what is a photograph? (# 1?)

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civilized ku # 2690 ~ tripping on my trip

murals ~ New York, NY • click to embiggenI nearly lost my grip, tenuous as it might be, on reality when I was standing in front of this imagery during my recent trip to NYC..

sweepings 03.16.2014 / 11:13:24 AM ~ starting on the ground floor

sweepings • click to embiggenIn yesterday's entry I mentioned the possibility of starting another body of work from scratch. Well, here's #1 in what I am labeling my sweepings series.

Much to the wife's chagrin, I have starting collecting - in styrofoam cups - the accumulated detritus I sweep up from our kitchen floor (that's where all the debris action is). It's not that she minds the fact that I sweep the floor, but rather that I will sweep the floor less frequently in order that there be a meaningful accumulation of diverse particulate matter to be had. Saving the stuff is OK with her as long as it is kept well out of her field of vision.

My picturing M.O. after sweeping and collecting the floor sweepings is to dump the material on to a white mat board and let it fall and arrange itself into whatever random pattern the laws of gravity and those of objects in motion produce. To keep the light the same, the mat board will be placed in the same spot in front of the same north-facing window on a sunny day which will result in a soft even light of the same color temperature from picture to picture.

Of course, the same camera/sensor/lens combination will be used throughout the duration of the picture making and each printed picture will be titled - handwritten - with the date and time of the making of the picture.

More to follow.

civilized ku # 2689 / single women # 26 / picture windows # 62 / kitchen life # 49 ~ another useless artist

Another Useless Artist ~ New York, NY • click to embiggen
single women ~ New York, NY • click to embiggen

picture windows ~ New York, NY • click to embiggen

kitchen life ~ Au Sable Forks, NY • click to embiggenEven though I continue to be very productive picture making wise - 100+ new pictures in the last 30 days - I am feeling more than just a bit un-focused / aimless or, perhaps more accurately, plain and simple just flat out restless.

As evidenced by today's picture entries, in just the last week I have made additions to several of my bodies of work, including more which are not included here. And, it's worth noting that I am rather pleased with the work I have been adding to my various picture projects. I am even contemplating the start of yet another separate body of work which would begin completely from scratch.

Consequently, I can write with both conviction and certainty that I am not suffering from a picture maker's mental block, a deficiency of picture making motivation, or feelings of picture making inadequacy. No, not at all. After careful rumination and contemplation, there is no doubt in my mind that my current restless picture-related mental state does not stem from any of those picture making maladies.

Rather, I am quite certain that the bee in my bonnet, thorn in my side, idée fixe or monomania is instigated by the fact that I have not exhibited - gallery or art institution wise - any of my pictures for the better part of a year. Quite frankly, I don't find exhibition opportunities scarce or hard to come by. That is to write, when I set my mind to seeking them out. However, the truth of the matter is that I have been a slacker of sorts in that department.

I believe the reason for that situation is simple - most of my recent exhibits have been in not-for-profit art organization / institution galleries. Galleries which have funding which is not dependent upon selling something. Consequently, gallery goers who frequent those venues, generally speaking, are most interested in looking at rather than looking to acquire art.

Privately owned for-profit galleries are an entirely different matter. In order to exist, they need to sell something and in the process, make a profit. When the owner / director of such a place makes a decision to exhibit an artist, they do so with making a profit in mind - will the artwork appeal to and subsequently sell to their clientele? Which, in very real manner, makes getting one's work into a private gallery a real challenge.

Not only does an artist have to make interesting art but he/she must then find a gallery owner / director receptive to the work and who has a clientele receptive to the work and is willing to part with $$$$ to acquire it. Trying to win that trifecta is indeed a very daunting challenge.

All of that written, I want to exhibit my work in more privately owned galleries. That desire is fueled by my wish to sell pictures, but .... I want to sell pictures, not for the $$$$ (although I won't turn it down), but for the satisfaction of knowing there those who appreciate my work and are willing to part with something of value ($$$) to acquire something they consider to be of value, aka; one (or more) of my pictures.

So, it's time to make a plan*, get off my butt and implement that plan, and then sell some pictures.

*The biggest challenge I face in making a plan is to decide which of my bodies of work do I develop my plan around.

civilized ku # 2688 ~ vroom vroom

motor / Bugatti Veyron ~ New York, NY • click to embiggenWretched excess. Bugatti Veyron 16.4 - 8 liter, 16 cylinder, 64 DOHC valve, 4 turbochargers, 10 radiators, AWD, 1000-1200HP, 0-60 / 2.4 sec., top speed 253 MPH. Sticker price - $2,500,000.00USD and some change.

And get this - (just one maintenance example) if you actually drive the car, in the US the Michelin Pilot Sport 2 tires fashioned with the Veyron's unique compound cost about $30,000. Bugatti recommends you change them every 2,500 miles, and at every 10,000 miles the company recommends changing the tires and wheels, which runs north of $50,000.

You can view a BBC TOP GEAR Veryon top speed run here. I like the part when the driver is approaching top speed and notes that, at that speed, the tires will only last for 15 minutes but that's OK because the fuel will run out in 10 minutes.

civilized ku # 2687 ~ good, better, best

Boots & Saddles ~ New York, NY • click to embiggenMy visit to NYC was a real joy, made so by the company of Giuliano and Robert, a very interesting photo gallery crawl, a couple great meals (to include a $50 shot of 21 year old Red Breast Irish Whiskey), and the viewing of the Finding Vivian Maier documentary film, to name just a few goodies.

The film was very interesting and when taken together with the book of her self portraits - Vivian Maier ~ Self Portraits - quite emotionally powerful. I purchased the book at the movie theater and I'm very glad I did. I highly recommend both.

Many more pictures and tidbits (a very interesting development in the Chelsea photo gallery world) from the trip to follow.

civlized ku # 2686 ~ arrivederci (per la presente)

Giuliano on the 120m Olympic ski jump ~ Lake Placid, NY - in the Adirondack Park • click to embiggenMy time as a tour guide and picture making opinionator / racontour for the Italian guy - truly a very swell fellow - are over. Giuliano left yesterday for NYC* where he met up with my good friend, Robert, who while he is tending to a good friend in Queens, has graciously let Giuliano stay in his NYC apartment for the few days he will be in NYC.

I bid Giuliano arrivederci, per la presente, since I be with him again as I will be heading on Monday to NYC to: 1)visit my good friend, 2)visit picture galleries in Chelsea with Guiliano, 3)strange as it might seem, take Giuliano to an excellent Italian restaurant, and last, but by no means lest, 4)to see this film (you can read the review, The Nanny as Sphinx, Weaving Enigmatic Magic on the Sly ~ 'Finding Vivian Maier' Explores a Mysterious Photographer here). The film was just released and I doubt it will be shown in my area any time soon, if ever.

*Giuliano left for NYC on a train. An experience which contrasted, for the worse (much worse), with his train experience in Italy where he can board a high-speed bullet train and get somewhere fast and easy. Here in the good ol' USofA, we don't cotton much to public / mass transportation. In our little corner of the country, Guiliano (as was I) was stunned to learn, when we arrived at the train station (a tiny little room in the basement of the grand building which formerly was the train station) that one can not purchase a ticket for the train

There was a sign indicating an 800 number to call to purchase a ticket which, on the face of it, didn't seem like a problem ... except .... the ticket purchase automated voice system had great difficulty understanding Giuliano's excellent English because of his Italian accent. So much so that he said "the hell with it" and decided to board the train without a reservation number.

I didn't think that was the best of ideas, so I called the wife and she got on the computer and did the transaction, forwarding the reservation number by texting it to me. I could have done the same with my cell phone but if I had experienced anything near the difficulty Giulano had, I would have hurled my phone into nearby Lake Champlain.

Giuliano was also amused and puzzled by the fact that, once the southbound train from Montreal to NYC crosses into the the good ol' USofA, there but one, count'em, one track on the line all the way to Albany. Inasmuch as freight trains have the ride-of-way on the single track, a passenger train must be shunted to a siding where it might sit for 45-60 minutes while waiting for the freight train to pass. Needless to state, passenger trains on this line do not have a very good track record (take that Jimmi Nuffin) of on-time arrivals.

What a joke. Except, it's not a joke - it's a national disgrace.

civilized ku # 2685 ~ Italian connection

blue vase ~ Au Sable Forks, NY - in the Adirondack Park • click to embiggenI have quite a backlog of pictures to post but I have been spending all of my time (and enjoying it) with the Italian guy - showing him around the Adirondacks, talking about picture making, and looking through some of my photo book library collection - not just my photo books but those of "famous" fine art picture makers.

I'm thoroughly enjoying every minute of it. Makes me realize how much I miss not being around other picture makers (the 'serious' type) on a more regular basis.