Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Your Stratosphere 9/2014





















Who is in your Stratosphere?

The family tree, the original social network that we all have, seems to align itself as so: you have your family, those you are born into life with or they are born into life with you. You can't divorce them, you can't cut the tether really, but you can go through the motions of doing so if need be. These folks ebb and flow through your life with periods of calm and periods of intensity.

Then you have your friends. These are the people who are close to you, those you have chosen to be around and they have chosen you. A lover, a life partner, a friend you meet for Happy Hour, a friend you problem solve with. Now these are the folks that may indeed be your family, on a daily basis. They are your intimates, distant only due to lack of blood relation.

Then there is your Stratosphere. The Stratosphere is made up of those circling you, your contemporaries, those who are living and working parallel to you. You compete with those in this group. This is the group that makes connections for you behind the scenes. This is the push and pull of The Stratosphere.

When someone dies in the friend group, the family group, that is when you feel an immediate loss.

When someone dies in your Stratosphere, it is a loss for sure, but it's also a lesson.

The world tips. One foot in the day-to-day sunny life, one foot in the afterlife. You limp thru the week, month, year, trying to understand this lesson. An utterly surreal period: fine at times but never really solid. The idea that things are locked in, systems are in place, is really off its axis. You see yourself in that life, in that person. It's all the easier to project into their life because you don't have every detail, you only have a sketch.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

How many friends does one have?

Even social media algorithms cut you off at 5000. Can someone really have thousands of friends? Not very likely. Most people have five at the most. You can affect those people: live with them, share love, share heartbreak, share the elements of life, but there really is just so much to go around. Now your Stratosphere, now that can extend indefinitely. Your Stratosphere doesn't really require the nurturing, the reciprocation, or any of the maintenance. You can touch those people...just a little...and they can touch you...and that can make a profound impression. 

In Memory of Toby Burditt  2/16/1968 - 9/17/2014

Monday, September 22, 2014

Turnback Tuesday : Siskind, Benjamin 4/10/84

September Calling:

So filled with wonderful projects I'm super excited to engage with. Working on an upcoming book with Straylight Press titled HOME.
Affordable and deep, that's our goal.

Looking through some favorite books from the 70's and 80's I found this print inside a copy of Michael Martone's book Dark Light (Lustrum Press, 1978).

A beautiful print of myself and Aaron Siskind, generously given to me at the time by professor Martin Benjamin. 

Siskind looks great: powerful and focused, able to deliver the advice with force and intention.

Gratitude all around.

Friday, September 19, 2014

One Last Feline Friday Update:


After this, I will stop.
Enjoy:

Feline Friday / New Cats In Art Photography / Humble Arts Foundation


Humble Arts Foundation has their exhibition HERE.

I thought I'd share my entry portfolio here...you can always learn something from the one's that got away. 

Take a look and celebrate Fotographic Feline Friday. 

Peace.








Thursday, September 18, 2014

New Cats In Art Photography / Humble Arts Foundation




































So happy to be included in the current Humble Arts Foundation exhibition New Cats In Art Photography.
See the show in all it's splendor HERE.

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Workbook Fall 2014


















Workbook Fall 2014 is here.
Images from our campaign for NOKIA Lumia for Geometry SF, above.

Calvin Embry, son of Brooke Embry of Tidepool Reps selects my pages as his clear favorite.


Monday, September 15, 2014

Family Fiction, #1

In 1978 the whole family took a workshop with legendary photographer Jerry Uelsmann. 

Wilson posed Eli and I and created a darkroom composite, later applying a selenium tone technique to the final fiber based print.

9/2014

Tuesday, September 9, 2014

Kommode Verlag / Living Working Can't Stop Won't Stop



Feels great to be rapping up this project commissioned by Kommode Verlag in Switzerland. Artist Laura Johnston came in to illustrate a series of elements on the walls of my home. Over the past weeks my two sons played the roles, as I borrowed generously from the living/working philosophy of artist Lauren Simonutti.

Turning over our finals in the week ahead to the publisher feels like turning in a novel...a novel with two endings. Love and gratitude to love of my life Lisa Mitchell who engaged with the fabric of this project from the very first chalk idea to the inspired casting curve ball she called for. 

There really is nothing as satisfying as taking a chance on something uncharted and seeing it fly. And realizing you can't really fly on your own.

Amen.





Monday, September 8, 2014

Space Needle & Safe



A very busy summer.
Hazy like the Space Needle below.
I realize August was left in the dust.
Forgotten.
Never mentioned.
Living only on Facebook and Instagram, the assassins of the blog proper.

Upon return from the Seattle trip, these glorious prints from Sandra-Lee Phipps' project titled SAFE arrived also out of no where. Arriving on just the right day, brightening the darkness, these images are waiting at the framer now to get picked up. Discover more of Sandra-Lee's work HERE.

Sunday, September 7, 2014

The Last Day Of

We all
ran outside to witness
the last day
of summer.

8/2014