How Far We've Come

Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii,
A Chapel on the Site Where the Old City of Belozersk Stood 1909

I just got a link about the Library of Congress using color plates developed by a Russian Photographer before the First World War to recreate images of the Russian Empire in color. The photographs are quite amazing. Personally, this image takes the cake. Without the Architectural signature the countryside and the small chapel could easily be in Rural Alabama.

This makes me consider the appropriation of style from our photographic predecessors. I will proudly say that I am directly influenced by color nuances of William Eggleston and the directness of William Christenberry. These and many others have a direct bearing on my process (see the list to the right), but this image has all the same qualities and I dare say that neither I nor my influences have ever seen it.

This makes me consider the idea that there may be some inherent way of seeing and framing that every photographer (or any artist for that matter) possesses. Could there be a quality within our own brains that make us decide how frames should be filled and with what. Was I born a Minimal thinker or did I just become a Topographical personality.

Despite how we get here, we must agree to the beauty that surrounds us and a need to share it with our chosen art.

Work From the Heart

Truck, Highway 7, Mississippi 2005

Today I did a portfolio review with a photographer who is making a new body of work to try to fit into certain art shows. This artist seems to feel that her prior work wasn't taken as seriously as it should be by certain reviewers. I feel torn with this idea. Personally I am a bit stubborn when it comes to the how and why that I make my photographs, so the idea of trying to fit has never crossed my mind. I figure that people will either get it or they won't, I will continue down my path.

For this artist, I believe that both (or all three) bodies of work are valid and honest and deserve equal attention. I feel also that as photographers we react to what we feel as we see the world. By this I mean that our heart tells our hands to react to what our eyes see. The part of the equation that matters most is the heart. I understand, very much, the need to show and have our work accepted by our peers and judges, yet I hope that all photographers see the value in creating art from ourselves and letting the rest fall into place. Sometimes I think that we don't need to explain or justify our decisions, sometimes we just take pictures that we feel are important.

How We Got Here

House In Pasture (Detail), Highway 81, Tennessee 2006

I was working on some new images from my last trip home (I grew up in East Tennessee) and began looking very deeply into the details of this image. As I looked at the stripes on the porch, the chair waiting to be saved, and considered the story that I had heard from a neighbor of this house, I began to wonder how we got here. More importantly I began to think about how I got here. Not how I got here physically or philosophically, but how I developed the want and the need to photograph the way I do (which may turn out to be philosophical). I looked at this and thought of other patterns that I have developed photographically compared this with the choices I have made in my personal life and asked "How Did I Get Here?"

I think as a photographer and an artist, this is a question that comes up more often than I notice. Only when I let it loose in this forum, to ask it to everyone who will listen, does it really become a force of a question. I believe that all of it is circumstantial. Yes, I do feel that I was meant to be creative, an artist. I know that to be true, it is in mine and so many others’ make up. The more interesting question is the how and why when it comes to media, subject, habit, pattern, obsession. All of these factors play into who we are and what we have and will become. All of us have choices to make and suddenly more choices. These choices lead us down paths and eventually roads.

I wouldn't change a thing. That chair looks relaxed on that porch, so should we all.

Chris Miller & jw lawson @ FORWARD 2007

Chris Miller, Ice Princess 2006
jw lawson, Abandoned Garage, Old Highway 421, North Carolina 2004

Congrats to Chris Miller and jw lawson for receiving prizes in the FORWARD 2007 Biennial at The Charles Allis Art Museum in Milwaukee. Chris won 2nd prize for the Ice Princess and jw took an Honorable Mention for his Abandoned Garage.

The emerging talent in Milwaukee right now needs to be recognized for its contribution to the cultural wealth of the city.

We were proud to have Chris Miller as the first solo show here at the gallery and now I am proud to be included with him at this great event.

FORWARD 2007: Wisconsin Art Now
May 9 - July 29, 2007
Opening reception May 9, 5:30pm - 8:30pm

Charles Allis Art Museum
1801 N. Prospect Ave.
Milwaukee WI 53202

Here We Are

Ladder, Highway 21, Wisconsin 2003

Sign, Holly Springs, Mississippi 2005

Off and on for the last 5 years, driving and driving and driving, thousands of miles to make photographs I have asked myself about the meaning of what I am doing. Sometimes it feels so clear, despite the ability to bring words to it right away, other times I am lost in it. Maybe there isn't a solid meaning, maybe it is just what I was meant to be doing. Myself and my work are merely a combination of circumstances that have combined to create a whole person with a specific way of seeing and being.

Many of the places I travel are out of the way. Much of the time I go in those directions with ideas about what I will find that are never fulfilled. Mostly, I find things that I never would have seen otherwise. I think this gets to the heart of my work, especially the highway and travel portion of my work. In fact, I think it may be a root in the beauty of Phtography as a medium of expressing ourselves. To be able to bring back something of the world, wrap it into a lot of our inner selves, and give it to the rest of the world. This is bigger than the idea of "a way of seeing", this is a way of working and a way of living.

Much of the pride in my work lies in the mystery that unfolded while I was working. The notion of finding a truly beautiful world, beyond the typical range of site. Economically and politically these places are pushed out of the common conscience, yet here they are. I have gone out and grabbed a piece of them for everyone to see. A piece, albeit, of my own design and fashioned with my own frame of mind, but a piece that the viewer may have never known otherwise. I like to think that I am bringing recognition to my subjects as well as the history that may have brought the subjects into being.

Decibully

Decibully, Milwaukee, WI May 2007

Today I had the pleasure of photographing Decibully for an upcoming press article. It has been nearly a year since I last photographed them and the band has changed its lineup somewhat since then. I love working on these type of images. Adapting to whatever location and dealing with the myriad of jokes and inside quirks that bands have, especially with 7 members.

Mostly I just love getting to be close friends with other artists through my own artform. As we move along though our respective carreers, we seem to have more to say and gather even more appreciation for each other. I am speaking, of course, about the relationship between photographer and subject, artist and artist(s), and eventually friend and friend. I love these boys and truly love their work. I am humbled that they would choose me as their photographer more than once.

Something else that was fun about the shoot was that we did it in their rehearsal space/studio. Albeit we had to improvise to make the shot more dynamic, there was plenty to offer visually in the space. Seeing how other artists use their space and individualize it is always fun. I always love to be in other studios, whether its a painter, musician, printmaker, whomever. Seeing how "the magic happens" always gives me a better understanding of the work produced. I think that sometimes a studio space can be more telling than the artist's own words.

The Way We See

Tires and Doors, Highway 58, Virginia, 2004

I recently read a blog by a fellow photographer that questioned the subject choices of some other photographers. Most importantly he decided to judge what was art and what wasn't. Without question, he is NOT the authority. To try and be clever he decided to go make a random photograph similar to whatever trend he has been witnessing and in the same stroke he deemed his image invalid. I will agree that his version of what he has been seeing is invalid, trite, and short sighted.

I don't think any of us, despite education and experience, are the end all jurors of art. There are obvious merits to knowing the history and the paterns of art in the world. There are credible arguments to be had for the art market and the trends found there. In the end of this there is no way to truly judge art on our personal experiences with one or two pieces of art.

All art, photography, painting, fabric, quilts, chainsaw sculpture, writing, acting, ALL OF IT, is an obsessive act based on criteria imbedded in each artist seperately. There are less artists with the same background and influence than there are replicated snowflakes. The beauty in loving art and living as an artist is the knowledge that all those obsessive habits, all those dreams, all those years trying to say something without words, come to a head when you go do what you do. If someone gives you money for it, then even better. That means there is someone out there who appreciates you, they may not understand it all, but they appreciate it.

An artist is someone who makes art everyday. Anyone who questions the validity of your work (at whatever level) is most likely undertalented or isn't self aware enough to see the beauty in the world without a label.

New Landscape Views

Abandoned Gas Station, Highway 421 Virginia 2006


Antique Landscape, St. Louis , Missouri 2006

Since admitting that I consider myself a landscape photographer, I had to then consider what constituted a landscape. More and more I feel that the theme can vary from person to person. More often than not there will be the sunset or Ansel Adams reference from people with whom I am discussing my work. But I feel that there are so many more avenues to explore when looking at the subject of the landscape.

Using the landscape as a social platform is one way. Not looking into the political social ideal, but considering the landscape and it's use by people and occasionally referring to these users is a technique that I am beginning to explore. What I mean to say is that I like to suggest the evidence of people in my work without actually seeing them.

Other ideas I like to involve in the photograph are history, technology, and of course nature.

SOUTHERN COMFORT: Paintings by Bobby Spillman

New work by Memphis Painter Bobby Spillman will be on display through June 24. Bobby will be in town for an artist reception and gallery talk June 1st.

The reception will be in the style of a good backyard picnic with grills and fried chicken on site. Fun for all. June 1, 5-9pm

I hope to see everyone there.