Flare Competition

I entered an image to a competition called Flare. (flarecompetition.com) It requires images to have dramatic lighting as well as a person somewhere in the shot. I found this competition through a google search.

That is conformation page that was displayed when I submitted the image. It cost $20 for one. Everyone who enters also receives a thank you file, which includes a coupon, an action, and some helpful .pdf documents on the industry and photography.

Russell

This is the image I submitted.

"Interstitial"

I found Interstitial to be a very intriguing piece. The idea of striping oneself of all adornment in an act of purification is a topic that I have often thought about. I have had a personal desire for many years to shave my head (definitely pre-Britney.) Who knows if that will ever happen, but I would love to know the experience. I thought that the sequencing of the piece worked very well and that the overlapping facet brought a necessary element to the film. There was definitely an uncomfortable quality to it. Starting with the removal of the piercings and then the faces that you made when shaving. It seemed that even if didn't hurt you physically, that there was something going on in your head. I was a little confused by the green stuff you put on in the end. Although visually intriguing, I didn't really understand it in the shaving process context. Maybe it was a form of aftershave that you wash off after? OH! It just occurred to me that it was shaving cream! Either way, I really enjoyed the piece and found it neat to see you without your hair and piercings!

Artist Lecture: Doug Menuez

Award-winning commercial and documentary photographer, Doug Menuez, was brought to Richmond on April 23rd by the ASMP. He lectured at the Crittenden Gallery to a crowd of about forty people. His funny, witty style was easy to relate to and learn from. He told of his rise to the big time in the commercial world and his feelings of uneasiness because he was not doing the work that he desired to produce. It was in a moment of clarity that he said no to a job because the client wanted him to do it their way and not his own. He said that he felt empowered. Shortly after, the client came back and said that he could do it his own way. This has been the model for the commercial jobs that he has sought after since- jobs that allow him to work and shoot in his own style and way. This has been the key for finding the balance between living as an artist and working as a commercial photographer. Menuez is also well known for his documentary photography, which seems to be his passion. He learned about a dance troupe of orphans from Uganda and was inspired by their story and courage. He traveled to Uganda where he became friends with many of the children, even helping a young boy find his brother in a far away town, and took pictures that are now the book, Transcendent Spirit: The Orphans of Uganda, a beautiful book whose profits go to help the orphans of Uganda. Doug Menuez's passion for people, life and photography is evident in the way he lives and the way he speaks. I left this talk truly inspired and with a renewed drive to use my photography to better the world, not to simply make beautiful images.

James River Film Festival

On Friday, April 17th, I had the pleasure of attending the juried competition for the finalist of the James River Film Festival. Of the ten films shown there was a great variety of work and I truly enjoyed the majority of them. The film from Japan, titled Monster, was a bit too abstract and repetitive for my taste. For me the best part of attending the festival was getting to see the work of three of my instructors. Jake Dodd and Bryant Dameron's film, Tide, was a beautifully shot story of a man stranded on a deserted island and how his attempt to be rescued affected the life of a little girl. I was very impressed with the cinematography and loved the song of the little girl singing played at the beginning and the end. It was ethereal and added to the feeling of the piece. My other professor that had a piece in the competition was Dan Currier, whose film Labeled, was a documentary style look at the serialization that went on in North Carolina from the 30's to the 60's. Until hearing about the topic of his piece I had never heard that sterilization had gone on in America, and was appalled. This film was creatively edited, seamlessly moving between the woman's story and her current job as a painter. It allowed me to truly feel the pain of the woman sharing her story and I feel enlightened as a viewer.

Bruce Bickford Workshop

As a part of the James River Film Festival, underground celebrity claymation master Bruce Bickford taught an afternoon workshop. The small group that consisted of VCU students and members of the public gathered in a classroom on the VCU campus to meet the master. Knowing nothing about clay animation and being interested in film, I felt like it was a great opportunity to learn a new skill from a master. Reading in the film festival guidebook that Bickford was a "nortorious recluse" I became a little nervous about the logistics of the workshop. I realized that my fears were legitimate upon arival. The increadably thin man seemed nervous and out-of-touch with reality a bit. He spoke a few words at the beginning but once he began work on the clay head he was animating into life, the room became silent for long stretches of time, making it very akward and boring. Participants were invited to grab some clay and make something to add into the animation, but the work area was small and animating without a goal in mind seemed a bit nonsensical to me. It was interesting to see him work, he is definitely a master at what he does, but a workshop isn't exactly a workshop without an organized way for everyone to be involved and a teacher that actually teaches.

First Friday's: April '09

Sarah Hollis

April's First Firday's fell on my 25th birthday this year. With many friends in town and a multitude of festivities to attend to, I decided it would be best to attend a few galleries the next day. My favorite show that day, as well one of my favorite of the semester, was the Rain or Shine show at 1708 Gallery. The show featured the work of four artists who discipline themselves to create artwork daily; artwork intended to be viewed as a series. The tagline of the show was "Alert, awake, eyes open: Rain or Shine." I like this very much and found it to be inspiring beyond production of daily artwork.

The first work that I encountered upon entering the gallery was that of Sarah Hollis. Her scanned and printed journal pages contained daily musings in the form of drawings, cutouts, writing etc. They differed greatly by day, some pages containing detailed drawings and others just a simple sentence. For me, this fact made it more believable as a daily work, as one would not have to time or the inspiration everyday to make an elaborate "journal" entry. Sometime the simplest of pages were those that were the most intriguing. Like the multi-colored line drawing in the center of the picture above; simple yet beautiful and interesting. I loved that the use of the scanned pages allowed for the work to not be confined to one page or the other, work could span both without falling into the crease. My favorite part of her exhibit, besides everything, was that the front cover of the closed book began the wall of pages and that the back cover ended it. Perfection.

Ryan Mulligan

What is there to say about Ryan's exhibit? So many great and interesting things in one place. His style of drawing-- simple, yet somehow complex at the same time-- is such an amazing thing to view as a multitude. The work captures life from a unique point-of-view, and I definitely felt like i got a sense of who Ryan is as person. A playful, fun-loving, unique, individual and I would like to be his friend. I am in love with the drawings above of everyone's "favorite"! Such a great style and such a unique topic. It was an interesting series to be alongside the other daily-works exhibits that were all tied together by a specific way or medium to produce daily art. Ryan's work was almost stream of consciousness. Whatever he felt like or was inspired to create on any given day was what he went with. His artistic style and the playful nature of all the pieces tied everything together in a way that worked unbelievably well. I love and appreciate this style of working as much as I do that of the daily regimen. Maybe not being so regimented allows one to create beyond their own expectations? ...or limitations?

Stacy Searcy

Stacy's paintings of the daily sky are an impressive sight when grouped together in this geometric form. I love that the paintings, while all the same size and paper, are done in many different mediums and with varying techniques and styles. Had they been more similar I feel that the excitement of the work would have been lost a bit. I also really liked that they were not all perfect. A few of the pieces had marks outside of the obvious taped lines that confined the work to the specific rectangle size. It gave the work character, I feel like, and reminded me that it is possible to do daily work without the constraints of perfection- my personal flaw. Although all the series inspired me to create my own series of daily work, this one seemed to be the most inspiring in terms of outline. I know that my own daily work would need to be an organized documentation of something.

Kate Bingaman-Burt

Kate's documentation of her daily purchases was the series that interested me the least. Although done well and displayed in an interesting way--in little colorful books hung on colorful strings-- I was not exactly enthralled by what a stranger purchased on a daily basis. Maybe if it hadn't been the last work that I viewed I would have felt differently, but after a few minutes of browsing the pages I was bored and ready to leave. I feel like the idea of it is interesting, as we do live in a consumer-driven society, but many daily purchases are out of necessity and therefor not exactly exciting. Maybe if she had included a picture of herself and a short bio I would have been more interested in the things she bought. I do understand that maybe the point was to get an understanding of her through her purchases but for whatever reason, that didn't do it for me. Sorry, Kate.

First Fridays: March '09

John Henley

My second First Friday experience was very much like my first. Overwhelming. It is not easy to view art while immersed in a swirl of talking, laughing, drinking people. However, I did mange to enjoy myself and to get a glimpse of some beautiful and inspiring art. My favorite show of the night was at the gallery Art6 . Titled "Shoot the James," the show was comprised of 54 pieces, all centered on and shot at the James River. There were 18 artists represented in the show, the majority of whom were photographers with two to four related works displayed together. There was one digital video on display and an interesting trypic of scans of live insects.

Three of my favorite photographs -and I may be a little biased- would have to be those of John Henley, a Richmond-based commercial photographer and a teacher at VCU. John teaches Intermediate Photography, a darkroom-based class, and I am proud to be one of his students as well as one of his friends and future summer intern. His way of capturing natural beauty in an unforced and unobtrusive way, while still managing to create dynamic images, is a craft that John has honed well over his many years as a photographer. Knowing him and having experienced first hand the time and meticulous attention to detail that pours into his work has given me a greater appreciation for his beautiful landscapes.

Rita Root

Another artist whose images I found inspiring in this show were those by Rita Root. Her three digital prints of rocks in a dried up James River were unlike anything I've ever seen before. The images were purposefully pixelated, giving them an original look. Printed on watercolor paper with quaintly torn edges, the images were then framed by thin, black pastel lines and graphically drawn circles as well as a large title and signature in artsy penmanship at the bottom. The combination of all these elements together gave these pieces an exciting and original look that I greatly admire.

Doug Hayes

I found the three photographs by Doug Hayes to be beautiful and inspiring as well. The portraits of nude women in the James River, shot on black and white infrared film, were hauntingly eire and gorgeous at the same time. Long exposures caught the swirling water of the James in a way that added to the mystery and beauty of the photos. I have never used infrared film before and am looking forward to the possibilities. As the last pieces I spent time with before heading out, I left the show with an excited feeling and an appreciation for being able to view art on a regular basis, even if it happens to be with hundreds of my closest friends.

Artist Statement

“...the matter and life which fill the world are equally within us; the forces which work in all things we feel within ourselves; whatever may be the inner essence of what is and what is done, we are of that essence. Let us then go down into our own inner selves: the deeper the point we touch, the stronger will be the thrust which sends us back to the surface.”
~Henri Bergson

There is a consciousness that exists inside of me. There is something within me that I don’t know how to explain. There is an intense emotion, a philosophical intuition, a living energy that pulsates through my body searching for an outlet. There is a feeling in my veins, like I’m a part of something bigger, meant for some more than just to merely exist, a feeling that separates me from the rest of humanity and often leaves me utterly alone. This force, while exhilarating at times, has been a great source of pain and frustration as I have struggled to understand it and the role it plays in my life. I know that this consciousness is the inner essence of who I am and it is a conundrum to not fully understand the most integral part of myself. I feel as if I’m standing on the edge of a cliff, intuitively knowing that some magnificent truth is waiting for me at the bottom, but I can’t seem to open my eyes to see what it is. The more I struggle to open them the tighter they shut. I am forced to be patient and to slowly learn of what it is that I cannot see by exploring the depths of my soul and my reactions to the world that surrounds me.

This compelling inner force has propelled me on a quest for meaning, for knowledge, a quest for a deeper understanding of both the internal and external lives that are the essence of humanity. I want to understand myself. I want to understand the things within me that I feel so intensely but cannot clearly see. I want to understand the overwhelming feeling I get when I close my eyes and breath in deeply, when I am moved to tears by a song, when I read something so beautifully poignant that I cannot seem to catch my breath, when I am blown away by the kindness of a stranger, and when my mind races at the thought of drawing closer to understanding all this. I believe in truth. I believe in nobility. I long to discover that which is good and gallant and pure. I want to live righteously, bravely, because there is truth in that and I believe that the truth will set me free.

My journey to understand is the reason that I exist and the reason that I create. To create art is to be in touch with something deeper than myself, deeper than who I am and what I believe. It has to do with a universal force; a burning that is bigger than the world we live in, bigger than our imaginations, bigger than our understanding or even our desire to understand. It’s daunting to feel something so immense within oneself, to not quite grasp this driving force behind every action, every word, and every brush stroke. My desire to create is a desire to understand, to feel and to express the overwhelming consciousness that is my essence.

Artist Lecture: Amy Stein

© Amy Stein

On Wednesday March 4th, 2009, fine art photographer Amy Stein spoke at Virginia Commonwealth University as part of VCU's Visiting Artist lecture series. The New York-based Stein spoke of her seemingly random decision to become a photographer and the bumpy road that has brought her to where she is now. It was very encouraging to hear her speak of the struggles and frustration that all artists are prone to. She said that it was the publishing of one particular photo-an image of a young girl laying on the beach on the 4th of July- that took her from almost throwing in the towel to feeling like she really could do something special with her art. Her casual, excited manner and the openness with which she spoke made the lecture both fun and enlightening.

© Amy Stein

Besides simply loving her work, it was the insight into her artistic process that I appreciated the most. I had never heard an artist speak so candidly about their inspirations and methods of producing work. It was interesting to hear how one project, the Women and Guns series, provided the inspiration for another body of work, the Domesticated series. While speaking of the Domesticated series, Stein made the comment, "I just knew this work had to be made." I love that she felt such a strong conviction to make her work. I also found it very interesting that she said she often works on two projects at the same time, approaching the work with different methods as to be able to go back and forth when frustrated with one or the other. It was while discussing the Stranded series that Stein made a comment that has truly stuck with me. She stated that, "Photography is about being vulnerable, opening yourself up to new experiences, taking risks." I think this is a beautiful, inspiring quote that challenges me to be the best photographer I can be and to allow my work to take me into the unknown.

Sametime 1:04

On January 1st, 2009, four VCU students embarked on a photographic journey. The participants, Amber Bender, Ben Hostetter, Morgan Cofer, and Rachel Rainer, have each committed to take a photo at exactly 1:04pm everyday for one year. The idea is not to plan a piece of art but to make a "spontaneous, artistic documentation." Each person must crop their image to a 5 x 5 inch square and upload the image to the group's blog (www.sametime.blogspot.org) with an accompanying caption.

A few of my favorite images.

I love the idea of making art daily, and a photograph at a specific time everyday is an ideal way to realistically make it happen. I believe that the blog is a necessary component of the project as it requires the participants to stay accountable. I really enjoy the cropping of the images to 5" x 5". I have always loved a square format photo and for this project it gives a small twist that keeps even mundane images from being completely generic.




Each person has their own style of sorts and it is interesting to see different personalities shine through in each person's choice of subject matter, framing (or cropping), and accompanying caption. The images that are the most compelling are the one's that seem to have a bit more thought behind them, not simply a random shot of where they were at the time. Each artist seems to excel in this at certain points but not in others. The accompanying caption is also an important part of any given image's success. Simple sentences describing the content of the shot is not as interesting as those that give insight or those that make one think. Thus far, Ben seems to be the most consistent in producing interesting images with equally appealing captions. I am inspired by the work and dedication of all four artists and intend to keep following the progress of the project.

Best of 2008 Photo Show

Photo by PJ Sykes, acquired via
www.myspace.com/bestof2008photoshow

On February 1st, 2009, a show entitled "Best of 2008 Photo Show" was mounted at Harrison Street Coffee Shop in Richmond, VA. Conceived and curated by PJ Sykes, the show featured the photographs of 24 Richmond photographers (both professional and hobbyists), including a shot by Sykes himself. The works were mounted around the small restaurant, directly above booths and tables, on both the top and bottom floors. The photographs on the top floor were fairly accessible as the tables are narrow and rarely populated. Those mounted on the ground floor were a little more difficult to view. Small photographs above a large booth required one to crawl in to take a close enough look. Booths that were occupied obviously did not allow for this and produced a few awkward moments as I hovered from a short distance, trying to get a decent glimpse of the photograph inside. Although not the ideal setting to view a collective show only once, I can imagine being a regular there, choosing a different booth every time to contemplate and enjoy a different work of art. (If money wasn't an issue I would be a regular there...)

Photo by Hassan Pitts, acquired via
www.myspace.com/bestof2008photoshow

In terms of content I felt like the majority of the images were well chosen. With a concept and title as loose as "Best of 2008 Photo Show," it worked for there to be a variety of images represented. Many of the shots seemed to capture spontaneous moments of life in Richmond. And even some of the obviously posed shots still seemed to capture that essence. This "snapshot" aesthetic united the show, giving it an almost "yearbook" feel... "The Best of Richmond 2008 Yearbook!" Made me want to join the club! It was also neat to see not only my professor, Hassan Pitts, have a photo in the show, but also two other friends/acquaintances. Michael Otley is a friend of a friend that I have met a few times, talked about photography with, and actually taken pictures of as he was playing with his band, Pedals on our Pirate Ships. Ian Graham went to my high school (in Northern VA) and while I don't know him personally, I am friends with his younger sister, Lydia, and have been meaning to have her get the two of us in touch. Randomly knowing two people in a 24 person show was an exciting reminder of how truly small the Richmond art community can be and how important it is to network, not just to stay in the loop but to make like-minded friends that will encourage and push me in my artistic journey, just as I will do for them.

First Fridays: Feb '09

It’s my first “First Fridays” in Richmond and I can’t quite put a finger on the way I feel. Can one love and loathe at the same time? I feel that I belong here, that it should be my work on the sanitary walls of these galleries, yet I feel out of place, as if the masses of people have already sucked all the meaning away from anything I might desire to contemplate. Bands play music that I don’t connect with (even if I like it); artist statements are nonsensical paragraphs that I read without taking to heart or memory. And it’s not because I don’t care to feel or know or comprehend–for that is why I view art and that is why I live… to feel and know and comprehend. It’s the humming of the crowd and the constant pressing notion that someone is looking over my shoulder, waiting for me to move on so that they can take a gander at any given work. “I must move forward, I must keep with the pace of the masses!” It’s unnerving, although I know it is probably more of a self-imposed hast than actual people tapping their feet impatiently behind me. Either way, I am somewhat of a “slow” person. I value quality over everything else, (sometimes to a fault, but I’m working on it). I like to take my time, especially when viewing art. I want to soak it in so that I remember, so that it makes an impact on me, so that it makes an impact on my art. Thankfully, my little digital Elph came to the rescue the next day, reminding me what I had found intriguing the night before but hadn’t had the time to properly consider.



















It was the paintings of Christopher Quirk at the 1708 Gallery that I truly found most interesting that night. They were like nothing I’d ever seen before. Paint used almost in a sculptural fashion. And not in the way that I’ve seen “sculpted paint” or defined brush or knife strokes before. This was paint as sculpture. Tiny orange buttons, green worms, scarlet-red nipples, multi-colored mountains, craters revealing layers beneath. I loved it at the time, snapping pictures of different paintings, close-up and farther away, and a quick snap of the artist statement as I was out the door. It wasn’t until later inspection of the pictures and a rereading of the artist statement that I realized I may appreciate the work more that I do what the artist has to say about it. I found the statement profoundly assuming and higher-than-thou. I feel as if all work is a proposed look at someone or something. As an artist, I can only say what I feel my work represents or what it represents to me and what I would hope others would glean from it. Quirk’s statements are so definitive, as if he is telling the viewer what he did and how they should feel because of it. A particular sentence of dislike is, “I use the language of painting in counterintuitive ways to further suspend resolution.” Nice lingo but let me decide for myself what your “language of painting” does.

ArtSpace Gallery

Shane Booth: Vulnerability's Groom

The gritty self-portraits that are Shane Booth's Vulnerability's Groom are at once intriguing and resonant with meaning. Even without a knowledge of Booth’s intended subject matter there is a conveyed feeling of helplessness and shame that is carried throughout the pieces. The work is a commentary on HIV, with various ideas on the subject matter portrayed through individual pieces. A number of the shots use an archaic “dunce hat” to speak of the pointlessness in acquiring a disease that could be easily averted. Other shots convey the isolation and despair that accompany a life lived on the threshold of death. Although the imagery is well thought-out and quite moving, the quality of the prints left something to be desired. The large-scale prints were too big for the size of the digital files, producing visible noise in some of the shadows. Higher quality prints on a smaller scale, perhaps matted and/or framed, would have taken this work to the next level and given it the voice that it deserves.






Martin McFadden: Transitions

Transitions, a collection of square photographs by Martin McFadden, is a proposed look at the changes that have taken place in Berlin since the city's destruction during WWII. Comprised mostly of images of graffiti-filled walls, the work does not imply a transition to me- as there is no visual representation of the before state from which the transition is taking place. The collection of photographs also lacks continuity. While the majority are comprised of graffiti, there are a few that seem out of place and one in particular-Many Colors, a great shot of a unique building- that sticks out like a sore thumb. A few of the graffiti shots are cropped in to close. While these close-ups may be interesting, there is not enough information and they do not aid the flow of the work as a whole. The most compelling images are the ones that are taken from a bit farther back, showing the graffiti integrated with the structures it inhabits. Had all the images been along these lines the show would have been much more concise, although a name change may still be in order.






Noelle Gray: Figures in Abstract

The oil paintings that comprise Noelle Gray's Figures in Abstract are perhaps the strongest pieces, and most unified collective work, currently in the ArtSpace Gallery. The paintings, all consisting of one nude female form, are well executed and well thought out. Gray uses the female body, stripped of all softness and adornment, to convey raw emotion. In each piece, the choice of color, paint texture, and brush stroke pattern are used intentionally to sculpt the mood and overall feeling of the work. Backgrounds are abstracted in many, as to draw the viewers eye straight to the figure. The pieces are well presented in the space, with like textures adjoining. This is a wonderful example of what painting, as well as art in general, can do to both portray and elicit powerful emotion.

VCU Artist Lecture: Alix Pearlstein

As I left the VCU Artist Lecture by Alix Pearlstein, running out into the poring rain, I felt as if I had missed something. I had found her work intriguing, although it wasn't quite my cup of tea or anything I really understood for that matter, it was original and was intended to convey meaning, two things I did understand and respect. Over the next few days my mind kept wandering back to the lecture, back to the videos and words she spoke about them. Was I stupid or not well-versed enough in artist jargon to understand her work or the things she said about it for 2 hours? As I looked back at the four and a half pages of notes that I furiously took while she spoke I began to understand why I had left that auditorium feeling a bit empty.

The way Ms. Pearlstein spoke lacked energy. She was obviously very nervous at the beginning, (I can remember a multitude of "um's" all in a row), but even once she seemed to shake the nerves, her speech didn't ever seem more engaging or excited. I feel as if the point of artist lectures is for students to feel inspired by not only the work but by the artist's passion for their work. Another downfall in my opinion was the choice of words and tone that Ms. Pearlstein used to describe and explain her work and influences. Her tone seemed a bit pretentious and her references a bit elite and art-snobbish. Although she should certainly be able to talk about her influences, no matter how obscure or elite, and use the jargon that is appropriate and comfortable, there is a way to do so without losing the connection to one's audience. A familiar, at ease tone, instead of the uncomfortable, read-straight-from-the-notes tone, would have at least made the talk bearable. I had hoped to leave the lecture inspired and enlightened and instead I left feeling down-trodden and confused. It did however, provide a good lesson of what not to do when speaking about one's work, reminding me that there is always something to learn, even when there's not!

Stiff Lace: A Photographic Celebration

On the eve of Saturday, January 24th I had the pleasure of attending the opening of Stiff Lace: A Photographic Celebration. The exhibit featured the work of three Richmond artists: Kevin Faison, Janissa Hamilton, and Christina Jeffers. The show took place at Rumors Boutique, a hip Richmond clothing store. Clothes were cleared off racks and tables to make way for the artwork. Each of the artists had a designated portion of the store where their work was displayed. Both Kevin and Janissa had a multitude of photos displayed in the lower level of the store while Christina's work consisted of an installation on the small upper level balcony of a few large photos mounted among stacks of boxes. Having the work displayed on the upper level made it seem a bit unaccessable. It was hard to view the photos from the ground but the space between the work and the balcony didn't seem like it was enough to stand back and view the images properly, thus I did not end up spending much time with the work.


The work of both Kevin and Janissa was very well integrated into the fabric of the store, and had I not been told I would have assumed it was all from the same artist. Framed photographs were hung alongside the stores permanent mirrors. Unframed prints were displayed on table tops with a few of the stores quirky accessories, such as glittered pine cones and toy grenades. The most thoughtful method of display came from Mr. Faison: photographs displayed on pant hangers, often two prints of the same picture back-to-back, allowing the work to take on a more sculptural feel. For the most part I felt like Kevin and Janissa's photographs were well chosen and well grouped (although every now and then I would come across one that seemed out of place), and I was very impressed by the quality of work. My only complaint would be the scope of the show. Two very similar artists in one space, both showing a great many pictures in a similar way was a little overwhelming. Individual pictures were not able to be given the time and attention they deserved. I think this has taught me a valuable lesson for displaying my own work, a little editing goes a long way!