Where Are We? Why Are We?

Patterns, shapes, lines, form; placement, format, representation, relationships.  Where we put things.  We build, shape and form our surroundings to fit our needs.  External forces act upon our creations.  We react to the forces to preserve our creation.  The forces can be natural- out of our control; not of our making as human beings.  The forces can be synthetic- of our own doing; man made.  The places in this series represent man altered land forms; places of our own creation that survive because we do.  We make them and preserve them for our own purposes.   

Where Are We?

Another location.  The relationship between man made structure and natural forces.  How do the changes we make impact our surroundings?  How are the changes we make effected by our surroundings? 

The place was there before we were.  When we got there we decided that this place could be used for this purpose.  We went in and made changes to the place.  We dug; we filled in; we built; we tore down; we rebuilt; we laid roads, railroads, etc.... the original place still exists and it can be seen if we look closely.

 

Change happens but, why does it happen?  How is the decision come to for a specific place to be changed?  What goes into that decision?  What is taken into consideration when the decision is made?  Why was that put there and not somewhere else?

 

The way our places are laid out is an interesting puzzle.  The thought process is interesting and I want to find out more.  It deserves investigation.

Reading List-

Reading Now-

How the Other Half Lives- Jacob Riis

Lost Images

Made earlier this year.... found them.

Where Are We?

Still working on the premise of placement or place.  Maps show us where things are; a graphic representation of the placement of places. 

These are hand drawn from a computer rendered map.  I believe they are unfinished at this point but I thought I would share them anyway.

Some things I am considering while working; thoughts,etc.-

Natural features, man-made/manufactured features, boundaries, organic vs. geometric shape, interaction of man-made and natural elements, modern processes vs. traditional processes, functional and aesthetic placement and purpose, etc.

A Portrait of the Artist

2010

1 Image

Sycamore, Illinois

Space - Place - Placement - Purpose

 

          

Why do we put things where we put them?  What is the purpose behind location?  What makes one location preferable over another?  How does environment impact an object?  How does the object impact the environment?

I believe that a great deal can be said about our values- both cultural and personal- by how we place things in our lives and environments.  I will use the terms; objects, structures, things, items, etc to describe all of the paraphernalia of life.  All of the tangible and intangible objects that we have are dealt with purposefully.  I want to explore what things we have, how we use those things how we arrange them and what that means in our lives.

Girls Softball in Sycamore

Chloe's softball team is up to bat. 

Reason to be Happy #7

Mt. Rushmore. South Dakota.

[Ahh, the memories.]

Three Images

There is a difference between 'making photographs' and 'taking a picture'. 

When you make a photograph you are creating an image with a camera.  You are seeking a confluence of elements in a three dimensional world and using the camera as a tool to transfer those elements on to a two dimensional surface.  As you are creating an image you are taking into consideration concepts such as; scale, composition, line, shape and other elements of design.  You are also concerned with subject matter and communication of said subject matter.

When you take a picture you most likely have none of this in mind. 

Reading List-

Finished-
Lord Jim- Joseph Conrad

Reading-
How the Other Half Lives- Jacob Riis

Holga Playtime...

I tried the 645 frame on my Holga.  Played with the bulb exposure while driving at dusk.  Sometimes it is fun to just play around with the camera and see what it can do.

Possibilities abound.

Change is in the air my friends. 

Reading List-

Reading Now-

Lord Jim- Joseph Conrad

Up Next-

How the Other Half Lives- Jacob Riis

Reason to be Happy #6

Reading the Signs in Preparation for the Future

{the writing on the wall, so to speak.}

Relations? And a List or Two... Yes, Two Lists.

I have been really struggling with trying to figure out why I am making these images.  I think the more I look at them that it becomes a little bit about a relationship/association/connection/link with the natural world.  Almost all of the work I have done is about this idea.  But it is more than just that; it isn't that easy.... thus the struggle..... OK so lets try a list here;

List of ideas;

• 
  
  Light
• 
  
  Man made
• 
  
  Natural
• 
  
  Living
• 
  
  Inert
• 
  
  Land
• 
  
  Clay
• 
  
  Dirt
• 
  
  Grass
• 
  
  Ugly Vs. Appealing {or, is ugly actually an appealing quality?}
• 
  
  Dead
• 
  
  Growth
• 
  
  Consumption- man and/or nature as consumer
• 
  
  Objects
• 
  
  Abandoned or Tossed out
• 
  
  Neglect
• 
  
  Waste

More later I think.... need to digest.

Reading List;

Finished-
It Can't Happen Here- Sinclair Lewis
A frightening story of what would happen if the fascists took over in America in the 1930's.  The scariest part about it is that it was written in 1935 before all of the Nazi atrocities were realized.

Reading-
Lord Jim- Joseph Conrad

I'm Looking in Different Places Too.

I realized over the last few days that I have not been looking at the bigger picture. 

Different places = different directions = new ideas = more interesting images = new outlook/perspective

Holga Image

From the first roll I put through... flash ... night .... tree.

There is Always More.... You Just Have to Know Where to Find it...

I am taking a little vacation from work this week so I am going to make this short and sweet.  This blog is a tool for editing material and talking a little bit about the work I am doing.  There are always more images at http://www.flickr.com/photos/tbemister  .  If you would like to see more work, please visit.  In the near future there will be a website that will have each of the projects in their final state.

Thank you for looking... please check back on a regular basis. 

The Marathon

A couple of new images.  Stay tuned for more soon.

Taking a look at the bigger picture is very important.  That being said, I will try to consolidate my thoughts on the body of work thus far into a few sentences/ideas/concepts for those of you who need it or care to read it;

Conditions.... and the tolerance of them.  Where we live..... the real places.  Who we are...... still working on that one.  Things, places, people, time, ..... , and anything else we might be taking for granted. 

I have to keep looking because there is more to it.

Reading list;

Reading now-
It Can't Happen Here- Sinclair Lewis

Reason to be Happy #5

Old School Cartoons

Reading List Update

Finished-
Montcalm and Wolfe- The French and Indian Wars - Francis Parkman

Reading-
It Can't Happen Here- Sinclair Lewis

Reason to be Happy #4

Childhood memories and a Sox winner in Detroit today.
{HAROLD, HAROLD, HAROLD, HAROLD, HAROLD}

4 New Images

Lots of things bouncing around in my head right now.  Sometimes there is a lot of noise and it is nice to sit and concentrate on a couple of photos for a while.  I lose the time and before you know it .....

Reading list;

Reading-

Almost done with Montcalm and Wolfe; can't wait to sit down to some fiction for a while.

Up next-

Either,

Lord Jim- Joseph Conrad

or

It Can't Happen Here- Sinclair Lewis

New For You..... It Can Be a Slow Process

Feedback is a premium. . . .  Changes. . . . . process gets slower. . . .  critique your work. . . . .  difficult to progress. . . . be objective b e objective. . . . . being objective. . .  . own work. . .  .  more dificult artist.....

Process

I Bought a Holga- No, Really, I Did...

Not really quite sure why I felt compelled to buy a Holga.  I have a Dacora camera which is pretty much the same thing and I almost never use it.  Anyway, I did it and here are some images. 

Play.

Reason to be Happy #3

Midwestern Sunsets

Reason to be Happy #2

Buddy

The difficult part......

....is to be unique.  Too much anti-inspiration. 
[yeah, I made that word up; so what?]

Wasteland

'Wasteland' .  Desolation . discarded objects .  strange familliar landscape. 

See the film- Fantastic Planet by Rene Laloux.   perspective .  .  .  .

Reading List;

Reading now-

Montcalm and Wolfe- Francis Parkman

Next up-

Lord Jim- Joseph Conrad

It Can't Happen Here- Sinclair Lewis

How the Other Half Lives- Jacob Riis

Reason to be Happy #1

Dad and Me

I Was Thinking...

... about how we can take things for granted.  We exist in a pretty sheltered and secure environment.  We have few immediate dangers, most of us are well fed and sheltered.  Why is it that we still find ways to be unhappy? 
Every time I find myself being unhappy or negative I am going to post something that makes me happy.  I will give no explanation as to why it makes me happy.  I'll just tell you that it makes me happy.  Starting now.