Collaboratus
In memoriam, Mathias Oppersdorff
I’ve taken a recent liking to Chuck Close’s work. I’m a big fan of Philip Glass, Richard Serra, and Chuck Close, independently and see them as the modern equivalent of the Picasso-Matisse square that was often influenced and in direct competition with their other companions- Degas, Rodin, and a host of contemporaries. You’ll notice in some of the images in the Collaboratus series the upward-gazing angle, as Close is confined to a wheel chair, and this serves for me as a metaphor to “looking up to” those friends and artists that I admire on both accounts.
Collaboratus as a series is to honor those friends and artists who are to me, my Glass and Serra, and to honor the relationship of the artists whom have shaped our world: Glass, Serra, Close, Matisse, Picasso, and many more whom have struck long term relationships (this occurs a lot in writer-land: Dickinson and Wordsworth, Whitman and Emerson.) I wanted to explore this myself. I am interested in I reflecting on my life as a model probing the collaborator’s lives who, it turns out, are typically behind the camera.
I’ve not entirely worked out the final product of the series, but the main portrait of Tyler Keeler is probably where I will go with the final product. Tyler was my guinea pig, and I think I executed my vision with skill, unexpectedly. Sometime you surprise yourself, and that was one of those days. The first image of Tyler I also enjoy a lot, although it doesn’t fit into a formal interpretation of a Chuck Close-esque portrait. You can view more of Tyler’s photography HERE.
I had the pleasure of shooting- briefly and candidly this summer, Mathias Oppersdorf, a dear friend and photographer of mine, who passed away from Parkinson’s complications this winter. He, also, was an accomplished photographer, working for 18 years for Gourmet Magazine. He has several books I urge you all to look into, namely Under the Spell of Arabia and People of the Road: The Irish Travellers.
There is a great article on Mathias’ background here:
http://newsblog.projo.com/2010/02/mathias-t-oppersdorff-74-world.html
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Digital Photographer Magazine #22- Images with Words
I am published often, thanks to the adoration of a wonderful editor- Jorge Pinto Guedes, in Digital Photographer Magazine in Europe.
These tearsheets are from #22: Images with Words. It’s such a treat to see my poetry translated into Portuguese, which is a beautiful language. Portugal, and my friends and colleagues in Lisbon, hold a very special place in my heart.
These images and words, for me, are bittersweet. I suppose all good things must come to an end… I’m grateful to be able to weave these seemingly fleeting moments into my art, and add a positive-permanence to any of the people, places and things that inspire me as an artist.
Here is the poem in English:
Our space our town
tinkering with twilight
to tell ourselves
it’s not too late.
One more song,
one more story.
(Don’t let this
slip out from underneath me.)
Please let this melody linger
like a seed on the breeze.
Boardwalk sun-signs blend moment
into muscle memory; sensory
overload
slices seductively flooding
sensile fingertips translating
tales and fortunes.
Relish in restraint, relinquishing
into the bath
an inch
at a time feeling the
warmth rise and send spirit skyward to
chase the tales of dragons.
2 of 3
sighing outside of decency-
Dilute the delusions with
hot breaths and baited words.
Sliding against the wall unable to
escape sighs and lullabys.
Slipping into soft sighs,
thighs and nimble touch.
Pulse-point-perfect-pressure
pricking and poised for charm school.
Stretch out, slink sideways,
slip inside of the improvidence,
seeing only today.
(click on thumbnails to see slideshow)
Page 1 of 2, DP Magazine #22
Page 1 of 2, DP Magazine #22