BacktotheZu Studios, a visual journey

Looking for intimate but classy portraits?

2011-12-11T09:31:00.001-08:00

Blog leads to friendship

2011-11-18T13:39:00.001-08:00

I belong to a local photography organization that way back in the Spring of 2008, had a program on how to create a blog. This was a presentation to show and explain the benefits of creating a personal blog to help promote one's fine art photography. My blog began on July 4th, 2008 as a mix of personal, fine art and portrait posts. I've since separated my fine art and portrait blogs. This site has become my portrait blog and http://williamzuback.blogspot.com has become my fine art blog.

New to blogging at the time, I created a post in August of 2008 titled, New by Mattel, Beach Barbie. Months later I had a comment on this post by someone named, Frieda Babbley. Not only did she comment, I believe she may have become my first "follower" on my BacktotheZu News blog. I saw this and knowing nothing about "followers" or "following" other peoples blogs I found this to be odd. Why would this person I don't know, "follow" me? Well, it didn't take me long to understand this aspect of blogging. Frieda and I quickly became internet friends that shared an interest in writing, family and art. She became a big fan and conduit for my original "Book Passages" photography series and I became a big fan of her poetry and short story writing. She helped spread the word of my Book Passages project to people in her internet and writing circles.

Then came Facebook. Frieda and I became friends and our friendship grew. I became friends with her husband on Facebook too and we continue to enjoy "liking" and commenting on each others posts. My most recent project, Madonna & Child: Interpreted brought Frieda and my creative skills together once more. I curated this art exhibit with 31 visual artists and 3 writers providing their interpretation of this iconic subject. Frieda contributed an essay for the show and the exhibition catalog. This weekend I get to meet her and her family as they make the 6-8 hour journey to Milwaukee to see the Madonna & Child: Interpreted exhibit. Sunday I get to meet in person this wonderful writer and her family. How cool is that? I think it's very, very cool.

Joyce Carol Oates

2011-11-14T15:37:00.001-08:00

Mandy Patinkin

2011-11-13T19:50:00.001-08:00

The NEW and IMPROVED BacktotheZu Studios website

2011-07-02T21:55:00.000-07:00

BacktotheZu Studios is three years old and during that time has grown from a traditional portrait studio to more of a boutique style studio offering very unique, stylized and personal portraits. The pace is slowed down to provide quality not quantity images from each individualized session.

Tour the new BacktotheZu Studios website and schedule your next portrait at the Zu.

Four Outstanding Milwaukee Artists on the Internet

2011-02-23T12:23:00.000-08:00

A big thank you to Mary over at CricketToes for including me in her "four outstanding artists on the internet". Check it out. CricketToes is a refreshing voice in Milwaukee for all things creative.

Check it out:
CricketToes

Rear View Mirror

2011-01-16T17:42:00.000-08:00

Looking for individuals interested in participating in my next visual journey. This series will require a portrait session as well as an brief interview. To maintain the spontaneity and surprise during a future exhibition you must also sign a release of confidentiality of idea until the work is exhibited.

If you are interested in becoming a part of this most interesting visual journey please email me at:
wmzuback@williamzuback.com

For a bit more information on this series read my most recent fine art blog.

Book Passages: A Visual Journey at Steenbock Gallery

2010-12-06T04:38:00.000-08:00

Photography exhibit, Book Passages: A Visual Journey is now on display at the Steenbock Gallery, 1922 University Ave., Madison WI.

Opening reception and dramatic book passage readings by Mariapia Lambert, Saturday December 11, 6-9pm.

Show closes January 14, 2011.

Explained very well by a reviewer at a portfolio review of my work, He said, "The idea behind this body of work is the collaborative connection between the artist and the person who selects the passage of writing and the original passage itself. A three way triangle. One person sees and writes, one person reads and relates and an artist brings to light an idea of what the vision is. What do these diverse connections tell the viewer about the nature of perception and life? The essence of this project is the complexity of human communication. The beauty of this project is deeper and richer than just the pictures. It's in the way that we each communicate our idea's and emotions to each other and try to understand how this world works. It is ever changing and ever reinterpreted."

As the artist, I became the interpreter and the director.

Jevgeniia at 8 months

2010-11-26T19:42:00.000-08:00

Madonna and Child

2010-11-26T14:18:00.001-08:00

WhiteOwl Will

2010-11-01T19:19:00.000-07:00

Cigar Girl

2010-09-05T12:44:00.000-07:00

Sweet Surrender

2010-08-17T07:10:00.000-07:00

What was it you saw in my heart?
So many years ago
A young man's body, a child's mind
So much growing up to do

Your brown eyes were a haven
Offering a kindness that was real
Through your eyes I found
A heart that was true

What did I have to offer?
I may never know
You welcomed me into your life
Without a clue

With a heart hardened by life's disdain
You taught me to live life with no restrain
No longer intoxicated, you set my life free
Love is the drug, you are my need

Always there with a supportive ear
You're my hope, you take away my fears
You tore down the walls I had built so strong
You showed me true courage, no more could I hide

Life's purpose is a mystery, its part of some big master plan
We look to the stars, when life takes a turn
I only need to look for the twinkle in your eyes
To find comfort in a heart so true

Happy Anniversary Sue.

All the worlds a stage

2010-08-02T22:05:00.000-07:00

All the world is a stage and this is the fourth image in a series entitled, "Beauty and the Performance". The terrific painting you see in the photograph is by artist William Schulman.

The Bride

Beauty and the Performance

2010-08-01T06:51:00.001-07:00

The early images of this series are beginning to to take shape. They can be viewed HERE.

The Evolution of an Idea

2010-07-23T10:18:00.000-07:00

I normally post portrait related idea's and themes on this blog but my new fine art series that I'm in the infant stages of loosely ties in with portraiture. You can read more at my fine art website blog.

Karima, Singer/songwriter next American Idol

2010-07-10T07:38:00.000-07:00

Another fun shoot at the ZU!

2010-06-17T18:49:00.000-07:00

CHUBZ ripped up the studio!

High School graduation brings new beginnings and charished memories

2010-06-04T19:43:00.000-07:00

I haven't written a poem in a very long time. When my kids were younger I traveled an average of 7 days a month. This poem which is in honor of my daughter graduating from high school was written about eleven years ago. It's based on conversations I've had with my daughter, McKenzie, usually during breakfast or in the car. I wrote this poem with tears in my eyes from Rye, New York. I was there doing a photo shoot. That evening in my hotel room I called home, like I did every night I was on the road, to talk to the family. When Kenzie got on the phone she was so excited to tell me about a boy in her, class that she liked, and was able to sit next to on the bus that day. I was happy and excited for her and her special day but sad knowing how much better this story would have been if she was sharing it while we had dinner that evening. Seeing the sparkle in her eyes and the tone of her voice sharing it for all to hear. With the conversation over I took a walk around the hotel grounds, went back to my room and poured out this poem for my daughter.

DADDY, DO YOU CRY?

It was a weekday morning, music in the air

Son was in the bathroom, combing his hair

My head was in the paper, while eating cornflakes

Daughter sat beside me, picking her breakfast, while staring into space

Daddy, she says in her soft quiet voice

Daddy, she says as she looks up from her bowl

Daddy, do you ever cry?

Daddy, why don’t you cry?

Sweet child of mine with the curious mind

Try to understand, understand if you can

Sorrow is a feeling that you don’t usually see

I keep it hidden, deep within me

Happiness is present and seen most every day

But even my most joyful thoughts

Are rarely on display

Do I cry? Dear, yes I do

I cry the most, when I’m thinking of you

My first tear falls before you wake

Sunlight dancing, across your sweet face

I ask the golden glow that caresses your cheek

Become your suit of armor, as you sleep

With each new day I see you grow

Joy and sorrow the moisture hold

Each day I wake you from your sleep

Another tear for you I weep

Sorrow and Joy are not far apart

For tears don’t know the difference

When they fall or why they start

The heart knows the reason for each tear upon my cheek

I cherish the knowledge for which my heart speaks

You share with me excitement

About a boy in your class

A special friend, that makes your heart, beat “pitter-pat”

He sat beside you on the bus one spring day

A moment of your life, and mine I pray

I see you standing so proud upon the stage

Eyes scan the audience, you find strength to play

You firmly tuck your violin beneath your chin

Managing to smile, your fingers begin

Small fingers dance magic upon the strings

Bow massages the strings, the violin sings

The tears well up in my eyes each day

As I relive the moments from each passing day

You hold a special place in my heart

And that is where all the tears start

So when you asked me such a curious question

Daddy, do you cry?

My answer is now here on display

If you do not see a tear fall from my face

Rest assured, the right time, the right place

Your daddy does cry

Many tears fill your space.

Your friendly neighborhood Spider man

2010-05-31T20:06:00.001-07:00

Before and After

2010-05-26T05:50:00.000-07:00

Tastefully sexy for that special someone in your life. From the photo shoot through post production you are the star. Book your appointment commission now.

Hello Dollink

2010-05-24T10:16:00.000-07:00

Holli Would (if she could)

2010-05-02T20:46:00.001-07:00

BacktotheZu Studios, excellence in creative portraiture

2010-04-25T19:36:00.000-07:00

I recently updated my BacktotheZu Studios website. Since starting a website specific to my fine art photography, (william zuback fine art photographs), I have revamped my BacktotheZu Studios website to concentrate only on portraiture. I except commissioned portraits for personal as well as editorial needs. Check out the updates portraits site and the next time you desire a quality portrait contact me.

Vintage Betty

2010-04-08T21:17:00.001-07:00

New Blog and Website

2010-03-10T04:37:00.000-08:00

Thanks for being such a loyal follower of my blog, especially during the last year when I was producing my Book Passages body of photographs. Many of my blog posts will be moving to a new Website Blog that I've recently got up and running. This new website is just for my fine art photography. It includes many of my past fine art series/projects.

So last night I posted on my new blog. It's a gamble to switch at this time since I've built up a nice following of interested Blogger's but I want to separate my fine art idea's from my portrait/commercial business. This blog and my soon to be revamped BacktotheZu Studios website will be my vehicle for my portrait business. I'll still post BacktotheZunews but it will be focused on the business and portraits in general. Please become a loyal follower of my new blog if you enjoy my occasional image posts, reflections and rants. Here is the new information. Please take the time to check it out, bookmark it and come back often. Thanks.

William Zuback Fine Art Website
Fine Art Blog
Email: wmzuback@williamzuback.com

Jessica Rabbit oh how I love thee...

2010-03-01T04:43:00.000-08:00

Anyone who has been to my studio or home knows that I collect figures. Horror figures, TV characters, movie characters, Bobble Heads.... Well, I haven't added to my collection in a while but last year when I photographed a model she saw the Jessica Rabbit doll displayed in my studio. Fast forward to this February, I emailed Ari to ask how she's been and that if she would like to do another photo shoot, to let me know. She surprised me with her tale of being inspired to make her own Jessica Rabbit costume after seeing the doll at my studio. Would you like to photograph me as Jessica Rabbit she inquired? Absolutely was my quick response. So last Friday she arrived at the studio mid-morning and by noon she was transformed into Jessica Rabbit.

The Portrait Society Gallery in Milwaukee sent out a request to send portraits of "Famous" people to be a small part of a larger exhibit that opens on March 19. These smaller portraits will be in the lounge/annex of the gallery. I have portraits of more famous people I've photographed including Joyce Carol Oates, Jane Hamilton and Mandy Patinkin but I really hoped that I could get the "Famous" Jessica Rabbit into the exhibit. I emailed gallery owner Debra Brehmer with my info and picture of Jessica and to my wonderful surprise she decided to include Jessica in the exhibit. Debra said, "Thank you for sending the image. My first thought was a woman dressed up as a fictitious cartoon character is probably not "Famous" enough for this show. But the image is so fetching that yes, I would like to include it." Thanks Debra!

Book Passages Exhibit opening reception

2010-02-23T05:00:00.000-08:00

Here is a ten minute video highlighting some of the readings from the opening reception of Book Passages: A Visual Journey. Thanks again to all those who attended and made this the largest opening reception to date for the Tenth Street Gallery.

Forward: A Survey of Wisconsin Art Now

2010-02-19T04:55:00.000-08:00

Join me and 50 other Wisconsin Artists on Wednesday February 24th for the opening of this exhibition at the Charles Allis Art Museum. There will also be a Gallery Night Reception with free admission on Friday April 16th.

Book Passages Reception was a FUN success

2010-02-13T05:38:00.000-08:00

A HUGE thank you to all the people who braved the cold last night and attended the opening reception of my Book Passages Exhibit. It was so much fun and a whole other creative dimension to the work and experience was created by having Chris Flieller from In Tandem Theatre magnificently read each of the Book Passages that were used to create the visual interpretations. The entire event was caught on video so look for some excerpts of the opening to come in the near future.

According to Gallery Curator Miranda Levy over 100 friends, colleagues and fellow art lovers were in attendance through out the evening. I appreciate every ones support for coming out and sharing in this creative journey. If you couldn't get to the opening but would still like to see the show it is on view until April 9th.

William Zuback, Book Passages, a visual journey

February 12 - April 9

Tenth Street Gallery

628 N. 10th Street

Milwaukee, WI. 53233

Gallery Hours 10am - 5pm Monday-Friday

414-271-1371

If someone would like to see the show on a Saturday just contact me and I will work with Miranda to make it possible.

The Book Passages Exhibit is a photographic journey of conceptual interpretations culminating from brief Book Passages that I asked readers of my blog to send in for this project. This journey began in February of 2009 with a blog post, "What have you read lately".

Twenty passages and a year later I present the exhibit, Book Passages - a visual journey.

WUWM: Lake Effect

2010-02-11T18:19:00.001-08:00

WUWM: Lake Effect

Posted using ShareThis

Lake Effect interview with Bonnie North

2010-02-03T05:12:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I was fortunate to have the opportunity to interview with Bonnie North, Producer of the Lake Effect Program on WUWM-HD 89.7 Milwaukee Public Radio. I arrived right at 9am for my 9 o'clock appointment. I thought I would arrive ten minutes early but the traffic was worse than I thought it would be so close to 9am in the morning. It could have been compounded by the light snow that had been falling most of the morning.

What a professional and kind person Bonnie is. I was extremely nervous not knowing what we would cover in our conversation and not being a big fan of public speaking anyway, she quickly put me at ease. She reminded me that it's nothing more than a conversation among two people and that since it wasn't live we could stop and start at anytime and she could edit in post production.

Lake Effect is a wonderful radio program that consistently covers a wide range of interesting topics from politics to art every weekday from 10am - 11am and reruns at 11pm - 12am. Tune in next week Thursday February 11 when my twelve minute segment with Bonnie airs on Lake Effect. If you are not near a radio but are at your computer you can hear it stream live. Just click on the button on the WUWM 89.7 website. If you are busy working at that time and can't listen (like myself) you can tune in later that evening or wait till it is put into their archives of past shows.

Thanks Bonnie for your interest in my Book Passages series and what turned out to be a fun and memorable half hour.

OPENING RECEPTION February 12 6pm-8pm

2010-01-27T04:43:00.000-08:00

I hope that you can join me for the opening of my exhibition "Book Passages, a visual journey." It promises to be an exciting and interesting evening. During the opening an actor from the In Tandem Theater will continue the participatory nature of this series by dramatically reading out loud the twenty book passages while standing near the coinciding visual interpretation.

William Zuback, Book Passages, a visual journey

February 12 - April 9

Tenth Street Gallery

628 N. 10th Street

Milwaukee, WI. 53233

Opening Reception:

Friday, February 12

6pm - 8pm

Cash Bar: Wine & Beer

Gallery Hours 10am - 5pm Monday-Friday

414-271-1371

The Book Passages Exhibit is a photographic journey of conceptual thoughts culminating from brief Book Passages that I asked readers of my blog to send in for this project. This journey began in February of 2009 with a blog post, "What have you read lately".

Twenty passages and a year later I present the exhibit, Book Passages - a visual journey.

If you have any questions in regard to this up-coming Exhibit Opening please feel free to email me.

Embrace

2010-01-21T04:56:00.000-08:00

Dinner Table Conversation

2010-01-20T20:51:00.000-08:00

Dinner Table Conversation

This image was selected into the Charles Allis Art Museums Juried Show Forward: A Survey of Wisconsin Art Today. I'm always wondering when I create a series, does it stand up as a body of work or are there only one or two strong images in the completed series? So I entered two images that I didn't enter in the Racine Art Museums Wisconsin Photography 2009 Juried exhibition to see how they would fair. One made it in and one didn't. It gives me a little more confidence that the Life in Miniature series stands up as a whole. Since I haven't tried to show the Life in Miniature series yet and have been so caught up with producing my latest Book Passages series it gives me hope that there will be a venue interested in exhibiting this work in the future.

The exhibit opens on Wednesday February 24th from 5:30pm to 8:30pm.

Anticipated email:

The Charles Allis Art Museum would like to congratulate you on your acceptance into the juried exhibition Forward: A Survey of Wisconsin Art Now. The jurors Graeme Reid, Assistant Director of the Museum of Wisconsin Art and Martha Glowacki, Co-Director of the Wisconsin Academy’s James Watrous Gallery both expressed that the more than 260 entrees represented possibly the best body of work they had ever seen for a juried exhibition. They selected your piece Dinner Table Conversation for inclusion.

The Book

2010-01-19T05:05:00.000-08:00

"Eight Counties" at the Kohler Art Center

2010-01-17T18:46:00.001-08:00

This coming Sunday is the opening for "Eight Counties" at the Kohler Art Center. The award presentation and talk are at 1:00 pm. I am honored and pleased to have two images included in this exhibit. If you are looking for something to do join me for the opening.

The following is the description of the exhibition taken from the John Michael Kohler Art Center website:

This spring, the Arts Center will host Eight Counties, an extensive juried exhibition celebrating the breadth of art created in east-central Wisconsin. Showcasing works in all media including photography, painting, drawing, printmaking, ceramics, woodworking, metals, textiles, glass, and mixed media, this exhibition is the twelfth in a series of surveys devoted to highlighting the talents of our region’s exciting artists.

We invited submissions from all practicing artists—professional and by avocation—in the eight county area of Brown, Calumet, Fond du Lac, Manitowoc, Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Sheboygan, and Washington counties, and this year we were delighted by an unprecedented number of strong entries. We received submissions from over 520 artists offering more than 1,550 individual works of art!

Held in the Arts Center’s Collections & Community Galleries, the juried exhibition will present the final selection of nearly 150 works by over 100 regional artists. Eight Counties will open to the public January 24th, 2010 with an opening celebration and award ceremony from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Please join us in celebrating our region’s remarkable artists.

www.jmkac.org/EightCounties

Poem Preview

2010-01-05T05:15:00.000-08:00

Exciting times as Michelle PG Richardson begins to feed me the poems she has created and continues to create for our book collaboration on the Book Passages images. Here is a sneak peek. If you haven't already, please visit her on-line magazine "Eye on Life". It has such a diverse amount of quality content that you should find something that will satisfy your literary palette. http://eyeonlife.squarespace.com

Perfection-less by Michelle PG Richardson aka Frieda Babbley

Do you feel as though I have abandoned you?

As if the wind has stopped

blowing, whispering

for you to quietly sneak back

into the cupboard

where you’ve found yourself locked

many a sunny day?

Wisps of hair

found on the floor

where you’ve been

once trampled over

seduced relentlessly

price never affirmed

only hush and calm,

words surrendered

received via post the following day.

Poisonous silence killed you

never saying no

never walking away

clutter of the day’s thoughts swept

under the floorboards.

Light shown through

the azure skies of blue fear

peace and solace

refined dignity

hoping for the breath

that would bring back life

more insipid than

the taste of belonging.

Down the rabbit hole

2010-01-03T21:31:00.000-08:00

I moved this image to my website so as not to offend anyone. If you are interested in viewing this image it can be found at:

http://www.simplephoto.com/BacktotheZu_TestShots104934.htm

The Phone Booth Metaphor

2009-12-27T07:57:00.000-08:00

It wasn't my idea to photograph the kid's inside this vintage phone booth on Thanksgiving. I think it was my daughter McKenzie's idea? Phil, Josh, and Kenzie were all game though to climb into the small phone booth, shut the door and smile for the camera. Almost like a picture booth but obviously less private.

As I continue to look at this image with two adult children and one on the cusp of adulthood I began to think about how different each of my children are. Each outstanding with unique and loving characteristics but all having different goals and ambitions taking different paths to achieve or find their place in life.

I can't help but think of this booth in the same way that Clark Kent used it to change into Superman. As young adults, what kind of character will transform in the coming years and emerge from the phone booth? As parents we all hope and wish that our kids can create a better life than we've created. Learn from our mistakes and theirs to offer a much less bumpy road for themselves. Only time will tell if that is the case.

Sometimes the hardest thing to do as a parent is to keep your mouth shut. I can just imagine what my parents were thinking when I first dropped out of college only to realize my mistake and work my way back toward that goal. What were they thinking when I said I wanted to be a Photographer instead of something that may have offered better financial security? What were they thinking when after the first date with Sue I asked her to move to CA with me? What were they thinking when we got married less than a year later? Good times, bad times but twenty five years later it seems to have been the right decision.

We all face our own forms and potency of kryptonite through out our lives. How we face those challenges help define our character. It is time for my kids to fly and for me to keep my mouth shut.

Tis the season...

2009-12-16T07:23:00.000-08:00

Rapid Eye Movement

2009-12-08T20:18:00.001-08:00

Two out of Three ain't Bad

2009-12-04T04:56:00.000-08:00

Does the mail carrier deserve a tip? He did deliver some great news this week. Don't know why but when I saw the envelope letterhead of the John Michael Kohler Arts Center I thought for sure is was going to be one of those thanks but...

To my surprise two of my three Book Passages images that I submitted for the Eight Counties Juried exhibition have been excepted for this years show. Juror's seem to be responding to two images more than others in the series. Although, most of these Juried show's you can only submit 2-3 images and I do usually submit the same three images?

This year, 520 artists entered work for this competition culminating in over 1,550 individual works of art? The two selected are Hello...Farewell (the cemetery scene) and What The (the hotel) from the Book Passages series. The one that was not selected was Visual Haiku (the shopping cart)? That is one of my favorites from the series so I'm always interested in how and why people respond to certain pieces more than others. Oh well? One step at a time.

Details

2009-11-29T19:07:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the very last chapter of my Book Passages series. Chapter 20 is an excerpt from the play "Stuck" by Neil Haven. This is the only passage that I sought out instead of having it sent to me without a specific request. "Stuck" is the play that will be at the In Tandem Theater during the run of my Book Passages Exhibition at the 10th Street Gallery. The Theater and Gallery are together under one roof. In fact the Gallery is in the lobby/lounge area of the theater.

I originally was going to ask Miranda Levy, the Art Gallery Curator, to ask the theater director to pull a passage from the play once I knew that "Stuck" was running during my exhibition. Miranda had already agreed to my idea of have some of the theaters actors read the book passages during the opening of my Book Passages Exhibit on February 12, 2010. I thought that finishing the series with a passage from the play would be a fitting close to my Book Passages visual journey.

As luck would have it I was at an American Society of Media Photographers meeting in September. The topic was professional photographers who also have created a fine art career separate from their commercial work. I was speaking with a woman named Maria before the meeting started. She asked about the project I was working on. I explained the project and my intent to finish with a passage from the play, "Stuck". She said she is friends with the playwright, Neil Haven and could ask him if he would like to pull out a passage for me to interpret. Wow. What were the odds of that happening? I gave Maria my business card and about a week later I received an email from Mr. Haven expressing his interest and enthusiasm in helping me out. So the passage below was picked out by the playwright himself. So cool.

Reading the passage that Mr. Haven submitted for interpretation I was immediately immersed in the solitude of thought that would take place while "Stuck" in an elevator for six hours; in complete darkness. What would go through your mind?

I feel that ending with this passage really brings the Book Passages series to a respectable close. Even the name of the play, "Stuck", is somewhat of a metaphor for how I'm feeling as I complete this visual journey. This journey has taught me a lot as an artist. I have grown a lot during this eleven month visual journey. I feel like I have many creative paths I can take but at this time I'm uncertain what road I'll choose. I have met some talented people on this journey and I can't wait to work with them in the future. Thanks to all of the friends and family that have supported this project by showing an interest in it by viewing my blog posts and making comments along the way. Thanks also to the many new cyber friends I've gained along the way. I hope that you all continue to drop by occasionally as I will continue to have new thoughts and images to express and show.

A few things to look forward to are:

The opening night of the Book Passages series at the 10th Street Gallery on Friday February 12, 2010.
A LuLu book of my Book Passages images combined with poetry by a talented St. Louis writer, Michelle PG Richardson. Michelle is creating new poems inspired by the images I created during this visual journey. I think the creative process of people sending in passages for interpretation from the written word, my visual interpretation from those passages and now a new literary interpretation creates a very interesting thread of creativity, communication and thought.

AND now for the final passage, Chapter 20 of the Book Passages series.

Stuck by Neil Haven

Ella:

“....Anybody ever been stuck in an elevator? It happened to me last summer. There was this huge thunderstorm and the hotel got hit by a power surge. It knocked everything out for about six hours. I was stranded somewhere between the fifth and sixth floor. So I heroically called for help on my cellphone. But then they couldn't figure out how to get me out. So they were all yelling down to me, telling me I'd be fine and that I'd be out any minute. I think they were worried I would go insane and eat myself. I didn't. I was fine. It was just dark for longer than I would have wanted. So anyway, I was in there for a good eight hours before they finally got it running. When I arrived at the next floor, they were kinda freaked out. Apparently I'm the first person in history to be stuck in an elevator for eight hours and then not get out of it when the door opened.”

Aspects of Error and Illusion

2009-11-22T22:31:00.000-08:00

Believe it or not this is Chapter 19 of the Book Passages Series. This chapter was another very tough one to visually interpret. I received this passage submission early in the process, March 17 to be exact. I would read and re-read the words sent to me struggling to keep the character names from distracting the overall concept of the passage. I thought of skipping this passage and picking one a bit easier to interpret but to stay loyal to my initial intent of working close to the order that I received them I finally excepted the challenge and here are the results. Obviously this passage comes very late in the order that it was received but better late than never. As always, I enjoy and appreciate the dialog created from these passages and images so as we close in on the end of this visual journey please share your thoughts.

Middlemarch by George Eliot

“Certainly those determining acts of her life were not ideally beautiful. They were the mixed results of a young and noble impulse struggling amidst the conditions of an imperfect social state, in which great feelings will often take the aspect of error, and great faith the aspect of illusion. For there is no creature whose inward being is so strong that it is not greatly determined by what lies outside it. A new Theresa will hardly have the opportunity of reforming a conventional life, and more than a new Antigone will spend her heroic piety in daring all for the sake of a brother's burial: the medium in which their ardent deeds took shape is for ever gone. But we insignificant people with our daily words and acts are preparing the lives of many Dorothea's, some of which may present a far sadder sacrifice than that of the Dorthea whose story we know.

Her finely-touched spirit had still its fine issues, though they were not widely visible. Her full nature, like that river of which Cyrus broke the strength, spent itself in channels which had no great name on the earth. But the effects of her being on those around her was incalculably diffusive: for the growing good of the world is partly dependent on unhistoric acts; and that things are not so ill with you and me as they might have been, is half owing to the number who lived faithfully a hidden life, and rest in unvisited tombs.

Dear Old Dad

2009-11-21T08:02:00.000-08:00

Today is the Fifth Anniversary of my fathers death. Not a day goes by that I don't think about him and speak to him. This collage of images show him in the many poses he'd let me do with him while I was in High School playing around with my camera. He never said no. He was a man of few words. Soon after he retired, my job was close enough to his house so for about a year I would go to work early just to sit and have a cup of coffee with my Dear Old Dad. Sometimes we talked and sometimes we just shared parts of the paper. What memories! I have many more like this but this one is one of my favs. I miss you dad. Our backyard campfire talks, our coffee outings to Alterra, our........(poem)

Victor Anthony (Mecyssne) is one of my favorite musical artists. His words and music are so smart and touching. He is an amazing storyteller. Below are the lyrics to his song Dear Old Dad from his Skinnybones CD. He also is an amazing photographer. You can check out more of his work at his blog, Leica Diary.

Dear Old Dad
Daddy had a voice like a seersucker suit on a
muggy summer day
Mama met him in a train station during World War II
Pretty soon I was on my way
He'd spin me around and around in the air
And never let me fall
Later on he was always there
All I had to do was call my

Dear old, dear old, dear old dad
My dear old, dear old dad

Cars today all look the same
They all look like orthopedic shoes
You got to squint real hard just to read the names
"Cause you can't tell a Chevy from a Subaru
He always had the finest rides
That the bank would let him borrow
When I was just a shaver he'd bend the law and
let me drive
Made me feel like a silver dollar my

Dear old, dear old, dear old dad
My dear old, dear old dad

Got a picture of him by the lake
With his stogie and a pole
Cigar keeps the bugs at bay
That's what my old man told me

We laid him down in the cold, dark ground
On a muggy summer day
Friends and family all around
All that I could think to say was

Dear old, dear old, dear old dad
My dear old, dear old dad

Reflections by William Schulman

2009-11-08T20:16:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Chapter 18 of my Book Passages series. A few times on this visual journey I have gone off the main road to visit some interesting passages that could only be found on the back roads of this incredible trip. Those images and passages are reflected in the radio dialog "God", the recent passage from Mary's novel and now William Schulman's poem.

For those who may not know, William (Bill) Schulman is my father-in-law and has been one of my biggest supporters on this Book Passages journey. Also for those who may not know, Bill is an incredible artist and retired educator. Even now he continues to create new work on a regular basis with his brushes as well as his pen. Check out the links I've provided which help provide some background to the man behind the poem starting with one of my favorite paintings by Bill and a brief review from Gary John Gresl on the Retrospective Show Bill had at the Charles Allis Museum about five years ago .

This visual interpretation of Bill's poem is fittingly abstract just like much of Bill's art work is. It's as much a visual interpretation to the artist as it is to his poem. I feel I nailed it. If you are looking for a narrative illustration you will probably be disappointed. If you appreciate the abstract play of his words to my visual reflection it may become one of your favorites as it has mine. Either way it should provoke some kind of response and if it does then please share your thoughts in the comment section of the blog. Your opinions help shape the dialog for others to enjoy and contemplate.

Reflections by William Schulman

Reflections hold rigid,
my Ronson fails once more.
The candle sputters but will not light.
All seems light, yet the numbing dark
interfaces my veins and arteries.
Blood has coagulated in blue-ivory,
bed-ridden fancies collapse in my coma,
Rigor mortis stains my breath,
my last follicle twitches in vain.
All parasitic lice begin to starve.

Reflections pool in my ankles in strange ways.
They stretch me out on a snooker table-
I crush the chalk with a clenched fist.
The green cloth is blue in the pockets.
Dull clicks become icier.
The Van Gogh light shade glows citron.
They rack me up.
The yellow ball hurts my eyes.
I have an immense desire
to scratch!

These are not a series but two separate options. Which one speaks to you more? Please comment.

Blinded by the Light

2009-10-13T21:09:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Chapter 17 of my Book Passages series. This image is an interpretation of a passage from a yet untitled novel by Mary Dally-Muenzmaier. Mary is the voice behind the words at a wonderful news and review blog for art and culture in Milwaukee called Crickettoes. From the brief passage that she provided to me for my Book Passages series I cannot wait to someday read her finished novel. Until then, we have this brief passage and my accompanying images. Enjoy and always think and act by sharing your thoughts on the images. Some behind the scenes images are also available by stylist Addie Kidd. Thanks to both Addie and model Kristin Sutter for creating such an enjoyable photo shoot.

"Untitled Novel" by Mary Dally-Muenzmaier:

"There are some who view the world through a very small lens and though they live in three dimensions they perceive only two. Armed with this outlook, they operate daily with a fundamental conviction that all that exists does so solely in relation to their own existence and all that happens serves a purpose of meaning.

She is not a small lens viewer, but lying there on the floor, unaware of her surroundings, her subconscious mind begins to replay a scene from her childhood. It was a time long before she had wholly grasped the truth that she was just one on a planet populated by billions, before she had fully realized that the culture she was growing in was just one in an enormous, divergent sea of traditions and beliefs. It was a time when her lens was very, very small and she needs to be back there again, if only for a moment.

Proposed Budget Cuts to Milwaukee Arts Board

2009-10-09T20:54:00.000-07:00

If you believe in the value of ART in Milwaukee please send Mayor Tom Barrett an informed letter/email on why he should reconsider such a hefty slashing of the Art's Budget. 75% is not a cut it's a massacre. mayor@milwaukee.gov

Below is a letter by Alderman Michael J. Murphy:

Dear Members of the Milwaukee Arts Board and fellow Arts Organizations,

As you may already know, under Mayor Barrett’s proposed budget for 2010 the Milwaukee Arts Board will lose approximately two thirds of its funds. The Mayor has recommended cutting $110,000 from the 2009 allocation of $160,000. The subsequent result of this action will also be a loss of $25,000 matching grant dollars from the Wisconsin Arts Board.

I am clearly opposed to such a cut; the largest reduction in any department. This proposal would result in a total loss of almost 75% of the board’s funds. I thus encourage you to attend the Joint Public Hearing being held by the Common Council and the Mayor on Tuesday, October 13, 2009 at 6:00 PM in the Common Council Chambers, Third Floor, City Hall, 200 E Wells Street, to share your concerns. As many factors are taken into consideration when determining the next year’s budget, it is important that the Common Council hear your voices in opposition to the Mayor’s budget.

I look forward to seeing you at the hearing to support art in the City of Milwaukee. If you have any questions or concerns, do not hesitate to call me at 286-3763.

Sincerely,

Michael J. Murphy

Alderman, 10^th District

Eddee Daniel, Accidental Art

2009-10-01T18:37:00.000-07:00

Eddee Daniel is an outstanding photographer that is at the forefront of environmental issues through his fine art photography and activism on these very contemporary issues. While working on his book Urban Wilderness: Exploring a Metropolitan Watershed, Eddee began to notice that the fences put up for various construction projects often created "Accidental Art". He used his creative eye to compose a body of work with these construction fences that are at times abstract and other times more documentary in nature. He didn't stop there. Eddee turned what could have been a traditional photography exhibition into an installation exhibition by bringing the construction fences into the gallery. These fences create unique shadows through the light streaming in from the sky light windows of the gallery by suspending them above the exhibition space. Additional fences are used as a backdrop to frame the photographic prints. The viewer is reminded of the purpose of fences and their ability to divide, keep out and partition people and things. Check it out before it closes.

Eddee's Accidental Art Installation Exhibition is on display at Carroll University through October 11. A closing reception will be held on October 10 from 10am to 12pm.

ArtSlant

2009-09-30T20:13:00.000-07:00

With the Book Series winding down (only four left to create) I have been spending more time with the marketing and promotional aspects of this body of work. I have to say that I absolutely hate this part of it. Nothing drains me emotionally more than the administrative tasks of sending out query letters to galleries, filling out applications for Juried Shows, etc. Not to mention you begin to feel a bit like you are prostituting yourself with all this self promotion but it is a necessary part of the journey and development of an artist. It all becomes a bit more tolerable when you get an email like I received today saying I was selected as a Showcase Winner for an on-line Juried competition.

Jurors:

Our September 2009 panel includes:

Fons Welters, Director and Owner of Galerie Fons Welters, Amsterdam

Lee Campbell, Independent Artist/Curator, London

Lynn del Sol, Director, {CTS} Creative Thriftshop, New York City

Natasha Egan, Associate Director & Curator, Museum of Contemporary Photography at Columbia College Chicago

Maud Piquion, Director, Maud Piquion Gallery, Berlin

http://www.artslant.com/global/artists/showcase?sublist=6^photography

It helps having the wonderful support I've received from friends and family as a motivating force through this journey. Thank You All!

Mass Nothingness

2009-09-27T20:19:00.000-07:00

An excerpt from William Faulkner's The Sound and the Fury completes Chapter 16 of the Book Passages series. This passage provided my biggest challenge yet in this photographic series. Heavy on character development this excerpt was very difficult to interpret without getting a better idea of the background of each character mentioned in the passage as well as an overall summary of Faulkner's complex intent of the novel. So for the third time in this visual journey I had to get some brief information on this book so that I could proceed with the interpretation. Below is my interpretation of the submitted book excerpt. Your feedback is always appreciated.

William Faulkner's The Sound and the Fury:

"I could smell the curves of the river beyond the dusk and I saw the last light supine and tranquil upon tide flats like pieces of broken mirror, then beyond them lights began in the pale clear air, trembling a little like butterflies hovering a long way off. Benjamin the child of. How he used to sit before that mirror. Refuge unfailing in which conflict tempered silenced reconciled. Benjamin the child of mine old age held hostage into Egypt. O Benjamin. Dilsey said it was because Mother was too proud for him. They come into white people's lives like that in sudden sharp black trickles that isolate white facts for an instant in unarguable truth like under a microscope: the rest of the time just voices that laugh when you see nothing to laugh at, tears when no reason for tears."

A Jerry Belland Original

2009-09-15T10:12:00.000-07:00

How exciting last Sunday to have the small Art Group I participate in meet at one of our members studio. Jerry Belland has an amazing creative space on the fourth floor of an old factory building in Racine. In this space are his tools, paints, easels, couch, chairs and many, Many of his paintings and sketches. What a visual feast it was. Jerry creates some mind bending paintings that challenge our relationship with self, religion, society and morality. It was an amazing late afternoon of creative discussion. I new when I walked in that I would have to leave with a Jerry Belland Original. As an artist and a parent putting soon to be two kids through college I don't have the funds to purchase art at this time. I hope the day comes in the near future when my desire for a piece of art and my means to obtain it are equal.

So, I filed through Jerry's bin of sketches knowing that the work on the walls was out of the question given my current economy. I selected a sketch that matched a beatiful painting on the wall of Jerry's studio. When asked if I could send him a check for the sketch Jerry graciously replied, "We will work out a trade". How cool is that! So now I have a Jerry Belland original.

It is so perfect too given my long established ba humbug holiday attitude and given my personal opinions on religion. Gotta love the Pin-up!! Thanks Jerry for hosting a great evening, generously sharing your art and I can't wait to see what image of mine sparks your creative excitement.

Oil Painting

2009-09-02T21:48:00.000-07:00

Wow! Welcome to chapter 15 of my Book Passages series. I can't believe that I've been traveling this visual road now since February. It has definitely been one of the best road trips I've ever taken to date. The excitement and enthusiasm of discovery is still there but I must admit to some road fatigue. Five more chapters left after this one. Hope you have enjoyed being a passenger on this visual journey as much as I've enjoyed being your tour guide. Enjoy the ride as we begin the last leg of our journey together. Please keep the dialog coming, it's like buying the audio tour at a Museum exhibition and I really appreciate it. Thanks!

Chapter 15 is a passage from the book, Shop Class as Soulcraft by Matthew B. Crawford.

"How far we have come from the hand oiling of early motorcycles is indicated by the fact that some of the current Mercedes models do not even have a dipstick... There are now layers of collectivized, absentee interest in your motor's oil level, and no single person is responsible for it. If we understand this under the rubric of "globalization," we see that the tentacles of that wondrous animal reach down into things that were once unambiguously our own: the amount of oil in a man's crankcase."

Perfection-less

2009-08-25T21:53:00.000-07:00

Chapter 14 of my Book Passages series strikes a very deep chord with me and my feelings about beauty, society, perceptions of self both internal and external. The pressures society has put upon us to look a certain way and create this false sense of what is "normal" or expected can make us feel very small and insecure in our own skin. Having photographed all types and shapes of people in my many years as a professional photographer one very significant thread has stood out. It doesn't matter if one is thin, large, tall, short, big nose or small nose; most everyone has insecurities about their outer shell. The most beautiful portraits come from those that have the confidence of their own self.

My visual interpretations for this passage come from Kit Reed's novel, Thinner Than Thou.
When you're alone in your mind you may think you're special, but you're only ever another dumb person driving around inside that stupid body. It's no better than a car dealer's loaner, you know? Forget what the Reverend Earl preaches. The body you are using is no temple, it's a trap for the contents of your head. You want to think about who you are and what to do about it but instead you obsess over the parts that people see. Keep it clean and keep it polished or they'll come for you. Perfect hair, you need. Perfect outfits. Perfect abs and pecs! Image is everything. You grow up with this and in case you don't happen to know, they teach it in all your classes.

Slice of Heaven

2009-08-12T20:33:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Chapter 13 of my Book Passages Series. For anyone new to my blog and wondering what this "Book Passages Series" is all about? Please visit my first blog post introducing this idea to readers of my blog. Once you reach the bottom of that first post in February you can click on the newer post link to scroll one by one to the most current blog entry. All the posts do not pertain to the Book Passages series but you will be able to easily recognize which belong to the series. Some good news since my last Book Passages post and that is I received confirmation that the Steenbock gallery in Madison, WI. will be exhibiting this series beginning December 4, 2010 and run through January 15, 2011.

This visual interpretation is presented a bit different than the other twelve chapters. My friend Tom, from college, asked if I would except an audio file excerpt from (wish I could tell you, I've been told to remove it from my blog)? I think it's an interesting request and it really isn't that different than a book passage so I was like, sure. So here is my visual interpretation from a monologue titled (can't believe a creative person would be so petty to request I remove this association from my blog). As always I appreciate honest criticism of the interpretation. It really becomes a forum for us all to discuss, debate and learn so please consider leaving some insight for us all to contemplate. To leave a comment click on the comment link at the bottom of the post. Type in your conversation, highlight one of the choices such as anonymous, enter the encrypted word in the box and click OK. Enjoy! Tough to enjoy this interpretation since I had to remove all references to what the source material was that I interpreted. Bah.

Backyard Soul-O

2009-08-02T21:13:00.000-07:00

What I find most interesting and challenging about these book passages is not knowing the context of the passage in relation to the larger scope of the book. So when I would read and re-read the passage from Dreams of Leaving by author Rupert Thomson I was challenged by the details of the passage. Unlike other passages that I have worked on, this passage seemed much more literal with characters and place, making my own personal interpretation a bigger challenge. My solution to a passage that has many descriptive details about a very specific act, the saxophone solo, led me to pick out some key words that I was drawn to. The title, Dreams of Leaving, the words "abandoned mansion, saxophone and solo" around the larger significance of music is what I used to build my visual interpretation.

I grounded the visual interpretation's sense of place with the abandoned mansion. It dominates this passage so much that not including it, I felt, would leave the viewer too disconnected from the passage. The rest of the interpretation deals with the physical and emotional sensitivity that can be experienced through the power of music.

Here is the book passage that inspired my visual interpretation Backyard Soul-O.
"Gloria was introducing the band. If he didn't listen to the saxophone this time, she'd murder him. He only had to wait until halfway through the next song, then Malone unleashed a sixty-second solo, and played with such raw soaring power, assembled such an intricate structure of notes, that listening to him was like being led through some extraordinary abandoned mansion. It was as if Malone somehow knew of Moses's anxiety and was building a house specially for him, a different kind of house, a house where policemen would never appear at the door. The saxophone scaled the facade, dropped into an upstairs room, tiptoed across the landing, opened a door with rusty hinges, tripped, stumbled to the edge of a parapet, peered over, stepped sharply back, ran down flight after flight of stairs, through ballrooms peopled by the ghosts of dancers, through echoing cloisters and claustrophobic passageways, past windows with vistas and hushed rooms no longer used, tore through curtained doorways and out, finally, into the open air, paused to breathe the air, ran on through gardens with peacocks and fountains, along spacious landscaped avenues, past sudden explosions of plants from South America, and back down a sweeping gravel drive to the road where Gloria was waiting with the rest of the song."

Postcards from Hell

2009-07-30T10:17:00.000-07:00

The Wood Brothers are one of my favorite bands. They have a wonderful organic sound and very creative lyrics. One song that I can't get enough of is called Postcards from Hell. I have been thinking of another way to give back to the wonderful people that have enjoyed following along with my Book Passages visual journey and here is my solution. Postcards from hell, OK - maybe not hell but possibly purgatory. You know that place, neither here nor there but somewhere in-between that doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Well that is just what my postcards will be.

This is not a new idea in fact part of my inspiration comes from my friend Frieda's hub in which she explains how to create personal postcards for yourself, family and friends (http://hubpages.com/hub/Picture-Perfect-Postcards). The other part comes from this cool Wood Brothers song, i got a soul that i won't sell, i got a soul that i won't sell, i got a soul that i won't sell and i don't read postcards from hell.

Depending on the response I may have to limit the postcards to a manageable amount for both time and money. These postcards will have one of my Book Passage images and a little note that may not make a whole lot of sense if you know what I mean. So how do you get your very own postcards from hell? You need to send me your mailing address by emailing it to limit2hours@yahoo.com. Please be patient and I will create my list on a first come first serve basis so get your address to me early and if the list gets too long and you don't get your very own postcard from hell, well then you can just tell me to GTH.

What the?

2009-07-16T04:47:00.000-07:00

Wow! This becomes the fun part of not knowing or researching the book before creating the visual interpretation from the excerpt provided. When I read the passage I certainly began to go on my own visual journey based on the words. The end of my visual journey is what you see below. After looking on-line to find some information and links to the author and to the book I am surprised to find what the book is about. That is the true joy of doing this project. ENJOY!

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer:
He said, "We exist because we exist." "What the?" "We could imagine all sorts of universes unlike this one, but this is the one that happened."
I understand what he meant, and I didn't disagree with him, but I didn't agree with him either. Just because you're an atheist, that doesn't mean you wouldn't love for things to have reasons for why they are.

Come In? Come In!

2009-07-08T04:58:00.000-07:00

If you are following the progress of this Book Passages series, this is chapter eleven. Welcome to the visual interpretation of Shel Silverstein's "Where the Sidewalk Ends".

Here is the passage:

If you are a dreamer, come in.
If you are a dreamer, a wisher, a liar,
A hope-er, a pray-er, a magic bean buyer...
If you're a pretender, come sit by my fire
For we have some flax-golden tales to spin.
Come in!
Come in!

The Syntax of Objects

2009-07-02T08:07:00.000-07:00

I just finished reading this small book by Tim McCreight called The Syntax of Objects. He writes about the importance of objects in our lives. It's an OK book in it's entirety but it does offer some interesting vignettes and words that are truly thought provoking. Here is one of my favorite vignettes from his book:

The world is carved out by light, created each dawn from the greasy clay of twilight, hewn as an angle of incidence grows, lending solidness to the forms of the world. To a blind person, solid is a single sense, the proven press of flesh against matter. To those with sight, objects float in a shifting current, pulled into the crisp contours of graspable form for an hour, only to drift into a murky semi-solid as the light fades.

Photographers are the choreographers of this dance; they learn the moves and practice alternate arrangements. You think it is a brick, they say, and think it would shatter that window, but see how little you know. At the moment of illumination, there is no window and the brick is a bird. It is a function of light, like dreams and sometimes, like love.

If you were told you had ten minutes to take what ever possessions you could out of your house before it was gone, what would you take? I could be wrong but I doubt that most would grab their flat screen TV off the wall and run. It probably would be objects that perhaps have monetary value but most likely offer sentimental riches instead.

As a person who makes a living photographing objects I find the subject matter fascinating. With my dad's death almost five years ago and my mom preparing to move I have been dealing with many sentimental objects recently. My mind would spin if I had only ten minutes to grab what was important to me but I can guaranty that what I'd grab would not be important to most.

Recently I found a pair of very old sunglasses of my fathers while helping out my mom. I am 44 and almost never wear sunglasses. I can't take these things off my face if I'm driving. It's not the cool factor because of their retro look. Can't beat my dad's cool factor in his day with the side burns, glasses and cigarette. He looked like a movie star. It's the energy I get from these simple plastic frames that motivates me to put them on. Objects perform for us every day. They function as invented, they offer insight into the past and sometimes they can heal.

Evolutionary Teething

2009-06-26T04:53:00.000-07:00

Excerpt from: Galapagos by Kurt Vonnegut

2009-06-26T04:39:00.000-07:00

I will be very interested in peoples critique of this image. I find myself personally liking the visuals that are more abstract in thought and less literal in interpretation. This one follows the camp of abstract but I will defend it as being a very successful visual interpretations of the submitted passage. So here is "Evolutionary Teething", Chapter Nine of the Book Passages Series. Enjoy, digest and comment. Thanks.

Galapagos by Kurt Vonnegut:
Speaking of teeth: there have never been dentists on Santa Rosalia or any other human colonies on the Galapagos Islands. As would have been the case a million years ago, a typical colonist can expect to be edentate by the time he or she is thirty years old, having suffered many skull-cracking toothaches on the way. And this is more than a blow to mere vanity, surely since teeth set in living gums are now people's only tools.

Really, Except for their teeth, people now have no tools at all.

Spotlight on Book Passages Series

2009-06-18T05:07:00.000-07:00

Hey folks if you haven't already, please check out this great article at CricketToes that Mary Dally-Muenzmaier wrote about my Book Passage visual journey.

If you are new to the blog the series begins with the post "What have you read lately" from February of this year.

Still looking for book passages so feel free to provide one in the comment section below or email me at wmzuback@backtothezu.com

Thanks and I hope you continue to enjoy the journey as much as I have.

W.S. Merwin, in The Language of Life by Bill Moyers

2009-06-07T16:53:00.000-07:00

This image which is posted below combines three images into a visual dialog. This dialog flows like the rhythm of a haiku and that is why it is titled "Visual Haiku". Thanks once again for all of the kind words and continued interest in this visual journey I have titled my Book Passages Series. I'm still looking for more submissions from you the readers so if you have come across an interesting passage from your current read, please pass it on and I will add it to my journey. I always enjoy your comments, observations and critique so please add to the experience for all to enjoy by sharing your thoughts. And now, here is the book excerpt from W. S. Merwin, in The Language of Life, by Bill Moyers.

Poetry, like all the arts, is an expression of faith in the integrity of the senses and of the imagination; these are what we have in common with the natural world. The animals have no doubt about the integrity of their senses - they're essential to them - and whatever the animal imagination may be, we can imagine it as being connected with their senses. Our remaining connections with what we call the natural world are our dreams, some of our erotic life, if we are lucky, and any sensual experience that we can still believe in.

We go into a supermarket and we have artificial light, canned music, everything's deodorized - we can't touch or taste or smell anything, and we hear only what they want us to hear. No wonder everybody wanders around like zombies! Because our senses have been taken away from us for awhile. A supermarket brings the whole thing into focus. The things that are there don't belong there, they didn't grow there. They have a shelf life, which being rented, so that we can buy them. It's only about selling things. This is a very strange kind of situation, but it's typical of our lives.

Poetry, like all the arts, not only reconnects us to the world, it emanates from the connection with the world of the senses and the imagination that remains. When that connection is no longer there, there will be no arts, and we won't even know what we missed - we really will be zombies walking around, if we can walk at all, in sort of eternal supermarket.

Visual Haiku

2009-06-07T16:47:00.000-07:00

The State of Desire

2009-05-31T16:48:00.000-07:00

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

2009-05-27T04:40:00.000-07:00

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?

2009-05-21T20:09:00.000-07:00

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

2009-05-13T17:42:00.000-07:00

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

2009-05-10T18:13:00.000-07:00

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?

2009-05-03T20:15:00.000-07:00

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?

Happy Birthday, McKenzie!!!

2009-04-30T21:14:00.000-07:00

Wow! My baby is 17 today. Hard to believe. Where has the time gone. I remember last year how weird but yet comforting that on her birthday she asked me to take her to get her belly button pierced. Those nuggets of time don't seem like much while in the moment but they become cherished memories. Usually about this time I pull out and read the poem I wrote for her almost ten years ago titled "Daddy Do You Cry". Well I certainly cry more now as I grow older than I did years ago but as the poem goes I usually do it when no one is around. When Kenzie was about 13 we went camping, just the two of us, and during that long weekend of now cherished memories I wrote these two poems.

Paths

These trails many feet have traveled
Even before the Ice Age, someone was walking these grounds
Looking for food, a place to shelter from the elements or
rest there weary head

I think about my father
As I walk these steep stepping stones with my daughter
My mind moves to a different place
Takes a different path, if you will
A path in which I am following behind my fathers big footsteps
Just as my daughter does in mine today
His normal stride forces me to almost run to keep up
But I will not disappoint him by making him wait or slow down

When will my legs fail me?
And force me to walk these paths with my minds eye
Or knowing what has come before me and what I'll leave behind
Am I already walking with a sense of higher purpose?
Or is this just another walk in the woods?

Campfire Serenade

No television or PlayStation tonight
Only the dancing flames
Choreographed to the busy insects buzz saw sounds
As if in hi-fi stereo
Sounds bounce from one side of the circle camp to the other
Natures stereo phonic surround sound
No loud subwoofer beat shaking everything in it's path
Only a chorus of crickets singing praises of nature
Rivaling the best of Sunday morning inner city praises
Add another log to the fire
Sixty watts of campfire flames
Just isn't enough to write these verses.

Happy Birthday my little princess. May your 17th year fulfill your curiosities, lead you on your path to adulthood and keep you grounded with the love of friends and family. Time to go and shed one more tear.

Love Dad!

The Girls in Their Summer Dresses, Irwin Shaw

2009-04-19T20:23:00.000-07:00

Below are the three variations that I create for chapter six of my Book Passages Series. This passage provided me with many challenges but in the end I am extremely pleased with the results. I have my favorite but what do you think? Please comment on the images below and vote in the poll at the top right corner of the blog. Thanks for your patience with the long wait for this visual interpretation but I do think it was worth it. Enjoy, vote, and most of all - give me the good, the bad, and the ugly.

The Girls in Their Summer Dresses by:Irwin Shaw

"Go ahead", Frances said.

When I think of New York City, I think of all the girls, the Jewish girls, the Italian girls, the Irish, Pollack, Chinese, German, Negro, Spanish, Russian girls, all on parade in the city. I don't know whether it's something special with me or whether every man in the city walks around with the same feeling inside him, but I feel as though I'm at a picnic in this city. I like to sit near the women in the theaters, the famous beauties who've taken six hours to get ready and look it. And the young girls at the football games, with the red cheeks, and when the warm weather comes, the girls in their summer dresses..." He finished his drink. "That's the story. You asked for it, remember. I can't help but look at them. I can't help but want them."

I can't help but look...

2009-04-19T20:21:00.000-07:00

The Girls in Their Summer Dresses

2009-04-19T20:19:00.000-07:00

The Confession

2009-04-19T20:16:00.000-07:00

Hushed Abandonment

2009-04-14T21:37:00.000-07:00

Derrick W. Sherman, The Reunion show

2009-04-14T21:22:00.000-07:00

I once met a man and asked him if it were true that when you get older you become wiser. He said that the only answer was to get older. Looking back to when I was a kid, I realize that my ignorance was a virtue. I saw the world in colors and shapes. Now my nerves keep me awake at night. I think about the future and what I want to do with my life. I asked that same man if he had any advice for me. He told me to quit living and start breathing. "Look around at the life you lead. Listen to the wind and the trees. Take time to smell the ocean breeze and sleep on the beach." He said that the beauty of this world was in its complexity and that our lives for the most part are ordinary. He told me to never stop painting, but mostly never stop creating. "You're as free as your mind will let you be. So, what's holding you back?" he asked, "fear or laziness??"

excerpt from one of my favorite books Revolution on Canvas, poetry from the indie music scene. Edited by Rich Balling

Charity and Charity's Addiction

2009-04-09T15:11:00.000-07:00

For those interested in following my Book Passage Series, please have patience. I finally found a key prop I need for my next photograph. With the holiday fast approaching and a group show to get ready for I will have the new image in about another 10 ten days. Until then I am posting images from the past. Hope you enjoy!

These two images are titled Charity and Charity's Addiction. Both photographs are based on a woman named Charity who was a friend of a friend. My friend took me to Charity's house because she had an awesome doll collection. She also had a serious heroine addiction. When we went to Charity's house she was very skeptical of me and really didn't want me in her house but because I was a friend of one of her good friends she allowed me in. She proceeded to show me all her dolls, most altered with paint and wardrobe. The first image on the left was actually taken with an SX-70 Polaroid camera of a shrine like set-up Charity had in one of her closets. I then manipulated the scanned polaroid in Photoshop.

Soon after I visited Charity's house she traveled to Nebraska to visit and get clean at a family members house. A few months later when I was having dinner with my friend she said, "You remember Charity"?, and of course I did. That house, her behavior, and her belongings are not something you soon forget. Well, Charity got clean but as soon as she came back and was with "friends" in Chicago she quickly went back to her old ways and unfortunately O.D.! So the image on the right was made after hearing the news of Charity's death. This turned out to be the second time in my life at that time where someone I hardly knew who passes away ends up having a huge impact on you emotionally. I find these images beautiful and honest in a very haunting way.

National Poetry Month

2009-04-04T09:50:00.000-07:00

I'm not a writer nor a poet even though I love to read great material. I've tried to write poetry and have had some success and many clunkers. Still it does not stop me from trying. I've been so busy concentration on my studio and art that I haven't written a poem in a very long time. So in honor of national poetry month I have to dig into my archives and thought I would post this poem that I wrote a few years ago for my sister.

Brothers & Sisters

big sister
little brother
sisters brother
brothers sister
who watches over who?
dishwashing saga's
butcher knife drama's
tattle tale lies
save young kid's hides
locked out, locked in
break out, break in
don't tell: alibi's
hide another
little white lie
horrorama out of control
Jason can't swim
camp counselor sins
Halloween masks
motorcycle helmet clash
childhood memories
adult maladies
Jabberwocky bitch slaps
balloons are festive
your friends
my friends
no friends
best friends
coming of age
turns a new page
adolescent innocents
gone but not forgotten
life changes
forces rearranging
no longer convenient
conventional dialog
speak with ease
path is not lost
hidden by neglect
feet step on solid ground
speak to me
I'll speak to you
together again
Brother & Sister!

Chapter 6, not yet....

2009-04-04T09:43:00.000-07:00

It may be a couple of weeks before I get the next installment of Book Passages ready to view. I have a few idea's, need props, models, and son's coming home for the holiday. I do want to slow it down a bit anyway because it is about the images and I don't want to compromise any of them for the sake of the blog. So, in the meantime I will post things like I have in the past. I hope I don't loose any new readers who have tuned in for the Book Passages series. Please keep checking in, make comments, email me a fascinating and challenging book passage.

Justine, Lawrence Durrell

2009-03-27T04:52:00.000-07:00

Hey folks.... This one was tough. I had problems getting the people I needed to execute my idea's and have made some compromises to make it all happen and keep moving. The passage itself is tough. I find my interpretations really take two very different approaches to "Love". Despite the struggles to achieve these two visuals, I am very happy with the results. Since the images are completely different in defining "love", I put them into two separate posts below. Please comment, I value them all. As I like to say Love it or hate it, let's debate it. Thanks for continuing to be my companion on these visual journey's.

Justine by Lawrence Durrell

"And all this brings me back to myself, for I too have been changing in some curious way. The old self sufficient life has transformed itself into something a little hollow, a little empty. It no longer answers my deepest needs. Somewhere deep inside a tide seems to have turned in my nature. I do not know why but it is towards you my dear friend, that my thoughts have turned more and more of late. Can one be frank? Is there friendship this side of love which could be sought and found? I speak no more of love-the word and its conventions have become odious to me. But is there a friendship possible to attain which is deeper even, limitlessly deep, and yet wordless, idealess? It seems somehow necessary to find a human being to whom one can be faithful, not in the body (I leave that to the priests) but in the culprit mind? But perhaps this is not the sort of problem which will interest you much these days. Once or twice I have felt the absurd desire to come to you and offer my services in looking after the child perhaps. But it seems clear that you do not really need anybody any more, and that you value your solitude above all things.."

Justin e

2009-03-27T04:50:00.001-07:00

She Loves Me, She Loves Me N....

2009-03-27T04:47:00.000-07:00

Book Passage Series Ch. 5 coming soon...

2009-03-22T17:17:00.000-07:00

I am so thankful for the people who regularly offer their opinions and insight as this visual journey progresses. Hopefully it will continue to build momentum and result in some terrific future discussions and debates. Again, depending on the availability of models I have requested an interest in participating on this next passage, I should have results posted on this next passage later in the week or by the end of next weekend. You have all provided me with challenging assignments and I put a lot of thought and effort into each one which can at times slow down the process. This next passage has again provided me with some incredible creative challenges. My creative solutions will hopefully be unique and unexpected but still provide a satisfying visual solution to the interpretation.

For those new to this blog please refer to past postings such as "What have you read lately" to learn more about this Book Passage series and visual journey. I continue to invite people to submit passages. I have many to keep me busy well into the year but it has become such an exciting and challenging journey for me that I hope it continues for a long while.

Anyone who submits a book passage will receive a print of my visual interpretation of the excerpt. The current submission from the novel Justine by Lawrence Durrell was sent in anonymously. Mr. or Ms. Anonymous, if you would like to receive a print of my interpretation please email me. Until I post the image, here is the passage I am working from:

"And all this brings me back to myself, for I too have been changing in some curious way. The old self sufficient life has transformed itself into something a little hollow, a little empty. It no longer answers my deepest needs. Somewhere deep inside a tide seems to have turned in my nature. I do not know why but it is towards you my dear friend, that my thoughts have turned more and more of late. Can one be frank? Is there friendship this side of love which could be sought and found? I speak no more of love-the word and its conventions have become odious to me. But is there a friendship possible to attain which is deeper even, limitlessly deep, and yet wordless, idealess? It seems somehow necessary to find a human being to whom one can be faithful, not in the body (I leave that to the priests) but in the culprit mind? But perhaps this is not the sort of problem which will interest you much these days. Once or twice I have felt the absurd desire to come to you and offer my services in looking after the child perhaps. But it seems clear that you do not really need anybody any more, and that you value your solitude above all things.."

Hello.......Farewell

2009-03-15T19:58:00.000-07:00

Here is the fourth installment of my Book Passages Series. This book excerpt was sent to me by my father in-law, Bill Schulman. Bill is a prolific artist himself who has spent his life creating art and teaching art. So with a bit of hesitation here are the results of my visual interpretation of the passage from Speak Memory by Vladamir Nabokov.

The cradle rocks above an abyss, and common sense tells us that our experience is but a brief crack of light between two enormities of darkness. Although the two are identical twins, man, as a rule, views the prenatal abyss with more calm than the one he is heading for (at some forty-five hundred heartbeats an hour). I know, however, of a young chronophobiac who experienced something like panic when looking for the first time at homemade movies that had been taken a few weeks before his birth. He saw a world that was practically unchanged-the same house, the same people and then realized that he did not exist there at all and that nobody mourned his absence. He caught a glimpse of his mother waving from an upstairs window, and that unfamiliar gesture disturbed him, as if it were some mysterious farewell. But what particularly frightened him was the sight of a brand-new baby carriage standing there on the porch, with the smug, encroaching air of a coffin; even that was empty, as if, in the reverse course of events, his very bones had disintegrated.

As always, I enjoy hearing your critiques and observations. Please feel free to comment.

Food for Thought

2009-03-11T18:09:00.000-07:00

Taken from an interview with Artist Vik Muniz:

Art is somehow like brain-science; you only get to know how something works by looking at things that have stopped working. I have failed so much that I now stand on failure itself. It has become my work place and where I harvest my best ideas.

from The Education of a Photographer

And Now, a brief intermission

2009-03-06T19:42:00.000-08:00

Book Passage visual interpretation will be back soon. This next one required a bit of organizing and planning. An old woman, a pregnant woman and an eight year old girl meet in a cemetery...! No, it isn't the beginning of a joke but it is the list of characters I had to find for my next Book Passage visual. Child, easy. Pregnant woman, not too difficult. Old lady, near impossible. Hint: Wonderful, beautiful, mature women do not want to be photographed? If the weather cooperates (this is WI) I will create this image next Sunday the 15th and hopefully have it posted that evening or the next day.

So far, if I was ready to exhibit this series the images that would accompany the book passages would be:
1) Man in slippers with miniature furniture at his feet
2) The Weather Channel image of man watching TV weather guy
3) Landscape with toilet on the horizon

If you have already contributed a passage, I will provide you with a print of my visual interpretation of your book passage. If you haven't yet contributed this would be a great week to add yours to the comments section of this post. All participants will get a print when I get to your passage. So far I have approximately 15 contributions. I am trying to do them in the order that I received them. So if you are down the list please be patient and I hope that you find it entertaining to come back often to follow the complete visual journey. Below is the current passage that I have been planning and will photograph next Sunday.

Speak Memory by Vladamir Nabokov
The cradle rocks above an abyss, and common sense tells us that our experience is but a brief crack of light between two enormities of darkness. Although the two are identical twins, man, as a rule, views the prenatal abyss with more calm than the one he is heading for (at some forty-five hundred heartbeats an hour). I know, however, of a young chronophobiac who experienced something like panic when looking for the first time at homemade movies that had been taken a few weeks before his birth. He saw a world that was practically unchanged-the same house, the same people- and then realized that he did not exist there at all and that nobody mourned his absence. He caught a glimpse of his mother waving from an upstairs window, and that unfamiliar gesture disturbed him, as if it were some mysterious farewell. But what particularly frightened him was the sight of a brand-new baby carriage standing there on the porch, with the smug, encroaching air of a coffin; even that was empty, as if, in the reverse course of events, his very bones had disintegrated.

Porcelain Skin

2009-02-27T19:55:00.000-08:00

Book Passages Series #03: Please leave feedback, any and all is appreciated. Please vote on your favorite of the three images, the poll is found in the top right corner of the blog.

Excerpt from Milan Kundera's The Unbearable Lightness of Being

Toilets in modern water closets rise up from the floor like white water lilies. The architect does all he can to make the body forget how paltry it is, and to make man ignore what happens to his intestinal wastes after the water from the tank flushes them down the drain. Even though the sewer pipelines reach far into our houses with their tentacles, they are carefully hidden from view, and we are happily ignorant of the invisible Venice of shit underlying our bathrooms, bedrooms, dance halls, and parliaments. submitted by Frieda Babbley

If you are new to this blog and are interested in the origins of this Book Passages series please visit my first post "What have you read lately?"

If you are interested in contributing to this visual journey please submit a book passage with title and author in the comment section or email me. Thanks!

Is there anybody out There?

2009-02-22T11:39:00.000-08:00

To try and move some conversation on these posts I will start by offering my intent on this image. Especially since it didn't reproduced as well with the image size on the blog.

To me the whole Beaufort Scale is a scientific, yet to some extent arbitrary one, based on a scientist or team of scientists decision to determine what constitutes how many knots/MPH wind has to be to move up to the next descriptive term for the winds velocity. I struggled as a non-scientist how silly this scale seemed to me so in my visual interpretation of this event I tried to encompass the idea of wind/conflict/movement into one visual dialog. So onto the image.

My intent was to create a visual that was the opposite of what people would have expected the image to be but hold onto those general components that people think of when confronted with the idea of wind. The image shows an individual in a very calm and still state. Relaxing with a beer and chips while watching TV (the weather channel). The TV screen represents the reality of what is occurring outside. The man's boots are untied eluding to the fact that he may have just come in from the chaos of the storm. The fan re-enforces the idea of wind/movement. The chips are also showing some slight movement compared to the overall calm of the scene. The TV and the fact that he is watching the Weather Channel is a joke since he is watching a non-cable or satellite TV based on the crude rabbit ears on top of his set? Then, to throw it further into the obscure, the tattoo on the guys arm is the ancient alchemist symbol of phosphorus which because of it's ability to glow/create light had many to believe it was connected to spirits? This takes the idea of movement/wind into the realm of the supernatural. Exhausting I know. Most of my images just hit you on the head like a brick. This one is unusual in that it has so many elements.

The Weather Channel

2009-02-18T20:52:00.000-08:00

So here is image number two in the early visual journey of my Book Passages series. For those of you new to this site please refer to the blog entry What Have You Read Lately (Feb 3) for more information on this concept.

The concept for this image came from a contribution from a co-worker. Tea writes,

Hi Bill,

I don't know if this counts or not, but I'm reading "Defining the Wind" by Scott Huler - It's about the Beaufort Scale, so my descriptive passage is the Beaufort Scale itself.

I didn't research the book to find out how it was written or to find out in what context Scott Huler referenced the Beaufort Scale. Since I didn't even know what the Beaufort Scale was I did have to Google it to find out. This is my interpretation of the scale and wind in particular. I'm happy with how it turned out. I think that the interpretation keeps with my style of photography and with my sense of humor. I would love to hear what you have to say. Please leave your comments they make all the difference getting a feel for how the audience is responding to the visuals.

The next passage that I will interpret is from Milan Kundera's The Unbearable Lightness of Being submitted by Frieda Babbley.

Toilets in modern water closets rise up from the floor like white water lilies. The architect does all he can to make the body forget how paltry it is, and to make man ignore what happens to his intestinal wastes after the water from the tank flushes them down the drain. Even though the sewer pipelines reach far into our houses with their tentacles, they are carefully hidden from view, and we are happily ignorant of the invisible Venice of shit underlying our bathrooms, bedrooms, dance halls, and parliaments.

I will be picking up my free toilet that I found on Craigslist on Friday. Then may the shit, I mean creativity flow.

Please join in the discussion!

2009-02-14T12:28:00.001-08:00

Please join the beginnings of an interesting dialog started by my blog friend and supporter Frieda Babbley at her blog post. She expresses her opinions on my first images for this Book Passages series. Frieda also has asked me a few questions which I answer on her blog. Thanks for your interest and I hope that you contribute and follow this exciting visual journey. Thanks!

Travels in the Scriptorium by Paul Auster

2009-02-10T20:53:00.000-08:00

I would like to thank everyone who has contributed to this visual journey. I hope I will continue to receive submissions from you as the journey continues. Here are the images from Travels in the Scriptorium. Please take the time to vote on your favorite image and offer constructive criticism on any of the images. My professors used to rip my prints in half if they didn't like them so I can take it, you won't hurt my feelings.

The old man sits on the edge of the narrow bed, palms spread out on his knees, head down, staring at the floor. He has no idea that a camera is planted in the ceiling directly above him. The shutter clicks silently once every second, producing eighty-six thousand four hundred still photos with each revolution of the earth. Even if he knew he was being watched, it wouldn't make any difference. His mind is elsewhere, stranded among the figments in his head as he searches for an answer to the question that haunts him.

Who is he? What is he doing here? When did he arrive and how long will he remain? With any luck, time will tell us all. For the moment, our only task is to study the pictures as attentively as we can and refrain from drawing any premature conclusions.

There are a number of objects in the room, and on each one a strip of white tape has been affixed to the surface, bearing a single word written out in block letters. On the lamp, the word is LAMP. Even on the wall, which is not strictly speaking an object, there is a strip of tape that reads WALL. The old man looks up for a moment, sees the wall, sees the strip of tape attached to the wall, and pronounces the word wall in a soft voice. What cannot be known at this point is whether he is reading the word on the strip of tape or simply referring to the wall itself. It could be that he has forgotten how to read but still recognizes things for what they are and can call them by their names, or, conversely, that he has lost the ability to recognize things for what they are but still knows how to read.

I will try and do images in the order that the submissions came in. Next up is a contribution from Tea. She wrote "I'm reading Defining the Wind by Scott Huler - it's about the Beaufort Scale, so my descriptive passage is the Beaufort Scale itself: http://www.merriam-webster.com/table/dict/beaufort.htm. I need a model for this idea so I will hopefully find one and be able to still shoot and post by next week. I have a call into Bob Dylan's agent, hopefully he will call back soon?

On a sad note...

2009-02-08T17:26:00.000-08:00

I signed up on Facebook this weekend and enjoyed connecting with some people I had not been in touch with for many years. It is a great forum for connecting with old friends. Connecting with one of those old friends from college I began to ask if he'd heard from a fellow friend and photographer. I lost touch with this person about five years ago and find out this weekend that the demons that had been chasing him caught up to him last year. This image is one that we collaborated on for a school assignment over 20 years ago. Cheers to one of the most talented photographers that I had the pleasure to know and work with. RIP.

What Have You Read Lately?

2009-02-03T18:55:00.000-08:00

I am interested in starting a new fine art photography series in which I interpret a great paragraph from a book. One that is descriptive, mysterious, or ambiguous. I am hoping that I will get enough contributions from both my friends and curious strangers that I can create this fascinating visual journey. I will share my new images here on the blog as they are created. If time permits I would like to share one new image per week. If you contribute a paragraph please include the book title and the author. I look forward to your contributions. I will launch the series with this book excerpt.

Travels in the Scriptorium by Paul Auster

The old man sits on the edge of the narrow bed, palms spread out on his knees, head down, staring at the floor. He has no idea that a camera is planted in the ceiling directly above him. The shutter clicks silently once every second, producing eighty-six thousand four hundred still photos with each revolution of the earth. Even if he knew he was being watched, it wouldn't make any difference. His mind is elsewhere, stranded among the figments in his head as he searches for an answer to the question that haunts him.

Who is he? What is he doing here? When did he arrive and how long will he remain? With any luck, time will tell us all. For the moment, our only task is to study the pictures as attentively as we can and refrain from drawing any premature conclusions.

There are a number of objects in the room, and on each one a strip of white tape has been affixed to the surface, bearing a single word written out in block letters. On the lamp, the word is LAMP. Even on the wall, which is not strictly speaking an object, there is a strip of tape that reads WALL. The old man looks up for a moment, sees the wall, sees the strip of tape attached to the wall, and pronounces the word wall in a soft voice. What cannot be known at this point is whether he is reading the word on the strip of tape or simply referring to the wall itself. It could be that he has forgotten how to read but still recognizes things for what they are and can call them by their names, or, conversely, that he has lost the ability to recognize things for what they are but still knows how to read.

OK, it's your turn. Please publish your book excerpt in the comment section or email it to me at
wmzuback@backtothezu.com

I will post an image based on this passage sometime next week.

I'm Running as Fast as I Can!

2009-01-28T20:06:00.000-08:00

With so many things to do and so little time, sleep is a major inconvenience! They say as a society our busy lives are creating a population of sleep deprived zombies? Need a pill to get to sleep, need a stimulant to wake you up? It's just that life is too short not to run at full speed till you hit the proverbial brick wall.

The one thing I keep trying to go back to is music. Sex, drugs, rock and roll! OK, maybe at my age it would be more like Rock and roll, drugs, and sex; or Rock and roll, sex, and drugs? It's just Rock and Roll to me. Not too many years ago I picked up the guitar, took lessons for a few years, and played and played and played. Never getting as good as I wanted to although others said I played pretty good. But since I never reached the level that I aspired to I put it away. Now even though I'm probably to busy (see first paragraph), I feel the need to try again. Guitar or harmonica? I've always wanted to play harmonica so that I could take it with me where ever I'd go and a blues riff would be right there on the lips ready to stimulate the reeds in the harp. OK, it must be the harp then. I feel bad that my guitars just sit there as room decor but the blues are calling.

If only I enjoyed sitting in front of the tv all night, life would be so much easier but probably not as fulfilling?

My One and Only

by wm zuback

When the stars ar not aligned

and it ain't my time

to get lucky with my lady

I surrender to the night

resign to a quite site

and make music with my blonde 38

we embrace for hours

playing in harmony

groov'in to the sweet and tender moan of her rythm

no mind games here

only pure unadulterated bliss

she's my one and only-blonde 38

the years have weathered you well, my love

a few more nicks and scrapes

compliments of your sojourn through life

dear, you wear your journey well

you're my one and only-blonde 38

you don't give one f-hole about the competition

cuz when i'm holding you tight

and playing you right

baby, you know at that moment

there are no others

you're my one and only

with the night fading away

we must resign to a new day

i lay my baby down in her soft purple lined case

she doesn't cry one sour note

she's my beautiful blonde Gretsch 1938

she's my one and only!

A GREAT DAY!

2009-01-20T18:36:00.000-08:00

Daddy, Do You Cry?

2009-01-15T20:10:00.000-08:00

A very long time ago when my daughter was in about third grade, we were eating breakfast before school and she asked me, "Daddy, do you cry". I just responded by saying yes, of course I cry. I also used to travel a lot for my job and so I was usually gone about one week every month. I was in Rye, New York on a photoshoot when I called home one evening like I did every evening when I travelled. When it was my daughters turn to talk she told me with such excitement about a boy in her class that she liked and was able to sit next to on the bus during a field trip. I felt so bad that I wasn't at home while she was telling me so that I could see the joy and excitement on her face. I hung up the phone that night and wrote this poem with blurry eyes. I couldn't wait till my trip was over to share it with her so I called her back later than night, read her the poem, and we both cried a few tears. Fast forward about eight years and my little girl isn't my little girl anymore. She mostly keeps her thoughts to herself now, especially when it comes to her personal life. Oh well, I still have our poem.

Daddy, Do You Cry?

It was a weekday morning, music in the air
Son was in the bathroom, combing his hair
My head was in the paper, while eating cornflakes
Daughter sat beside me, picking her breakfast, while staring into space

Daddy, she says in her soft quiet voice
Daddy, she says as she looks up from her bowl
Daddy, do you every cry?
Daddy, why don't you cry?

Sweet child of mine with the curious mind
Try to understand, understand if you can
Sorrow is a feeling that you don't usually see
I keep it hidden, deep within me

Happiness is present and seen most every day
But even my most joyful thoughts
Are rarely on display
Do I cry? Dear, yes I do
I cry the most, when I'm thinking of you

My first tear falls before you wake
Sunlight dancing, across your sweet face
I ask the golden glow that caresses your cheek
Become your suit of armor, as you sleep
With each new day I see you grow
Joy and sorrow the moisture hold
Each day I wake you from your sleep
Another tear for you I weep

Sorrow and Joy are not far apart
For tears don't know the difference
When they fall or why they start
The heart knows the reason for each tear upon my cheek
I cherish the knowledge for which my heart speaks

You share with me excitement
About a boy in your class
A special friend, that makes your heart, beat "pitter-pat"
He sat beside you on the bus one spring day
A moment of your life, and mine I pray

I see you standing so proud upon the stage
Eyes scan the audience, you find strength to play
You firmly tuck your violin beneath your chin
Managing to smile, your fingers begin
Small fingers dance magic upon the strings
Bow massages the strings, the violin sings

The tears well up in my eyes each day
As I relive the moments from each passing day
You hold a special place in my heart
And that is where all the tears start

So when you asked me such a curious question
Daddy, do you cry?
My answer is now here on display
If you do not see a tear fall from my face
Rest assured, the right time, the right place
Your daddy does cry
Many tears fill your space.

Sent by a friend

2009-01-11T19:54:00.000-08:00

Schulz Philosophy:

The following is the philosophy of Charles Schulz, the creator of the 'Peanuts' comic strip. You don't have to actually answer the questions. Just read straight through, and you'll get the point.

1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.
2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.
3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America pageant.
4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.
5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best actor and actress.
6. Name the last decade's worth of World Series winners.

How did you do?The point is none of us remember the headliners of yesterday.These are no second-rate achievers.They are the best in their fields.But the applause dies.Awards tarnish.Achievements are forgotten.Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.

Here's another quiz See how you do on this one:

1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.
2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.
3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.
4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special!!
5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.

Easier?
The lesson: The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials......not the most money...or the most awards. They simply are the ones who care the most.