In the Clearing

Cleaning up my cell phone image files this morning. Lot’s of blurry dog pictures, and pictures of food. Might make a gallery of just food pictures. Already kind of an old concept, but there’s something to it.

Not "I told you so."

I will do the best I can to honor the Constitution and those who served (and serve) and do my part to help people understand the reality of what’s going down. As a visual artist I’m putting my shoulder to the wheel. Some of you may not like me getting POLITICAL but that is the fabric into which our lives are woven.

I’m starting with a reference that film photographers will relate to. For those who aren’t in this loop, the Pentax K1000 was a GREAT camera. After the K1000 was discontinued, the Vivitar 3800n was the lame assed replacement. Piece of crap.

January 26, 2023

I was working with the idea of a three image sequence for the past two days. Laying them out using Powerpoint turned into an example of how outside parameters can shape a journey. I’ve never been a fan of the design choices in Powerpoint, but after laying out three photos to work with decided to play with one of the suggested layouts. Replacing one image with another took me on an unexpected trip that took me to a place that my original concept of “Love Songs” was not. Now much more personally profound. Think Twin Towers.

Study for “Love Songs” January 26, 2023

Studio store open for business

My studio store is ready for the new year! I’m going with Nielsen frames (#117) which are of excellent quality and design and come in a number of colors, and Optium Museum acrylic glazing.

“Tru Vue® Optium Museum Acrylic® (plexi-glass) meets the toughest conservation standards and exceeds the highest curatorial expectations. Recommended for professional presentation and preservation framing of artwork, photography and other works on paper, preferred by galleries and museums. It filters out 99% of harmful UV rays, is lightweight, acid-free, shatter-resistant, anti-static, and anti-reflective. 1/8” in thickness.”

I make my own prints using Epson pigmented inks, Epson fine art papers, with Print Shield coating.

I’ve selected four projects to be represented in the store- Daily Scans, Photograms (digitalized from scans of the original prints), studies of paper, and scenes in Central Park, NYC taken in October, 2019, shortly before the pandemic.



Snow Day

December 17, 2020. The first snow day for a long time. Today, in northwest Connecticut we got well over 12” of snow. Wish I still had the old Flexible Flier. Taking today to take it easy, think about all the wonderful people who shaped my life ,and looking ahead to tomorrow.

‘The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.’ –Pablo Picasso

2019flexibleflyer.jpg

The wheel is turning.

Monday, November 9, 2020

It was quite the weekend. Thank God there was a bottle of champagne on hand! This is a time for renewal. In the spirit of rebirth I’m reorganizing and adding to this website. Look for more in the STORE, and in the galleries. The juices are flowing.

IMG_20201109_090038.jpg

These Times

While researching family history I came upon the term “troubles” as in The 1715 Troubles (England). Well here we find ourselves again in a time of Troubles. I’m not sure if “troubles” can really capture the events that have been unfolding at this moment in the United States and around the globe. Troubles seem to be a word that whitewashes death and upheavals in history books. What this moment in history will be called I don’t know. I do know that we have to keep our eyes and hearts open, and try to leave this world a bit better than we found it. Be creative, extend a hand, embrace hope.

Grateful

I’m Grateful for family near and far today. I’m grateful for a well stocked pantry, and studio. I’m grateful for all the people I have had the honor of working with. I’m grateful for all of you who have extended a helping hand to me in my journey, and those who I have had the opportunity to support in turn. What are you grateful for?

Sprint !

Sprint Systems of Photography that is….Over 30 years ago I was introduced to Sprint photo chemicals by Paul Krot, Sprint’s founder while I was a student at the Rhode Island School of Design. I loved the liquid concentrates-so much better than mixing Kodak’s powdered chemicals. Recently, I discovered that another company was making “knock-off” versions of Sprint’s lineup. For me, the original is the best; I recommend using genuine Sprint chemistry. I have used Sprint in all three school darkrooms, and continue using it today for my own film and print development needs.

https://sprintsystems.com/

IMG_5494.jpg


Giving

We live in a golden age of galleries, museums, and art production. In Connecticut we have the Wadsworth, the New Britain Museum of American Art, the Yale Art Museum, and Real Art Ways to name a few. The Five Points Gallery here in Torrington is poised to launch the kind of art center long needed. Good times!