design - frank gehry

Frank Gehry's Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. Need I say more?

book arts

Book arts is an amazing art form that deserves much more attention. Typically, artists skilled in the craft of bookmaking, compile these little masterpieces with labor-intensive attention to every minute detail. Text is often handset and printed with antique letterpress machines. Pages can be handsewn together between covers that have been lovingly carved, drawn, etched, imprinted or embellished with whatever technique the creative mind of the bookmaker envisions. Often the resulting pieces are expensive, but unique to this art form, they are meant to be handled and appreciated. They often contain lyrical poems, original text or reprinted classics. They almost always contain some type of graphic element: woodblock prints, etchings, linotypes, photographs, etc. Artists books are truly beautiful expressions of a unique craft. Sometimes these "books" are not even books. They can take the form of boxes, containers or small sculptures.

Listed below are some websites highlighting book artists:

http://www.timothyely.com/
http://www.flyingfishpress.com/index.html
http://www.vampandtramp.com/html/home.html

and yet another commercial break

In 2005, another friend formed a partnership with an associate to begin Saltgrass Printmakers, here in Salt Lake City.

As per their website, Saltgrass Printmakers is a non-profit organization dedicated to the art of printmaking. Its goals are to provide educational programs, open community access to professional printmaking facilities, collaborative and individual opportunities for fine art printmakers. and to engage the community to increase the appreciation and understanding of printmakers' art.

I became familiar with the printmakers' art through a business collaboration with the University of Utah's Red Butte Press and Book Arts Program. Although it is in the context of letterpress printing, the University puts on an excellent workshop every year dedicated to this dying art form. It was in one of these workshops, where I met Sandy Brunvand and her husband, Erik. Sandy (pictured above on the right) is an art professor at the U. and is an accomplished artist in this medium. She started up Saltgrass with Stefanie Dykes (pictured on left) shortly after our class and together they have built an impressive facility to promote and encourage printmaking.

Visit their website at: http://www.saltgrassprintmakers.org/.

They also display prints for sale in their charming facility, which are a relative bargain in today's escalating prices of overrated art. Along similar lines, if you are not reticent to invest in artwork, there are many beautiful handmade artist's books available, which combine artwork, letterpress, and bookbinding. I will provide some URLs which highlight some of these gems shortly.

a commercial break

I have a friend who started a business partnership a while ago. They specialize in design and set-up work for weddings and events in conjunction with their floral business. Should you be seeking such services, I'd like to suggest you give them a call. The name of the business is Trifecta Design and their URL and contact information can be found at http://www.tfadesign.com/.

LASIK recap

Last Wednesday, I underwent LASIK eye surgery. I have worn glasses or contacts since the fourth grade, so you can imagine, this was a radical step for me. For those of you who have no experience with LASIK, I thought I would briefly recap the procedure. Prior to the surgery, the nice assistant asked me if I would like a Valium to calm me down. The correct answer was a resounding YES. Never turn down drugs when they are proffered, especially with the prospect of forthcoming terror and pain.

Since I have never really taken a Valium before, this in itself bears a little description. In essence, it put a layer of distance between me and the rest of the world, almost as if I were removed from the procedure by a sort of out-of-body, but still-in-body experience.

Then, while in the chair, after having different types of drops placed in my eyes, as the doctor and about 4 nurses, all huddled around me, I could hear the whirring sound of the tiny saw that was to cut my corneas being activated. The nurses had taped my first eye opened, then inserted a sort of bracket to keep my eye propped open. I can't quite remember the actual saw as it cut my cornea, but immediately after, the doctor said my vision would blur as he pulled back the corneal flap he had created.

At that point, I was to focus on a flashing light and I could hear the intermittent crackling of the laser and could see peripherally, the laser as it reformed the shape of my lens. Once that was done, the doctor returned the corneal flap (with the blurriness diminishing) and flushed the eye with liquid to help reposition it. This procedure was then repeated with the other eye in its entirety. All told, I would estimate the whole thing took about twenty minutes.

Immediately upon the return home, I tried to sleep aided by the encouragement of the Valium. HOWEVER, my eyes hurt SOOOOO bad, the over-the-counter pain medication had no effect. Sleep was impossible. Thanks must go to my wife, who provided a nice prescription pain medication she had sequestered for such emergencies. This promptly took care of the pain and succeeded in knocking me blissfully unconscious. Three hours later, I awoke, pain gone, only a slightly scratchy feeling in the eyes, which eye drops alleviated.

The next morning, without having to put in contacts or put on glasses, I could see!

It has been about a week now, and my vision still moves in and out of focus a little. I'm told this will abate in about another week, but nonetheless, I can see unaided. Every night before I go to bed, I have to remind myself that I no longer have any contacts to remove! Modern science. It is a wonderful thing.

the end of the world . . .

Recently, I read an article in the New Yorker about the Large Hadron Collider (L.H.C.), which is to be completed sometime soon. In essence, it is the latest and greatest particle accelerator, spanning some 17 miles, that physicists hope will yield answers to some of the many questions and theories concerning the nature of the universe. I’m not sure why I’m drawn to the subject of physics, but I think it has to do with the immensity of the universe that surrounds us and the idea that people actually dedicate their lives to try to understand the fundamental nature of it all. It is akin to religion and the realization that there indeed exists something much larger than ourselves out there. It is wondrous and humbling (and come to think of it, actually asks many of the same questions as religion. Physics is simply seeking a different path, perhaps going about things in a more pragmatic way, although, it too relies upon faith to a large extent. But I digress . . . )

I wanted to share a particular passage with you,

“Worries about the end of the planet have shadowed nearly every high-energy experiment. Such concerns were given a boost by Scientific America – presumably inadvertently-in 1999. That summer, the magazine ran a letter to the editor about Brookhaven’s Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider, then nearing completion. The letter suggested that the Brookhaven collider might produce a mini black hole” that would be drawn toward the center of the earth, thus
“devouring the entire planet within minutes.” Frank Wilczek dismissed the idea of mini black holes devouring the earth, but went on to raise a new possibility: the collider could produce strangelets, a form of matter that some think might exist at the center of neutron stars. In that case, he observed, “one might be concerned about an ‘ice-9’-type transition,” wherein all surrounding matter could be converted into strangelets and the world as we know it would vanish.” Wilczek labeled his own suggestion “not plausible,” but the damage had been done. “BIG BANG MACHINE COULD DESTROY EARTH” ran the headline of the London Times . Brookhaven was forced to appoint a committee to look into this and other disaster scenarios. The committee concluded that “we are safe from a strangelet-initiated catastrophe.”

So, now we know we should live in fear of the possibility of strangelets, something we heretofore we were not even aware existed. In a way, l like to think of myself as a stranglet, waiting to initiate my very own catastrophe.

bigfoot and the loch ness monster

Recently there was a story in the news about two Georgia men who claimed they had stumbled across the decaying body of Bigfoot in the woods. The story goes on to say that they never believed in the Bigfoot stories prior to their discovery, but their find had of course convinced them otherwise. They hauled the body to their truck (as three of the creatures looked on nearby), where they eventually transported it to the safety of their freezer. They then reportedly took photos of the creature and sent blood samples to a university for DNA testing. The photos were blurry, obscure and inconclusive. How, one wonders, can you even take such bad photos with today’s technology? Ultimately, the incident was revealed to be yet another hoax. Although I anticipated the inevitability of this conclusion, I am always let down and disenchanted when such perpetrators are exposed. As Chris Carter, the creator of the X-Files, practically opines in the title of his latest X-File movie, “I Want to Believe.” I fully understand and embrace this. Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, Yeti. I truly WANT to believe in the existence of these reclusive entities - mythical creatures who offer us glimpses of their existence when we need it the most - in those times when we have become disillusioned or cynical, skeptical or hardened by all of the bad news, when we grow weary of the stories of our inhumanity towards one another. I yearn for the next report of yet another such encounter: a sighting of an undiscovered gem to once more rekindle our sense of wonder and to return us to our childhood innocence when everything was new and magical.

flickr

flickr (http://www.flickr.com/) is a photo sharing website that has gained a lot of popularity over the last couple of years. There are others as well, but what is notable about flickr is the fact that they recently negotiated a contract with an agency to pay photographers' for their work for potential use in ad campaigns, publications, etc. What is somewhat baffling to me is the fact that something like 2,400 photos are uploaded to flickr each minute! How is it possible to wade through the volume of photographs submitted?

Photos can be viewed by "tags" which are key words the photographers submit along with their photographs (e.g. "lighthouse" to identify the subject matter). Another way to gain exposure is by joining various groups who are typically aligned by some common interest, such as photos taken with toy cameras or moose photographs or some equally obscure thread. (Have I taxed your patience with these details yet? Where, you ask, is the payoff? I worry that there is no payoff here, BUT) In the interest of self-promotion, my flickr site can be reached via http://www.flickr.com/photos/10639969@N05/.

AND, interestingly, I have been asked to join a small number of groups or to be counted as a contact to a few other photographers. When you are somebody's "contact" they will automatically be able to see any new photos you've submitted to flickr and you will be able to see theirs. The implication is that you jointly admire one another's work. For some reason, I seem to appeal to Russian or East European photographers. I'm not sure what elements of my work is culturally appealing, but I'm not one to question people who like my work. Perhaps if I were to move to Russia, I could garner the success as a photographer I have only heretofore dreamed of.

henry poole is here

I see many, many movies. This weekend I had the opportunity to see a small gem (an entrant at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival), "Henry Poole is Here." This quiet little film. starring Luke Wilson (but do not let this deter you), contained no CGI, no explosions, no Kung Fu wire work and no lightsabers. Instead it dealt with the more mundane topics of mortality, isolation, faith, love and hope. I recommend it highly. This film is rated PG.

yummmm, cats!

A friend's wife who works for the Audubon Society in Connecticut, recently visited a falconer. During the course of her visit, the falconer told her about the time he was contacted (picture a distraught, but resolute neighbor on the phone) due to an alarming number of missing house cats. Obviously the falconer's raptors were the cause of the rapidly declining population. Upon further investigation however, the Falconer discovered that a Caribbean gentleman had moved into the area concurrent with the cat disappearances. It turns out he was catching and eating the felines -- apparently a common food item back home. (Not that there's anything WRONG with that . . . !) Upon negotiation, the falconer was able to convince the new resident to only catch feral cats and leave the beloved house pets alone.

how to kill a rattler . . .

OK, OK. I know this is not a photo of a rattler. I just don't have one in my personal archives. The following text involves the desert however, and let's face it, scorpions live in the desert. So please, read on.

A life-long friend of mine (let's call her . . . "Celeste," as there will undoubtedly be other stories forthcoming) recently moved to the desert environs of Arizona (close to the bustling metropolis of Kingman), a la a post-apocalyptic setting for a Stephen King novel. She and her husband are fulfilling their dream of building a "green" home nestled in the heart of nature. She has reported killing a number of rattlesnakes just ten feet outside of her house.

How, we wondered did she go about killing these snakes? Did she use a hoe or a shovel?

No, she responded. This is not the methodology of a novice Rattlesnake killer; she simply shoots them with her shotgun. My friend, Celeste, she is a delicate creature.

design - phillip johnson redux

It occurs to me that the close-up of the Phillip Johnson building in my previous photo does not give due homage to the famed architect. Pulling back, you can see both of his high-rise buildings in all of their glory.

design

Close-up of a Phillip Johnson building in Houston.
The black building in the background is also his.

links, connections, images

Photography plays a major role in my life, which is amusing since I only shoot intermittently at best. I do find that there are times when inspiration overwhelms me however. Often, these moments yield some of my better work. If I go too long between shoots, I get a little depressed. Recently, I had my own show at Phillips Gallery, here in Salt Lake City. I challenged myself to produce an entirely new body of work rather then rely upon past work. The experience taught me that creativity could be summoned under the pressure of a deadline. Since this is not how I usually work, it was a good exercise for me.

Below are a couple of links of photographer's websites who have provided inspiration:

http://www.ericogden.com/
http://www.cuttingphoto.com/

Eric Ogden's work is exquisite in its moodiness. His color palette and the wonderful settings for his portraits evoke the past.

Ann Cutting has long been one of my favorite photographers. She introduced me to the concept of utilizing a toy camera to capture the "feeling" of a moment, versus a technically perfect image. She continues her conceptual explorations by layering multiple images upon each other to create dream-like settings.

I'll post other links from time to time.

design (continued)

The SR-71 Blackbird. Capable of traveling from L.A. to N.Y.C. in 23 minutes.

design

I've decided to highlight images of items that I think exemplify good design on an intermittent basis. This first image is a classic.

and now a word from our sponsor . . .

A while ago, I was introduced to Blurb (www.blurb.com), the self-publishing website that enables anybody to format and produce their own book. The results are really pretty good. I highly recommend the service to anybody who has thought of publishing a book before. The beauty of Blurb is that you can opt to print only one copy of a book if you desire. Also, Blurb offers its own bookstore for exposure and potential sales opportunities. Below are my two efforts highlighting respectively, my toy camera photography and my latest body of work.

http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/102309

http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/290743

Feel free to purchase as many copies as you want. They make great gifts!

Blatant self-promotion? You betcha!

mark rothko chapel

During a recent family reunion in Houston, we visited the Mark Rothko Chapel. The paintings in the chapel represent his last body of work prior to committing suicide. He said that he hoped (and I paraphrase here) that the viewer would connect with the emotions he felt when he painted these pieces and that they too would weep uncontrollably.

more miya ando stanoff images

These are the two final Stanoff steel pieces I had mentioned earlier that I would post.

gambling and sexual urges . . .

At a recent physical, I told my doctor about my Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS), a condition that causes my legs to feel as if tiny electrical impulses were running through them, resulting in outbreaks of dance-like jigs as I settle into bed for the night. Interestingly, a possible side-effect of the medication she prescribed, is an increased propensity to gamble or have sexual urges. WHAAAT?!?! How can a drug designed to quell involuntary jerks of your legs at night possibly affect such behavior? It is almost as far-fetched as a warning: "possible side-effects may include the desire to wear plaid."

In any event, my night-time jigs in bed have been eliminated and to my knowledge, I have suffered none of the potential side-effects. AND, I'll lay you 10-to-1 odds, I never will . . .

Art of the Samurai Sword

While on a recent trip to Sun Valley, we visited our favorite gallery: the Anne Reed Gallery. There were two show running, both featuring artists of Japanese descent. One in particular, a half-Japanese, half-Russian artist named Miya Ando Stanoff attracted our attention with her beautiful abstract work on sheets of steel. Stanoff uses a combination of pigments, encaustics, heat, lacquer and various surface treatments (like sanding) to achieve ethereal, moody, landscape-like pieces. Due to the surface properties of steel, each piece changes with the light or viewing angle. The dark areas become the light areas, and vice versa. It is very captivating and magical.

She mentions in an interview that her ancesters were swordsmakers, and thus the medium resonates for her almost as a legacy. We were reminded of the work of Rothko, and indeed her work can be interpreted as either very solemn, or as beautifully tranquil, depending upon your glass half-empty/glass half-full perspective. Needless to say, we purchased three of her pieces we felt complemented one another. I'll post photos of these works shortly, but in the meantime, you can see examples on Stanoff's website at www.miyaandostanoff.com.

being gay isn't everything . . .

Recently, somebody I work closely with was doing research on what we initially thought was a summer camp for gay kids. We had assumed it was to help address issues of identity and pride and learning strategies to cope with a sometimes prejudice environment. My friend commented that although she felt such programs were valuable, being gay was only a small component of what defined her. While it is important to recognize her sexuality, it is equally important to not allow this one aspect of who she is, to overshadow her other attributes.

friendship

Below are some thoughts from a friend (who will at present remain unnamed until I can procure her permission to credit her publicly):

Keeping in touch gives us protection from the meanness of life. We are driven to keep in touch because we're human and it's one of the nice things we do. It provides us with ties to others in the clan so that when we scream for help, someone responds. It gives us a break in the tedium and sometimes imparts joy. We learn from another's experiences, but this is extremely rare as evidenced by the dumb things people do after being told "don't do that."

directions . . .

Thus far, the content of this blog has been heavily oriented towards my photography. It's easy to rely on the vocabulary of imagery since this is what most readily attracts our interest. I hope to put down some thoughts unrelated to photography though, something more oriented towards observations and "what I know" kind of things, as I become more comfortable with this medium.

bonnie

This is a photo I stumbled across recently from a shoot I did almost 10 years ago. It was one of the few I've taken with a 4x5 view camera. I used Polaroid film for this shot, and thus it is the only image. There is no negative, so I re-photographed the image with my DSLR and "cleaned it up" with Photoshop. Often, I'll digitally manipulate an image to create a shallow depth of field, but they invariably look wrong somehow. This photo is an example of the real McCoy: good old-fashioned genuine view camera imagery.

the rolleiflex minidigi af 5.0!

Photographers are geeks. I should know. "I are one." As such, we LOVE our photographic equipment. I doubt painters could wax philosophic for hours about the merits of one brush over another like photographers do over their cameras. If so, I wonder if they experience the same glazing over of the eyes of the poor victim trapped in such conversations. As a warning to the unitiated, this thread is leading towards just such a discussion. If you are not interested in equipment, get out now!


Over the course of the development of photography, certain manufacturer's cameras helped define the art. In more recent times, these cameras included chronologically, the Graflex, the Rolleiflex twin-lens reflex, the Leica rangefinder, the Nikon F, to name a few. These cameras became increasingly more portable, enabling photographers to be there at "the decisive moment." But I digress. . . Recently, Komamura Corporation, unveiled its latest incarnation of the classic Rolleiflex Camera. It is a miniature digital replica, scaled to 3 inches tall, "boasting" an interpolated 5 megapixels of resolution. The replica comes in either a traditional black model or a new, hot "red" version (which was never produced by Rolleiflex, but SHOULD). Needless to say, as a photo geek, I had to have one. I have an actual Rolleiflex that I inherited from my uncle, but this new toy replica is an homage; not necessarily one that is to be employed as a serious photographic tool, but one that can be displayed prominently on a shelf for other geeks to admire and fawn over. It appeals to my Japanese sensibility as we seem captivated by ANYTHING in miniature.


The camera is shown above, although with no frame of reference, it's small size is not really given justice.

Trojan Bird

It's always interesting to select what to post, since it reveals so much about what is relevant to the blogger. In this instance, I'm particularly proud of this image, which I recently submitted to PDNs (Photo District News) Annual Digital Imaging competition.