Art is a Verb

Well, first, I am not sure that I have fully bought into the ‘Art is a Verb’ thing.

So I thought I might take a very big liberty and quote Colin from our off-line discussion about an image that I had posted on Stills for comments. But after thinking about this, I do not feel that is not right, so I will defer to one of his points instead.

“you are documenting landscapes and lifestyles”

The reason for my uneasiness is the idea that I am ‘documenting’ something, I think that I am photographing the urban landscape.  I feel that I am exploring my feelings about what I see and that influences my selection of composition, exposure, and subsequent image development.  Any more than when I was photographing the natural landscpe, did I feel that I was documenting the rocks, dirt, and whatever.  I felt that I was observing and seeing compositional elements that triggered an emotional response, such that I reacted by making the exposure, then explored the tonal compositon in the dark/light-room as I expressed what I felt and saw in a printed image.

I don’t know, maybe it was the choice of words and my association with those words.  So I’ll think some more about this.  As I re-read what I just wrote, perhaps those are the verbs that was referred to: observing, feeling, exploring and reacting. hmmm.

Meanwhile, this image is Old Homesite For Sale and may be in my series Transitional Seam.  I do find a number of older homes that have already been ‘torn down’ and now the land is for sale and ready for development.  Just a concrete scar remains until the bulldozers return.

Best regards, Doug

Open to possibilities

Expecting rain today, so I planned to stay off the dirt roads.  But no rain (yet), but it has made as far South as LA county. Surprise, instead there was fog!

Last night, since I was expecting rain, I also thought I could sleep in a little more as there probably be not much to photograph.  But sometimes a change in the weather creates other opportunities, things will look different, the light will be very different, there should be other things going on, so no sleeping in;- )

Finding the fog as I came into the Temecula Valley area of Riverside County, my first inclination was to drive to the Santa Rosa Plateau and work on some ‘pure’ landscape images as a change of pace. My second thought was to go back and further explore some areas that yesterday were a little difficult to photograph with that morning’s light.  When I opt to work on my series, then I know it has a hold on me.  So this morning, I was back mining the same small area in the Lake Elsinore area again.  I am glad I did.

I have some ideas about this series, but I also like to let the project flow, to slowly develop and evolve.  Much like the conversation that I had off-line with Colin last Spring; to have an idea to work on, to proceed with the work on the concept, but to be open to other possiblities as they occur.  Planning with serindepitity and chance. 

I do find that when I come across a spot that causes me to stop and look, I usually see a composition that I immediately want to try. I find that I also have an idea of the subsequent tonal qualities that I could create in a black and white image of that composition. Trite, but I would label that pre-visualization. But once I stop, I start exploring and keep making additional compositional adjustments and exposures. And sometimes my final exposure is the composition that I end up selecting for subsequent image development.

So my advice, stay open to the possiblities, you can never tell how it may turn out.

Best regards, Doug

Palm Lane

Palm Lane is another image that is being considered for my series Transitional Seam.  And I find myself reconsidering what my intent is for this project as I keep proceeding.  I had expected to create an equal amount of images of the new homes and businesses in this area. But lately it seems like I have become more of a preservationist of capturing (documenting? No I don’t think so) what is here now. But that is not my intent, rather I find my self extremely interested in the ‘western’ country look, the architecture, the context of the homes with the land and the feel for this area.

I also like the individuality of these homes and neighborhoods and lately the early morning and late afternoon light and the resulting forms and shapes that are created. Well, I am not going to re-write or edit my artist statement for this series just yet, but I am going to start penciling some more thoughts as I have here.  Yeah, I do use a pencil, becasue I like the feel of it as I make a mark on paper.  And yes, I did a lot of drawing before photography and that was what I did a lot of when I was very frustrated with photographic papers in the mid-1980’s. But I degress.

So I will take more photographs and do some more thinking about why I take the roads that I do and make the photographs I do.  Anybody know a good shrink??

Best regards, Doug

Still klunking away

I did buy a bunch of different ball tip markers during my lunch break and so now to try them out and make a mess of my really nice folio cover.  I guess that is why you would call it an artists proof. If it looks really too bad after I figure out what I want it to look like and which pens work, then I can always buy another cover to be the proof and make this one the folio ‘dummy’.  My thinking is that the silver will look best on the black cover, so that’s all that I bought.

So yesterday I decide to start printing the proofs for the folio and then my 4800 needs a ‘power-cleaning’ and just about emptys what was left of my Light, Light Black ink. So I now need to buy a 220ml replacement to have on hand.  I just know that I will have that last print to make and I will run out of that ink half-way through the printing if I don’t buy it.

And later this evening it is suppose to start raining for the next four days, so I will be staying off any dirt roads for a while.

Best regards, Doug

Foundations Folio – Update 3

Old Snow, Big Bear Mountain, 1978  (from the folio Foundations)

Well, slowly everything is coming together for my first folio.  I have almost resolved the folio cover issue, as I will use the really nice folio cover from Light Impressions (LI). My hand made folio covers were really awful. Really Awful!  As to how to identify the folio with the LI cover, I recalled the art pens for writing on material.  The lenin material of the folio cover is fairly smooth, so should be okay for me to write directly on the folio cover.  Now to figure out which color and pen tip style, but I am leaning towards a silver ink with the medium or fine tip.  So in the next couple of days, I will be back at Aaron Brothers art store to consider my options.

I continue to update my web site with information about the folio, my reasons for making this folio in an Edition and making sure that the images of the folio have been updated to reflect how to best display the image.  When I first developed my web site at the begining of the year, I was very inexperienced and since I have learned a couple of things of how to put my best foot forward regarding my image display.

I still continue to consider making the print size of the 7 x 9″ images (on 8-1/2 x 11″ rag) being only available through my folios.

As to the folio pricing, I am thinking that I want to make these more affordable as a collection of my work.  And make the cost of the covers and the shipping inclusive of the folio price. I am also thinking that the first printing of the the Foundation First Edition Folio will probably be ten sets.

So now I am working on printing the artists proof (A/P) for the folio and making sure that the final presentation really reflects what I want to make available. When the A/P is done, then off to purchase the paper and order the folio covers and interleaving tissues.  So this may be my printing project for that time between Christmas and New Years.

Thank you all for your support in this project, as the interest list for this Editioned Folio is growing!

Best regards, Doug

Pending Development – Lake Elsinore

Pending Development is another image that I am considering for my series Transitional Seam.

Last week, I was driving around the Lake Elsinore area again, some what fasinated that near this large man-made lake that there are some very undeveloped areas, if not usually in some state of disrepair.  In the neighboring Orange or San Diego Counties, this would be really prime property, with little area left to develop.  Must be some other things going on here that are not readily apparent.

Best regards, Doug

Stalled Development

This image is potentially going to be in my series Transitional Seam.

I have noticed that since returning from my recent trip, that I am starting posting an image a day and putting the words “Photo of the Day”, but then realized that was kinda of dumb. It is the photo that I blog that day, so no sense stating the obvious, thus I droped that part in my title.

And before my last extended trip, I was writing more about what I was experiencing with making the image or what it might mean to me.  And I seemed to have stopped doing that too.  I feel that I am in more of a “let me show you what I created, and then you decide what you feel and think about what this image means to you” mood. Then I go on to write something else without posting an image.  Just some things that I am noticing recently.

Best regards, Doug

Print pricing

One of the stickier things that artists have to deal with is pricing their work, which is something that I have been avoiding for the better part of the year. But with the pending publication of my folio and that I need some funds to invest in some equipment, I have to come to grips with this.  Which is why I got sucked up into the pricing discussion with Paul Butzi.

One of the pricing problem, which is really a sales type issue, is that you have to tell someone the price and then you get either rejection (ouch!) or acceptance (yea!) or something in between.  Hard enough to figure what to photography, make a great print and then figure out what in your psyche drove you to create that image. Thus, the use of galleries, you let them decide the asking price for you and let them get the collector’s rejection.  And hopefully, they sometimes send money.  But I and probably most of us don’t have galleries to do the ‘heavy’ lifting for our sales.

So from our years of owning a custom picture framing store, I did come up with one rule of thumb.  I want my prints to be equal to or greater than the retail price of framing. I want someone to value my print more than they value the framing that is around it. Simple, eh?

So for a nice archival double-matte, regular glass and a nice stained wood frame to go around a 8-1/2 x 11″ printed rag, the retail price is going to be between $100 and $150.00 USD.  So for me, that is the ball park that I am working with for the Editioned folio, which will be printed on 8-1/2 x 11″ rag. 

As I check around, that $100-150 range is about the average lower-end price for archival prints for a mid-career artist as myself.  The average upper-end price for this size print is about $300 for a mid-career artist. 

So this is what I am muddling about as I prepare to announce my folio pricing.  One thing that I am also considering is to limit the availability of my prints in the 8-1/2 x 11″ size to only the Editioned folios.  Individual prints may be available only on the 13 x 19″ or 17 x 22″  rag or larger sizes.

Best regards, Doug

Folio update 2

As it has been pointed out before, I seem to be easily distracted as I now continue to work out the bugs for an Editioned Folio.  Okay, unsaid was the fact that the California State Board of Equilization would like me to send them some money for sales taxes collected, but I have to sell something first. hmmm. I also have my eye on a 24″ wide HP Z3100 printer as well, but it is time that I pay for it from my art income. Same issue.

Selecting the 12 images was the easier part as I have been looking at these for many years now and they are my favorites.  Now I have completed the folio cover sheet, the artist statement/introduction (now posted on my web site here), a colophon (fancy word for the folio/portfolio technical sheet) and the Certificat of authenticity.  These will probably be printed on Epson Enhanced Matte or what ever the current version of this paper is.

 For the prints, a quick sanity check for the thickness of the loose prints, on the 190 gm rag, I have a 1/4″ thick stack and printing on the 300 gm rag, I am at 5/8″ thick stack, thus I can go either way for the folio covers under consideration.  I personnally like the 300 gm rag prints.

As to the folio cover, I have a couple of options; pre-made and available from Light Impressions, custom made with my printing rep or totally hand made.  So here is where I am:

 I did receive the pre-made 8-1/2 x 11″ folio cover sample that I ordered from Light Impressions and it is very, very nice.  For my folio cover, it is the most expensive option, maybe getting it down to $16.00 USD buying 10 or more at a time (also reduce shipping cost). And it looks nice. But how to identify the folio on the outside of the cover? I still have not overcome that hurdle yet with this option.

I did receive a cost from my print rep, but I need to buy a minimum of one box of Gilbert paper (250 sheets), a two-up cutting die for making two folios from each sheet and order the 500 folio cover minimum. That will be about a $2,000 investment.  But at the moment, I need only 10 folio covers to get started with the first Edition.  One a piece price basis, a lot less expensive, but as a total investment to get started, Yikes, way toooo expensive.  That makes the $160 for the 10 folio covers from Archival Supplies (the cheaper price than Light Impressions) look pretty good at the moment.

Last twist, my handmade and hand-crafted folio cover. While doing the reverse engineering the folio cover design, I completed a simple little die-line drawing to get 2 folio covers out of a 22 x 30″ sheet.  Then at Aaron Brothers art store I bought a couple sheets of Canson Mi-Teintes Drawing paper, which is 98 lb (160 gm), acid free and made from 66% rag content. And available in a lot of colors.  So I am going to cut out a template, see if it works and potentially use it to create 10 more copies, of which I will then use my handy-dandy sissors to cut them out.  At a price of $1.0o each, plus tax.  That will be a $10.00 investment plus some of my time.  Totally hand crafted!

Best regards, Doug

Update: I had better figure out a better way to make the handmade folios, my option 3 above, because my first attempt was what I would call really ugly. Not doubt that it is hand-made, but I would not call hand-crafted. Hand-crafted would imply that a craftsman made it, Nope!  Okay, I’ll try again tonight.

Lake Elsinore Heights

Lake Elsinore Heights (my name, maybe not their name for this hillside region overlooking Lake Elsinore in Riverside County) and this image is potentially going to be in my series Transitional Seam.

Best regards, Doug