2/11: the Unexcpected

I'm sure I am not unlike most people my age.
I get a cold, I take some medicine. Not a big deal.
But it is the unexpected, the truthfully unheard of until this moment that I would have never thought possible. While I was at work, I noticed that I was not blinking my left eye. Ok-maybe pink eye. Not horrible. As the day progressed I also noticed that I was half smiling, have raising my eyebrows. In fact I had no normal function of the left side of my face. This gave me cause for some concern. Student health here I come.

Prognosis- Bells Palsy, a paralyses of one side of the face. For some people this is a minor bump. For some people you give them 3 weeks and they are back to normal. For others it is permanent, and due to its effects on nerves can become life threatening. For me its dangerous. At 3 mos. my parents were told that I had strabismus most commonly known as lazy eye. 22 years, 2 surgeries and about 50 pairs of glasses later, it was pretty much under control. Now I face a sever back tracking. Since the palsy effects the muscular strength of the left side, it effect my very weak eye- which if long enough and persistent enough may take my sight. With a cold and 24 hours, everything has changed. This is something I never thought could happen to me. As much as I try to stay positive about the situation it is hard not to think about becoming a walking camera. I like most people my age just don't think about stuff like this. You don't think anything like this could happen to you.

2/8 Colin Pantall- Sofa Portraits

Colin Pantall's Sofa Portraits of his daughter watching television are in as little words as possible, stunning. Paul had shown me these portraits early in the fall semester, and until now I had forgotten about them. Pantall's imagery is speaks quietly of the captivating language of the television. The muted colors and renewed scenery work together to provide a story line.

As I begin to really search for artists and continue to build my portfolio this semester, I have been struggling with the idea of bringing portraits back into my work. Last semester, I put all my focus into color, and light and the idea of transmission. When I look at the work now, it seems sterol. There is a distance too it, something that I can't find a connection to.

There is something a bit temping to all about watching television. It is an activity that involves little to no interest, and little to no active though or movement. For children and parents alike its become something of a replacement. If you'd like to admit it or not, its a part of our lives. Its in the doctors, the stores you shop in, schools, practically everyroom in a persons home. The television has taken the place of decorative books and magazines. It has moved its way onto your mantel and at the end of your bed.



http://www.colinpantall.com/

http://colinpantall3.blogspot.com/

http://colinpantall.blogspot.com/

2/4: snow day

With the amount of snow that we have received this winter so far, there seems to be an abundance of spare time. Time to catch up on homework. Time to clean the kitchen. Time to brush up on some over due reading. Time to sleep, and sleep some more. The snow also brings with it the opportunity to be a kid again. To play in the snow, and build snowmen and angels. I was surprised that most of my friends did not send there days doing these things. If anything, the snow was much colder and wetter then once remembered. Minutes outside felt like hours.
Unfortunately I did not have to pleasure to stay and play. The weekend for me means work, rain or snow. This time of year is especially busy for those of us that work in the chocolate business. On Saturday I left my house at 11pm. All of my roommates were watching TV. At 8 I got off, when I got back I discovered that all of my roommates were exactly where I had left them. Not only did they not move, they watched 2 whole seasons back to back of one show. It seemed even more unbelievable that my male roommate stayed and watched it the whole time. It was much more of a girl show.
So what was the reason for this. How is it that they all looked so miserable and still sat and watched the whole thing. Was there something that told them to continue to keep going, like spending all that time would have been for there benefit. And to be quite honest, I was happy. Happy not for the loss of their day, but for the reinforcement for my work. It was inspiration.

2/1 Artist: Asako Narahashi

http://www.03fotos.com/




Title: Atami, from the series half awake and half asleep in the water

Title: Atami, from the series half awake and half asleep in the water

Title: Jonanjima

title: Dubai Creek, Dubai

I found Asako Narahashi while I was searching through blogger on other peoples reviews. Her work stuck out to me, not because particularly beautiful or vibrant, but because it was strikingly different. Her half awake and half asleep in the water series almost holds you in the water. Although her imagery has an active element, its overwhelmingly calm. Almost like the calm before something.
Her images are in a way are other worldly. The landscapes are skewed, and look like miniature prototypes. The water has a conforting effect, taking up most of composition. Even the colors in the images have soothing qualities, blues, browns greens.

Artist Lecture: Alec Soth

I felt the importance of this lecture at this point in my senior year was almost too perfect. At a time when personally as a photography student about the brave the world outside of the academic walls, this particular lecture was uplifting. Its amazing to listen to artists talk about artists that inspire there work. Alec Soth was great because for the 1st almost 20-30 minutes he talked exclusively about the people he admired. The people who's work he simply tries to emulate.
These are the names of artists, writers, and photographers he names in his presentation (hopefully i didn't miss any)
Lee Freidlander
Robert Frank
David Hockney
William Eggleston
Richard Prince
Elliot Erwitt
Gregory Crewdson
Ira Glass
Duane Michaels
W. Eugine Smith
Hamish Fulton
Andy Goldsworthy
Richard Long
Joal Sternfeld
John Gosage
Paul Gram
Tom Wolf

For me this further just solidified the need for research and understanding of the work that people have done before you. and the work being done around you. For me the knowledge/the background that Soth had in the work that he was doing just elevated it all for me.
Soth talked about the pure importance that was just to shoot. Shoot anything. The idea of story telling for him was a continuous goal. An almost unattainable one. This reminded me of the ART OF FAILURE. The idea that through the continuous failures to capture your original goal you come up with work that is something entirely different, and maybe even better. There is an ultimate longing in his work. You could almost say seduction within his imagery. Soth says this is just the nature if the medium. Photography has its own conventions. It is made up of nostalgia, longing, sadness. For me this further echos this idea of a certain failure within the medium. That that is part of the aesthetic.
Soth talked about Egglestons "Democratic forest". The idea of shooting democratically, all images the same. With the Internet as it is today, Soth says it may now be a Jungle. He talked as though he as a writer. Working in a stream of conscienceless. Almost like a photographic brainstorm. Working through and wondering within the imagery is where the series and work emerged. I found this to be very inspiring.
He touched on the idea that yes anyone can shoot an amazing image. But one image can't necessarily set you apart. It is the goal of a series, a book, a collection that makes one artist or photographer stand alone.

1/28 Inspriational Thought.

It wasn't until this year, my final year at VCU that I realized how truly important it was to be able to write and communicate your thoughts onto paper, in a conversation, or in a speech was. to be honest language has not always been my strongest subject. Talking is one thing. Casual personable conversation comes very easy to me. Even being able to participate in a critique and talk about other peoples work seemed to be a breeze. But this year I began to feel how weak I was when it came to writing, and being able to collect my thoughts into a condensed seemingly educated paper I was stuck. Even writing emails that where professional was a concern. This blog, it was crippling, and frankly it effected my grade. Anxiety is not something I am used to. In fact it is a bit of a stranger, I consider myself a confident person. For me it wasn't about finding the time, or forgetting to post, it was the idea that I had to WRITE.

So I took it upon myself this winter semester to take a class that required writing and this semester I am taking two writing intensive courses. It has occured to me that it might just be about getting the experience and confidence and practice to kick the anxiety. I have started keeping a regular journal and have started to work on my artist statement regularly once a week.

For me its about taking control.

1/25 Artist: Spencer Tunick

Title- Ohio 1 (Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland) 2004
c-print mounted between plexi
h: 71 x w: 89.25 in / h: 180.34 x w: 226.7 cm

Title- Montreal 3 (Musée d'Art Contemporain de Montréal) 2001
c-print mounted between plexi
h: 71 x w: 89.25 in / h: 180.34 x w: 226.7 cm

Title- Mexico City 7 (Zócalo, MUCA/UNAM Campus) 2007
c-print mounted between plexi
h: 37.5 x w: 30 in / h: 95.25 x w: 76.2 cm

Title-Ireland 3 (Dublin) 2008
c-print mounted between plexi
h: 71 x w: 89.25 in / h: 180.34 x w: 226.7 cm


http://www.spencertunick.com/index.html

Spencer Tunick is a photographer that i discovered in the most unexpected place, my human sexuality class. We watched his documentary "Nude World". I was surprised that when working with such a large number of nude models, and sensitive issue like public nudity he wasn't more understanding of cultures and local beliefs. To be quite honest his whole disposition was quite off putting. He was defensive and arrogant.When asked to defend his work, or even to answer questions about it his overused response was that it was "ART". His lack of language, and inability to communicate was made me second guess his work, and him as an artist.

Beside that, if i had never seen the film, if i had experienced his work in a gallery or even just on the internet, or in a magazine, I would have had a different take on the photographs. They are truly breathtaking. The flow, and toneality of the bodies creates a landscape that humanizes everyone in the image. The people transform into a single mass/shape. The natural forms takeover the unnatural setting, as to take them back. The photographs capture how beautiful the human form is.