tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-332811472024-03-13T19:59:42.865-06:00Beyond the Art FairAn Artist's JournalJeane Vogelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10358302675097012117noreply@blogger.comBlogger98125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33281147.post-52566606082502456062013-04-12T07:23:00.001-06:002013-04-12T07:23:12.233-06:00MOVED!Beyond the Art Fair has moved! <a href="https://jeanevogelart.wordpress.com/">https://jeanevogelart.wordpress.com/</a><br />
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Older content will remain here. Please change your bookmarks and stay with me!<br />
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Thanks,<br />
Jeane<div class="blogger-post-footer">http://jeanevogel.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/full
http://jeanevogel.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default?alt=rss</div>Jeane Vogelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10358302675097012117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33281147.post-79175788675327088352011-04-16T08:28:00.001-06:002011-04-16T13:32:20.094-06:00Film Purists! Feh!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FxbHvM50pQE/TamjpG2gK8I/AAAAAAAAAx0/SaHy3Ay-M2c/s1600/Rest+Stop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ruWttKmdrPE/TamjoeQzm3I/AAAAAAAAAxw/NhMBYVe1rS8/s1600/Waterlililes1-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ruWttKmdrPE/TamjoeQzm3I/AAAAAAAAAxw/NhMBYVe1rS8/s320/Waterlililes1-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Water Lilies #1,</b> Polaroid Painting, ©2011 Jeane Vogel Studios</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Being an art fair artist means that I talk to a lot of people about art. A LOT of people. Literally thousands of people.<br />
<br />
Some are knowlegable about art. Most are not. All deserve my attention. I believe we learn from every conversation -- even if I'm annoyed at the time. <br />
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A handful just want to impress me with their "superior" knowledge.<br />
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Those conversations go something like this:<br />
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Man (Sorry, but it's ALAWYS a man): I see you're using film. That's great. I <i><b>only</b></i> use film.<br />
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Me: Yes, this body of work uses a discontinued Polaroid film. I love the characteristics of the film, but I work in digital too. <br />
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Man: Oh, digital isn't real photography. I'm a purist. I only shoot film. <i>Anyone</i> can shoot digital.<br />
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Me: A purist? Really? (I'm getting annoyed by this time.) I would think if you're a purist that you would coat your own glass plates and not shoot film. Film is <i>so</i> 20th Century. A PURIST would shoot glass plates.<br />
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Man: (reaching for his cell phone) Sorry. I gotta take this.<br />
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For years I've been saying, rather sarcastically, that purists would coat their own glass plates. It's the arrogant photographer who thinks that his or her medium is the PURE one and rest of us are lazy hacks. It's the vision --and the ability to communicate that vision -- not the tool, that is important.<br />
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Imagine my surprise when I heard Webster Univeristy Photography Professor Extraordinaire and acquaintance Bill Barrett use EXACTLY THOSE SAME WORDS in a discussion about "purists" using the now defunct Kodachrome film during an interview on the local NPR show yesterday.<br />
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"Purists would coat their own glass plates," he said.<br />
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Now, Bill and I haven't had a chance to spend a lot of time together, and I don't think we're ever heard the other say this line.<br />
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My only conclusion: great minds think alike! Thanks for the affirmation, Bill!<br />
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And if you're in St. Louis, please go to the May Gallery at Webster to see the Kodachrome exhibit the university put together from the last batch of processed film shot by students and faculty. Buy the book. Support the next generation of artists who dare to work in photography. And support their teachers.<div class="blogger-post-footer">http://jeanevogel.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/full
http://jeanevogel.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default?alt=rss</div>Jeane Vogelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10358302675097012117noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33281147.post-63381604122744788152011-04-04T09:51:00.003-06:002011-04-04T19:43:49.494-06:00Where IS Feminist Art These Days?<div class="MsoNormal"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wAFjhD0v8Ug/TZnoPqq-slI/AAAAAAAAAxo/UuDbXSRcOaA/s1600/mixed+summer+garden.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="310" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wAFjhD0v8Ug/TZnoPqq-slI/AAAAAAAAAxo/UuDbXSRcOaA/s400/mixed+summer+garden.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Summer Garden</i></b>, 9x11 inches, Mixed Media, ©2011 Jeane Vogel, $75.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Beware. I drop the "F" word a lot. I grew up hearing it was a dirty word but I never understood why. It seemed to me to be the most natural thing in the world. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Feminism. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">How could Feminism be offensive? It's a word that proclaims independence and equality and respect for all women.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Except to many people it doesn't mean any of those things. In the '70s it meant that women and men would have to share bathrooms. And women would have to go to war, or work, or not have a chance to be mothers and ultimately fulfilled as women. Oh, F.... Opps. Almost dropped that other "F" word. That’s generally how I respond when I heard those lies that we told to defeat the Equal Rights Amendment -- the Constitutional Amendment that would guarantee equal rights for women.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Instead, what feminism meant to my generation of women -- Baby Boomers -- was reproductive freedom, and equal pay for equal work, and access to education and jobs previously available only to men, and credit in our own names -- in fact the right to keep our own names. We hoped for the chance to go to work and not be sexually harassed. We dreamed of the day our minds would be respected, even if we had great breasts and long slender legs... or especially if we didn't.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The artists among us put these ideals into our art. The artists did what artists always do: they pushed the boundaries of "traditional" art to raise our consciousness and our hopes. Feminist art demanded reforms in the way we thought about women's abilities and women’s bodies. They lifted the veils of modesty that chained women to myths of helplessness and dependence.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">It's 40 years later, and I'm left wondering what feminist art is now. Have we come very far?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">I’m so grateful to have been able to attend the 2011 Women's Caucus for Art National Conference. It was a delicious orgy of women and art and ideas and challenges to push beyond individual limits. Breathlessly huddled over coffee or beer we asked: What can we do next? How can we do it? Who can we collaborate with to accomplish it? Where will it take us?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">On the edge of inspiration was a nagging feeling that feminism, and feminist art, has lost its power and impact. What is feminist art now? What does it mean to women born after Roe v Wade gave women the right to control their reproduction? </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">We saw a lot of “feminist” art at the national conference. I saw some interesting work, some not. In 2011, is feminist art simply work that has been produced by women? Is it a way to rehash middle class injustices of childhood? Will it change the world? Will anyone ever notice?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Frankly, I was disappointed in the energy and spirit of younger women artists as they presented work they named feminist. Some explored the same themes that challenged their mothers and grandmothers. Do young women of today face the same misogynist obstacles that we did when Richard Nixon was President? Sometimes. But the 2011 responses seem to be turned inward and personal and mostly consumed with body image. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">What have we done to our daughters? Feminism means it’s ok to look the way you look? Well, sure it does. But is that all? </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">A common feminist theme – reproduction freedom – was nowhere incorporated into new work I saw. Instead, there were throwbacks to visuals of the 1950s. What are younger women trying to tell us? Are they romanticizing those years of emotional and suburban captivation for women? </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">And when I turn the mirror on myself, I have to ask: Where is my feminist art? Am I championing women or I am falling into self-indulging visual self-stimulation too? </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">I’m challenging myself. I’m challenging you. I’m not part of that younger generation making feminist art. I’m part of the older group. It’s not my turn to lead the way anymore, but there are still too much for us to say in our art that can turn a head… or a heart… to benefit our sisters.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Let’s create art that will change our world.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><i>This blog was originally published by Jeane Vogel in the March 2011 WCA-St. Louis Newsletter. </i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://jeanevogel.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/full
http://jeanevogel.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default?alt=rss</div>Jeane Vogelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10358302675097012117noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33281147.post-20282864344280941692011-02-21T10:23:00.001-06:002011-04-04T09:56:12.482-06:00Working in SeriesWhenever I teach a photography workshop to more advanced students, I encourage them to work in series -- to create works with a common theme or subject matter.<br />
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Most think this is easy and silly. So what? Who wants to see 12 pictures of the same thing?<br />
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Then I tell them: write out your ideas and research your themes before your shoot.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4BsV9t0y7OY/TWKPZGHf45I/AAAAAAAAAxc/cejF3nZlbpM/s1600/Aalim-3-web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4BsV9t0y7OY/TWKPZGHf45I/AAAAAAAAAxc/cejF3nZlbpM/s320/Aalim-3-web.jpg" width="214" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Sacred Movement #3," ©2011 Jeane Vogel Studios</td></tr>
</tbody></table>What? We're photographers, they yell! We shoot what we see.<br />
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Ugh. What's wrong with this picture (pun intended!)? What's wrong is that the photographer is passive if she's only shooting what she sees or finds interesting. That's one of the reasons that some people don't see photography as "art" -- and are not shy about telling me so! <br />
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BE ACTIVE in your art. There are lots of ways to elevate a "snapshot" to the realm of art. One way is INTENTION.<br />
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Photography is communication, like any other art form. The artist has something to SAY. Before saying it, she needs to know what it is she wants to impart. That takes thought, time, research and lots and lots of work.<br />
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Whether the message is obvious and simple, or conceptual and complex, the best work in series will be thoughtful.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nnslWN4NKtU/TWKKEvNp6iI/AAAAAAAAAxQ/kX4x2HYBgx4/s1600/SacredMovement3web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div>Last Friday, my newest work "Sacred Movement" was unveiled at <a href="http://www.thirddegreeglassfactory.com/ThirdFridayOpenHouse/tabid/63/Default.aspx">Third Degree Glass Factory</a> in St. Louis. It started about 10 months ago with a conversation. One of the owners of a belly-dance school and professional troupe approached me about working together to get images of the women dancing. I could use them anyway I wanted and I agreed to do some publicity stills for them. Win-win. I had no previous interest in belly dancing, other than it was beautiful and fun.<br />
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I started my research. I played with ideas in my head.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oTi4CoyT9GA/TWKO9sm8EYI/AAAAAAAAAxY/mSHTBMJYIkg/s1600/SacredMovement3web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AfSUTtr8a5c/TWKO9AeLFSI/AAAAAAAAAxU/dJmfMHdAL2I/s1600/Aalim-10web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AfSUTtr8a5c/TWKO9AeLFSI/AAAAAAAAAxU/dJmfMHdAL2I/s320/Aalim-10web.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Sacred Movement #9," ©2011 Jeane Vogel Studios</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Within months, about the time we scheduled the shoot, some ideas had formed. The research jelled.<br />
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Belly dancing is a woman's dance for women. It's not <i><b>supposed</b></i> to be sexual. It's not <i><b>supposed</b></i> to be for men! It's for women. It's also mystical and holy. It reveals and conceals. There are layers and layers and layers of meaning.<br />
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There was my concept! I wanted to reclaim this dance for women. While I rarely use a lot of digital work, "Sacred Movement" needed layers and layers of textures and colors, which I could do with digital painting. The result is an evolving work I'm delighted with.<br />
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Not everyone gets it. Some just see pictures of women dancing. That's ok. I hope they see GOOD pictures of women dancing.<br />
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Those who do "get it" rewarded me with interpretations that added to my original concept and enhanced the series with satisfaction that comes from the sharing of ideas.<br />
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<div style="color: #073763;">Artist statement: </div><div style="color: #073763; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>SACRED MOVEMENT</b><br />
<i>A Tribute to Women, Dance and the Feminine Divine</i></span></div><div style="color: #073763; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
Like a curtain being pulled aside, revealing another world. That’s how Jeane Vogel’s work has been described.</span></div><div style="color: #073763; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
In Sacred Movement, Jeane reveals the feminine divine through the fluid grace of the dancer -- specifically the belly dancer.</span></div><div style="color: #073763; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
A uniquely feminine dance, belly dancing has been sexualized by the West. Originally, it was a tribute to the Goddess -- a prayer, a gratitude, a celebration. </span></div><div style="color: #073763; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
In Sacred Movement, Jeane reclaims the intent of the dance and rededicates it to feminine divinity. These photographic images have been digitally painted to create layers and layers of texture and color, unveiling the secrets of the dance. The hand-deckled edges are suggestive of frayed fabric, fringes and baubles. The artist’s intent is to create images that are simultaneously light and complicated, intense and accessible, layered and simple. She invites you to approach the art as you would a relationship. How does it make you feel? Does it evoke a memory? An emotion? A call to action? </span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><br style="color: #073763; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Many thanks to the professional dancers and advanced students of Aalim Dance for being partners in creation of this evolving work.</span></span><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://jeanevogel.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/full
http://jeanevogel.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default?alt=rss</div>Jeane Vogelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10358302675097012117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33281147.post-45900876691960258132010-11-11T09:02:00.000-06:002010-11-11T09:02:13.671-06:00Unexpected LessonWhen I teach, I never know what the lesson will <b><i>truly</i></b> be.<br />
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That's the gift teachers are given, I think. We plan, but the lesson might be something far more profound.<br />
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Last week I was in Atlanta as Artist in Residence for a national mental health organization. I teach on the Youth Track, 13-25 year olds. I'm there, techically, to teach a photography workshop, but it's really a three-part session on self-expression. The work produced each year knocks my socks off.<br />
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The first session is shooting. We find an area near the hotel that will provide the richest amount of content for the photographers. This time it was Centennial Olympic Park. Coming back from the park, I was in the rear of the 21-person group walking with a straggler. As we neared the hotel, we saw a loud, energetic picket line of workers protesting low wages.<br />
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"This is my first protest!" The student, a high school junior from Montgomery, AL, was beside herself with excitement. She ran to document it with the few shots left on her camera.<br />
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Flushed and animated, she returned. "Do protests work?"<br />
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"Sure," I said. "Peaceful, powerful protests work all the time. The ones that work are the ones that have clear goals."<br />
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"Huh?" She had no idea what I was talking about. I tried to make it more personal.<br />
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"Do we have Jim Crow laws anymore?" I asked. I thought a light bulb of instant understanding would go off in the head of this African-American girl from Montgomery. The civil rights movement was seminal to forming everything that I am as a person, as an artist, as a political being. It's a touchpoint. Sometimes I forget that not everyone thinks the way I do and that it was 50 years ago. Those events are history to this child. Ugly history. Maybe even boring history. <br />
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"Jim Crow? What are those? I don't remember."<br />
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Really? A girl from Montogermy, AL, didn't know what Jim Crow laws were? I couldn't decide if that was great or tragic.<br />
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I tried again: "Are there separate water fountains for blacks and whites anymore? Can you and I go to the hotel restaurant and have a meal together?"<br />
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She was starting to understand.<br />
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"Protests work," I said. "You are growing up in a different world than I did because of peaceful protests."<br />
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I got a look of "wow." We spent the next 10 minutes talking about the power of peaceful protests. We talked about the Montgomery Bus Boycott, the Freedom Riders who came from all over the country to protest Jim Crow, Dr. King, the sanitation worker's strike that cost Dr. King his life. We talked about what she might want to change in her life.<br />
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That a peaceful group can band together and work tirelessly to change a wrong turned out to be the lesson of day. For one girl. From one teacher.<br />
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Art Saves Lives.<div class="blogger-post-footer">http://jeanevogel.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/full
http://jeanevogel.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default?alt=rss</div>Jeane Vogelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10358302675097012117noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33281147.post-29624387110459985542010-10-04T08:01:00.006-06:002010-10-04T09:31:10.546-06:00Using Art to Change the WorldIs there a more versatile method of communication than art?<br /><br />Art can tell a story, retrieve a memory, provoke an argument, inspire a movement.<br /><br />Art saves lives. Art can change the world.<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwDaOwZFGN2SOOI_BJ1Zp-FB2SjAqQ2sr2JdyB6P1H8Zs3k8mgBqP-aqti0pSm41zZwaY_46WSCp4U' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br />My dear friend and conception artist/sculptor Ilene Berman likes to say, "If art doesn't change the world, what's the point?" Indeed. Her project, <a href="http://nodhouse.com/">NODhouse,</a> is calling attention to inequities in art allocation resources in an area that is deemed "undesirable." Ilene's art will change this part of the world.<br /><a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/955007653/dare-to-touch-the-face-of-god"><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Dare to Touch the Face of God</span></a> is another of those projects. It's my most ambitious project and, frankly, I need your help.<br /><br />DTFG (it's too long to spell it out all the time!) is my response to the vitriol, hatred and fear mongering that seems to ramp up everyday because it's easy to victimize and demonize people we don't know or understand.<br /><br />For a thousand years in Europe, if something went wrong, you could be sure it was the Jews' fault, or the Gypsy's. We know how that ended.<br /><br />Today, it's the Muslim's fault. Yes. It's the same song. It's the same root cause. It's the same fear.<br /><br />It has to stop.<br /><br />But it's not just Islam that is feared and misunderstood. We don't really talk about religion. It's not polite. We don't know much about other people's faiths. We don't understand. Our prejudices are under the table.<br /><br />Polygamists are creepy pedophiles. Catholics want a lot children and do whatever they're told by the Pope. Buddhists are godless. Pagans eat babies. Jews are rich and controlling. Amish are backward but quaint. Atheists are communists.<br /><br />Muslims are terrorists.<br /><br />Don't tell me you haven't heard this. I know you have. And worse. And we can reject every one of them... and still be afraid. Why? Because it's not the stereotypes that do the most harm. It's our inability to think of members of different religions as people. And then to respond to them that way.<br /><a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/955007653/dare-to-touch-the-face-of-god"><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Dare to Touch the Face of God</span></a> is a project to put a human face on faith. The series is intended to capture to breadth of religious understanding among people, and to further the definition of God. My goal is to put a human face on faith traditions or practices we might not understand or know about. Put a person -- famous or not -- with a practice or an idea. My subjects will be people who are willing to work with me to communicate their faith through a photograph.<br /><br />Simple. Human. Delicate. True.<br /><br />The project has been accepted as a Kickstarter project. Kickstarer helps innovative art projects secure funding from ordinary people who want to support the arts.<br /><br />That's where you come in. Your support of this project is essential to it's success. Thank you!<br /><br />Have an idea for a subject? I'm looking for your input on that too. Send me a private message or use the comment section to start a conversation. A separate website, DareToTouchTheFaceOfGod.com will be live by Oct 6.<div class="blogger-post-footer">http://jeanevogel.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/full
http://jeanevogel.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default?alt=rss</div>Jeane Vogelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10358302675097012117noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33281147.post-19842767533982356432010-07-03T08:00:00.009-06:002010-07-03T11:08:41.899-06:00Oh Sure! Anyone Can Do This!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_2HTuWjXqwUk/TC9uVcU2M6I/AAAAAAAAAkM/64gHi73nTNw/s1600/arcadian+dreams+12+copy.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_2HTuWjXqwUk/TC9uVcU2M6I/AAAAAAAAAkM/64gHi73nTNw/s400/arcadian+dreams+12+copy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489727785447863202" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Some art collectors like to denigrate photography.<br /><br />"Anybody can take a picture," I'm told.<br /><br />You cannot image how many times I've heard this. It's said to my face because the patron thinks I'm being paid a compliment! It's said as he or she is looking at my Polaroid Paintings, where I use the emulsion as a painting medium. Because I've altered the image by hand, the work has been elevated to the realm of "art." I'm no longer "just" a photographer, but an artist.<br /><br />"You've almost made art here!" one woman gushed in appreciation. I took a breath. Yeah, I thought. I came THIS close!<br /><br />Can anyone take a picture? Sure. Can anyone pick up a brush and paint? Sure. Doesn't mean it's going to be art.<br /><br />It's such a narrow definition -- art. And made more complicated in the field of photography because of the easy availability of cameras. Everyone has one -- or three. Pull out a phone, and pull out a camera. People have stood in my booth at art fairs and scrolled through dozens of "great" pictures they took. They're saying to me: See? I can take good pictures too! We're part of the same club.<br /><br />Maybe we are. It's a pretty big club and they're lots of room for everyone, but that doesn't mean all the work is the same.<br /><br />I will agree with the idea that "anyone can make a picture." But that's not the same thing as creating a work of art in the medium of photography.<br /><br />"Is photography art?" is an argument as old as the medium itself. Every generation takes it up again and makes new rules. In the digital age, there are some who call themselves "purists" who insist that if the image is not captured on film and developed in the darkroom, then it's not "real" fine art photography.<br /><br />Oh, feh! I've seen plenty of crappy work come out of the darkroom. Honestly, if you want to be a "purist," then coat your own glass plates and make images on those. If not, then shut up with the arrogance.<br /><br />It's not the tool or the substrate that makes the art (though please don't take iPhone pictures and call them art. I know -- that's my arrogance -- but please!!!!) Then what is it?<br /><br />It's the </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >ability</span><span style="font-size:130%;"> to take a great photograph... and then do it </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >again.</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br />It's the </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >courage</span><span style="font-size:130%;"> to try something new, and learn from it.<br /><br />It's the </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >thoughtfulness</span><span style="font-size:130%;"> to create an image in your imagination, then transfer that image to film or paper or sensor.<br /><br />It's the </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >knowledge</span><span style="font-size:130%;"> of how to transfer your ideas to paper or film, without guessing or hoping for the best, but </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >knowing</span><span style="font-size:130%;">.<br /><br />It's the </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >deliberate</span><span style="font-size:130%;"> and </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >purposeful</span><span style="font-size:130%;"> </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >communication</span><span style="font-size:130%;"> of an idea or a feeling or a mood with an image ... without adding anything words or explanations.<br /><br />It's the </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >commitment</span><span style="font-size:130%;"> to create a body of work, in your vision, that is recognizable as yours.<br /><br />It's the </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >confidence</span><span style="font-size:130%;"> to let your work speak for itself, and allow the viewer to add his or her own interpretation.<br /><br />Art takes time. Art takes thought. Art takes labor.<br /><br />There's a reason it's call a </span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >work</span><span style="font-size:130%;"> of art.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Arcadian Dreams #12, Infrared photograph ©2010 Jeane Vogel. All rights reserved.</span><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://jeanevogel.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/full
http://jeanevogel.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default?alt=rss</div>Jeane Vogelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10358302675097012117noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33281147.post-21710799234395468722010-05-19T07:56:00.006-06:002010-05-19T08:48:56.482-06:00If They Gave Awards for Art Fairs...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_2HTuWjXqwUk/S_P3ajiQLrI/AAAAAAAAAjs/bg9ZqOsxmPI/s1600/stroll.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_2HTuWjXqwUk/S_P3ajiQLrI/AAAAAAAAAjs/bg9ZqOsxmPI/s400/stroll.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5472990007772851890" border="0" /></a><br />If they gave awards for art fairs, then Marion Art Festival and Deb Bailey would win one.<br /><br />What are we waiting for? Let's create one. Let's call it the Nancy Saturn Memorial Award and give it those art fair directors who care about artists only more than than care about art. We'll give it to directors who want to bring the best art to their community, who treat the artists with respect, who want more than to line their pockets... well, you get the idea.<br /><br />I should back up a bit. Who was Nancy Saturn and why name an award after her?<br /><br />Nancy was the owner of the American Artisan Gallery in Nashville. She died in March 2010 of breast cancer -- a cancer she thought she beat years ago.<br /><br />Nancy and her husband Alan were well known as philanthropists and lovers of art and fine craft -- and artists and fine crafters -- far beyond their Nashville home. For the last 40 years, Nancy and her team hosted the <a href="http://www.american-artisan.com/">American Artisan Fair</a> in Nashville's Centennial Park on Father's Day weekend. An artist could apply to be in the show, but Nancy hand picked and <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">invited</span> the artists.<br /><br />Once at the show, the artist was Nancy's guest. She visited each of the 200 or so artists during the 3-day show. On the first night of the show, she opened her home to the artists for a feast worthy of a wedding. She told us what she liked. She told us what to work on. She was generally right.<br /><br />More than that, Nancy cared about the quality of the show, the quality of the work and the needs of the artist. She fed us, she encouraged us, she nurtured new artists, she commiserated with the old artists.<br /><br />She knew the power of art. The show has donated more than $1 million to Gilda's Club of Nashville, to support people with cancer. Most of us donated work to be auctioned off for Gilda's Club to supplement the fair's contributions.<br /><br />Nancy's daughter, Samantha, and her team continue the tradition. This year's fair, June 18-20, will be especially poignant. Nancy is gone. Alan died a few weeks before last year's fair. And Nashville has been devastated by spring floods. We miss Nancy and Alan and wish only the best for Nashville families who are recovering. We will come to Nashville and hope our art will hasten the healing.<br /><br />So why give this award to Deb Bailey?<br /><br />Deb, with her team, runs the Marion Art Fest, in Marion IA. It's a small town near Cedar Rapids. It's a gem of a show and Deb pulls together 50 artists from all over the country to share with her fellow Iowans.<br /><br />Now don't be confused. Iowa is a not back-water flyover state, contrary to the opinion of some jaded city folk. It is a stated filled with some of the most educated and sophisticated art-lovers in the US. They know art, they like art, they buy art. And they count on Deb to bring the best and most varied work to their town. And she does.<br /><br />But more, she cares about the artists. Her emails are personal and fun. Her directions are clear and specific. Her rules are minimal but intended to put on the best show possible and annoy the artists the least.<br /><br />She markets the show. She brings in the right patrons. She feds us dinner and hands us a glass of wine. She makes artists feel valued and welcomed. Trust me, we don't get that very much.<br /><br />Congratulations, Deb. The first Nancy Saturn Memorial Award for Excellence in Art Fair Management goes to you. And thank you for setting the bar so high for all of us.<br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Artwork pictured:</span><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;"> Last Stroll,</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> ©2010 Jeane Vogel, Polaroid Painting.</span></span><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://jeanevogel.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/full
http://jeanevogel.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default?alt=rss</div>Jeane Vogelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10358302675097012117noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33281147.post-49672890800876434622010-04-07T09:49:00.008-06:002010-04-07T13:12:38.721-06:00What If My Work is Boring?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_2HTuWjXqwUk/S7yy8UQ1JbI/AAAAAAAAAjM/11Vjwg2hxO8/s1600/PuraVida%236.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_2HTuWjXqwUk/S7yy8UQ1JbI/AAAAAAAAAjM/11Vjwg2hxO8/s400/PuraVida%236.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457433597767394738" border="0" /></a>I had two fears heading to a recent trip to Costa Rica. One, was a fear of heights. I'll write about that later.<br /><br />The second was that the work I would do there would be boring.<br /><br />I traveled as a chaperon on an 8th grade Spanish class trip. I wanted to travel with my daughter (nine days, no fighting, personal record), brush up my Spanish a bit and, of course, shoot. A photographer always shoots.<br /><br />But there was a nagging worry: what if I came back with dull, lifeless work? I was on a tour and not in control of my schedule. I had to shoot when I could, not hold up the group, and still find time to be inspired and thoughtful. What if my work looked like everybody else's - the same old shots of a Latin America country?<br /><br />I had three goals:<br /><br />1. Make some Infrared images, which are difficult under the best circumstances. Infrared requires a tripod, long exposures and often many, many shots to get it right. I didn't have much time.<br /><br />2. Capture images that would stand alone as fine art, and some that I could copy onto Polaroid film back in the studio.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_2HTuWjXqwUk/S7yzJCP8o_I/AAAAAAAAAjU/YIE3VonYvfY/s1600/Bailarina-%231.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_2HTuWjXqwUk/S7yzJCP8o_I/AAAAAAAAAjU/YIE3VonYvfY/s400/Bailarina-%231.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457433816270152690" border="0" /></a>3. Take typical touristy pictures for fun.<br /><br />I knew I could make the images, but how could I make them uniquely mine? I think every artist goes into new projects with deafening self-doubt. What if all that other work is a fluke? What if I have to be in my "safety zone" to make art? What if I'm a fraud?<br /><br />These worries are the curse of the artist who tries to put meaning and soul into every piece. The artist who makes "pretty pictures" has not a care in the world. He already knows what he's going to do. He's done it thousands of times before.<br /><br />Three days into the trip I knew what I wanted to capture. There's a saying in Costa Rica that means "no worries." You hear it everywhere. Pura vida. The bus is broken down. Pura vida. We'll get it fixed. It's raining. Pura vida. But's not cold. The ice cream has melted. Pura vida. Now it's like a shake.<br /><br />Pura vida. Literally, it means "pure life." That simple idea dismissed the fear of coming home with boring work. How could it be boring? I put my soul into it. Pura vida.<br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">New work pictured:<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Pura Vida #6</span>, Infrared Photograph, ©2010 Jeane Vogel</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Bailarina #1</span> (Little Dancer), Polaroid Painting, ©2010 Jeane Vogel</span></span><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://jeanevogel.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/full
http://jeanevogel.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default?alt=rss</div>Jeane Vogelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10358302675097012117noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33281147.post-60929103982524405472010-01-13T09:39:00.005-06:002010-01-13T11:58:20.902-06:00Art is Great, But Is it a Profession?I was supposed to be something important when I grew up... a constitutional lawyer, actually. That was my dad's plan for me. He starting educating me and grooming me for a career as a civil rights defender when I was about 10.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_2HTuWjXqwUk/S04E7jg0IPI/AAAAAAAAAik/Q4Bop5N46y8/s1600-h/SavannahBreeze.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 303px; height: 303px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_2HTuWjXqwUk/S04E7jg0IPI/AAAAAAAAAik/Q4Bop5N46y8/s400/SavannahBreeze.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426280022219694322" border="0" /></a><br />That's also about the time I drew the little mouse that I found on the ad on the back of a matchbook and sent it in to the correspondence art school.<br /><br />Whoa! You should have heard the yelling when my dad was called by the school and asked to pay for the art lessons I had "qualified" for.<br /><br />Art is great, but it's not a profession.<br /><br />I didn't go to law school (was two weeks away when I came to my senses and just couldn't go). I never gave up art, but it took me many, many years to become a full-time studio artist.<br /><br />Art is great, but it's not a profession. Or it's a profession for somebody else. Somebody with money ... or access to it. Lots of it.<br /><br />Why is this still haunting me? Why does it permeate a lot of our thinking?<br /><br />Why? Because we don't really value art in our culture. We certainly don't value artists.<br /><br />A couple of weeks ago I was at a party talking to someone I didn't know. The room was filled with people who had committed their lives to improving the world. Some are nationally known for the causes they have championed.<br /><br />This stranger turned to me: What do you do, she asked.<br /><br />I felt myself getting sheepish. That's a new experience for me. But still, I was a little embarrassed.<br /><br />I'm an artist.<br /><br />Really? She was impressed and wanted to hear about all it.<br /><br />Now, don't get me wrong. I'm proud of my work, but at that moment, I felt intimidated by the power in the room. Lots of those people I knew well and they don't think I'm an idiot or unimportant. At least they don't say that to my face. Many of them collect my work.<br /><br />So why did I react that way?<br /><br />Because in a dozen ways, every day, we get this message: Art is frivolous. Art is a hobby. Art is not important. Art is not a profession.<br /><br />Don't believe me? How much education funding has been cut from art departments in the last 30 years? How many schools have art education (or music or acting) as part of the core curriculum? Any? How many parents want their children to grow up to be artists?<br /><br />Well, art is important, art is a profession, art is not frivolous. I can't do anything about art education and I can't change people's attitudes, but I <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">can</span> make art.<br /><br />I can make art with an intention to keep it meaningful, expressive and thoughtful. I can strive for excellence in craftsmanship. I can be willing to talk about the inspiration behind the work.<br /><br />Art is important. Artists are important. As a culture, let's try to value both.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Savannah Breeze</span>, Polaroid Painting, ©2010 Jeane Vogel</span><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://jeanevogel.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/full
http://jeanevogel.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default?alt=rss</div>Jeane Vogelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10358302675097012117noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33281147.post-90440381507836544742009-12-30T12:27:00.005-06:002009-12-30T13:24:28.988-06:00Screw Up Your Courage & Get Your Work Out There<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_2HTuWjXqwUk/SzucgQFo18I/AAAAAAAAAiU/BMc0ONq3FIA/s1600-h/superior-view.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_2HTuWjXqwUk/SzucgQFo18I/AAAAAAAAAiU/BMc0ONq3FIA/s400/superior-view.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421098654358886338" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Superior View</span>, Hand-altered Polaroid Photograph, ©2009 Jeane Vogel</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Working artists, inspired artists, hungry artists produce a lot of work. Some of it is wonderful. Some of it is <span style="font-style: italic;">not</span>.<br /><br />How do we tell the difference?<br /><br />I use a time-honored technique. I ask my husband, of course, and my daughter. They love everything. Even if they don't, they tell me they do. My ego gets stroked.<br /><br />Sadly, that's where lots of artists stop. Amateur artists, even professionals, don't ask for real critiques. Maybe they don't want to know. Maybe they know and don't want to face it. Maybe they don't want to do the work to get better.<br /><br />Maybe they are just afraid.<br /><br />Submitting work to be judged against the work of others is a frightening prospect. The fear of rejection is a poison dart to creativity.<br /><br />And the fear of rejection can be boiled down to one simple component: you don't like me! That's what we do to ourselves. Our work reflects ourselves. If you don't like my work, you must not like me. I'm worthless. I'm stupid. I'm bad.<br /><br />Oh good grief! No wonder therapists have such full schedules.<br /><br />SNAP OUT OF IT! It's not personal.<br /><br />It's the work, not the person, that is liked or not. And art is subjective. The same work can receive multiple rejections and acceptances in the course of a year or two.<br /><br />And when you think about it, it's not the rejection that's so difficult, but the fear of it. The thought that we MIGHT fail that stops us from submitting work to a juried exhibition or seeking out a new gallery.<br /><br />What's the cure? It's simple. Just do it. Gather your best work, write the check and submit to a juried show. Do it again. And again. And again.<br /><br />Talent, vision, execution -- these are all vital parts of being an artist. But they are worthless if you don't exhibit your work. And, unless you own your own gallery, you cannot exhibit your work without submitting it to the judgment of others. Art isn't a pretty picture -- it's <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">communication</span>. It has to been seen. It has to be discussed. It has to be examined.<br /><br />Will you get rejected? I can almost guarantee it.<br /><br />Will you get accepted? If it's good enough, yes.<br /><br />Will you learn from the experience? If you're <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">brave</span> enough, you <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">will</span>.<br /><br /><br /></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://jeanevogel.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/full
http://jeanevogel.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default?alt=rss</div>Jeane Vogelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10358302675097012117noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33281147.post-133223884610266162009-12-05T08:45:00.003-06:002009-12-05T09:20:49.965-06:00Art Saves Lives -- AgainI was in my 20s when I was thunderstruck with the idea that art saves lives.<br /><br />It's not an original idea. It predates writing; probably predates languages. It's uniquely human.<br /><br />And being uniquely human, art has an impact on every part of our lives. Every minute. Art saves lives.<br /><br />I'm not talking about art therapy, which is important. I'm talking about ART. Creation. Imagination. Using materials at hand to communicate an idea so complex or personal or elegant, that common speech will fail.<br /><br />This week I was privileged to be Artist-in-Residence at the national conference of the National Federation of Families for Children's Mental Health in Washington. I led a photo workshop for the Youth Track, teens and young adults who attended with their parents or alone. They are advocates for proper education and treatment for young people with mental illness. They work every day to remove the stigma of mental illness.<br /><br />My job is simple. I introduce the materials. I suggest some techniques. I encourage them to think deeply about what they want to say in their finished piece. We have one day.<br /><br />It's during the shooting phase of the workshop that I get to know them a bit. If the group isn't too big, I can work one-on-one, helping each get the kind of images they want. After the film is developed, the real creativity begins. The materials are basic: glue sticks, scissors, mat board, colored paper, tissue paper, whatever is at hand. They get one instruction: create your story.<br /><br />Every time I do this workshop, I am blown away by the results. Without limitations, each artist creates something spectacular! I watched commentaries emerge: peace, how teens seem to have no control of their lives, living in shadows, dreaming of freedom. One artist used the actual film negatives to frame his work. It hurt me, an old film photographer, to see negatives damaged, but I got over it as I watched the power of the piece emerge.<br /><br />We installed the work in a public place at the conference the next day. It would have taken me 5 minutes and no drama to install the work alone. I asked the group to do it instead. It took an hour. There was drama. The final installation, like many installations, was a work of art in itself. It was far better than I would have done.<br /><br />Art saves lives. For this group, art inspires lives too.<div class="blogger-post-footer">http://jeanevogel.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/full
http://jeanevogel.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default?alt=rss</div>Jeane Vogelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10358302675097012117noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33281147.post-35452145045121942282009-09-15T08:10:00.003-06:002009-09-15T08:53:55.593-06:00Cleansing My PalateAt least once a day, someone comes into my studio/gallery at Crestwood Court and marvels: "ALL this work is yours? You did all this?"<br /><br />Well..., yes. But I didn't do it yesterday. I agree it's varied: hand-altered Polaroid photos, Infrared photos, mixed media pastel paintings, everday ceramics, silver jewelry, and most recently, votive candle scupltures from hand-made paper.<br /><br />The work in my studio represents years of work. I work everyday. EVERYDAY. Hundreds of thousands of hours of work. The good art goes in the gallery or an art fair or, I hope, someone's home or office.<br /><br />The bad work goes in the trash. My critics may disagree, but I am ruthless in examining my work. I toss a lot. A lot. One day, I'm worried someone will find the cache of rejects and marvel with distain: "YOU did all this?" Yuck. My reputation will be ruined!<br /><br />I think one of the things that people are surprised about is the variety of work in the gallery. Many artists have one style, one body of work. They are known for it. That's what they do. It's successful. They stay the course.<br /><br />I have a couple of bodies of work that I'm known for -- mostly notably hand-altered Polaroid photographs. I love that body of work. It continues to evolve and grow. As long as I can find film, I will work with medium.<br /><br />Sometimes I have to break out of it, though. Ten years ago, frustrated that I couldn't thrown a clay pot, I took up ceramics. I love the mud. I'm not great, but it's a medium I can use when I need it. I've been heard to say that as a potter, I'm a very good photographer! But my berry bowls and ikaebonas are very popular and I'll be putting new items in the gallery this fall.<br /><br />I'm working on a special new project that demanded hand-made paper. Sure, I could buy it, but it's so much more special if the papermaking is part of the completed piece of art. Most recently, I've picked up silversmithing. I'll make jewelry, sure, if just to feed my own habit. But I want to incorporate silver into mixed media pieces. So I have to learn it.<br /><br />Most of us artists have visions far beyond our abilities or talent. If we're brave, we will try to give those visions life. The more and varied skills the artist has, the greater the chances that the vision will materialize in a vibrant piece of work.<br /><br />Sometimes working with a different medium -- making paper or throwing a pot instead of making photographs, for example -- is like eating a light sherbet between two dinner courses with strong flavors. It's like cleansing the palate. Creating a different art form is a way of clearing out the creative dust and making room for new ideas.<br /><br />Working with more than one medium broadens my artistic vision and keeps work fresh and exciting. That means constant learning and experimenting too.<br /><br />So yes, all this work is mine. It's okay for an artist to do more than one thing, isn't it? It's okay for ALL of us to be more than one thing.<div class="blogger-post-footer">http://jeanevogel.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/full
http://jeanevogel.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default?alt=rss</div>Jeane Vogelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10358302675097012117noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33281147.post-90975262398652697182009-07-14T09:10:00.005-06:002009-07-14T09:35:15.741-06:00Looking at Old Work with New Eyes<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_2HTuWjXqwUk/SlyhMHQ9tFI/AAAAAAAAAgg/0RlKspc28Jc/s1600-h/PeaceLuckLove8.jpg" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><br /></span><img style="text-decoration: underline;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_2HTuWjXqwUk/SlyhMHQ9tFI/AAAAAAAAAgg/0RlKspc28Jc/s400/PeaceLuckLove8.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358334886144750674" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Peace Luck Love #8, Infrared Photograph, ©2008 Jeane Vogel</span></span><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_2HTuWjXqwUk/SlyhLw0ojKI/AAAAAAAAAgY/LDSWPhu4Fxw/s1600-h/PeaceLoveLuck9.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 260px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_2HTuWjXqwUk/SlyhLw0ojKI/AAAAAAAAAgY/LDSWPhu4Fxw/s400/PeaceLoveLuck9.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358334880120343714" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Peace Luck Love #9, Infrared Photograph, ©2008 Jeane Vogel </span></span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;">Photographers want instant gratification. Even as we used to toil for hours in a darkroom, we wanted to see our work right away. In the film days, if it took a day or more to process the five rolls of PlusX we just shot, it was much too long. We ran from the shoot to the darkroom. We wanted it NOW! And that was before the days of 1-hour photo kiosks!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">That's probably why Polaroid, then digital, was embraced so quickly. Instant gratification.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Serious photographers shoot hundreds and thousands of images per month. We edit the images we shoot shortly after. We process and print the ones we like. We shoot some more. We move on.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Once in a while, I look back over old images. And every once in a while, looking at the old work with new eyes, I find exceptional work that I rejected. It's as if I've created new images!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">In spring 2008, I started working on a series of introspective Infrared photographs I call <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Peace Luck Love. </span>The Infrared heightens the mood of the work.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Last weekend, I decided to revisit the discarded images and process a few. I found four additional images in that series that once looked ordinary. With a bit of time behind them, the images popped at me.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Instant gratification ... all over again.</div><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://jeanevogel.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/full
http://jeanevogel.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default?alt=rss</div>Jeane Vogelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10358302675097012117noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33281147.post-82364800962286787152009-05-19T08:22:00.005-06:002009-12-05T09:15:20.729-06:00What Kind of Disgusting Person Does This?It's true: I'm not a great business person. I'm an artist. I don't want to trick or coerce someone into collecting my work or scheduling a wedding. I want my business model to be a partnership, to fulfill a need, to inspire a smile or a thought or a memory.<div><br /></div><div>I try to be a strong businesswoman, but I'm not aggressive or impassive enough. I can't bring my self to justify any action with an "it's just business" attitude. <div><br /></div><div>Sometimes I wonder where our business ethics have gone. I know most people are honest and hardworking. Some just aren't. Some are willing to toss people aside to get their buck.</div><div><br /></div><div><div>When we see a gross violation of human decency in business, what should we do? </div><div><br /></div><div>Here's the situation that has me so steamed: A photographer volunteers to be part of a group that offers infant bereavement photography for families. </div><div><br /></div><div>I'm a volunteer for this group. We are professional photographers who volunteer to go to hospitals when a baby has died or has been stillborn. When we get a call, we drop what we're doing and race to the family's side. These may be the only images ever made for these families. The images are retouched and are quite beautiful and moving. We provide prints and CDs and DVD slide shows with music for the families. Each session is emotionally challenging and requires up to 15 hours of shooting, processing, retouching and creating the final presentation. It's a labor of love. Everything is provided free of charge.</div><div><br /></div><div>Why do we do it? Because we can. We have a skill. The gratitude we get back from the families is priceless. It's a gift to a family that has suffered an indescribable loss. It's a way to mend a tiny tear in our broken world. We're not special. It's just what we do.</div><div><br /></div><div>We certainly don't do it to get more business. That's sick and cynical. </div><div><br /></div><div>Back to this new volunteer photographer. She works during the day for a company that has contracts with hospitals to photograph all the newborns. They photograph the babies -- flash, flash, here's your pics, give me your credit card. They are very aggressive with families and hospitals. They're making a lot of money. Fine. They aren't taking money away from me. I'm not a "hit and run" photographer.</div><div><br /></div><div>This woman volunteers to be part of the infant bereavement group. Before she can go out on a session alone, she has to shadow a more experienced photographer to learn procedures, learn the best way to talk to families and handle the babies. </div><div><br /></div><div>As soon as the two photographers get to the hospital, the new volunteer -- the one who works for that aggressive company -- pushes the other photographer aside, declares she's works for this other company and takes the pictures. The kicker: when she delivered the pictures the next day, she CHARGES THE FAMILY for the work!</div><div><br /></div><div>Mind you, this is a family who's baby has just died. They were told they were getting beautiful fine art portraits that they could cherish. For free. Instead they get regular old snapshots and they have to pay for them. They pay. They want these photographs. Only later will they feel betrayed and abused.</div><div><br /></div><div>What kind of disgusting human being does this? What kind of person poses as a volunteer to get her foot in the door to get more business? What kind of person pretend to care about people just to get their money? </div><div><br /></div><div>This woman lied and cheated and stole - all in the course of 10 minutes -- for money? </div><div>To take money from a family with a dead baby? Seriously?</div><div><br /></div><div>This behavior is worse than unethical -- it's repugnant. Is the economy that bad that we have to stoop to exploiting a family's grief to earn a living?</div><div><br /></div><div>Do I know her name? You bet I do. We know who she is and we know what she did. </div><div><br /></div><div>So I ask again. When we see a gross violation of human decency in business, what should we do? </div><div><br /></div><div>(The infant bereavement organization is <a href="http://www.nilmdts.org/">Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep</a>. It's a great organization and worthy of support.)</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://jeanevogel.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/full
http://jeanevogel.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default?alt=rss</div>Jeane Vogelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10358302675097012117noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33281147.post-71700989989132238552009-04-28T08:46:00.005-06:002009-04-28T13:37:27.265-06:00How Long Did That Take to Make?<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_2HTuWjXqwUk/SfcbbxbaM7I/AAAAAAAAAdc/NtCJdUUTHwM/s1600-h/spring-break-pastel-2.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_2HTuWjXqwUk/SfcbbxbaM7I/AAAAAAAAAdc/NtCJdUUTHwM/s320/spring-break-pastel-2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329758847954990002" /></a><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Spring Brea</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">k,</span> Mixed Media Painting, 20x20, $335</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">I un</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">derstand the question. "How long did that take to make?" Artists and craftspeople hear it all the time.</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">I remember the first time I asked it. My family was traveling in the southwest US and we stopped to visit Navajo tribal land. A woman displayed her handmade silver and turquoise jewelry on a colorful, woven blanket. My mother, who collected silver jewelry and was trying to avoid getting her ears pierced, was searching for clip on earnings.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">I was 12 and didn't have much money. I was looking at the less expensive beaded necklaces.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">I picked one up. "This is pretty," I said. "Did you make it?" She nodded. "How long did it take you to make it?" "Oh, a long time," she said.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">My father took me aside. "You shouldn't ask that question," he said gently. "It took her a long time to learn how to do this. Maybe she learned from her mother or her aunt, who learned from their mothers and aunts. Her work isn't about hours of work, but her skill and talent."</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">I think I understood. A little. I understand a lot more, now.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Much of our work in this country is paid for by the hour. We value the TIME it takes to make something-- sometimes more than the skill and talent and education and heritage of the work. Oh sure, we appreciate those things, but often the value of the work comes down to the TIME required for creation. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">I realize now that the beaded necklace might have only taken 15 minutes to make. If she had told me that, would the value had been diminished? Probably. I might have focused on the time the item took to make, instead of the value of the skill, the history, and the practiced hands that made it for me. I might have compared the price to the amount of time I had to work to earn that money.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">When asked, some artists respond with their age: 'It took me 52 years to paint that. All my education and experience went into its creation."</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">It's a cute answer, but not satisfying. And it reinforces the idea that the value art or craft is measured in TIME. It's not. It's measured in emotion. It's measured in the viewer's connection to the work. It's measured in excellence. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">As an artist, I don't punch a time clock. I have no idea how long it takes to create a particular piece. When asked, a try to give a quick answer: "Oh, I don't know. Sometimes hours, sometimes days. I don't pay attention. I work until it's done."</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">That generally satisfies. What the person is really asking is: "Please tell me more about this art." So I do.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">I bought the necklace I found in the desert that day. I still have it. It's value has stood the test of time.</span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://jeanevogel.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/full
http://jeanevogel.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default?alt=rss</div>Jeane Vogelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10358302675097012117noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33281147.post-90642810003913893062009-04-06T08:00:00.011-06:002009-04-06T08:35:40.781-06:00ArtSpace Grand Opening May 2<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_2HTuWjXqwUk/SdoSoRVcO6I/AAAAAAAAAdU/7IVjJMNe3hQ/s1600-h/IMG_2229.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_2HTuWjXqwUk/SdoSoRVcO6I/AAAAAAAAAdU/7IVjJMNe3hQ/s200/IMG_2229.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321586392749063074" /> </a><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_2HTuWjXqwUk/SdoSnxOpMFI/AAAAAAAAAdM/Krq-2LFomm4/s200/IMG_2226.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321586384130617426" /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_2HTuWjXqwUk/SdoNaPF7VYI/AAAAAAAAAcE/Kq2Ztz0_rnc/s1600-h/IMG_2230.jpg" style="text-decoration: none;"><img style="text-decoration: underline;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 231px; " src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_2HTuWjXqwUk/SdoNaPF7VYI/AAAAAAAAAcE/Kq2Ztz0_rnc/s400/IMG_2230.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321580654070814082" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_2HTuWjXqwUk/SdoNZhmmKTI/AAAAAAAAAb8/TkrJIqisBug/s1600-h/IMG_2232.jpg" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Jeane Vogel Studios at ArtSpace in Crestwood Court</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_2HTuWjXqwUk/SdoNZhmmKTI/AAAAAAAAAb8/TkrJIqisBug/s1600-h/IMG_2232.jpg" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br /></span></span></span></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Part of the gallery, a mixed media painting in process, and studio front</span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;">It's taken me three months, but I'm finally happy with the way the new studio is feeling and working. Yes, I moved from a small 12x12 studio to one with more than a 1000 square feet, but the new space is already starting to feel a little small! It's it amazing how fast space can fill?<br /></div></span><div><br /></div><div>I was one of the first to sign a lease at the new ArtSpace in Crestwood Court, a dying suburban mall that is transforming into an art destination. Already, 65 artists, theatres, dance studios and arts groups are buzzing about -- creating, teaching, selling art. Still, this is temporary space. We will lose our leases when the mall redevelops in two or three years. For now, the space is glorious!</div><div><br /></div><div>I'm not a Pollyanna, but there is something special happening here. First, a company -- <a href="http://www.joneslanglasalle.com/Pages/Home.aspx">Jones, Lang, LaSalle</a> -- found a creative, cooperative solution to their dead retail space. Leasing Manager Leisa Son conceived the idea and her bosses, especially General Manager Tony Stephens, supported her. How cool is that? </div><div><br /></div><div>JLL are putting money, energy, time and resources into creating a true art community where mall walkers now reign. The mall walkers will stay, I hope. But they will be joined by art patrons. </div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Our grand opening is May 2 from noon - 9. Family activities are scheduled from noon to 5. In the evening, the event shifts to an exhibit opening event. </span></div><div><br /></div><div>The artists are stepping up too. Most of us know that there is no true competition in the art world -- except to strive toward excellence. Art is subjective. You like it or not. Since competing for sales is a little silly, we might as well cooperate. And that's what we're doing at ArtSpace.</div><div><br /></div><div>A community is growing. It's going to be interesting to watch.</div><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://jeanevogel.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/full
http://jeanevogel.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default?alt=rss</div>Jeane Vogelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10358302675097012117noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33281147.post-7220160540239003252009-03-25T14:43:00.000-06:002009-12-05T09:15:20.730-06:00Burned Out Austrialian Artists Need Our HelpDear fellow & sister artists,<br /><br />In February we all watched in horror while much of the Australian province of Victoria went up in flames. While that was horrible enough, it got worse: the town of Marysville, Victoria, is an artist's haven. Every gallery, studio, wooden sculpture garden, brush, canvas, oil, pen -- everything went up in flames. Hundreds of thousands of pieces of art and every art space is gone. All. Gone. In a blink of an eye. There was no time to save anything.<br /><br />We have a chance to help. A sister artist, Wyn Vogel (no relation) and I have joined together to create ART - "Art Recovery Together" Wyn lives in Brisbane and has lots of contacts in Marysville. She has contacted the local art group, the Yarra Valley Arts Council (YVAC) to find out what artists need. They need EVERYTHING. The YVAC is helping us coordinate.<br /><br />For three months, from April 1 to June 30, Wyn is turning over her website to collect art for sale, the proceeds will help buy art supplies, replace equipment, anything they need that helps artists start working again.<br /><br />We need your help and your donations. The donating artist will email me with a jpg, sale amount, how much of sale amount will benefit ART, (at least 50% please!) and the estimated shipping cost (to US and to AU). We will put them on the web site and publicize the on-line event. If your piece sells, we will contact you with information on shipping. All family-friendly work is requested.<br /><br />Basic info:<br /><br />1. Jpg files should be about 900k<br />2. Send up to 5 views of each work. Fewer is better but send what you need to show the work<br />3. Include your name & contact information, website, size and medium of work<br />4. Short bio (no more than 3 normal sentences). You can include your picture.<br />5. Send all information to jeane@vogelpix.com<br /><br />This project has been backed by the Regional Arts Council of St. Louis and by the Yarra Valley Arts Council in Australia. Both Wyn and I are putting our reputations behind it, for what that's worth. Wyn's work can be seen at<a href="http://www.wynvogel.com/"> http://www.wynvogel.com</a>.<br /><br />This has taken Wyn and me a couple of months (mostly Wyn!) to jump through hoops and get permissions to proceed. It's not too late! Thanks for any help you can give our fellow and sister artists who have lost everything -- including their art. Let's get them creating again.<br /><br />Please send this to EVERYONE who can help. Feel free to contact me with any questions.<br />Thank you!<div class="blogger-post-footer">http://jeanevogel.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/full
http://jeanevogel.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default?alt=rss</div>Jeane Vogelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10358302675097012117noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33281147.post-25470153215321562322009-03-23T09:07:00.005-06:002009-12-05T09:17:59.388-06:00Buying HandmadeI finally did it. I opened the<a href="http://www.jeanevogel.etsy.com"> Etsy shop</a>.<br /><br />If you don't know about Etsy, I encourage you to explore it. Etsy provides artists a venue to display and buyers to discover small hand-made treasures. Most of the work there is inexpensive, ranging from $10 - $100.<br /><br />It's the place to go for a special gift. It's the place to go to support an artist. It's the place to go to buy hand-made.<br /><br />I'm happy to see our culture returning to an appreciation of fine hand-made things. I've given hand-made gifts for years: note cards, pottery, knit scarves. Most people appreciated them -- some didn't. The ones who didn't thought I was being cheap. The ones who did loved that I spent time creating something just for them.<br /><br />When I want a gift, I love buying finely crafted hand-made gifts. Of course, not all hand-made is created equal but the best hand-made<br /><ul><li>is fair trade. I'm buying from the artist or the artist's agent.<br /></li><li>often is local. Not many resources are spent in shipping. Lots of the materials are local too.<br /></li><li>supports a fellow artist. Lots of us support ourselves our families from the work of our hands. We appreciate our patrons.<br /></li><li>preserves the craft and allow us a glimpse of other cultures and other peoples.<br /></li><li>introduces me to the artist. There's something special about owning or giving a gift when there's a personal connection to the maker -- even if the connection is a short email or phone call.</li><li>reminds us of our values. Integrity of work, quality materials, customer service. No one's work is exploited in my studio. (Ask my intern. I think I'm fair. If not, I'll correct it!)</li><li>is special and comes from the love of the work. That shows in the items created.</li></ul>Every other generation or so, as a people we return to our roots. We pick up the basket reeds and clay lumps amd charcoals and needles and begin to create for ourselves again. I'm sorry that sometimes it takes an economic downturn for us to reject all the over-packaged, grossly-advertised store-bought, but I'm glad we're getting there again.<br /><br />Hand-made is special. Hand-made is holistic. Hand-made is sustainable.<div class="blogger-post-footer">http://jeanevogel.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/full
http://jeanevogel.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default?alt=rss</div>Jeane Vogelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10358302675097012117noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33281147.post-64140088691393446482009-03-16T07:44:00.003-06:002009-03-16T08:25:16.412-06:00You Know What You Should Do.....?<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_2HTuWjXqwUk/Sb5fOWGuVMI/AAAAAAAAAb0/UIV4b6lyrOE/s1600-h/Sunflower-II-pastel.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_2HTuWjXqwUk/Sb5fOWGuVMI/AAAAAAAAAb0/UIV4b6lyrOE/s400/Sunflower-II-pastel.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313789310400353474" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Sunflower II, Mixed Media Painting, ©2009 Jeane Vogel, 16x16</span><br /><br /></div>Is there a connection between artists being told what to do and the banality of most art seen in public places in the US? Bear with me here.<br /><br />The connection might be called Unsolicited Advice.<br /><br />I seem to get it all the time. Strangers walk into my studio, look around. "You know what you should do..." Then it begins.<br /><br />A fellow artist walks into my studio. "You know what you should be doing ...?" No, you do that. That suggestion has nothing to do with my work.<br /><br />I'm not saying that I don't like input and advice. In fact, I often ask for it and get terrific responses. Sometimes I don't like the suggestion, but it might give me pause and force me to understand why I'm not heeding it. (As an aside, if I need my ego fed, I ask advice from my husband. He seems to think everything I do is wonderful. How cool is that?)<br /><br />What I truly don't understand is why do people insist on telling me what I should be doing. Do I look incompetent? Do I seem confused or aimless? Did I ask for advice? Am I your student?<br /><br />Unsolicited Advice. It makes you question your judgment, censor your thoughts, keep your work safe.<br /><br />Or, are you telling me what art to produce because you don't like my work? Don't understand it? It's not what you expect? Ok. Tell me that instead.<br /><br />A Buddhist friend tells me that I get so much unsolicited advice because I'm always giving it. Well, that should stop, shouldn't it? OK, I'll work on that, but there's something more.<br /><br />Do we really want all art to look alike? Are we so narrow or limited or lazy or stupid that we have to be spoon fed only paintings of little girls holding a bouquet, or a sailboat on the sea, or a field of sunflowers. I've created art with all these things, but this is all we can do? Can't we create something that forces a viewer to spend more than 5 seconds with it before moving on?<br /><br />Art should spark a conversation, link to another idea, inspire an action, even just solicit a smile. I'm not saying that every work produced has to be important or controversial or political. Our art should not just fade into the wall.<br /><br />Take a look around at your bank, your hotel lobby, your dentist's office. Do you notice the art? If not, ask why it's there. I don't think we really want everything the same. We don't want to be told what we should be doing.<div class="blogger-post-footer">http://jeanevogel.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/full
http://jeanevogel.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default?alt=rss</div>Jeane Vogelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10358302675097012117noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33281147.post-84635350301909892242009-03-09T08:03:00.006-06:002009-03-10T21:34:00.945-06:00f8 & Be ThereThose of us who began studying photography in the dark ages (read: <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">dark</span><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">room</span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;"> </span>ages) had this adage drilled into us. <span style="font-weight: bold;">f8 and be there!<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></span></span></span>It means that the photographers who get the "best" pictures are those who have their camera set on a medium aperture (f8) to compensate for focusing errors (no auto-focus in those days), and are <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">there </span>-- at the spot they are supposed to be.<br /><br />What it really means is, "be prepared." There's also an element of luck involved. Now, I've was a Girl Scout until I was kicked out at 13 (another story) and I've been a GS leader for 8 years. I'm a mom. I know all about "be prepared" and the value of "luck!"<br /><br />I started thinking about what "f8 and be there" could mean for all artists today. It struck me that "f8 and be there" is the old photographer's shorthand for daVinci's 7 Virtues of Life for Artists.<br /><br />Note that DaVinci didn't call these the "virtues of artists" but the <span style="font-weight: bold;">virtues of LIFE for artists</span>. I think what he is telling us is that talented artists who do not live in the world, experience the world, interact the world, comment on the world and struggle to fix the world are artists who are wasting their talent on self-indulgence and ego.<br /><br />I've had daVinci's 7 Virtues, with my interpretations, posted in my studio for years:<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Curiosita </span> -- an attitude of curiosity of continuous learning. It's the "what, when, where, why & how?" of living.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Dimostrazione </span> -- an ability to learn and to test by knowledge by experience. Have an experimental nature.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Sensazione </span></span>-- a development of awareness and refinement of sight and other senses. Be alert. Be aware. Use all the senses to experience the world.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Sfumato </span> --think the way you paint. Overlay. Blend. Have a tendency to embrace and accept uncertainty, ambiguity and paradox. Be a free thinker.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Arte/Scienza</span> -- a develop a balance between science and art, logic and imagination. Use the whole brain. Think. Create.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Corporalita </span>-- have a calculated desire to achieve poise, fitness and ambidexterity. Be physical. Take action.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Connessione </span> -- recognize that all things are connected. Life, art, politics, people, nature, commerce, faith.<br /><br />Thanks, Leonardo.<div class="blogger-post-footer">http://jeanevogel.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/full
http://jeanevogel.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default?alt=rss</div>Jeane Vogelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10358302675097012117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33281147.post-2176477790832364182009-03-02T07:32:00.003-06:002009-03-02T08:11:13.463-06:00Let's Bring Back the Patronage SystemAnyone who has been to Florence or Rome, or who stayed awake during the Art History class slide shows, has seen the splendor that was created during the height of Europe's golden age for artists. The 15th and 16th century in Europe was awash with money and princes and aggrandizement. The work was bold and new and demanded to be seen and discussed.<br /><br />Ever wanting to best their peers, the elite hired hired artists, kept them on the payroll and commissioned grand work that still takes our breath away 500 years later. I haven't set foot inside the Medici Chapels since 1982, but given the chance I will gush on for 20 minutes about the detail and beauty and exquisite workmanship of the floor-to-ceiling mosaics.<br /><br />It was an era of full employment for artists. Patrons paid, artists created.<br /><br />Not that all was good, of course. Your patron had to like the work you created for him. Many a tortured artist was forced to produce pedestrian art to please the master. If not, you might be discharged -- permanently.<br /><br />Diego Rivera experienced the pain of the displeased Patron in the '30s when Rockefeller destroyed the commissioned mural because it was too revolutionary. Rockefeller knew who Rivera was, right? Did he think that Diego would paint a mural of the benign industrialist? Or maybe dogs playing poker?<br /><br />There are some who believe that we have a patron system in place right now: it's called the University. Artists teach and produce work. Some are no more satisfied with the new Patron system, than with the old. Though few art professors lose their heads if they get a negative review.<br /><br />So here's my challenge. Let's bring back the Patronage system. Let's be active in seeking out matches for artists and collectors, companies and institutions. Let's be generous with our knowledge of each others' work. Let's encourage businesses to take down the anonymous, boring, beige mixed media abstracts and pretend-watercolors of sailboats, and replace them with work that will make people stop and look -- and want to come back to the business to look again.<br /><br />The Patronage system filled 15th century Europe with beauty and majesty and work worth of comment. It's time we do the same in 2009 everywhere.<div class="blogger-post-footer">http://jeanevogel.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/full
http://jeanevogel.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default?alt=rss</div>Jeane Vogelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10358302675097012117noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33281147.post-22737836806249675772009-02-23T09:02:00.004-06:002009-03-07T09:17:03.712-06:00Phoning It In<div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_2HTuWjXqwUk/SaK7LInf1pI/AAAAAAAAAbs/T5F0DSxVjQ0/s1600-h/Chess2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_2HTuWjXqwUk/SaK7LInf1pI/AAAAAAAAAbs/T5F0DSxVjQ0/s400/Chess2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5306009110961968786" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;">Concentration</span>, from the Game Series, ©2009 Jeane Vogel Photography, Infrared Photograph</span><br /></div><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Everyone body does it once in a while: phones it in. Creation become mundane. Even work we love can become boring. Maybe I'm feeling sick. Maybe I'm feeling bored. Maybe I'm burnt out. Maybe I'm resentful of the work the client wants.<br /><br />Maybe I'm just lazy.<br /><br />I know that sounds harsh, but let's call it what it is. It hits all of us once in a while. We let it slide. It's good enough. We hope it doesn't show.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" >Of course</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> it shows. All of us are judged by work. Our most </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:100%;" >recent </span><span style="font-size:100%;">work. There's truth in the old saying that we're only as good as our last effort. The old stuff might be great, the new stuff is lackluster, but nobody will notice because we're successful or well-known or ... whatever.<br /><br />I recently read an interview that drove this point home to me. A local reporter, long relieved of duties by layoffs, produced a freelance piece for a small paper. I know this person and the writer is competent. The article I read was not. The questions were common, the writing was lazy. The reporter phoned it in. It was good enough. When I thought about it, I realized that everything I've read by this writer lately has been far below what we used to except. Maybe the writer thought no body will notice.<br /><br />I think lots of people notice.<br /><br />As soon as the thought "it's good enough" pops into my head, I know I have to resist the temptation to believe it. As soon as I realized I'm "phoning it in," I know it's time to look at why.<br /><br />Why is it "just good enough?"<br /><br />Is the concept not good enough? Start over.<br /><br />Is the client not paying enough? Learn from that and restructure the pricing -- next time.<br /><br />Do I think I'm not talented enough to deliver the work I imagined or promised? Try it again. "I can't" generally means "This us too hard. I don't want to try."<br /><br />Am I bored? Too bad. Do it anyway.<br /><br />We all can't be the best, but there's no excuse for laziness. There's no excuse for phoning it in.</span><br /></span></div> </div><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://jeanevogel.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/full
http://jeanevogel.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default?alt=rss</div>Jeane Vogelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10358302675097012117noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33281147.post-58304374647172342502009-02-09T09:46:00.005-06:002009-02-09T13:18:20.459-06:00Game Series<div style="text-align: center;"><a style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_2HTuWjXqwUk/SZB_kDTc_eI/AAAAAAAAAbM/-LxHxnVJ5_I/s1600-h/gamenight.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_2HTuWjXqwUk/SZB_kDTc_eI/AAAAAAAAAbM/-LxHxnVJ5_I/s400/gamenight.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300877018753990114" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Diversions,</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> (c)</span></span><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family: webdings;"></span>2009 Jeane Vogel Photography, Infrared Photograph, from the </span></span><span style="font-size:85%;">Game </span><span style="font-size:85%;">Series</span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_2HTuWjXqwUk/SZB_XGBEG1I/AAAAAAAAAbE/gNSqNbeIJNk/s1600-h/day-out.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_2HTuWjXqwUk/SZB_XGBEG1I/AAAAAAAAAbE/gNSqNbeIJNk/s400/day-out.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300876796143868754" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Pamper Me,</span> (c)2009 Jeane Vogel Photography, Hand-altered Polaroid, </span></span><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:85%;">from the </span></span><span style="font-size:85%;">Game </span><span style="font-size:85%;">Series</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"></span><br /></span><br /><br /></div>Photographers aren't taken seriously as artists by many people.<br /><br />My work often doesn't look like photography, so patrons confide in me: "I don't really like photography. Any body can take a picture." Sometime they add, trying to be complimentary: "But <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">YOUR </span>work. That's <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">art</span>. You really had to do something."<br /><br />I don't like pitting my work against other photographers or artists. I'd rather try to broaden the patron's view of art to include traditional photography.<br /><br />It's true, anyone can take a photo. Seems that everyone does. An artist, though, creates a comprehensive body of work. An artist creates a distinctive style and captures his or her vision on film or sensor. An artist communicates. One or six nice pictures does not an artist make.<br /><br />That being said, I like to push my medium a bit beyond the obvious. Most people think that photography captures a moment in time. I disagree. A snapshot captures a moment in time. A photograph captures a mood or emotion. It tells a story. It evokes a memory. It provokes a discussion. The moment in time is almost irrelevant.<br /><br />I am especially fond of photographic processes that expose a part of our world that we cannot see with out eyes. I want to produce work that asks for a relationship -- demands a few minutes of your time and maybe even gives you something new every time you approach it.<br /><br />My newest work -- the <span style="font-style: italic;">Game Series</span> -- combines both goals. The set-ups take a long time, so I'm shooting each one in hand-altered Polaroid and in infrared. I'm delighted by how different each is, even with the same subject matter.<br /><br />Does the Games Series demand your time and give you something new? You tell me.<div class="blogger-post-footer">http://jeanevogel.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/full
http://jeanevogel.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default?alt=rss</div>Jeane Vogelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10358302675097012117noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33281147.post-20767717241529368512009-02-02T09:07:00.007-06:002009-03-07T09:17:03.714-06:00George Bailey, meet Darwin<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">"Potter's not selling. He's buying! And why? Because we're panicking and he's not."</span><br />George Bailey, <span style="font-weight: bold;">It's A Wonderful Life<br /></span><br /><div style="text-align: left;">A room full of scared people trying to get their money out of a rickety, broken down, old Savings & Loan before all hell breaks loose. That's the image that comes to mind as I prepare for Art Fair Season --2009.<br /><br />Imagine the room filled with art fair artists. Imagine we've lost faith in ourselves and we fearful of what we face in the next months as we travel to fairs, set up displays and desperately, hopefully look to each person who comes by.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span>There's a different feeling this year, isn't there? The last couple of years have been rough sometimes, and that was before the bottom dropped out of everything.<br /><br />As bad as things are for some people -- and I truly believe that we have to do everything we can to help each other -- it's not bad for everyone. Sure, the media is hyping us in to a disaster frenzy, but let's put things in perspective: There's always a market for good art.<br /><br />As I head into this new season, there are a couple of things I'm going to keep in the front of my head:<br /><ul><li>I refuse to go into "survival" mode. I will continue to be confident in the quality of my work.</li><li>I will not cut corners with my materials. I might cut costs, but not quality.</li><li>I paid attention in high school biology class. The fit survive. The weak won't. I will be fit.</li><li>I will not slash my prices. I will not give my work away.</li><li>I will not be greedy. When other artists sell, it's a good sign for all of us.</li><li>I will be gentle but firm with hobbyists who are selling their work for nothing: undercut me if you want, but I do not consider you a peer. If you want to be treated like a professional, a colleague, you must act like one.<br /></li><li>I will not grouse about poor sales. Negative energy brings everyone down!</li><li>I will focus even more on customer service.<br /></li><li>I will continue my practice to send a personal thank you note to every person who shares their address.</li><li>I will continue to resist the temptation to copy the style of a more successful artist.<br /></li></ul>Will this be an easy season or a challenging one? Who knows? Not every artist will have the same experience. I've had terrific shows when my neighbor didn't make expenses. This year, we have to use all the skills we have.<br /><br />Being a working artist is a lesson in Darwinism: The strong survive. The survivors adapt. The ranks thin and produce better offspring. In our case, our offspring is better art.<br /><br />I'm not prone to "Pollyanna-ish" sentiment, but I think we have a great opportunity this year. My plan? I'm focusing on my core values: quality, integrity, attitude, graditude.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://jeanevogel.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/full
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