High Glitz

during class today I was doing research for a new project on assassins and came across some of the old images of JonBenet Ramsay. I remember growing up with the story as a child, the unsolved murder of a young beauty pageant princess and I was interested in using some of the imagery that I remember from then. while looking up photographs, I find a book called High Glitz: The Extravagant World of Child Beauty Pageants, photographed by Susan Anderson. I felt like sharing what I came across and how different her worlds of works are, and yet how similar..

High Glitz





susan anderson is also the woman who brought you publications as 'porn for women' and 'porn for new moms'.
High Glitz is just one of her many projects but it's interesting how much of an jill greenberg feel i get from it. I have to question it a bit, is she poking fun at the child beauty pageants by over exaggerating the plastic, bright and artificial reality or does she support it. after looking over her other works, I will say that this lady knows how to light and has a way with color.

This is what looking up assassins in class will get you apparently.
to see more of susan andersons work..
cccheck her out.

visiting artist: karen kunc

we had the pleasure of having karen kunc come and demo one of her woodblock prints for us. karen has been a printmaking professor at the university of nebraska-lincoln since the late nineties, she has an overwhelming portfolio that will leave you scratching your head, and a curriculum vitae that will send you crying in shame to your grad school art professors.
In simple terms, she kicks butt.





her work has been hung in the phillips hall gallery this month and her prints have left many puzzled with it's elaborate layers and patterns. at first glance, it seems that she must be using 10 or more boards in order to get all of the different shapes.
when she came into class, she only brought two boards, board A & B. she had already done a bit of carving on the boards- a simple cloud image- and by using carbon paper and tracing paper, she made one board the positive and the other negative. I don't want to give everything away but in short her secret for the layers, stencil newsprint.

the demo blew me away and helped me think differently about my work. while printing we would ask questions and it was uplifting to see someone work so organically.
I asked if she ever premeditated any of her pieces prior to the performing the woodcuts and she said she just did as she liked. when she felt like using a color, she used it. if she wanted to have some shapes in a certain area, she would carve a little more. she allowed the piece to come together as she was working on it. she dealt with issues as they arose and had fun with it. this was great to hear since i feel that I do the same.

ccccheck her out.
karen kunc

annie leibovitz at the joseph gierek fine art

I recently found out that a local gallery here in tulsa has collected a few of the well-known annie leibovitz photographs. this includes..

the blues brothers.


pregnant demi moore.


steve martin.

right now on display is an exhibition of mixed media works by tulsa artist, stephen meltzer.

cccheck it out.
joseph gierek fine art

SPE san francisco 2012

it's been announced, sally mann will be the keynote speaker at the 2012 SPE conference in san francisco.




guess i better get my ticket now.

if you're not aware of what SPE mean, it's the Society for Photographic Educators. There will be talks, demonstrations, book explanations, portfolio reviews and my favorite... free supplies.

A few years ago, I attended SPE with some classmates of mine when it was in Philly, it was an amazing trip and completely worth it. I remember carrying my portfolio in my hands on the plane, in fear it would get damaged. The girls and I showed up first for the portfolio review and took over five or so tables. People traveled from all over the country and were representing all different kinds of photography departments and schools.
I remember how excited i was to finally get to speak to Arno Rafeal Minkkinen, a photographer on the SPE board and has influenced so much of what is my self portrait work. He pulled me aside and critiqued my work and signed my copy of his book.






Anyway, I encourage anyone who can to go to the convention in march. it will definitely be an experience!
go to: https://www.spenational.org/
Conference Prices are as follows: Member, regular: $250
Member, adjunct faculty: $230
Member, senior: $175
Member, student: $90

Non-member, regular: $375
Non-member, student: $180

illustrator IV

illustrator III

work in progress

illustrator II

work in progress.