PDN Curator's Choice Exhibit at Milk Gallery, NYC



If you haven't seen this months' Photo District News Magazine, it is devoted to Fine Art Photography. My Burn Portfolio is happily included in The Curator section. Brian Paul Clam, Cravelle Pierre, Julie Grahame, Ariel Shanberg , Jeff Dunas and Michael Zide were this years judges. My work was selected for the Nature/Street Photography category.



The work will be exhibited at Milk Gallery ( 450 West 15th Street) in New York City with an opening reception on Thursday, July 14th from 7-11pm. They are expecting 500- 800 guests and should be a blast.



I will be there and would love to see you there too!

Oaxacan Farewell




July 10
Paula and Rufina bidding us farewell as we depart for the airport.






July 11
Just as I am going out to water my garden, an incredibly violent storm rages through. I am grateful to be inside as I see branches snap from trees.

On Creativity

This was the very first trip (out of the past 15) to Mexico that I decided I wanted to work with a model. I wasn't sure how it would happen but looking back I marvel on how it all came about.
It may be several months before I can assimilate it all but for me, this trip was all about ALCHEMY.




July 9

The Art of Green



This exhibition will featureChicago-area artists and designers who are creating works in a sustainable way and/or raising awareness of environmental issues through their work. I will have 6 images from my Burn portfolio in this exhibition. The exhibition is part of the Green Design series of public programs at Ryerson Woods (located in Deerfield, Illinois).

Circle of Light




July 8
I took this photo yesterday but loved it so much that I just had to share it. Oaxaca is truly a magical place. I am blogging on an iPhone so it feels both freeing and restricting. Will share more as time permits. Meeting with Zapotec healer today whose ancestor was a form changer and moved freely between the animal and human worlds.

The Speed of Lightening

Whirlwind is the best description for the past few days on the Frontera Grill Staff trip. It has been amazing. Lots of pix.



July 3 at Azul Condesa for a most fabulous traditional Mexican dining experience.




July 4 ~ 2am arrival into the city of Oaxaca.




July 5
Just back from Susana Trilling's cooking school where incredible alchemy took place. 5 moles were created in 2 hours by the incredibly talented Frontera staff.

July 4th Chair Phenomena

July 2

Every July 4th there is a phenomena that occurs in Evanston as the residents approach their beloved 4th of July parade. EVERYONE wants front row seats. The chairs start lining up days in advance.

And for the past 14 years of the July 4th holidays, I have been in Mexico (or on route) with Chicago's Premier Chef, Rick Bayless, and his staff. This year is no exception. Three regional cuisines in 4 days; Mexico City, Puebla and Oaxaca! I hope to be posting from south of the border with my trusty iphone.

The Mongoose

July 1

The Mongoose (pl. mongooses) is any member of a family (Herpestidae) of 33[2] species of small carnivorans from southern Eurasia and mainland Africa. Four additional species from Madagascar in the subfamily Galidiinae, which were previously classified in this family, are also referred to as "mongooses" or "mongoose-like". Genetic evidence indicates that the Galidiinae are more closely related to other Madagascar carnivorans in the family Eupleridae, which is the closest living group to the Herpestidae family of mongoose species.

Using Art Making to Change the World

June 22 ~ Home by TreManda Pewett

Home, an installation piece to discuss homelessness, was created by 11th grader TreManda Pewett, from a 2 day inaugural Art Works Projects' Workshop to Change the World. It was organized by Leslie Thomas, the Executive and Creative Director of Art Works Projects and held at Marwen in Chicago. I was asked to be a creative advisor as students worked on varying topics that included water pollution, domestic and teen violence, bullying, genocide and homelessness. In a mere 2 days the work and ideas that were generated by these very talented youth (ranging from 8th grade to Sr. in High School) was astonishing.







You can learn more about the workshop by visiting their facebook page HERE or by visiting the Art Works Projects website HERE.

Emily Heller ~ Shelf Life









Emily Heller's new portfolio, Shelf Life, contains photographs that are so sophisticated, luminous, elegant and arresting. I marvel at how these everyday objects are brought to a whole different level thru the use of light, composition and color. In Emily's words...

"These photographs expose the ironies and contradictions of our relationship to food through exploring the tension between moderation and indulgence, the natural and industrial, the ordinary and the unsettlingly strange. A conflict exists between the seductiveness of the photograph and the banality of the object. There are no bright colors, no earthy textures but we still recognize our own eating habits in the forms. The objects continue to be desirable, enticing, and luxurious despite the fact that it is the antithesis of food photography. Eating is a visual experience but what happens when it no longer looks appetizing or is even recognizable as food? How can we reconcile our continuing hunger and desire for more?"