Pieces to Show at Newspace Center for Photography & Missoula Art Museum

I feel very fortunate to have a piece chosen to be a part of the Black & White Themed exhibition at Newspace Center for Photography in Portland, Oregon.  It is a great space in a great city.  Only wish I could be there for the opening, which, by the way, will be on Friday, February 3rd, from 6-9pm.  The show will be up until the 26th, so if you happen to be in Portland, stop by and see the work.  

[Un]Remembering

22x36inches, Photo Etching and Wax

2010

And, after you stop by Portland to see that piece, swing by the Missoula Art Museum on Saturday, February 4th for the 40th annual Benefit Art Auction to pick up some art and support a great organization.  This year, my image, Coping, was juried in to help raise some money for the museum.  By the way, you're more than welcome to bid by proxy if you absolutely can't make it to Missoula this year.  

Coping

20x24 inches, silver gelatin

2010

Junot Diaz

One of the perks of my current day job is that the school I teach for gets some pretty amazing guest lecturers and speakers.  Most recently, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Junot Diaz, came to spend a day on campus.  He was scheduled to do a reading for the entire school community that evening, but first he got the inaugural tour of our beautiful grounds and then spent some time with our juniors and seniors in a more intimate Q&A session.  Somewhere in the midst of this crazy day, I was fortunate enough to get a half hour alone with Mr. Diaz for a photo shoot.  Now, while I'm not at liberty to divulge all the bits of wisdom, irreverence, and insight that were floating around the room with Junot and me, I can show the results of my efforts.  Enjoy.

If you'd like to read more about Junot Diaz's visit, go here.

Peering through the Pinhole

One of the things that keeps me interested in photography has always been that magical aspect of the medium--that mysterious occurrence that takes place somewhere in the dark box when light meets film.  I realize that there are numerous scientific explanations for the chemical reactions that happen when an exposure is made, but I like to hold on to the feeling I get--the feeling I'm sure the forefathers of photography got--when there is a latent image on that piece of acetate film just waiting to emerge in the developer.  This is probably why I go back to pinhole photography when I begin to feel stifled in my work, or when I become downright cynical and critical of photography in general.  I get some great satisfaction from the process of constructing my own camera out of cardboard and tape and working to make rough, rudimentary images that always seem to carry more weight and worth than anything I set out to make with modern equipment.  For me, it is comforting to know that no matter how much technology advances, no matter how complicated the photographic bells and whistles may become,  the most unique images are sometimes born from the simplest materials.

Joshua to Speak at Northeastern State University, B.A..

On Monday, January 31st I will be speaking to Dr. Satara Armstrong's Social Policy Class at NSU Broken Arrow.  Dr. Armstrong contacted me about presenting on the topic of my newest body of work, Coping, which opened at the TAC Gallery in Tulsa this past month. These images explore the changing image of the child by redefining its traditional role of innocence and hope.  It is always interesting when art can cross disciplines and spawn a broader conversation about important social and psychological issues. 

Urban Tulsa Weekly Feature

Libby Williams came to my studio and interviewed me a couple of weeks ago.  Somehow, from the web of tangled ramblings that I spewed at her, she came up with this nice piece featuring my work and, specifically, the body of images called Coping. Enjoy.