You'd think he has a PR agent (he doesn't).

Italy
Turkey
China

And, this week he's in Europe for his solo exhibit opening in London.

Retablos • click to embiggenWhile I was in Syracuse, I visited Light Work, where I viewed the work of DON GREGORIO ANTÓN. Anton is most definitely an artist who uses photography.

From the show description: Don Gregorio Antón creates mystical retablos that look like sacred objects. They are intimately small and sit on stands to be viewed individually. Each retablo is one of a kind. Frida Kahlo described retablos as the truest representation of the people’s art. Also called ex votos, they have been part of Mexico’s tradition since the seventeenth century. They were originally hung behind the altars of Catholic churches, and remain a tradition to this day.

Antón uses the visual language of the retablo to create existential tales of human existence that speak of spiritual searching, suffering, hope and despair, life and death ...
Close views • click to embiggenAntón’s work is likely to provoke a different response in every viewer. The retablos can be appreciated for their mysterious beauty, their haunting narratives, and their intense spirituality. Where we find ourselves in our lives may be where we find ourselves in Antón’s retablos.

The Catholic altar boy in me likes the use of the monstrance and the small prints (translucent images on copper) also take on the appearance of scared objects / religious icons. My only issue with the work was that the narratives where very difficult to read.

Check out the link to the show and let me know what you think.

Evidence of past lives • click to embiggenI received an email yesterday about a multi-year, multi-school reunion weekend in my hometown of Rochester, NY. Out of curiosity, I clicked on the link to see what it was about.

It actually seems like a fun event so I clicked on an Image Gallery link, thinking that it might have pictures from past reunions. Wrong. It was actually 6 galleries, one from each school included in the reunion event, of pictures from the good old days. And there, in amongst some from my school, I came across this picture which includes yours truly.

I have absolutely no memory of the pictured event. I'm totally clue less as to exactly what it was we were trying to convey. Although, there does seem to be an organizing concept of 'signs', not to mention eye wear, white socks and bare calves. I am absolutely certain that, whatever we were up to at that moment, it must have seemed like a damn good idea at the time.

Chuck Avery sent pictures back in July and, as I mentioned, I totally overlooked them ( along with some others). So, better late than never is the order of the day.

Chuck and I share both a similar 'how we came to photography' stories and a similar approach to how we approach our subjects. Like me, Chuck started out in architecture but for one reason or another, became disillusioned with it and then, again like me, turned to photography. There are other interesting parallels in our lives but I won't get into that because it all starts to sound a bit 'creepy'.

Photography-wise, we tend to approach our subjects in as similar manner - he states on his website that, "...Instead of taking a dogmatic approach with this project by condemning urban sprawl, I would rather inspire awareness of the process and help to pose questions ..." I appreciate the fact that Chuck is picturing in a somewhat objective 'bear-witness' manner - using the medium's 'reality effect' to 'inspire awareness' about a subject to which he is drawn. He then has the artistic confidence to 'pose questions' about his subject rather than imposing answers - hopefully inciting discourse and thought. I also find his pictures to be visually stimulating. My eye enjoys working the visual landscapes that he presents - they have a quite and engaging visual beauty, albeit a 'horrifying' one, of which I never seem to tire.

Some might (correctly) pose that Chuck is doing nothing 'new', that his pictures are very 'derivative' of the New Topography school. While this certainly has an element of truth, what I most appreciate about his pictures is that they are linked to a sense of place - his place - and his concern for his place. His pictures do however transcend the merely 'local'. The 'connoted' subject they address is indeed a global one.

All in all, I find Chuck's pictures to be both illustrative and illuminating. Would that there were legions of Chuck Averys doing the 'same' thing (rather than the ubiquitous pretty landscape crap) The planet just might be a better place.

You can see more of Chuck Avery's pictures on his website. The pictures presented here are from his Landscapes of Progress gallery, but don't stop there, check out all of his galleries.

On Monday, Aaron sent me an email stating, "so it's wonderful that people in Russia think I'm famous, and a chinese magazine wants to show my work and that I get random emails from people simply just to proclaim their admiration, etc...but why hasn't a single teenie tiny print been sold? is that a concern? are the "right" people just not seeing this?

arghhh..."

Ahhh, welcome to one of the many wonderful forms artist's angst. My response? For crying out loud, you haven't even had your show yet. Patience, my son. Remember, patience is a virtue.

And that's all it would have been, except ...

I get a call from Aaron around 8:30pm last evening, and guess what? He sold 4 of his 40×20 limited edition (15) prints to member of the Board of Directors of the Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston.

So, here's a suggestion - NO MORE WHINING FROM YOU

Global clippings • click to embiggenIt is interesting, to say the least, following the 'round the world hubbub about Aaron's Cinemascapes.

The opening for his NYC show should prove to very interesting since a couple of biggies on the NYC art scene have picked up on his work and are writing about it even before the show. All of this buzz has been mainly product of the web - it is simply amazing how it has spread like wildfire around the globe. Embiggen the 'clippings' thumbnail and note all the different languages.

Aaron's pictures certainly deserve the attention they are garnering, but the speed with which they have gained atention around the world is simply incredible.

House wine and other views • click to embiggenIn a heroic feat of mind over body, I managed to get my still-ailing body out of the house and to Aaron's 'preview' exhibition. It was a great success.

Congratulations to Aaron - his first 'real' gallery show, a very nice turnout throughout the evening, and, actual opening night print sales.

Next stop, NYC.

Leaving time at the beach • click to embiggenWhile checking my daily recent came from stats, I noticed that someone had click through to The Landscapist from Pitchertaker, a blog by Frank Armstrong.

Frank must check in at The Landscapist enought to know that I had just returned from the Jersey Shore, as had he. If you would like another look at a few interesting pictures of the Jersey Shore, visit Pitchertaking and take a look.

There is also a link to Frank's 'formal' website which is well worth a visit.

Thanks for stopping by, Frank.