Mornings at Penland

Penland is nestled near the top of a large mountain and overlooks a meadow that I assume is owned by the school. Weeknights at Penland are given to slide lectures where instructors and their assistants present their work. Most lectures include an image shot by the speaker of the meadow during some previous stay at the school. This meadow, archetypal in its representation of all things meadow-ish, has no doubt helped to foster the near mythical devotion that so many speakers expressed about being in these hills.

Each morning as I walked to breakfast I'd head straight to the road to see what state the meadow was in (and to see whether or not I could capture it in a photograph). The mornings when the clouds were lodged between the hills were my favorite. On these days I would continuously look towards the meadow and watch as slowly the mountains in the distance would reveal themselves.

Back to Planet Spider

I'm back, in a slight state of shock, and going through my pictures deciding what and how I'll post. Here's a good one to start with... I shot it before I left using Kim's point and shoot and my new monocular. The blobs are a spider and her egg sac, the brown forms are leaves on the roof outside our kitchen window.

I thought I might do something with this image or shoot more like it while at Penland. I didn't but during the time I've been gone the spider has produced at least 3 additional sacs and there are little baby spiders everywhere. There are also lots of people, cars, the sounds of the highway, light pollution, land lines, bills...

Sigh...

2 Good Finds

I haven't found a photograph for quite a while (and am unfortunately getting used to it). But today was another story and I found a handful in a nasty alley close to VCU. I've found quite a few pictures in this alley and I generally check it out anytime the trash cans are overflowing.

Here are two good ones:



I'm headed to Penland on Friday and looking forward to nearly 3 weeks of (relatively) uninterrupted thinking and making. I'll be assisting Alyssa Salomon during a class she's teaching on alt photo processes and am damn excited. Two things will be stranger than most of the other things that may be strange: 1. Kim won't be there and 2. I don't have to cook or clean... wild.

Summer Reading

Chris Freeman is Funnier than You

CBF is in art school and I think his classmates should feel threatened.

Go here for more.

Mom Sent Pictures from Dad's Piano Recital

He played Over the Waves

Send Me the Pillow that You Dream On

I'm working on a new project called Send Me the Pillow that You Dream On and am hoping that you'll participate. I have been collecting 4 specific photographs from friends, family and a few acquaintances for the past few months (a few of you have already sent me your pictures- thanks!) and am really happy about the way it's coming together. Part of the project is being exhibited at the Allegany Arts Council in October (with more venues to come) and I'm looking to make a book out of the work.

The project is somewhat similar to something I did in the past that you can see here: You're Invited and it shares some characteristics with SAMETIME 7:15

If you're interested please look over the following info (click to enlarge). If you send me your email address I'll send you a higher res version that you can print out.

Thanks!

Walking Through Western Virginia

Jefferson's Rotunda

Madison's Grave

Curtain Rod Character

Brad Walker's new project Curtain Rod Character (nee Some Monastery) is available for free download. Check it out! It's F-R-E-E.

Here's a picture of Brad and his sweet fella-friend Richie (Reechie).

Chris Freeman is in Danger!

Go here for more.

Triangular Forest

The last few years I lived in Frostburg I gravitated towards the Carey Run Bird Sanctuary just outside of town in Garrett county. The reason for going there wasn't to see, hear, or think about birds. The destination was a walk through what a handful of us called the mathematical forest. No doubt the result of an effort to reforest an area previously logged or mined, the mathematical forest was a beautifully sloped 10-12 acre stand of the most unnatural stand of pines trees.

Todd in the Mathematical Forest, 2004

Stumbling upon the forest unaware was similar to walking through my first strip mine. It was close to the highway but always dead quiet. A monoculture is a very quiet place- being within one is like being somewhere where everyone is so similar they don't have anything to say to one another. The floor of this forest was blanketed with a thick mulch of pine needles and a fern-ish rhizome that I've never tried to identify.

By the looks of Google's satellite images, a lot of the mathematical forest is gone.
I've circled what is left of it.

Trolling Google maps a few weeks ago I came across this stand of trees not far from our apartment. The invisible-from-the-ground shape of this stand of trees (feminine, no?) hemmed in by CSX tracks on all sides- no doubt promised some kind of magic similar to that of the mathematical forest.


What a treat then that when I showed friends Matt and Kendall this picture Matt suggested we head over there after lunch. We walked over and entered at the Northwestern point of the triangle and traversed nearly all of it.


That's all I'm saying. There's more- a lot more- but for now it gestates. The next time I go there it'll work itself out a little bit more. There is a triangulation here. One of mathematical and triangular forests, strip mines and walks with friends. Come visit and we'll go for a walk.

We watched A Zed and Two Noughts last week.
Have you seen it?

Kind of Similar- but Pretty Different

Kim:

















Michael:















Kim:

















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Michael:

Chris + Matt

I can't get enough Chris Freeman - I really can't.

His blog is excellent and he's also a fan of the architectural chapeau.

Just returned from installing Liz's work in Savannah. It's the last stop on the tour. Check it out if you find yourself in charming Savannah.

I grew up in Upper Marlboro, Maryland and this was the first Bob Dylan song I ever liked.

This Semester's Crop

Well of course it only makes sense that there was an organist before Bob Gulledge but I had never thought about that.