A long enough hiatus......

It's not uncommon for me to go several months between periods of creativity, so the fact that I haven't posted anything since April is no great surprise. I've come to accept the fact that I am an intermittently prolific person, someone who goes through alternating periods of creativity/productivity and rest/observation. It's during these periods that I spend more time engaged in other productive pass-times like sewing, rearranging my furniture, reading, and sometimes even cooking (although I admit that my version of cooking is heating up some already cooked thing from Trader Joe's).
Having said that, last weekend was my first real productive time spent in my new studio space (which by the way, I absolutely love). I can't say I'm thrilled with the outcome but I'm accustomed to the awkward "re-entry" period after being out of practice for some time.


I also dragged myself to my brothers drawing class on Tuesday night and I'm so glad I did. It's like going to the gym after being completely inactive ~ it's a great place to get back into the swing of "seeing" and flexing those drawing muscles. And of course, there is no better teacher on earth than my brother. Even after all these years I am still in awe of his talents as a teacher and the miracles he brings out in people. I tend to take more risks in the classroom setting and because my brother knows me so well, he can really push me to move away from my habit of 'staying safe'.



I did this drawing and then cropped it with my trusty iPhone camera. Because it's an exercise done in class, I'm not attached to the outcome, and because I'm not attached to the outcome, I usually walk away with a nice little surprise. I'm thinking this might end up in a new collage piece, which would be a new direction for me ~ less realistic imagery and more pure form. I think it will be a nice change.....

A Walk Through Gowanus....

I took a walk through the Gowanus Canal yesterday, from Park Slope to Columbia Street. It was an overcast, dreary day, but I knew I'd find some interesting things to shoot regardless of the grey light. I donned myself with my Argus 75, Nikon Coolpix, and of course my iPhone ~ just to make sure I had all my bases covered and could easily shoot on the fly.


Alternating between shooting Through the Viewfinder (TtV) and Hipstamatic I wandered down Union towards Columbia Street. There are good things about each way of shooting. TtV allows you to get candid shots of people who don't realize you are taking their picture. Since you are looking down at some weird contraption that bares no resemblance to a modern day camera people just assume you are weird. On the other hand, the nice thing about the iPhone is you can shoot quickly and candidly without taking time to focus or compose your image and you get to see the results immediately, not to mention that the variety of effects are endless.


I took over 100 pics and couldn't wait to get home to compare the results. Is it even worth taking TtV pics when the iPhone has so many great applications that give you as good or better effects? Well, yes, and no. Although you get a variety of effects with the iPhone the pictures taken TtV are more subtle and have that "old film" look to them. You can't really get that with an iPhone. Also, there's something about shooting with an actual "camera" that makes you feel like you are really taking a picture. Those of you who are too young to remember what an actual camera is will have to take my word for this. There was something so magical about lugging around a clunky, large, heavy device, and then waiting to develop the shots, that we just don't experience anymore. Instant gratification is nice, but that element of surprise is totally gone. Although you don't have to wait very long to see your results with TtV photography, you do have to upload the shots to your computer, crop the images and sometimes do a bit of color editing to get the final image.

In either case, both ways of shooting are so damn easy it almost feels like cheating to take credit for a good shot. I don't think I'll ever graduate to using a DSLR with all it's complicated buttons and long user manuals. The only thing that matters to me is the final result and for now I'm totally happy with my uncomplicated cheater's photography.....

For those of you who are curious:
#1 - Hipstamatic
#2 - TtV
#3 - TtV
#4 - TtV
#5 - Hipstamatic
#6 - Hipstamatic

The Simplest Thing.....

Sometimes, the simplest thing catches my eye and I become transfixed by it's mundane beauty. I want to look at it over and over and over again, as if I could burn it's image into my minds eye and have it there to look at any time I wanted. There is a strange sense of contentment that comes over me, and I feel completely satiated, satisfied, and oddly awe-struck, as though I came to know the reason for my existence in a single glance. I call these my "American Beauty, paper bag in the wind" moments. Those of you who have seen the film and have had this experience will know exactly what I mean.


This happened the other day on the Lower East Side of Manhattan when, assisting a friend with a costume fitting for a group of High School dance students, I looked up and saw the most amazing group of light fixtures hanging in the dark school auditorium around 60 feet above my head. I grabbed my camera and I took around 20 shots, just to make sure I captured the image at several subtly different angles.

Upon coming home, I quickly transferred the images to my computer and spent the next several hours playing with the exposures, rotating the images, and just basking in the pleasure of looking at them over and over and over.....but only until the next "paper bag in the wind" blows past me.....

Through the Viewfinder......

I've been wanting to learn how to take pics "through the viewfinder" and today I figured it out. I knew it required an old box camera and this morning while looking on ebay for one I could afford, I suddenly remembered that I had my dad's old Argus 75 Twin Lens Reflex stored away somewhere. I dug it out and rigged up a very rudimentary contraption for keeping the light out of the viewfinder, grabbed my Nikon Coopix 'point & shoot', and headed for the park. It worked pretty well and these are some of the first successful shots. Next step is to build a better light blocker and rig up a way to keep the digital attached to the box camera in a secure position for more 'on the fly' shooting.


















After taking some test shots indoors I ventured outside to give it a try. It was a bit challenging to figure out the correct distance from the bottom camera lens to hold my point and shoot Coolpix, but once I figured it out, I got some acceptable shots.


















When I came home, I couldn't resist playing around with some of my iPhone apps and seeing how the effects would looked laid over the TTV pics. I think once I get the hang of working the two cameras together I won't need to rely on any apps to get some great effects.

.....Definitely taking the Argus 75 on the next road trip.

A day in the country......

Yesterday, I spent a day wandering around Ulster County snapping away on my iPhone. The locations and weather gave the day a very "Twin Peaks" feeling to it and when we happened upon an abandoned string of train cars I thought I had died and went to David Lynch Heaven. Since I've been doing more photography than painting or collage-making lately, I seized the opportunity to shoot every square inch of the lonely cabooses. And I had two inspiring and very willing subjects with me, just itching to throw themselves in front of my lens and ham it up.



This abandoned train must have been a first class vehicle in it's day because it had a complete kitchen and was wider and longer than any modern day train I'd ever been on. With a little renovation, I could have easily lived on it a la Ruth Gordon in "Harold and Maude".


Baxter and James were only too willing to incorporate themselves into the surroundings at every turn. The fact that the floor had gaping holes in it and looked on the verge of collapsing, didn't stop James from dancing up and down the isles.
Earlier in the day an old stone house and a barn in a field caught my eye and the boys were more than happy to offer their likenesses to each shot. The only opportunity missed was getting a picture of the incredible wrinkley deaf proprietor of the antique shop that was housed in the stone building. Her face was a like a road map to every day she lived in her 80-something years....


The day started with a disappointing lunch in the town of New Paltz followed by a jaunt through the local antique markets where I picked up a few goodies to add to my burgeoning collection of trinkets from times gone by. My one regret was not buying the little tin type photo with the wonderful back side that was way more interesting than the image on the front.

Remain Alert....

As artists it's important to remember that what the eye sees, the mind remembers and becomes grist for the mill in the studio. That's why it's so crucial to remain alert to one's surroundings even when one is not in the midst of a creative moment. This was never more apparent to me than during the one year I spent in graduate school at Bennington College in Vermont. Living in such a bucolic setting might seem like a dream come true to a visual artist. And if graduate school gives us anything it gives us abundant, uninterrupted time to create. For me, a die-hard city dweller, I found the "eye candy" of country living looked more like "eye broccoli" which made it virtually impossible to find any visual stimulus on which my senses could feed. Surrounded by nothing but trees and mountains and more trees and mountains, whether they were lush with green or covered with snow or on fire with the colors of fall, it all looked the same and my eyes (and soul) starved. For some, those trees were a dream come true, but they left me hungry and yearning for something more.

Today, while wandering around the west side of Manhattan, amidst industrial buildings, car lots, and sleeping homeless people, I happened upon a window lined with miniature vintage cars just waiting for me to feed upon them. If I had not been alert to my surroundings, I might have missed these gems. But since I am always "eating with my eyes" I stopped to feed on this beautiful urban image and capture it with my phone.

A crack in a wall, a brick wall stained with pigeon droppings, a discarded cup of coffee, the randomness of several strangers in a subway car all wearing the same color....All of these things are happening right before our eyes every day, but if we are not vigilant in our awareness we might miss them. Re-think your idea of beauty and you will see that it is all around you......

Something old / something blue....

I came home feeling somewhat blue and alone tonight. That's kind of putting it in the simplest of terms because if I really examine how I feel, I'll get all existential and bleak. So let's just leave it at feeling "blue". Whenever I experience these moments of isolation, I either put on some Joy Division music and wallow (which is always a bad idea), or sit in my studio and look around (much better idea). Just being in the presence of all the stuff in there gives me back my sense of self and purpose. Tonight I focused on all the old books and thought about the people who wrote them so long ago. None of those people are alive today, but this object, this book, this....piece of pulp and cardboard they created still exists.

In this short life we've all been given, the only real meaningful gesture of permanence we can make is to leave something behind after we're gone. For some, that thing may be children, or a legacy of wealth, or an idea or invention. But for other's it's simply a piece of art. And for me, that as important as anything else....

So this night will end and tomorrow I'll feel better, because we all know feelings are fleeting and changeable. I'll wait anxiously for the weekend when I will make an effort at turning that "old stuff" into something lasting and more permanent than myself.....

"Threads of Memory"....

Just finished working on my first costume project for a piece entitled Threads of Memory choreographed by my friend, Nile Baker. After four weeks of sewing, un-sewing, and re-sewing at Elena Comendador's Treehouse Productions Studio, seeing the final project danced by 5 incredible young talents made it all worth it. My encaustic collage of the Grand Canal was also projected on a rear screen behind the dancers, pulling the whole piece together and creating a cohesive visual environment for Nile's vibrant and singularly individual choreography.

I documented the process of the sewing and choreography from start to finish. Except for the moments my nerves were torn to shreds and my one tearful breakdown when I thought my friendship with Nile was coming to a screeching halt, working with friends was a wonderful, learning experience. Elena patiently re-threaded the machine every time I missed a loop, and Nile calmed my nerves even though he was under the incredible stress of finishing the piece with one of the dancers missing an entire week of rehearsals.

The night before the performance, Nile and I nearly asphyxiated ourselves spraying shoe polish and enamel paint on the tulle skirts, but the final effect was absolutely perfect. Now I'm looking forward to getting back into my studio and painting again......

Beginner's Mind.....

I'm working with a beginner's mind these days. It seems I am also working with a beginner's hand. It always takes time for my hands and eyes to 're-learn' how to do what they do best between studio sessions, especially when they are a month apart from one another. As expected, frustration reigned supreme in the studio today. And now I am rewarding myself with a glass of wine, some Scott Walker on my iPod, low lights, and cozy PJ's while I gaze upon the fruits of today's labors.


I'm collaborating with friends on several dance projects, which I am thoroughly excited about. But, it has been both exhilarating and exasperating at the same time, as collaborating tends to be. Regardless, it has been an incredible learning experience, and I'm hoping it leads to further collaborations with dancers, writers, and musicians.
Ahhh, what a journey.......

Arithmos 6......and beyond........

I have finally come back to the studio, after several MONTHS of inactivity. The summer had a feeling of being on vacation, with my dear friend Dee staying with me for 8 glorious, but infernally hot weeks. I enjoyed playing around the city with her, doing lots of ashtanga yoga, eating, drinking, and laughing. All of that left very little time for working in the studio. But love and friendship feed the soul, and the soul is the seat of creativity. So now the fall is upon us and having been fed to the gills all summer long with pleasure, joy and friendship, I'm looking forward to getting back to work with a new series of works.

Arithmos 6
Several weeks ago, to top of the end of summer, I had a successful showing of my family history pieces. Myself and 5 other artists shared a one night event called "Arithmos 6". The turnout was spectacular and the response to my work was better than I could have ever asked for. It was all very reaffirming and exhilarating. So now I'm trying to hold on to the feeling of inspiration that comes after a positive response to ones work from both friends and total strangers. To get the ball rolling again, I revisited an unfinished piece that has been sitting around for ages and brought it to a simple conclusion. Best not to try too hard when you are teetering on the brink of productivity and inactivity.

110 degrees in the shade.....

work in progress
After many weeks of avoiding the studio because of the heat, I chose today, the hottest day of the year so far, to get back to work. It's been so hot in my apartment/studio that several of my pieces have started literally melting and peeling. But with the heat showing no signs of letting up I decided the time was either now or October to get some work done.

Strangely enough, I can tolerate the heat of the studio much better than I can the heat of the blazing New York streets, so once I got started I was on a roll with heat gun, hot plate, and sunshine baking my workspace. Unfortunately, I was stopped short by a self-inflicted gash on my left pointer finger. I narrowly avoided a trip to the emergency room with quick thinking and a brown paper bag to stop the gushing blood......I was able to at least get a start on a new piece, priming a hardboard and placing it in the freezer to avoid melting. Since this heat wave shows no signs of abating I guess I will working all summer long in the inferno that is my studio and home....

Au revoir, Louise....

She inspired me to the very core....

Finalmente...!

Traffic Light
After several weeks (!) of not working, I finally got some stuff done today in the blazing heat of my studio. Dealing with a broken heat gun and resorting to using my hair dryer (which works, by the way), I labored over three small panels. I tried scanning these with my new scanner, but not sure they look any better than when I shoot them with my Coolpix. Anyway, I'm glad I got some work done....

Carissimo Fratello