Soeffker Gallery Prep

My work is being hung at the Soeffker Gallery in preparation for the opening next week (Friday, March 1st, from 6-8 p.m.). Here are few pics in process:

Framing work in my studio.


Showing some work that's slightly outside of my "norm."


Three pieces framed up, sitting in my office, and ready to be delivered.
(Don't judge the amount of Cherry Coke Zero that I consume.)


Sorting some loose prints before class.


Trying something new here too - showing some loose "work in progress" prints.

Stop by the Soeffker Gallery at Hamline University in a week to see more work at the opening reception. It's Friday, March 1st from 6-8 p.m.

Work Back from the Anderson Center

My 2-year-old and I recently made the trip down to Red Wing to pick up my 5 pieces that were hanging in an exhibition since June. They made the trip back to my studio just fine:

Here's more from that exhibition from a few months ago. Thanks Anderson Center!

Finalizing my Piece for the Upcoming 'Center for Fine Art Photography' Exhibition

I spent some time in my studio this weekend getting my large 4 a.m. piece ready to ship to Colorado. Here are a few pics of the process:

Print on the table, mat board leaning up, frame and plexi in the foreground.


Signed print.


Ready to put on the D-rings and wire.


Complete.


That last photo didn't show the scale of the 31x41 piece that well. Here's a shot my wife took
of me holding the piece, and it lets you get a bit more of the sense of the scale.


I wrapped it in butcher paper, and then loosely "boxed" it in foamcore
to then take to UPS and have them box and ship it.

p.s. Here's a post from March that shows the process of making the frame for this exhibition (as well as 3 more frames).

Upcoming Exhibition in Colorado

I recently got a piece into an exhibition called "NIGHT" at The Center for Fine Art Photography in Fort Collins, CO. I decided to make a larger print for the show. I submitted a file last Monday night to White House Custom Color, and about 40 hours later, this appeared on my front porch:

The 30" x 40" print laid out in my studio. Note the letter-sized test prints to the far right.


A detail photo (dollar bill for scale).

The print held up well at that size (although that's about all the bigger I'd be comfortable making it). I made some frames last week, and just finished them yesterday. More on that soon.

Studio Time: Framing and Matting Work

My 2 young boys were at my in-laws for the weekend, so I got some work done in my studio. I first did a lot of cleaning, sorting, and purging, and then I framed up 5 pieces for an upcoming exhibition at the Soeffker Gallery at Hamline University. Here's what the last few days of childless work looked like:

Picking up mat board at Tradewinds II in St Paul on Friday. They're a hole-in-the-wall sort of place,
but I've used them for YEARS. Check them out at 838 Smith Ave S Saint Paul, MN 55107.
651-290-2931. Tell them Steve Stenzel sent you.


Second trip to Ace Hardware. They mis-cut my glass the first time, so this nice man had to re-do it.
This is their awesomely funky "employee only" workroom / storeroom in the basement.


Saturday morning: ready to mat in my studio.


Not only is a headlamp SUPER attractive, but it also really
helps to spot schmutz or streaks on the glass when framing.


From my Instagram: "Studio time with the boys at Grandmas.
Matting and framing some pieces for an upcoming show."


Fine tuning some mats.


Four framed up, still needing the hanging hardware.


Sunday morning: putting on the hanging hardware before having to go pick up my boys.

I realized at the end of the weekend that I spent all those hours in my studio without any music or TV on. I guess that peace and quiet is a rare treat when you're usually hanging around with a 1 and 4-year-old.

Stay tuned for info about the exhibition next month. It looks like I'll be having 5 pieces shown. Check out last week's post about making prints for the exhibition.

Inspiration

I was working in my studio last week, and I found this quote written down (and apparently I posted something like this before, about a year ago):

Inspiration is for amateurs. The rest of us just show up and get to work.

- Chuck Close on Charlie Rose

Incredibly Organized Studio

Videographer Casey Neistat has his shit together:

Direct link: http://vimeo.com/68558518

Final Prep for Kernels Show

The show is up! I have 37 pieces on display near Half Moon Park in Wells, MN for Kernel Days. Here’s some of the final prep work for dealing with all this work:

Pile of trash: linen tape backing, empty bags of
framing hardware, and Windex-covered paper towels.


Paper that once wrapped all the pieces to my metal frames.


Titles mounted on foam core.


Nine photos on the seat, and 8 on the floor.
All are laying back-to-back with sheets between all the fronts.


20 large pieces (22x24 frames) in the backseat of my car.

I hauled all the pieces SAFELY to Wells on Friday afternoon (yesterday), and hung the work immediately in a cleaned-out shed near the park where Kernel Days is held. Many people have already stopped by, and I hope to have a good turnout tomorrow after the parade. It’s been great getting feedback from people who live and work in the area where many of these photos were made - they view the work in such a different way than my photography peers in Minneapolis / St. Paul.

If you’re in the Wells area, stop by tomorrow after the parade and say hi! Photos from the show to follow shortly...

Kernels Day Show Prep

Last week, my huge frame order was completed. I had to make 4 trips to my car with frames, mats, glass, and framing hardware. Here’s 38 frames all laid out and ready to be assembled (with the hardware in the bag in the foreground):

I also printed stickers with my blog address on them to add to my postcards:

Framing work in my studio.


Signature on the back of all prints.


The first 10 framed 16x20s.

OK, back to work... I have 28 more prints to frame by Friday afternoon. And if you’ll be around for Kernels Days this weekend, make sure to stop by Half Moon Park to see my prints!

Lots of Printing...

.... soon to be “Lots of Framing.”

Over the last few weeks, I’ve printed around 40 photographs to show at “Kernel Days.” I mentioned this a few posts back - I was given a grant to print, frame, and show many of my photos that I made around my hometown of Wells, MN. I’ll be showing those images at the yearly town celebration known as “Kernel Days,” which takes place in about 10 days.

It’s been interesting selecting work for this show. It’s a mix of what I consider to be my best work from this project, along with some of the images that I know people who live in the area would like to see. I’ve never selected photos like this before.

Anyway, here are a few photos of everything in progress:

16x20s in the drawers


Lots of drawers of 16x20s


Prints “drying” in my studio


11x17s drying

Note: in case you didn’t know (or you think I’m crazy), the prints come out completely dry to the touch. But they release gases over the next few days as they fully dry, so I like to lay out my prints and let them “dry” for a few days after making the prints. Otherwise, it can lead to some framing issues once they are put under glass.

I’ll be checking out the space where I’ll be showing this weekend. It’s not going to be anything fancy. Far from that, in fact. But it will be fun to get the reactions of the people from the area where I made the photos!

OK, time to call the frame shop....