October 22, 2009
8 days and 3,700 miles driving into the sun from New Hampshire to Oregon.
Really great simple sketches. I've been wanting to do more drawing that captures views I find interesting. Maybe a good practice to take up while camping where I make a lot more free time for myself.
October 18, 2009
Vivian Maier - Her Discovered Work
I acquired Vivian's negatives while at a furniture and antique auction. From what I know, the auction house acquired her belongings from her storage locker that was sold off due to delinquent payments. I didn't know what 'street photography' was when I purchased them.
The lot included 30-40,000 negatives from the 60's and 70's with 600 rolls still undeveloped. Beautiful photography.
I just bought a Holga to play around with medium format (I get my first roll back on Monday) and now I'm looking at the type of camera Maier used, a Twin Lens Reflex. B&H has A Segull for pretty cheap.
October 18, 2009
Been meaning to finish this for a while.
September 28, 2009
Taryn Simon talks about her photographs for TED. She's a bit rigid (TED is a big deal) but her explanation of her work shows she has real meaning behind what she does. It is devoid of the contrived/constructed bullshit that much contemporary art is built upon (or used for justification, after the fact).
Gallery of some of her photos at The Morning News.
September 16, 2009
Case Study House #22, Los Angeles, CA
Julius Shulman, 1960, Silver gelatin photograph
When showing this famous photo by Julius Shulman to anyone, I always expect the response "Oh yeah, I've seen that a million times". But I have yet to get that response out here in Los Angeles (where the house is located).
Besides its prevalence during my art schooling, my mother had a few art books around the house that always employed this photo to represent modernism in architecture. It just became hard-wired into my brain and I thought the same for others.
This came to mind while explaining to a friend how E and I went on a hunt to find the house. Unfortunately, it is on a private drive in the Hollywood hills. After confronting the gate and going back and forth on the decision to jump the fence (in which my better judgment won out...), we drove around to see if we could get any sort of view. We did. It was the bottom of the corner of the house that hangs over the hill (the focus of the photo). There is a little cul-de-sac just below it where I was psyched (pitifully enough) that I was able to see even that much. While E sat in the truck and indulged me, I stood at the bottom of the hill and stared up at the little chunk of history.
They offer tours, but the idea just doesn't strike me as exciting as just walking into the backyard at night (albeit, trespassing).
Read more about the house, photo and Julius Shulman.
September 9, 2009
I had a dream last night that I went back in time to the 50's. It was all mostly based on Michael J. Fox's experiences in Back to the Future. The main differences were that I was still in LA (and it was just as dirty), my cell phone was transformed into a kids space-age (for the 50's) toy and instead of a skateboard, I had to use a couch pillow (no, it didn't float and I ruined it on my first ride).
The only reason I'm explaining this is because when I opened my feed reader this morning this picture from Shorpy came up. Coincidence?
September 8, 2009
I've been doing a lot of drawing/painting lately. It is definitely a new experience for me. I first started out thinking that everything I began was going to have and end, that is, a mostly successful end. Instead, I've learned that everything has a peak at which point I have to make a decision about whether to keep going, or not.
At first I just kept reaching these peaks, recognizing them and then trying to further elaborate in the hopes of finding some plateau that reached throughout the dimensions of the paper. This lead to a lot of paint-overs with nothing to look to for guidance on aspects that were working. I finally let go of my original assumption. The following sketches represent small successes that I want to keep as reference for the next works.
Though these have many shortcomings, I wanted to write about as to what I feel is working.
Btw, I'm not all that great at photographing flat work as most of my experience is in 3D. Gonna brush up on it, pronto.
What I've found the hardest is giving edge to a form. The above represents some small success towards that end. I spent a lot of time redefining the edge while leaving traces of the previous attempts. The bottom of the left hump shows this the best.
The different densities of black and the the white seeping into/onto the form start to give it some volume and weight. I also like the simplified handling of the edge.
The wetness of the paint is something that I found to be pretty exciting. Having to deal with a vertical working surface has added some limits that forces me to be more strategic in how I go about things.
A little more edge articulation. I'm starting to really like painting wet on wet. When I start making marks I can feel a distinct window before things get muddled.
I've been putting 6 or 7 blank sheets on the wall and making some marks to get the ball rolling. This one sat a long while until I was ready to add to the initial marks. The next attempt (the dark marks) had so much going on that I put it aside. The way the light marks relate the dark gives the whole a weight and clunkiness that's just right.
Cartoonishness is a delicate balance for me. While I feel this a bit too far (and belies my influences), I was able to restrain it.
The figure ground relationship feels more solid here as well.
This started out in the same vain as the first image. In dividing the white form I was able to create an outside section that appears to be resting on the section outlined in black, all the while acting as one form.
Completing the top form with collage. This is something I want to do more of.
More balancing of the cartoonishness. A lot more restrained with simple oval forms interlocking to create weight. Trying some pattern on the inside as well. This adds to the effect of weight but becomes simply a pattern when looked at directly.
September 1, 2009
I could watch videos like this all day, instructional video on the Differential. Just as clear as the one on how a watch movement works.
August 25, 2009
shitmydadsays Hilarious!
August 20, 2009
I rode my bike to work today. I was really hard and I still have to ride home. 25 miles in total.
Update: I made it home. I could barely walk up the front steps. I had gone back and forth throughout the day on whether I was going to call E and have her pick me up. The ride home was a little easier as the wind was at our backs.
I had been wanting to do this when I first moved to Los Angeles but was too daunted by the distance. I met a recently hired coworker, Giselle, who was making the trip 2-3 times a week. She was nice enough to let me ride with her. She had to stop and wait for me to catch up a couple of times but for the most part I kept pace. I'm definitely doing this more often.
Eventually I might have to get a road bike. The massive tires on my mountain bike provide a lot of drag.