November 2023 Newsletter - The Audacity of Artists
I ran across an interview with the Folk/Americana duo, The Milk Carton Kids, on Folk Alley’s “Why We Write” podcast series with Kim Ruehl. They are Kenneth Pattengale and Joey Ryan and I find them to be thought provoking and insightful, just two guys commenting on the lives they lead through song. Early on, Kenneth makes the point that musicians, and I’ll extend it to all creators, make these things, be they songs, paintings, photographs, etc., and then “have the audacity” to expect other people to use their valuable time (and money) to pay attention to the work. The use of the word “audacity” really got me thinking. He’s absolutely right, as a visual artist, I’m putting these works out there hoping they connect with someone to such an extent that they are willing to hang it on a wall and spend time with it. It’s not a thing you look at and put back on your mental shelf until the mood hits again. Visual art is right there every time you walk into the room; you’re literally living with it. Expecting a viewer to connect on that level is pretty audacious.
No matter how we met, if you’re receiving this, you saw something in my work that spoke to you. That’s pretty cool and I’m honored we are able to connect. I won’t further dissect the podcast but there are more interesting nuggets and it is worth a listen. You can find it here.
5-State Photo Competition
I want to bring your attention the Five State Photography Competition and Exhibition. This event is hosted by the Hays Arts Council in Hays Kansas and is unique in that they judge physical 8”x10” prints rather than electronic entries. I also really appreciate that they use an outside juror, not a local person who likely is familiar with the entrants. This year, the juror is Charlie Riedel from the Associated Press. If you are a photographer from Kansas, Oklahoma, Colorado, Nebraska, or Missouri, I encourage you to enter as I’ve always found the show to be a strong mix of styles and reward creativity. Unfortunately, I’m not giving you much time with this missive – entries are due in their hands by November 7th. The rest of the gory details are available here.
One of my entries this year is “Apocalyptic Gull”, a comment on the effect of global climate change on sea levels. Three different negatives were used in the making of this image. One is a hand-held long exposure of the rolling surf to get intentional camera shake and blur the waves; another is a short exposure shot of the bird on the beach; last, a short exposure of the beach house. The long exposure negative is deliberately upside down to put the house and bird under water. All three negatives were made this summer on our trip to the Oregon Coast. Drop me a line and let me know what you think.
My second entry for the 5-State Competition and Exhibition is “Juggling Act” (above). This public art installation is in downtown Oklahoma City and captured my attention because of the building in the background and the possibility to merge the shapes of the sculpture with the building. Typically, merged elements are frowned upon in a composition but here, I placed the orb and quadrangle such that the edge of the building cut them in half. Once that decision was made, it was a matter of placing the rest of the sculptures such that the humanoid figures were juxtaposed against the vertical rectangles of the building windows. Intentional merges were used to great affect most notably by the cubists and can be used as here for contrast or to create a new shapes
Speaking of audacity, if you’ve stuck with me to here: Thank you! Till the next time, may your life be rich with beauty