Alternative Gift Giving

"A gift that cannot be given away ceases to be a gift. The spirit of a gift is kept alive by its constant donation." —Lewis Hyde from The Gift.


grid of Collect.Give photographs

There are many ways to gift. If you haven't read The Gift by Lewis Hyde, I have an earlier post that sheds some light on the subject, just click HERE.

"What is good is given back." Lewis Hyde

Let the Holidays Begin!

Happy Thanksgiving

And for a short time our lives are transformed. My studio happens to be in the "heart" of my home. As such, it is temporarily transformed into a nursery! My creative energies have been diverted for a bit and I am loving it!



Have a great Thanksgiving!

Waffaa Bilal and The 3rd I

Not sure if you remember when Iraqi artist Wafaa Bilal locked himself into a studio with live webcams for the month of May at Flatfile Gallery in Chicago in a piece titled, Domestic Tension. His provocative interactive video installation raised awareness of daily life in war torn Iraq.

Well, I just learned that he is planning on having a camera IMPLANTED in the back of his head for a project titled "The 3rd I." The camera will take pictures at one minute intervals. OUCH!!!!!!! For more info, click HERE.

Thoughts on the recent release of Aung San Suu Kyi

Burma is one of the most compelling, haunting, and complex counties I have ever visited. The prolonged forced exile and recent release of Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi is thrilling. If you are unfamiliar with the situation, I suggest renting the DVD, Beyond Rangoon. You will have an historical insight into what the country is facing today. I watched it before I visited Myanmar (former name) in 1999 and the image of Aung San Suu Kyi facing the guns is the most dramatic and gripping demonstration of the power of peaceful protests. She is truly fearless and an inspiration to us all. A must see.

photographing in Rangoon in 1999

While visiting I took many photographs. The only problem is that all are in negative form and I don't have the time to scan and reprint. My head keeps swimming with images from the trip. It will be so interesting to see how the political process unfolds for the country. I wish, for the Burmese people, a non- violent transformation to greater freedoms and prosperity.



I photographed a series of a boy in the countryside who had a caged bird. For me it represented the Burmese population whose freedoms had been severely curtailed under the current rule. A counterpoint to the caged bird was the kite flying activity which was evident everywhere in the cities and the countryside. Every day hardships were put aside as the kites took to the skies. These were the last photographs I took, offering the hope of transcendence for the country.



Perhaps the time has come?

Hiroshi Sugimoto ~ The intersection of Art and Science

There is a wonderful article in the New York Times art section on the work of Hiroshi Sugimoto. His new body of work, "Lightning Field" contains photograms of light made without the camera...and they are stunning.

Hiroshi Sugimoto, Courtesy of Pace Gallery

"He generates his lightning photographs without a camera, rather like a photogram. But instead of placing an object on photo-sensitive paper, then exposing it to light, he produces the image by causing electrical sparks to erupt over the film’s surface. The process “creates a similar situation to the first meteorite hitting the Earth.." excerpt from the NYT...you can see the entire article HERE.

Lightning Fields 198, 2009

Lightning Fields 168, 2009

It seems that many photographers are searching for the light, the beginning, the essence of what it means to be alive. Hiroshi Sugimoto "conceived of “The Day After” as a spectacular sound-and-light installation focused on the origins of life and the intersection of art and science."

I am then reminded of the amazing work of Michael Flomen whose work explores light generated by the firefly at nighttime, again, thru the photogram.

Contact 2001, Michael Flomen



I heard world renown conservationalist and naturalist E. O Wilson speak yesterday at the Chicago Humanities Festival and was so taken by his passion and wisdom. The intersection of science and art is fascinating. Both artists and scientists approach their work with curiosity and a sense of wonder and experimentation. The creative impulse is an amazing gift.

I am reminded of a line from the song, La Vie Boheme from the play Rent...
The Opposite Of War
Isn't Peace...
It's Creation...

Silent Moan by Michael Donner

In Michael Donner's words...

"I have always been fascinated with the idea that people are not as they seem. My self included? I believe it is a rare happening that the true self is shared, and even more rare that when true self is shared it is seen. Instead what is shown to the world is a projection of the blurred truth of self; a projection of how people think they should be seen. Curiosity leads me down this path like the curiosity to know what is behind a closed door. What is behind the door of a blurred projection of self? I always find the answer to this though is not as amazing as is the way a person builds their façade. We have marvelous tools of ego architecture that allow us to construct these grand fortresses that protect the fragile truth inside. It is these fortresses of ego that I am at wonder about. To know a truth about someone and watch them from behind the stage, as the lights go on, and the curtain goes up; to see the performance, a great one at that. Knowing I am the only one realizing... what a show it is. This project is my exploration from behind the stage of the greatest show of all... us. It is my view of false projections, fortresses of a facade, and the egos that stand upon them. The fragile truth that is covered up can be many things: a secret best not shared, an event best forgotten, a failure best not remembered, or perhaps a dead dream that will not rest. Whichever the case, they are all a part of us that we will carry; the past that is a silent moan."

The Process

"The process begins with the negative; the decision of how to destroy it and decay it is about looking further than when the shutter was released. Many techniques are used to further convey the concept in each image; freezing, melting, scratching, and cutting are a few. Once the negative is finished, the control of depth of field is done through the enlarger, allowing the choice in each print of where the focus will be. The prints are silver gelatin; archivally toned in selenium, and uniquely stained in tea. They are signed, dated, titled and editioned in ink by the artist own hand. The edges are then burned and beeswax is applied in layers, finishing each piece from conception to print. They are one of a kind within an edition; from the tones to the lettering, burning and wax finish. No two prints are the same."