Faust:

http://www.xanga.com/Danyen/570701270/item.html

Thur: History

History: noun
a continuous, systematic narrative of past events as relating to a particular people, country, period, person, etc., usually written as a chronological account; chronicle

This is not the first gas crisis our nation has experienced; a rise in prices coupled with a shortage in production. It's just the first one my generation remembers. Since my work is conversing on a subject that while contemporary, isn't apparently new, I'm wondering what went before.

In 1979, the largest crisis hit the energy economy occured (until 2007, according to caculations which compensate for inflation). Ayatollah Khomeini, Iranian revolution leader (and some say founder of the modern Shiite State), obtained control of Iran, destroying the Irainian oil sector. Oil production was erratic and low; uncertainty was high. Gas prices & oil demand rose in America.

Debates surrounded the issue; some politcal leaders suggested gas rationing. President Carter worked towards the deregulation of fuel prices & made highly visible efforts to encourage energy coservation. He has a wood stove and solar panels installed in the white house (Reagan had them removed)

Other, smaller crisis have occured. In 1990, a brief oil shortage was caused by the Gulf War; the oil fields were set afire as Hussein retreated, and production was stopped until restoration was completed.

The photograph above depicts one of the gas stations abandoned during the 1979 crisis; it was converted into a revival hall. I think I need to keep an eye on my gas stations and see what these spaces will become.

http://www.economicexpert.com/. 16 Oct 2008

Sunday: John Humble, City Landscapes

Feautered in the fall edition of Photosgrapher's Forum, John Humble is a photographer from the LA area. Humble has a BA in philosiphy form the University of Maryland and his MFA from the San Fransisco Art Institute. He has shot everything form landscapes to magazine covers for clients such as Time, but I'm focusing on his cityscapes work.

The clarity and line found throughout Humble's work is achieved through the use of his 4x5 camera. (I wish I knew his scanning methods) Many of his images are shot at what appears to be high noon, yet the strong contrast and intense lighting situations seem to work with his composition; (I find my self fighting against the sunlight constantly).

Humble is represented by the Jan Kesner Gallery: http://jankesnergallery.com/jkg/

Artist's site: http://www.johnhumble.com/laland.htm

Kate Kretz Lecture: Oct 8th

Kate Kretz visited VCU and spoke in the Fin Arts building on wednesday morning, October 9th. Kretz recieved her BFA in drawing and painting from Binghamton University & Her MFA in painting from the University of Georgia. She has done over 25 solo exhibitions, and been the recipient of many awards, including the recent North Carolina Arts Council Grant. While Kretz is currently displaying primarily textiles and emroideries, her work depends largley on her fine art training.

Kretz opened the lecture with slides from her ealier works. Her first paintings were nightscapes, inspired by her insomnia as a child, whcich she would remedy with a trip outside. She discussed her major influences, saying that she learned her sense of melodrama from her home, which was filled with "techni-color movies and catholicism".

Kretz has chosen to present the majority of her work in non-profit and university galleries, saying that she is allowed more control over how her work is displayed, and that in the end, the results are more rewarding.

Moving into her textiles and mixed media, Kretz show'd her vast experimentation with materials. She created a series of clothing (for displa; not a line to be sold) entilted "Phsycological Clothing". Two particular peices stand out above the others. A dress, titled "Passive", is embroidered with common passive phases such as "no, you go ahead" . A coat, titled "Defense Mechanism" is constructed out of thousands of roofing nails, punched through the material so they point outwards. The interior of the coat is stiched with the human circulation system.

Kretz's body of work is diverse, but always well-crafted and intelligent. Her work can be found at http://www.katekretz.com/