Thursday, December 6, 2012
Friday, October 26, 2012
opinions
It was brought to my attention this morning that I was turned down from a job interview, due the fact that I found humor in the article I referenced in my previous post. To be honest, I am offened that my reading and reposting the article offended someone. I am not sure if I ever got into who I am as a person, but I would like to take this time out to clarify who I am. I am a 29 year old artist/educator/parent. I have 2 stepsons, whom I have been raising for almost 6 years. I am a tutor and a babysitter. I am the person who alerted parents to their children's learning disabilities and did everything in my power to help them get the help their children needed. I am the person who stops a 1st grade boy from crying by telling himm that I too have had projects of mine broken by accident, and that its ok because I will help him make a new one. I am the person who tells her stepsons, hundin reds of times a day that she loves them more than anything or anyone and always will. To anyone out there who is a parent and has real experience with children and not some clinical study experience, then you know that sometimes they can be annoying, just the same as adults. You know that their reasoning can be frustrating, such as when they explain to you that they punched Bobby in the face, it was simply because Bobby took his string cheese without asking. Kids are the #1 reason educators need to get the flu shot. We just recently FINALLY got the little one to stop wiping his nose on the bathroom curtain. Yes, kids do rediculous things, and 9 out of 10 times, parents consider these things to be cute and quirky. 10 years later, those same parents are being told to go someplace far and do sommething very uncomfortable by those same kids.
The point is this, if you are around children around the clock like I am, you start to wonder certain things. The big one for me is usually "did I do that too?".
I will have my own child or children some day, and I know that there will be days I want to strangle them, but not a day will go by where I ever stop loving them and feeling as though the sun rises and sets on them,but I have to be realistic and plan to do my best at that.
Sunday, October 14, 2012
FINALLY! Someone gets it
I now know that I am not alone as far as the feelings I have about my series Kids Are Creepy. Keep in mind, not all of these have the been the inspiration, but I am sure you will get the point. Enjoy:
http://www.buzzfeed.com/mattbellassai/27-reasons-why-kids-are-actually-the-worst-6z51
http://www.buzzfeed.com/mattbellassai/27-reasons-why-kids-are-actually-the-worst-6z51
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Monday, August 6, 2012
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Friday, July 6, 2012
Why I Do What I Do
" If I didn't have my camera to remind me constantly, I
am here to do this, I would eventually have slipped away, I think. I
would have forgotten my reason to exist.
"
Annie Leibovitz
If I could tell you how many times I came across a quote by Annie Leibovitz that mimicked exactly what I was thinking, you would have grown bored of me many many moons ago.
I do not remember exactly how old I was one when I got my first camera, but I remember detail by detail how I felt. I always loved to draw and paint, and I still do, but the day I help my firs camera was magic to me. I felt like I was given the gift to end all gifts...the ability to freeze time. To have physical records of the encounters that were both important and not. Maybe I was 7. I forget, I didn't take a picture.
Yesterday afternoon, I returned with my fiance and his two boys, from out annual trip to Cobleskill, NY where we visit his family every year. After pestering him about this for a few years, on July 4, 2012, driving down Route 7 to his uncle's house, we stopped and parked in front of, what could only be described as "The Diner That Time Forgot". The structure I am describing to you is the location where my fiance's grandmother, Millie, had her diner.
Over the years, I had heard so many stories about the diner, how trucks used to stop there all the time before the new throughway opened, how his sisters would help out sometimes...just a wonderful place with wonderful memories. You would never know that this was a place full of life from looking at it. Actually, if you look at my earlier post, you will see three photos I took of the diner a few days ago. At first, I stood far enough to get a shot of the entire building, then I went a bit closer and then all the way up to the window, or at least as far as I could go without potentially getting yelled by the property owner(s) or becoming a feeding ground for tics. As I looked through the window (and through my view finder), I began to assess the importance of what I was doing. No one could guess that this once diner, would be turned into a storage area for garbage. What once was a place that served hot food and coffee, was now a housing structure for broken lamps and rusted appliances. The diner was now a dumping ground for the property owners, who I believe, reside in the trailer a few yards away. Although I personally have to connection to the diner, I did feel a sadness, knowing what had become of a once lively place. A place which was once considered a landmark to truck drivers. What was worse, was that there was no telling the last time anyone had even gone there to store more garbage. The grass in front of the door was a minimum of 4 feet high. However, sadness and signs of neglect aside, I fulfilled the purpose of that moment, which was to document a part of my fiance's and soon to be stepsons' family history.
I must say that I felt relief after I had the photos. Not just because I had finally done what I had been wanting to do for years, but because you never know how long you have to capture something (or someone, as the case may sometimes be).
Although, from a young age, it became part of my life's mission to record people, place and events, the importance of such a desire came over me ten-fold after a dear friend of mine passed away over ten years ago. On top of the sadness which comes with losing a loved one, I realized that I had no pictures of her anywhere. The one time that we were together and I was about to take her picture, her boyfriend signed on to the computer, and she ran to chat with him. I thought nothing of it. I was busy drinking a beer and figure I would catch her again next time. Next time never came. She died a week later. As a result, I have spent the last 10 1/2 years, snapping away, but also working on perfecting the craft. To be a serious photographer, you need to spend time harassing those who know much more than you do and suck them dry. Currently, for the last two, soon to be three semesters, I have been leaching off of Tony Gonzalez (http://tonygonzalezartist.com/).
I assume I am achieving some sort of skill because I have sold some of my work. Some to repeat buyers, so one must assume, I am either pretty damn good, or just manage to surround myself with lots of people who have no taste. So long as someone buys my work, I'm pretty good either way.
So I guess that's pretty much it. I am, in a manner of speaking, a glorified record keeper, who occasionally finds patrons who happen to give a damn about the same memories I care about it, and would like to keep these memories in their home or office or wherever. And not just records of people or places. My series on childhood, "Kids Are Creepy", is based solely on creating a visual for the memories we made and the emotions we had during those events. They are depictions of moments lost, due to time always running forward and not being happy or pretty enough for our parents to capture them in celuloide, at least in some cases. In other photos in the series, they are depictions of emotions happening in real time. The photos themselves are staged, but the events they represent are very much current, again, making them records.
So that is why I do what I do. The day I stop creating will be the day I am dead and buried. Of course, that's not what I tell my stepsons. When they ask me why I have to do this, my answer is always the same to them..."THIS IS FOR WHEN I'M OLD! NOW HOLD STILL!"
Annie Leibovitz
If I could tell you how many times I came across a quote by Annie Leibovitz that mimicked exactly what I was thinking, you would have grown bored of me many many moons ago.
I do not remember exactly how old I was one when I got my first camera, but I remember detail by detail how I felt. I always loved to draw and paint, and I still do, but the day I help my firs camera was magic to me. I felt like I was given the gift to end all gifts...the ability to freeze time. To have physical records of the encounters that were both important and not. Maybe I was 7. I forget, I didn't take a picture.
Yesterday afternoon, I returned with my fiance and his two boys, from out annual trip to Cobleskill, NY where we visit his family every year. After pestering him about this for a few years, on July 4, 2012, driving down Route 7 to his uncle's house, we stopped and parked in front of, what could only be described as "The Diner That Time Forgot". The structure I am describing to you is the location where my fiance's grandmother, Millie, had her diner.
Over the years, I had heard so many stories about the diner, how trucks used to stop there all the time before the new throughway opened, how his sisters would help out sometimes...just a wonderful place with wonderful memories. You would never know that this was a place full of life from looking at it. Actually, if you look at my earlier post, you will see three photos I took of the diner a few days ago. At first, I stood far enough to get a shot of the entire building, then I went a bit closer and then all the way up to the window, or at least as far as I could go without potentially getting yelled by the property owner(s) or becoming a feeding ground for tics. As I looked through the window (and through my view finder), I began to assess the importance of what I was doing. No one could guess that this once diner, would be turned into a storage area for garbage. What once was a place that served hot food and coffee, was now a housing structure for broken lamps and rusted appliances. The diner was now a dumping ground for the property owners, who I believe, reside in the trailer a few yards away. Although I personally have to connection to the diner, I did feel a sadness, knowing what had become of a once lively place. A place which was once considered a landmark to truck drivers. What was worse, was that there was no telling the last time anyone had even gone there to store more garbage. The grass in front of the door was a minimum of 4 feet high. However, sadness and signs of neglect aside, I fulfilled the purpose of that moment, which was to document a part of my fiance's and soon to be stepsons' family history.
I must say that I felt relief after I had the photos. Not just because I had finally done what I had been wanting to do for years, but because you never know how long you have to capture something (or someone, as the case may sometimes be).
Although, from a young age, it became part of my life's mission to record people, place and events, the importance of such a desire came over me ten-fold after a dear friend of mine passed away over ten years ago. On top of the sadness which comes with losing a loved one, I realized that I had no pictures of her anywhere. The one time that we were together and I was about to take her picture, her boyfriend signed on to the computer, and she ran to chat with him. I thought nothing of it. I was busy drinking a beer and figure I would catch her again next time. Next time never came. She died a week later. As a result, I have spent the last 10 1/2 years, snapping away, but also working on perfecting the craft. To be a serious photographer, you need to spend time harassing those who know much more than you do and suck them dry. Currently, for the last two, soon to be three semesters, I have been leaching off of Tony Gonzalez (http://tonygonzalezartist.com/).
I assume I am achieving some sort of skill because I have sold some of my work. Some to repeat buyers, so one must assume, I am either pretty damn good, or just manage to surround myself with lots of people who have no taste. So long as someone buys my work, I'm pretty good either way.
So I guess that's pretty much it. I am, in a manner of speaking, a glorified record keeper, who occasionally finds patrons who happen to give a damn about the same memories I care about it, and would like to keep these memories in their home or office or wherever. And not just records of people or places. My series on childhood, "Kids Are Creepy", is based solely on creating a visual for the memories we made and the emotions we had during those events. They are depictions of moments lost, due to time always running forward and not being happy or pretty enough for our parents to capture them in celuloide, at least in some cases. In other photos in the series, they are depictions of emotions happening in real time. The photos themselves are staged, but the events they represent are very much current, again, making them records.
So that is why I do what I do. The day I stop creating will be the day I am dead and buried. Of course, that's not what I tell my stepsons. When they ask me why I have to do this, my answer is always the same to them..."THIS IS FOR WHEN I'M OLD! NOW HOLD STILL!"
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Monday, June 18, 2012
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Sunday, June 3, 2012
Friday, April 13, 2012
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Monday, January 30, 2012
13°C
- WhenSaturday, March 10, 2012
- Time7:00pm until 10:00pm
- WhereGlendale House of Art, 72-05 66st Glendale, NY 11385
- Description
Please come and join me for my solo exhibition. My work will consist of photographs I took while I was in Israel in January. All work will be for sale and available to take home the same day. Please feel free to bring your friends and support the arts in Queens. There will be food and drinks served. Hope to see you there!
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Sunday, January 15, 2012
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