Print Sale Saturday at HCP

I'll be participating in my first print sale this coming Saturday at the Houston Center for Photography. The sale begins at 4 and runs till 8pm. There is an open bar and prints are priced below $350. Half of the proceeds go to HCP for educational funding. All proceeds from my sales will go to help produce my solo show in March. So if you are in Houston please stop by and pick up a print.

I will be selling older work and small prints from my Sorority Rush series. Hope to see you Saturday.

Coastal Galleries

If you are headed for a road trip through Texas or looking for a reason to visit a quaint town on the coast, wood/metal/glass a new exhibition at the Rockport Center for the Arts opens this Saturday October 25th at 5pm. My partner Gary Schott is among the metal artists featured in the show.

Another coastal gallery, Design Works located in Galveston, I am happy to report is still standing. Gary was scheduled to have his first solo show there in May of 2009 however since hurricane Ike we've had no correspondence with the gallery owners Steve and Elisabeth. Luckily I ran in to them at Lawndale's annual fundraiser last night. While the gallery suffered severe damage, taking on seven feet of water, the art survived. Steve and Elisabeth plan to have a homecoming exhibition in the coming months. The show will go on.

Auction, Opening and Maker Faire

If you happen to be in Austin this Friday through Sunday there are plenty of things to do. Or if you happen to be looking for a reason to come to Austin there is no shortage this weekend. Not to mention, I'll be attending all these events.

First up is Jeff Wilson's exhibition,Cryptozoology at St. Edwards Fine Arts Gallery.
The opening reception is this Friday October 17, from 6–8 p.m.

Cryptozoology is the study of evidence that suggests the existence of creatures that have never before been recorded. Jeff Wilson’s images subtly insinuate the existence of the mythological, mysterious and unexplained in everyday life — and chart our attempts to reconcile them.

Next is the Texas Photographic Society's 14th Annual Collectors' Print Auction which is being held at Davis Gallery on West 12th Street also happening Friday night. The auction party is from 6:30-8:00 with the live action happening at 7:30. Keith Carter, Matt Lankes, Kenny Braun, Kate Breakey, Scott Campbell, O. Rufus Lovett and Sean Perry among others will have work on display and more importantly for sale at very affordable prices.

If photography just isn't your thing well Maker Faire is hitting Austin Saturday and Sunday October 18 and 19th at the Travis County Expo Center.

LEARN TO MAKE, CRAFT, DESIGN OR DEVELOP:
• Robots • Rockets • Bicycles • Alternative Energy Devices • Electronics • Crafts
• Circuit Boards • Sustainable Food • Musical Instruments • Wood Working
• Knitting • Eco Modding Cars • Kites • Special Effects • Sewing • and more...

Maker Faire is a two-day, family-friendly event that celebrates the Do-It-Yourself (DIY) mindset. It's for creative, resourceful people of all ages and backgrounds who like to tinker and love to make things. So much to see, you will need 2 days to see it all!

Collection Box: Hair

My partner Gary and I recently completed a piece for Lawndale's annual Dia de las Muertos fundraiser. The exhibition opens October 20 and runs through November 8, 2008. The gala and silent auction are on October 23 from 6-9pm. This is our first year to participate and our first real collaborative piece.

Lawndale gave each artist a small piece of sheet metal. We were asked to incorporate this metal in to the final design and creatively explore the traditional tin devotional painting practice in Mexico known as the retablo. Gary and I like to challenge ourselves to work with materials we already have on hand. Gary had the idea to use the entire piece of sheet metal as the main structure of the retablo and only adding elements which were necessary. We both noticed in past years most artist's kept the sheet metal flat and built on top of it. Gary being a metalsmith and jewelry designer wanted the piece to have a more 3 dimensional quality. Expanding on my own work I wanted the piece so be somewhat sterile looking and a container or collection device. After I turned 30, I noticed I began shedding an unbelievable quantity of hair, making me hyper aware of my already thin hair and aging hair follicles. I have over a years worth of collected hair.

So for our Dia de las Muertos piece we created a collection box for my lost hair. Rather than throw it away and lose it completely I am able to still hold on to it in a manner of speaking.

Dedicated to a Brave Woman

Its been over a week since I posted. Luckily I've been busy shooting editorial assignments for Texas Monthly and working as a contract photo editor but it hasn't afforded me the time to post.

For the last week I've also been preparing to photograph a hysterectomy which is taking place tomorrow. I was given the green light by both the hospital and the patient yet the doctor denied me access. I understand and don't want to interfere in any way in the procedure but I can't pretend I'm not very disappointed to get so close and not be able to be there when the surgery takes place.

This all came about when I was forwarded an email from another artist friend based here in Austin. The subject of the email read "Free Uterus with Tumor". I was immediately interested and began corresponding with a woman who was scheduled to undergo a hysterectomy. I found the PR contact at the hospital, had the patient fill out the release form and the surgeon was also faxed the release form. Yet this particular doctor did not understand my interest in photographing the surgery and the significance for someone, an artist, to photograph this specific procedure.

I don't doubt at some point in the future all the lights will be green and I'll be able to photograph and film a hysterectomy or cervical procedure. For whatever reason it was not meant to happen this go around. My thoughts are with this brave woman and her family. In a silly way I felt better with the idea of me being there in the operating room with her, watching over her, making sure her uterus was taken care of and looked after by someone other than a doctor.