The State of Desire

Welcome to the seventh chapter of the Book Passages Series. This visual interpretation is based on an excerpt from Tom Robbins, "Another Roadside Attraction". Before I get to the passage that I created my visual from I absolutely must praise the talent that was SO generous with their time and talent.

Like most artists, I create because I have to. It's who I am and how I move through this life. Also like most artists I rarely get any monetary reward from my creations. I rely on talent that understands the creative process and I often trade for prints, and portraits. The group of talent that surrounded me on this creative endeavor was simply amazing. From make-up to the final capture, these talented and generous individuals dedicated eight hours of their Saturday for this project. Words cannot express the gratitude I have for each and every person involved. Thanks to Ashley for her assistance on this project. Thanks Tracy, Nate, Niko and David for their visual and expressive talent. Thanks Daniel for your make-up artistry. Thanks to Mary for allowing total strangers to invade her private property for ten hours and thanks to my wife who has the patience to put up with an artist. She said she would never marry an artist yet she constantly provides me the space and time to create.

Another Roadside Attraction by Tom Robbins

"There are three mental states that interest me," said Amanda, turning the lizard doorknob. "These are: one, amnesia; two, euphoria; three, ecstasy."
She reached into the cabinet and removed a small green bottle of water-lily pollen. "Amnesia is not knowing who one is and wanting desperately to find out. Euphoria is not knowing who one is and not caring. Ecstasy is knowing exactly who one is - and still not caring."

As always I appreciate your comments. I always learn from others insight and viewpoint.

Jack in the Boxes

Well, I should finally have a new Book Passages image ready to post by Sunday or Monday? It has been a long process of finding models, scheduling models and finding locations. I started to work on two passages at a time so that maybe with luck the laps between new images will be less. The Jack in the Boxes are for my shoot I have planned for Saturday. This involves three human Jack in the Boxes and a vixen ring leader. Hope I've peaked your interest to return for another look soon.

Until then, I'm running as fast as I can. Need to remember to slow down occasionally to smell the coffee instead of just relying on it's wonderful super human attributes.

What else have you read lately?

I am currently working on two of the book passage images. Organizing models, schedules and locations has slowed my process down a bit but that's OK. I feel like what is coming will be well worth the wait. The two that I will be revealing with-in the next couple of weeks are from W.S. Merwin, in The Language of Life by Bill Moyers and Another Roadside Attraction by Tom Robbins.

In the meantime, I am still looking for additional Book Passages to create visual interpretations from. If you've submitted one before and would like to send another please do. I'd like to finish this series with at least 25 images for a solid exhibition in the future. I currently have about 15.

If you are new to this blog and the Book Passages discussion, this is what I'm looking for:
I am interested in creating visual interpretations from a brief literary passage from books you are reading. One that is descriptive, mysterious, or ambiguous. I have completed six passages that have launched this fascinating visual journey. I share my new images here on the blog as they are created. If you contribute a paragraph please include the book title and the author. I will provide each participant who donates a passage that I interpret with a fine art print of the created image.

Thanks and happy reading!

Wisconsin Photography 2009

I am thrilled to have two of my fine art photographs from a series I created last year called "Life in Miniature"excepted into the juried exhibition, Wisconsin Photography 2009. The exhibition will be at the Racine Art Museum's Wustum Museum of Fine Arts from August 9 - November 28, 2009. This series revisited the theme of family in the context of fruits and vegetables taking on the roll of family. The miniature furniture adds a familiarity people can relate to while the juxtaposition creates an air of mystery and restraint. I want this work to challenge the viewer's boundaries and experiences for their disclosure and acceptance of family. To help force this viewpoint the images are kept small (4x5 inches) so that the viewer needs to get up-close and personal with the visual.

When I work within the realm of the institution of the family I am reminded that everyone comes to these life experiences differently. Families are filled with a sense of mystery for those on the outside. Secrets, perplexities, coherent, loyal and emotional are just a few adjectives that color peoples family experiences. It is these feelings and expressions of family that I have explored visually through-out the years offering many different interpretations as I would revisit familiar and similar themes. The exploration of the family offers an institution that is always evolving while its core values and principals remain unchanged.

Mishap of Fate

This image is another from the Doll Series I created in the late 90's. This image hides a very eerie tale that happened with this particular doll. This pin doll was the first doll we bought for our son when he was born and fighting for his premature existence in the Neonatal ICU. His doll's name was Bear-Bear and Josh took it EVERYWHERE. He and Bear-Bear were always together during those early years and toddler years. When Josh was about 4 he was at his daycare providers house (Rosie) with Bear-Bear in tow and Rosie's dog ripped Bear-Bears left arm off. Later, that same day, Josh is standing on the piano bench at Rosie's and falls off, breaking his left arm. Coincidence or fate?

Dreams and what they mean?

I met with my group of liberal minded friends this evening and our assignment was to bring a dream that you have often or a dream that particularly stood out in your memory that you would like to share and discuss. Interesting right. It was, especially getting different idea's and viewpoints on what it could mean.

I brought up a dream that I have often in which I am in a house that is empty except for these floating sphere like objects that follow me around the house but at the same time continue to get bigger and bigger and bigger. They keep growing until they have consumed all of the space in the house and right before I am about to suffocate from the all consuming sphere objects, I wake up.

Far back, like 10-12 years ago I wrote a poem about this all too familiar dream. During that same time period I also created two photographs that illustrate my dream as I see it. One image is titled R.E.M. and the other one is titled Dream Passage.

After talking about this dream I brought up another dream/premonition that I have had as far back as I can remember. It is a dream experience that was difficult to even say without getting a bit emotional. A feeling that has haunted my thoughts since I was 11 or 12 years old. This haunting thought was one in which I felt without a shadow of a doubt I would not survive past my 40's. This feeling has always been present and has never subsided. Turn back almost five years ago when I turned 40 and this feeling was still something that I could not shake or ignore. Almost two months after turning 40, it's 10 at night and I get a call that my Dad is ill, the paramedics are on there way and I better get over there right away. So I get there to find the medics trying to resuscitate my father who has had a heart attack. We are waiting and pacing the house waiting for a sign that he will be OK. I walk outside to be alone and am leaning against the cold garage door the weekend before Thanksgiving and a feeling of calm comes over me and without being able to explain or understand it, that premonition comes back into my thoughts but with a feeling of relief and I immediately lost that feeling I was going to die and it has never returned. To this day I don't have that feeling anymore. I face the sadness everyday that my father is no longer here and I will probably never know the answer to whether it was a coincidence or something else. Ah dreams, can they really set you free and if they do, at what price?