Speaking of the Kellar Mahaney Gallery, I’m giving an artist’s talk there this Wednesday to close out the City Squared exhibit. I’ll be talking about my working process and how this project came to be.
Wendesday, April 27th 7pm
Andy Chen Artist’s Talk
Kellar Mahaney Gallery
270 South Main Street, Zionsville, IN
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There are a few days left to catch my City Squared exhibit at the Kellar Mahaney Gallery. It’s up until this Wednesday. Nuvo gave it four stars in it’s review:
I was told that the photos in Andy Chen’s latest series, City Squared, were taken during breaks from his recent downtown “desk job” – he’d walk the Canal to escape the florescent lights and stretch his legs from tight cubicle quarters.
It’s a situation that many of us find ourselves in. Chen used these walks to explore the interplay between the art that we love and the life that we live. Tellingly, Chen’s exploration takes shape in themes involving movement, opportunity and at times, dead ends: Paths, walls, doors and windows are the subjects of his journeys.
Read the Nuvo article here.
And today, the Indianapolis Star profiled me for the Stutz Artists Open house:
“I think there are some really fabulous art communities around town. Where we need more momentum is in patronage,” said Chen.
“It’s still developing, this habit of including art in your everyday life. People aren’t quite sure where that fits in yet. If people find art in a way that changes how they see their day, then it will be shared with the people in their lives.
“So as artists, we have to be aware of that responsibility, to create work and to expose the work in a way that people can be delighted.”
Here’s the Star article.
The Stutz Artists Open House is April 29th and 30th. It’s one of the best art events in Indianapolis. I’m proud to be part of it and it will be well worth your time to attend. Come see me at Studio B240.
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I wrote part 1 about two months ago. Better late than never, here are some of the photographers I met at FotoFest. I appreciated their work, insight and worthwhile company. Check them out:
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“A lot of what I’ve done in my business life, I don’t think it really means anything. There’s this whole — you’re seeing a lot of it now with all the politics and bailouts — way to make money in the world but not really do anything to contribute. I feel like what we do is important. But it’s not financially rewarding. Who cares? As long as you can make it on your own.”
Quote from tech entrepreneur turned organic farmer Tim Young. Via New York Times Magazine.
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A few months ago, I met with some photographer friends to plan an upcoming exhibit. We needed to choose a topic. I immediately thought of doing a series about the people I live with, because people look at me funny when I describe my house. The house serves as a home for more than just my immediate family. In it, lives: me, my wife, my baby daughter, three single women (one a single mom), the single-mom’s 1 yr old daughter, two dogs and two cats. That’s me and six females, or eight females if you count the pets. There are a lot of cars parked in front.
Bursting with eagerness, I proposed that the group show should feature the topic of the “Contemporary Family”.
Well, then my daughter Ruby was born, and I ended up taking a bunch of pictures of her, rather than pictures of my housemates. And, that’s my entry for the exhibit. Although, the piece does include some of my housemates, so you can imagine implied wacky community dynamics if you’d like.
All this to say, that the exhibit is this weekend on Friday and Saturday night. It will feature my contribution “Holding Ruby”, as well as images from the other awesome INvision members. The exhibit coincides with the Wheeler Arts Community open house, which is a wonderful bonus reason to be there. Here’s the info:
Contemporary Family – an INvision photography exhibit
and the Wheeler Arts Community Spring open house!
Friday, May 1, 2009 6-10pm
Saturday, May 2, 2009 6-10pm
Wheeler Arts Community
1035 Sanders Street
Indianapolis, IN
See you there!
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In a deviation from my usual subject matter and stylings, here’s something that’s neither landscape, nor color.
I’ve been asked recently if I do portraits of kids. I said, have you seen my website and the type of pictures I usually make? Yes, he responded, I have. But, he continued, I mentioned that you’re a photographer to some friends of mine, and they wanted to know if you take kids portraits.
You see, my website is full of landscapes. Trees. And if I have people, the shots are more akin to street photography than portraiture. I was really puzzled.
But, his question does make sense. Of all the pictures taken in the world, I wonder how many of them are of kids. You know, the pictures taken to share with friends and family. It’s got to be a large percentage. Fifty percent? More? What’s the first thing that comes to mind when I say “photographer”? Is it weddings and kids?
I wonder if this is similar to the reaction I get when I mention to people that I worked in the software business. It wouldn’t take long for them to ask if I’d help them fix their computer.
So, I’ve been contemplating, perhaps just a little, what goes into a portrait. Well, for my child, at least.
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My apologies to those who tried to get to the blog in the past few days. The blog got disabled by an automated exploit that’s been floating around the web. Ugh. I think I’ve got it all cleaned up now. At least I had some skill administering web servers. I’m not sure how a non-technical person would have been able to fix this.
If you’re running your blog on WordPress, checkout Has Your WordPress Been Hacked Recently?
I have to admit though, it was kind-of fun sleuthing around to get things fixed. Like I overcame oppression, or something.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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