| | 4/29/18
“Artists to my mind are the real architects of change, and not the political legislators who implement change after the fact. ” ~William S. Burroughs |
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| 4/28/18
“I used to think I was the strangest person in the world but then I thought there are so many people in the world, there must be someone just like me who feels bizarre and flawed in the same ways I do. I would imagine her, and imagine that she must be out there thinking of me too. Well, I hope that if you are out there and read this and know that, yes, it's true I'm here, and I'm just as strange as you.”
~Frida Kahlo |
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| 4/27/18
“One day Dostoevsky threw out the enigmatic remark: "Beauty will save the world". What sort of a statement is that? For a long time I considered it mere words. How could that be possible? When in bloodthirsty history did beauty ever save anyone from anything? Ennobled, uplifted, yes - but whom has it saved?
There is, however, a certain peculiarity in the essence of beauty, a peculiarity in the status of art: namely, the convincingness of a true work of art is completely irrefutable and it forces even an opposing heart to surrender. It is possible to compose an outwardly smooth and elegant political speech, a headstrong article, a social program, or a philosophical system on the basis of both a mistake and a lie. What is hidden, what distorted, will not immediately become obvious. Then a contradictory speech, article, program, a differently constructed philosophy rallies in opposition - and all just as elegant and smooth, and once again it works. Which is why such things are both trusted and mistrusted. In vain to reiterate what does not reach the heart. But a work of art bears within itself its own verification: conceptions which are devised or stretched do not stand being portrayed in images, they all come crashing down, appear sickly and pale, convince no one. But those works of art which have scooped up the truth and presented it to us as a living force - they take hold of us, compel us, and nobody ever, not even in ages to come, will appear to refute them. So perhaps that ancient trinity of Truth, Goodness and Beauty is not simply an empty, faded formula as we thought in the days of our self-confident, materialistic youth? If the tops of these three trees converge, as the scholars maintained, but the too blatant, too direct stems of Truth and Goodness are crushed, cut down, not allowed through - then perhaps the fantastic, unpredictable, unexpected stems of Beauty will push through and soar to that very same place, and in so doing will fulfil the work of all three? In that case Dostoevsky's remark, "Beauty will save the world", was not a careless phrase but a prophecy? After all he was granted to see much, a man of fantastic illumination. And in that case art, literature might really be able to help the world today?”
~Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn - Nobel Lecture |
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| 4/26/18
“I won't tell you that the world matters nothing, or the world's voice, or the voice of society. They matter a good deal. They matter far too much. But there are moments when one has to choose between living one's own life, fully, entirely, completely—or dragging out some false, shallow, degrading existence that the world in its hypocrisy demands. You have that moment now. Choose!” ~Oscar Wilde |
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| 4/25/18
“I only went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in.”
~John Muir
This photograph is an observation made on a walk along the River Inagh in Ennistimon, Ireland. |
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| 4/24/18
Our mystical journey is not a solitary one. To be ‘safe’ we are taught a need for three points of contact. Propelled by a compulsion beyond free will, our journey is a strong correlation between anger, rage and creativity. There is a classic Greek conception of the “daimonic” or darker side of our being which is as much concerned with creativity as with negative reactions. A dynamic unrest that exists in us all that forces us into the unknown, leading to self-destruction and/or self-discovery. The artist knows that dark and light come from the same source, with a little help from Shadow . . . |
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| 4/23/18
Often I go to places where I do not want to be found. Abandoned places have long been inspiration for photographers for their residual storytelling energy. Exploring them is not just a joy for the moment. They will become homes for you, spaces of solace and comfort, where you can close your eyes and go to. Nothing you experience will ever go away.
'The resort, Grossinger’s Catskill Resort Hotel, began its life in the 1910s, and in its heyday was the fulcrum of the swirling midcentury vacation scene in the Catskills. It was a region where New Yorkers, predominately Jews, spent their summers in one of more than 500 hotels that thrived in the area. All are now gone.'
I had the opportunity to photograph the interior and exterior of scores of crumbling buildings on hundreds of acres with a walking (and crawling) tour with former Grossinger's musician/entertainer Steve Alden.
Grossinger’s was considered the most glamorous of the Catskills’ resorts. It was visited by politicians and celebrities and was part of the inspiration of the movie, "Dirty Dancing"
There is talk of returning it to its former glory... |
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| 4/23/18
“I went to sleep somewhat sad. But I awoke happy, purely animal. When I opened the bedroom windows and looked out onto the cool, calm garden in the first rays of sunlight, I was certain there was nothing to do but live."
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| 4/20/18
On the second floor of an old barn in the medieval village of Athenry, Ireland I discovered a pair of plain shoes in an old battered cardboard suitcase. What was the Story of these shoes, the most humble of footwear, mere canvas and rubber, inexpensive and looking that way? At the time, I was assisting artist David Lang in a sculpture piece about shoes, their stories heard from each pair from the Voice of the wearer.Perhaps we should liberate this footgear and place them in the work? Instead, the suitcase complete with Irish dust and cobwebs made it back to the states. Looking back, it seems appropriate that the vessel framing the storytelling shoes was granted new life for an artful project but I still think about those plain laceless shoes left behind in that Irish barn . . . |
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 | Well i expect that human capabilities are unlimited so we have to believe in ourselves and always try to break all the boundaries. It is very useful info so we will talk about it with my students and discuss it. | -- Αρώματα, 8/23/19
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 | okay how did Lang makes this happen? -- "the suitcase complete with Irish dust and cobwebs made it back to the states" | -- J Fatima Martins, 4/21/18
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| 4/19/18
It was a cold sunny day at Colt State Park in Bristol, RI when I
photographed the talented cellist Morgan Santos. There was
something magical about the surrounding light and the air which
we all breathe, interacting smoothly together with the beauty of
music that appeared to be playing in the legato style.
“Invisible things are the only realities.”
~Poe
Physical, spiritual and mental barriers are all part of the human
condition but often there are times when the essence of what it
means to be truly human shines through . . .
This beautiful set of professionally matted and framed
photographs is perfect for thought provoking artful spaces.
Dimensions: 19 1/2 x 22 1/2 inches
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| 4/18/18
"An animal's eyes have the power to speak a great language ."
~Martin Buber
(Once, while hiking in The Burren of County Clare, Ireland) |
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| 4/17/18
“What the really great artists do is they’re entirely themselves. They’re entirely themselves, they’ve got their own vision, they have their own way of fracturing reality, and if it’s authentic and true, you will feel it in your nerve endings."
~David Foster Wallace
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| 4/15/18
Another wonderful Creating Your Vision photography workshop at Galatea Fine Art Gallery in SoWA Boston with professional belly dancers Cristina S. Alvardo and Kristen S. Watson!
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| 4/13/18
I am honored to photograph 12 Mermen for a benefit calender shoot to raise funds for the Wickford Beach Playground renovations. Each shoot is a different Merman in a cool Wickford location. Preorders for the calendar will begin soon. Stay tuned!
Thank you Jen Wood for the behind the scenes images!
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| 4/11/18
“What am I doing in this eternal winter?”
~Franz Kafka |
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| 4/6/18
Texture does not always mean rough. The combination of texture and color on the buildings of western Ireland reflects a land of extremes. Until the mid-20th century, houses were painted in a reserved palette of whites, creams and buttery yellows – in soft chalky distempers and lime washes. Mixed from dry ingredients, these paints were unstable, needed annual application, and were uneven in colour – part of their charm, some would argue. The use of these paints disappeared with the advent of ready-mixed, longer-lasting commercial paints. This photograph of modern day Ennistimon, County Clare captures the intersection of color and texture and the ever present whimsy that is so very Irish. |
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4/5/18“In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on.”
~Robert Frost
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| 4/4/18
There is a rhythm in exploring abandoned Irish farmhouses that is not easily defined. The lines, shapes, colours, texture and patterns are subdued yet conspicuous in the same moment. I am drawn to these moments, no longer an image of a beloved human being or historical moment in time, the need to evoke and inspire surpases those days.
And the day is young . . .
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| 4/3/18
“A simple cup of tea is far from a simple matter.”
~Mary Lou Heiss |
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| 4/1/18
“That’s part of what I like about the book in some ways. It portrays death truthfully. You die in the middle of your life, in the middle of a sentence”
~John Green |
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