Richard M. Coda fine-art photography

Inspirations #18: George Tice & White Castle

2009-11-09T17:32:00.000-08:00

White Castle, Route #1, Rahway, NJ, 1973 by George A. Tice

OK, I have to admit... coming from Jersey I am a BIG White Castle junkie. I can remember my parents taking us to the Castle as children, when they still had car-side service and the burgers were a nickel. In 1982 at college (Rutgers) we used to have "Castle Runs" during study breaks. The Castle was about 10 miles away so whoever had the fastest run for the week got free burgers on Saturday night. I actually made a video of this for a class I took as a Senior. The video was called "Castle Run" and was loosely based on the movie "Cannonball Run". "Video" in those days was Sony Beta 3/4" tape. The camera was huge. Because the camera had to be connected to the actual tape recorder we couldn't take it with us on the run... so we were only able to tape the preamble (ordering) and the actual carnage (eating) after the burgers had arrived. I thought it was missing an external microphone, so I told my roommates that they could say whatever they wanted. Imagine my horror when my teacher said to turn the volume up for my final presentation - it had an internal microphone. At least he had a sense of humor and I got an A. Fast forward and castles became a rare treat. I knew my girlfriend (now wife) loved me when she went to Passaic, NJ to get me a "sack" for my birthday. After marriage we moved to Jackson, NJ and the nearest Castle was 50 miles away. My prayers were answered, but too late, when they built a Castle a few miles from our home just a year before we moved to Arizona. Now, I make my own Castles for Super Bowl every year... but we use filet mignon sliced 1/4" thick, steamed over a bed of carmelized shallots, with Tillamook Cheddar and thinly sliced sweet baby gherkins, on a potato roll. I call them "Chateau Blancs!" Uuu-uum good!

Ah, long live the good old days... it's too bad that everything has to be modernized nowadays. These old White Castles were really interesting architecturally. They are all boring, plain vanilla today.

Anyway, back to photography. If I could add just one photograph to my collection it would be "White Castle" by George Tice from 1973. Aside from the food connection, this is a beautiful example of night photography and the print is luminous. If you ever want to see what a print from a master printer looks like... see a George Tice exhibit.

Chicago Hamburger Company, Phoenix, AZ, 2009 by Richard M. Coda

This was the first night photograph I had taken in almost 30 years. I did pick this particular image as my first due to my fondness for Mr. Tice's image. As did Mr. Tice, I used an 8x10" camera for this. With TMax 400 film the exposure was 27 seconds at f/45-2/3.

This week, my night photography subject will be a Taco stand in color on the 8x10" I can't wait!

Night...

2009-11-09T10:52:00.000-08:00

Turn out the lights and step out into the night
And the world is busting at its seams
And you're just a prisoner of your dreams
Holding on for your life `cause you work all day
To blow `em away in the night
"Night" by Bruce Springsteen

I'm not usually out at night where I have the time to do something for myself, so I have taken the opportunity to try something new. I have been playing around with night photography while my daughter is at her life drawing class. The last time I did night photography it was a failure. There was a total eclipse of the moon and I set my 4x5 up in my parents' driveway (this is a long time ago) and focused on infinity and left the lens open, covering it with the lenscap and making an exposure every few minutes or so... I can't even remember.

Burton Barr Central Library, Phoenix, 2009, by Richard M. Coda

I have always wanted to photograph this unique looking building but never had the time. One night, after an event at the Phoenix Art Museum, which is a block away, I saw it lit up and thought it looked more unique... almost alien-like. I arrived at just the right time... everyone had just left work so there were no cars or light trails to be bothered with. You can actually read some of the book spines in this image! I used the 8x10" camera and TMax400 film. The exposure was 53 seconds at f/32. The hardest thing about night photography is focusing.

Star Spangled Banner, Phoenix, AZ, 2009 by Richard M. Coda

I had passed this very large billboard many times during the day. There is no illumination on the flag side. There are lights on the opposite side, however. This billboard sits on the line inbetween a hair salon and a Chinese Restaurant. When I arrived there was a parking spot in the perfect location to shoot from, which I took. Again, using the 8x10" camera, I wedged my tripod between my car and the car next to me, hoping that the person would not leave soon. This is a very active parking lot at dinner time. Many cars came and left during the time I was there. I had the camera pointed upward so I wouldn't have to deal with headlights coming right at me. Now, as there is no illumination on the flag side this image was extremely hard to focus. After 10 minutes of trying to focus with the light dwindling by the second, I decided to focus on the middle and just stop down. I ended up with an 18 minute exposure at f/45-2/3. I think the image has promise. These are just negative scans. Hopefully I can get to printing them soon and make a really nice print.

I have one other night image but I will keep it for the next post as it is also an Inspirations post.

What's New...

2009-11-03T11:51:00.001-08:00

Haven't been able to post in a while... work is finally getting busy again, thankfully.

I have been able to try my hand at night photography while my daughter is taking her life drawing class at her school on Wednesday nights. I have the 8x10 film developed... just have to scan it to post. Next week I will be trying 8x10 color transparency film at night!

Also a new 11x14 negative. I hope to be in the darkroom printing some time next week.

Stay tuned...

Inspirations #18: Tree Trunks - Albert Renger-Patzsch & Clinton Smith

2009-10-13T17:55:00.000-07:00

Buchenwald, 1936 by Albert Renger Patzsch

I have always been fascinated by tree trunks. For some reason, the entire tree, unless it is the only tree in the photo (as in Ansel Adams' Oak Tree in Snow Storm, Yosemite) just doesn't do it for me. It kind of starts getting too complicated when you introduce the whole tree. I have always loved Albert Renger-Patzsch's Buchenwald, 1936. The first time I saw it was in one of my favorite photo books, Counterparts: Form and Emotion in Photography.

Another tree trunk photo I love is Brett Weston's Beech Forest, Holland, 1971. Although part of the canopy is included, the strength of this photo is the elegant lines of the trunks. They almost remind me of city people scurrying in their hectic lives.

On my first trip to Carmel in 1984 I went to the Weston Gallery. At the time they were exhibitibng Clinton Smith. There was a huge 30x40 color print in the window. It blew me away. The simplicity and the color were just amazing.

Untitled by Clinton Smith

Trees have to be simple and graphic for me. The lines have to be elegant, and more often than not, curved slightly. Maybe that's what attracted me to the Two Trees in Snow, Pompton Lakes, 1984. What happened above the crop just did not interest me. In fact, this is a crop of the full negative.

Two Trees in Snow, Pompton Lakes, NJ 1984 by Richard M. Coda

One of my favorite places to photograph in Scottsdale is the Civic Plaza. The Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art is located there. The building is very modern... lots of glass and brushed steel and curved surfaces. This tree is behind the art center along the walkway to the parking garage. Initially the sheen of the metal surface caught my eye. But later I thought more about the curve of the tree. I love the way the dark, crusty curve of the tree trunk counters the smooth, luminous surface of the metal wall and the vertical lines of the metal sections.

SMoCA Tree, Scottsdale, AZ, 2009 by Richard M. Coda

Although my images are of single trees, or at least appear to be single trees, I am still in search of a composition of multiple tree trunks. Hopefully one day I will find them.

But is it really Art?

2009-10-11T09:50:00.001-07:00

I don't think so. Well, my photograph is, of course ;^)

Another of my color shots from last weekend. I took this one for my daughter as she wants to go to art school.

Walk on the Wild Side

2009-10-10T20:55:00.000-07:00

On my recent outing with John Prouty I photographed at the corner of 16th Street and Van Buren Street in Phoenix. Not the best area of town but worth photographing.

I had discovered this a few weeks ago while driving my daughter to a College Fair at the Phoenix Convention Center. They had just repainted the facade of this building and I could not believe the color choices. Dayglo Lime Green and Orange... side by side! I was also attracted to the signage and the windows plastered with newspapers. I told my daughter that I had to photograph this. She begged me to bring someone with me to watch my back while under the dark cloth.

I shot this on the 4x5 with a 450mm lens from across the street. There is a bus stop just outside the frame to the left. There was also what I would assume was a "working girl" waiting for the bus. I would have loved for her to be in the photo but the bus came before I could set the camera up and meter. Oh well, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo...

Guest blog: John Prouty

2009-10-05T17:51:00.000-07:00

John Prouty is a photographer friend of mine here in Phoenix.

By day he is a master woodworker but whenever he has free time he breaks out the 8x10" camera and creates some great photography. John is also an avid mountain climber, having reached the summit of Mt. Rainier twice this summer.

John doesn't limit himself to one particular subject matter and his portfolio is very diverse. Below are some of my favorites, including the "Hole in the Wall", taken in Superior, AZ on one of Rod Klukas' field trips. I have a 16x20 of this in my home. The print has an almost 3D quality to it.

As do all good photographers, John enjoys abstraction, and he is very good at it.

John also enjoys still lifes. Not one of my fortes, but after seeing some of John's work it makes you want to try some. He has a set of prints where he uses old tools and building materials that are very nice. He also puts quite a bit of thought into each composition. The image below is probably my favorite in this series.

Inspirations #17: Edward Weston and the Marx Brothers

2009-10-05T14:21:00.000-07:00

I was out photographing with my friend, John Prouty, this past Sunday morning.

John takes his photography seriously. He is very contemplative in his approach to photography and when viewing photographs. He photographs with 4x5 and 8x10 cameras. I'll post some of his work in a very near future post. Back to Sunday.

We were driving around very early. It was the first "nice" Sunday we've had here in the Phoenix area since the late Spring. The temperature was very comfortable in the morning. I had a few places I wanted to photograph so we went to them while the light was nice. I will post them soon, as well.

On one of our last stops we went to the Rio Salado Habitat, south of downtown Phoenix. This is a revitalized riparian habitat where they have begun to revive the Salt River as it once flowed through Phoenix a long time ago. Most people don't know that Phoenix started out as a riverside community. Once they dammed the rivers upstream to provide drinking water, the river only ran seasonally when they had to release water if the reservoirs approached capacity, which isn't often. They had to do it a summer or two ago. Anyway, there are patches of river coming back to life. At the Central Ave. parking area they have a "pond" next to the lot, I guess for the kids. There are ducks and small fish, maybe frogs. But it looked like it could use some TLC this past Sunday. There was this congregation of broken reeds, garbage and duck feathers in one corner. We stopped to look at it. I took this shot with my Nikon D300 and then decided to go back to the car and get the 8x10" camera. By the time I got back (less than a minute later) the breeze and current from the filtration system had shifted everything and broken the composition. So I have this digital image, at least.

It reminds me of the Edward Weston photograph, Tide Pool, Pt. Lobos, 1945, which I have a gravure of in my home.

Tide Pool, Pt. Lobos, 1945 by Edward Weston

Now, how do the Marx Brothers figure into this? I call the image "Horse Feathers".

I will post large format work from this weekend as soon as I get to process the film and have the chromes done at the lab.

Our Man on the Street: Larry Golsh on Sarah Moon

2009-09-26T09:21:00.000-07:00

Slowly we are receiving more reports from our "Man on the Street" in Paris (even though he's been in San Diego for a couple of months now), the famous Larry Golsh.

This week he discusses the Sarah Moon exhibit at the Galerie Camera Obscura.

Sarah Moon is my most favorite living photographer. I saw her in person for the first time in Paris at her opening at Galerie Camera Obscura.

Larry is a man of few words but he has an impeccable eye for art.

Thanks Larry.

Image accepted to Carmel Art and Film Festival

2009-09-24T11:42:00.001-07:00

Whaler's Cove, Pt. Lobos, CA, 1984, 15.5"x19.5" silver gelatin print

I am honored to have had a print accepted to the Carmel (CA) Art & Film Festival. Through a juried process, 50 artists were selected for a month long exhibition at the Marjorie Evans Gallery at the Sunset Center in Carmel, California. Ten top winners from this group will be given a group show at the FARMANI Gallery, in New York City. One top winner will be featured in ARTWORKS Magazine.

Also accepted was my friend, John Kitts, owner of 422 Gallery in Phoenix. Congratulations, John!

Guilded Dreams, platinum print, by John Kitts

Bosque Reeds, silver gelatin print, by John Kitts

The Photography Show was juried by:

Hossein Farmani is the founder of the Lucie Foundation, and the The Lucie Awards recognizing excellence in photography. He also founded the International Photography Awards, Month of Photography L.A., and the non-profit Focus on AIDS Foundation, just to name a few. Hossein also owns one of the largest private collections of photography in the United States.

Kim Weston is a third-generation member of one of the most important and creative families in photography. Weston has been a fine art photographer for 30 years specializing in large format photography. He learned his craft assisting his father, Cole, in the darkroom making gallery prints from his grandfather’s (Edward Weston) original negatives.

Bruce Haley is the recipient of the Robert Capa Gold Medal, one of the most prestigious photography awards in the world. Haley received this honor for his coverage of Burma‘s bloody ethnic civil war. He was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize by the Baltimore Sun, for helping to break the story of the famine in Somalia.

The Opening Reception is Thursday, October 8, 2009 at 5:30 PM. If you are in the Monterey Peninsula area, please stop by and enjoy the show.

InFocus: Face to Face at Phoenix Art Museum

2009-09-24T10:09:00.001-07:00

Last night I attended the first official event sponsored by InFocus, the Photography Support Organization at the museum. It featured a talk by Dr. Rebecca Senf, the Assistant Curator at the Center for Creative Photography in Tucson. Also in attendance from the Center was Linda Truesdale, Director of Development.

Dr. Rebecca Senf leads a discussion on photographic portraiture.

Among topics discussed were the stories portraits can tell, the ways photographers convey the essence of their subjects and the impact of the relationship between photographer and subject. Including nearly 60 portraits from the Center, as well as key loans from a few local collections, the exhibition raises engaging questions:

New York City, Gary Winogrand, 1968

How does a portrait become iconic?
What is unique about a photographic self-portrait?
What are the advantages of working in the studio, or in the field?

Alfred Steiglitz, by Paul Strand, 1924

How do photographers use setting, pose, camera angle, or scale to add meaning to a picture?

Prints by some of the greatest portraitists and photographic image-makers of the 19th-, 20th-, and 21st-century are included: Southworth and Hawes, Gertrude Kasebier, Edward Weston, Dorothea Lange, W. Eugene Smith, Ansel Adams, Diane Arbus, Yousuf Karsh and Richard Avedon.

Bob Dylan, by Richard Avedon

Our friend, Randy Efros, Brett Weston's last assistant.

A private reception for InFocus members followed.

Photographers Randy Efros and John Prouty

The exhibit continues through January 10, 2010 in the Norton Photography Gallery at the Phoenix Art Museum.

Inspirations #16: Vincent van Gogh, Sunflowers

2009-09-19T18:37:00.000-07:00

Vase with Twelve Sunflowers, c.1889, Vincent van Gogh

Vase with Five Sunflowers, c.2009, Richard M. Coda

Taken at Juan Garcia's opening at Photomark.

But I could have told you, Vincent,
This world was never meant for one as beautiful as you.
Don McLean, Vincent

Juan Garcia Exhibit Opening at Photomark

2009-09-19T18:15:00.001-07:00

This past Friday I attended the opening reception of my friend, Juan Garcia, at the gallery at Photomark in Phoenix.

Juan is a great friend and photographer. He is particularly drawn to historic mining murals found throughout the mining towns of Arizona, including Superior, Globe, and Miami. His detail shots of these large murals, which are basically outdoor frescoes, serve as a record of the hard life these miners lived, and as a reminder of the glory days of these towns. Most of the murals are in varying states of disrepair currently. Most of the mining towns are just shadows of the bustling boom towns they once were... which is also a blessing in disguise for photographers.

Juan exhibited nine 16x20 prints which all worked very well together as a group. I hinted that this would make a great portfolio in 8x10" size.

Juan Garcia, Sue Reynolds, and Randy Efros

Juan talking with his mentor, Randy Efros, Brett Weston's last assistant

Juan talking with gallerist John Kitts and his wife, Lonnie.

From left, John Prouty, Tammy Cowden, Juan Garcia, Mr. & Mrs. Larry Slater

Larry Slater saving the moment on his iPhone

Dead Snake in the Road...

2009-09-11T06:19:00.001-07:00

Hail to the Chief, Richard M. Coda, 2009

You know the old joke about the difference between a dead snake in the road and a dead lawyer in the road...

Inspirations #15: Joel Meyerowitz

2009-09-11T05:59:00.000-07:00

North Wall, Joel Meyerowitz, 2001

911 Saguaro, Richard M. Coda, 2009

Inspirations #14: Jackson Pollock

2009-08-23T20:04:00.000-07:00

Number 8, 1948, by Jackson Pollock, oil on canvas

My daughter was taking an art class at her school on Saturdays earlier this year. I would drop her off, go get some coffee and visit with Rod Klukas at the camera store, then go out and photograph or scout for a few hours until I had to pick Lindsay up. One Saturday I noticed this large painting in one of the art classrooms. I asked Mr. Pesselato about it and he explained they were doing an homage to Jackson Pollock in the Art Club. I thought it was pretty interesting and asked if I could photograph it, to which he agreed.

I spent about an hour and a half photographing it, using a Nikon 120 Macro lens on my 4x5" camera with Velvia 50 so I could get up close and personal. These are all really small snippets of this large painting. Even in this small area the complexity is incredible. I made six images that morning and this is the first one I have scanned. I will post the rest when I have them scanned.

The colors are intense and the abstraction is reminiscent of Brett Weston or Aaron Siskind. Earlier in my photographic career I would have photographed this in black & white. But now, with my new appreciation and understanding of color this was the ONLY way I could photograph it today. I even tried converting it to black & white in Photoshop and it did nothing for me.

Art Club #1, 2009, Richard M. Coda

Below is the original and complete painting by the Art Club of Phoenix Country Day School. It is at least 4x8 feet in dimension. This is actually an Inspiration once removed... the Art Club was inspired by Jackson Pollock, and I was inspired by the students at PCDS. Thanks kids!

Art Club Spring 2009, Jackson Pollock Exercise, acrylic on paper, 48x96"

Inspirations #13: Josef Sudek

2009-08-18T09:23:00.000-07:00

Unor meho atelieru (February from the window in my studio), 1948 by Josef Sudek

Josef Sudek was born in Czechoslovakia in 1896, the same year as my grandfather. He began photographing in 1913. He was originally trained as a bookbinder and, ironically, his younger sister went into photography, but he had a become a keen amateur photographer before being called into military service in the First World War in 1915. He was wounded in the years that followed, requiring that his right arm be amputated. Despite this handicap, he continued to photograph for more than 50 years with mostly large format cameras. I don't ever want to hear another large format photographer complain about the weight of their cameras!

Mé okno, 1952 by Josef Sudek

Sudek's photographs are often dark and mysterious, bordering on mystical, yet they contain beautiful tones despite the limited tonal scale. As he had only one arm he preferred contact prints, and his images are prized for their delicate beauty. His work was often very personal with subject matter that was close at hand, such as the window from his studio, or still lifes composed of common kitchen and household objects, although he also made beautiful landscape and cityscapes of his native Czechoslovakia. He became known as the Poet of Prague. Josef Sudek died in 1976.

In 1985, we had a nice snow storm in January. My parents' house, built in the late 1950s, did not have the windows we are used to today – energy efficient, double (or more) paned – just plain ol' plate window glass. When it snowed, or was humid there was often condensation on the insides of the windows. I became entranced by the mystical quality of the background imagery through the sweating glass.

I made these two images with my 4x5 camera in my bedroom. I have printed them at 11x14, but much prefer the 4x5 contact prints.

Window #1, Pompton Lakes, NJ, 1985 by Richard M. Coda

Window #2, Pompton Lakes, NJ, 1985 by Richard M. Coda

Inspirations #12: Walker Evans and Eleven:Fourteen

2009-08-14T18:57:00.000-07:00

Tin Building, Moundville, AL, 1936 by Walker Evans

I remember the first time I saw this image at the Witkin Gallery in New York back in the Early 1980s. The tones and unending vertical lines mesmerized me. I wish I had the few hundred dollars it cost to buy an original (not Library of Congress) print back then, but fresh out of college equals fresh out of money!

Walker Evans did a substantial amount of work in Moundville, Alabama back in 1936 for the Farm Security Administration enacted by FDR during the Great Depression. There are so many great photographs from this town it would be interesting to go back and see what it is like now. It would be even better if the current administration would fund it, but of course, they find it more important to spend unGodly amounts of money elsewhere.

William Christenberry did just that in the 1960s through the 1980s. He grew up near the area and became fascinated and inspired by Evans' work capturing the "ordinary" scenes in rural Alabama. This work eventually became a traveling exhibit, a book, Of Time & Place, and even was interpreted by Christenberry as sculpture. If you can find the book, published by the Friends of Photography, pick one up - it's a good read. I have a copy in my library.

Rick's Hitch Works, Phoenix, AZ, 2009 by Richard M. Coda

On many of my Sunday morning photo jaunts I would pass this place on Van Buren Ave. at 20th Street in Phoenix. Unfortunately, behind chain link fence, barbed wire and dogs, this place was never open. In late May 2008 the light was perfect... the sun was in front of the building and early in the morning it raked across the corrugated aluminum facade perfectly. I desperately tried calling to see if I could get permission to photograph the building, but no one ever answered or returned my message. I marked it down in my calendar to try again in one year, May 2009.

I happened to be in the area on a Saturday after I dropped my daughter off at her art class and noticed that the gate was opened. I had the cameras and I was ready. I went in where it says "Office". There was nothing but junk in there. I came out and went into one of the other businesses that share the parking lot. There was this old guy sitting at a computer, smoking a cigar and surrounded by dogs. I asked him nicely if I could photograph the building, explaining my big cameras and all. He wondered why I would want to take a photograph of that "old thing". He mentioned they had been thinking of tearing it down to make more room. Thankfully, he allowed me to photograph it.

I used the 11x14" camera on this and the contact print is just beautiful with creamy light tones and the beautiful vertical shadows. I am very happy I was able to make this image before Rick's disappears into history, just as Moundville has.

Eleven:Fourteen - I'm Soooo Tired...

2009-08-14T18:18:00.000-07:00

...I haven't slept a wink (John Lennon, The White Album by The Beatles)

Tires, Phoenix, AZ, 2009 by Richard M. Coda

I haven't slept a wink since I printed this new 11x14" negative!

I saw this on one of my Sunday morning photo runs a couple of months ago. I had passed it one morning but did not have the 11x14" camera with me. Went back the next weekend with a friend and photographed it.

As soon as I saw it I knew it had to be taken on the 11x14. It was a wall of old tires, about 10 feet tall and maybe 150 feet long, lining an alley near Broadway and 7th Street in Phoenix. I found the lines fascinating. And the deep, dark tones highlighted by the faded rubber and occasional white paint sealed the deal.

The detail in this simple image is amazing. 154 square inches of film (assuming a native film resolution of 5000 dpi) means that there's 3.85 GIGABYTES of information in an 11x14 negative. This little digicam snap of the print does not do it justice.

I'm finding that size DOES count. After using my 4x5" most of the time from the early 1980s until a few years ago, I had recently standardized on 8x10". Since getting the 11x14" camera I find I want to use it most of the time, but economics dictate otherwise!

I'll have another new 11x14" contact print to post this weekend as part of another Inspirations post.

New book by Harlan Nelson on blurb.com

2009-08-04T10:10:00.000-07:00

My friend Harlan Nelson has published his first book, titled, Traces of a Culture.

Harlan is originally from North Dakota, and after retiring in 1998 he began photographing the area in which he had grown up. The book also contains historical facts and interviews with residents and their descendants. Harlan has shown many of these photos at our Imageworks meetings, usually with "colorful" commentary about the people from this rugged area of the country.

The 440 page book is available on blurb.com and is available in both softcover and hardcover.

InFocus Fundraiser a Success!

2009-08-04T09:49:00.001-07:00

The fundraiser for InFocus, the new photography support group of the Phoenix Art Museum, held on August 1st was a big success!

The show was well attended, and all thirteen of the photographs donated were sold during the silent auction. In attendance were Jim Ballinger, director of the Phoenix Art Museum, and his wife, Linda, Annie Waters, a noted Phoenix artist, and many other patrons of the Phoenix art scene. The auction brought in just under $2800 for the fledgling group.

There are several upcoming InFocus events being planned, including an exhibit of photographs by Randy Efros and John Kitts. Look for more details here as they become available.

From left: Randy Efros, Jim and Linda Ballinger, John Kitts

From left: Contributing photographers Judith Andersen, Joyce Bealer and John Prouty.

Reminder: InFocus Benefit Saturday, August 1

2009-07-31T10:51:00.000-07:00

Just a reminder that the InFocus benefit at 422 Gallery is tomorrow, Saturday, August 1 from 6:00-9:00 PM. The images for up for silent auction will be viewable from 12 Noon, in case you already have plans for the evening. Opening bids start at $100, except for the Kim/Edward Weston image, which starts at $500. Refreshments will be served. Call John Kitts of 422 Gallery at 602-670-1342 for more information.

License Plates and Signs, Hackberry, AZ, 2008 by Richard M. Coda

Spring, 1943, Negative by Edward Weston, Print by Kim Weston

InFocus Fundraiser Exhibit and Silent Auction - August 1, 6:00 PM

2009-07-24T11:15:00.000-07:00

422 Gallery is hosting a fundraiser for IN FOCUS on
Saturday, August 1, from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m.

IN FOCUS is the dynamic new photography support group
of the Phoenix Art Museum.

The fundraiser will feature a silent auction of a dozen
fine photographs donated by some really great
photographers along with a framed Edward Weston
photograph printed by Kim Weston.

Preview and bidding are available anytime after noon.

The silent auction photographs are 4” x 5” to 8” x 10”
in size and bidding starts at $100.

Photographers donating prints to the auction:

422 Gallery is located at 4115 North 44th Street, Phoenix.

Refreshments will be served.

Please call 602-670-1342 with any questions.

Uncle Floyd's New Jersey

2009-07-23T06:27:00.000-07:00

For those of you not familiar with New Jersey, there was a phenomenon back in the 1970s and 1980s called "The Uncle Floyd Show". It was on PBS (for a while anyway), usually after school. To the innocent bystander it appeared to be a children's show, but to the aficionado it was pure adult comedy and satire. They covered topics from entertainment to politics. I watched it when I was in high school. I went to William Paterson my first year of college and some of the cast were continuing students there and you'd regularly see them at the school pub. When I went to Rutgers (in New Brunswick, New Jersey), no one had ever heard of Uncle Floyd. Until I met Charlie Belunis. He was the only one I ever met at RU who was clued in. We started a Rutgers Fan Club (because college students have nothing better to do). Uncle Floyd used to have a segment at the end of each show called "Pictures on the Wall". It was kind of like a refrigerator on TV, where he would post drawings sent in by children from all over NJ. One day, Charlie drew a great impersonation of a child's drawing and sent it in. Imagine our surprise when it was featured in the segment, signed Charles Belunis, age 18!

Anyway, I was thinking about my home state the other day and wondering if Uncle Floyd had done anything since the glory days. He is a great Vaudeville/Honkytonk piano player and he is always found playing at a club or restaurant somewhere deep in the heart of Jersey. I found this clip of a series that I had not heard of before, called "Uncle Floyd's New Jersey". I guess once you get a job after college your priorities change. I found it fascinating for I had no idea of the diversity in places like Paterson, and the relative peace within that diversity. Nothing like we have today. Ah, the good ol days.

Uncle Floyd's New Jersey-Main St., Paterson

There are several other episodes available on YouTube. Check them out.

Our Man on the Street...

2009-07-20T10:33:00.000-07:00

We have decided to spare no expense to bring you coverage of fine-art events around the globe.

This summer we rented a house in Paris, France and sent our "Man on the Street", the famous Larry Golsh, there for six weeks to report on the Paris art scene. Upon his return we will put him up in a luxurious condo on the 22nd floor in San Diego until we bring him back here to Phoenix in October.

Here's Larry's take on the Warhol exhibit at the Grand Palais.

Just going to the Grand Palais in Paris is a great experience, the building is one of the most beautiful I have visited. The Warhol exhibit is spectacular. The paintings took on a new international look for me. For the first time I realized how important photography was to Warhol. My favorite works were the self portraits and the floating silver clouds.

And what trip to Paris would be complete without visiting the Louvre? Unfortunately the place was mobbed and we weren't able to get many photos as shown here.

During his four month stay in San Diego, Larry will be reporting back to us on the San Diego and Los Angeles art scenes.