Young State Art (remix)

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A walk along the shoreline of Lake Charlevoix across the eastern boundary into Young State Park will lead you to this. A Neighbor claims her friends started this project earlier this summer. The water is particularly shallow here and the shoreline lake bottom contains a thin strata of white clay. Waterlogged and sunbleached arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis) skeletons litter the beach. Since the initial two or three were inverted and planted in the clay a horde of impromptu artists have contributed to the piece.

the clay pits of glenwood

 standing stumps at the end of a field of sedges and bullrushes, 
beach grasses and tiny flowers

 the clay has been disturbed so many times the water here
is permanently milky... but not rich and creamy, more like skim

 detail of the standing stumps. is that a cross? yes it is

the raw material is continuously washed ashore and the next big storm will no doubt erase this work of art, returning the stumps to the collection on the beach.

next: stream walking to the source

Curating the Archive / Deep Clean / StudioSuperJason Memorabilia...

...or Cleaning the Garage. While it must be done, it is less a chore and more an opportunity to make links back to the influences that shaped my way of thinking and working. The garage serves as attic and workshop when it is not being used to protect the subaru from winter snowstorms. A trip to garage always includes a cursory inventory of visible contents; a subconscious analysis of materials to be used in the next construction. And then lingering on an item of historical significance creates a conduit to the past. The link is brief, but grounding. In this chaos, there is knowing. 

 Today's Task

 kick ass bike from Thailand c. 1970

rad wooden tennis raquets  

a kool sailboat to ride out the flood 

workbench of the century 

bet you didn't know I had my OWN sled?! 

 hardware store level 3

 hardwares store level 2

 my old ice skates

 we slide down slopes on waxed wooden planks

bitchen sharp cassette tape player 

 Ancient Garden Implements Sporty Storage

ephemeral and seasonal

See the results tomorrow, right here!!!

SUNSET REMIX

water... clouds... rocks... sun. elemental. photoshopped.

post cards from Nova Scotia

Last September, my family and I took a trip to Nova Scotia. We rented a van, packed our gear and headed out from Halifax toward Cape Breton Island. The 180+ mile Cabot Trail is now a two lane byway hugging many a steep highland hillside. See a map of the trail here. Before we left, a friend of the family gave us a book of postcards from a 1960's vacation to the same region.

This one is of a bay near Presqu'ile along the Cabot Trail. Look for more composite post cards soon and while you're waiting watch some Trailer Park Boys... Set in a mobile home community in the great province of NS.

Lauren Semivan!

My new friend Lauren will be lecturing at the Ohio State University this fall in the Photography Department. Check out a recent interview here. These are a couple of her eerily gorjus works of photographic alchemy!

Lauren talks about her work in terms of narrative, process and evolving her work over time. I most identify with what she says about 'the problem'. 

"The investigation itself is the most important part, I think. I would imagine that most artists agree that some of these questions can never really be completely answered anyway, and that this problem itself is beautiful. I am conscious of slowly building or uncovering a very specific psychological place over time within my work. " -LS. 

I am super excited to get to know her better this year while she imparts her wisdom to the next generation of photographers at OSU. 

on the road...

here's a travel pick I captured back in Rome a few years ago...

See you soon!

In Summer Wakes the Sleeping Bear

As if from a movie set, masses of people flee evil parking in search for the cooling waters of 

Lake Michigan. The Dune Climb is a programmed incline of pure 3rd coast silicon dioxide moved by wind and water over the last few thousand years.  Most reached the summit to find a slender timber post indicating the additional 2 mile hike over sandy terrain and deemed it unattainable. Lucky for them (and my family) there is a scenic drive that will take you right to Sleeping Bear Point.

infinity edge beach

love love love interpretive signage 

One-of-a-kind and eroding slopes are no match for the stalwart. With an existing grade of 1:1 and a climbing index of 1:1.5,  for every 1 step forward, climbers lost 6 vertical inches making this a very frustrating return. Up the down escalator. 

The Old Sleeping Bear. According to the brochures it is on its way out. A phenomenon known as Blow Out is quickly taking her back out into the bay, one grain of sand at a time.