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| INSIDE THE MUSIC Now in her second year of photographing contemporary music and the men and women who create it, Martha is starting to see certain patterns and preferences emerge: Eyes and hands. Hands on keys. Movement. Breathing. Waiting. And usually, the closer the better -- Martha’s first-choice lens is 300mm, the size often used for sporting events or for stalking wildlife ... but here it helps give insight into the physical and mental effort that goes into performing. Just back from the two weekends of the JazzTrax Festival in Catalina, the first look at proofs from 70 rolls of film is very promising. There was a lot of positive energy and feedback from the artists who saw Martha’s sample book -- those of you who saw selections from "Inside The Music" in galleries this year in Denver, Aspen, and San Diego have already been moved by the "sound" of the music in the exhibition prints. And you’ll be seeing her work on album covers in the next year or two. In the meantime, Martha continues to shoot at festival stages and at performances in small clubs ("those are the best for me") while working on the documentary project with the SD Opera. There’s a big mental shift in going back and forth between shooting jazz/ blues and opera, but not so much because of the type of music -- with the exception of wearing earplugs at the amplified concerts, the difference is more in the style of photography; it’s a different kind of story to tell. A favorite artist, the Spaniard, Francisco Goya, wrote the words "Aun Aprendo" on a drawing he made late in his career -- "I am still learning." Inside The Music is a lifelong project, filled with constant changes, growth, surprises, and learning -- about photography, about music, about friendships -- and the exciting part, Martha says, is "keeping both my mind and my eyes open while I’m shooting, to try and find ways of translating the emotion generated by what I’m hearing into visual terms -- I’m trying to do a whole lot more than just show a particular performer on a specific stage, I’m actually trying to capture the essence of music itself. That’s an incredibly challenging task, so I guess it’s a good thing it’s a long-term project!" |
| GALLERY & SHOW TALK | |
| La Vae Gallery in La Mesa, site of
Martha’s solo show last February, continues to have her work in both photography and
paper on continuous display. La Vae Gallery will also be the primary San Diego location to
carry Martha’s all-occasion notecards, featuring images from Inside The Music,
California Colors, Impressions of Catalina, and more -- check them out, starting next
month. OFF THE HIGHWAY -- the group show by 23 of the photographers who meet and debate in cyberspace, wrapped up at the David Floria Gallery in Aspen, Colorado this spring. The group is currently involved in new online exhibitions and print exchanges by way of snail-mail; plus there’s ongoing interest in the original Off The Highway exhibit, thanks to the incredible PR efforts of curator/photographer, Mark Sink. The World’s Women On-Line: One of Martha’s larger paper and wire works, "Clair de Femme" is a part of an ongoing international electronic art networking event, presented as a media wall at the UN World Conference on Women in Beijing, China. |
San Diego Art Institute has moved its
gallery to the northern end of the Little Italy area downtown, joining many art galleries,
studios, shops, and fine restaurants. One of Martha’s paperworks, "Ceremony
For A Solitary Woman" was in the September show that launched the new space. The
Art Institute’s new address is on the back panel -- stop by for one of the monthly
member shows or the special shows held every few months ... ... And a piece entitled "Aphrodite Is A Feminist," in paper, silk, and stainless steel, was the first of any of Martha’s paper-based works to be accepted in a juried show, appearing in the SDAI Summer Exchange Show at the Claremont Graduate School in the LA area. People in general, and the art world in particular, don’t always give "serious" credit to paper artists, so this was a satisfying breakthrough, after more than a year of submissions to national shows. See Martha’s notes below about her upcoming series of paper works ... |
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| PAPER SCULPTURE | |
| Martha’s paperworks evoke a range of
responses, from enthusiastic raves to puzzlement -- pretty typical for abstract art! The
works seen at last February’s show used a wide variety of techniques, including
handmade paper that was collaged, painted, layered, left natural, wired, or otherwise
bent, twisted, or manipulated and fastened onto a background. Those of you who saw the
show may recall works which had small sheets of paper bolted onto forged pieces of
stainless steel; or leaves of paper as if in a book, with ceramic masks inbetween the
"pages." A new series of sculptural paperworks has been started, exploring the ideas of memory and how it changes over the years, and our individual connections to family, culture, and heritage as part of the communal memory. In other words, how are we connected to, and a part of, our recent and distant ancestors? are their lives still a part of ours? In these pieces, Martha is using layers of paper wired together in bundles and groups of geometrical shapes, and interspersed with old photographs, snapshots, and bits of text and documents. |
You may be able to help out here
... Martha is in need of family snapshots and photos to use in these works. Do you have
some neighbor’s or distant relative’s photo album or box of pictures stored in
your attic or basement? have you been wondering what to do with them, not knowing who the
people are any more, but reluctant to toss out something that was once filled with
personal memories? Specifically needed are photos from the late 1800’s to the 1950’s, in black-and-white, sepia, or faded color; postcards and/or stamps; and hand-written letters or documents of any kind ... they’ll be given new life and meaning by becoming a part of this series of art works, once again contributing to memories that are passed along to others. Most of these photos or bits of writing will only be glimpsed, so torn or damaged pieces are just as good as whole ones. If you can donate any of these kinds of items, please write, call, or e-mail. Many thanks!! |
| Dear Friends, This newsletter is longer than usual, because it’s been a roller-coaster year, and I don’t think I’ll get a chance to send another out until next summer. As many of you already know, last month I left my high-stress, negative-energy job at the hospital, and am now looking for some kind of "day job" that will help pay the rent and still allow me the time flexibility and mental clarity I need to pursue the full-time projects outlined in this newsletter -- the crystal ball is showing graveyard-shift typing in my future, I suspect! For now, I just wanted to say "thank you," inadequate as those words are, to everyone who’s been a part of the transition in the past three years, this last one in particular ... and you *know* who you are! Friends and family, clients and collaborators -- -- a special thank you is due Art Good’s JazzTrax for allowing me extraordinary access to stages and artists -- thanks Art, and especially Pamela and Erin for your friendship and support of my work. I’m grateful for the incredible response I continue to receive from my models and musicians; David and Kerik, my darkroom guys who create magic and make me look good; and Lana, here’s to that future project of ours ;) Nona Powers of La Vae Gallery in La Mesa is one of my greatest fans and friends, showing my work, letting me bounce ideas off her, and helping me push forward. Warm thanks, too, to Ian Campbell at San Diego Opera for sharing my vision, and to Todd and Stephanie for collaboration that goes above and beyond -- what a great journey we’ve got in front of us! Mom and Michael, as always... I cannot possibly imagine trying to do this without you. If you all get a chance, please call or write to say hello -- love to hear from you, so stay in touch. All my best ... -M |
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