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griffin state of mind

Nicolas Marticorena: Aridness

Posted on September 14, 2024

We had the opportunity to talk to Nicolás Marticorena about his series, Aridez (Aridity), currently on view in our annual public outdoor exhibition Vision(ary). The work explores the concept of ecological and ’emotional’ aridness through the photographer’s solo journeys across his homecountry Chile, Mexico and Marruecos. An interview with the artist follows.

© Nicolás Marticorena, Oaxaca, Mexico, 2022. All images courtesy the artist.

Nicolás Marticorena (Santiago de Chile, 1983). He studied journalism and photography at Andres Bello University and has a PhD in Sociology from the University of Barcelona, Spain. As a journalist and sociologist, his approach to analog photography began during college with an initial interest in documentary photography. Over the years, he has been exploring other styles and developing a personal photographic look, which he conducts as a process of internal search and expression that allows him to connect with the contemplation of the environment, people, and the intimate. Since 2021, he has deepened his photography knowledge and capabilities through workshops with renowned photographers Luis Poirot and Fernanda Larraín, with whom he has been learning laboratory techniques for more than two years. In 2023, he was part of Pasajero, a group exhibition of analog photography at Centro Cultural Las Condes. 

Follow Nicolás Marticorena on Instagram: @nicolas_marticorena

©Nicolás Marticorena, Tifnit 2, Marruecos, 2023.
Nicolás, let’s imagine we are on a photo trip around Chile, Marruecos, and Mexico — the places where your series Aridity takes place. Where would you take us first and why?

Without a doubt, Chile. It is the place I know best, it is my environment, and it is where my interest in connecting with aridity originates. I believe that as photographers, our perspective is always more enriching when we capture what we inhabit the most—be it a specific space, a theme, an emotion, or a particular interest. From there, we can create and understand the paths and evolution of our photographic projects. And Chile, especially the province of Petorca, is the space that has allowed me not only to develop a more personal perspective on a very sensitive socio-environmental issue but also to embark on a journey of self-discovery, where I have sought to connect the photographic process with my emotions through the images I have taken over the years of landscapes, people, and communities.

I would take you on the route I usually follow through the province’s roads, with no other goal than to travel at a leisurely pace until I have the chance to find those places and situations that spark an intimate interest in photographing and getting to know those who live in these towns struggling to obtain water, learning about their lives, their memories, their surroundings, and their relationship with the mountains and nature.

©Nicolás Marticorena, Cabildo, Provincia de Petorca, 2022.
In all the places we are going to, why is water — or better said, the lack of thereof — so important to you and to the narrative thread of your project?

Through the images, I delve into the thread of aridity as an environment that allows me to connect with resilience. It relates to the ways in which nature, the landscape, and those who live with that environment adapt, as well as to those who travel or have traveled through an emotionally difficult path. In my view, aridity somehow drives us to seek the extension of life and transforms into a context that makes us reflect on what we were, what we are, and what we want to be. This deeply intrigued me, especially considering that the climate emergency we are experiencing is expanding the presence of aridity in our world in every sense.

When I started this project in Petorca, an area suffering from the effects of climate change through an unprecedented megadrought, I began making recurrent trips to the area as an observer. I gradually familiarized myself with the context, the environment, and spent long days traveling alone, exploring mining routes, and conversing with people I met along the way. This dynamic allowed me to perceive the resilience of the environment, but also to feel my own resilience in relation to the situation and my personal experience. I realized the ambivalent effect of aridity on me and also began to notice that other trips I was making or wanted to make to other places—such as Mexico and Morocco—had commonalities with Petorca.

©Nicolás Marticorena, Tifnit 1, Marruecos, 2023.
Travel to photograph or photograph to travel? What are the implications of each?

Perhaps it’s a mix of both; I think there is a reciprocal relationship. Traveling is one of the most exciting activities we can engage in, and personally, it is one of the most cherished times for me to immerse myself in a subject and dedicate myself exclusively to photography, without distractions. It’s my chance to be amazed. Conversely, I believe that photography often leads us to discover, delve into, and develop an interest in new destinations. Since I was young, I’ve been fortunate to travel, but when I started integrating photography into that exploration, I benefited from a combination that expanded my experiences and travel horizons far beyond, whether near or thousands of kilometers away. Today, photography defines my travels and profoundly influences the destinations I choose; those that support my creative process and self-discovery.

©Nicolás Marticorena, Alicahue, Provincia de Petorca, 2020.

What is on your mind when you hold your camera when you are photographing a person versus a landscape?

It’s difficult for me to describe or generalize. There are times when I find myself encountering a person as part of a particular situation, inhabiting an eye-catching space, or reflecting an expression that draws my attention. At those moments, I feel the impulse to photograph, encountering a certain surprise that motivates me to capture the instant and offer my own interpretation of reality. Or there are times when circumstances lead me to a meeting through conversation and interaction, allowing me to get to know a person a bit better and discover them. That’s when the opportunity to create a portrait arises.

When I photograph a landscape, I also feel an unconscious impulse; something compels me to pick up the camera and record. I’m drawn to composition, light, and textures, but underlying it all is something irrational. The photographer Graciela Iturbide says that when we photograph, we interpret a very subjective reality that somehow conveys our previous experiences and emotions. I feel a strong connection with what she mentions. I believe that when I’m alone, with my camera in hand, and I come across a landscape, situation, or person to photograph, I’m unconsciously capturing a moment that reflects a part of who I am and who I have been.

©Nicolás Marticorena, RutaE411, Provincia de Petorca, 2019.
What are your photo essentials you take when you go on such photo trips?

    I try to travel as light as possible. I carry a medium-sized backpack in which I keep a light meter, a remote shutter release, some rolls of film, a 35mm camera, and of course, my Rolleiflex, which has been very useful on these trips. It’s a camera that, in a way, seems to generate trust and curiosity in people when I photograph them. It has opened some doors for me.

    ©Nicolás Marticorena, Chalaco, Provincia de Petorca, 2023.
    If you could add one more country to your project, where would you travel next?

      I would love to have the opportunity to explore Iran in depth. It’s a country that seems enigmatic to me, culturally rich, and with landscapes that are deeply moving. I’ve gotten to know it a bit more through its artists, its cinema, and significant photography books like Gilles Peress’s Telex Iran: In the Name of Revolution. It’s a country experiencing aridity and, unfortunately, is also severely affected by water scarcity. I hope that when the military and political tensions ease, I’ll have the fortune to explore it.

      I also want to explore the northern part of Chile more deeply, with its desert and highlands. This September, I will travel to the town of Putre to start a journey by land to Calama, where I hope to continue expanding my Aridity project.

      ©Nicolás Marticorena, Mirleft 2, Marruecos, 2023.

      Filed Under: Uncategorized, Griffin State of Mind, Vision(ary) Tagged With: griffin state of mind, vision(ary), travel

      Emily Taylor Rice | Griffin State of Mind

      Posted on January 16, 2024

      In today’s Griffin State of Mind interview, Emily T. Rice speaks to Vicente Cayuela about art as a medium for dialogue, empathy, and a catalyst for change in the discourse surrounding mental health.

      Emily Taylor Rice, courtesy the artist

      On view at the Griffin Museum’s Lafayette City Center gallery on Rendering Experiences from October 2, 2023 through January 7, 2024, Emily Taylor Rice’s mixed-media works exquisitely communicate the complexity, resilience, and strength intrinsic to the journey of overcoming significant challenges.

      Courageously combating the pervasive stigma surrounding mental health, the interdisciplinary artist and printmaker does not shy away from sharing her own struggles with recovery and addiction.‘ There is beauty in damage,’ the artist declares, as she draws parallels between the imprints left by embossing and printing processes and the indelible marks of emotional upheavals she has experienced as a woman in long-term alcoholism recovery.

      Utilizing a range of mediums, including photography, monotypes, collagraphs, silkscreen prints, and installations, the Boston University graduate student adeptly transforms commonplace elements into layered visual metaphors.

      In Standing smack in the middle of the truth about myself (2023), a silkscreen print with the title written twice in orange ink over found fabric, the artist compels us to confront the unadulterated reality of our own character, circumstances, and choices. Highlighting a vital step in the recovery process — wherein individuals confront and acknowledge the unvarnished aspects of themselves in a moment devoid of evasion or denial — the artwork stands out for its honesty, humor, and brutality.

      While Rice’s preference for heart-on-her-sleeve titles, such as “Awareness of Choices,” “Walking Through Fear,” and “The Gift of Desperation,” the artworks themselves subtly unfold, allowing for a multitude of interpretations that are as varied as the unique challenges we all face throughout our lifetimes.

      Emily T. Rice, Standing Smack In The Middle of The Truth About Myself, silkscreen on found fabric, 2023, courtesy the artist.

      Emily Taylor Rice is an artist and an educator with a BS and MA in Art Education. She is a 2024 MFA candidate in Print Media + Photography at Boston University College of Fine Arts. Her teaching experience includes K-12 art education both nationally and internationally. Rice has exhibited her work at Boston University, VanDernoot Gallery, Roberts Gallery, and others. Rice has curated exhibitions in Boston, MA, and juried art competitions such as the YCIS Puxi Community Photography Competition in Shanghai, China. Her artist residencies include Anderson Ranch Arts Center in Snowmass Village, CO, and the Frans Masereel Center in Kasterlee, Belgium. Rice has garnered a variety of awards and honors for her scholarship and is a United States National Art Award Winner.

      Emily T. Rice at Lafayette City Center, courtesy of Jerry Rodriguez Sosa

      Vicente Cayuela: Can you share some insights about your background and artistic journey?

      Emily T. Rice: My background lies in the field of art education and I received my Bachelor of Science in Art Education in 2005 from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. I taught Visual Arts in the K-12 system for 17 years, 12 of them in Asia and the Middle East. These international experiences have afforded me a unique perspective on the value of art education on a global scale. While teaching full-time in China, I completed a Master of Arts in Art Education through Boston University.

      Art has always been a constant in my life and it is most certainly a part of my identity. Through my arts-based research during my MA program, my passion for personal artistry was rekindled and I experienced a new realm of inspiration. I chose to return to the United States in pursuit of a Master of Fine Arts degree. I was eager to continue my education through Boston University’s College of Fine Arts and I am currently a 2024 candidate in the Print Media and Photography MFA program. I have rediscovered and am embracing the significance of connecting with myself and exploring my identity through my art. It is a means for me to find my creative voice and connect with others in the field. I treasure my art education background and I value my MFA journey as they are both leading me in a positive direction with my art practice. I have been very active in showing my work and attending artist residencies.

      Emily T. Rice by Artemisia Luk
      Courtesy the artist.

      VC: What sparked your passion for the creative mediums you specialize in?

      ER: I consider myself a multi-media artist and have been impressed by the interdisciplinary nature of the Print Media and Photography program at Boston University. I use my photographs as inspiration for my work and also combine them with printmaking processes to create monotype prints, collagraphs, silkscreen prints, cyanotypes, digital images, and installations.

      Emily T. Rice by Artemisia Luk

      VC: Could you describe your journey leading up to, during, and after your thesis exhibition?

      ER: My journey in the MFA program began with my artistic response to having lived through the 2022 Shanghai Lockdown that was put in place as a result of China’s “Zero COVID” Policy during the COVID-19 pandemic. The individual yet shared experience took a toll emotionally, mentally, and physically on all who experienced it, myself included. The aim of my work at that time was to document the trauma of such oppression and I invited the viewer to consider the powerlessness under the weight and pressure of such adverse conditions.

      Emily T. Rice, We Are Recovering, monotype, 2023, courtesy the artist.

      This body of work led to my continued focus on mental health. I consider and address the feelings related to the loss of control in the face of turmoil. My personal experiences are a staple in my work and their inclusion has led me to an overarching conceptual theme of identity. As a woman in long-term recovery from alcoholism, the complicated narratives and often serious realities surrounding mental health and substance use disorders are what lie at the heart of my work. There is beauty in damage, so I create visual metaphors that illustrate emotional complexity, struggle, growth, and strength. The processes of embossing and printing leave behind evidence, much like emotional upheavals leave scars that cannot be erased. In my prints, pigments can act as a collision on the paper but they can also delicately caress the paper’s surface, emulating feelings of both desperation and relief. I incorporate movement, texture, and layers to create visual tension and entanglement. As I focus on my lived experiences, I reflect on my navigation of the emotional geography that surrounds them.

      Emily T. Rice, Walking Through Fear, monotype, 2023, courtesy the artist.

      Recently, I have been repurposing found and discarded fabric. I associate the fabrics’ pre-existing shapes with the fact that recovery is not always a pretty or clean-cut process. Displaying and embracing the raw edges of the fabric relates to the idea that recovery and healing are also never finished; it is not always smooth but it can be beautiful. I manipulate the textured surfaces of the fabrics through silkscreen and embroidery. Layering and sometimes sewing pieces together allows me to create large installations. Additionally, as my thesis work develops, I have begun exploring my Pennsylvania Dutch and Scottish/Welsh heritage as well as elements of spirituality. In linking these different aspects of my identity together, I also explore the concept of time through repetition and pattern.

      Emily T. Rice, The Gift Of Desperation II, monotype, 2023, courtesy the artist.

      VC: Have you formed a deeper connection with any of your works compared to others? If so, what is the reason behind this particular attachment?

      ER: Yes, I have found a deep connection with my pieces that focus on transformational periods of my life. Examples of this include, “Something must give” (Monotype, 2023), “The gift of desperation, II” (Monotype, 2023), and “Standing smack in the middle of the truth about myself” (Silkscreen on found fabric, 2023).

      Emily T. Rice, Something Must Give, monotype, 2023, courtesy the artist.

      My works in this area emphasize the idea that empowerment can be gained through facing our fears and that positive action can aid in the ascension of an uphill climb. When we choose to acknowledge our areas of struggle, we gain the courage to ask for help. Having the desire, willingness, and strength to make a change in the face of turmoil and pain can enable growth.

      Emily T. Rice in the studio, courtesy the artist.

      VC: Do you set specific objectives when you start a new artwork, or do you prefer a more open-ended approach?

      ER: In previous years, I began creating my works with specific objectives and goals for outcomes. However, I began to feel that this method was too rigid and somewhat stifling. In recent years, I have taken a much more open-ended approach to my work because the actual process of creating is an important part of my artistic journey.

      I begin with a general goal based on my concept and choose mediums, image inspirations, and colors, but I feel as though I give the materials their own voice. I believe my approach is likely an echo of learning flexibility through my life experiences. For example, using solvents in my monotypes allows me to embrace the element of chance. When mixing solvents with printing ink, the materials take on a life of their own. Although there is control over where I place these materials on the printing plate, I give them room to speak for themselves. My photographs and prints not only record experiences but, through iteration, exemplify further possibilities for artistic engagement.

      Emily T. Rice, Awareness Of Choices, silkscreen on fabric, courtesy the artist.
      Emily T. Rice by Jerry Rodriguez Sosa

      VC: When creating art, what emotions or messages do you aim to convey to your audience?

      ER: Great emphasis is placed on the necessity of discussing and promoting mental health, as it underscores larger societal concerns. The inclusion of text in my work is meant to pull viewers into a topic that is uncomfortable. How can we change our way of thinking and seeing? It is my goal to use printmaking as an artistic means of communication and as a form of activism. Printmaking has historically been used as a form of advocacy, and the application of physical pressure in my work creates a sense of tension. My work is situated around the fact that mental health disorders do not discriminate. I strive to provoke a thoughtful response and foster empathy and understanding. I feel the need to emphasize the force and oppression of these disorders while acknowledging the relief and release that can be found through acceptance and the choice of recovery. I hope that my work might be impactful in reducing the stigma surrounding these topics as they become a part of a larger discussion.

      Emily T. Rice, Navigating Healthier Terrain, silkscreen on found fabric, 2023, courtesy the artist.

      VC: What fuels your ongoing motivation and drive to continue making art?

      ER: I am continually interested in the overlap between art and science. Through researching the psychological and neurological aspects of mental health and substance use disorders, I aim to push the boundaries of my art-making. For example, as a result of my investigation into the effects of alcohol on the brain, I have begun to include brain images and scans in my work. I believe connecting scientific and arts-based research will provide an impactful opportunity to foster empathy and understanding about these chronic disorders.

      Emily T. Rice in the studio, courtesy the artist.

      VC: Who or what are the primary sources of inspiration that influence your work?

      ER: My lived experiences are certainly a primary source of inspiration. Additionally, I am inspired by the courageous and exploratory processes of female artists Elaine de Kooning, Frida Kahlo, and Nan Goldin. I often refer to Elaine de Kooning’s gestural and abstract marks for inspiration in my monotypes. Conceptually, I am particularly drawn to how Kahlo and Goldin express the raw nature of their lived experiences while presenting them as part of their identity. Each of these women has been influential in my practice. Goldin’s work especially is inspirational to me due to her advocacy work in the realm of substance use disorders and recovery.

      Emily T. Rice in the studio, courtesy the artist.

      Vicente Cayuela is a Chilean multimedia artist working primarily in research-based, staged photographic projects. Inspired by oral history, the aesthetics of picture riddle books, and political propaganda, his complex still lifes and tableaux arrangements seek to familiarize young audiences with his country’s history of political violence. His 2022 debut series “JUVENILIA” earned him an Emerging Artist Award in Visual Arts from the Saint Botolph Club Foundation, a Lenscratch Student Prize, an Atlanta Celebrates Photography Equity Scholarship, and a photography jurying position at the 2023 Alliance for Young Artists & Writers’ Scholastic Art and Writing Awards in the Massachusetts region. His work has been exhibited most notably at the Griffin Museum of Photography, Abigail Ogilvy Gallery, PhotoPlace Gallery, and published nationally and internationally in print and digital publications. A cultural worker, he has interviewed renowned artists and curators and directed several multimedia projects across various museum platforms and art publications. He is currently a content editor at Lenscratch Photography Daily and Lead Content Creator at the Griffin Museum of Photography. He holds a BA in Studio Art from Brandeis University, where he received a Deborah Josepha Cohen Memorial Award in Fine Arts and a Susan Mae Green Award for Creativity in Photography.

      Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: griffin state of mind

      Griffin State of Mind – Stefanie Timmermann

      Posted on August 16, 2021

      In today’s Griffin State of Mind, we feature Stefanie Timmermann. Her creative work, Blue Morphs is on the walls of the Griffin until August 29th, 2021. We wanted to get to know more about Stefanie and her work, so we asked her a few questions.

      Tell us how you first connected to the Griffin Museum.

      timmerman headshot

      Stefanie Timmermann

      My friend Janice Koskey told me about the Griffin, and was incredibly positive about her experience. Naturally, I checked the Griffin out a few days later. Just coming up on it, I loved the house and surroundings. And I felt very welcome inside, too. A funny thing happened right away – I only had a $20 bill to pay admission (I wasn’t a member yet), and there was not enough cash in the till, so the staff graciously let me in for free. It kind of set the tone, and I was glad to become a member soon after.

      How do you involve photography in your everyday life? Can you tell us about any images or artists that have caught your attention recently?

      Photography is pretty integral to my day-to-day life. Of course, I’m usually the dedicated photographer on any outing or party, but that just scratches the surface. On our walks, my teenage daughter and I collect anything out of the ordinary that could be used as a prop, and we do impromptu photoshoots where she might be wearing a fish head or gluing pufferfish spines to her face. I also use my camera as a license to be curious: A question might come up, and I will investigate and document the answer with photography. My most recent research answered whether chocolate burns or simply melts when you use a focused magnifying glass on it.

      As to which artists have caught my attention recently – they don’t all have to be photographers, right? – I’m very much enjoying Serena Korda’s bizarre sculpture conglomerations right now (@serenakorda). Very recently, I discovered the phantasmagorical drawings of Anna Zemánková – in a way they feel like kin to my Blue Morphs.

      For photographers, I’m really digging Suzanne White (@shepherdess1), Anneli Kunosson (@annelikunosson) and Laura de Moxom (@alibraryoflaura). Then there’s the always incredible Cho Gi Seok (@chogiseok), and also Sarah Waiswa (@lafrohemien) for cool fashion photography.

      Anna Zemánková, Untitled, undated.

      @Alibraryoflaura: “Anthotype of my spirit city Berlin. Made with a beetroot emulsion, the sun and patience.”

      Please tell us a little about your exhibition, Blue Morphs and how it was conceived.

      crying morph

      Stefanie Timmermann, “Youth”, 2019

      Blue Morphs is a series of cyanotypes layered with marks from paints, pens and the heat from a soldering iron. It is a melding of deliberate photography and expressive painterly gestures, and incorporates environmental and social justice messages in some images.

      I started working on Blue Morphs during my Artist in Residence in Stone Quarry Hill Art Park in Cazenovia in upstate New York, in 2019. The natural surroundings really inspired me to make a lot of different cyanotypes from the available plants, and to research different ways to make my images multi-layered.

      The artist paint manufacturer Golden Artist Colors is located quite close to Cazenovia, and after we artist residents toured the factory, we got a large box of seconds to take home. I started adding acrylics to the cyanotypes and was hooked!

      I continued experimenting with overprinting and layering colors on cyanotypes when I came home. At first, I mainly worked intuitively, picking colors and forms subconsciously. During the pandemic, this meditative approach increasingly felt at odds with my escalating worry about social injustices and looming environmental disasters. I read a lot of thought-provoking articles during this time. Soon, I realized that my cyanotypes connected with these theories and constructs, and I developed these ideas further with the help of a paintbrush. My approach therefore shifted to meditating on the forms presented in the cyanotype before picking up the brush. Once I settle on a fitting theme, I interact with the raw cyanotype as if writing an essay.

      Has there been a Griffin Museum exhibition that has particularly engaged or moved you?

      Oof, there have been so many! Most recently, I’ve been enamored with the sublime and thought-provoking exhibit “Spirit: Focus on Indigenous Art, Artists and Issues”. 

      nail gate

      © Jerry Takigawa from Balancing Cultures, “EO 9066, 206”

       ‘Balancing cultures’, by Jerry Takigawa, was another standout. Such a beautiful and subtle exhibit on a heart-rending theme (the Japanese-American experience before and during WWII). Having Jerry talk so eloquently about his series in a Zoom presentation really deepened my understanding of his work and his subject matter.

      Edie Bresler - anonymous

      © Edie Bresler, Anonymous.

      The same can be said for Edie Bresler’s incredible photo/embroidery hybrids (‘Anonymous’). Her talk opened the subject matter to me, and in I engaged much deeper with her show when I visited. In general, being able to zoom into presentation has made it much easier for me to participate in evening talks, and I really hope that this format continues to be offered by the Griffin for quite some time.

      Of older shows, Rocio de Alba’s ‘Honor thy mother’ still is very much on my mind. The unabashed campiness of the images hides the rather sordid truth of stereotyped roleplaying that goes on in so many families. 

       Last but not least, Gary Beeber’s ‘Personalities’ was in turn funny, sad, and poignant and has stayed with me all this time.

      I should also mention that the annual member shows, both the juried Summer show and the open Winter solstice shows are also always very engaging. I personally love to see the variety of styles, techniques and thematic approaches that comingle under one roof during these shows.

      What is your favorite place to escape to?

      The beach in winter, when it’s mostly empty; the woods in summer; and always my own mind whenever I can have a little quiet space.

      What is a book, song or visual obsession you have at the moment?

      ‘Braiding sweetgrass’ by Robin Wall Kimmerer was an eye-opening and hope-inspiring book. I wish books like this would be required reading in high school.

      Filed Under: Griffin State of Mind, Atelier Gallery Tagged With: alternative process, cyanotype, hand made, Griffin Artist Talk, griffin state of mind, Photographers on Photography

      Griffin State of Mind – Vicky Stromee

      Posted on July 28, 2021

      In today’s Griffin State of Mind, we feature Vicky Stromee. Her creative work, Envisioning Solitude, is on the walls of the Griffin until August 29th, 2021. We wanted to get to know more about Vicky and her work, so we asked her a few questions.

      Tell us how you first connected to the Griffin Museum.

      I met Paula in Portland at Photolucida. This was my first portfolio review and I really had no idea what to expect or how it worked. She was so kind in conversation. She was supportive of my work and encouraged me to stay in touch. Several years later she contacted me about doing an exhibition at one of the Griffin’s satellite sites where they had an unexpected cancellation. I had a show I had just taken down so I jumped at the chance to send off a crate of framed botanicals. My partner and I traveled to Boston for the opening and got such a warm welcome from Paula and the staff.  I remember seeing Jane Fulton Alt’s Burn series in one of the gallery spaces at the Griffin and falling in love with her work.  I’ve been a fan of the Griffin ever since.

      How do you involve photography in your everyday life? Can you tell us about any images or artists that have caught your attention recently?

      vicky stromee studio

      Vicky Stromee in her studio

      I walk every morning with a good friend and our dogs and I carry my camera everywhere. I try to take pictures everyday – plants, animals, insects, patterns, and shadows – whatever catches my attention.  I’m pretty much in my studio every day where I build light experiments that I shoot for source images. I’m fortunate to have many rich connections with photographers – mostly through virtual connections on Facebook and Instagram, through my local ASMP chapter and an international group that I belong to – Shootapalooza. I have to say lately I’ve been following the work of Alanna Airitam – not only are her images beautifully executed (portraits and still lifes), but she is an impassioned and eloquent writer about her own journey as an artist and a person of color. I’m fascinated with the surreal qualities of Fran Forman’s work and the emotional explorations of Sandra Klein. I’m always inspired by Melanie Walker’s out of the box constructions and immersive installations. Annu Palakunnathu Mathew’s exploration of cross-cultural experience and invisibility also comes to mind.

      Please tell us a little about your exhibition, Envisioning Solitude, and how it was conceived.

      Vicky Stromee, “Capturing the Moon”, 2019.

      Pattern and texture, light and shadow, movement and transformation –these are undercurrents that have dominated my explorations throughout my life. From an early interest in math and science, an education in literary criticism, my chosen profession in mental health and my interest in photography beginning at age 8, I have been fascinated with the continual processes of deconstruction and reconstruction, looking for what is eternal amidst the transitory.

      I am interested in edges and intersections of transformation where one thing moves inexorably to become something else. When is the moment when love fades into anger and resentment; when disillusionment erupts into a violent uprising; when order descends into chaos? And when is the moment when war turns towards peace; unbearable grief shifts towards acceptance; or when pain gives way to relief?

      In this series: “Envisioning Solitude,” I seek out close-up views of known objects to reveal patterns of color, texture and form, then capture these images and layer them together to create objects of meditation on that transformative process.  Central to this series is the image of the moon – a solitary celestial body reflecting the light of the sun. In mythology the moon is alternately a symbol of love, desire, change, passion, fertility, insanity, and violence. Often associated with the feminine, the nighttime illumination provided by the moon offers us a different perspective and cause for reflection.

      Hear Vicky discuss Envisioning Solitude on the Griffin Museum YouTube channel In Their Own Words

      Has there been a Griffin Museum exhibition that has particularly engaged or moved you?

      Wow, that’s a tough question. I was moved by Jane Fulton Alt’s Burn work when I first saw it. Living at a distance, the experience of seeing images online is not the same as being in the room with the work.  That said, of recent note was Jerry Takigawa’s Balancing Cultures. My best friend in high school was second generation Japanese-American and I remember her frequently crying in front of the mirror because “she didn’t look like everyone else.” Both her parents had survived the internment camps. I’m also so fond of Patricia Bender’s work and loved Euclidian Dreams. I am amazed with the variety of exhibitions that the Griffin offers – often showcasing artists I am unfamiliar with. Paula and the Griffin are real treasures for the photographic community.

      Jane Fulton Alt, “The Burn”, undated.

      Jerry Takigawa, “Like Goes With Like”, undated.

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

      What is your favorite place to escape to?

      We have a 100+ yr old log cabin in the Pecos Wilderness of New Mexico – if I’m looking to just be – that’s the place. I lose track of time and can sit for hours listening to the river and watching the weather and the wildlife from the front porch. It is a place that brings me great peace. Beyond that, I love to travel and mostly to places that are so unfamiliar to me that it wakes up all my senses. India comes to mind as a favorite destination.

      What is a book, song or visual obsession you have at the moment?

      Most of the reading I do is of an academic nature. I do, however, listen to music when I’m working on images on the computer. I like a mix of jazz, blues, pop, world music – my current favorites are anything Taylor Swift, Adele, and Dua Lipa. My current visual obsession is watching the refracted early morning light that comes through the beveled glass window this time of year and fills the walls with rainbows.

      If you could be in a room with anyone to have a conversation, who would it be and what would you talk about?

      First, I think James Hillman, a Jungian analyst. The conversation would be wide ranging and of a spiritual nature – about the soul’s progression, the meaning of existence, and where creativity comes from. If I could have a second option it would be to sit in on a gathering of the Bloomsbury Group (Virginia Woolf, Vanessa Bell, John Maynard Keynes, E. M. Forster and Lytton Strachey), of whom Dorothy Parker famously said: “they lived in squares, painted in circles and loved in triangles.” I would be content to just listen in to their conversations about life and art.

      How do the people in your life influence your art?

      Wow this could be a very long essay! Growing up our home was filled with gatherings of artists and scientists, rabbis and priests, and concerts with string quartets. I was surrounded by dancers, painters, musicians, photographers, actors, and philosophers. Art has always been a part of who I am.  I’ve explored a variety of mediums with many great teachers who have taught me so much about “seeing.”

      When I was getting started as a fine art photographer many people told me I should go see Mary Virginia Swanson (who, lucky me, lives in Tucson). I guess I heard it enough that I set up a session with her. I brought my favorite prints and set them down on the table. I still remember the humbling moment as she rifled through my stack, sliding them quickly off the pile with “seen it, seen it, seen it,” and then a pause: “I haven’t seen this.” I began to take an interest in looking at my work as others might see it.

      I have a tendency to fall in love with my most recent work and count on my wife and close friends to offer honest feedback and ask insightful questions. Through this process I have increasingly learned to step away from my work and view it as an outsider. I value their perspectives and hold that alongside my own resonance with a particular piece. These conversations and participating in critiques with mentors have helped me to cultivate my ability to see and reflect on my work.

      Five years ago, we realized a dream with our best friends and created an artist compound with two houses and four studios. We are all artists in different mediums (author, painter, musician and photographer).  We often share long conversations about our latest projects, our hopes, and our challenges. Our home is filled with an eclectic mix of art that I draw inspiration from every day.

      Filed Under: Griffin State of Mind, Uncategorized Tagged With: Griffin Gallery, Photography, griffin state of mind, conversations on photography, Photographers on Photography

      Griffin State of Mind | Jürgen Lobert

      Posted on May 1, 2021

      Griffin State of Mind, a continuing series acquainting you with the members of the Griffin creative community, introduces you to Jürgen Lobert, one of our newest instructors here at the museum.  His upcoming class on Daytime Long Exposure Photography class starts Wednesday May 26th. For more information on the class, see our Events and Programs page. 

      Tell us how you first connected to the Griffin Museum.

      As part of my evolving business in fine art photography, I was looking for a creative outlet and community to engage in. The Griffin was a perfect fit, in my area, focused on photography and larger than some other organizations. I also had a couple of friends who were already a member, hence, I decided to join. 

      How do you involve photography in your everyday life? Can you tell us about any images or artists that have caught your attention recently?

      jl tree 1Photography most certainly made me go through life with a lot more visual appreciation for my surroundings. I often find myself driving along a road, or walking / hiking around and thinking: “ooh, that would make for a neat photo location”. As part of my activity in organizing Meetups and workshops, I have explored and gotten to know the greater Boston area much more than any other of the numerous locations I have lived in before. 

      I constantly view other people’s image streams on Instagram, Facebook and more recently also the Griffin’s “Runway” and I find a lot of inspiration doing this. A few communities are catching my eye more recently, one being the light drawing community, the other being certain landscape images, but I do look for many other aspects, too. The main goal is to find inspiration and ideas on what to do or do differently. There are a lot of great artists out there, but what happens to catch my attention most is to see how some of my former students evolve into creating beautiful imagery that I find intriguing.  

      The most recent exploration was Alexey Titarenko’s time-bending “City of Shadows” collection, which targets something between freezing moments and blurring them away through long exposures. Quite evocative! 

      Can you tell us about the new class you will be teaching at the Griffin this summer?

      jl landscape 2I will be teaching Daytime Long Exposure photography, which in itself is really just a technique, but one that can transform landscape or cityscape photos into serene works of art. It is a technique that adds the element of time, or the effects of time to your composition, which is something we usually don’t capture during the day, because high shutter speeds freeze motion. Blurring motion by reducing the amount of light available not only enables us to record the path of clouds and smoothing over water waves, it also makes people, cars and boats disappear, giving the scenery an otherworldly look that sets it apart from most land or city-scapes that we usually view. Images created this way immediately set themselves apart from the mainstream, and they can make mundane places look exciting. It’s a great technique to add to your photography toolbox. In addition, the workshop’s main learning goal is to embrace manual photography, to get out of auto modes and truly master manually setting exposure time, aperture and ISO and playing each other off to arrive at the perfect illumination. It will be an interactive workshop with classrooms for image review, editing and theory, alternating with small group, in-field photo shoots. A safe but fun environment for all.

      Has there been a Griffin Museum exhibition that has particularly engaged or moved you?

      I haven’t seen too many exhibits yet, but I thought that the recent DIGITS was well thought out and presented a different aspect of photography, apart from mainstream collections we often see. I do also like the variety of the members and winter juried shows.

      What is your favorite place to escape to?

      jl landscape 3Any location where I create photos! Photography itself is my escape, and it doesn’t matter so much where I am. Everyday life and whatever problems there may be magically disappear when I am out and about with my cameras. I do, however, particularly cherish moonlit nights, be it to capture the moment when our planetary companion comes over the horizon, or when it is brightly lighting up the landscape. And, of course, the grand landscapes of the western US, which seem to be made for night photography. I happen to be there this week, my first trip in 15 months.

      What is a book, song or visual obsession you have at the moment?

      I don’t know why, but lately my mind keeps playing a lot of my favorite tunes from the 70s and I made it a point to revisit my music library, amend it with more releases from my favorite artists and keep listening to what I have. My favorite genre is Progressive Rock, and the latest “ear worm” has been Greenslade. Perhaps age does that to you, but it’s fun. 

      If you could be in a room with anyone to have a conversation, who would it be and what would you talk about?

      Oh, that question needs to be more narrow! There are too many people whose minds I’d love to pick or understand. And, of course, to have one more conversation with those no longer among us for closure. 

      For photography, I would love to learn about Margarete Bourke-White’s mind when she was taking photos of a nighttime air raid on Moscow. I believe talking to her would be quite insightful.

      About Jürgen Lobert

      jurgen headshotJürgen Lobert

      Jürgen Lobert is a Massachusetts-based fine art photographer born and raised in Germany. He received a Ph.D. in atmospheric chemistry before moving to the US in 1991. Jürgen specializes in night photography, daytime long exposures, urban exploration and infrared imagery.He has been taking photos since his early 20s, mostly using color negative or slide film. He adopted digital cameras in the late 1990s and found Nikon cameras to be most suitable for his work. Jürgen started embracing night photography after taking a course at the New England School of Photography in 2011, advanced his skills quickly and enjoys the technical aspects as much as the artistic vision required.

      He started organizing night photo events through Meetup groups in 2012 and founded the Greater Boston Night Photographers in 2013. Along with organizing some 40 photoshoots annually, he also lectures at camera clubs, serves as a photo competition judge and organizes professional tours and workshops. Jürgen is an executive member of the Boston Camera Club and member of the Stony Brook Camera Club, the Photographic Society of America and the Professional Photographers of America. Jürgen was an instructor at the New England School of Photography (NESOP) until 2019. Jürgen’s photography expertise is published in camera club newsletters, his own blog and on his Patreon channel. His artwork is in the permanent collection of the Art Complex Museum in Duxbury, MA. Jürgen finds profound peace in roaming the nights in remote places. Capturing the element of time is the most intriguing part, where clouds become bands, cars are bright streaks in the roads, people disappear, stars form trails in the sky and water smooths over to a mirror finish. Night and daytime long exposure photography transform the familiar and create serene views of our surrounding, revealing beauty in the mundane, which we often rush by, but rarely acknowledge in its potential. The resulting images are otherworldly, hauntingly beautiful and serene lightscapes.

      See more of Jurgen Lobert‘s work on his website. Follow him on Instagram @jmlobert

      Filed Under: Griffin State of Mind, About the Griffin, Blog Tagged With: griffin state of mind, Photography Education, Online education, long exposure photography, Landscape photography, color photography

      Griffin State of Mind | Donna Garcia

      Posted on April 9, 2021

      We are delighted to have artist and educator Donna Garcia join our team at the Griffin as a curator and instructor. Donna will be a part of our upcoming show Spirit: Focus on Indigenous Art, Artists and Issues, and she will be teaching a one-day workshop, Marketing for Emerging Artists on Saturday, April 24th, along with her Self Portraiture class, taking place this fall. To see what gets her in the Griffin State of Mind, we asked her a couple of questions. 

      Donna Garcia with camera

      © Donna Garcia

      Describe how you first connected with the Griffin.

      Paula Tognarelli was a juror for a show that I had been selected for in New York City, and she really made me want to learn more about the Griffin.

      Can you tell us about the workshop and the new classes you will be teaching at the Griffin?

      I am excited to be able to share my experience in marketing and as an emerging lens-based artist, who has had to navigate ways to market my own work, in a one-day workshop, Marketing for Emerging Artists. However, Self-Portraiture is my passion. It is not just a contemplation of self, but it is a way we allows others to see us, reflects how we see the world and our place in it. Particularly during this past year, as we have all experienced an alienation of self in many ways.

      We are so excited to have you join us as a curator for the Spirit: Focus on Indigenous Art, Artists and Issues. Can you tell us a little bit about the show and how a sense of spirit will influence the exhibition?

      images from Spirit: Focus on Indigenous Art, Artists, and Issues

      Spirit: Focus on Indigenous Art, Artists and Issues

      Spirit is an initiative designed to educate the public, through lens-based art, regarding the true history of Indigenous people and recruit advocates for Indigenous issues everywhere, but with a specific focus on the US and Canada, where native lands and people аre still coming under attack. Collectively, this exhibition offers a partial glimpse, rather than a sweeping overview, of the many complex issues that Indigenous people navigate as part of their lived realities. It reflects, in part, the intricate nature of Indigenous identity. These ten artists have created images that reveal expressions of trauma, resiliency, resistance, healing, tradition, celebration and the undying spirit to preserve Indigenous culture even through the ravaging effects of centuries of colonization.

      abstract woman in a dress with mirror, flowers, and tornado

      © Donna Garcia – Air

      As an adjunct professor you have said that mentoring students is very important. Can you tell us about why it is important to you to establish a time where students can come to you for support?

      Teaching and learning the basic techniques of photography or filmmaking аre very straight forward, but learning to be an artist cannot be taught, it can only be learned. To help my students discover more about who they аre as artists and what they want to say, involves asking them the right questions, which only they can answer – that is how I view mentorship. That time of exploration where we find our own voice as artists usually happens before, after or in-between lectures.

      How do you involve photography in your everyday life? How have your subjects changed during these unique times of distance and isolation?

      woman surrounded by abstract lines

      © Donna Garcia – Swarm

      As an artist who does a great deal of self-portraiture, photography is a conduit between my self and the world outside. Photography is often a way that I visually define my role during a particular time. We all have three “roles” in time; the person we are in the present, the past and the future, so what happens when we only have the present? During the pandemic, time became elongated, stretched out, hence those “roles” stopped being linear and for me, the challenge became about dealing with a distancing or alienation of self just as much as being isolated from others.

      Joan Didion - Slouching Towards Bethlehem

      Joan Didion – Slouching Towards Bethlehem

       

      What is one of your favorite exhibitions shown at the Griffin?

      The Disappearance of Joseph Plummer, by Amani Willett. I absolutely love that work.

      What is one book, song, or other visual obsession that you have at the moment?

      I have read a lot of Joan Didion over the past year with Slouching Towards Bethlehem and The White Album being two that I would read again. One of my favorite quotes from her is, “I have already lost touch with a couple of the people I used to be” – Joan Didion.

       

      To learn more about Donna Garcia and view her work, visit her website, and check out her Instagram, @DonnaGarcia23. 

      Filed Under: About the Griffin, Griffin State of Mind Tagged With: about us, Griffin Museum of Photography, Griffin Photo Education, Creative Artist, Griffin Teachers, Faculty at the Griffin Museum, Donna Garcia, Spirit: Focus on Indigenous Art, griffin state of mind, Artists and Issues

      Griffin State of Mind | Erin Carey

      Posted on March 26, 2021

      Artist, curator, and educator Erin Carey had been a valued member of the Griffin Museum Community since 2019. We are so excited to have Erin join us as an instructor for  Siren Song: Exploring Poetry & Photography and Making Better Pictures: Fundamentals of Design. We interviewed Erin to hear about the origins and influences of her Griffin State of Mind. 

      Image of Erin Carey

      Erin Carey

      How did you first connect with the Griffin?

      In 2008 I became Gallery Director at New England School of Photography and with my new appointment, I was invited to participate in NEPR as a reviewer that spring. I was completely new to the professional/academic photo scene in Boston and Keith Johnson, who was also teaching at NESOP at that time, took me under his wing introducing me to everyone including Paula, who later offered me (a perfect stranger!) a lift back to NESOP so I wouldn’t miss my afternoon class!

      How do you involve photography in your everyday? Can you tell us about an image or images that have recently caught your eye?

      book open to black and white images of nature

      © Robert Adams – Summer Nights Walking

      I carry a small, fixed lens film camera in my pocket with me everywhere I go. You’ll find rolls of film in my backpack, jacket pockets, the arm rest of my car. It’s a tool that has served me well.

      Since the onset of the pandemic, I have been spending a lot of time looking at and thinking about landscape as a construct. My first true love in photography was the large format, color landscape work of the 1970’s. Robert Adams has been at the forefront of my mind, “Summer Nights Walking” and “From the Missouri West.” Sternfeld’s “Oxbow Archive” has also been a close friend to me in recent months, quietly powerful and debilitatingly beautiful. Last week I attended a fabulous lecture at ICP by Richard Misrach and was reminded of how much Desert Cantos moved me so many years ago and how relevant that work continues to be.

      Can you tell us about the new classes you are teaching at the Griffin?

      man fixing truck with water tower in background

      © Jon Horvath – This is Bliss

      I am so excited about Siren Song, it’s the first time I am offering it and it is many years in the making. I’ve always felt photography has everything to do with poetry… perhaps it has to do with asking questions and leaving something to the imagination.

      Has there been a Griffin exhibition that is a favorite of yours?

      This is Bliss by Jon Horvath was on view last winter, right before the pandemic hit. It is a magical and melancholy essay on a disappearing town in the midwest.

      What is your favorite place to escape to?

      I grew up spending summers in the lakes region of the white mountains and am extremely lucky to be able to spend time there as an adult. I also live near the seacoast, so when I can’t get away to the mountains I enjoy foggy bike rides on the Merrimack river.

      What is one book, song or visual obsession you have at the moment?

      Kamasi Washington’s Harmony of Difference is on my playlist every day. It was written as a collaboration with a film maker and debuted at the 2017 Whitney Biennial. I am continually surprised by the movements and the energy.

      woman with umbrella, shot through car window

      © Saul Leiter

      If you could be in a room with anyone to have a conversation, who would it be and what would you talk about?

      How can I answer this? There are so many people I could name here, historical figures, artists, deceased family members. In an attempt to keep the conversation related to photography I’d have to say Saul Leiter. I cannot imagine where the conversation might have taken us and that would have been part of the delight…no agenda at all, just coffee, a plaid scarf, a pile of books, and some stories about New York and art.

      To view Erin Carey‘s work, visit her website, www.erin-carey.com, and check out her Instagram, @NegativeJoy.

      Filed Under: Griffin State of Mind, About the Griffin Tagged With: griffin state of mind, about us, Griffin Museum of Photography, Griffin Photo Education, Creative Artist, Griffin Teachers

      Griffin State of Mind | Lou Jones

      Posted on July 24, 2020

      photographer lou jones

      Portrait of Lou Jones

      Photographer and long time board member Lou Jones has a bright energy that emulates well from his personal work and more importantly was evident in his responses to our Griffin State of Mind interview.
       
      Recently we asked Jones about how his journey started with the Griffin and we wanted to get to know a bit more about what his latest inspirations are. Here is what we learned.

       

      Describe how you first connected with the Griffin. How long have you been part of the Griffin team and describe your role.

      tuta bridge by lou jones

      tuta bridge by Lou Jones

      I think I visited the Griffin Museum once when Arthur Griffin was still alive. I wanted to meet him having seen his byline on so many photographs during my early career. Subsequently I was recruited by the previous executive director to join the board of directors.
       

      How do you involve photography in your everyday? Can you describe one photograph that recently caught your eye?

      I make my living taking pictures. I have maintained a studio in Boston for many years. A very long-time colleague sent me a photograph of myself taking pictures in the 1980s & it rattled me.

      What is your favorite place to escape to in nature…mountains? beach? woods? and why?

      pan africa logo

      Pan Africa Project © Lou Jones

      I have been traveling to Africa continuously for the last several years & found it draws me back because of its almost infinite variety in things that are completely alien to me & my world here. The continent provides almost continuous new opportunities & completely new narratives that cannot be imagined from our western imaginations. It is a cornucopia. 
       
      See Lou Jones’ body of work from Africa on his website www.panAFRICAproject.org. 
       

      What is one book, song, or other visual obsession you have at the moment?

      Since the pandemic started I have been working on photographing how people have been dealing with the new paradigm, how it affects their lives positively or negatively, how they have adapted to the new complexities, imaginative ways to continue & what our environment “looks” like with all the restrictions.
       
      mirror covid

      Mirror COVID by Lou Jones

      lifeguards

      Lifeguards COVID by Lou Jones

       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       

      What has been the most eye opening part of our time of physical distancing?   

      The fact that the whole world can come to a voluntary standstill. I am mystified by what segments can/cannot operate inside the pandemic. 
       

      If you could be in a room with anyone to have a one on one conversation about anything, who would that person be and what would you talk about?

       
      jb headshot

      James Baldwin

      Maybe James Baldwin. He was so ahead of his time in being creative, gay & an African American. He was the darling of the “intelligentia” until he became strident about race relations. His analysis is becoming more & more pertinent & relevant today & he was ignored towards the end of his life.

      I would like to talk about being an artist being so ahead of the debate & how do you maintain your resolve under such pressure. I chased him down the street in Paris once but never caught up with him.

      Filed Under: Griffin State of Mind, About the Griffin, Blog Tagged With: board of directors, photographer, griffin state of mind, documentary photography

      Griffin State of Mind | Barbara Hitchcock

      Posted on July 19, 2020

      barbara hitchcock in gallery

      Snippet from Glasstire TV Curator Interview for “The Polaroid Project at the Amon Carter Museum of Art”

      The alternative process powerhouse herself, Barbara Hitchcock gave us some of her time this past week so we could interview her via email.

      She shared her latest insights with us and below are some of the ways she hops into her Griffin State of Mind.

      Her strong voice in the art community has been a part of the Griffin journey for many years as she has even curated multiple shows for us.

      We have always appreciated her true and authentic appreciation for the history of photography and the integration of all photographic processes to create imaginative masterpieces.


      How long have you been part of the Griffin team and describe your role at the Griffin?

      In 2006, Blake Fitch, the Executive Director then, and her team, established the Focus Awards and I was one of the awardees. I joined the Board of Directors shortly thereafter and continued on the Board the maximum number of terms and then became a Corporater.

      I still serve at the discretion of the Board. Periodically, I have curated exhibitions displayed at the Griffin, among them William Wegman: It’s a Dog’s Life; Barbara Crane: Challenging Vision; Patrick Nagatani: Themes and Variations and most recently, Shadows and Traces: The Photographs of John Reuter.

      Describe how you first connected with the Griffin.

      The then director of the Griffin Center contacted me, asking me to do an exhibition at the Griffin that illustrated creative art photography, a departure from their usual practice. At that time, the center’s mission concentrated on photo illustration and journalism, highlighting the professional work of Arthur Griffin who established the Center that then evolved into the Griffin Museum.

      I believe it was the 1990s. I hung an exhibition titled  “New Dimensions in Photography” that featured artists making photographs using antique or alternative processes – cyanotypes on fabric, Polaroid image transfers on watercolor paper, platinum prints and the like.

      How do you involve photography in your everyday?

      I’ve started to take photographs again, much more than I used to. But I have been lucky as I have continued to curate exhibitions – the most recent titled The Polaroid Project: At the Intersection of Art and Technology currently at the MIT Museum – and I occasionally write about artists and their artwork for catalogs and books.

      "From Polaroid To Impossible" By Barbara Hitchcock

      “From Polaroid To Impossible” By Barbara Hitchcock

      Can you describe one photograph that recently caught your eye?

      West Coast artists Victor Raphael and Terry Braunstein are collaborating on a series of images that deal with climate change. One dramatic, eye-grabbing image of a partia house on fire floats above palm trees into a hellishly scarlet sky scarred by black and red- reflecting clouds. A man, sitting on the edge of the house’s roof, weeps. The image is searing! Unfortunately, we know this image is not a warning, not fantasy. It is already a reality.

      What has been the most eye opening part of our time of physical distancing? 

      How difficult physical distancing is. You want to embrace friends and family; people want that basic warmth of physical connection. And some people just don’t seem to know how far 6-feet away really is…or their attention is on other things as they wander into your path.

      What is your favorite place to escape to in nature…mountains? beach? woods? and why?

      © John Reuter, “Rendering”

      I’ve always loved walking in the woods and going to the beach. I grew up in houses with yards, but my brothers and I always used to play in the lots that had underbrush and rocks where garden snakes unsuccessfully hid from us. Walking in wooded parks with the sound and sighting of birds, the smell of plants, trees and fallen pine needles, the occasional deer sighting, the quietude – it is like a loving embrace. And walking barefoot along the ocean with its crash of waves on the beach is similarly magical.

      What is one book, song, or other visual obsession you have at the moment?

      Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Broadway production Hamilton. The music, the choreography, the history, the emotion, the humanity. I still get goosebumps watching it!

      If you could be in a room with anyone to have a one on one conversation about anything, who would that person be and what would you talk about?

      Georgia O’Keeffe would be an irresistible choice. Her paintings make me weep; I don’t know why. She was such a talented, strong, independent woman who was married to Alfred Stieglitz, an incredibly strong, monumental, stellar figure in the world of art. How did they negotiate the life they shared together and apart that allowed them both to grow and succeed? That, I assume, would be a fascinating conversation.

      What is one of your favorite exhibitions shown by the Griffin?

      John Reuter

      © John Reuter, “The Witnesses”

      I have too many favorite exhibits to highlight only one. It would be unfair to the ones I don’t mention! In general, I am attracted to work that is experimental in nature, imaginative and pushes the envelope visually and intellectually. What is the artist communicating to the viewer through his/her photograph? Is there a subtle message or is the image straight forward and uncomplicated? Stop. Look. Ponder. What is being revealed?

      Filed Under: Uncategorized, Blog, Griffin State of Mind Tagged With: curator, Member, griffin state of mind, griffin online

      Saba Sitton | Griffin Online Interview

      Posted on July 14, 2020

      We contacted Saba Sitton to ask her more questions about her journey in life and her photography. Below you will find her bio and her artist statement. You can see her work Journeys in Between and Distances Near Away in our Critic’s Pick Gallery.

      tree and fabric

      © Saba Sitton, “Acacias Dream,” from “Distances Near Away”

      Saba, thank you so much for taking the time to answer some of our questions for our audience. I enjoyed meeting you in Houston at Fotofest this past March. Can you talk a bit about “the present day Persian diaspora” for you and your family that you mention in your statement?

      I think the experience of being part of a diaspora is different for each person, but I believe there are some common threads. For example, I feel that many from my parents’ generation have always hoped that one day they could return home. For me, home is more nuanced; the concept of home is somewhere between the two cultures, and the intricacies of that, is at the core of my creative work.

       

       

      You talk about transitory instances where your present recalls the past. Can you speak about what that means to you?

      For an immigrant or an exile, there is always some degree of longing for one’s place of origin. This sense of longing does not undermine or overwhelm one’s being. It is just a part of one’s existence. Sometimes a familiar scent, a familiar shape, or a gentle breeze on a summer’s afternoon, can recall a similar experience from the past. These transitory instances of time, while not easy to define, are moments when one’s awareness is threaded between the present and a similar moment remembered from the past. It is these transitory moments that inspire and inform much of my work.

      I love the words you use to describe your work and journey. One phrase especially is the “poetics of migration” and “stories of exile”. Can you talk about this in reference to your work?

      Over the years, I have come to know many who live in exile, and others who have migrated to different countries around the world. I have heard stories of hope, of loss, of struggle, of longing, and of reconciliation. We are all on a journey. Some journeys are more layered, others have great contrast. I often think of my work as visual poems, and these are the poetics that find their way into my work.

      fabric and flowers

      © Saba Sitton, “Finding Solace,” from “Distances Near Away”

      What does the flower mean to you in your photographs? It seems to me that the flower is a constant. Why flowers? Do you personally identify with the flower?

      The flower has a special reverence in Persian culture. Throughout history, Persians have always prided themselves in their magnificent flower gardens. In Persian poetry, a flower symbolizes life’s beauty and fragility. A bouquet of flowers is considered a precious gift symbolizing life and renewal. In my work, a flower becomes a visual metaphor for a sense of connection with a remembered past and culture.

      How do you use poetry with your work?

      The poems that I use in my work are written by contemporary Persian poets. Persian culture has a strong history of poetry and celebrated poets. The culture has embraced poetry as a powerful carrier of ideas. The poetry in my work is an accompanying voice. Beyond the voice, the poems are also an integral element woven into the visual presence of the piece.

      Is your use of color in your photographs deliberate. Reds are predominant in your work. I see reds holding such richness and strength. Can you talk about what the colors you use mean to you?

      turquoise flowers

      © Saba Sitton, “A Path in Turquoise”, from “Journeys In Between”

      Color has always been an important part of my work. I often work with colors intuitively. But there are times when I use colors deliberately. For example, in my work, I often reference colors that are revered by the Persian culture like certain shades of blue, turquoise, and yellow. Intuitively, I am drawn to certain colors, like the color red. These colors, in all their variations, embody certain expressive qualities that I am looking for in my work.

       

      Can you tell us about Ten by Ten: Ten Reviewers Select Ten Portfolios from the Meeting Place 2018, FotoFest 2020 Biennial as so many of us missed it due to the pandemic.

      The Ten by Ten exhibition showcased the work of ten artists whose work was selected by ten international reviewers from the FotoFest 2018 Meeting Place. The selected work was very diverse and displayed a richness of ideas and approaches. My series, Journeys in-Between, was one of the selected portfolios. The exhibition was well received by the community and it was an honor to have been a part of it. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, the exhibition closed early. I believe FotoFest is planning to reopen the exhibition at a later date when it will be safe to open it to the public.

      What work are you thinking about doing now?

      I am always photographing life around me. I often explore new locations in search of images that embody a quality of expression that I am after. I work with these photographs, along with poems, and other materials to create my work. Today, the pandemic has changed so much of our everyday experiences. I am exploring new ways to produce my work with an awareness of today’s challenges.

      Is there something I haven’t asked you that you would like to talk about for our audience? 

      I hope this interview will help reveal additional insights into my work. I want to thank you for this opportunity to discuss my work with you and with your audience.


      Artist Statement

      tree and fabric

      © Saba Sitton, “Acacias Dream,” from “Distances Near Away”

      My work explores the transitory instances of time when one’s awareness is threaded between the present and a similar moment remembered from the past. At times, these threaded moments have hard juxtapositions due to differences from the change of context, the passage of time, or a change of place. Other times, they blend and fuse a sense of continuity that are more fluid and often share a moment of contemplation. Oftentimes my work is a reflection on the poetics of migration and the stories of exile. As an Iranian-American artist, my work is informed by idealized landscapes and intricate designs of early Persian art. Persian miniature paintings are adorned with intricate depictions of flowers, plants, and tightly woven patterns of imaginary gardens. In Persian poetry, a flower often symbolizes a fleeting moment, a poetic remembrance

      flowers 6

      © Saba Sitton, “August Light”, from “Journeys In Between”

      of life’s transience and fragility. In my work, a flower becomes a visual metaphor for a sense of connection with a remembered past. I often include poems in my work. These poems become an accompanying voice within the work. Sometimes the poems echo a sense of hope or longing, other times they evoke a sense of disorientation or doubt, as might be felt by an immigrant or an exile, on a life’s journey, of being in-between.

      Bio

      yellow and red fabric and flowers

      © Saba Sitton, Distances of Resolve,” from “Distances Near Away”

      Saba Sitton is part of the present day Persian diaspora. Her work explores transitory instances of time, either shared or solitary, visceral or recalled. Originally from Tehran, and having lived in Asia, Europe and the United States, Saba has firsthand experience living between cultures, languages, and traditions. Her work is often influenced by Persian art and literature as experienced and shared in a modern multicultural society. Saba studied art and design at the California Institute of the Arts and the University of Oregon where she received her MFA. She

      machines and flower

      © Saba Sitton, “Of Stillness Abound,” from “Distances Near Away”

      has worked on art and design commissions, and has exhibited her work in solo and group exhibitions. Most recently, Saba’s work was on exhibit at the Ten by Ten: Ten Reviewers Select Ten Portfolios from the Meeting Place 2018, FotoFest 2020 Biennial, and will be a part of the upcoming exhibition The Blue Planet, at H2 – Center for Contemporary Art, Glass palace, Kunstsammlungen und Museen, Augsburg, Germany. Saba lives in the United States and spends her time between California and Texas.

      Filed Under: Uncategorized, Blog, Online Exhibitions Tagged With: poetic migration, stories of exile, Saba Sitton, poetics of migration, Persian diaspora, Meeting Place 2018, FotoFest 2020, Ten by Ten, griffin state of mind, photographer interview, color of red

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      Floor Plan

      Amy Rindskopf's Terra Novus

      At the market, I pick each one up, pulled in by the shapes as they sit together, waiting. I feel its heft in my hand, enjoy the textures of the skin or peel, and begin to look closer and closer. The patterns on each individual surface marks them as distinct. I push further still, discovering territory unseen by the casual observer, a new land. I am like a satellite orbiting a distant planet, taking the first-ever images of this newly envisioned place.

      This project started as an homage to Edward Weston’s Pepper No. 30 (I am, ironically, allergic to peppers). As I looked for my subject matter at the market, I found that I wasn’t drawn to just one single fruit or vegetable. There were so many choices, appealing to both hand and eye. I decided to print in black and white to help make the images visually more about the shapes, and not about guessing which fruit is smoothest, which vegetable is greenest.

      Artistic Purpose/Intent

      Artistic Purpose/Intent

      Tricia Gahagan

       

      Photography has been paramount in my personal path of healing from disease and

      connecting with consciousness. The intention of my work is to overcome the limits of the

      mind and engage the spirit. Like a Zen koan, my images are paradoxes hidden in plain

      sight. They are intended to be sat with meditatively, eventually revealing greater truths

      about the world and about one’s self.

       

      John Chervinsky’s photography is a testament to pensive work without simple answers;

      it connects by encouraging discovery and altering perspectives. I see this scholarship

      as a potential to continue his legacy and evolve the boundaries of how photography can

      explore the human condition.

       

      Growing my artistic skill and voice as an emerging photographer is critical, I see this as

      a rare opportunity to strengthen my foundation and transition towards an established

      and influential future. I am thirsty to engage viewers and provide a transformative

      experience through my work. I have been honing my current project and building a plan

      for its complete execution. The incredible Griffin community of mentors and the

      generous funds would be instrumental for its development. I deeply recognize the

      hallmark moment this could be for the introduction of the work. Thank you for providing

      this incredible opportunity for budding visions and artists that know they have something

      greater to share with the world.

      Fran Forman RSVP