Sold!

I sold a photograph from the Brazil exhibit!!

When I made an inquiry to which photo (mostly because I was too lazy to reopen and then rewrap each photo) Ruth, the Gallery Director, responded that it was "The Lady" (pictured below) and explained how it came to be sold.

"When we were hanging the show, an older gentleman from the congregation who was raised in the Caribbean  was there.  He  was quite enamored of that picture.  He went on and on about how it reminded him of his grandmother and family gatherings, etc.  He was just in love with the image.  I really wanted him to have it so I told some of his friends.  They all pitched in and bought it for him.  I'm told he was thrilled with the surprise."

I am so honored that my photographed gave someone this intense feeling of happiness and that he had such great friends to pitch in and purchase it. Truth be told if I knew the older man loved it that much I would have just given it to him... But I am still happy to receive a check for my first sold photograph!

The Badlands are not so bad...

Finally I was able to visit the Badlands of South Dakota!!

This would be my second attempt. The first was thwarted by evil grey skies and vicious rain...

The Badlands were amazing! Beautiful eroded earth formations surrounded by miles of soft grassy plains! Plenty of colors to satisfy any artists palette. Some views were so stunning that I found myself sitting on top of a hill a few times unable to look away. At one point Mike, a fellow visitor, came up and we struck up a conversation on how thankful we both were for National Parks, otherwise condos would have been built and no one would be able to see how genuinely gorgeous this country is.



I have no idea what this giant puff ball thing is. Its not a dandelion.... but perhaps a mega dandelion!! :P:P 

watch for cacti!!! 

School's out for good!

My school house in nowhere land South Dakota!

I had stopped here last week to take photographs and to my huge disappointment I accidently erased all the photos when fidgeting with the camera.... so devastated!

Luckily I had the opportunity to pass the old schoolhouse again yesterday. The light was a bit different on the inside but still some came out pretty darn good!! The door was open and I was able to easily walk in and explore a bit. the walls were mostly a sea foam green color with odd little murals painted in random corners. Desks were jammed in and covered with dust and bird shit. While I was moving about there were several birds flying in and out of the space. One in particular made a huge ruckus.

Nebraska adventures

Last week I took the long detoured route back to Fargo, ND. Along the way I found this interesting old home among several old abandoned buildings. It look as if the small town itself was abandoned, however I noticed two newer houses still occupied. I decided that it would be best to ask permission to photographed the older houses in the area since I didn't want to be arrested for trespassing. An elderly woman with a friendly black cat answered the door and gave me the permission I desired. Below are two pics from the bigger house.. I couldn't believe my luck when I looked through one of the broken windows. The peeling wall paper, old furniture and shaggy carpet made for a perfect photo find!






I noticed this house on the drive toward WY. When I returned there were two men working hard at transforming the landscape to be more suitable for a new cherry and apple orchard. The men were kind enough to allow me to walk around while they worked. I made sure to stay out of there way and captured one of them here by the house :P. This guy was really cool! before I left he came up to me with a wild baby bunny in his hands. the little guy was just chilling, unafraid of the two large humans looming over it. I held it for a few minutes and tried to let it go, but he was content to stay where is was. Very tempting to bring him home, but wild animals belong in the wild........ plus I had no way of bringing him back to NJ :P

Vedauwoo

Some images from my hike in Vedauwoo. A fantastic national park located about 20 mileseast of Laramie, WY. Great for hiking, rock climbing, bouldering and camping!

Outside Laramie

Today I explored the area surrounding Laramie, Wyoming..

Vegan in Laramie, WY!

Its hard to believe that a small city in Wyoming, a state known for its beef, would have a restaurant that has a menu with delicious options catering to vegetarians and vegan, but lucky for me and all fellow veggie loving souls there is such a restaurant!!!

Jeffrey's Bistro is located in downtown Laramie on the corner of 2nd and Ivinson. Its a quaint corner bistro full of charm and a very friendly staff! As soon as I walked in I knew the place was gonna be good! the atmosphere was comfortable, laid back and bustling with local patrons.

The menu was filled with a variety of dishes that would appeal to a group with a mix of dietary lifestyles. To make it easier for Vegans there is a symbol printed next to vegan friendly dishes on the menu. Though I do believe that many of the other meals could be altered if asked. ALL soups are meatless unless specified!

I ordered a white bean and spinach soup which was heavenly!!! It was made with many herbs and veggies and there was no need to add salt or pepper! I also ordered a create your own salad with the roasted red pepper dressing. The salad was also very yummy and HUGE in portion!

Leela Thai goodness!!

This place was AWESOME!! If you are visiting Fargo then you should without a doubt consider eating here! :P

They offered Vegetable, fresh tofu, fried tofu or mock chicken options for the vegetarians with the majority of the meals. There was also a couple of veggie apps to choose from. The menu was not as extensive as the other Thai restaurant in the Fargo/Moorhead area but the selection offered would appeal to anyone and the fact that a vegetarian could choose from so many veggie options per meal was a rare and special treat!

I ordered the summer roll for an app. It was a fresh rice paper roll stuffed with lettuce, tofu, bean sprout and basil served with a light sauce. VERY VERY yummy! My father, a proud carnivore, even ate half of them :P:P for my meal I went with the Black Pepper Garlic with Vegetables. Veggies sauteed with a black pepper garlic sauce, onion and green onions. Again VERY YUMMY!! It was mildly spicy and full of garlic and peppery goodness!

Located inside a small shopping market with other small shops such as a Japanese restaurant, coffee shop, art gist ship and antique store. Leela Thai restaurant itself was small, cozy and classy! The waitresses were friendly and service was excellent!

When we were leaving the restaurant I was asking the waitress for a business card so that I could write my review. After speaking to her she realized that I may have eaten something that was not vegan and felt extremely bad that she failed to mention to me earlier (she is a vegetarian). The spicy green salsa on the table.. I actually did have some and it was tasty, Not really sure how it was not vegan and I really didn't want to know, but the waitress's honesty about it, I thought, shows the high quality of service and respect one would receive at this restaurant. Most people would not come out and say such a thing as they would not want to upset a customer or they wouldn't care very much.

I really respect honesty and now know not to eat the green stuff the next time I stop by! :P:P

Minnesota and a man named Tiny

Today was filled with unexpected adventures

First I found an fantastic old abandoned rural house in Iowa while driving toward Sioux Falls, SD!! I stopped and took a few pics outside and inside. It was difficult to say how long the house was abandoned. I saw an older computer model in the garage and there were trees growing close to the house that looked to be at least 5 years old.

Secondly I accidently drove into Minnesota!! Somehow I ended up on Interstate 35 North when I meant to continue on highway 18 West! LOL I swear there is something about this state that throws off my internal sense of direction! Last year I drove across the state three times in one day trying to leave! haha I made it all the way to St Paul only to end up unknowingly driving back to Fargo! I never get THAT lost in any other state!

I finally made it to Sioux Falls and stopped at the Flying J struck stop to wait for my father. While waiting I noticed a large man with a beautiful dog sitting outside the truckstop enjoying the great weather so I walked over to talk. Tiny is a Truck Driver who had recently adopted Sheba, a chocolate lab and mastiff mix. Sheba is possibly the sweetest dog I have ever come across. She is about 2 years old and had a sad life until Tiny came along. She was found tied to a loose log with out water and food, and was weary of most men. Tiny went to a shelter that worked with local inmates for Sheba. This then turned the conversation from dogs to his past experiences as an inmate from the Arizona State Penitentiary.. he went in at the age of 17 for the murder of a another man who had raped, tortured and killed his High School girlfriend. he voice was steady and calm as he described the abuse he endured for 8 years from the guards and fellow inmates, but the expression in his eyes spoke volumes.

My conversation with Tiny gave me something to think about for several hours afterwards. I have read articles regarding the standard prison system and how it promotes violence rather than rehabilitate the inmates for their return into soceity. How do we expect people to return into society better than what they were prior to entering the prison? How do expect these men and women to be productive citizens when they are even more psychologically damaged than they were prior to serving time in prison. Not all criminals are killers and rapists and the reality is that even some of those will be released back into society.. Perhaps a system that will promote a healthier mindset would be more effective in keeping the numbers of repeating offenders down. I am no expert in what a prison needs or how the system should be different, but I do believe that what we have is not working and is producing more criminals and helping increase the numbers of people belonging to gangs..

another thought I had since my conversations was I should consider photographing people who travel with their pets... It it would be an interesting project.. Tiny seemed to find unconditional love and salvation with Sheba and I am sure he is not alone. People love their pets, cherish their pets and arrange their lives around their pets. I wonder if the relationship with people who travel with a pet is different than those who live stationary lives with a pet?

Ekua and the Daffodils

another current work in progress...

Oh Well...

I received an e-mail earlier today from the gallery in Baltimore informing me that my work was not accepted for the "American Experience" exhibit....

Kinda sad about this one.. It was the type of show that I felt my Americana photos would have been perfect..

Oh well there is always another exhibit around the corner. Sent out two more art submissions earlier this week and should be hearing back from them sometime early in July.

Keep your fingers crossed!

New Work!

For the past month I have been ever so slowly working on this drawing. I haven't even begun to apply another medium onto the surface. Normally I would begin painting the dress with raspberry zinger tea and coating the background with earl grey before finishing drawing the details of the flowers, trees and snakes. I would just sort of artistically figure things out as I go. But with this piece I am trying to force myself to complete the composition before adding other media elements onto the paper. Sometimes I feel the need to challenge my normal way of working otherwise I fear that I will become lazy.

I still have some decisions to make compositionally before applying color. Not a hundred percent sure where I will take it yet...

More to follow :P

Back to work!

Finally after a long period of no work, I will be returning to North Dakota next week for a new project! We are transporting the tower bases from ND to WY for the month of June and might have some more to transport in July. I'm looking forward to it. Need the money of course, especially after spending so much of my savings on the gallery show last month, but also needing to get back to the road for some soul searching. I need more definite goals in my life, and less vague dreams that appear to be fading..

Could I really be 30??

My birthday ended a few short hours ago.. I can't believe that I am already 30... it feels like the most surreal age to be. I have never really put much thought into what my 30's would be like. I was always happy to just be the age that I was for each year of my 20's. Now I am eagerly dreaming up what adventures the next decade will bring. I feel more ambitious to create the life that I had always wanted. A life filled to the brim with art and travel. I feel free from the past regrets that have haunted my soul these past few years and look forward to tomorrow..

The American Experience.

Today I sent in my submission for an exhibit this fall based around "The American Experience: Looking Inside and Out"

I'm really excited about it. I spent about a month looking through my work and selecting what I feel is my strongest Americana based photographs and of course writing a short artist statement to go along with the submission. The statement was the most difficult task between the two... It can be so difficult sometimes to write in a few short sentences the inspiration, direction, and meaning of one's work... seriously how can art be simplified into a handful of words? Granted there are occasions where a single word, a perfect single word can accurately depict the complexity of emotion that an artist expresses through his or her work. However, for me, a single word has rarely been enough. In fact a single word has never fully expressed to my satisfaction the complexity of meaning behind my own work. I see both peace and struggle within the same image. A run down farm house struggling to withstand the cruel elements of nature and abandonment can manifest feelings of a deep sadness and a connection to existing social realism along with the emotions of peace and respect...

Is there a single word to express a gambit of concepts and multiple layers of truths that are sometimes at odds with one another?

Yet on the flip side too many words can ruin a piece of art. Dilute the meaning behind the image and bore the viewer from looking deeper..