"Use my eyes," said a celebrated painter, in reference to a model that his interlocutor thought frightful; "Use my eyes, sir, and you will find it sublime." __Charles Gounod
" If the doors of perception were cleansed Everything would appear as it is----infinite."__William Blake "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye." __Antoine de Saint-Exupery
"Art does not reproduce the visible. It renders visible." __Paul Klee
"Until we accept the fact that life itself is founded in mystery, we shall learn nothing." __Henry Miller
" I learn by going where I have to go." __Theodore Roethke
"Craft must have clothes, but truth loves to go naked" __Rousseau
" Imagination is more important than knowledge." __Albert Einstein
"The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious"__Albert Einstein
What Rattles My Rusty Cage/###/
Art, Music & Nature top my list of passions, music being the oldest. It's always there in me little head, pulling (strumming?) strings like the Great Oz. Sometimes it really does seem a bit (and sometimes a lot!) like "The Truman Show" whereby the tunes in my head provide context---or even define-- the reality I'm experiencing at any given time. Hmmmm...the Great Oz has spoken!
I also enjoy a good road trip now & then, with or without a real destination--at least half the fun is getting there --even if there isn't much "there". Beyond that, I enjoy bowling about once every 3 or 4 years... ;)
About My Work
"You are lost the instant you know what the result will be."
__Juan Gris
"Kodakman" © KGB/SlipperySoul
Photography/art takes up much of my time and the studio is my playground. I have a lot of accumulated "stuff", much of which seems to find its' way into the the work. I also enjoy working on location when a particular environment or space beckons. Printing in the traditional BW darkroom is also a nice old-school kinda pastime ;)
I find I usually work best with people who are open-minded, patient and willing to think out of the proverbial "box". It's always a nice challenge to try and do something with the figure even remotely akin to "originality"--ie, to make it one's own. I typically work with friends & acquaintances who want to create something un-ordinary, and my approach tends towards edgy, dark eroticism. My primary interest is less about flattery or glamor, than being compelled by concepts & themes that interest me. "Flattery" and glam are simply byproducts of the process.
As it is a collaborative process the input & personality of whomever I work with necessarily contributes to the look & feel of the finished work. People with unique looks or unusual physical features obviously add to the possibilities. Physical abnormalities or deformities are also very interesting. While a nice physique is a definite plus, an open, creative imagination is even more important to the process. I've found too, that the longer I work with someone the more interesting the images seem to get over time.
Lastly, since I don't charge for my work (all is trade-for-work exchange), I will only work with serious, reliable people. Life is too short and the work requires too much time & energy. "Tempus Fugit" :P