Spanish Magazine Features My Work

If there's one constant in life and art, it's change. And I'm learning to embrace it.

After some serious soul searching, I've come to the conclusion that my work falls under one main idea - one thought - “the other”. I can't distinguish any longer between a portrait of a mentally challenged trash man in Utah or an image of a smokestack next to a (former) concentration camp in Germany. The theme and ideas are the same to me now.

To my mind, my work is about difference (I often refer to this as, "the other") and memory. It's an investigation about how we see each other and what that means in our daily lives. The memory is both personal and universal - do we learn anything from the past, or is it something we ignore and/or deny? I want my work to question self-consciousness, too. I request that the viewer think about themselves from the inside out, not outside in - a unexamined life...

I heard a comment about the words, "equal" and "the same", last night on the radio. It was Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, so it was a good time to reflect on equality, difference, and sameness.

I came to realize that I don't want everyone to be the same, but I want equality. In a perfect world, we would all be equal (rights, respect, etc.) and we would embrace one another's differences. That's in a perfect world. I suppose that's what I try to do. In a circuitous way, I try to celebrate the differences between us. I enjoy a unique face as much, or more, than a "beautiful" face, etc. etc.

I am infinitely infatuated with difference (in a good way). I think I equate difference/uniqueness with awareness somehow. I don't mean that in the sense of trends or fads, but in the sense of being who you are, fully aware of that (internally) and letting the world deal with it - not the other way around.Excerpt from 1:1's website - "War Damage".

That brings me to the intent of my blog; a Spanish online magazine called, "1:1Foto Magazine" out of Madrid has featured some of my work in this issue. You can see it here or click on the image to go to the site. They are a great group of people and actually understand what I'm doing and have done. Muchas gracias!

I'm very happy to be making work, thinking, dreaming and living more as an artist now. I will continue to work toward being more self-aware and not being disconcerted about being who I am. And I'll continue to make work in that context with the hope of teaching myself, and others, tolerance.

Thomas Huxley said, "Try to learn something about everything and everything about something."

The Frederick Scott Archer Project

The Wet Plate Collodion Day Book 2009 I’m pleased to share this link with you; it’s the CiM (Creative Image Maker Magazine) Winter 2010 (print edition). I wrote an article for this issue. It’s about the Frederick Scott Archer Project. 

I hope you buy the magazine, read the article (and look at the Wet Plate Collodion photographs), and then buy the Wet Plate Day Book and feel so moved that you make a cash donation to the project (wink, wink) - I’m just saying, "I hope".

Seriously, I do hope people get on board with this project. I’m just a few c-notes shy of making the bank transfer to London. If you can, please donate (sales@studioQ.com), or support the effort by buying a book.

This is a great cause and I know we can make our goal and make this happen. It’s been a lot of work and a lot of sacrifice to get this far. I know times are tough, and money’s scarce, but if you, please help.

As the time gets closer, I’ll post more information about the ceremony and the events.  The Collodion Community thanks you for your support!

You Look Like Demis Roussos!

Happy 2010!

How do you start off the new year, let alone, a new decade on your blog? I wanted to start with something that was non-photography/non-Collodion related. There will be plenty of that coming this year.

Every where I go in Europe, especially in Holland and Germany, I get comments about looking like a famous European singer, Demis Roussos.

It happened at a Döner last night. A young Romanian guy asked me, "Where you from?" in that great eastern accent. He was real curious about where my birthplace was. I think he was convinced that I was Greek and related to Demis.

So, next time when this happens (and there will be a next time, believe me), I'm going to get some milage from it - Demis Roussos now has a son - me. Here's how it goes: "Well, Demis is my father. No, it's great to meet you! Oh, a free Yufka Döner? Why, thank you. I'll tell my father you said hello."

Demis Roussos

 

Gold Toned Waxed Salt Print From a Wet Collodion Negative

10" x 8" Gold Toned/Waxed Salt Print from a Wet Plate Collodion Negative
Because of the finish on the print, this didn't photograph very well (too much contrast). But you can get the idea. I "cooked" the print a little too long, too. I usually have a problem with not exposing long enough (printing out), but these print out pretty fast and I'm using my BLBs.

This was made with artificial light - 2 minutes 45 second exposure and I used an iodine/pyro re-development on the negative.

Artist's Statement via Video

I've been meaning to post the work I did in 2005 for a very long time. I made this video for graduate school. Not many people have seen it. It's a 20 minute video that explains who I am, what I do and why. You could call it an artist's statement, but it's a lot more than that. For me, it covers both context and intention. The two most important ingredients for an artist. If you invest 20 minutes of your time, you will learn why I make photographs and what drives me to make art.

In these videos, I talk about where I grew up, what I saw, who I was around and some of the questions that came from my youth and the people I knew then. To sum it up, it's about the questions that I never had answered about people who are different. It's about how we define "different" and how "different" should be viewed.

In the video, I interview some of my sitters. I let them answer some basic questions about themselves and the project. Some of the material is for mature audiences - please be aware of that before you watch them. Some of the content could be very disturbing for some viewers.

Please remember, this is not documentary work, this is art, my personal expression, my opinion, my questions, etc.  There is no need to email me about exploiting people or "crossing the line". These images, interviews and concepts belong to me and the people who chose to help me explore them. The people in these videos are my friends. In fact, I consider them my family in a lot of ways. They are kindred spirits.

"Those who know how to look will learn from his clear and powerful photographs, and will discover more about themselves and more about others."
Writer Alfred Döblin commenting on August Sanders’ work.

A 20 minute video about Quinn's background, process and interview with a couple of his sitters.