Flowers Still in Fall

 Even though I'm pretty sure all the flowers should be dead, many of the ones in my backyard were still thriving when I visited them this past weekend.

Sally Mann

     The documentary on Sally Mann is not my first exposure to this interesting artist. A friend of mine had recommended her to me a year ago as a photographer I might be interested in. Indeed, I find Sally Mann’s work to be beautiful and intriguing, and after this documentary on her I see that she is even more fascinating than I had previously realized.

     I was most interested in her use of the large-format, glass negatives which are not only a pain to prepare but subject to so many faults. Instead of being frustrated with their imperfections Mann embraced them, and felt they added something to her art. In this era of digital cameras where just about anyone can shoot a decent image it is refreshing to see someone who is not afraid of making mistakes. Mann’s take on death was chilling but still beautiful, while watching her walk through the corpses I felt myself mostly repulsed, but upon seeing the images she captured I was suddenly fascinated by them.

     Mann’s relationship with her husband and children was just as interesting as any of her art. It is touching to see a couple still in love after so many years, and with three children whom seem to all get along well.  Mann’s earlier portraits of her children were so beautiful; it is hard for me to understand how anyone could look at them and declare that they were child pornography or exploited the children in anyway. And now as adults looking back over old photos the children do not seem distressed or alarmed, but see them as their family album, the record of their childhood.

Time

Our second assignment for my photography class was to take photographs about time. My first thoughts were that I would probably end up taking a bunch of photos of clocks, but I decided I wanted to be more abstract than that. So, on a weekend home I stayed with my boyfriend and used him as my model to try and capture a series of images that would tell a story, almost like a film strip. When I printed these four photos of him, I felt I was still missing something, so I added a photo of an open gate to show at the beginning, and a photo an open door in a room to show at the ending. I felt like these additional photos added a level to the story, like perhaps the man came through the gate, had a confrontation, and then left out the door in the end. I don't want to say too much more than that because I would like the viewer to decide on their own story!

Just Around Campus

 I was growing restless this morning so I decided to take a short walk around campus before I headed to class.

 The lily ponds are my favorite, quiet place on campus.

 Look! A new blossom!

Looked like some storm clouds were rolling in.

Cultural Review of the Alumni Exhibit

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           I was excited to hear about the "2010 Juried Alumni Exhibition" in the Victoria H. Myhren Gallery in the Shwayder Art Builiding. The Myhren gallery has had some interesting exhibitions in the past, but this is the first one I've heard of showcasing solely DU artists. This exhibit is appropriately timed with the new annex finally being completed and the interior of Shwayder being currently renovated; it will surely bring extra attention to the art program here at DU.
        I made sure to attend the opening of this show on September 30th. The first thing I noticed when I came into the gallery was the variety in mediums of art, from functional ceramics, to painting, to photography. Nearly every type of art was covered by one of the 19 artists. I liked that the mix of artists included art teachers, professional artists, and people whose professions had nothing to do with art. It was nice to see that art was still an important part of their lives.

        By far my favorite piece in the whole exhibit was the out of work Space Invader who was begging for money just inside the entrance of the exhibit. I liked it mainly for the nostalgia it brought on of playing Space Invaders as a child. I also really liked the porcelain bird installations by the ceramics teacher here, Mia Mulvey. My favorite of hers was the one with the birds wings bound to their sides with twist ties. 
       What impressed me the most was the amount of talent that has come through the University of Denver. Our school is not particularly known for its art program, but it just shows that great talent can come from anywhere! Maybe one day I'll be hanging my art up in the Myrhen Gallery for an alumni show! At any rate, this exhibition has encouraged me to continue making art, even though I've pretty much ruled a career out in the arts.

Henri Cartier-Bresson

This french photography created not only beautiful and interesting photographs, but his work inspired – and continues to inspire – many other photographers and photographic movements. What makes Cartier-Bresson so interesting is his ability to compose and catch a photograph off the street that looks like it was set up in a studio and taken from a million different angles. Part of this unique ability was the “decisive moment” a term Cartier-Bresson coined himself to refer to the moment when all the elements in photograph were perfectly lined up. Cartier-Bresson was able to use his artistic timing to capture motion and everyday events, such as children playing, a man jumping, a train passing over a bridge, and give them new life and make them far more interesting. The fact that Cartier-Bresson hires someone else to develop his photographs shows that for him the art of photography lies in the act of taking a picture, and the rest is just technical.

The Dogs in my Life

 Was home for the weekend again, and this time I decided to spend a little more time playing with all the dogs in my family. Up top is my dog Rosebud and her new best friend, my mom's dog, Buddy.

 This is the baby of the family, Rampage. Don't let his innocent face fool you, this dog can be a total terror (as his name suggests).

Euphoria, my brother's dog, is a calm and loyal one. Here she is in my backyard staring off at the other dogs playing.

At the Library

 I know that many people on campus view the Penrose Library as a big 1970's eyesore, but I have a fondness for the bright red walls, the orange carpet and the funny little study pods.

 I suppose they were currently sorting some of the books because on the 2nd level that had hundreds of them laid out on the floor, inconvenient to get around but looked cool.

Seriously, I love the colors in this place. I might be crazy.

Annie Leibovitz

Before watching the documentary on Annie Leibovitz, I had very little sense of the photographer, knowing her only through a few of her earlier photographs and some of her work in Vanity Fair. Watching the full documentary enabled me to have a greater appreciation and understanding of her work as now I saw it as an evolution through her whole life. I found it interesting how Leibovitz had transitioned from shooting simple portraits with relatively little staging like her work in Rolling Stone, to her highly stylized, dramatic, and fanciful covers for Vanity Fair. Personally, I prefer her earlier work to her more recent photographs. While all of her work is beautiful, I feel that the simpler portraits have a more intimate feel and provide more of a slice of truth of their subject. For instance, the portrait of John Lennon,  naked and clutching Yoko Ono. I had never really considered this photograph before the documentary, I was familiar with it but found that it made me uncomfortable, I did not like how weak and desperate Lennon appeared while Ono looked just relaxed and reserved. Hearing Yoko Ono talk about this portrait I was able to see it in a new light, I could now see the beauty and strength in Lennon for being able to show the world his vulnerability and his love.

It is clear that Leibovitz has is a master of portrait photography.

Masculinity and Feminitiy

First assignment for my new photography class was to capture a masculine element and a feminine element within the same photo. It took me awhile to figure out what I wanted to do with this project, in fact I used a couple rolls up on just random stuff trying to work out how to use my camera and hoping I would stumble upon some cool photos. Finally, I took a trip down to 16th Street Mall and I found the awesome new public art project happening down there. Every block had a piano painted with a different theme! I immediately connected the masculine piano with the feminine way they were painted.

This photograph is by far my favorite. My only regret with this project is the lighting I shot in was not the best. But I think I learned my lesson for next time!