gdp's Comments

third nature : Lead with your heart

Sat, 10 Apr 2010 20:44:43 +0000

Soth obviously knows how to talk about his work. I don't think I've ever seen a "statement" from him per se, though. There's always this:http://alecsothblog.wordpress.com And I think that is pretty much fine. If "Sleeping" had just magically appeared one day without any context and no author, it would still be pretty damn strong. This all just goes to emphasize that one of the things I appreciate most about art is ambiguity. I don't necessarily want to understand everything to the nth degree. David Lynch's films are good *because* they're weird. If I ever heard him say that the Lady in the radiator represented his long-lost auntie Mabel or some such thing, I would probably puke. Camden: I'm really busy today, I will do my best to get back to your latest reply when I can.

third nature : Lead with your heart

Sat, 10 Apr 2010 18:44:30 +0000

"If you want to play the art game, you have to be able to justify everything you do." Camden, I think this is a "follow the herd" mentality. It may be a recipe for middling success within the system but it's useless unless it somehow helps you creatively. If you were to say "I believe that a strong conceptual framework helps me create art that I feel is successful and then communicate the meaning of that work to the world", then I would believe you, and I would agree. But that is not what I read in your post. To respond to your follow up question: yes, I do believe that a work has more value when there are clear intentions behind it. I am not necessarily concerned with those intentions, however: I am concerned with the work itself. More often than not an artist's attempts to justify their work just fucks it up with big words and vague concepts that don't actually mean anything. In most cases I would rather take the work for what it is and form my own opinions. If the work connects with me on some level, whether it's a positive or negative connection, I will often take the next step to engage with the artist in whatever way I can. I might look at more of their work, I might read more about the artist, I might read whatever criticism is available. But that is always, always secondary to the work itself for me, and not a prerequisite for understanding or enjoying it.

third nature : New work in Fraction Magazine

Sat, 3 Apr 2010 13:30:19 +0000

David, Thanks again for including me in the current issue. I really love the work you've chosen, it's an honor! And I was incredibly happy to wake up to discover one of my photos on the front page!

third nature : New work in Fraction Magazine

Fri, 2 Apr 2010 18:27:58 +0000

Thanks for the feedback, Simen. I appreciate your take on things. Just for contrast, if it's an artist I care about, I would much rather see a complete series than a collection of greatest hits. Greatest hits often lack rhythm and cohesion to me; there is no chance to breathe and enjoy the quiet moments between all of the high points. I can see your point about this particular set of images lacking in high points. The way it worked out, they are a little out of context with regards to the larger series. I am finishing up some scans and will be putting up a different edit in the next couple of weeks. I think a lot of how a work is perceived comes down to the final edit, and I'm years away from that. This is just a sliver of a slice of a project that is far from complete. Ultimately, though, I can't predict whether the work is going to resonate with anyone else or not. I'm just responding to what I see and what makes sense to me. It's interesting to me that of the few photos you singled out, none of them are my favorites!

third nature : Photo Reads

Fri, 2 Apr 2010 17:55:13 +0000

Thanks, Wes! I'm glad to hear that you've found it useful. I am hoping to scan in some essays from out of print work at some point too. That's the kind of stuff that really needs to get out into the world.

third nature : New work in Fraction Magazine

Thu, 1 Apr 2010 21:44:48 +0000

True, I have been drawn to a very specific and limited color palette on this project, but I feel that the few colors that manage to make their way through are important. The second image, for example, has a luminosity when seen in color that wouldn't exist in black and white. I also have a strong feeling that these will look different in print — jpeg is not a kind medium and a certain amount of subtlety is lost. The other thing to add is that this is a work in progress and I will be shooting throughout the seasons. These images are from December-March, which are naturally quite gray months. Already I have noticed more colors making their way in to my more recent photographs. It will difficult to shoot year-round because the kind of diffused light I am looking for is uncommon here as the days get longer, but I do expect there will be some images in the series that make stronger use of color. I am curious - do you like the series?

third nature : Just two more days

Tue, 30 Mar 2010 15:04:17 +0000

Thanks, Gustaf. Yes, this photo was definitely an homage to Adams! http://www.pbs.org/art21/slideshow/?slide=1334&am...

third nature : New WordPress theme for artists and photographers

Fri, 12 Feb 2010 22:46:39 +0000

James - is this the sort of thing you're looking for? http://joereynoldsphotography.com/projects/chatta...

third nature : Film Grant Winner: Chris Hoge

Fri, 5 Feb 2010 17:22:09 +0000

Thanks Brandon! I'm really happy with the response to the film grant myself, and very happy that I managed to match up some film with a photographer who needs it.

third nature : New WordPress theme for artists and photographers

Mon, 1 Feb 2010 20:41:17 +0000

Oh yeah, without a doubt, plugins are great. It's so easy to add a contact page, mailing list, search engine optimization, analytics, etc. I have a whole bunch of them going.

third nature : New WordPress theme for artists and photographers

Mon, 1 Feb 2010 18:27:07 +0000

Indexhibit was definitely an inspiration. I personally like WordPress more, but I think either one would work just fine for someone looking to set up a basic website.

third nature : New WordPress theme for artists and photographers

Sat, 30 Jan 2010 03:29:14 +0000

This particular template relies on WordPress's built-in image functions - it would probably work for gifs, I'm not sure how well that would translate to video. I am thinking about adding different gallery types (contact sheet, thumbnails, etc) which might be more suited to video. The nice thing about WordPress is that it is pretty much infinitely customizable, but, as Ian says, a little bit of patience and a willingness to delve in is required.

third nature : New WordPress theme for artists and photographers

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 18:21:52 +0000

Thanks Ian - that's exactly the kind of thing I hoped this theme would be good for. It's perfectly fine to use as-is, but hopefully it's even more powerful as a tool for people to build on and learn from.

third nature : Timothy Briner's Boonville opens at Daniel Cooney Fine Art tonight

Thu, 7 Jan 2010 15:30:59 +0000

I'll grab a postcard for you if I can. : )

third nature : Photographer: Allie Mount

Wed, 23 Dec 2009 12:53:21 +0000

Thanks for that link, Blake. I like the images she chose for that set and the story that goes along with it, too. I think every photographer can sympathize with the family patiently waiting while we take a picture, and then doing it again 5 miles down the road. Allie's work feels nostalgic to me, partly because I grew up in this part of southern California and remember this landscape well. The Polaroid adds to the effect too, I think. But she does it without crossing the line into sweet and sentimental, which is very hard to do. These are strong, simple images, and I find them very compelling.

third nature : Landscape, Uninterrupted

Fri, 18 Dec 2009 21:18:37 +0000

Wes, that's what I've always thought! If the work is good enough, you'll be able to find someone to show it. More focus on making good work, less on promotion—which is what a lot of these juried shows are, anyway.

third nature : Landscape, Uninterrupted

Fri, 18 Dec 2009 21:06:03 +0000

Jeff - you're right. I love making prints, and I enjoy sharing them with people. That's a big part of why I keep up this website, after all! I actually do look forward to showing my work to a wider audience some day, I just need to wait for the right opportunity and be ready for it when it comes along. My feeling after I got the letter about this show was relief as much as anything else. I don't think it was the right time for me anyway. I entered my work in about four competitions this year, with no results, and I was planning to do less than that in the coming year. I guess that means I've got a while to go before something sticks!

third nature : Landscape, Uninterrupted

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 01:54:34 +0000

Congratulations on being shortlisted for Hyeres, Wes! Good luck!

third nature : Meet the Mastodon, an off-road wheelie backpack

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 11:52:27 +0000

Translated from Latvian: "Wheels, as shown, is large enough to enable them to run not only on smooth roads, since Rooney is a natural photographer." http://foto.pudele.com/2009/12/rolling-backpack/ Gotta love Google Translate.

third nature : Meet the Mastodon, an off-road wheelie backpack

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 11:51:42 +0000

Thanks for the link, Jeff!