english breakfast tea

Alec Soth- opening day lecture for Walker show

2010-09-18T09:51:00.000-07:00

The internet makes me happy... since I wasn't able to be there in person, here it is... can't wait to see the show at Christmas time.

(if the embedded video isn't working, click here to see it on youtube)

Photo Book Publishing advice

2010-09-12T19:00:00.000-07:00

Just trying to get myself posting things more...

http://thephotoletariat.com/interview-alan-rapp-on-getting-your-photography-book-published/

...and there was evening, and there was morning...

2010-07-21T18:17:00.000-07:00

Just a few images from my last visit to L'Abri in Greatham, England...

Need to update link list...

2010-03-01T11:55:00.000-08:00

This is to serve as a reminder to myself, and an apology to many of you, for not updating my link list... most of my students have amazing sites that I need to set up links to... someday...

A great find... Hold Your Horses art recreations

2010-03-01T11:52:00.000-08:00

70 Million by Hold Your Horses ! from L'Ogre on Vimeo.

Alec Soth- new work- via Little Brown Mushroom

2010-01-05T10:08:00.000-08:00

http://littlebrownmushroom.wordpress.com/
http://vimeo.com/littlebrownmush

Glass Jars from Little Brown Mushroom on Vimeo.

and also...

Las Vegas Birthday Slideshow from Little Brown Mushroom on Vimeo.

5 year reunion for Shared Horizons

2009-10-17T23:24:00.000-07:00

On October 17, 2004, we gathered at Golden Star for our first round of Jimmy the Greek omelettes... this time we returned older, wiser, and with a much better camera. check out my website to see the original Shared Horizons project.

The first day- 10/17/04

some other older shots... more on my Facebook page.

In response to the 100 degree heat...

2009-09-24T11:33:00.000-07:00

... and because I'll be seeing him live tomorrow night.

"Wolves" by Bon Iver

Help Portrait - consider getting involved.

2009-09-10T13:45:00.001-07:00

New Work Explorations...

2009-09-07T21:58:00.001-07:00

These new ideas are generously "borrowed" and derived from Jeff Rau and Jonathan Anderson... friends share things, right?

I've been wanting to make "icons" of my Northwoods Journals imagery... so here we go, this is my first attempt at routing and inlaying using a Dremel... not sure where this will lead, but it's fun to play... This is definitely very rough, and if I don't get better at it, then I'll just have my photos laser-cut and inlay them that way...

The wood panels would be stained, and I'm toying with the idea of incorporating gold leaf into them somehow... into the wood grain... ? who knows, but below are some images of my first attempts to gold leaf something in 10 years. I'm not that fond about it yet, but I'm excited to have at least gotten some of these ideas out of my head and into the studio.

Website updated / blog update to follow...

2009-07-13T10:47:00.000-07:00

www.kurtsimonson.com

has been updated with new info/news pages and the latest configuration of the Northwoods Journals project.

maybe someday I'll get around to updating or using this blog again too...

Uganda pictures are posted

2009-02-15T16:05:00.000-08:00

My Uganda photos are finally posted and ready to share- I had a hard time narrowing about 4000 photos down to about 1200... which is still far too many for most people to care about, but it was a big trip! The photos are organized in sets on my Flickr.com account, which allows you to view them at your own pace and with some sense of organization... so go here to see them:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kurtsimonson/sets/

If you have never used Flickr before, it can be a little disorienting because of multiple viewing options. If you click on a set, you are taken to a thumbnail page. From there you have two options:
1. Click on any of those thumbnails, and you are able to see them larger. You can also read captions easily that way. Moving to the next picture is done through a grey-shaded box on the right. When viewing this way, you can also make comments, and you can view and download the full-size version of the picture by clicking "all sizes" above the photo.
2. However, if you want to view them as a slideshow, which is my favorite way of viewing things, there should be a small little icon (of a projector screen) for viewing things as a slideshow at the top of the main set page. The background goes black and the photos go full-screen, and if you want to know caption information, click "show info" at the top of the black screen.

I should be picking out some of my favorite photos to put onto my main website soon (www.kurtsimonson.com) and when I do, I'll let you know.

Uganda pictures coming soon...

2009-02-07T18:42:00.000-08:00

To those of you who have been checking to see how my trip was... my apologies. It's been very difficult to find time to process my pictures (or my thoughts) since I got back and since work for the spring semester has started.

I will be posting most of the pictures (thousands of them) on my Flickr webpage, which I'll share the link for once they are ready. Then you can take your time, view as many as you want, or just ignore them.
Once I have a strong set of (narrowed down) personal favorites, I'll post those at kurtsimonson.com

For now, here's a couple.

Ruth's house, "The Blue House" at Namugongo

Idah, at the Blue House

Ruth's oldest sister

St. Paul's Cathedral, Namirembe

Me & Ezekiel

2009-01-10T21:53:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday, I finally got meet Ezekiel... who I found out actually goes by Namukangula within his family (most of the kids have an English name and a family name, which is different than what would be their western surname... hard to explain).

I've sponsored Ezekiel for the last two and a half years- he's from the remote bush village of Bulemeze, which is where Sam's side of the family is from originally. Ezekiel, and a lot of the kids from Sam's side, now live in Kayunga (outside Kampala), in the house that is cared for by Gladys, the woman in the post below.

Yesterday I got to see the village, visit his parents grave, and meet his uncle James, who took care of him and his 6 siblings after his parents died. James told me his dad died first (from AIDS), then his mom one year later. Ezekiel was very young, and probably would not remember them. Three of Ezekiel's siblings (John, Robinah, and Diana) live at Kayunga with him now, and are sponsored by Ugandan Lambs. I'm not sure about the status of his older siblings.

Tom & Alex

2009-01-09T21:05:00.000-08:00

When we first pulled up to Ruth's family home in Namagongo ("the blue house"), before Tom could even get out of the van, Alex was running up to him to give him a huge hug. Without a doubt one of the most touching things I have seen in my life.

Last year it was discovered that Alex had a heart condition that needed surgery. The same condition had recently taken the life of one of our other kids. Tom and his wife Meredith, who sponsor Alex, organized the fundraising to pay for Alex's surgery... and now he has the massive scar to prove it... which he's showing us here under his new Wilson's Home Improvement shirt.

Uganda

2009-01-01T14:48:00.001-08:00

In about 24 hours, I'll be on my way to Uganda. If possible, I'll try to post updates and photos on here... in the meantime, here's a few photos that Louie Huesmann took when they visited last year.

Gladys, the caretaker for the kids at Sam's family home in Kuyunga. I am really looking forward to meeting this amazing woman, whom I hear has an incredibly deep and rich voice.

Here are the kids that stay at Ruth's family house, "the blue house," outside Kampala

Inside the Blue House, which is falling apart faster and faster each year... we may end up doing a fair number of repairs on it next week.

Great job with the photos Louie... I have a lot to live up to with my own work. Check out www.louiehuesmann.com when he finishes it.

Cheers friends... I'll talk to you from afar when I can.

New Website

2008-12-01T15:09:00.001-08:00

It's still being updated slowly, as I add new galleries of older work... but change has finally come to my website.

www.kurtsimonson.com

I am looking forward to discovering, and recovering, some old lost gems, like this photo of a dear old Irish woman at a crappy arcade in Ballybunion, Ireland, in 2003. She's the oracle, and she promises change.

"Fanatically Yours"- NYC exhibit photos

2008-11-19T15:19:00.000-08:00

Here's a few photos from the gallery opening in New York on November 6th.

More NYC shots to follow...

"Fanatically Yours" exhibit in New York- opens Nov. 7 at NYCAMS Gallery

2008-10-22T16:00:00.000-07:00

I'm excited to have two pieces showing in New York next month, and since I'm flying out there for it, I'd love to see you at the opening if you happen to be in the area that night... (well, you never know when people are wandering through New York).

"Fanatically Yours" is an exhibition of 7 artists, including yours truly, curated by Josie Browne, the director of the Max Protetch Gallery in Chelsea. The exhibit, however, will be at the NYCAMS gallery- 44 West 28th St, 7th floor.

The opening is at 6pm on Friday night, Nov. 7th, but the show will remain open through Nov. 28th. Let me know if you might be coming!

Cold War Kids- Black Cab Sessions

2008-09-26T13:04:00.001-07:00

‘Inní mér syngur vitleysingur" - Sigur Ros

2008-09-05T08:26:00.000-07:00

("Within me, a lunatic sings")
‘Inní mér syngur vitleysingur’ - Official Video

Silence, Solitude, and Swearing.

2008-09-02T12:10:00.000-07:00

I was invited to give the devotion at the faculty meeting for the School of Arts and Sciences today, because of my experiences last summer at the English L’Abri. The text of the devotion follows below:

_________________

I went to L’abri with a somewhat specific set of questions, and as I found out happens to many people during their time there, I soon discovered that those questions simply opened up into much larger questions… and it became clear that none of them would really be answered. but as one of my favorite songs by my favorite band, Over the Rhine, reminds us, “we need questions, forget about the answers…”

In my 2nd or 3rd day at l’abri, my mentor invited me to join a reading group that was going through Henri Nouwen’s “Reaching Out.” As a huge fan of Nouwen, I was familiar with this book, but had never read it. Turns out it was exactly what God wanted me to read while I was there, and it prompted exactly the right set of questions for me, even if they would be questions without answers.

If you have not read it, the book talks about three movements of the spiritual life: from loneliness to solitude, from hostility to hospitality, and from illusion to prayer. It was the first movement, from loneliness to solitude, which was a critical theme for this time in my life… after all, I was about to turn 30 as a single man. For the first week of my time at L’Abri, I spent a lot of my time reading about my questions, studying about my questions… before it became clear that in order to struggle with my loneliness I needed to be alone and stop filling the time with seemingly healthy distractions like reading and studying. And for the first time in my life, I actually did desire to be alone, because it was a beautiful place to be alone… The 17th century manor house sits on a large patch of land, with many quiet fields surrounding it. My favorite place to spend time was inside the small chapel beside the sunken garden, which had been converted from a stable house warming room.

Three hours of the day at L’Abri are set aside for study, so for three hours at a time, I would sit in places like that chapel, journaling, praying, listening, and generally struggling with the attempt to have solitude… something that is awful difficult to find if you are as good at distractions, busyness, laziness, and sleeping as I am. I didn’t know what I was expecting… some kind of voice-from-heaven experience… I don’t know. A little bird, a busy little wren, did keep me company every time I was in there, however. And I did hear from God, but I have no idea how to talk about it because a cynical kid of my generation is still too afraid to use trite words that sound like Christianese.

But one day, when journaling some hard questions and angry frustrations, God responded. I would read from my journal from those days, but I swear a lot when I’m talking to God. I think he’s okay with it, he’s never stopped me from it and I figure he knows it’s going through my mind anyway. He does want us to be vulnerable after all, and sitting there in that space for 3 hours a day, I felt the vulnerability of His Presence. And that’s when I heard the words that were clearly not from my internal monologue: “have courage, I can sustain you.”

I wish I could say that an amazing peace descended upon me… I wish I could say that I learned how to be still and make the time for solitude every day. But the reality is much more human than that. I have struggled with this experience ever since. But in those hours in the chapel in the garden, I was reminded of the need to listen… to be still… to listen for questions, or answers, or neither… I learned that what some call the silence of God is really a wonderfully frustrating mystery to experience.

I had brought a book of poetry with me to L’abri that summer entitled “God’s Silence” by Franz Wright. So I’ll close by reading my favorite poem as a prayer and a reminder to us. So listen and pray with me:

Introduction, by Franz Wright (2nd half):
I am here to learn
to bear
the beams of love,
what else

Bells
through the leaves, I am here to endure the
bells tolling
underground

Like you a guest, a ghost

Everything will be forgotten

And either I am too alone
or I am not
alone enough
to make each moment
holy

(No one bats 1.000, friend
no one
bats .500)

And I heave heard God's silence like the sun
and sought to change

Now
I'm just going to listen to the silence

till the Silence

Self Portraits

2008-08-30T10:46:00.001-07:00

Since both Photo 2 and Photo 3 are working on self-portrait warm ups, I thought I'd send along this link that Allison Oh brought to my attention:

Self Portraits
- from someone at University of Maryland, I wish I could attribute authorship but I didn't see any information.

Great breakdown of approaches to self portraiture as signature, as projection, as self-study, as fantasy, as narrative, and as metaphor.

“On The Road” – Soth and Friedlander

2008-07-17T20:31:00.000-07:00

(a free Third Thursdays event at Minneapolis Institute of Art)...

I just had my rear kicked and handed to me on a beautiful silver gelatin platter… I feel simultaneously inspired and depressed after walking through the massive (!!) Lee Friedlander retrospective at the MIA… hundreds of prints (too many? There was no way to spend enough time), 8 rooms full of his early jazz color portraits, classic self portraits, street photos, nature work, “work” work (people at work…)… so much work… but I must say, Friedlander often gets pegged in my photo classes as “the quirky snapshot street guy” but this retrospective gives you a much deeper insight into the amount of compositional skill and technical mastery Friedlander has. His prints are flawless and incredibly rich… and rather than seeing his style as “accidental,” I am now pretty convinced it’s just a confidence in his eye and his voice that allows him so much freedom to look “quirky” and casual.

And as if that show alone isn’t enough to make you cry, in the room next door is a collection of 26 massive prints from Alec Soth’s “Sleeping by the Mississippi.” The MIA is the first museum to purchase the series as a body of work, and it’s appropriate, considering that Soth used to work at the museum during the time that he went on his multiple Mississippi travels, before his rocket to fame in 2004.

(Trivia note-- he worked in the Prints collection… in fact, he worked there at the same time that I was working there, in 1999, when I worked with the summer kids programs… shame that I didn’t get a chance to meet him then… not that either of us would’ve had a reason to run into each other… )

click here to learn more and to check out some videos on the MIA website about Soth's working method.... it's always cool to see a photographer at work.

Having just finished a 2nd version/edition of my Northwoods Journals book, I am made all the more aware of the influence both of these photographers have had on my work… and I’m all the more intimidated and humbled by their work.

"Hey Hot Shot" winners

2008-07-10T11:10:00.000-07:00

Jen Bekman gallery in New York, a great place to keep an eye on emerging photographers, just announced the winners of this year's "Hey Hot Shot!" competition (which I recommend to everyone to enter next time it rolls around)

Juliane Eirich - my favorite... immediate haunting memories of my Minnesota childhood nights come to mind... From the series "Snownight:"

Derek Henderson - from "I Go Down to the River to Pray:"

Kate Orne - stunning lighting... from "Brothels and Fundamentalism:"

also:

Colleen Plumb

Roc Herms Pont

Visit the "Hey Hot Shot!" site to see more.

101 Photoshop Tips in 5 Minutes by Deke. Hilarious.

2008-07-04T00:42:00.001-07:00

If you've ever sat through one of my digital classes, or had to watch any kind of photoshop dvd demo, you'll appreciate this.

Corey Arnold

2008-06-30T16:41:00.000-07:00

I have to thank my friend Leah Dankertson (roughhewnlog.blogspot.com) for introducing me (reintroducing me? this guy seems familiar) to Corey Arnold's work... a fisherman/photographer:

These first few ones are from the "Human Animals" series:

And a couple from "Arcticness":

okay, postscript... I know why he's familiar. He went to high school with Natalie Anderson. Cool.

NT Wright on Colbert Report

2008-06-25T08:28:00.000-07:00

Ezekiel Namukangula

2008-06-09T19:08:00.000-07:00

This is Ezekiel Namukangula, my Ugandan "son."

He's 12, and in grade P4 at Namirembe Primary School in Kampala, Uganda, where he recently became the sanitation prefect. He's originally from a tiny rural village called Belmeze, and he's a relative of a man at my church, Sam Sebabe. Sam and his wife Ruth are responsible for 50+ children in their extended family who have become orphans due to AIDS. Through a refreshingly grassroots effort at our church, I'm able to send him support every month that I know goes 100% toward his school, clothing, and medical needs. In return, I get amazing letters that quote scripture and make me cry.

I will finally get to meet him in January when a group of us will head out there to take care of various needs such as non-profit organization business, the building of a new house, and photo/video documentary (that's me).

thanks to Louie Huesmann for the photos.

Life would be better as a musical.

2008-05-31T15:38:00.000-07:00

I have always wanted life to be this way... breaking out into random 80's power ballads...

yes, this is how I'm spending my summer so far and I love it.

Justin's Holiday in Cambodia

2008-05-29T16:38:00.000-07:00

For those who are interested, you can follow Justin Craft's adventures in Thailand and Cambodia via his blog... "Holiday in Cambodia"

"Grace is Where I Live" John Leax

2008-05-21T09:01:00.000-07:00

re-reading one of my favorite books, John Leax's collection of essays... though writing as a poet, it speaks well to all artists...

from "Holiness and Craft:"

As I write, the poem I am writing is always in the future. When I have finished writing, it is behind me. It is in the past. Only as I am writing it, as it is in the process of becoming, is it in the present. And only as it is in the present, is it my concern. Compare this to salvation. Salvation is a process occurring in all three tenses. It is future because it will not be complete until Christ returns. It is past because Christ accomplished it on the cross. It is present as I give myself to Christ. Here, as in the writing of a poem, my concern is with the present action. What is past is related to the present only as the present brings its meaning into being. What is future is related to the present only as it is imagined and desired in the present-- that is, as it is part of the present.
Holiness and craft come together at this point: the moment of the poem is also the moment of salvation. Both occur in the present. I make my way as a poet and as a Christian by giving attention to being in Christ and in doing in him the work before me. Quoting Thomas Merton, "it is in the ordinary duties and labors of life that the Christian can and should develop his spiritual union with God."
While hoeing his garden, Saint Francis was approached by a villager who had his own idea about how a saint should spend his time. The villager demanded of Francis, "What would you be doing if you knew the Lord would return this afternoon?" Francis replied, "I would be hoeing my garden." I think this is the meaning of "Take therefore no thought for the morrow, for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself," (Matthew 6:34).

from "Stewardship and Witness:"

Language is the soil in which the message grows. Poets care about the message, but they must first be stewards of language. The message is like a seed. It must fall into the ground and die before it can be born into a poem.
Just as the sacrifice of soil for the crop of one year is ultimately destructive, so the sacrifice of language to the demands of the message is destructive. Like so many other things in life, we must give up even our truth to keep it. Any other course will use up the soil in which we nurture it and guarantee that the future will be impoverished.
Just as I serve the soil so that my garden will remain fertile and grow good crops, when I write I serve the language so it can bear the message I've learned. Curiously, as I seek to make stewardship my concern, my vision clears, and I speak more precisely the presence of Christ in my world.

From "Story, Place, and Marriage:"

A sentimental attachment to place is, like a sentimental love, stupid and useless- a hindrance to genuine relationship. A sense of place is not sentimental: it is practical and necessary. The mistake is to consider place provincially. While a sense of place is based on local knowledge, it is not limited to local knowledge, it includes a range of places.
...What is one caught in the forced mobility of our urban culture to do? The answer, I believe, lies in story.
...though I may be out of my place, beyond the limits of my local knowledge, I am not out of my story... "

Coldplay

2008-05-20T22:00:00.000-07:00

two photographers of recent interest

2008-05-20T17:02:00.000-07:00

Stephen Berkman

James Fee

Web Galleries of new work

2008-04-18T10:45:00.000-07:00

So my website is embarrassingly oudated, and I can't be bothered to update it anytime soon... in the meantime, I've finally figured out (with the help of resident html genius Jeff Rau) how to put web galleries of my work here on my blog, via Flickr slideshows. Nice trick Jeff, thanks.

So look to the right. You should see the first one there, for my Northwoods Journals series. More to follow... eventually...

Printable Pinhole Camera Designs

2008-04-18T10:33:00.000-07:00

A new twist in making your own pinhole camera:

click here to download/print the designs

"Making Art as if the World Mattered"

2008-04-15T11:45:00.000-07:00

“Vision that responds to the cries of the world and is truly engaged with what it sees is not the same as the disembodied eye that observes and reports, that objectifies and enframes. The ability to enter into another’s emotions, to share another’s plight, to make their conditions our own, characterizes art in the partnership mode. You cannot exactly define it as self-expression—it is more like relational dynamics. Once a relationship is given greater priority, art embodies more aliveness and collaboration, a dimension excluded from the solitary, essentially logocentric discourses of modernity. Partnership demands a willingness to conceive of art in more living terms. ‘Compassion is the rooting of vision in the world, and in the whole of being,’ states David Michael Levin. It is a way of seeing others as par of ourselves. When art is rooted in the responsive heart, rather than the disembodied eye, it may even come to be seen, not as the solitary process it has been since the Renaissance, but as something we do with others.”

From Suzi Gablik's “The Re-enchantment of Art,” pg. 106.

Still Life with Peeps

2008-04-11T15:26:00.000-07:00

morning thoughts

2008-04-02T10:00:00.000-07:00

"Art is neither safe nor predictable; it requires, and rewards, a deep engagement of our imaginative facilities."

"Art, like religious faith in general and prayer in particular, has the power to help us transcend the fragmented society we inhabit... the intuitive language of the imagination is so vital. Reaching deep into our collective thoughts and memories, great art sneaks past our shallow prejudices and brittle opinions to remind us of the complexity and mystery of human existence. The imagination calls us to leave our personalities behind and to temporarily inhabit another's experience, looking at the world with new eyes. Art invites us to meet the Other-- whether that be our neighbor or the infinite otherness of God-- and to achieve a new wholeness of spirit."
--Gregory Wolfe, editor of Image journal

"Redemption comes in many shapes, with many kinds of pain."
--Dolly Parton (yes, seriously. Give her songs another chance if you haven't already.)

Sacred space, place, and time... Portland meals.

2008-03-28T12:02:00.000-07:00

Surely the time we get to spend with friends who live far away is sacred time... physical, shared, embodied time with them is rare... I can't often see my friends in Portland, London, Minnesota, Orlando, Denmark, Denver, or fill in the place for yourself... so those times are a gift when they occur, and it seems to me that something about that time and place creates a sacred space.

Meals. The shared table... the conversations... the pleasant and comfortable silences... the amazing Borsch home-cooked by Julia, the "laughing and riding and cornholing... (except Buster)"... I'm beginning to think that there is nothing I enjoy more fully than meals with good friends. At its best, this sacred space allows for a shared presence... being... to be together... to be known and to share that knowing presence.

'

Portland was full of this, and I'm grateful for each meal... for both the pure enjoyment of the food but also for the time shared at those tables with Tom, Adam, Tim, Adrian, and Reuben... the borsch at Julia's cart, the coffee and red velvet muffin at Crema, the toffee cupcakes at St Cupcake, the Rwandan coffee at Stumptown (which I tried and failed to brew on my own today), the all-too-rushed meal of kelp, ribs, and dumplings at Biwa, the snakebites over pipes at the Horse Brass, the meat platter at Two Brothers Serbian food (Ayvar!), the black molasses bread and watergames at Otis Cafe, the extremely fresh crab and cod in Newport, and of course, the schnitzel, spaetzel, wurst, and steins brought to us by our sciatic-nerve suffering waitress, Sarah, at Gustav's German bar. I hope she got the massage she needed.

New Work, New Exhibit- "Through a Glass Dimly"

2008-02-19T21:07:00.000-08:00

"Through a Glass Dimly," the 5th and final Biola Art Alumni exhibition, opens Tuesday, 2/26.

The artist reception will be from 7-9pm, though the exhibit will be open through March 20th if you're not able to make it. (and remember, March 14-15th is our alumni reunion weekend and our major symposium "On The Strange Place of Religion in Contemporary Art"- see an older post about this). The show also features new work from Jonathan Anderson, Natalie Anderson, Tony Caltabiano, Jon Puls, Brandi Nuse-Villegas and a host of other alumni and friends that I can't think of right now.

Visit the BiolArt website for further details

I am very excited to finally exhibit some new pieces-- they are part of a "new" body of work that I've been developing slowly-- one piece (the first one shown below) has been around for a few years, but the other two have been printed for the first time... and all of them will be making their debut as finished, framed pieces (I built the custom frames myself, which I must say, I'm quite proud of.)

I don't know what to say yet about these pieces. They come to me slowly. I can't force them, they arrive like surprises/gifts. That's why there's only 3 and it's been 3 years since the first one. They're untitled so far. Something about tension... something about the search for the sacred in the contemporary... something about "standing in a circle of quiet, waiting for the world to turn..."

L'Abri

2008-02-15T09:31:00.000-08:00

In honor of Sydney Van Orden who is spending this weekend at the English L'Abri, and in honor of the annual L'Abri conference that is being held in Minnesota (England AND Minnesota shout outs!)...

I checked out the English L'Abri website and found that they had put up galleries of my pictures. So not to toot my own horn, but I'm honored and excited to see them- check it out

English L'Abri-photo page

They make for a wonderful distraction.

2008-02-13T10:05:00.001-08:00

A little more Flight of the Conchords for you:

(if you haven't been initiated yet, you really must watch their HBO show- now on dvd- and/or get some of their songs on itunes)

Just because it's stuck in my head.

2008-02-10T23:38:00.001-08:00

Goodbye Polaroids.

2008-02-09T13:40:00.000-08:00

Read this link if you want to ruin your day:

BBC News- Polaroids

From the article:

"The firm was founded in 1937, making polarised lenses for the science world, introducing its first instant camera in 1948. Polaroid peaked in popularity in 1991 when its sales - mainly instant cameras and film - hit close to $3bn.

However it failed to embrace the digital photography revolution and went bankrupt in 2001, before being bought, four years later by a Minnesota-based consumer products firm, Petters Group Worldwide. "

Let's hear it for the Minnesotans who tried to save the day! Good effort boys. But, the good news:

"It says there is enough film in stock to last until 2009, and it hopes to sell licensing rights to another firm to continue supplying enthusiasts who still use their Polaroid cameras."

Nice Cup of Tea and a Sit Down

2008-02-02T09:48:00.000-08:00

Just because I'm having a cup now, and because I agree that all of the world's problems might just be solved by having a nice cup of tea and a sit down, here's a link I'd like to share:

http://www.nicecupofteaandasitdown.com/ or, the facebook group of the same name

So it's not the most clever or artsy site, in fact, it's pretty awful, but, it's got links to the British Tea Council and my favorite feature: Biscuit of the Week.

This week's biscuit: Encores

From the site: It's the year end and we thought it would be nice to round out 2007 with some biscuits that we can all go out buy in the UK, as opposed to something exotic from foreign shores. Having said that these are those French biscuits we mentioned a while back in our news section LU's re-branded range of classics for the UK market, Encore, which includes their flagship Petit Ecolier. And seeing that team NCOTAASD has spent quite a bit of time in France this year we thought we would bring you a few highlights of our exploits in the land of the Petit Beurre in the manner of a special festive season BOTW.

I honestly don't know what half of that means. But I have had Encores, and they are delicious.

Great music / video site

2008-01-09T13:35:00.001-08:00

I may be late to the party on this one, but I've just discovered this great site for live and casual performances-- Les Concerts A Emporter at www.blogotheque.net

David Bazan-- "Cold Beer and Cigarettes/The Devil is Beating His Wife"

The National- "Start a War"

The Resurrection of Pinocchio

2008-01-08T11:56:00.000-08:00

Today here in Long Beach we celebrate the annual washing up on our shore of everyone else's crap. Thank you, Southern California, for throwing all of your tennis balls, styrofoam, shoes, toys, condoms, and wrappers into the street, so all of us here in Long Beach can enjoy Monet haystacks of crap whenever it rains.

In the midst of this, I was inspired to do a little performance art of sorts. What follows is the Resurrection of Pinocchio.

ps- it should be noted that an actual body did wash up on the shore in the midst of all of this... so this one's for him.

Cats and Sunsets

2008-01-04T19:04:00.000-08:00

Let's hear it for cliche photos... I'm enjoying the mundane right now:

New Year's Day sunset over Bluff Park. Cat found on 6th St. in San Pedro.

the music that keeps me going.

2007-12-31T11:37:00.000-08:00

In the spirit of all the end-of-year best-of lists, I have been thinking for a while now about the music that I just can't do without... not a top ten list, but a list of the albums that have affected me most powerfully... my own "best of" list, albums that have stood the test of time for me.

Good Dog Bad Dog - Over the Rhine (1996, reissued 2000)
A masterpiece, simply put. I could listen for hours at a time and never be any less affected by Karin's haunting voice. Songwriting has never been so honest and potent.

Sixpence None the Richer - Sixpence None the Richer (1997)
The triple-whammy, three-bleeding-into-one trinity of opening songs captivates me every time I listen to it... it's a damn shame that "Kiss Me" (though a wonderfully sweet pop song) ended up killing the band and overshadowing what is otherwise a very different feeling album. Remove "Kiss Me" and you have a very different masterpiece of poetic, wandering musings about faith, despair, hope, and hard reality.

This Beautiful Mess- Sixpence None the Richer (1995)
This cd got me through high school. I still connect to it deeply each time I listen to it.

It's Hard to Find a Friend - Pedro the Lion (1998, reissue 2001)
Dave Bazan made it okay for many of us frustrated young Christian burnouts to struggle out loud with our faith. see: "The Secret of the Easy Yoke"

Christ is My Hope/Birds of My Neighborhood - Innocence Mission (2000/1999)
It's got to be a tie between these two cds, both of which have some of my favorites songs by this underrated and understated band.

to be continued...

We Have Forgotten

2007-12-31T10:46:00.000-08:00

Some thoughts on remembering, as the new year approaches...

From "Walking on Water" by Madeleine L'Engle (quite possibly the best book ever written, period):

"In art, either as creators or participators, we are helped to remember some of the glorious things we have forgotten, and some of the terrible things we are asked to endure, we who are children of God by adoption and grace.
In one of his dialogues, Plato talks of all learning as remembering. The chief job of the teacher is to help us to remember all we have forgotten. This fits in well with Jung's concept of racial memory, his belief that when we are enabled to dip into the intuitive, subconscious self, we remember more than we know. One of the great sorrows which came to human beings when Adam and Eve left the garden was the loss of memory, memory of all that God's children are meant to be.
Perhaps one day I will remember how to walk across Dog Pond."

"We Have Forgotten" by Sixpence None the Richer---

Dreams, inconsistent angel things.
Horses bred with star-laced wings.
But it's so hard to make them fly, fly, fly.
These wings beat the night sky 'bove the town.
One goes up and one goes down.
And so the chariot hits the ground, bound, bound.

We have forgotten (don't try to make me fly)
How it used to be (I'll stay here, I'll be fine).
How it used to be (don't go and let me down)
How it used to be (I'm starting to like this town).

When wings beat the night sky 'bove the ground,
Will I unwillingly shoot them down
With all my petty fears and doubts, down, down?

We have forgotten (am I in love with this?)
How it used to be (my constant broken ship)
How it used to be (don't go, I'll shoot you down),
How it used to be (I'm starting to like this town).

BiolArt Symposium: On the Strange Place of Religion in Contemporary Art

2007-12-30T22:14:00.000-08:00

March 14-15, 2008----

The Biola Art department will host and facilitate a major symposium featuring Dr. James Elkins, Dr. Karen Kleinfelder, Dr. Dan Siedell, Roger Feldman, Christina Valentine, and a number of others... (moderated by our own Jonathan Anderson). The overall theme is a discussion of Elkin's book "On the Strange Place of Religion in Contemporary Art."
The weekend will also end in an alumni reunion dinner to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the art department.

Aside from being an incredibly engaging and relevant subject, this is going to be the biggest event the art department has ever had the honor to be involved in--- so mark your calendars. All lectures are free (donations encouraged), however the meals have a fee and require a reservation (see the website below).

For more information, click here.

The thing I miss most about Minnesota:

2007-12-22T09:15:00.001-08:00

the beloved Mall of America

2007-12-22T09:04:00.000-08:00

If one must participate in the tragedy that is mass consumer spending, why not go all out and do it here?

The center theme park used to be Knotts Camp Snoopy. Now it's just sad.

The Legoland shop is getting very dusty.

Remember kids, leave your guns at home:

Four stories, and four sections, of stuff you really don't need.

Dave says hello:

Nothing tops a day of shopping at America's biggest mall like a sampling of Wisconsin cheeses. Two-year old cheddar, smoked bacon gouda, curds curds and curds....

Fluke, by Nathan Huesmann

2007-12-19T11:46:00.000-08:00

"Fluke," by Nathan Huesmann, has finally been published--

It documents his photography over the last three years, from his involvement in my MFA project (Shared Horizons) on through his current work.

It can be previewed (and purchased, if you so wish) at the following link:

blurb bookstore- Nathan Huesmann

KayLynn Deveney, part 2

2007-12-10T15:15:00.000-08:00

"Edith and Len" by KayLynn Deveney

October 30
The seasons are changing today. The sky is darker and more wet. The leaves are dancing around the streets. Edith asked me today if I could imagine what it’s like to sit there all day, every day, the way she did. I thought, I am desperately trying to imagine it.

November 2
Visited Len and Edith today around teatime. Len seemed very unhealthy— bad cough, weepy eyes, no appetite, talking less and shaking more. Edith was very emotional and cried a lot. · It was hard yesterday, for them and me. It was hard to photograph her crying. It seemed very cold to pick my camera up and stick it in her face.

November 18
I’m so angry right now. When I went to Edith and Len’s room I could hear a caregiver inside. I
knew it was about time for Len to get dressed, so I stopped outside the door. I heard this caregiver telling Edith to shut up, that she was an evil old woman and not to touch Len. Edith came bursting out the door and I followed her. When Edith and I got back to the room, Len was gone. She asked this caregiver where he was, and she was told he was in the lounge. Edith said, “I’ll have him back now.” The caregiver said no. Edith said, “He’s my husband, not yours.” · I called their son, Roger, when I got home.

KayLynn Deveney

2007-12-10T15:10:00.000-08:00

"The Day-to-Day Life of Albert Hastings"

From the book: "When Albert Hastings was 85 years old, photographer KayLynn Deveney moved near his small flat in Wales. Kaylynn took notice of the small rituals and routines-- gardening, laundry, grocery shopping-- that made up Bert's life. A friendships slowly developed as Kaylynn started photographing parts of Bert's day."

www.kaylynndeveney.com

Brian Ulrich

2007-12-05T10:05:00.000-08:00

I'm going to try to start regularly posting photographers and artists whom I have been captivated by... first up: Brian Ulrich.

http://www.notifbutwhen.com/

I first ran across his work through MP3: part of the Midwest Photographers project organized by the Museum of Contemporary Photography in Chicago (www.mocp.org). Midwesterners unite. He currently teaches at Columbia Chicago and the Art Institute of Chicago.

Few photos have reminded me of home in Minnesota as much as this one.
___

Most of these are from his "Copia" series- visit the site to see more.

Thanksgiving: new additions to my ongoing "Northwoods Journals" project

2007-11-23T06:32:00.001-08:00

Brooke, waiting for dad

Ryan's new dirt bike

Mikey's new dirt bike

Chad and Jenny's house. Under construction, again.

Some thoughts on Silence and Solitude

2007-11-20T10:48:00.000-08:00

“Silence is God’s first language.”
- St John of the Cross, 16th century.

Introduction, by Franz Wright (2nd half):

I am here to learn
to bear
the beams of love,
what else

Bells
through the leaves, I am here to endure the
bells tolling
underground

Like you a guest, a ghost

Everything will be forgotten

And either I am too alone
or I am not
alone enough
to make each moment
holy

(No one bats 1.000, friend
no one
bats .500)

And I have heard God's silence like the sun
and sought to change

Now
I'm just going to listen to the silence

till the Silence

“Love your solitude… it will be your home and haven even in the midst of very strange conditions, and from there you will discover all your paths.”
--Rainer Maria Rilke, Letters to a Young Poet

“…take time away from busy-ness, time to be. I’ve long since stopped feeling guilty about taking being time; it’s something we all need for our spiritual health.
…listen to the silence, stay open to the voice of the Spirit. …slow me down Lord.”
-Madeleine L’Engle, Walking on Water

"A Journey of Hope" now available!

2007-11-19T12:05:00.001-08:00

"A Journey of Hope: A handbook for grieving people and the people who support them" by Susan K. Beeney, R.N., is now available for purchase.

To order online, visit:
www.newhopegriefresources.com
($20 plus shipping and tax).

I had the pleasure of designing the book and incorporating my photography to illustrate the process that a grieving person must go through. Over 40 of my photographs from various places across America and Europe are found in the book.