Postcards from the Creative Journey

402 Two Different Types of Houses

The Best Little Museum in Wallace, Idaho

One of the most bizarre places we have visited during our photo safari is the Oasis, in Wallace, Idaho. The Oasis was a notorious brothel that operated openly in this small mining town. It is now a "museum." We were walking down the street, I saw the sign taped to the window and said, "Wow, Five dollars for a half hour!" Brooks Jensen then pointed out to me that was only for the tour.

The origin of this unique museum began when the Madam retired (allegedly one day before the arrival of Federal Law Enforcement Officers). She did nothing but lock the doors to that den of iniquity upon her departure. Years later, the building owner decided it would make a tourist attraction. You can tour the premises just as it was the day the Madam left; half empty liquor bottles, boxes of snacks, cigarettes and other items not suitable for description here. The Oasis is one of the most visited tourist attractions in Wallace. On our last afternoon in Wallace, we took a tour of the premises. Tawdry is a reasonable word to describe the experience.

The following morning we started the trip home. We stopped at Cataldo State Park just outside of Coeur d’Alene for a few moments. Well, we thought it going to be a few moments, but it turned into a few hours of good photography. The State Park is home to the first Catholic Mission Church in the Idaho Territory. It was a much more reasonable subject for our photographs.

The Catlaldo Mission

Photography on a higher plane.

401 Set A Spell – Authentic Front Porch Photographs

Authentic Front Porch Rockers

This photograph is the seed of a project I have yet to begin. I even have the title for the project. It’s a series of photographs of Front Porches. Not just any porches, but front porches of houses in the American South. What distresses me even more is that this photograph was taken almost thirty years ago.

One of these days…

In Memoriam

Epson R2400, Printing out a digital negative for a platinum print

Ordered July 18, 2005, declared unrepairable July 18, 2016

 

I must pause to mourn the passing of my faithful Epson R2400 printer. In one of those odd coincidences, the day I ordered the printer and the day the printer was declared unrepairable were separated by exactly eleven years. What I thought was a defective on/off switch turned out to be a blown logic board. Not repairable. I was really fortunate that the last time I used the printer was to complete the printing of the photo show currently hanging at the Page Walker Arts and History Center. That printing job was finished just a few days before I had to hang the show, so I was very, very fortunate I didn't have to scramble to get the prints made in time.

Now, I don’t have a photo printer. It’s kind of an odd feeling not being able to create a photographic artifact in my own home. In another sense this is actually kind of liberating, because it forces me to think about how I would share my photographic artifacts. (Now, doesn’t “photographic artifact” sound like something a newly minted MFA would say?) Most of my photographs wind up on my web site as part of a project or as part of my blog, but every so often I have to produce an ink on paper photograph. If I get desperate to produce one, I have some ways to get that done, but it won’t be convenient and much more of a problem. So now, I can dream of other options to share my photographs.

 

400 An Odd Feeling

Southern Gothic 

Ivey Ellington House

Just before I took two big boxes of framed photographs to the gallery at the Page Walker Arts and History Center, I experienced a set of conflicting feelings. I was excited about the exhibition and getting the photos on the wall. At the same time, I really didn’t want the preparations for the show to end. I was very pleased with the photographs I made and wanted to revel in the success. At the same time, I was sad about the completion of a very good chapter in this long term project. I felt the trepidation that the next project won’t be anywhere near as good as this one was. What a confusing state of affairs this was.

So what’s next? I don’t want to lose photo project momentum by not starting another project, the issue is deciding on what the next project will be. I don’t want to make a big production of deciding on the next project and losing momentum, but I don’t want to rush right into something that may not have the appeal of a well thought out project. Do I want to go with the latest photographs that are crying out to be made into a project, or do I pick up my list of projects, cross off the shows at the Cary Arts Center and go to the next one on the list?

Actually, I’m starting to think that problem will be a fun question to answer.Well, as you can see, this is the four hundredth blog post I’ve done for “Postcards from the Creative Journey.” When I started, I didn’t give much thought to how this endeavor might turn out. It’s probably just as well, or I wouldn’t have begun it. I’m really happy at how it has turned out and I hope that my notes from my Creative Journey help you along yours.

Thanks for stopping by.

399 Waiting and Remembering

Officer's Row, Vancouver, Washington

Sometimes you have to wait until it’s the right time to make a photograph. Sometimes the wait is a very long time. This photograph was part of a multi-year project of photographing Victorian homes on Fort Vancouver’s Officer’s Row.

It didn’t start out as a multi-year project, but this project required a specific set of conditions which made it turn into a multi-year project. Sunny winter days in the Pacific Northwest really limited the number of opportunities for this series of photographs. Actually, the opportunities only existed on sunny winter weekends that I remembered I had a photography project to complete. That’s why there are very few of these photographs in the project. Sometimes, remembering you have a long term project is the challenge.

The project is here. 

398 Almost Ready for This Year's Exhibit

Ivey Ellington House, Cary, NC

While most of my efforts are spent creating content for this blog and my website, I still create physical prints for exhibitions. I have a show this year that is made (mostly) affordable by my diligent recycling of aluminum frames and re-cutting mat boards. I would like to have all new hardware for each show, but in the famous and inspiring words of Ted Orland, “Money is not a recognized medium of exchange for my photographs.” When there is no money coming in from photography, greater effort is expended to find creative (and thrifty) ways to feed your photographic habit. Let’s face it, my exhibitions are big on cost and little on revenue. The rare sale of a print is greatly appreciated event.

So, why do I continue to do it? Art does not exist without an audience. Hanging prints on the wall is one way for an artist to communicate with their audience. It's another method to introduce the world to my photographs. Being able to see a photograph "in person" is an entirely different experience than seeing the same photograph on a computer screen, an ipad or smart phone.  Some people would rather see art "in person." That's why I like to show people my photographs and I have the opportunity to talk about my art. 

This year’s exhibit will be held at the Page Walker Arts and History Center in Cary, North Carolina. The show “goes up” on July 7, 2016. The artist’s reception is July 29, 2016 (Y’all are invited to the reception) and the show “goes down” on August 14, 2016. 

The exhibit is entitled, “A Winter Day, A Summer Morning.” If you can’t make the show, the folios are on my website, here and here.