Showtime!

We can discuss how it all went, now that I’m on the backside of it. Like a hobo stumbling off a Western Pacific, I am bloodied, confused, and unashamed. Such is the process.

I am speaking, of course, of my annual photo / solo exhibit. I decided a few years ago that my photography had no purpose if I was not going to share it publicly in a show. And while I was more than happy to share my images across social media and to the family, I felt I wasn’t reaching my intended audience. I was participating in the modern version of Dad’s Vacation Slideshow 1953, with participants who were bamboozled into looking at my images and clicking “like”. So I sought a venue in which to exhibit my work. 

I found a home at Edge Gallery. While we are a gallery for contemporary art, we are moreso a co-op known for pushing boundaries. Boundaries in thought, in concept, in material. Sometimes, boundaries that are set by society as a whole. But we seek out those members who are willing to push the norm aside in favor of personal expression. And so it is that I spend a few months each year freaking out about my annual show.

The process, for me, is cyclical. I begin by exploring a concept and working out the details. Often before I even pick up a camera, although sometimes inspiration comes in the form of an out-take from a photo session or even just a moment of inspiration while working a session. What I mean when I say “exploring the concept” is I consider the statement I’m trying to make, any motivations and inspirations involved, as well as the materials and processes used. Is the project viable from a social, philosophical, logistical, and operational standpoint? How do I start with nothing but an idea and end with a fully-fledged show? And will I be full of shit when I get there?

Some shows and ideas take years to fully realize, as you’ll see in upcoming blog posts. Others come together very quickly, which doesn’t make them any less important. It’s a question of how quickly the resources come together, whether the planets align and the universe provides. Once I start working on a show, am I able to get it to an exhibition-state by the time of my next show slot? And if not, how do I redirect my creative energies so that I can have content for my annual show?

It’s important to me that I create something new each year. I don’t like being pigeon-holed into being the guy who only does This Thing or That Thing. I don’t like repetition. I find it to be the opposite of stimulating. And it’s important to me that I do something new and interesting each year. Which is why, this year, I expanded my mixed media work. 

In 2021, just as we were starting to reawaken from the pandemic, I created a mixed media show titled #BMWTKBS. The title is stolen from a critique that was offered at my very first time showing with Edge. A woman walked up to some of my work and drunkenly blurted out “OH, BITE ME WITH THIS KODAK BULLSHIT!” I thought the whole interaction was hilarious and decided that was the perfect title of my next show. So I started working toward that and in the process began redefining my artistic voice. Using my photos as a foundation, I built out from that starting point using paint, gesso, wood, rust… Nothing was off-limits, nothing was sacred. I made efforts to keep the pieces archival, to a point, but frankly when you’re using vinegar and salt to rust materials or to make a weathering stain you have to accept that archival processes are a second thought. 

Through that show I realized I was rebelling against various photographic standards. Requirements, really. I had been a member of some professional photography organizations in the past and while they do well to push their members to become experts in the field they are also very regimented. Do your images follow the approved standards in relation to your chosen subjects and style? Are your prints archivally printed? Are they matted and framed in an approved and acceptable manner? These were the confines I was rebelling against, creating work that was interesting, thought provoking, intriguing. I was mistreating prints before stapling them to old wood, enclosing prints in rusted cages and framing in weathered 2x4’s. Nothing was sacred.

And so this year I opted to expand my work in mixed media. I began building some of these pieces fully one year before my show, knowing which general direction I was headed. And life did its thing, occasionally influencing the creative process. There were times it was too hot/ cold to work in the garage (where I do my messy work) or the basement (where I do my developing and editing). There were times I felt like a fraud and failure. Or the inspiration just wasn’t there. And yet, I had a deadline to meet.

And meet it I did. As you’ll see in the coming posts, this show stepped away from the shadows of my norm and created an exposure that I’m probably not completely comfortable with. But that’s art, right? The artist must expose themselves in order to let their voice be heard. And so here I stand - bloodied, confused, unashamed.

Check back in a couple weeks, when I will begin talking about various pieces to my recently-closed show, In This Way We Grow.