Bucky Miller | Slow Season @ grayDUCK Gallery

What a joy it was to meet Bucky Miller when I went to grayDUCK Gallery this week to record an interview with him and Jill the gallery owner, and also photograph the exhibition. He is a delightfully charming and interesting person and I really like his photography. Some of the images remind me of my own work and there are also images I would never have thought to capture that are really beautiful. Have a listen to the short conversation and then make an appointment and have a look for yourself!

Exhibition Dates: February 26 – March 28, 2021

“Bucky Miller is an artist, writer, and a recipient of the Aaron Siskind Foundation Individual Photographer’s Fellowship. His work has been shown in solo exhibitions at spaces such as the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston as well as in numerous group exhibitions. His first self-published book, The Picture of the Afghan Hound, was selected as one of Photo-eye’s best photobooks of 2016. Miller’s work has also been featured in publications like n+1, Der Greif, The Believer, and Glasstire. He has an MFA from the University of Texas at Austin and a BFA from Arizona State University. He also resided in London as part of an exchange with the Royal College of Art program in sculpture. In 2018 he attended the Recycled Artist in Residency program in Philadelphia, PA. Bucky is from Phoenix, AZ but currently lives in Houston, TX.”

Transplant Sale at JBG

It’s quite amazing to me that the farm where I work was still able to have a transplant sale just one week after the crazy winter storm we had here in Texas. Someone had to brave the cold and ice to visit the greenhouses and keep all of the plants watered and warm. Amazing! A lot of hard work went into preparing for this event. Here are a few images from last weekend. I always like to try to capture kids shopping with their parents. They are cute and are it seems starting off life on the right foot, with gardening!

One Red Balloon

Quite often after doing deliveries for the farm where I work, I’ll go for a walk in a nearby fallow field to decompress from the day and get some steps and fresh air. Last week on my walk far in the distance I saw something odd and out of place. Once I was close enough I realized what it was. Mind you this field is fairly out in the middle of nowhere. In the expanse of this recently plowed 15-acre plot of land was a very red metallic and mostly uninflated balloon tethered to another completely flat birthday balloon with ribbon and frilly fabric attached.

It was a curious little scene and it made me wonder how far it had traveled from the hand that possibly lost control of it and watched the cheery pair float off into the distance. They chose to land in this far-off field, a final resting place. The intention of bringing joy to some lucky recipient lost to me and the dirt.

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AUSTIN ART TALK | Valerie Chaussonnet - The Joy Of Life & Art

The podcast guest this week has had such an interesting and diverse life. Artist Valerie Chaussonnet now works full time as an artist and teacher but previously spent a big part of her life as an anthropologist, studying Russian, and raising her two sons. Now her two primary mediums are watercolor and sculptures made from raw pieces of welded steel. A lifetime of influences in the realm of art and many diverse cultures all culminates now in the stories she tells with her colorful paintings and spirited sculptures. I love the joy Valerie brings to life and I’m inspired by her adventurous, playful, and rich way of life. Please enjoy this very fun interview!

“For us, as artists, the pandemic certainly economically was hard for many people but I think we are probably better equipped because can we invent something that has not been done before. If somebody is used to having a routine and a certain structure and not used to inventing their life it’s harder when something like this hits. For us it’s like OK, it’s this, let’s see what we can do with it. Let’s learn something new and create something different.”
— Valerie Chaussonnet

Perseverance

Something happened last week and it wasn’t the Texas snowpocalypse, which I thankfully got through without any big issues. A new rover was sent to and placed on the planet Mars and I just can’t get over how impressive the whole operation has been up to this point. The fact that human beings have the intellect and technological know-how to launch something into space with the precision for it to travel almost 300 million miles and only miss its landing target by 5 meters is just mind-blowing to me. Can you believe it!?

It just gives me hope for the future and that is definitely something we need right now. I’m not at all saying I think we should leave earth and figure out a way to live on Mars or some other planet. Maybe it’s the sci-fi fan in me or my daydreams about what or who exists out there beyond our solar system. Watching the landing live was very moving and exciting. What it must feel like for the people who have been working on this project for 10 years! The fruition of all that hard work and innovation, and it is just getting started. Now the rover will start exploring the ancient river basin where it now lives and will hopefully send back some amazing new information and images. It will also be taking samples of soil and rock to be retrieved at some point in the future.

Courtesy of NASA/JPL-Caltech

Out of the 1000’s of free images that NASA has shared so far I chose some of my favorites and did some color correction since a lot of what they’ve posted is not processed and many have a very odd color cast. You can see in the above graphic what was planned and images below of how it actually looked. I was going to describe what happened but I think I will just encourage you to visit Nasa.gov and all of the great articles about the rover to learn more. The bottom line is I’m in awe and super excited.

Images Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech at https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/multimedia/raw-images/

What's The Story?

This is not intended to be a good picture. It’s somewhat of a crime scene photo. Maybe. Have you ever come across something like this that really makes you wonder what the hell happened?

Was the bag stolen and this is the spot where the thief decided to rifle through their haul? Is that person homeless, on drugs, desperate, in a lot of pain? Maybe a couple had a fight and one of them out of spite dumped these belongings onto the ground and left them there.

I see four different types of alcohol, so that was probably involved. There are quite a few makeup brushes and mechanical pencils. Did they intend to draw or possibly write? There’s a Christmas card that could have come with that $50 Visa gift card. Maybe Sherlock Holmes could figure out the mystery with these clues but I’m just not sure.

When I see something like this I can’t help but stop and think about the circumstances that would lead to a person just leaving all of these things on the edge of a mall parking lot. These possessions belonged to a flesh and blood human being once. It’s nothing shocking but as I meditate on this person and their life all I can do is guess at what they are going through. I hope they are OK.

Austin Winter Storm

With record low temperatures, 6 or more inches of snow, and many without power, there is not much to do but stay home and ride out this arctic blast. It’s been damn cold for Texas.

Last time this happened a little over a month ago it was not nearly as bad so I ventured out to drive to a cemetery and snap some photos. Definitely a more interesting location to photograph than the neighborhood where I live.

Still, I needed to stretch my legs today so here are some not so impressive images from my walk. It’s all about the practice of looking, especially in what you might consider fairly mundane locations and circumstances. If that is the biggest challenge I end up facing in this moment, I’m hugely grateful.

Melissa Borrell

A panorama I created of Melissa working in her Canopy studio back in 2013.

“Austin-based artist Melissa Borrell creates kinetic, architectural sculptures and immersive environments that surprise and delight while striving to inspire participants to see the world in a new way. Using light, shadow and movement, she creates artwork and spaces that encourage viewers slow down, wonder and smile. Fascinated by math, geometry, nature, technology and architectural forms, Melissa’s work is sophisticated yet playful. With an engineering mind and a delicate aesthetic, Melissa combines materials and shapes in a unique way to create environments that illuminate the things that she finds awe-inspiring.”
— www.melissaborrell.com/pages/about

Melissa Borrell is a multi-talented, savvy, and successful artist that I have known for many years. She was my neighbor in the studio next to mine at Canopy, and I think that is where we met. I’ve always been impressed with how she uses technology to create her various styles of work and her expert use of line, shape, and especially color!

She creates pieces as small as earrings and other jewelry all the way up to public and private art installations and murals.

She has thankfully chosen me to photograph her work many times, so I wanted to take this opportunity to share something about her and a selection of my favorite images of her work.

It’s not always easy to capture artwork and accurately translate how it feels to see it in person. But it is a challenge that I enjoy very much since I love working with and helping artists document their work at a high quality. They look more professional and can share it and grow their portfolio. With Melissa’s art, it’s fun because each piece is quite interesting and unique as is the placement. Her clients luckily have great taste and foresight commissioning her to create something that will brighten and enhance their space.

Be sure to check out her website to see more of her work with descriptions, and a link to her pop out jewelry line. www.melissaborrell.com

48 ft x 64 ft x 48

Glass, Concrete, Steel

Rising Sun 2020

Private Residence, Austin, TX

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PolyChrome Hallway 2019

Financial Mgt Firm, Austin, TX

12 ft x 52 ft

Digital Print

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12 ft x 9 ft x 3 ft

Wood, Aluminum, Paint

TopoGraph 2020

Financial Mgt Firm, Austin, TX

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AUSTIN ART TALK | Lauren Hunt - Glass Work

Lauren Hunt is one of the rare artists who works with glass, and she has been at it for over 10 years. After college she worked for 7 of those years at the Corning Museum of Glass in New York with the Hot Glass Show, on land and traveling all over the world on cruise ships doing live and educational demonstrations. Eventually she made it to Austin where she has continued her practice making functional, whimsical, and sometimes purely artistic works of beauty out of molten glass. Lauren is a hoot and we had such a fun conversation. I’ve always wanted to learn more about glass blowing and what it’s all about and Lauren did not disappoint. Check out the shop on her website laurenhuntglass.com and see if there isn’t something there that strikes your fancy. Support local artists and fill your house with beautiful handmade objects by people you know!

Have a listen to our conversation in the player above or wherever you listen to podcasts! And take a look at the photos I made of Lauren and her assistant making glassware a few days after the interview. It was fun to watch, learn, and photograph the process.

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Lauren and her trusty assistant Ryan working the heat at Ghost Pepper Glass.

Commons Ford Relics

Commons Ford Ranch has to be one of my favorite places to hike in Austin. I shared my first post about it back on December 4th. The other day I decided to try a different trail and discovered many artifacts and relics of this land’s history that I had not seen before. These kinds of discoveries always get my imagination going. Who lived here previously and what were their lives like? I suppose it’s somewhat sad to think that the rusty and dilapidated remnants might be most all there is left of someone’s long-lived life. Tractor implements, a silo, barbed wire, a collapsed building, tires, and what looks like a well, skillfully built with care.

Statue Of Liberty

New Colossus

“Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
“Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she
With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

– Emma Lazarus, 1883

I’ve been really enjoying going through photos from years past, looking for content and things to share with you. These images of the Statue of Liberty are from 2008 when I was living in Manhattan, and it looks like I never processed them. Better late than never. The main statue image is a photo merge of 6 individual images, making a sort of vertical panorama. When I captured these images it was the first and only time I’ve visited Liberty Island in New York Harbor. It was an impressive sight to behold in person.

Journey To Cambodia

Approaching Angkor Wat along the main entrance sandstone causeway.

Approaching Angkor Wat along the main entrance sandstone causeway.

As I continued my trip through Southeast Asia in 2008, part of which I shared yesterday, I eventually reached Cambodia, the furthest point away from everything I had ever known. Very poor, and so beautiful, exotic, and ancient. Thankfully in the last couple of decades, I’ve read that the poverty level has been reduced quite a bit. What I recall noticing was how happy even the poorest people I came across seemed to be. They were living the best life they could with what little they had.

How do you choose to make the most of this precious life we have been gifted? I still shed a tear when remembering a man I met in the capital Phnom Penh, who had no arms or legs, asking for financial assistance in a town square. Even he seemed happy, and I felt shame for every complaint I had ever made about my life or any limits or obstacles that deterred me. What could he do or be if he were me? What’s my excuse?

It’s hard to imagine that at the same time that I was a young child, safe and sound in Illinois, millions were being killed in this country by the Khmer Rouge regime. One of my stops was the Choeung Ek Genocidal Center, the location of one of the killing fields and a site of mass graves, now a memorial to the victims of that genocide, the skulls of many on display.

Now let’s get to the rest of my trip which was quite uplifting. After spending a week in Pattaya, visiting a very good friend from New York who was acting in a movie, I flew to Siem Reap, the city closest to the Angkor temples. If you are not familiar, Angkor Wat was built in the early 12th century and is according to Wikipedia, the “largest religious monument in the world by land area.” It’s not one of the official wonders of the world, but I suspect it’s on the 1000 places to see before you die list.

As soon as you come out of the airport at Siem Reap, there are Tuk Tuk drivers waiting for you. One attached himself to me immediately and became my transportation and tour guide for the rest of my visit. He dropped me off at the guest house where I had reservations and promised to pick me up before sunrise the next day. My visit would be short so I wanted to see as much as possible. Our first stop at dawn was Srah Srang reservoir, and once it was light enough, the guide took me close by to my first and favorite temple, Ta Prohm. It’s the one structure that conservationists decided not to completely restore, after finding it consumed and hidden by the jungle for hundreds of years. When a slew of tourists soon showed up I realized how lucky I was to have had the place to myself for a half-hour. The trees look as though they have melted over and merged into the structure.

Ta Prohm

The next stops were The Elephant Terrace, the Bayon, and finally Angkor Wat. All jaw-dropping. The photos definitely do not portray these unique structures as well as they could. Digital cameras have improved substantially in the last 12 years. This post is probably long enough so I’ll end it here and save the images of the floating village on Tonlé Sap Lake for another post. More time exploring would have been great but I had to take a bus to Phnom Penh, then fly back to Singapore, and then to my home at the time, New York City. I’ve not traveled overseas since and that’s disappointing. Hopefully, I can change that in the coming years!

The Elephant Terrace

Bayon

Angkor Wat