Monday 19 May 2008

Johnny B






































The funny thing about blogging, at least for me, is that I never know where everything is going to take me next. Here I have my dear friend John Butterworth, painter and soul-mate who is presiding over the page and with the steely gaze, so characteristic of him, seems to be overseeing the proceedings of what is going on below, namely that the students do their tasks properly, that everyone concentrates and produce the best possible art; things like that. It all sounds impossible at first but once the images start coming there is no stopping them.

Live drawing at Canterbury College
































Here they are, buzzing like mad bees trying to work the shading and proper proportions on a large beauty who is pretending to be asleep. It's all in day's work at Cant College during art class. They all are very mindful of Johnny B who is presiding like an overlord from the top of this page.

Very early blue






































Back in the old days, when I was learning the visual trade, I knocked on many doors and became a printing press operator for a while. At the same time I was developing and printing my photographs in the bathroom at home most nights. Some mornings I would go to work and, between breaks, managed to sneak in an image here and an image there. This silhouette, taken one morning against a window in a hotel room in Quebec City, is one is one of the few remaining prints from that special time of my life when I was officially undocumented but unofficially free in more ways than one.

Mujer con aire de misterio


Sometimes there is something eery in images that are truncated by reason of being the very last frame of a roll. This a is a good example of that. Add to that the fact that it is slightly underexposed and voila!, the normal will turn paranormal and the visit to the park will become a frame by frame account of a scene stolen from Hitchcock.

Figura danzando a solas


































This lonely dude all naked and ruthlessly ignored by passerby remains for days on end in his ballet position behind the glass plate of an empty art gallery somewhere in the center of Paris. Is he, somehow, an understudy for some of our lonely moments?

Hacia un auto-descubrimiento





































Do I need to add useless words to something that speaks for itself?

A journey of self-discovery

Sunday 4 May 2008

Reflejo de Agua, Barcelona







































Todo aquello que refleja o se refleja a sí mismo, que hace posible alguna metáfora, bien sea literal o figurativamente, sirve para ilustrar al menos algún punto de los muchos puntos demostrables en una o en infinitas imágenes. Este reflejo de agua, la Sagrada Familia flotando suave en la superficie del pequeño estanque, trata de hacer evidente el concepto.

El genio de Gaudi


























Esta imagen es sacada de algún sueño, de la mente de alguien que como Gaudi supo manifestar el futuro de otros sueños; de quienes alguna vez visitamos su arquitectura y sus parques y hemos constatado que todo aquello era verdad...

Homenaje a Mario Giacomelli - Photographer
















Una gran verdad


























Nada puede ser más cierto que el mensaje que proclama este arte de pared en una calle del Barrio Gótico de Barcelona. El grito, la angustia espeluznante y la maestría de la voz divina del gran Camarón, habrán de permanecer por siempre en nuestra memoria.

Pordioseras, Barcelona 2004


Estas dos mujeres permanecen impasibles mientras el mundo continúa su marcha a media mañana en la amplia acera que conduce a la Catedral de Barcelona. El fotógrafo, ente despiadado en muchas ocasiones, debe grabar en su negativo esta imagen para la posteridad, por encima de los reclamos airados de las dos mujeres, quienes exigen una retribución acorde a sus esfuerzos. Son gajes del oficio.

Mesas sin clientes


Una ventana al parque siempre se presta a la búsqueda de imágenes. La cámara, ventana por excelencia, es nuestra pupila de medianoche en cualquier lugar del mundo. Y este pedazo de universo solitario sobre la acera en un paseo de Barcelona no muy distante de las Ramblas, es un ejemplo de lo dicho.

Early Evening Walk