Andrea & Faviana - de Pavones

Andrea

Here are a couple more portraits of local ticas: two young girls from Pavones, Costa Rica. Andrea was in town for the big Bingo event. My sister Angela used to tutor Andrea in English. I love Andrea's colorful and carefully coordinated outfit, and how the light is illuminating her.

Faviana

My limited knowledge of Spanish makes it difficult to communicate sometimes, but from what I understand, Faviana's mom works at the town's Super (grocery store), and Faviana was waiting for her mom. Faviana seems to present that typical tween mixture of both boredom and curiousity.

Marlon - de Pavones

Marlon

This is Marlon, age 12. He was one of the many curious kids who were intrigued by my large camera while I was shooting in town during a Bingo fundraiser. Marlon is a local kid who has grown up in the Pavones area. I found his somewhat urban style of dress interesting, particularly his shirt which has dollar signs and English words on it professing his "Rawthentic" and "Raw and Uncut" persona. Both the language and the symbols on the shirt are signs of the influence of American culture in Costa Rica. Costa Rican currency is called colones, and the symbol for it looks more like the symbol for a cent.

The familiarity with American dollars, also speaks to the location of Pavones and its proximity to the Panamanian border. Pavones is only about 1 1/2 hours from the border town Paso Canoas. Many locals go there to shop, and I would bet that this shirt was purchased there. Panama uses American currency.

As I tried to communicate with Marlon in my garbled and simplistic Spanish, I told him I would send him a copy of the photo. He responded politely by saying "thank you" in English.

First New Image from de Pavones series

So I've been having a hard time trying to find time to work on my most recent images taken in Costa Rica. I finally have one of the images scanned and edited, and I'm working on printing it right now. This one took a lot of work because I had some sort of light leak, but I was able to repair the image.

Anixia y Tatiana

Anixia and Tatiana are a mother and daughter team that run Brisas del Mar, an open air restaurant with ocean view, that serves the best ceviche in the area (or anywhere for that matter). It is located between the two villages of Pavones and Punta Banco.

Ellen Gale (Hopkins) Green to be honored this weekend

So this has nothing really to do with photography, but as a feminist I am really proud of my grandmother, now 92 years old. She will be inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame this weekend.

Ellen Gale Hopkins Green is being honored for her swimming achievements in the 1930s. While still in high school, Ellen Gale was named one of the Men of the Year for 1936 by the Springfield News-Leader, the only woman to ever achieve that honor.

Ellen Gale and her sisters were known around town as the "Hopkins Mermaids". All 3 of them were swimmers, but my grandmother was the sister who excelled at the sport.

"One of Ellen Gale Hopkins' most memorable performances came in 1936, when she swam at the Grant Beach AAU meet and won the 50-yard freestyle, 100-yard freestyle and the 440-yard freestyle, setting pool records in each race in front of a crowd of 1200. Her performance prompted the News-Leader to say 'She's [Hopkins] perhaps the most outstanding swimmer in the Missouri Valley Division.' " (Missouri State University Athletics)

Congratulations to Ellen Gale Hopkins Green!

For more info, visit:

Springfield News-Leader

http://www.missouristatebears.com/

http://www.kspr.com/sports/

While In Class

opening reception Friday Jan. 22, 6-9 pm

*image by Elise Hibbard, student at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago

The exhibition I juried for Woman Made Gallery will be opening THIS FRIDAY, Jan. 22.

Featuring photography, painting, sculpture, & video installation works by women student artists from Columbia College Chicago, The Art Institute of Chicago, University of Illinois Chicago, Depaul University, and other national institutions.

I went to help hang the work on Saturday and I was quite impressed with the quality of the works on display. Not to be missed!

While In Class

Jan. 22 - Feb. 25 2010

Opening Reception Jan. 22, 6-9 pm

Woman Made Gallery

685 N Milwaukee

Chicago, IL 60642

Go to womanmade.org for a preview of the exhibition

Artists: Kristyna Archer, Margaret Carsello, Mary Chiaramonte, In Kyoung Chun, Renee Couture, Kelsey Curkeet, Hope Esser, Anna Gratovich, Erin Hernsberger, Elise Hibbard, Gwynne Johnson, Julie Jones, Robin Juan, Mel Keiser, Kaitlin Kostus, Susan Kwon, Elizabeth Larew, Mary Laube, Laurie LeBreton, Miranda Maher, Molly Nuzzo, Rachael Olmstead, Megan Ory, Katherine Perryman, Nirmal Raja, Rebecca Sonnack, Elizabeth Start, Jamie Steele, Sara Stubblefield, Olivia Swider, Katie Swietlik, Anna Timmerman, Davana Wilkins, Nicole Wingate, Rachel Wunsch

More From the Westside... Douglas Park

Here's a few new photos... shot these in mid November, but haven't had time to work on them until now. I've been wanting to photograph in Douglas Park for awhile. It's an amazing space that just seems to go on and on... it has a mini golf course, pool, baseball & soccer fields, ponds with stone bridges, trails, native prairie grass gardens, etc. Douglas Park is also an example of a Westside site that has fallen into a state of neglect and disrepair. Not to say that this park isn't used, but it doesn't seem to be utilized or valued for its full potential.

More images shot from the pink line platform...

And another Westside graffiti shot...

Spent some time printing this weekend - printed these 3 recent shots, plus a few others. I still have more editing to do of images that I shot a week ago. It seems like I can't ever get caught up on my own work, at least not while the semester is in full swing. Only 5 more weeks to go!

More from the Westside... The Pink Line

Okay so here's a quick post before I go off to teach my next class. Took some images about two weeks ago of interesting things I noticed as I ride the pink line. Can I just say how much I really love the pink line? My favorite parts of the blue line were always the areas that are on elevated tracks, well the pink line is completely above ground, and you see amazing things as you ride through the various neighborhoods on Chicago's westside. Here's an image I took at the polk station - propbably my favorite stop on the pink line because it has such interesting 60s-style windows that frame various views of the city. Here's one of the photos... will post more.

More from the Westside...

There's an amazing block in Little Village that is covered by graffiti on 4 sides - nearly the whole block. I had noticed the ever-changing graffiti before, but recently my husband and I took the time to walk all the way around it and really study the artwork on it. This section of the wall was made by the "Saw Crew". The wall features several different graffiti crews who seem to be battling it out with their paint. I thought it had an interesting use of color, and liked the way it fit into the late October foliage.

I printed this image on my new (well new to me) Espon 7880 printer - what a powerful machine it is! Love it!!

More photos to come when I have time to sit down and work on them...

Upcoming Events - Around the Coyote Fall Festival, and Mirando Al Sur at Woman Made Gallery - October 16-18

This is a busy month! But then again, October is Chicago Artists Month. Next weekend I will be super duper busy. I have 2 art opening events, plus I'm shooting an event for someone else, and I have tickets to see MeShell Ndegeocello at the Oldtown School of Folk Music! Whew! Trying to catch my breath in preparation...

So the first event I want to announce is:

Foto-op Collective has a booth at Around the Coyote Fall Festival and we will be displaying works by our members: Nicole Wingate, Gwynne Johnson, Mark Marano, and myself. Please stop by and say hello! If you haven't been to Around the Coyote before, it is quite an event featuring some amazing works by local and national emerging artists. Here's the info:

Venues
1817 W Division St Visual Art (this is where Foto-op will be located, booth #1)
1287 N Milwaukee Ave Theatre, Performance, and SlideLuck PotShow!
1275 N Milwaukee Ave Visual Arts
1240 N Milwaukee Ave Video and New Media by LiveBox
1238-40 N Ashland Ave Visual Arts

Hours
Opening Party Friday, October 16
All venues open: 7:00pm to 11pm, Special Evening Lounge Hours at Blue Coral Sushi from 9-11pm
Saturday, October 17
all venues open from noon to 10pm
Sunday, October 18
all venues open from noon to 6pm

The 2nd event I want announce is:

Opening reception Friday Oct. 16th, 6-9 pm.

Exhibition runs from Oct. 16 - Nov. 12 2009

I have one of my very favorite images from my de Pavones series in this show. This exhibit is also featuring works by fellow Foto-op member Gwynne Johnson! Not to be missed!

Thoughts on jurying an exhibition of works by women students...

As an undergrad and graduate student of art, I noticed the way art programs are dominated (at least in numbers) by women. As an instructor I see the same thing. My student populations are generally at least 75% women. And yet, high-paying full-time positions in academia, in galleries, and in museums - all of these prestigious positions seem to be heavily dominated by men. STILL. Look at works being exhibited in any gallery or museum space - the artists are STILL predominantly male. The numbers just don't add up. This may all sound like the guerilla girls circa 1989. But in 2009, representation of women artists is a huge problem. STILL.

How can this be?

What happens to our young women artists? Where do these women with BFA and MFA degrees disappear to? This discrepancy in representation both silences and de-emphasizes women's contribution to the arts. If I attend a gallery and I see that the artists are 50% women (which statistically they should be), I am absolutely astounded.

That's why Woman Made Gallery is so important - it more closely resembles the reality of who is creating art. Of course it is an extreme representation (100%), but it more closely reflects the ratios I have seen firsthand of young student artists in training.

So WHY are women artists disappearing post-BFA and post-MFA? I think it is certainly a reflection of our society - a male-dominated world where the sensibility and subjectivity of men is the "norm". Women's sensibility, point of view, and subjectivity is therefore regarded as "other". STILL.

Woman Made Gallery is a haven from the realities of the art world - a place where "other" becomes "norm". There you will find the women artists dominating (or perhaps trying to make an appearance in) the art world. Let's support them so they may begin to have a larger sphere of influence. Let's turn these others into the norm.

WHILE IN CLASS - the deadline is approaching! Submit your work by OCTOBER 14

Juried exhibition at Woman Made Gallery. We are looking for women student artists (undergrad or grad) to submit works. Works can be of any subject matter, and in any medium.

Go to the Woman Made website to submit your jpg images and artist statement:

http://womanmade.org/entryform.html

New Photo of Jesse

I took this photo a couple of weeks ago when Jesse and I were making dinner. The light coming in through the lacy curtains made it impossible for me to let this moment slip away.

I ended up using two separate images to build a composite here, although you can't really tell. In one image Jesse had a great expression on his face, but I didn't like the body language nor the way I had cropped his hands. So I found another frame that had a simpler posture and combined the two. I'm pretty happy with the results. I love the way Photoshop allows photographers to layer and build images, working in a way that is much more like a painter, rather than the traditional "straight" photographer.

I think this image of Jesse would look great juxtaposed with the one of me in the same location and in similar light:

This would look amazing installed in a corner, so that the two photographs are facing each other, creating a dialog between them.

Even though both of these images were created out of "happy" moments in our marriage and daily life, I can't seem to stay away from creating dramatic tension in the photographs. Perhaps it is a way to introduce intrigue and drama into an otherwise copacetic life.

More from the Westside

I went out yesterday and photographed some more for the Westside series. I started looking closer at the neighborhoods, found this quaint little lamp store:

An altar outside of a local church

Side view of backyards

Found this while walking through an an area where they were setting up for a neighborhood carnival.

"Creaciones Susy's" - advertisement for handmade crafts

More New Photos

Haven't started photographing people yet - still working up the nerve. Here's more photos from my new Westside series.

This building's exterior was constructed out of styrofoam. Bizarre building.

Love the golden light and blue sky in this one.

I don't know what the heck these metal structures are - are they silos? If you know, leave me a comment!

This wild prairie flower is called quinine - I learned that at the Nature Museum! :)

Nikki taking some photos. This was before we got chased away by a security guard.

While In Class

I will be jurying an upcoming exhibition at Woman Made Gallery, While in Class.

Here's the info:

Entry deadline is October 14, 2009, Exhibition dates: January 22 - February 25, 2009

Accepting submissions of up to three works in any medium by women artists from the international community, who are currently undergraduate or graduate students. Art schools are a major site of exploration and discovery for new artists. However, much of the work students produce is graded and stored away under the bed. This exhibition seeks to get these works out of storage and into the light, and thereby examine the process of becoming an artist. What kinds of innovations are being made “while in class?”

Click here to access online entry form: http://womanmade.org/entryform.html

Lots of new Photos!

I went out and photographed a couple times this week with a friend. Began working on a project loosely titled West-side - something I've been thinking about for awhile now. I started by just looking at some of the more industrial areas and sites of construction. I do hope to include people in my photographs, but for now the images are just places of visual interest.

Living on the west-side of Chicago is really a completely different experience than living on the north-side, as many young people of my ethnicity and class seem to do. Recently a friend mentioned that we are living in "the real chicago"... an interesting idea to explore.

I've been pretty productive on my first week of summer vacation, I only wish I had more time off!

On a side note, I also spent a lot of time learning Adobe Lightroom this week. I'm pretty impressed with all of the non-destructive editing that can be done, before you even open a file in Photoshop. It has really sped up my process for posting images on the web. Highly recommended!

New Photo: Summer Self Portrait


A new(ish) photo - made this one in late June, on the one day we've had all summer when the temperature was in the 90's. I was taking a break from painting some boards on our back porch, waiting in between coats of white paint.

I think it will be interesting to examine the changes in the physical self, after years of doing these self portraits - like Rembrandt or even Nick Nixon's Brown Sisters.

I am now done with the summer class I was teaching, and I have 3 weeks off!!! My plan was to photograph in Florida and Costa Rica, but those plans fell through once Jesse lost his job. So I'm going to utilize these 3 weeks to photograph regularly, as I was planning to do when I went on my trips. So more photos will be posted soon!

New Photo: Jesse with Dandelions


I shot this photo back in May, but finally got around to removing all the dust from the scan. I took this photo with my Toyo 4x5 camera, using my new Schneider 210 mm lens. This photo was taken in Douglas Park, when the Dandelions were in abundance. I knew I wanted to use the space as a backdrop. I really like the warm yellows and greens.

I also love Jesse's expression. His eyes and his wrinkled forehead convey a sense of earnestness. This is the Jesse I know, but I'm not sure everyone sees.

Photos from our trip to Michigan

Dune Flora

Criss Cross Trees

Joni in the Dunes


Beaches like Florida, but prettier

Saugatuck Dunes State Park