3,2,1 & they're gone! 1 day left, 2 days left & 3 days left, catch these while you can!

I have planned your schedule, so relax sit back & read the instructions below for a perfect photographic trio to tantalise your eyeballs over the next 3 days!

1 DAY LEFT...

L A Noble Gallery : 'Summer Salon'

Venue: Maybe A Vole, 51King Henry's Walk, London, N1 4NH

So my dear readers, it's your last chance to see the amazing 'Summer Salon' at L A Noble Gallery, featuring 31 photographic works for your enjoyment!

Here is one of the very talented artists Kate Owens whose new works are exquisite & all unique. Her detailed drawings on each image are so delicate it takes time to distinguish the printed ink from the applied ink. Measuring 25cm square each framed they are the smallest works in the show - great things come in small packages! 

Here discussing Chris's work...pre-hang.From left to right, the inimitable Robert D. Phillips, with the fabulous Chris Steele Perkins & mighty Robert Clayton. 

Here is a much better picture of Robert Clayton with his work from the 'Lion Farm Estate' series. Watch this space for more about the series in forthcoming posts...

It is such a pleasure to walk into this space, I shall miss the show as I do every one I curate. 

From left to right works by Kate Owens, Philipp Wülfing, Chris Steele Perkins, Anne Leigniel & Herb Schmitz. 

This stunning image by Philipp Wülfing is from his extraordinary series, 'Alzheimer's' in which he recreated still life's of things which his late mother did during the latter stages of the illness which we still have no cure. In this case when a gift of roses was received she wrapped some so that they 'would not get broken'. This touching surreal scene reveals much about the confusion of the illness as it does his own tender memories of his mother. See the rest of the series here. 

From left to right: Helén Petersen: Truly stunning work which when you realise that she hand prints these silver gelatin wonders. This large work took a full day in her darkroom & well worth it! 

Colin Coutts' 'Disruptus Digitalis' series literally display the stolen, chewed gloves that have been deposited back into his garden by pesky foxes - literally foxgloves! Printed on metallic paper the images refract the light back at you in the darkness as a foxes eyes do when glinting in the night. 

Robert Clayton's intimate still life complete with sugar bowl & radio are just as he found them in a resident of Harry Price House proudly welcomed her kitchen to be photographed boasting all its original 1962 fittings. I think we call that retro or vintage now, but even then it was beautiful & still as appealing to admire today.  

Brittain Bright's, 'Spirit Collection' works are hauntingly beautiful - with a different kind of floral theme - this time suspended in glass jars at Kew's herbarium. 

Herb Schmitz's 'Cracked Doll' has drawn much attention with his attention to detail, even using David Bowies makeup artist to create the crack that runs across her porcelain white skin. This is pre-Photoshop stuff, fantastic! 

Then Yvonne De Rosa's intimate 'Wish List' works are magical. Dragonflies mate forming a heart shape with their bodies, truly a once-in-a-lifetime shot.

Here we have the colourful (love her coat) Anne Leigniel with 2 works from her 'Artist's Rags' series. I am so thrilled that one of my own rags has recently been photographed by her. I feel another blog post coming....

So what are you waiting for, come to latest L A Noble Gallery venue Maybe A Vole & see it Saturday 7th Sept!!

2 DAYS LEFT...

Sunday's photo fix:

Renaissance Photography Prize 2013

Venue: The Wapping Project Bankside 65a Hopton Street, London SE1 9LR

The prize also raises money for younger women with Breast Cancer, so show your support & visit this on Sunday.

Here are some pics from last night's awards...

Lovely friend & fellow blogger Miranda Gavin wore the best hat of the night, full of summer sunshine. 

The very glamorous (& tall) Penny Lancaster, (a photographer & model) speaks to the crowd.

Miranda & Chis converse...

 The very hot (heat hot - it was boiling) crowd listen...

My glamorous assistant's - well current & past assistants - Katherine Leedale who will be coming with me to the Unseen Photo Fair  (more about it in later posts) & Gabrielle Brooks who now works at Genesis & writes their blog will also be attending the fair. 

Here is just a tiny selection of images from the exhibit which I was reviewing portfolio's at today & was happy to attend the awards last night. A great show with a lot to see at The Wapping Project Bankside, just a few minutes walk from Southwalk tube, so why not drop by? I'm sure it is not the last you will see of these photographers whose works are printed by the wonderful guys at Genesis Imaging. 

 ©Mirjina Vrbaski, ©Kate Peters

 ©Jackson Patterson, ©Lorenzo Vitturi

 ©Bryan Schutmaat, ©Hanna Putz

©Arnis Balcus, ©Kate Peters

3 DAYS LEFT...

'MAPS' Venue:

Ambika P3 Gallery, University of Westminster, 35 Marylebone Road, London NW1 5LS

On my way home from ‘MAPS’ (MA in Photography Studies) at Ambika P3 the University Of Westminster I felt compelled to write down my immediate impressions, so after my scrawls on the tube my intern Ben managed to decipher my notes so I thank him for that.

Due to my blog-pride I have added much more - as 20 minutes was not enough time to go into any sort of detail…….

Here are a few notables to whet your appetite...

 Peer close ..

Johanna Ward's display

Johanna Ward

I was enchanted from the outset by Johanna's images & even more so - when after attending a salon at the gallery - she gave me a sneak peek at her stunning boxed set of books that she had collected from the Wyvern bindery earlier that day. The hand made concertina pages stretched across the floating shelves are riveting viewing.

The series 'I shall say goodbye with my strengthening love for you, forever and ever' depict numerous images which dance gracefully across the paper unfolding a story of love & loss thereof (in this case her parents love, marriage & divorce) connect with the bigger picture, namely the planet. She successfully manages to entwine the concepts of decay & damage both literally & metaphorically. If someone told me that I would fall in love with 2 photographs of a skinned deer I would have laughed. But I do! I love this work, what can else can I say? I won't say any more (just yet), you just have to go & see it for yourselves...

Katie Stretton

Her work reminds me of one of the principles of the Tao De Ching (or Laozi) that we must yield to overcome - namely water will wear away the largest rock over time. The gentle line that passes from one print to the next display great restraint - a rare thing these days.

Hannah Samuell :

Her reactions to London perceive the claustrophobic nature of the city with a psycho-geographical twist in black & white.

Beatriz Perez with her work

Beatriz Perez

Perez shows "a circularity where women are ‘sold back’ to themselves" in glossy red, like the magazine pages which entice us to believe the unrealistic hype which surrounds the female form in the media. Her critique through female body parts seduce & scare in equal measure. 

So there is your weekend & an art skive Monday planned, now go forth & enjoy! If you can't skive do more than one a day! Voila, now you have no excuse...

Our Summer Salons & why collecting photography is important for photographers?

Foam Amsterdam 2012

Having lectured on collecting photography in many universities, galleries & museums around the world, there is one thing that keeps coming back to me - why don't more photographers attend them?

Well the obvious answer is that they think that it's irrelevant to them as they make the photographs. True, but creating the work is only the first part of building a career as an artist in the art market.

Foam Amsterdam 2012

Understanding the way in which audiences think about photography, approach it as an art & eventually in some cases become collectors of the medium is an invaluable insight. This should not in any way alter any artist's approach or artistic vision - making images purely to sell not only destroys your credibility but also your soul in the long run - but having a window into the mind of the collector can help with many things...

Foam Amsterdam 2012

My collecting lectures give both practical advice to collectors and allow for each person attending to be more confident about their passion, feeling safe in the knowledge that they are not making silly mistakes when buying art. The most asked questions are about the definitions between vintage, modern & posthumous prints & their comparative value. Also, the importance of editioning in relation to the exclusivity of a work as well as its future value. 

As a photographer understanding the different ways in which a collector approaches a purchase can be quite an eye opener. Like any collector there are many ways in which individuals prioritise their choices. Overall I always advise to buy what you love, but also to buy wisely. Paying over the odds for a work which is uneditioned or has come from an edition far to large to be considered 'limited' - sadly a very overused term in todays society in all areas of commerce - can often illuminate common misconceptions about the market as a whole. 

With so many ways in which we now consume art beyond the gallery walls how does an artist break through to become a collectable entity & what is it that separates a good artist from a great one? How do new collectors find the work that they will eventually purchase & what considerations are important to make the decision to buy? 

The forthcoming course presents solutions to these questions & also gives attendees the chance to put the information they have been given into practice during the last session of the course. In an intimate group it is also the perfect opportunity to meek like minded people & get to know others who have a shared passion for the medium. For more information about the course on Wednesday Aug 21st see this link & contact the gallery to book a place.

L A Noble Gallery Salon's 2013

This summer our Salon sessions have been full fantastic work & people, with very different approaches & varied interests in subject matter & photographic techniques. 

Some brought their work in print form, framed, or on  their laptops. From finished works to works in progress the feedback & encouragement from myself & the others taking part was also mixed - as each person's experience & opinions brought new ideas to every image discussed. 

The discipline of talking about only one photo for 5 minutes is a great skill to have - putting several things into practice. Speaking to an audience for a set amount of time with only one image means that what you have to say needs to be delivered in a coherent & interesting way. 

To some 5 minutes is no time at all, to others it may be a lifetime. Really articulating what your photograph is about from literal & a conceptual standpoint with only one image to show that is harder than it looks.

After each  person has spoken the rest of the group offer questions & advice for another 5 minutes. This focus is great practice for doing a full length talk in the future.  

The responses & advice brought all our participants together despite the diverse interests they all had on a more personal level. Our second group all swopped emails to keep in touch beyond the event & continue the support of each others endeavours & discussing their work in greater depth. 

What I love about getting groups of people together is the opportunity for everyone to discover something new albeit another artist whom has relevance to their practice or a new friend to banter with about art. 

I would like to thank all those who have attended so far. I have really enjoyed the salons & am so glad that the response has been so overwhelmingly positive. 

On a professional & personal level i feel privileged to share this experience with all the photographers who have come so far & look forward to the next salons. 

So far there has been a great mixture of approaches, subjects, printing techniques & concepts to see & discuss. 

If you want to take part in the next salon on Tues 20th August please contact the gallery, there are limited places but we are happy to add you to the waiting list if one session is full to attend the next. For full information see this link.