About to spend an evening with this adorable kid and hopefully new photos of him will follow...
We had a quick and unplanned wet weekend away to Washington DC this weekend to see Preston's high school friends expecting their first child and to visit Preston's brother, Lawson. We crossed a couple more places off of our DC list (take it from us, the National Building Museum is not worth visiting but the Hishhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden definitely is) and enjoyed the blue skies before the rain and cold arrived. Below is my iphone 4s photo narrative of our artistic explorations... (above left & below: Need Tower Sculpture by Kenneth Snelson, above right: Graft by Roxy Paine) (above: Carlos Cruz-Diez, "Chromosaturation," 1965, refabricated 2010) (only...
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While I was away in CT experiencing my first Easter vigil mass with my in-laws (of which no one told me it was the longest mass of the year... ), a few of my photographs were shown at a downtown Allentown arts vigil on the eve of Easter. The theme was RISE and "a hopefulness, or uncertainty, or vigil-esque feel" was my direction. It was a bit open ended, but then again, most artistic inspirations are. With the theme of hope buried into my heart this lenten season, here are a couple of my submissions to the event... TINY DANCER (above) 9...
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I don't have to wait for much in life, but when I do, I'm not very happy about it. I get impatient when my phone takes longer than 2sec to load a page. I get frustrated as I wait in line as people try to use their credit card for what appears to be the first time. And I find my heart rate rising sitting in any kind of traffic where the car is not moving. For many of us, December is a month of urgency and expectancy. Finals will soon be over, vacation is around the corner, presents will be...
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The natural thing to do the week after you get married is to honeymoon. Interesting enough, this concept is borrowed from the Indian elite who would take their upperclass brides on a tour to visit relatives who had not been able to attend the wedding... glad that's not still the tradition! Historically known as the the hony moone by the British, the honeymoon was a term used to describe the period just after the wedding when things are at their sweetest.. (this all is predicted to wane after a month... this might still be true :) ) Today, we know...
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Married on a Sunday in east bay's Fremont, Fred and Sonja tied the knot in Ardenwood Farms with a touch of comic book style. Fred, nicknamed the "Green Lantern" and Sonja, also known as "She Hulk" added their fun and personal touches to their day An easy-going-roll-with-the-punches kind of couple took the day in stride and immersed themselves in the moment and all of the people who came to share it with them. I loved seeing their joy as they returned down the aisle and they beautiful ways their families have melded together. The reception truly was a celebration and...
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Jody and Emily are two of my favorite bay area people. They value the process more than the product and the questions more than the answers. Over the past year, Preston and I have shared with them late night dinners, brunch discussions, and intense games of Risk and we're better because of it. I guarantee you, if you get the chance, time with them is time well spent. They recently finished their masters degrees and wanted to celebrate the milestone and their new chapter in life. We re-lived all the late nights studying, walks on campus, and coffee shop discussions in...
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Chelsea and Loren met each other at one of my photography shows last fall and I count it an honor to photograph them in one of the most intimate and naturally beautiful weddings I have ever attended. Surrounded by a circle of family and sheltered by the towering redwoods, they they came together to share their simple but sincere vows. Loren's eyes remained fixed on his bride's face and Chelsea, a dancer, moved in her beautifully unique way towards him. As tourists walked about and snuck peaks between the trees, they made a decision to dance forward into a...
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06.16.10 // Twenty-Five Toes // Lira Uganda I believe the phrase goes, ‘If these walls could talk, oh the stories they’d tell.” As I sit here with these children, I wonder what stories their feet would tell me. How many miles have they walked without shoes over rocky roads and uncultivated fields? How many times have they fetched the day’s water or run under a tree for shelter from the rain. These feet have built callouses to protect but also to survive. If their feet could talk, I think it would leave mine speechless.
His eyes are so intense, staring back at me like a little warrior. I wonder what he thinks when he looks at me so intently... Does he wonder why I am here as much as I want to know his story? Does he want to meet my family in the same way I want to know his sisters? Is he curious about my white skin and curly hair as much as I am intrigued by the dirt on his dark face? I wonder what he's thinking. But the only words he speaks are with his eyes. There comes a moment in each life experience where you must decide if...
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[excerpts from my observations, field notes and analysis at Page Street from January 25 - May 7 though names have been changed. all photographs taken with permission]
I’ve attended Page Street Center’s food distribution program almost every Monday for four months. What began as ethnographic research and language observations of an urban center turned into a relationship with the people that superseded a school project.
i’ve found a new iphone app that i love and have been enjoying the freedom of photos on the go. after 3-see.com, i was a bit burned out by a photo a day and the expectation i had to take a photo everyday with a “real” camera. but with photo/editing/posting in my fingertips without putting my fingers on my computer, you better believe, a photo a day hasn’t stopped. Read More
i wish i could describe to you the complete and utter joy that comes as a photographer when you get a new camera. my previous faithful friend was on her last leg (she was a 7 year old hand-me-down, refurbished piece of 10D canon wonderfulness). and thanks to an unnamed donor, she was finally replaced to go enjoy shooting fields of flowers and butterflies in camera heaven. may she rest in digital piece. and without delay, a new one was ordered and sent my way. i waited by the door like a child at christmas. i made sure i had my...
Read Moreit's a good start to a new year with word that two of my pieces have been selected for a permanent gallery! while at k-state in manhattan, ks (aka the little apple) i received a minor in leadership studies. this new year is the grand opening of their new facility on campus and they wanted to fill the halls with work of previous students. two of my recent pieces from africa have been selected by the leopold gallery to fill the hall. Little Warrior | Lira, Uganda His eyes are so intense, staring back at me like a little warrior....
Read MoreAlone, Michael Kuany, is just a man from Africa. Born into a war-torn country, destined to lead a difficult life, Michael – by himself – can do very little to change the world. In community, however, Michael Kuany is the catalyst behind a growing movement. Friday night, his story provided the context for a few artists and friends to come together and dream of a better future for Sudan. How would your impact change if you teamed with others? Thanks to all of you who were able to participate in our Reflections of Africa photography show! We were overwhelmed with the turnout...
Read Morebe sure you’re coming to the photography show THIS FRIDAY NIGHT!!! yes, my first San Francisco showing and all for a good cause. all of the money we raise from the silent auction is going towards the school i helped design this summer during my month in Africa. so be there and buy a photo. and if you won’t be there, stay tuned, because you’ll soon be able to buy it online as well. REFLECTIONS OF AFRICA a collections of stories and photographs FRIDAY, AUGUST 28TH 7-9PM AT MERIDIAN GALLERY 535 POWELL STREET SAN FRANCISCO, CA ALL PROCEEDS FOR REBUILDSUDAN.ORG download the invite here: reflections-of-africa
i am seeing africa, their africa. it is not as i imagined it. it is more gentle than aggressive. is more sincere than sinister. their skin so scarred yet pure; their eyes so piercing yet gentle. i want to meet them; i want to know them. i want to be here with them.
everywhere we go, we seen evidence of the past. it’s as if we cannot escape these signs of war which point towards the pain still lingering in this place. i wonder if they serve as healthy reminder of what was or if they hinder the future of what could be. as the green branches over take the rusted steel, i believe hope is on the way.
i wish i could see life through his eyes. i would give anything right now to enter his world to understand him more. no matter how hard i try, i will always be an outsider. kawaja, they call me… white person is my label. again and again, all day long, i am known by my skin, as one who does not belong. how i long to see through his eyes…instead, i can only see myself in them.
i am flying over the sudan and i cannot even begin to describe this moment. below me lies a network of huts, a collection of villages, a living organism of tribes, a ethos of culture. it has existed long before my time and will continue long after my visit. even from above, i can see the way they are connected, the way they are intricately woven together. …………………. i recently spent a month in africa and am catching up my blog with stories from my journey. to hear more about our projects and why i was there, see HERE to see my photos from this...
Read Morean attempt at capturing my little sister's beauty...
Beyond the [Walls] : An Architect's Journey through India Wichita, KS Final Friday : Abode Home
Indian Passage | Mussoorie, India On my way into the village's market, I always pass this door. It belonged to the same man who carved wood on his porch and next to the children who always played under the colorful lines of laundry. I never learned where it went or what the chalked markings were left on its surface. But I imagine it leads to something mysteriously India, or a moment unique only to this place, or to people who would welcome me as family if only I would step through its door.
everything that we see is a shadow cast by that which we do not see. [martin luther king, jr.]
