12x12 Show at CVA

Sorry for 3 posts in a row about the same show, but I have a few more images to share that I took last night. I was able to see the show with no huge crowd (unlike at the opening). I was teaching a summer course at the College of Visual Arts, and the gallery was open when we wrapped up class. Here's a few of the back corner of the gallery:

All 2D work had to be EXACTLY 12 inches by 12 inches. It lends itself to a formally interesting show, with a variety of work. Here's a view looking to the front of the gallery:

That's my piece to the far left of that image, right by the front window. Good exposure! Here's yet a closer view:

And finally, one shot for Mom, showing me with my piece. Mine's the one I'm pointing to......

CVA Alumni Show Reception

Friday night was a lot of fun! I was able to catch up with some former classmates (and a few former faculty members) that I hadn't seen in YEARS. The CVA gallery and Room 404 next to the gallery were full of people the whole time I was there. I didn't actually make it into the gallery until I'd been there for about an hour (I kept running into old friends).

Here's a shot from the back of the gallery as the reception was winding down:

Look closely at the middle of that image. That's my photograph as the very first piece of art on the wall at the very front of the gallery:

I used the image of the tricycle as the image that would TRY to encompass the entire project. That's a tough thing for one piece to do, and I don't know that it completely worked.... Anyway, this is the piece I'm referring to:

That's all for now...

Show Opening

Just a quick note to invite you all to an opening at the College of Visual Arts Gallery at 173 Western Avenue in St. Paul (on the corner of Western and Selby avenues). The opening is this Friday, June 12th, from 6-9 pm. I'll be there for most of it. I'd love to see you there!

I'll snap some photos at the reception. It should be a pretty cool show. I'll post again next week. Thanks!

Final Work for the Memory Project

I think I’m done shooting for the “Memory Project” (still a working title). Now I need to figure out how everything goes together and try to turn it into a cohesive project. Here’s the last of the shots from earlier this spring:

“Reel Mower”


“Skis, Life Jacket, Clorox”


“Granary Door”


“Under the Feed Scale”


“Boat Shed Door”


“Dad’s Snow Blower”


“Spring Melt”

2 Avedon Quotes

I've shared these with most of my photo classes whenever Avedon's portraits come up in a slide show:

I've worked out of a series of no's. No to exquisite light, no to apparent compositions, no to the seduction of poses or narrative. And all these no's force me to the "yes." I have a white background. I have the person I'm interested in and the thing that happens between us.

- Richard Avedon, 1994

And if a day goes by without my doing something related to photography, it's as though I've neglected something essential to my existence, as though I had forgotten to wake up. I know that the accident of my being a photographer has made my life possible.

- Richard Avedon, 1970

Jon Arbuckle Teaches Color Theory

I made some new images 2 weeks ago. (I'm trying to wrap up the shooting for this current project, and then move more heavily into the editing and sequencing stage.) I still need to pick up the negatives from DigiGraphics.

In the meantime, this Garfield comic from a week ago made me laugh:

Ha! Good stuff! Back with some new images shortly...

Honesty: NOT Always The Best Policy

If you didn’t know, I’m a college art and design professor. I teach at a few different colleges/universities in the area. I teach mostly photo/design/media classes. But at one of the schools, I also teach a Foundation Color Theory course.

Before we jump right in to color, we first reacquaint ourselves with value. One of our first projects was a 9-step achromatic value scale. One student had some troubles, and on his/her envelope, he/she labeled it like this:

"9 Value Scale of Crap"
(I removed the student’s name to protect his/her identity)

Honesty: not always the best policy.

Purdy Pictures

It’s time to take a break from my regularly scheduled posts. Here’s something a little different.

I took my Holga to Mexico a month ago, and I made some pretty photos just for the sake of making pretty photos. Don’t judge me. Here are 4 of them:

“Driftwood with Conch Shells”


“Flowering Tree”


“Waves at the Beach”


“Plants Growing on the Cliff”

Thank you. You may now return to your snowy and dreary Minnesota winter. Sheesh. I’m ready for spring.