FALLING MAN IS ON THE BEACH

With the Jackanory out of town I guess someone has to step up to the plate, especially with his Master's Voice in town. Richard Misrach spoke on his newly released book ON THE BEACH at Strand bookstore tonight. He was wonderfully eloquent, very forthright about his new use of digital manipulation, his newly acquired method of cropping for the book and the prints, and in his explanation of the work in general. As I said in the previous post, from what I had seen of this new project, I wasn't too jazzed. Of course the beauty of the composition, the light, you name it, all there in spades but the subject matter I find only vaguely interesting. Well the man himself stood up and explained that all of this work came from his fear and alienation after 9/11. That the singular humans floating above and within the abyss were metaphors for that ugly day seven years ago, and for life in general. Free falls, fleeing, drowning, escaping, all the movement within the frame can in some way be traced back to images we have seen in the media from that September day. OK. Enough said. As my wife said everyone owns 9/11 in his or her own way, process it how you will. I think everyone was a little stunned at the admission as the Q&A was a little week to say the least. The title comes from a post WWII book of the same name where the world is annihilated by a nuclear explosion. That was the serious part of the night, now the lowdown. They wheeled the books in on carts; you could extend the Great Wall with size and the amount. The line for signings was quite long but I figured lets do it, he's here and the book itself looks very impressive. I'm getting antsy in the wait; the wife needs both a drink and her dinner and who jumps the line for the autograph, in true NYC 1980's fashion, none other than Sylvia Plachy. My one is ready to rip her a new one, hypoglycemia kicking in and considering Sylvia's abysmal display on the ovation show I was about to let her do it. But as I got my signed copy and handshake, I was able to deftly move away the wife from the oblivious Plachy and swiftly leave the premises. I could see others in the line beginning to fume as she for the second time hogged the limelight with the maestro. We then went to our fave Cafe Loup on 13th St and had soup.

YES MASTER

Very excited this week as we have two nights to catch the Master, Richard Misrach himself, appearing on the East coast. His new book is out, ON THE BEACH, signing at the Strand book store on Broadway and 12th street and then Pace/MacGill has an opening for the very same, the next night. Everyone has one of those photographers that when you see their work for the first time you go, aaah yeah, THATS what I've been trying to do. Misrach is one of those for me. After getting out of school it was great to see someone who was actually alive using an 8x10. Misrach is one of the Large Formatists who continued the view camera tradition long after it was out of vogue in the late 70's & early 80's. He was able to combine a modern social ethos with an archaic tool and create a new photographic palate. His Desert Cantos work shot him out of the mainly photographic world and on to the art stage itself. He worked solidly through the 90s culminating with two books in 2000 & 2001 Golden Gate and The Sky Book. Golden Gate blew me away when I saw the work at the opening. Such breadth and dept of color from our natural landscape, amazing. But like all idolatry, there comes a time for a let down and I think it maybe tomorrow night. Just like the team that breaks your heart by not making the playoffs on the last game of the season ON THE BEACH may be that defining moment for me. I can't wait for the prints, excited about the book but in all honesty I'm just not that crazy about the subject matter. Maybe seeing it all together will be the answer. If you have a chance try to get to one of the events, do, he doesn't show up that much on the East coast, and see what all the fuss is about, it should be worth it.

AND ITS FREE, kind of

Free Health Care Fair for Artists. This organization has been extremely present lately in the community and this forum seems very prescient, especially at this moment when both our democratic front runners seem bamboozled by the whole health care system. If any artists are in need of health care this would seem to be an event you must attend.

ON THE ROAD

I spent last week in Los Angeles, part of a 8 day stretch of work on the West coast, and then seg wayed down to my wife's old home town of San Diego. While I was there I began to research the wild fires and its devastation for the unfortunate ones who lost their homes . Not on a New Orleans size or scope but the individual randomness of it all. These blazes were so disprit, one house standing the next one incinerated, all based on the direction of the wind and some errant ember. I felt queasy about going in to document what had transpired, not really my cup of tea, but at the same time had not seen anyone tell this side of the story. So out of my bubble and comfort zone and .........I haven't seen my effort yet but I will have something to show reasonably soon I'm sure. Anyway that's me with the mother-in-laws ladder, cant really carry one on the plane anymore, so you have to borrow as you go. Thanks to Joanne and Evan Bloom for all their help down there.

HOUSE AND GONE

Ran into old friend photographer Francois Dishinger (see Francois's GQ spread in last month's issue) last night and he told me House and Garden magazine was closing in December. Francois has done oceans of work for them through the years and was feeling for all his compadres who will be out looking for new work. New people at new magazines means new work. He didn't feel so bad after that. Anyway, Lots of large format guys have cut their teeth on that magazine and found ways into the Conde Nast labyrinth of work. My lasting memory of the mag came last December. Everyone was blogging and talking about Robert Polidori's opening at the Met, for his book on New Orleans. The scope of the tome he had produced had people apolectict, and now the work was being elevated to the Holiest of sights. The MET. But there was Big Bob out in someones garden doing his three page spread for H & G. When your working your working.