Friday, September 30, 2005

more pictures?

i bought four more dolls today. two bend, two dont. all are girls. i've been spending the evening taking pictures, rather than work on my art history paper on "las meninas". bad for me, but good for you: there should be pictures posted late tomorrow.

Thursday, September 29, 2005

go vote on a cool tee design!

the lovely rachel mooney, of moonra-design.com, who i've known since my freshman year of college, and who recently survived producing my spiffy new website, has designed a really neat tee shirt for a competition at threadless.com. if she wins, i think she gets $1000 and her shirt gets made. she deserves it. yes, this is shameless plugging, but i genuinely think she could go far. irreverent and cute. i even wrote poetry for her. i. don't. do. poetry. so please go vote! you have to sign up, but its free and they won't spam you. go! go now! before or after you go to nerve.com for me. it's up to you.

http://www.threadless.com/submission/55196/i_prefer_syrup

Nerve Post

as of midnight tonight, my posting at nerve.com will be up. i am the giddy. however, because they gave me a "premium" gallery, it means only people who paid a yearly membership of around $33 get to see me in all my glory. but it's definitely worth it. so if you go, you have some options. one, join, then thank me later, or two, go to the site, click through as far as you can, which brings you to a nice little blurb and some thumbnails, then go to my website to see the full blown image.

but go to nerve.com! spread the word! support a local dirty girl!

also, you will notice i am no longer using caps lock. it's taken all my strength to use caps up until this point. i'm sure you don't care, but i feel liberated. next goes the bra, and all hell breaks loose.

again: GO TO NERVE.COM! please?

Cross Your Fingers.....

Let's see if Friends of Urban Art and Culture will award me a $75 grant to buy Barbie dolls. I'd say this might be one of the weirdest requests they could receive, but given the current art scene, I don't think that's true.

Tuesday, September 27, 2005

It's Alive!!! My New Website, That Is....

After much, much, much waiting, my new website has arrived. I love it. It makes me very happy. The url is still www.samanthawolov.com. My friend Rachel Mooney, who runs moonra-design.com, built the whole thing from scratch, and I'm so happy that it's done and pretty, that I wrote her a haiku:

Rachel the Web Queen:
Designs sites for kinky friends.
I want to wed her.

But it's up, with lots of pictures, and I'm very happy.

Please Respond: Toy Pictures

Ok, so after some deliberation, I've decided to continue with the toy pictures I worked on this summer. I never really took the project that seriously, at least, in the context of my "career" (ha!), but they seem to be somewhat popular. I actually started the series for two reasons. First, I wanted to do something different for an Independent Study, and I thought Bratz dolls were skanky enough, and Barbie iconic enough, to yield some interesting results. Secondly, I don't have access to a lot of people who will work with me. Amateur porn stars don't grow on trees (the have sex in them?). So dolls were a good way to experiment with color, lighting, and humor without sacrificing a friendship or expoiting a person. Barbie and I definitely have an S&M relationship.

So this is where you come in. I'd like feedback. Suggestions, loans of old toys, anything. Post a comment in the blog, email me, send me a singing gorilla-gram, anything--I just want to hear what you have to say. I'll post a few questions or ideas below to get this started. However, please keep in mind that I'm somewhat limited by the schedule and budget of a college student in her last months. Meaning, my time is usually spent writing papers, studying for the GREs, or freaking out about said papers and GREs, so I don't have the time or resources to make mini nipple clamps for Barbie. But believe me, if Barbie had nipples, and I had the time and money, I'd make a whole collection. Mattel hates me. That's why I'm a card-carrying member of the ACLU.

1. Any "costume" scenerios? Naughty schoolgirl? Sexy librarian?
2. I've been playing with the idea of using old dolls, like from the 50s and 60s, but aging the film to make it look like the print is from the same era, too. So if anyone has old, old dolls, and is willing to loan them to me for a short time, that would be fantastic.
3. I'm already on the prowl for anything S&M-ish thats out in toy stores, so thats a no-brainer.

Basically, I'm willing for force Barbie to do anything, so if you have any requests, let me know. The Dude abides.

Washington Post Article, For Those Who Missed It

Recruits Sought for Porn Squad
By Barton Gellman
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, September 20, 2005; A21


The FBI is joining the Bush administration's War on Porn. And it's looking for a few good agents.

Early last month, the bureau's Washington Field Office began recruiting for a new anti-obscenity squad. Attached to the job posting was a July 29 Electronic Communication from FBI headquarters to all 56 field offices, describing the initiative as "one of the top priorities" of Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales and, by extension, of "the Director." That would be FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III.

Mischievous commentary began propagating around the water coolers at 601 Fourth St. NW and its satellites, where the FBI's second-largest field office concentrates on national security, high-technology crimes and public corruption.

The new squad will divert eight agents, a supervisor and assorted support staff to gather evidence against "manufacturers and purveyors" of pornography -- not the kind exploiting children, but the kind that depicts, and is marketed to, consenting adults.

"I guess this means we've won the war on terror," said one exasperated FBI agent, speaking on the condition of anonymity because poking fun at headquarters is not regarded as career-enhancing. "We must not need any more resources for espionage."

Among friends and trusted colleagues, an experienced national security analyst said, "it's a running joke for us."

A few of the printable samples:

"Things I Don't Want On My Resume, Volume Four."

"I already gave at home."

"Honestly, most of the guys would have to recuse themselves."

Federal obscenity prosecutions, which have been out of style since Attorney General Edwin Meese III in the Reagan administration made pornography a signature issue in the 1980s, do "encounter many legal issues, including First Amendment claims," the FBI headquarters memo noted.

Applicants for the porn squad should therefore have a stomach for the kind of material that tends to be most offensive to local juries. Community standards -- along with a prurient purpose and absence of artistic merit -- define criminal obscenity under current Supreme Court doctrine.

"Based on a review of past successful cases in a variety of jurisdictions," the memo said, the best odds of conviction come with pornography that "includes bestiality, urination, defecation, as well as sadistic and masochistic behavior." No word on the universe of other kinks that helps make porn a multibillion-dollar industry.

Popular acceptance of hard-core pornography has come a long way, with some of its stars becoming mainstream celebrities and their products -- once confined to seedy shops and theaters -- being "purveyed" by upscale hotels and most home cable and satellite television systems. Explicit sexual entertainment is a profit center for companies including General Motors Corp. and Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. (the two major owners of DirecTV), Time Warner Inc. and the Sheraton, Hilton, Marriott and Hyatt hotel chains.

But Gonzales endorses the rationale of predecessor Meese: that adult pornography is a threat to families and children. Christian conservatives, long skeptical of Gonzales, greeted the pornography initiative with what the Family Research Council called "a growing sense of confidence in our new attorney general."

Congress began funding the obscenity initiative in fiscal 2005 and specified that the FBI must devote 10 agents to adult pornography. The bureau decided to create a dedicated squad only in the Washington Field Office. "All other field offices may investigate obscenity cases pursuant to this initiative if resources are available," the directive from headquarters said. "Field offices should not, however, divert resources from higher priority matters, such as public corruption."

Public corruption, officially, is fourth on the FBI's priority list, after protecting the United States from terrorist attack, foreign espionage and cyber-based attacks. Just below those priorities are civil rights, organized crime, white-collar crime and "significant violent crime." The guidance from headquarters does not mention where pornography fits in.

"The Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation's top priority remains fighting the war on terrorism," said Justice Department press secretary Brian Roehrkasse. "However, it is not our sole priority. In fact, Congress has directed the department to focus on other priorities, such as obscenity."

At the FBI's field office, spokeswoman Debra Weierman expressed disappointment that some of her colleagues find grist for humor in the new campaign. "The adult obscenity squad . . . stems from an attorney general mandate, funded by Congress," she said. "The personnel assigned to this initiative take the responsibility of this assignment very seriously and are dedicated to the success of this program."

Monday, September 26, 2005

Oy

The Texas Erotic Art Show at Maverick Sun Arts LLC has rejected my work. Erotic art shows aren't that common, I was really optimistic about this one, and I got rejected. You know, next time, I'm just submitting a picture of my grandmother.

Sunday, September 25, 2005

A Massive List of Art Blogs, Sans Me

Alexandra Silverthorne posted a link to a long, long list of art blogs at Zeke's Gallery (http://zekesgallery.blogspot.com/2005/09/art-bloggers-of-world.html), and I'm not on there. I've posted comments three times, and they never show up. I don't know if he's deleting me, or if it's my computer, but if someone wants to be nice and post for me on my behalf, that would be terrific. thanks!

Mark Your Calendars: September and October

SEPTEMBER:
27th: Director David Lynch will be talking at Bender Arena at AU at 7:30 pm. Admission is free, and you get a free DVD.
Oct.


OCTOBER:
6th Annual Human Rights Film Series, sponsored by the Center for Social Media. Screenings held on Wednesdays, room 603 in Washington College of Law (on Mass. Ave.) and Thursdays in Mary Graydon Center, Wechsler Theatre (third floor)

This is a really neat human rights film series that showcases films that show how film and video can make a difference for human rights. There are discussions with expert speakers follow all screenings.

5th: State of Fear by Paco de Onís, Pam Yates and Peter Kinoy - Center for Social Media
6 pm, room 603 Washington College of Law
--"A gripping and beautifully-crafted story of the creation of President Alberto Fujimori's terror state in Peru, with lessons for a world grappling with the problem of stability in the face of terror. The feature-length documentary, by the celebrated filmmakers of When the Mountains Tremble, shows how the Shining Path guerrilla movement led to military occupation and government corruption in the name of protection from terrorists."

6th:
Fear, Truth, and the Documentary - Center for Social Media
2pm, TV Studio located in the Broadcast Center
--"CSM willhost Paco de Onís and Peter Kinoy, makers of State of Fear, as its fall visiting filmmakers. They will also be working with School of Communication students and offering a public lecture. They are extraordinary exemplars of documentarians with a social conscience."

State of Fear by Paco de Onís, Pam Yates and Peter Kinoy - Center for Social Media
6 pm, Mary Graydon Center, Wechsler Theatre
--"A gripping and beautifully-crafted story of the creation of President Alberto Fujimori's terror state in Peru, with lessons for a world grappling with the problem of stability in the face of terror. The feature-length documentary, by the celebrated filmmakers of When the Mountains Tremble, shows how the Shining Path guerrilla movement led to military occupation and government corruption in the name of protection from terrorists."

Fear, Truth, and the Documentary - Center for Social Media
2 pm, Room 100 in the Broadcast Center
Presentation by Paco de Onís and Peter Kinoy

19th:
Videoletters by Katarina Rejger and Eric van den Broek - Center for Social Media
6pm, room 603 Washington College of Law
--"Whether it's a young man looking for his lost childhood friend or a mother looking for her children's graves, these short TV programs show the reconciling power of storytelling across borders. Dutch filmmakers worked in the Balkans with former friends and neighbors, who were separated as a result of war. Videoletters reunited them, and dramatically-charged half-hour TV shows told the told the world about them. The TV series has created waves in the ex-Yugoslavia, where five national TV stations unprecedentedly agreed to air them simultaneously and where talk shows, internet kiosks and a bus tour of rural areas extended the storytelling. Join the discussion afterwards with Professor Julie Mertus, an expert on human rights and the Balkans, and possibly with a member of the Videoletters team!"

20th:
Videoletters by Katarina Rejger and Eric van den Broek - Center for Social Media
6pm, Mary Graydon Center, Wechsler Theatre
--"Whether it's a young man looking for his lost childhood friend or a mother looking for her children's graves, these short TV programs show the reconciling power of storytelling across borders. Dutch filmmakers worked in the Balkans with former friends and neighbors, who were separated as a result of war. Videoletters reunited them, and dramatically-charged half-hour TV shows told the told the world about them. The TV series has created waves in the ex-Yugoslavia, where five national TV stations unprecedentedly agreed to air them simultaneously and where talk shows, internet kiosks and a bus tour of rural areas extended the storytelling. Join the discussion afterwards with Professor Julie Mertus, an expert on human rights and the Balkans, and possibly with a member of the Videoletters team!"

20th:
Grand Opening of the Katzen Arts Center, at 6 pm

21st- December 17th:
Exhibits at the Katzen Arts Center:
William Allan: Stories and Watercolors
After Bruce Conner: Anonymous, Anonymouse, and Emily Feather
Living Legacy: 60 Years of the Watkins CollectionEmilie Brzezinski: Recent Sculpture
A First Look: David Bates, Gene Davis, Nancy Graves, and Master Drawings from the Katzen Collection

26th:
Sometimes in April by Raoul Peck - Center for Social Media
6pm, room 603 Washington College of Law
--"In April, 1994 in Rwanda, nearly one million people were massacred over one hundred days by Hutu nationalists trying to exert power over their countrymen, the Tutsis. The fiction film, Sometimes in April, focuses on the consequences of this atrocity on two Hutu Brothers, one reluctantly in the military, and the other a nationalist radio personality. By jumping back and forth between the present and 1994, this chilling drama explores both the extent of human brutality, and courage under overwhelming pressure, as well as the West's lack of action while the genocide was taking place."

27th:
Sometimes in April by Raoul Peck - Center for Social Media
6pm, Mary Graydon Center, Wechsler Theatre
--"In April, 1994 in Rwanda, nearly one million people were massacred over one hundred days by Hutu nationalists trying to exert power over their countrymen, the Tutsis. The fiction film, Sometimes in April, focuses on the consequences of this atrocity on two Hutu Brothers, one reluctantly in the military, and the other a nationalist radio personality. By jumping back and forth between the present and 1994, this chilling drama explores both the extent of human brutality, and courage under overwhelming pressure, as well as the West's lack of action while the genocide was taking place."


Let me know if I should post anything else! November and December will come in a few weeks.

Saturday, September 24, 2005

Secondsight

First of all, Alexandra Silverthorne is nifty. I finally got to meet her face to face.

Now for Secondsight:
Last night was the first meeting I had ever been to. And for a first time, it probably could have been better. I heard there are usually speakers, but there wasn’t a speaker at this meeting. So there was more of an emphasis on portfolio sharing and personal announcements. And while I think meetings like this are a good venue for emerging photographers to find allies and support, I was a little taken aback by how much professional diversity there was. We all seemed to be in different places, and had different goals, which on one level, is great, but on another level, is somewhat frustrating. Nonetheless, I’ve been marinating over my experiences for the past 18 hours, and a few thoughts keep rolling around in my head:

1. The minute you’re satisfied with your own work, and you think you’ve mastered something, you need to stop and start all over. To me, art is about experimenting and pushing, trying to see what you can do with the materials available to you. That doesn’t necessarily mean changing subjects or themes (Chagall painted the same things over and over again, and I suspect I’m moving down the same road), but looking at what you’ve done and pushing yourself to change it. Of course you’re allowed to like what you do, and be proud of your work, but a static art career is no art career. One woman who presented seemed so proud of her ongoing series, but it was 20 shots of the same thing, the same location, every week, for five or six years. First of all, that kind of dedication to a project is honorable. It genuinely seemed to impassion her, which is just fantastic. I really hope she continues with it if it makes her so happy. But I was disappointed that after such a long time, she hadn’t risked branching out. She hadn’t experimented with perspective or framing. She didn’t attempt to focus on other details besides the scene itself, like tone and contrast to make the scene a bit more abstract, or concentrating on texture, or a sense of place. To be honest, I lost interest after the third picture. There wasn’t anything compelling me to look anymore, because it was so much of the same. I’m sure I’m guilty of this too, but I honestly feel like I’m trying to branch out. At least, I really want to, but there’s a limit to how much I can do if no one will work with me. That’s actually how the doll pictures came to be. But again, with those, it was so much of the same thing. I think once I have more time, I’ll go back to them, get new dolls, new accessories, different equipment, and see what I can do. The fact is, the “Masters” of Art never mastered anything, they were always changing, adopting new techniques, and constantly experimenting. They never stuck with the same thing. They took risks. That’s what made them great.

2. Am I naive to think that thinking of others is helpful in supporting yourself? Luckily, my portfolio critique group was fantastic, we all talked about our work, not just ourselves, but also listened carefully to one another. It definitely seemed balanced. There were a few people at the meeting who were there to only sell themselves, obviously didn’t seem that interested in others, and looked for excuses to mention themselves as often as possible. Look, I know selling yourself is key, and if you’re confident enough to do so, good for you. It’s a necessary part of being an artist. But if I don’t like you, you can guarantee I’m not going to listen to you, or support you. You catch more flies with honey, and you can’t be a leader without followers. It’s hard for me to respect you if you obviously don’t respect me enough to listen to me.

3. I was disappointed that Catriona Fraser didn’t feel she could come to our discussion groups, in fear of intimidating us. It’s sad to think we can’t separate her identity as a woman who loves art from a woman who happens to sell art. I would have loved it if she had participated. I understand why she did it, and from what I had gleaned from the other women, it was a wise decision on her part, but she looked so bored! She shouldn’t be punished for what she does. I just felt really badly for her.

4. I’m not taking advantage of this city. I should really get out more, go to some more galleries and support the local scene rather than just going to the museums. Bad, bad Sam.

5. Is it wrong to want to scare little old ladies with pictures of blow jobs and ejaculation?

So I’m left not sure if I’ll go to another meeting. I think I should, just to give it another chance, and experience the real thing, complete with speaker. But for now, I want to like it, but I can’t.

Thursday, September 22, 2005

Ooohhh.....Chocolate Camera......*gahhhhh* (a la Homer Simpson)

I forgot to post this earlier, but my friend Emily, a lady of many talents, made me a cake for my birthday. Well, brownie. A chocolate brownie camera. With strawberries. The lens was made of oreos. I wept, it was so tasty. Not really, but hell, its chocolate and photography--together! The only thing better than this would be a photoshoot involving my boyfriend, Colin Firth, and chocolate sauce.

Photo Shoot, The Sequel

So I was playing around with the pictures from yesterday, and I like this version of one of the pictures more than what I originally posted:



In the meantime, I'm going to be playing with my submissions to Nerve and various competitions, and shamlessly avoiding anything having to do with art history.

Anagrams, Because I'm Bored.

I've been informed that my name, Samantha Emily Wolov, is an anagram for "I'm a womanly, hot slave". I'm crying on the inside.

New Work

The fruits of my labor from this afternoon. It wasn't a long shoot, but I got some stuff out of it.






Tuesday, September 20, 2005

Photo Shoot

I have a photo shoot tomorrow with a very hot girl who I've known for a bajillion years, who is also half my size. Her breasts are also twice as big as mine, which makes no sense. But I don't care, because she's hot, brilliant, and I get to play with my Holga because of her. I'll try to post new pictures soon.

I'm also feeling kinda stuck, artistically, so instead of spending my free time being productive and either working on term papers, cleaning, or studying for the GREs, I'm trying to think of new, cool stuff to do. And maybe something that can make me money. I don't want to have to sell some eggs to go to grad school.

Farrington Lecture

Dr. Lisa Farrington, who just wrote "Creating Their Own Image: The History of African-American Women Artists", will be lecturing at AU this Friday, the 23rd, at 8pm in the recital hall of the Katzen Art Center. You know you wanted an excuse to walk in there and not feel like you were shopping for fresh meat, and now you do! She sounds really neat, and if it weren't for the fact that I'm going to a Secondsight meeting that night and actually meeting Mme. Silverthorne for the first time, I'd go to. So go for me, and have a blast.

And if you go, please tell me if you think the bulge in the pants of the new sculpture in the main hall looks like a penis, or just interesting craftsmanship.

Monday, September 19, 2005

Update

Ok, so Nerve officially announced the winners of their Emerging Photographer competition today on their site. You can see it here: http://www.nerve.com/promos/emergingphotographersshowcase/winners/

As for the eagerly anticipated website, it should be ready by September 30, in time for my gallery to show up on Nerve's site. I swear, there's going to be a new site. Really. Might be a while, but it'll happen.

Saturday, September 17, 2005

I Won! Whee!

A few posts ago, I wrote that Nerve Magazine (www.nerve.com) had an emerging photographer competition. They would select five finalists and two winners. Well, I'm a winner! Whee! I am the giddy. Anyway, I won't announce what they're giving me, because that would be tasteless, but I WILL say that they will officially announce it on Monday, and a gallery of my photos will appear on their website for one day, on September 30.

Nerve was essentially my guiding light for the project, so this is extra cool. I'm going to go bounce around the room now. You can bet my boyfriend and the people below us will be very thrilled.

Friday, September 16, 2005

Ha Ha

Google rocks.

1. go to google.com
2. type in "failure"
3. click "i'm feeling lucky"

Thanks, Alexandra!

Thursday, September 15, 2005

A Delicious, Glorious, Wonderful Waste of Time

julieklausner.com. Seriously. And channel102.net. Tres amusing.

I have no drive to do any school work. This could be bad.

Tuesday, September 13, 2005

I Need Feedback: Visual AIDS Submission

I would like to submit one of these two images to the 8th Annual Postcards from the Edge Fundraiser for Visual AIDS. Essentially, any artist can donate one 4"x6" work, to be sold for $50 and the proceeds going to Visual AIDS. A list of participating artists is provided, but no one knows who is associated with each picture. I can only send one. I've already sort of decided which one I'm sending, but I'm still open to suggestion.

More Prints for Sale: Katrina Relief Donations

I'm still selling framed, matted prints, and donating the proceeds to the Red Cross to help Katrina survivors. Each image is 8"x12", matted and framed. The final framed size varies; the picture will either be 11"x14" or 16"x20". However, each print, regardless of size, is $125. I just want to get funds to the people who need them. I have listed the pictures below. I generally only have one print per image, so it's a first come, first serve deal. Email me at samantha at his dot com if interested.








Damn You, New School Year (er, Semester)

Because I'm in no mood to do homework, I have a bad, bad case of senioritis, and I read Alexandra Silverthorne's blog (solarizethis.blogspot.com), you are all now subjected to an online quiz result. I don't do this often, but I thought the results were funny:

You scored as Cecily Brown. You work is very sensual-historical, you are a slut on canvas. You give up your shit freely and hope that everyone is watching.

Cecily Brown

80%

Artemisia Gentilleschi

60%

Piet Mondrian

55%

Bob Ross

50%

William Blake

40%

Vincent Van Gogh

40%

Willem DeKooning

40%

R. Crumb

30%

What artist are you?
created with QuizFarm.com

Saturday, September 10, 2005

Lucie Awards

As much as I am disappointed that I won't be invited to the Lucie Awards in NYC as an award winner, I did receive five honorable mentions, which brings my grand total up to seven. Honorable Mentions are OK, right? In any case, it lets me know that the erotic pictures are fair game, which gets me excited about next year. Here are the four pictures they selected ("Orgasm #1" received two):



Friday, September 09, 2005

Donations: EarthRights International 10th Anniversary Gala

My friend Rachel (yes she's in some of the pictures, no I won't tell you which ones), interned for EarthRights International this summer, and they are looking for donations for their silent auction. I have posted the letter their Major Gifts Coordinator, Dan Fatton, has sent out:

Dear Friends,

We hope you will consider supporting the EarthRights International 10th Anniversary Gala. The event will be held on Friday, October 21, 2005, at the WVSA Arts Connection from 7 pm to 11 pm. To highlight this event, we will be celebrating our recent victory in a major human rights lawsuit Doe vs. Unocal.

We will be holding a silent auction to help raise additional funds for our supported programs. Please consider donating an item or a basket to support our event. You will be recognized in our ad journal for your donation. Our attendees are an ideal demographic; wealthy, progressive thinking citizens tend to positively associate with companies that they perceive as supporting causes similar to their own.

Your participation will help EarthRights International continue to combine the power of law and the power of people in defense of human rights and the environment. ERI is focused on grassroots education and training that helps to promote peace, justice and nonviolence. In the past year alone, we trained more than thirty-five activists about their rights under international law as well as educating them on non-violent solutions to local problems. As we celebrate our tenth anniversary, we also mark an important victory in our legal battle to hold Unocal accountable for their complicity in human rights and environmental abuses. As we commemorate our various successes to date, please join us by donating to our silent auction or attending the event.

If you have any questions, please contact me at EarthRights International at 202-466-5188 ext. 106 or HYPERLINK "mailto:dan@earthrights.org" dan@earthrights.org.

Thank you for your consideration.


Sincerely,
Dan Fatton
Major Gifts Coordinator

Artists Interviewing Artists Project: Me

JT Kirkland over at thinkingaboutart.blogs.com has been hosting these really neat interviews, where artists write five questions to be answered by any other artist, and in return, they answer someone else's five questions. A few months ago, I submitted and answered my five questions, and my interview was just posted today. But there were some really interesting interviews that came before me, so if you actually go to his site, you can link to the others. In the meantime, here's mine, shamelessly lifted from Kirkland. Questions were by Heather Levy. Google her.

1. When are you most creative and why do you think this is? Early morning - late morning - afternoon -early evening - late evening, Spring - Summer - Winter - Fall

If inspiration hits, it hits. Although I'm fairly useless really early in the morning. I don't drink coffee, and chances are, I was up late the night before (I'm still in college after all), and the whole thing is just disastrous. Trust me, you do not want to be near me when I first wake up. I only work indoors, so it really doesn't matter what season I work in. All are good. But I really only use natural light, and for that, the season matters. Spring and Summer tend to have warmer, more yellow-toned light, while Fall and Winter sometimes have a blue cast. But late afternoon is great for me. The light is best then. Although if you're limited by a season or time of day, you're kinda screwed, aren't you?


2. Who are you most inspired by; another artist, relative, pet?

I'm encouraged by my friends and family, but inspired by other artists. There's a difference, even though there are traces of one in the other. My family and friends can give me the push I need to progress, and let me know that I have allies. Given that y work seems to be somewhat controversial, allies are important. But I think inspiration is the push to make art. It's a catalyst. I can look at another artist's work, and glean new ideas for perspective, or color and tone, or content, or subject. I don't want to emulate their style, but I use them as a springboard for my own work. They get the gears working for me. So inspiration is the spark, but encouragement helps to push me along.


3 Do you visualize your Art before creating? Do you know what it will look like before you begin? What's your process?

Sometimes. A lot of my work is documentary-style, where it's just capturing moments that happen to occur. Those I can't really plan; they seem more natural. I ask the models what turns them on, or what they feel comfortable with, and I essentially tell them to "do their thing," whatever that is. So they go ahead and do whatever they want, and I run around trying to keep up. But I do have a lot of still, posed shots that work to arouse in a different way. I'd like to think some of the extreme close-ups I take imply a physical intimacy I needed to have with the model in order to get that shot. Thus, by looking at that picture, in a way, the audience appropriates some of that intimacy. I'd like to get into more blunt, straightforward still shots. Posed, but somewhat antagonistic. Like, "Boom! Penis!" Sort of like Terry Richardson, but with selected body parts rather than whole people. I do try and come up with a checklist of certain shots or rough thumbnails before a shoot, but anything I come up with really only acts as a loose guide. If I know what a model is and isn't willing to do, I know what's game, and I can start to brainstorm new ways to capture certain body parts or acts. But I'd say 65%-75% is off the cuff.


4. Have you noticed that when people ask "What do you do" and you answer thatyou are an artist most people respond with either, "Oh, I can't draw a stick" or "My mom likes to paint furniture". Why do you think this is? When someone professes to be a lawyer or doctor these people don't mention how they can't perform surgery or try a case.

Well, no one really says that to me. I get a lot of blank stares, or people who just tell me they think what I do sounds cool. But I think we've been conditioned to think artists are untouchable to a degree, that they and their work is unaccessable. With this feeling of sanctity most people feel about art in museums (which seems to be the biggest way people learn about art), plus the intellectual intimidation a lot of people feel when you start to throw -isms at them, it's no wonder artists seem holier-than-thou and all but canonized to a lot of non-art people. And if someone doesn't think they have any artistic ability, and they see someone who seems to have talent oozing out of them, the canyon between them is widened. No one wants to feel stupid, and art seems to have that effect on people because we're supposed to think art is hard and out of reach, even if it isn't. So people make excuses or make comments that make themselves feel better. "Oh I can't draw a stick" uses humor to justify a personal failing. It's like people joking about being bad at math. It's supposed to make you seem more "human". I'm sorry, but that's nonsense. Since when is being bad at something supposed to make you likable or valuable as a person? Why is there such a premium on mediocrity? But underneath, a comment like that is more of an indirect way of saying, "wow" or showing your admiration. They are simultaneously commenting on the artist's ability and their own inability. The "My mom likes to paint furniture" comment works sort of the same way. It's a way to relate to something that one might think they can't relate to in any other way. Again, it has to do with inability and insecurity. Making comments about mothers painting furniture seems like a desperate attempt to tread water with someone that seems to be inaccessible. It's a way to feel like you belong. Lawyers and Doctors work hard and should be respected, but they're more commonplace than artists. Most people have probably met a lawyer or a doctor, but probably not an artist. Subsequently, artists seem to be shrouded in mystique that is really just overkill.


5. Did you choose Art or did Art choose you? Any advice for a young'un contemplating dedicating their life to Art?

I'd like to think art and I ran towards each other in slow motion on a beach with sappy music in the background, but didn't stop in time and accidentally crashed into each other. Art just sort of "happened" for me. My family encouraged me to explore art, I always seemed to have a natural tendency towards it, and my career just seems like a progression of events that somehow strung themselves together. Honestly, the erotic photography started as a school project, and I'm still not quite certain how the rest of it happened.

As for advice to "youngins", unless these people haven't hit puberty yet, I'm not sure what I can offer. I'm not even 21 yet [ed. Samantha turned 21 since she submitted the interview to me]. But emerging into any field, art or otherwise, and hob-nobbing with more powerful, established peers is very intoxicating, and thus very dangerous. Don't get consumed by the hype or the politics. Don't forget about why you started in the first place.

Wednesday, September 07, 2005

Selected Openings: Mark Jenkins and Warehouse Gallery

The ever-cool Mark Jenkins (www.xmarkjenkinsx.com) will be having a "yard sale" at the Fraser Gallery in Georgetown. From what I understand, he intends to make a variety of the usual objects found in a real yard sale, but made out of tape. It should run just like a regular yard sale--you can even barter! All proceeds will be donated to charity. The yard sale "reception" will be from 12-6PM.

Shamelessly lifted from Lenny Campello's dcartnews.blogspot.com: "Tomorrow, Warehouse Gallery (former home of "Seven") hosts the opening for "Where is the Peace?", an exhibition by mostly DC area artists where the artists examine war and peace in our world through painting, sculpture, photography, installations and video. The exhibition runs from September 8 through October 2, 2005 and the opening reception is Thursday, September 8th from 6-8pm".

Thursday, September 01, 2005

Hurricane Relief: Artwork for Sale

I have a few matted and framed prints that I'm selling in hopes that I can raise money for hurricane relief. Each print is 8"x12", with a 2" white mat and a thin, black metal frame, ready for hanging. I'm selling each one for $125. I only have one each, so it's first come, first serve. These are the images:




I also have an 8"x12" copy of this image matted and framed to be 16"x20". Same white mat, same black frame. However, the frame is slightly, slightly slightly scratched, so I'm selling it for the same $125:


And as if you needed any more of an excuse to donate, my birthday is on Sunday. Donate in lieu of a gift!

Beca

I go to school with Beca. She is quite possibly the most attractive girl I have ever seen, and I've met a lot of people. I am also a little biased because she and her boy are completely game for anything. Their passion for each other is so palpable and intense, it makes the shoots very, very productive. She's been in about 40 of my pictures, and I swear, if I ever publish a book, it might have to be about her. Unfortunately, she will be in Prague for the semester, so no new shoots with her until January. But I hope she has a blast. Anyway, when I was going through old prints, I came across these. There are more, but I have homework, and these are my favorites.