all photos (embiggenable)
ON T.O.P. MIKE JOHNSTON RAISED THE IDEA OF bodies of work in which he noted the Fine Art world’s affinity for referent / technique themed collections of work. In the photography art world many of the recognized “greats” are known for such thematic bodies of work. Some of those greats have created multiple bodies of work but those bodies of work are also, more often than not, created around a referent based theme or technique / “style”.
Joel Meyerowitz is a good example of different bodies of work created by a single photographer; he started as an accomplished small camera BW street photographer then migrated to an 8x10 view camera and began making color landscape-ish photographs of his summer life on the Cape. That work made his chops as one of the three “fathers” of the new-color, new-topographics genre. He went on to create more bodies of work of other places he inhabited / visited, Tuscany and St. Louis, but each with the same vision / “style” of his initial Cape Light work.
In my picture making, Fine Art wise, I take a rather hi-bred approach to creating bodies of work; for the most part I just continue along my discursively promiscuous ways-picuring any thing, any where, anytime that pricks my eye and sensibilities-and then sorting it out, after a fashion, afterwards. That is, recognizing that I have, over time, photographed enough similar referents which grouped together can create a thematic / coherent body of work.
That written, if you view my WORK page, there are only 4 bodies of work that were undertaken with the intention of making a body of work-poles, decay, art reflects, and picture windows. Each were started with an initial flurry of picture making and I have been adding to them on a here-and-there, now-and-again basis ever since. FYI, not represented on the WORK page is a recently all-at-once, over a week or two, created body of work, porches of my hometown, which will be posted soon.
All of the written, after realizing over the past that I have, rather belatedly (understatement), not understood that my discursive promiscuity work is my most important body of work. And, that buried in that work are over 10K pictures with the Adirondacks as its theme.
The work , as I now realize, is mashup of people, places, and things but, taken together, present a tremendous sense of place. That belief is the result of showing my Adirondack Survey book-60 photographs-to a few local people who have responded with a surprisingly enthusiastic and delightful appreciation of the work. One couple in particular, our recent Lake George dinner hosts, is worth noting.
At my wife’s insistence, I brought the Adirondack Survey book along to dinner with no intention of showing it to anyone. However, after a tour of their owner-built house, during which I notice some very impressive original art of their walls, I decided to show them the book.
Separately, they both viewed the book. Their reactions were overwhelmingly-to me-positive and, for lack of a better word, educated, Art appreciation wise, inasmuch as they both took the time to “study” each and every picture-all 60 of them. The husband stopped dead on one page declaring, “We have to have a print of this for a wall in our house.” The wife had a similar reaction to another picture-that is, 2 pictures sold on the spot with the possibility of a 3rd. They both also asked if they could get a copy of the book.
All of that written, the comment that I appreciated the most was when the husband was looking over his wife’s shoulder, as she viewed the last few pictures, said, “We just yesterday were driving home from the Finger Lakes through the Adirondacks and I can’t believe how much this work reminds me of that drive.” To which the wife responded, “Me as well.”
In any event, next week I will be pitching this work-with the book and a 20 print folio-to the Exhibition Director at The View in Old Forge here in the Adirondacks. Wish me luck.
the husband's choice
the wife's choice
