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/

Thur Oct 9th: Green

Green:

environmentally sound or beneficial (third definition)

The question I'm asking myself this week: (maybe you will as well) Can photographers go green, and if so, how? I've been scouring the photo websites for information. I found a wonderful article entitled "13 way to be a Greener Photographer" on PopPhoto (find it here: http://www.popphoto.com/americanphotofeatures/4541/thirteen-ways-to-be-a-greener-photographer.html ) Some of the advice covers basic things we should be doing in the first place, including unplugging our battery chargers, lights, etc when we're finished. Putting computers to sleep when we're not using them. They provided some helpful resources as well; nontoxic photo chemicals are available at silvergrain.org, and for digital work, greenerprinter.com.

Some photographers are choosing to shoot environmentally minded subjects. Take Martijin Molllet as the perfect example. (http://www.molletphoto.com/_) He has been nicknamed "the renewable energy paparazzo". Mollet considers himself environmental activist first, and photographer second. He works to offset 100% of the studio's carbon footprint, and the Studio motto is "Sunlight is Energy & Image".

Abandoned Places (Sun Post)

All though I'm not looking for an archival type of image in my own work, I'm fascinated with Henk Van Rensbergen's photos. He doesn't call himself a fine artists, but more of a hobbyist. Rensbergen is a Belgian-born (1968) airline pilot who takes his second hand Leica with him on every flight he makes. He claims his obsession grew from a childhood obsessions with :forbidden places". The results are sometimes haunting and always beautiful. I shiver looking at the images, thinking about the experiences Rensebergen must have had capturing these photos; I don't think I could be so brave. Many of the places he has photographed have since been destroyed.

Interview with Renbergen: http://www.maelstrom.nu/ezine/interview_iss22_156.php

Rensbergen official site: http://www.abandoned-places.com/

Camera Release! (Thur post) New

New: adjective
of a kind now existing or appearing for the first time

Although this news might not be making a big splash in the conceptual art world, I'm pretty excited about the release of Nikons newsest camera, the d90, and what it will do for my photos. I've been lugging my d70 around for what seems like an eternity, and while I've gotten some great images out of it, I've been feeling like an ametaur, and the noise on anything shot above ISO 800 is driving me crazy. I was all set to purchase the d300, when this review/ comparison stopped me in my tracks: http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d90/iso-3200.htm

Ken Rockwell is a great reviewer of cameras; he takes the same images with multiple cameras and posts comparisons, including all the data so you can see what the variables might be.

My biggest concern about shooting my project digitally is finding the sharpness (also voiced during critique this week by everyone else), so I was excited to see this sharpness comparison:
http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d90/sharpness-comparison.htm

I'm making the upgrade asap, and hopefully it will spill over into better image production.