Lecture #6

4-13-09

Derick Holt


Derick Holt graduated from VCU in 2001 from the Graphic Design department. His work is extremely inspired by vintage prints, old maps, etc. After graduating from college, he started working in a restaurant, and ending up designing advertisements for them. That's where his inspiration for vintage started; from researching old restaurant menus, and what not to get ideas. This also helped him open the doors into advertising in general. Looking at his work, you definitely can feel the vintage inspiration.

His work feels extremely layered, and placed; and yet at the same time very organic. Each image feels complete. With graphic design, I usually think it's not as involved with the artist's touch... I feel like a lot of graphic design work is very detached from the artist's hand. However, with Derick, you can see his hand, his signature touch, in all of his work. Overall, it was interesting seeing a lecture from a department outside of photography/film. Seeing and hearing the way a graphic designer thinks, gets inspired, and works was very interesting because it is so different from the way I think.

Topic Entry #14

Color


“I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn't say any other way - things I had no words for.” - Georgia O'Keefe



"Light and Color in Photography" Photography.com, http://www.photography.com/articles/color-light/light-and-color-in-photography/

This article explains the use of color in photographs. It explains color as perceived by a viewer, as well as color changes at different times of day, as well as natural light vs. artificial light.

The use of color in my photographs has become more and more important over the past several months. At first, I didn't think the color scheme was as important; but the colors in my photographs have become a huge factor in the placement of my work both as pairing images for the diptychs, as well as placement on a wall for viewing. There's a bright contrast in the imagery with color; from bright, vibrant, bold colors as compared to more dulled down colors. I think the colors in the imagery help speak for the several different aspects to the lives of my subjects.

Artist Entry #14

4-20-09

Jocelyn Lee

Jocelyn Lee is a photographer living and working out of Berkley California. She has stated that "I photograph because I am interested in people, what it means to be alive, and how we make sense of the world. " She photographs people in the place they live confronting that place and the situation they find themselves in. She has drawn most of her work from her Maine, and they show how important the enviroment is to portraiture. You can see the trust her subject put in her, most of them being completely nude. Her workis very graphic and informative. She has very raw images of her subjects, even including a women giving birth. The light in her portraiture is always very strong, but natural.



Artist Gallery
http://www.pacemacgill.com/

Artist Website
http://www.jocelynlee.com/index.html

Artist Interview
http://www.npg.si.edu/exhibit/feature/interview_lee.html

Topic Entry #13

4-16-09

Deadpan Photography

"Engaging yet ambiguous, deadpan photography provides a refuge from emotion in a time of worry" - Greg Cook





Cook, Greg; "Here's Looking at You"; http://www.boston.com/news/globe/living/articles/2007/11/04/heres_looking_at_you/


This article talks about the rise of deadpan photography in contemporary art. He writes about Claire Beckett, who says that her deadpan asthetic came about from her use of a medium format. She says that with the time it takes to set up the camera and get the positioning right, the subject has warn off the nervous feelings and becomes in a neutral state. He describes deadpan as cool, matter of fact, detached imagery.

The deadpan asthetic has come up in my work; also I think because of my use of a medium format camera. However, I did want to produce some of the imagery very straight forward, with the subject left completely as is. I used this asthetic more with objects and spaces rather than people. I felt that the spaces needed to be read exactly how they were, untouched, because of the stories they produce by just being looked at.

Artist Entry #13

4-13-09

Alec Soth







Alec Soth is an American photographer born in 1969. He is a traveling photographer who has documented many people traveling around america. His work has been in multiple solo and group exhibitions. In Sleeping by the Mississippi, he traveled around Minnesota, Mississippi, Louisiana, Missouri and shot with an 8x10 camera. He shot dead pan portraits and stale, lonely still lifes. His work has given me a lot of insight and reminds me a lot of what I'm going for. He's really good at capturing details and portraits of lifestyles.

Artist Website
http://www.alecsoth.com/index.html

Artist Gallery
http://www.npg.si.edu/

Artist Interview
http://seesawmagazine.com/soth_pages/soth_interview.html

Topic Entry #12

4-9-09

Diptych

“It is clear that this point is the ‘peripety’ or reversal of the action, and that the play falls into the form of a diptych, the first half tragic in direction and the second half comic.” - Northrop Frye

Xu, Denise J., "‘Diptych’ Finds Depth in Duality", 10-14-07, The Havard Crimson, http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=520048

This article is a review for a play called Diptych. The play was modeled after the traditional presentation of art; having two actors, a stage set with two wooden frames which the actors were placed, and having the actors conveying the same emotions but in their own individual ways. This play was as if it was a diptych piece of art brought to life. Diptychs are usually two separate images that are displayed together. Sometimes completely different images that relate to one another, and other times to separate images but when placed next to eachother make a larger image.

I have decided recently to try out using the diptych presentation with my work. I feel as though some of my images are strong enough on their own; but I think they're real strength relies on being displayed with one another. I want the viewer to be able to view multiple images at the same time and relate them with one another to have a more complete story.

Anderson Gallery Submission