New Perceptions Of An Art Form

It is a difficult time to be in Paris because so many people are on holiday. I spent the day visiting galleries that were open, but many of them are closed. It is changing my perception of how photographic art is presented and sold. Many of the galleries here only feature the artist who runs the gallery, so it becomes merely a showcase of their work. Then there seems to be galleries that show many artists, but you must really look for what you like. I am also seeing an assortment of presentation styles. I am falling in love with the large prints, with glossy finish, mounted on a stiff board. It certainly makes the artwork pop out on the wall. I can very easily visualize what the pieces would look like in living spaces and what gives them such a classic feel. Some of my own images I can see in this way and others I can’t. It has got me questioning what is the target of my work. Who would want to display it and where? I have worked more from the perception of how to create and not enough toward presentation. My focus has mostly been for the internet, because it has been my only means of displaying work. I am now excited to return home to begin to research these ideas and possibilities. Though I have been focusing on the nude male this year, I see so much of my other images more suited to this sort of presentation. The Rodeo and western pictures would go over very well. Even a lot of my old experimental still life and landscape images seem more intriguing to revisit. I realize now one of the first things I must do is create a web presence for myself once I return. It seems to become the essential calling card to showcase the images. It was my goal early on but somehow I have become sidetracked and with all the work to maintain Red Bubble and The Naked Man Project, much of my time is still set on promotion and not enough on the creation. I must find a balance to find both. I wish I was stable enough at this point to hire an assistant that could focus on the details of putting web things together and I could just focus on images. I now see that I have been dabbling for to long and if I want to make it happen, the rest of the year must be in pursuit of this goal.

I also spent the day as a tourist and taking pictures of the city. It seems everywhere you can point your camera there is great interest, form, color and composition. I am finding that I love to photograph people without their awareness that I am shooting: a handsome waiter, standing on the corner taking a smoke break, boys in the park, sleeping. A beautiful girl in the garden drinking coffee with her mother… The city is filled with such beauty, extraordinary moments. I need to just sit and shoot. There is so much passion here.

VIEW FULL IMAGE: Jeremy #103