Blog Attack!

Posted in Misc | No Comments »

A New Year

I’ve been procrastinating for long enough. Every week or so, someone will mention that they’ve been reading my blog. Oh, you have? Umm… did you notice that it’s been awhile since I’ve posted? Yeah, they reply, but there’s still good stuff on there. Even though I’ve just been given a complement, I walk away a bit dejected, knowing that my last entry was THREE FREAKIN’ MONTHS ago. Ah well.

We’re not yet out of January, so I’m going to go ahead and claim some of that New Year’s momentum while I still can.

I’m currently working on applications - applications to art shows, grants, portfolio reviews. It’s kind of a fun time of year . As I review and edit my recent work, I get reminded that yes, I’ve created work that I’m proud to show and share. As I’m preparing the applications, there is a sense of hope that I’m making progress in my art career.

And, as I’m just at the application stage, it’s still too early to receive rejections! And boy, do they come in. I know that any success in selling comes with a multitude of rejections. Some of the rejections mean that my subject matter or style wasn’t appropriate to the show. Sometimes my work isn’t good enough. Or, some shows get over a thousand submissions and it’s just a numbers game - playing the odds. Regardless, every time I get one of those rejection letters, my heart sinks a little, and I wonder if I’m heading in the right direction. But, I’m getting ahead of myself here, as none have come in yet this year. I can just sit back and dwell in preparation and hopefulness.

Oh, and the slowness in the economy is no excuse to slack on participating in art. I’m learning that art isn’t a luxury, it’s your soul. The poorest people groups have rich traditions of music, story telling, drama and visual art. Starving artists dont’ keep on creating out of luxury. Live well, create. And, happy New Year!

Update: I just got a rejection. Wow, those online juries have a quick turnaround. Kansas City, I never even knew thee.

Posted in Misc | No Comments »

I am the Candy Kitchen

Cliff Charland sent me the following message and pictures:

I was walking along the boardwalk in Ocean City, Maryland over the weekend, and came across a sign in front of one of the Candy Kitchen stores. A few of the letters in the sign were missing.

On Candy Kitchen’s website, they claim: “Candy Kitchen has been making homemade salt-water taffy, creamy fudges and delicious, chocolates since 1937.” Well, I haven’t been around that long, so there’s got to be some sort of conspiracy about. Also, my publicity people prodded me into the getup that you see in the photograph. I usually don’t put my hair up all pointy like that, and the camera made my face look rounder than usual.

Posted in Misc | No Comments »

Studio Opening Recap

Thank you to all that joined in to celebrate the opening of the studio. It was a pleasure to meet new faces and to observe the occasion with good friends. Twice that evening, I got reacquainted with friends that I hadn’t seen for several years. Sean and Ed, I’m glad you sought me out. I look forward to catching back up.

The studio came alive with work finally hung on the walls. But, they didn’t stay up for long. After we cleaned up, the pictures got packed up for an early morning art festival setup (Penrod) the next day.

The day of Penrod was overcast with slight intermittent drizzle. Despite the weather, the crowds were out and sales were good. Just as it’s time to tear down, the drizzle becomes a downpour. I’m soaked through as I load everything back into the van.

The next morning, I left town for the week on a business trip. What a great and crazy couple of weeks.

Posted in Misc | No Comments »

Easter Spirit

Why is it that there is a notion of “Christmas spirit”, a sense of peace and goodwill for the weeks prior and around Christmas, and there isn’t a similar tradition of Easter spirit? What does this say about how we observe Christmas? What does this say about how we observe Easter?

Posted in Misc | No Comments »

Merry Christmas

With the blur of Christmas activities, there won’t be much on this blog until January. So, in advance, have a wonderful holiday and New Years. For those that celebrate Christmas, I pray that we may be joining in God’s reconciliation as we ponder the expectation of the coming Christ.

Posted in Misc | No Comments »

Consequences

Starting a new business is tough. Starting out as an artist can make some parents weep in concern. I’m almost through my first year as a fulltime photographer, and I am blessed with a warm home and a full stomach.

Much of my attention this year has been focused on how to stay or grow in business. This includes finding my target audience, figuring out the logistics of creating and selling work, and how to stay creative and create new images. In all the craziness of, “how does all this work?”, there have been some wonderful unexpected consequences.

One of those consequences is the pleasure of getting to know other artists. Many of my days involve working alone in the studio. The camaraderie of other artists helps us to inspire and spur each of us along.

Here’s an email from Martin, who I met in Louisville this past weekend:

My wife and I met you on Friday afternoon at the show (we asked if you knew relatives of ours who live in Indy). I must say, for me, your images were one of the highlights of the show. I recently began revisiting my watercolor practice after many years in the working world (which took me away from work with my hands). As we strolled the show my wife would point out watercolor paintings with the hope of inspiring me. I told her that what moves me most is great photography that presents images that inspire me to ask “How would I represent that in watercolor?” Your work inspired me in that way…. I really enjoyed your blog. I usually don’t like blogs but your insights into the creative process, use of light and playfulness were attractive to me in my own process of re-awakening my creativity…. Thank you for the inspiration.

Wow. I thank all of you for supporting my work, and continuing to inspire me. I hope that I may pass some of the same back to you.

For those of you curious about the life of emerging artists, check out Deanna Wood’s excellent blog, Artist, Emerging.

Posted in Misc | 3 Comments »

Photography resources

As I show my work, I often have the pleasure to meet other photographers. We have different tastes, motivations and skill levels, all with a desire to interpret the world through a camera lens.

If you’re pursuing photography, I like to encourage you to tap into some of the wonderful resources that are out there. Online, a good place to start is photo.net. In the physical world, get connected with a local photography club. There are a few good clubs in Indianapolis, including one that I’m rather fond of, the Photo Venture Camera Club. PVCC has been around for 30 years and meets every Thursday evening at the Indianapolis Art Center. Come on by and say hello. There’s a wealth of knowledge with experience levels ranging from beginners to full time professionals.

Posted in Misc | No Comments »

Bubblewrap Packaging

I replenish my raw materials every two months or so. It’s like an intermittent Christmas, with daily arrivals of shipments containing fine art papers, ink, frames, mat board, tools, camera accessories, and various other odds and ends. With all these shipments, I’ve started to become a connoisseur of packaging methods: Double boxing, bubble wrap, packing paper, stretchy wrap, foam peanuts and inflatable cushion bags.

Last week, the package pictured above showed up on my doorstep. No box, no peanuts. Just one big ball of bubble wrap, several inches thick. Two long lengths of bubble wrap along each axis. I was tired by the time the package was finally unraveled. My weary unwrapping stupor left me unmotivated to perform the ceremonial bubble wrap popping dance. The actual contents were found in a tiny core in the middle of the bubble ball, gloriously protected from the risk of a three story fall.

There’s a mischievous property of bubble wrap in that once unraveled, it takes up twice as much space as the original package.

I’ve heard of stranger shapes going through the mail. In the old days, you could send anything that you could stick a stamp on, regardless of packaging. I remember an account of someone sending a shoe (no packaging, just stamps on the shoe) through US Post. I wonder if that would still work today. I wonder how many stamps I would need to stick onto a watermelon.

Posted in Misc | 3 Comments »

Red River Gorge

I’m planning on doing some backpacking in Red River Gorge next month. Would anyone have recommendations on trails?

Posted in Misc | No Comments »