Tag Archives: mixed media photography

I have a confession

January 19, 2012 by Chris | 15 Comments

I have a confession

Besides being late with another blog post, and having my languages so jumbled I can barely speak or write in english or spanish, I am also having a hard time photographing in this city. I had the same difficulty last year and perhaps that is what has drawn me back.

Yesterday Kyle was feeling a bit under the weather, so I took a short walk to get him some pozole verde (the sure cure for whatever ails you). The best source of this miracle is a restaurant, Tapatio, approximately 400 yards from our apartment. I can’t adequately describe to you how much life there is between here and there. Imagine within the length of four football fields is the symphony hall, 3 basilicas, 1 major state university, 1 garden, 1 plaza, a dozen street vendors, 100’s of homes, dozens of restaurants, and smells of both open sewage and fresh tortillas. Now line all of these items up and paint them each a unique bright color and insert 100’s of people making sounds that you are trying desperately to understand. This is just a simple errand to pick up a cup of soup.

 

Look at all those textures!

This city is in every way the antithesis of my artwork. The close proximity of everything and everyone, the brilliant colors stacked one upon the other, the cacophony of sound and smell has my brain on overdrive. And while the research on sensory processing by my good friend Dr Winnie Dunn has allowed me to understand intellectually why my brain is short circuiting I still find it disconcerting that I can’t “see” this city.

So yesterday as I was leaving for my walk, I gave myself an exercise to focus my eyes. What I am unable to do in this bombardment of stimuli is to focus, so by giving myself strict boundaries, I could begin to see. Using only my Iphone camera (so I would not get caught in technicalities) I would photograph anything yellow that I encountered. Things became more clear (and Kyle got rather hungry)!

A few selections from my yellow walk:

dahlquist_yellow1.jpgdahlquist_yellow15.jpgdahlquist_yellow8.jpgdahlquist_yellow10.jpgdahlquist_yellow11.jpgdahlquist_yellow12.jpgdahlquist_yellow14.jpgdahlquist_yellow3.jpgdahlquist_yellow7.jpgdahlquist_yellow4.jpgdahlquist_yellow5.jpgdahlquist_yellow6.jpgdahlquist_yellow9.jpgdahlquist_yellow16.jpg

 

What tricks have you learned to help you “see”?

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Future tense?

January 11, 2012 by Chris | 2 Comments

So here I am in Mexico speaking only in the present tense while updating my show schedule for the coming year.

Yesterday I sent in a digital contract for a show in Denver, paid my 2011 sales tax in Illinois after speaking with a tax agent via skype, and paid a booth fee in Michigan by telephone (not to mention the meeting Kyle had, also via skype, with three people in KC about an upcoming project). Something is either so wrong or so right with this picture and I can’t quite decide which.

It is fantastic that my show schedule is coming together so nicely for this season. I do love it and have a lot to look forward to – Cherry Creek here I come! And it’s great that last year’s sales in Chicago warranted a sum transferred to the state of Illinois. But what happens to the present tense, and its reminder to be present, when the business is so easily at the fingertips?

This access is what allows for an extended trip, isn’t it? Or is it the bane of it?

 

Our house

Just look at all the callejons there are to discover!

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Staying present

January 10, 2012 by Chris | 2 Comments

Day one back in spanish classes went better than I expected. I am getting my ears back and one of our friends said she could hear that our speech was improving. Which is great considering the server at lunch on Friday said, “Please just speak in English.” Hurrah!

I also realized that one of the best things about studying a language while on vacation is that it requires you to stay in the present. At least for now – as that is the only verb tense we know! Not a bad way to be while traveling.

Taking a small break from study

 

Do you think I can use that as an excuse for not learning the other tenses?

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Back to regular programming

January 9, 2012 by Chris | 1 Comment

Pick of the week – Jan 9

I started spanish classes today in Escuala Mexicana in Guanajuato and boy do I have a lot of studying to do. So with that I will return you to your regular blog programming and present you the piece of the week.

Mile Marker 29, 16x22

Have questions or want to check the availability of this piece? contact me

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All I need to know

January 8, 2012 by Chris | 1 Comment


Reflecting on the best of 2011 has been a great way to begin the new year.

Of course there are many more things that could be included in my lists of bests; celebrating the union of our friends Gregory and Clark, after 20 years of togetherness my sister-in-law and her boyfriend throwing caution to the wind to get married in the San Juan Islands, and many pieces of great art made, viewed, and experienced. But with my mind running a million miles a minute, I know the most productive thing for me to do is set some limits for myself. I find that a narrowed focus helps me distill my thoughts, and get to the heart of the matter. (i.e. four words about my work)

 

There is always room for growth

So after a week of many, many words describing the best events or experiences of 2011, I have realized that there is a commonality, a core idea that I will stay mindful of and that will guide me into 2012:

Growth and experiential learning, and spending time with people that are striving for the same.


 

 

 

 

 

Can you distill your best experiences of the year into one sentence or phrase?


 

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Best of 2011 #4 – Artists helping artists

January 4, 2012 by Chris | 2 Comments

Project Reclamation

The horrific tornado and loss of lives in Joplin was certainly not one of the bests of 2011 but the project started in Kansas City to help the affected artists was.

We lived with the news of the Joplin tornado from the moment that it happened. Only 150 miles from Kansas City, many of our friends grew up in Joplin but left for KC as we are the closest big(ish) city, and many still have family living there. We watched Facebook feeds of friends traveling to collect their children, and others going to help their parents put their lives back together. So I was grateful and humbled to be able to take part in an amazing project put together by a great artist and former studio-mate of mine, Matt Dehaemers, and the talented Holly Swangstu.

Debris pile from Joplin tornado in Leedy-Voulkis Art Center

Description from Dehaemers:

A Debris pile collected from 6 Joplin, Missouri homes devastated by the EF-5 tornado on May 22, 2011.  98 Kansas City artists were asked to create a new work of art incorporating this debris.  The result was over 100 new works of art.  These works of art were auctioned to create a new grant made available to Joplin artists whose homes, studios and art have been destroyed by the tornado.  The Twist and Shout Auction (Part II of Project Reclamation) raised over $20,000…

…Collectively, this will be our way to bring some sense of order and hope to the chaos and darkness. Nature has wielded its own raw power and mystery through the destruction of this storm. As artists, we can work to balance that energy and force with our own expansive and powerful creative process. (more from Dehaemers)

 

Equus Ferus (Wild Horse)

Each participating artist was invited to the debris pile to pick out a few items to be used in their artwork. I selected a plastic toy horse – cracked and caked with dirt.

Toy Pony on Painted Steel

Back in my studio photographing the pony, I thought about the child that lost their toys and with it their innocence and sense of safety. How scary it must have been. I thought about our resilience and our ability to make something beautiful from the scraps. It was a profound afternoon for me- my energy so entirely focused on the people of Joplin.

On a subsequent trip to the debris pile I photographed textures including a wheelbarrow, metal flashing, and a skinned tree branch to layer into the piece. The textures of these items give context to the journey the little horse has been on, representing the power of both destruction and survival.  Each mark the scars that make a thing more beautiful and unique. How uninteresting he would be if he was perfect and new.

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