Francis is a master of hand-applied emulsions and shares his techniques and methods on his blog. Anyone interested in alternative photographic processes would gain a lot by checking out his work.

In an excerpt from an interview, he explains his process: “Silhouette With Matches (see left) was a simple process of multiple exposure. I shoot all my work with a view camera on 4×5 film. Basically, I took one exposure during the day for the background, then one at night while lighting and tossing the matches. This process left the outline of my body without the use of Photoshop.”

Charland’s pictures are magical, taking me back to a time when I would make science fair projects in elementary school. Most of the time, I didn’t really care if the project worked out, I just wanted to play with the stuff I was using to make the project with. Most often, that “stuff” had to do with matches and flashlights and things that moved through space.

But they are also metaphorical, such as Footprints with Matches (see below). This image implies as much as it tells, and leaves this viewer thinking about how much damage mankind has left behind in its frenzy to build and develop the land. Technically brilliant, visually arresting, and wonderfully thought-provoking, Caleb Charland is a photographer to watch.

The photographs of Niko Luoma refer to math, geometry, light (i.e. physics), and end up creating a magical universe that exists only on the photographic paper he prints on. He works with traditional analog photographic materials, making hundreds of exposures on one negative. The control he has over his materials is amazing.

He says about his work: “My material is light. The work focuses on energy rather than matter. My work is about the process as much as about the result. …Working only with light and light sensitive materials, I am fascinated by the fact that this process leaves nothing behind- no debris, no ruin- just an exposed negative.”

Here’s my favorite image of his to date:

The above quote by painter Frank Herrmann is one that I find incredibly exciting. It’s like throwing down the gauntlet in front of yourself, daring yourself to succeed or fail. It’s a thought that demands that you be ok with so many of the things that cause artists anxiety:  with not having a clue as to what you are doing, that you might not know how to get to where you want to go, that you might end up with artwork that wasn’t what you had initially envisioned, that you are leaping into the unknown without a parachute.

But, as Bart Simpson would say: “Cowabunga!!!!”

Why let our fears hold us back??? Trying to make what you don’t know how to make – I’m going to tattoo that on my brain.

So the issue of physical disabilities and challenges were already on my mind when I discovered today a series of pictures by Metej Peljhan made for a 12 year old boy named Luka who suffers from muscular dystrophy.

Luka longs to do things that are physically beyond him, so Peljhan created photographs that depict him doing those activities, things like playing basketball and breakdancing.

The beauty of these pictures lies in their simple, low-tech approach, and in their whimsicality.They are utterly honest, and therefore compelling.

They are a good example of how photographs can touch the heart, and of how a little imagination can go a long way.

To see more, to go Peljhan’s website.

It’s funny how the return of work after an exhibition comes with a certain feeling of deflation. Getting work back means that the show is over, people aren’t getting a chance to see in in person, time to look for the next show opportunity. Not to mention the fact that I have to find space to store it in until it goes out to the next venue. And I never seem to have enough space to store my artwork, no matter how many times I have purged my studio of work that I will no longer exhibit.

It’s much more fun to make the work and put it out there in the world than it is to get it back!

Here’s the part of the review that spoke to me most: (The book) “…is a meditation- on “beauty, skill nature, feeling, tradition, sincerity”, all now art-world anachronisms, he fears. But above all, it is a song to his medium, the wood itself, its grain, the way it answers to the blade, the conversation to be had with it. “Making” is the word in Mr. Esterly’s title, and it is the nub of his book. He is in love with the physicality of his art, the flowing together of hand and brain, of chisel and creativity. The idea that the artist should both master and be mastered by the medium clearly fascinates him.

Lovely! Will have to read it ASAP.

How often have I thought about that sentence over the years? It came up again after reading an intriguing article about Kilian Jornet Burgada, “the most dominating endurance athlete of his generation” in last Sunday’s NY Times magazine. This paragraph appeared towards the end of the article:

“What are you running after? I asked Jornet. Having beaten men, do you now want to challenge the mountains? He gently corrected me. You don’t beat the mountains. You go when they permit, he said. The speed records and “firsts” aren’t important except for motivation, he insisted. Then he mentioned the Uruguayan writer Eduardo Hughes Galeano, who once likened the ideal of Utopia to the horizon – goals that retreat even as we chased them. “The important thing is not to catch something,” said Jornet… What matters in life is the pursuit, and everything we learn along the way. “The important thing,” he said, “is moving.”

What struck me about Jornet’s quote was the phrase “…everything we learn along the way.” With that, he emphasizes the need for reflection. For we are always learning as we move forward through our lives, but often don’t take the time to look at and reflect upon what we are learning as we do so.

And reflection is such an important part of the creative process! I ask myself questions constantly as I am working on a new piece or project. Taking time to reflect allows me to see what I’ve done well or poorly, and allows me to learn from my failures and successes. In short, reflection and the learning that comes from it is essential to growing creatively.

Someone once said to me that a “good” teacher is one who is constantly trying to improve, who recognizes what they have already achieved, but realizes that there is so much more that they could do better and who works towards that end. That speaks perfectly to what Jornet said, “What matters in life is the pursuit, and everything we learn along the way.”

“Do’s”

1. Make it only as long as it needs to be to say what you want to say. No longer.
2. Write something that adds to the reader’s understanding of your work that can’t necessarily be learned from looking at the work itself.
3. If you tell a story, make clear how it relates to the work, or to your philosophy as an artist.
4. Make a point. Let there be a clear reason why you wrote this.
5. Make the first sentence or two so interesting that I want to read the rest.
6. Sound like you know what you are talking about. Use words that convey confidence.
7. Use language that clarifies rather than obscures what you are talking about.
8. Make sure the writing is free of technical errors (grammar, punctuation, spelling, syntax, etc.)

“Don’ts”

1. Don’t make it unnecessarily long. Why go on and on if what you want to say can be said in one or two paragraphs?
2. Don’t sound like everyone else out there. You are a unique individual with unique experiences and insights. Share them with your audience.
3. Don’t just write about how much you have loved art since you were a kid.
4. Don’t use language that is so opaque and convoluted and jargon-filled that only 1% of your audience can understand it.
5. Don’t use words or phrases that weaken your reader’s confidence in you. Avoid phrases like “I hope….”, “I try to….”,  “I intended to ….”, etc.
6. Don’t allow technical errors! Bad grammar, spelling or sentence structure can kill your credibility.

1. Write a piece that complements the work, rather than explains it. This approach provides additional information to the reader that cannot be found in the work itself. The writing therefore can give your audience a greater understanding of your goals and motivations for creating the work, and help them gain further insight into it.

2. Use appropriate, direct language that clarifies rather than obscures what you are saying. In other words, don’t use “artspeak” jargon!!! Here is an article that beautifully explains how annoying and pretentious you can sound if you do. Although the article cites galleries as the offenders, they are often use the text that artists provide to them.

3. Write in your own voice. Don’t try to sound like someone else. If you love to write creatively, then use that skill. If you are more of a keep-it-simple-and-direct kind of writer, then write that way. Being yourself in your writing will ring true for the reader.

I honestly feel that if you use those three points to guide you, your chances of writing a statement that can serve the purposes outlined in my “Artist’s Statements- Why Write One?” post are going to be greatly increased.

There is way more information to be found on what makes for an effective artist’s statement. I particularly like the advice found in this article by Joanne Hurley and Kate Ware.

More on artist’s statements in a later post.