changes

The show finally came down at the naked lounge last night. Its hard to believe that its already been a month. I hopefully have sold a few pieces, still waiting to finalize the details with buyers. Over all I think that it was a success. I got to have the work seen by the public and I have a whole book of feedback and some new peeps to add to the mailing list. Now I just need to find out where to put the ones I haven’t sold…

Speaking of changes, it looks like there are some big changes for me in the works. I was recently accepted into The New School for Media Studies for the spring semester. That means that I will be headed to New York City in January to begin my new wonderful life as a grad student. I can’t wait to hang out in coffee shops til 3am and chain smoke cigarettes because I am “working” on my thesis. And there is a bonus. The New School thought I was so fantastic, that they gave me a $20,000 scholarship. Bonus! That covers 1/3 of my entire tuition!


Grad school is a big step though. Its not like taking a media class at GMC, its serious. I am excited to go, but I am also nervous. One hears all sorts of horror stories about grad school. Tons of reading, scathing professors, hellish hours, and of course the really long thesis. Its not that I think that Im not cut out for it, its just scary, being in a big place, with the pressure to do well. Its expensive!!! Id better learn something! Haha.

A good friend of mine moved away from New York approximately the same time I left for undergrad. While giving him the good news the other day, he informed me that he also had plans to return to the city. It feels very serendipitous to be headed back east right now. I feel very optimistic about the opportunities in the future. Its like the universe wants me to be in the east right now, I have felt it pulling ever since I left.

In other news, I will be having a print sale for images from the latest exhibition, you can check out the images here. Contact Ozskinner@gmail.com to request prints. $10 a piece, 6x5 (size of a standard greeting card).

Til next time.

press

I awoke this morning to a text from my mom that I was in the paper. True, I had been interviewed, but it didn’t run last week before the show, so I thought it was killed. But this morning, I had a header on the front page of the entertainment section and a good article inside, with two color photos. I was so surprised. Luckily they post articles online and you can check out the story here. Any press is good press. Now hopefully more people will swing by and check it out!





Now that the show is over I can’t stop dissecting what I should have done better. I guess I am always my own worst critic. I felt a little underwhelmed by the turnout. Ceri and Allen assured me that it was the best opening they had ever seen, but I fell short of moving any works. I did, however sell a bunch of prints, which is good. I was mainly disappointed in the lighting, those chandelier were driving me crazy, not to mention that Allen and I spend 5 hours after the lounge closed to construct this cool, starry lighting effect xmas lights, only to have the whole thing collapse during the night. But enough of me being a negative Norbus. At the end of the day at least its out there, and the reception I’ve received has been good.

But now that the show is finally over, I have seriously been focusing on grad school. I’ve got the final list:

The New School
NYU
UC Santa Cruz
University of Denver
Bard College

Now whether or not I can get into any of these schools is a whole other issue, but I gots the grades and the drive. Well see.

In other news I am kinda in an art rut right now. Any suggestions for some cool artists to be checking out now?

anticipation

I know that I will not be able to sleep. The night before a show is difficult to describe. There is excitement, and anticipation. Its like netting a sweater, for two years and knowing that you are finally going to get to wear it. You almost don’t even care if it fits, cause finally you can put the needles down for a second, and take a breath. After these images and ideas bouncing around in my dreams for years, they finally have been actualized. Seeing the finished work is strange, like I plucked a idea or a thought out of my head and made it real.

On the flip side, there is a sense of terror. Part of taking ideas out of your head and sharing them with others is that it exposes you, you become vulnerable. On the one hand I want feedback from people, I want to push myself further to find what I could do better, but on the other so much of my self worth is tied up in my work, that its incredibly difficult not to take criticism personally.

I have spent so much of my life trying not to be vulnerable. I had to make it work, and i rarely asked for help from anyone (to a fault). When I left home, I didn’t look back. I spent ten years traveling the globe, my point of view was so radically influenced by the breadth of diversity of personalities, geography, good times and bad. The past four years in Vermont have been profoundly impactful. I feel as though it has really solidified my acceptance and understanding of my place in the universe. While I have doubts about the direction of our culture, I take solace in a personal connection to the mysterious everything.

My hope is that people will look at my work and see something new, something they haven’t seen before. I strive to share something magical that challenges how we understand photography and images. There is so much fantastical stuff I want to share with the world, I can only hope that they enjoy what I have to say.

frenzy

Ive been experimenting with cyanotype tshirts lately. I want to sell a few at the show. I take the shirts, make an emulsion layor, and use transperancies to create images using solar power. its kinda rad thinking the sun creates these images. its definialy a learning process, but I really like the effect. what do you think?


As the final week before the show looms, I find myself in a bit of a mad dash to connect all the pieces. I, perhaps foolishly, have secretly ducked away to Vermont to recharge some batteries and visit some old friends. With the sprit of Halloween weighing on everyone, this is sure to be a great chance to blow off some steam. That being said, the reception at the naked lounge is one week from today, and I am hoping those of you who are around can make it. It’s from 7 – 9 pm at the Naked Lounge, downtown Chico. I will be selling some prints from the collection for 5- 10$ and hopefully some cyanotype tshirts (see Above) as well.

It feels that this last week things really solidified for me. Getting the job at the co-op, finishing the last bit of work on the show, and getting a chance to get away. For a while I was sure I was destined to failure, but its funny how time sorts things. At the end of the day, I am happy with the work I have created, and hopefully others will find it compelling and interesting. I am most interested to get some critical feedback, and growing as a creator of imagery. This will be my first real chance to get a perspective that is honest and beyond the protection of academia.

And with the completion of this show, I can close the door on this body of work, for a little while at least and begin some new projects I have tinkering around my head. This show will hopefully provide the launching board to getting a new body, and some studio equipment so I can further push some boundaries. I want to quickly give some thanks to all the people who made this show possible:

Jonathan Taylor – thanks for showing me the value of contemporary fine art photography and giving me the confidence and tools to take my dreams and make them images.
Green Mountain College Library and staff – for allowing me the use of your slide projector for days on end, and putting up with my last minute requests.
All my friends and Models- for supporting me on this project and for willing to strip down to make some collaborative art
Joey Bossen – I truly did not know the meaning of the word muse until you came into my life, great friend, great model, great person. Thanks for being with me since the beginning. You rock.
Anna Wilcox – for giving me guidance and connecting mew with people locally to take my art from the screen to the wall
Charlie Osborn - for being an amazing collaborator and for opening my eyes to the range of printing possibilities.
Ceri May – for swooping into my life and allowing me this HUGE opportunity to showcase my work, you are the catalyst behind this exhibition.

And to all the friends and family who have supported me along the way. Thanks foe everything and I will see you on the 5th!

out

The show at Ray Rays tonight was a huge success! thanks to everyone involved and to those who came out to support gay artists. I was surprised how packed the place was. I handed out over 200 post cards for my show and got to meet with a lot of really rad people. I didn't eat anything all day cause I was so nervous. It is a little stressful putting your work out there for people to judge and comment on. Especially when you devote so much of yourself to your work. The canvas printing got mixed receptions, most people liked it, some people didn't like the image rolling off the frame, which is something that I am personally torn about, but for the exhibition at the naked lounge I don't think it will be an issue since all the images fade out to black on the edges anyway. I don't think I sold anything, which to be quite honest is a bummer. I need to sell this work in order to fund new work... once again money complicates things.

some surprises are in the works. so watch out.

vacation

All work and no play make Oz a go crazy…
After last weeks hellish reminder of why I don’t converse with distant family I needed some time off. Luckily Ceri, Allen, and Tiana invited me to come to San Francisco to go to Allen’s first gay bar and a free blue grass festival.

How could I decline?

We had a wonderful host and a terrific view. I spent my hours dancing, brunching, and photographing. I’m pretty sure Saturday brunch left me blackout drunk on the way home, because I do not remember photographing on Market Street. This was also a welcome chance to flirt with cute boys too. It’s nice to be around other gay people for a change. Tyler, took us to an awesome Gay club called Underground SF, it reminded me of the places I used to go see Oliver work, but the go-go boys were sexy, and I was in a dancing mood. Dance my cares away…



We got kind of late start on Sunday, but managed to make it to the Castro street fair, and the free blue grass festival in Golden Gate Park. Unfortunately, I missed both Elvis Costello and Jenny Lewis. Damn it!

My refreshing first day back at work wasn’t so refreshing when the light that I told my boss was making a funny noise and needed to be replaced, to which the reply was, “just hit it until it stops making that noise”, caught fire this morning in a 3 grade classroom. I like to start my week by traumatizing kids. Way to go job, way to go.



The Coming Out for Art show this upcoming Monday, and I have two pieces to show. If you are in the area I highly encourage you to stop by. In light of the recent suicide tragedies here in California and elsewhere in the US, it is more important now than ever that creative gay youth are given an outlet to express themselves. The Coming Out for Art Show will be held at Ray Ray’s gallery and is put on by Stonewall Alliance Youth (SAY) in celebration of National Coming Out Day and hopes to create a community dialogue through art. Look at their web site here. And the gallery here.

Speaking of in the dark, the show is less than a month away, I have all the materials purchased, and now it’s just a race against time. I am mixing chemicals at the end of this week, and hopefully doing first shirts next week. Charlie is stretching the first canvases for me today and we are meeting on Thursday to get a look at the final product. Hooray! Just around the corner folks, 1 month from today…

road

This image is from my recent trip to Reno. The photos ive started taking of poles and roads are somehow also related to this stuff. I am really enjoying playing with the constructed human landscape and how it contrasts and is mimicked natural forms. It was only after I worked on the photo sometime later that I realized the weeds were repeating the forms of the streetlights, and in the background hides a telltale electric pole. the plot thickens...

I am hitting the road this week and heading to the boarder of Oregon for shooting. The last time I went out of town there was no internet in the mountains, hopefully this will not be the case. In any event, I am bringing my whole kit, in the chance that I will get to do some good landscapes, I am also busting out the holga after its triumphant return from the deserts of burning man. I got to take some great shots off hours last trip, this time, I expect, will not be an exception.



Ive been taking a lot of self portraits lately, mostly because I feel that is what young photographers are supposed to do. I suppose at some point I will collect them up and see if there are any patterns, but for now, I am just having fun. This photo was taken in a hay bale (duh). I've noticed the color yellow showing up a lot in some of my recent work. When discussing this with Leanne, she pointed out how green vermont was, by contrast california is so yellow. everything is all dry and dusty, yellow fields spreading to infinity. Its a completely different pallet that what I am used to, it makes me both miss the east, and be happy for a shake up.

Its been great that I have still recived so much support from my east coast crew during my stint in Cali. Raffi sent me this link the other day to Julie Blackmon's photography.



I am not so much interested in her new color work as I am in her black and white serious called "mind games" you can check it out here
the forms and framing in these shots are spectacular, my personal favorite "trampline" a dark figure flys through the trees in a very sureal dreamlike way. To me this struck me with a real sense of summer ending and the fall, harvest and the family life. All things I can relate to in my current position. Def worth a peek.

Finalized some stuff with the naked lounge, show will commence on the 2nd, I hope you can make it:



teaser flyer

til next time

for the wild...

manic

I shot this photo after working a job outside Reno on Thursday. I am constantly driving places and wanting to pull over and stop to take a picture. If I did, I’d never make it anywhere. It was so rad to stumble upon these old lines in the middle of this empty field. This photo makes me just want to follow those tracks and find out where they lead…



Catlin told me to stop taking pictures of power lines, but I cant. I see them everywhere and I am always intrigued by how they have become kinda this antiquated part of the landscape. Where as before they would be seen as foreign or in contrast with the landscape, now, for the most part, they blend seamlessly into the background, becoming a standard part of the great American landscape. Furthermore, these are interesting because they suggest that we are still very much bound to hard technology and energy. Our phones, and ipods may be wireless, but the infrastructure that supports them is still very much rooted in a system of non-sustainable energy. With all the wireless inventions these days, it is easy to forget where all that power comes from, and come out with a sense that we are somehow more sophisticated then a bunch of naked apes with headphones.



Richard and I had a conversation the other night about the role of art in society. I lamented over the tough life of a starving artist struggling to make his art, and how a visual artist has so much competition from a saturated free image market, that is barely possible to make a living. Richard said that the role of artists isn’t to self-sustaining, but to awaken the souls and senses of the populace. To get society to think about things in new and different ways. It stands to reason that the difference between an image creator and an artist, is that the artist uses his point of view to say something. These images of power lines and roads and train tracks speak to me, they resonate, they point to an emerging American aesthetic but im not sure if it is all the way formed yet. I hope to travel the roads in the spring and delve deeper into these…


Other than that, I sit in the cupboard under the stairs, plotting my return to media fame…

reno

Tonight I am leaving for a shoot in Reno. I’ve decided to leave my computer behind to be serviced, and hence will remain incommunicado for a few days. I am looking forward to the time away from the computer and the possibility of hunkering down to a good book. It will be like a mini vacation, except I’m getting paid. Ive never been to Reno, it’s the worlds biggest little city, or so they say. I’m looking forward to doing some gambling on a business trip, its like I am actually an adult…



I am very close to setting up a studio space in the garage. I just need to get my but in gear. Its so easy to just waste away like a waif in the California heat, plus I haven’t really been feeling that inspired lately. I am inspired to say that I should be having a show in November, where I will show the “in the dark” collection. Ive been working with the art director at the Naked Lounge and it all seems to be going smoothly.

On a final random note, I am beginning to explore the idea of having my own personal web page, anyone out there know how to design one? I can't pay much, but perhaps we can work something out...

More detailed and fun post upon my return from reno, until then…


internet do your thing!

update

To all those who gave me birthday wishes yesterday, thank you. You will be pleased to know I went to bed a very drunk man.


Today I threw some new stuff up on my flickr page, and some of you might remember the Damaged Goods series which is now up there as well in its entirety. please feel free to comment...

Romeocomplex on Flickr

fight

Here is a shot of Allen from our weekend excursion to the cemetery and the river. I have been trying to get out and shoot more spontaneously. So much of my work is studio produced are specific shots that I envision beforehand, part of my development is knowing more about natural lighting situations, being faster on the camera, and becoming more adventurous with studio lighting, luckily for me, Allen has some skills in those areas, I can foresee this being a very beneficial friendship.

I’ve been feeling like I am going against the current. Everything has been a struggle. Like they say, when it rains it pours. Its usually the case this time of year. Work has been hard on the nerves, just because the sleep schedule has been very wacky. Some days I have to be up at 4am to drive two hours and other days I get to sleep until 9. As much as I enjoy being behind a camera, and the legitimate excuse to call my self a photographer, it still isn’t the ideal situation. I am actively looking for work elsewhere however…

Spent the weekend spending time at really hip photo store in paradise. I had to bring my D60 body there for some minor repairs but it gave me a change to geek out over all the cool photo gear that I cant afford. Tiana came with me and humored me as I drooled over new lenses and medium format bodies. I did end up buying some new vivitar strobe filters that I think I can DIY into some cool gels to go over my bower flash, I also looked at projectors and mini flashes. I ended up spending more than I wanted, but I think I made out like a bandit. I also finally got the prints back from the studio for my portfolio. Some of the color correction was off, but most of the images turned out great. It means that I finally have something that I can take in to show galleries.

Speaking of galleries, I have been working with a local place, and there seems to be some great reception of my work, which is great! However, the process has been dragging on for quite sometime now, and I really want to finalize all the fine details. Right now, things seem to loose, and I want to make sure this is going to happen. Keep your fingers crossed…

…I am not someone who effectively uses the internet. I kinda poke around but don’t actively find cool things. But I have recently gotten into using stumbleupon, which totally rules. If you haven’t started using it you are missing out. On a recent stumble binge I came across photographer Janine Gordon. Her mosh pit series portrays male testosterone in a particularly dynamic way. As a man who grew up loving other men, and being somewhat of a hardcore kid myself, its fascinating seeing someone photograph the male form with the care and sentiment that I feel for the hardcore scene and the boys who helped shape my own values and passion. Her images evoke an unabashed male identity, one that is not self conscious, or commercial but viscerally real and powerful. There is also a really good article by the blog homoneurotic, (for my straight readers, don’t be scared of the website, it wont bite) that covers Janine’s creative process as well as her illustrious rap carrier, definitely worth a look.


In connection with my own work, the image of Todd (above) made me think about my own relationships with the men in my life. Often shortlived, as this shoot with Todd was, they drift in and out of my life, facing my lens in often a very conservative way, almost like a catalog. Is there more to these relationships, and furthermore where does the hesitation lie, with the artist or the subject?

rucksack

I once had someone very close to me say I was a rucksack wanderer. That always stuck with me. It is true I have been to many places both far and wide. From Jungles and Deserts to mountains and cities. I have been lucky to see what I have seen. This was all on my mind today as I drove around lost in the foothills of butte county. While driving my siblings to Sacramento the other week, I noticed how I loved the golden fields around hwy 99, in particular the power lines sprawling out along the landscape. I made note of it and drove out there today to shoot, and think, and realize that I need some serious repairs to my camera body.

It was a hot one, about 110 degrees today, which is a bummer since I have no AC in my car. Not to mention, I haven’t gotten paid so I was nudging a little closer to the e than I would like, but I felt a twinge of reckless abandon and headed for the hills. I really do love some of the sprawling vistas out that way. Unfortunately I certainly didn’t dress the part, in cutoffs where the brush is thorny and full of pests. But I did get some good shots, and now I know the area a little better after getting lost (a rare occurrence for me). I began thinking about the road, how I have traveled on it. There exist a great tradition of great American road photography, documenting the quirky little towns and beautiful nature mostly shot by younger grad students on the heels of graduation and a need to participate in the adventure of reckless abandon. But there do not seem to be many people who celebrate the road itself. The images I want to make deal with the road themselves. The thing that actually gets us from here to there, the thing that our oil consuming culture is built quite literally upon, The thing that I have traveled below my feet for almost a decade now. The road has many faces, I want to make images that highlight this unsung hero. This might be a next project of mine, I have already started with the poles, I think they are an extension of this road idea. Now, I just need to get some capital…



I also noticed today that there is something for sure wrong with my D60 body. It’s the only working body I currently have, curses to Duncan, who lost my manual Nikon (that stuff is not cheap)! I spent the morning cleaning lenses and filters before going out, and upon review of a few of the higher aperture settings, I am getting some grime on the prints. They aren’t terrible, but hey are a nuisance to wisp away with Photoshop, also a waste of time. I need to take the body in to be serviced, since it never has been in the 3 years I’ve had it, and it has definitely had some rough and tumble moments (DNC anyone)? But really what I want is a new body, a D300 would be nice, and maybe a gorilla grip tripod, my birthday is right around the corner…

I start shooting schools on my own on Thursday; I hope the kids don’t eat me alive.

pause

I started my photography job yesterday. Mass produced photography is an interesting thing, everything is so… precise. But at least I am making some $$$. My plans for portfolio prints, and canvas reproductions are on hold for the moment, until I gain some capital. I just kinda wanna get it all set up now. I want to display this art for a wider audience and just get a reaction. I’ve been thinking that, these images might go further but only after I gage a wider reception of unbiased observers. Plus, it would be nice to have another gallery exhibition here on the west coast, one that my family could attend.

On another note, I recently heard about the Digital Graffiti Projection Festival held in Alys Beach, Florida. It is the worlds first projection art festival. SOMA says the town in known for its white walls which make great canvases for projected art. Their gallery, is kinda lame, but its worth a look. I pointed out to an photographer mentor of mine recently that it seems to me more and more people are experimenting with taking digital media and transposing it on physical elements. I feel that is why it is so crucial for me to get this work out soon.

Speaking of, for those who are interested, an updated selection and description of my “In the dark” project can be found here.

calibration

Whew, this past week has been chalked full of periods of procrastinating and periods of intense work. I keep plugging along, with most of the images edited and formatted now. It has been a huge learning process, and I have to thank my lucky stars that Anna, suggested that I go to dStudio-digital printing and for giving me Charlie as a contact. I haven’t had a lot of experience with commercial printerswho handle calibrating images for print. As much as I loved JT for opening my eyes to the world of contemporary photography, and for the wealth of knowledge that he provided working with both Lightroom and Photoshop, I feel that my education never really got into the practical applications, i.e. working with commercial printers and getting images ready for print, when you don’t have complete control over the entire process. In that regard, Charlie has been INCREDIBLE, helping me better understand how to get my images ready for a variety of mediums and for teaching me what commercial printers can and cannot do, and what I, as a photographer, need to do to ensure high quality and caliber of my art.

Calibration has been a huge issue. Working with the current series I need to have exact color calibration. When you are using different printers, and changing mediums from paper, to archival paper, to canvas, it can be a lot to keep track of. Each image needs to be calibrated for a particular printer and for a particular medium. Since this is my first foray into this world without the protection of academia, it can be a little overwhelming. I’ve been working with several printers in the area, giving them a trial run, and I have to say that none of them can hold a candle to dStudio. Images that I got back from another graphic lab the other day were completely out of whack, and the printer told me he had “taken the liberty” to bring out the faces of some of the models. I was livid, would you take the liberty to smooth out a sculpture, or add color to a painting. Its so hard to communicate a vision when the people you are working with are not used to the world of fine art. That is why Charlie, with all his experience, has been a godsend.

Additionally, my computer is not calibrated. I need to buy a monitor calibrator, but since I am an unemployed artist, I don’t have the money. For those of you who are not familiar with calibration, let me give you a little rundown. Images on your computer (or your tv) are created using light, specifically Red, Green, Blue (RGB). This is a color additive model, meaning the color is created by adding colors together to get a specific hue. When you print an image the color is created using ink, specifically Cyan Magenta Yellow blacK (CMYK), this is a color subtractive model, meaning the color is created by subtracting (that is, absorbing) some wavelengths of light and reflecting the others. Oh look, an example!





You might be saying duh, but in order to match your computer color to the color of a fine art print can be extremely difficult because there is no one conversion process. For me, getting the right shade of red or green is particularly important with this series, so I have to pay extra close attention. Needless to say, ugh.

But, at the end of the day this is a learning process for me. It is important for me to learn this stuff, and it will only help me be better at my craft, though spending 8 hours converting to profiles, is not really my idea of a good time, but hey, it needs to be done.

Other than all the crazy art talk, things are beginning to settle here in Chico. I am looking at some cool apartments downtown, hopefully to move in by mid-August. I am in the market for a car as well. Additionally, Lifetouch begins on Monday, and I am excited, if nothing else for the chance to actually do something with my days rather than wasting away in the summer sun. Its been hot here, though not as hot as the East I am told by my VT friends. This weekend is the Wildwood Ultimate Frisbee beach tournament on the Jersey Shore. I wish my squirrels the best of luck, and if you are near Wildwood NJ, I suggest you check out the awesome action, and remember to WATCH THE TRAM CAR PLEASE!

dead

this band rules. I've been talking about them since my friend michael showed them to me. You remember Ryan Gosling right? That guy from the notebook, well he's got a hip new band that will make you roll over in your grave. I mean who could pass up songs about unrequited love and zombies. Check it out:



and for those with a little more time, and appreciation for the surreal and odd...