2013.5.5

In April I spent a week at my childhood home helping my father recover from an extended hospital stay.
     During that time I revisited the past and discovered that some things have not changed since I moved out 36 years ago.
     See you at the next blog post on Sunday, June 2. (click on any image to see the slide show)

My father continues to quietly display my mother's love of angels.

A prayer gets repeated and reposted on the kitchen bulletin board.

Mom's pin cushion remains where she left it, 9 years after her death and many years more since she quit sewing.

My favorite chairs are still my favorite chairs.

An envelope can last a long time but a phone number changes.

Where art and utility meet.

Pride and accomplishments deserve to be shared.

Barbasol, Aramis and English Leather retain their aromas.

Even in a closet, typewriter keys gather dust.

Rotary phones still work and ring loudly.

A Remington Roll-A-Matic is the original retro style.

Dad never gave away my brother's Roy Rogers Rodeo Ranch.

True love lasts forever.

2013.4.7

N E W S - EXHIBITION

Found Landscape #22 was selected to appear in The Kiernan Gallery online exhibition and catalog, Abstraction. The exhibition runs from March 27 - April 27, 2013.

This image is 30" x 20" and is available from the Bruno David Gallery. New photos in this series (originally titled Focal Point) have been added to my website Larry Torno Photo.

V I E W S - NEW WORK

I continue experimenting and learning with my Holga lens. Along with the traditional photography, I've been exploring a new idea of multiple exposures of the same subject, presented in a contact sheet format. Whether I'm standing stationary or changing progressive views, I discover the continuity of content, and the fluidity of changing form, in large, panoramic prints.
     See you at the next blog post on Sunday, May 5. (click on any image to see the slide show)

2013.3.3

N E W S - EXHIBITION
Found Landscape #22 was selected to appear in The Kiernan Gallery online exhibition, Abstraction. Juror Matthew Gamber, a Boston-based artist and critic, said "In taking a broad approach to the idea of abstraction, I selected images that took a certain element of risk in their visual approach." "... abstraction is a moving target. If a particular aesthetic becomes collectively understood . . . it no longer offers a divergent viewpoint."

V I E W S - NEW WORK
Okay, I thought posting once a month was going to be a lot easier than posting once a week but that hasn't been the case. I find that with more time, I'm more critical of the work I'm doing and more likely to keep shooting well past what I initially thought was an acceptable image. I like the results but I was surprised to discover the larger volume of work.
     For this month, I spent my time exploring a new inexpensive Holga plastic lens that I purchased. The Holga pinhole technology, described as "a low-fidelity aesthetic", certainly has its exposure and focal point limitations but that turned out to be more of a challenge than a hinderance.
     See you at the next blog post on Sunday, April 7. (click on any image to see the slide show)

2013.2.3

A lot has happened in the first month of 2013, so to recap the events, here are some of the highlights, along with additional new/recent work.

Found Landscape 13 was exhibited at the Bruno David Gallery group show, Blue • White • Red.

Nine limited edition Barbies from the exhibition, When Is A Doll Not A Doll?, were sold to a private collector.

Campsite was accepted as part of the F-Stop Magazine online group exhibition, Juxtaposition.

Black and White Magazine posted my entry, Rechanneling Morris Louis, on their website; although the image was not accepted into their final exhibition.

New and recent work was created.

I really like the new schedule of posting the first Sunday of every month because it gives me more freedom to create the work I want to pursue.
     See you at the next posting on Sunday, March 3. Of course, you're welcome to visit as often as you like and please pass the link on to anyone you think will appreciate my blog and photos.

En Hommage - Part One

An obscure post, perhaps.

The blog is changing. I'm going to be concentrating on creating new work and therefore, will not be posting as frequently.
     The new schedule will feature fresh posts on the first Sunday of every month.
     I hope you'll stay tuned and I'll see you again on February 3.

Botanica - Part Eighteen

It's the final blog post of 2012 and we end the year with a detail photo of an orchid plant we received in memory of my father-in-law's passing.
     I hope everyone takes a few minutes to remember those who are no longer with us and have left us with a longing in our hearts.
     May you find peace and strength in the many memories of the times we were lucky enough to have our loved ones by our sides.

SOLD

Nine photographs from the 2009 exhibition, When Is A Barbie Not A Barbie?, were sold this month to a private collector. Thank you Bruno David Gallery for showing my work and making the connection that enabled this sale.

Happy Holidays to everyone!

Just for Fun - Part Six

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Benchmark

Unfolding
2012
© Larry Torno


Whenever I'm creating art or when I'm viewing art, I always have a mental benchmark that I apply to each work. Whether it's a painting, drawing, sculpture or photograph, I consider this guiding principle — Tell me something I don't know.
     In each case, I review what I've done, or what someone else has done, and try to determine if they've taught me anything, or if I've taught myself anything.
     Someone once said that the majority of photography today is merely a pretty good record of what was in front of the camera. But I want to know more. I want to know what the artist is seeing that I didn't consider.
     I know what a handball court looks like, but what does it look like on a clear winter day with it's high walls casting shadows that create repeating angles, like a piece of origami unfolding itself.

In the News - Found Landscape

One of my photos, Found Landscape 13, is part of the group exhibition, Blue - White - Red, at the Bruno David Gallery. The show opened November 30, 2012 and runs through January 19, 2013.