Little Pieces at Pictura Gallery

Pictura is a wonderful new gallery in Bloomington, Indiana. As far as I’m aware, it’s the only full time gallery in the region dedicated to art photography. If you enjoy photography as an art form, they are well worth a visit. While you are there, thank David, Brenda and Martha for the great work they are doing.

To add to my enthusiasm, Pictura is hosting an exhibit of my latest series of images, Little Pieces all Together. This body of work looks into enchanted coordination within the details of the natural world. Last month’s Pictura opening drew quite a crowd. Come and see what the fuss is about!

Little Pieces All Together - Opening Reception May 9, 2008 - 5:00pm to 8:00pm

Pictura Photographer’s Note - May 28, 2008 - 7:00pm
I’ll also be kicking off the Photographer’s Note series with an artist’s talk at 7pm on May 28th. See you there.

Pictura Gallery
On the Square at Sixth and College
122 W. Sixth St. 
Bloomington, IN 47404

Upcoming Events

Here are a few other upcoming events:

Blog posts may be slim for the next couple of weeks. In addition to the shows, I’m also leaving for a backpacking trip in the canyons of southern Utah. Until then, I wish you well.
 

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Little Pieces All Together

If you have been following my work, you may have noticed that many of the images depict lots of small bits of things: leaves, grass and bits of trees. They are abstractions of organized chaos, if you will. I started making photographs like this about two years ago. I didn’t start out seeking to make these kinds of images. It was after the fact, as I reviewed my shots, that I would notice I was attracted to these types of compositions.

Just about a year ago, I tried to explain why I was drawn to these coordinated little pieces, which resulted in a blog post.

…There is something really amazing about orchestras and choirs. Perhaps it’s the large group of people, each with their own talents, textures, voices and parts. When they all move together, they create something wonderful, something larger and outside of themselves…. This fascination has tumbled into an appropriation - at first subconscious and now intentional. I’m viewing nature and considering the orchestra.

Now that I had a notion of where I was going, I no longer had a random trend. I had a project. In the past couple of months, I’ve been editing down the images to a smaller, cohesive portfolio. And now, I’m finally at a point where I feel it’s ready to share. The project is called Little Pieces All Together. You can view the images, along with a statement about the project, in the gallery area of my website.

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An Immaculate Nature

My friend Josie is exhibiting work from a new series, An Immaculate Nature. The opening is tonight (April 4) at the Wheeler Arts Community in Fountain Square. 

Tonight’s also the First Friday Gallery Walk. If you’re in the Fountain Square area, stop by my studio for a visit. I’ll have test prints from a new series that loosely concerns fairies. Cheers!

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Digital Printing Workshop - April 19th

I’ve taught this workshop twice now, with overwhelmingly positive feedback. One thing that kept getting requested was more hands on time with the concepts. To provide for this, I’m pleased to extend the workshop to a full day.

In this one day workshop, we’ll cover practical methods of getting high quality prints from your digital photographs. Acquire hands on experience with color management, tonal and detail controls within Adobe Photoshop. Improve your prints, whether you use your own printer or an outside lab.

The topics:

• Current printing technologies
• Profile your computer’s display
• Fine tuning colors, tones, sharpness and noise
• Create and use printer profiles
• Use soft proofing to manage color rendition before you print

The class size is limited to 8 students, to facilitate good interaction and discussions.

Here’s the PDF Brochure.

Register Here.

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Taiwan Exhibit Opening, Fine Art Printing Class, Creative Images

I’m excited about a few events in the coming weeks.

First, I have an exhibit opening this week in Louisville, Kentucky. The photographs are from a trip to Taiwan last winter. The images reflect an appreciation for my homeland that I’m only recently learning. If you’re in the area, I’d love for you to join me.

Andy Chen - Photographs from Taiwan
Opening Reception: Wednesday, October 24, 6:00p.m. - 7:30p.m.
Exhibition runs through December 31

Crane House
1244 South Third Street
Louisville, KY 40203

Fine Art Digital Printing Class

Isn’t there some saying that to truly learn something, you have to teach it? Well, I’ve got a lot to learn, and I’m hoping that you’ll join me. Held in my studio, the class sizes will be small to facilitate good interaction and discussions. First up: digital printing. One of the greater satisfactions in my work is holding a well made print.

In this half day class, I’ll cover practical methods of getting high quality prints from your digital photographs. Acquire a basic understanding of digital printing and improve your results, whether you use your own printer or an outside lab.

Topics include:

• An overview of current printing technologies
• Profiling your computer’s display
• Fine tuning colors, tones, sharpness and noise
• Creating and using printer profiles
• Using soft proofing to manage the difference between color spaces

Sunday, November 11th, 1:00pm - 5:00pm

Register here

Creative Images

Finally, the opening reception for Creative Images is coming up. Creative Images is a juried photography exhibition, featuring 84 images from artists in the US, France, Sweden, Munich, Australia, and Hong Kong. The event is hosted by the Photo Venture Camera Club, current president: your’s truly.

These images will be hung at the ArtsGarden in Downtown Indianapolis for the month of November. Final judging by Joyce Wilson will be completed on November 2nd. The exhibit will officially open the evening of November 2nd and awards and prizes will be given at this time. The Arts Garden is connected by indoor skywalk to prominent hotels, Circle Centre Mall (100 stores), the Indianapolis Convention Center and the RCA Dome.

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Studio Grand Opening

We demolished and painted. We sawed, sanded and stained. It was glorious. After months of preparation, the new studio is ready, and we are ready to celebrate!

I’m pleased to announce the grand opening of my new studio, located in the center of the Fountain Square cultural district. I’m excited to have a great place to create, share and display. Come join us in celebrating the opening of this space. My latest work will be on display, as well as some wonderful pieces from my studio mate, photographer Jeff Morgan.

Friday, September 7th, 2007
6:00pm - 10:00pm
Studio #302
Murphy Art Center
1043 Virginia Avenue
Indianapolis, IN 46203

If you live outside of Indianapolis, this is a great weekend to come visit! The opening will start you off to a wonderful weekend of art, including:

Art vs. Art, Sept 7th, Fountain Square Theater - where 32 paintings battle for the grand prize.

The 41st Annual Penrod Arts Fair, Sepmber 8th, 9am-5pm - Over 300 artists, and six stages, on the grounds of the Indianapolis Museum of Art. Come by and visit me in the green section at booth G16.

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Please excuse the delay

I’ve spent the last several weeks in a flurry of art shows. I expect to resume a regular posting schedule next week. Stay tuned for stories of intrigue, adventure, suspense and foolishness.

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New Studio In Progress

My current studio within my house is small and cramped. Each time I switch tasks from printing to matting to framing, I have to rearrange things to make room. The trash can is in front of the filing cabinets, which is also where I have to stand to use the mat cutter. The mat cutter is on a table which needs to be slid away from the wall to be used. When the mat cutter is in use, the table then blocks the way to the computer. I use the counter in the bathroom as extra surface space to aid shuffling things around. I’ve worked out a system to where the small space and rearranging doesn’t bother me. But, maybe that’s because I’ve worked this way for long enough that I don’t know any better.

Working from home also results in a good amount of solitude. This is great and convenient at times, but I also miss having camaraderie.

So, I’m excited to say that I’ve been busy this week preparing a new studio space. The new space is in a building that houses around twenty other artists studios and a few galleries. I suppose the change of surroundings will result in a change in how I work.

This week has been a blur of dismantling and painting. Photos to come as the space progresses.

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Out Photographing

I’ll be out hiking and photographing over the next couple of weeks, so blog updates may be sparse. To give you a taste of my wanderings, here’s an image from the Smokey Mountains over the past weekend.

Have a great Memorial Day weekend.

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Natural Abstractions

I have added a new collection of images to my website’s gallery area. Here’s the intro to the “Natural Abstractions” body of work:

These photographs explore a sense of rhythm and story within the details of the natural world. I look for glimpses of nature as a performance of color, lines, and texture. The images are true to what was seen through the lens, but rather than represent a location, they are composed to reveal a level of interaction beyond the items themselves.

Thanks to all of you that visited the reception at Alcatraz Brewing Company. If you missed the reception, my work will be up through the end of March, 2007. The first floor contains some selections from the Natural Abstractions images. Also, make it to the second floor where I have urban landscapes on display.

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