2010 Visual Studies Workshop Summer Institute

The Extended Image and Frame
Keith Johnson
July 12-July 16

Sometimes the single photograph does not aptly describe the idea; sometimes the idea is about the form of the presentation. Over the course of five days we will examine what extended picture making is, how to make use of the properties of the medium and create extended frames. Whether these are installations, books, topologies, or extended images, the investigation into the real or personal image will be about picture making. There will be critiques, lectures, field trips, and lots of photographing, journal writing, and idea generation. Photographers and image makers may work in B&W or color, digital or in film, the goal is to work, make pictures and dig deep.

Mac store in Chicago.  I need to find a musician to play this…

This past week, after 40 years of running Panopticon Gallery,Tony Deaconess has turned over the reins to Jason Landry.

Jason has shaken things up a bit and I expect some moving and shaking going on.  Check out the new site.

Two new books made using My Publisher.  They are 8.5×11′ with dust jackets.  Gridwork is 32 pages with 20 pictures plus a statement.

Suite Niagara is 24 pages with 10 pictures plus statement.  They are for sale at $35 each plus shipping.

On demand printing changes the way we print, share even promote our work.  I intend to make several more with recent work.

Another picture in the Identity piece I have been working on.  Each cork represents a celebration of 2/22/90.

Vieques Light for twenty minutes on a lovely sunny January day.

Five minutes standing in the rain in Plano.  I suppose something about coming in from the rain comes to mind.

Evelyn.

Evelyn, Zarry, & Victor 1/18/10 30″x 1100″

The fourth in a series of lost alphabets.

We went to see the Callahan show of about 50 pictures at the MFA yesterday.  It was a perfect way to close out (visually) 2009.  Becky suggested that Callahan had quite an influence on my work: GUILTY.  A couple of pictures stood out: a woman on the street in Chicago in a very light green coat and hat probably from the early 50s; a four panel grid of tree limbs looking up form Atlanta in 1993.  Marvelous pictures.  Yes, Harry was (remains) quite an influence.

Here is Thanksgiving 2009 in two versions: 22×33 inch Grid and 30 second video below.

Right click on this link  Thanksgiving 2009, then open in a new window.  Enjoy.

My second posted Moving Picture (video).

25 feet off the roadway.

Another grid for my stay in Buffalo, NY.

I was a tad reluctant to go to the Met Wednesday; haven’t we seen enough of The Americans already?  I had never seen its entirety as an exhibition with some rather large prints laid out as in the book through 5 or 6 rooms.  I have to say the sequence had never read as clearly nor as succinctly as it does that way.  The Americans is truly a book in my mind, but having known the work for 40 years it remains brilliant, ground-breaking, and formative for me and my photography.  There were always some pictures that were less resonant, particularly from the Montana timeframe, but yesterday I was completely satisfied.  Furthermore the art of sequencing photographs (which I have be long steeped in-thanks, Nathan-makes the meanings deeper and more satisfying.  I learned some stuff, yet again.  Happy Thanksgiving.