Jeff in blue

I have always found the paintings of Marc Chagall very inspiring. Whenever I walk through the Art Institute of Chicago I make it a point to check out a few Chagalls and the Ivan Albrights if they are out on display. I recently read that when Chagall first started painting, it was recommend that he use just one or two colors at first and progress from there. I picked up a brush today and busted out a few tubes of acrylic paint.... just wanted to try to get my brain thinking a little differently. I really wanted to reconsider light and all its beautiful subtleties. I'm pretty happy with my first attempt, although there is definitely a large window for improvement. Here is a snapshot taken off Jeff's Macbook camera...Jeff in Blue 11.8.2009

Here are a few Chagalls I pulled from a Google image search...
"Happiness isn't happiness without a violin-playing goat."

my first memory of trick-or-treating

The first memory of trick or treating , the Gresey sisters, neighbor girls, my mother, and my fathers work van, October 1987

I can remember the first time I went trick -or-treating. My mother and father rented a unit in a two-flat in Schaumburg, and my sister Kathryn and I dressed up as Strawberry Shortcake characters, while my youngest sister Barbara, was Smerfette. That's yours truly second from left, figuring out the finer points of my Apple Dumpling mask, with my blue poof ball hat. Our costumes consisted of the plastic mask, which held to your face with an elastic band and a brightly printed plastic sheet that covered your body. This allowed for many layers of clothing underneath, as Halloween is usually cold and rainy.

from a recent country drive

I forgot how beautiful the Illinois countryside is... even on a cloudy day. Here's a few from Macomb to Chicago.














8.16.2009

extra extra!

A very talented musician friend, Nathan Xander, was featured in this Friday's Chicago Tribune/Redeye. He had a big show coming up at the Empty Bottle the next night, so seeing this was very exciting. Printed along with the article was a Polaroid I took of Nathan in my old apartment.

It was super cool to see such great press for my friend, and to have my image printed in the Trib! Hey thats my living room chair!

I was a bit dismayed at not getting a photo cred, although I think people who might be really interested would check out his website/myspace page and find more information there. Check out the original blog post. Give a listen to a few of his tracks here.

old work from The Home Project

upcoming events!

now showing in Algoma

If you haven't had a chance to check out Personality: Exploring Real People and Imaginary Characters yet, the group exhibition runs for another two weeks at the Eclipse Gallery, 507 Fourth St. Algoma, WI.
I snapped a couple pics on opening night...







That's me and curator/gallery owner Sarah Elizabeth Condon.

Warehouse City

August 21, 2009  Chicago, IL

photogasm

I'm considering adopting a new member into the family...


Hasselblad 500 series, with a 50mm, 80mm and maybe a 150mm lens to boot.  Ahhh, I used to shoot with one of these, (*sigh*) and it brought me much success. It seems right now a lot of studios in the city are upgrading their gear, maybe moving towards digital Hasselblads, and looking to sell the used equipment. I've got my eye on you...

friday night lights

I never gave up on you.

Expose on Garbage Day

I was remembering a shoot I did once in Elgin, on that one day of the year the garbage men will pick up ANYTHING you put out at the curb. Normally in the suburbs large items like couches, mattresses ect. won't be picked up because they are too large. This glorious day made for some interesting subject matter.

MEATSCAPES from nicolas lampert

I thought this was pretty funny...
http://www.ausgang.com/shelf/recipe/nicholas.html

askthemeatman.com

one of these days...

On My Way To Work 1

After A long stretch of working on the "I" Project, I decided to start something new. "On My Way To Work" is a series of simple observations while, you guessed it... on my way to work.

At Last

warmer times...

The current temperature in Chicago is 10 degrees Fahrenheit. The wind chill tonight may reach 30 below zero. I thought I'd post a few images from a trip to San Diego I took in August. Pass me a frozen cocktail.

in the Empty Bottle

Ryan, Keith, Nathan, 1.11.2009

Freeze Pop

"Freeze Pop" was accepted into the 2nd Annual Juried Plastic Camera Show at the RayKo Photo Center in San Fransisco. The exhibition runs February 26th through April 1st.

Rayko Photo Center

428 Third Street

San Francisco, CA 94107

watch this...