New Work

Thanks for spreading the word: Prague.tv, Expats.cz, Co Kdy v Praze and Kudy z Nudy (that's "What and When in Prague" and "Escape from Boredom" according to Google Translate:). And then there's this. I wonder who I had to pay off to find myself here?

The Great Divide

It’s sad somehow to compare how much I used to write to how much I've written these past few years. Happily, I find solace in the fact that I have no better journal than my camera, and that what now seems like a huge gap in time, will one day be but another flash. Since last I dipped my pen in this ink, I have broken up, had 2 shows, gone to Indonesia, left Narodni, and moved into a new pad with my girlfriend and become a Father. To say things have changed since then would be an understatement. But then, there’s that one thing that remains. The Mission...

Love Thy Dada

Someone was asking me about my influences tonight..

On the surface it’s a fairly common guess that most of my new work is inspired heavily by any of your go-to Impressionists. And while I admit that definitely relate the most naturally to the spirit of Monet and his pretty cool crew, the only art movement that ever actually influenced my life was Dada.

Now Dada was a pretty angry world-wide movement in large protest to WW1 that effected many creative forms. And although I can only empathize towards the social context from which it came, their defiance of so-called logic, and embrace for chaos always appealed to me, not only in terms of my photography, but also the way I’ve tried to live my life.

Now when I say chaos, I’m not talking about people running around burning police cars (anymore;). It’s more the randomness of it that I always loved – the idea of surrendering to something beyond your control... and the idea that art can be used as a impetus to positive change.

Clearly, there are days when I wake up and feel pretty loose, when I’m open to taking more chances; and others where I’m chasing a more specific stroke in my head. But always, no matter how much I decide to control the image, or life, I always try to leave room for that which remains out of my hands.

Dada also preached that one had to deconstruct before they could reconstruct, that “unlearning” was integral to REthinking. Picasso, perhaps above all, best expressed this when he began to masterfully reassemble the human form through the eyes of a child into what has become a signature style.

Too many artists cling to the assurance of what little they know, and while they may find success or comfort, they stop evolving since they make no room for something truly new. I know because I could have become one of them.

"Observations"

...a slowly scrolling, somber panoramic of the disenfranchised and disconnected, taken from one of my favorite hiding places - the sliding doors in Myslbek.

Not for those in a hurry, or with low band width.

A Winter Medley - First Show of 2011

With January just about in the books, and February already a stone's throw from another rent check, my energies are refocused on producing the next show from my Impressions series.

In the spirit of a good svařák, I have begun to brew a rather eclectic, but complimentary mix of different winter themes, blended together stylistically to pay homage to snow angels and fireplaces everywhere.

Dates and details to follow:)

Goodbye 2010

The whirlwind leading up to, and following, the Impressions show has been nothing less than epic. It is only now, 2 weeks later, that I find a moment of peace while the city sleeps in my jet lag to reflect upon it all.

Looking back, it is with a certain reserved sense of pride that, despite the avalanche of logistic roadblocks, financial quagmires, and personal sacrifices along the way, I can count my victories.

Though the road ahead may be long and winding yet, for the first time since announcing to the world at the age of 5 "I am an artist", it is only now, in the wake of 2010, that I feel that dream actually becoming my reality.

Beyond whatever success has already come from the show, I breathe the largest sigh knowing that the work I have been incubating for 2 years has finally been given life, freeing me to re-focus my energies on CREATING new work once again.

Call it naive, call it ambitious, or call it inevitable, but I believe with all my heart that I have a legitimate contribution to make in the History books of Photography. And I believe, perhaps more than ever, that my basic dream of combining what I shoot for love, and what I shoot for money, will one day converge to reveal my true potential as a man, and as an artist.

The Mission may be far from over, but I enter 2011 with a renewed energy and commitment to stay true to the dream.

No turning back! The Countdown Begins

So 9 days to go, and I just have to clean the studio, prepare the walls, install the lights, paint the frames, hang the photos, find a projector, move the speakers, buy some wine....

I think I know what my family back home is getting for Chirstmas:)