Painted antlers and baked mini deer heads galore!

My buddy Haley had an opening at Pop Gallery in Culver City on Friday night. By the time I caught the end of the show there was a flurry of red dots on the walls. Success!

Haley Ann Robinson

I finally got around to going to the LACMA (it’s only been 4 years that I’ve lived here).

John Baldessari has a multi-room exhibition in the contemporary art wing titled, “Pure Beauty.” A lot of it pokes fun at the silliness of the contemporary art world. I can’t help but point out that he sometimes falls into his own trap. Either way, as many bold artists’ works go, some of John Baldessari’s collection is really enjoyable…and some is simply not. See for yourself, at LACMA until September 12.

This wistful quote from Stephen Alesch speaks volumes about the spaces he and Robin Standefer create as architects and designers. Their firm Roman & Williams, is named for their grandparents, paying homage to another era. Together, they draw on the evocative moods, textures, and meaningful objects that linger somewhere between past and present. Their work is infused with memory and allows participants to connect with a more romantic and important time.

Alesch still renders all of their presentations by hand, a skill he has preserved and honed from an early age. Standefer evolved her skills as a painter into creating sets for the likes of Scorsese. As a team they have developed an approach to creating buildings and interiors that reveres craft and tradition, combined with a contemporary viewpoint. This unique vision has lead to a number of important public and private projects including the Ace Hotel, The Standard Hotel, and 211 Elizabeth.

via The Scout

With that out of the way, I would like to express my concern for Flickr’s Explore feature. I’m an amateur photographer and cinematographer with great intent on becoming professional. I refer to Flickr and other sites to illuminate ideas for my own work, yet I’ve found that as their tenure for online portfolio showcasing increases, the creativity becomes commonplace. The term original becomes a bastard in a pool of stock memory on celluloid and disk. When I click on the Last 7 Days Interesting, there is an overwhelming amount of images that I don’t necessarily identify with. Of course, there is no problem with that, but I still wonder what justifies such images to be chosen as Explored, or Interesting. Let me elaborate. Last 7 Days Interesting page comes as a random reload page of 9 images at a time. At any given “reload” one will most definitely find the following in proper ratio: 1/9 flowers and puppies, 1/9 random still life, 2/3 self-portraits of teenage girls, and sadly, 1/9 actually interesting and well composed images (maybe after a few clicks). That specific 2/3 group I unveiled is what I think hurts me most these days. They have so much talent, yet their drive is dragging at the ankles.

Now before, the argument starts, I must confess. My photostream is also repetitive, slightly unoriginal, and lacking the depth that a true “portfolio” expects. So, I’ll take the position of: I am one of them, therefore I can speak for the sake of enlightenment for all. Perhaps I have become a product of the dull images I stumble upon each day. The teenagers and twentysomethings that take square-cropped and photoshopped portraits of themselves in fields and forests with nice cameras and remotes. The even more bitter portion of the platter I’m dishing out is the fact that most of these many young photographers have the gift of taking great pictures, yet they just keep doing the same self-portraits, hanging their heads down low and writing some over-dramatic poem that demands the reader to click on a link to their Tumblr or song of the day. Try something new. I know you have it in you. I know you have friends who can model for you. I know you have more interesting clothing and accessories to include in your shots. I know you have more than one background to feed from for each after school shoot. I know this, because I tell myself these things every day when I pick up my camera. Together, we can make that “reload” button actually exciting again. Well, I have to get on Explore first, but someday. What’s right around the corner? Something fresh! Interesting! Artistic! Original! Personal!

I’m not attempting to be callous or impertinent. I just want to see the creativity expand, develop, and soar to the highest reaches of one’s ability. I want to be wowed by Flickr’s Explore again. And so I say once more, Flickr is a place for everyone…But, Explore should be reserved for those artists that produce gorgeous and meaningful images that are worthy of heavy public rotation. Spin it like I’m the coach’s pep-talk at halftime when the team is losing the championship. Let’s see more, because I know there is more. Don’t just snap the same shot (which was great the first couple times) and sit back to watch yourself get clicks and ho hum hoorays by fans. Tell me a story. Tell it well.

You first, though.

*Ahhh, Rain*

Haley is a very good friend of mine and she’s made a name for herself up in Portland.

Check out her new show if you’re in the area. She makes creatures in all dimensions, just for you.

Haley Ann Robinson Redux PDX

Location: Redux: 811 East Burnside St. suite

Hungry Eyeball

Check out her BLOG

“We want to let  faces speak.”

Facity is a photo/art project in Berlin by Hannes Caspar and Alexis Vabre.

Learn about Facity

Facity Faces

Facity Flickr

Posted in art, photography Tagged: art, berlin, faces, facity, flickr, people, photography ]]> http://peaceinvisible.com/2009/08/25/facity/feed/ 0 peaceinvisible http://peaceinvisible.com/2008/10/01/the-memories-of-billy-rainwater/ http://peaceinvisible.com/2008/10/01/the-memories-of-billy-rainwater/#comments Wed, 01 Oct 2008 22:14:26 +0000 peaceinvisible http://peaceinvisible.wordpress.com/?p=216 ]]> Beautiful

Whoa.

Curious where to buy these limited works of art? Right here, baby…

(they’re really pricey…but hey, it’s imported!)

Check out the rest of her work.

Also, just to make us starving artists feel more secure about our dwindling youth… SHE’S 15 YEARS OLD and is already a hit and inspiration on Flickr.
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And your wonderful stems…whoever you are…
]]> http://peaceinvisible.com/2008/09/04/bless-you/feed/ 0 peaceinvisible http://peaceinvisible.com/2008/08/28/sometimes-i-just-feel-like/ http://peaceinvisible.com/2008/08/28/sometimes-i-just-feel-like/#comments Thu, 28 Aug 2008 01:11:00 +0000 peaceinvisible http://peaceinvisible.wordpress.com/2008/08/28/sometimes-i-just-feel-like/ ]]>
]]> http://peaceinvisible.com/2008/08/28/sometimes-i-just-feel-like/feed/ 0 peaceinvisible http://peaceinvisible.com/2008/08/24/art-colt-45s-and-shoulder-muscle/ http://peaceinvisible.com/2008/08/24/art-colt-45s-and-shoulder-muscle/#comments Sun, 24 Aug 2008 00:14:00 +0000 peaceinvisible http://peaceinvisible.wordpress.com/2008/08/24/art-colt-45s-and-shoulder-muscle/ ]]>

Well, Crazy 4 Cult was good…or at least I remember it that way. We showed up, skipped the line, and made our way through the 108 degree studio. The work was amazing. I definitely should have brought the camera.

Next, we wandered next door to find a comic book shop where a marine was handing out Colt 45 tall-cans (they gave me 2 because I had “donor” written on my ID. “So they can’t have your liver,” one of them chuckled.

The backyard atmosphere of the comic shop gathering was one of anxiety, distraction, and cheap thrills. We settled our debts on the 45′s and continued off, but not before having a photo moment with the beloved girl and having an upstream alley accident with a homeless man.

We ended our travels at Footsies, where the girls were flexing their shoulder muscles on lightly hustled pool games. I lost my appetite for polite drinking at some point and came down with a case of the hiccups. looking around in my disconnected and gulping state I found that the bar had closed, our friends remained: kissing, pushing, playing, drinking, stumbling, and quite so…last resorting.

Somehow, I came to. All clothes still on, the crisp morning air creeping in through the closet window, bad headache, and above all…a serious and threatening craving for pancakes. Despite, that I am still left without a romantic ending, I found the bisquick to be a spiritual healer of sorts.

On to the soiree…