Frank's Back!

Frank Van Riper's award-winning photography column in the Washington Post has been re-launched!

Frank Van Riper on Photography has appeared in the WaPo since 1992, first in the Friday Weekend section and for the past five years in the Camera Works section of Washingtonpost.com.

However, Van Riper has been absent from CameraWorks for more than a year. Principally, this hiatus allowed Frank and his wife and partner Judith Goodman to complete work on their six-year book project on Venice: Serenissima: Venice in Winter.

With that book now done, Van Riper has resumed his regular space in CameraWorks -- in a new incarnation that will allow even greater display of photography, as well as give Frank a chance to offer more timely reviews and recommendations of what is new and notable in the visual arts world, both in Washington and elsewhere.

This is a good thing for our area's cultural tapestry. Welcome back Frank!

Two Billion Dollars

Is what's needed urgently by the Smithsonian Institution in order to "maintain its 660 buildings and care for the millions of objects, documents, and photographs in its collections over the next decade."

Read it all here.

All day

I'll be lecturing and yapping all day here in San Diego... more later.

Drawings

Since yesterday I didn't spend all day at the International Comic Book Convention - because of the huge lines - I instead decided to go do some artwork.

Because I work in charcoal, I always bring some supplies with me while I travel: pencils, sticks, paper and erasers, plus a fixative spray can.

So I bought a six pack, packed it inside a plastic garbage can from my hotel room and covered it with ice and drove to Spanish Landing to do some drawings. And I found an empty bench, and set up to draw some small drawings...

This is my drawing bench - facing the water at Spanish Landing

I ended up doing a few small drawings overe the next few hours.


And below are some of the pieces that I did while enjoying the sun and a few beers:


Two Nuns


Two Nuns in a Window


A Pictish Witch

And I had done these two the night before in my hotel room; they are inspired by my interest in the legend of La Llorona:


La Llorona (from a photograph by the great Danny Conant.)



La Llorona Laughs

Characters

Yesterday and again his morning I took the trolley to the San Diego Convention Center to go and spend the day at the International Comic Book Convention. When I got there, around 11AM... there was already a huge line to get in - at least three or four thousand people, if not more, and the streets were just packed.

So instead I decided to take some fun snaps (I hate waiting for anything; especially waiting in line).

This young kid made this entire outfit himself and it's a pretty good Edward Scissorhands... down to the the plastic kid-safe scissors
And then these Manga-costumed kids see me taking Edward's picture and yell out: "Take our picture too!" And so I do...

The girl on the left seems to be saying to the one putting her sunglasses and bags away: "C'mon! Hurry Uuuuup!"

Manga!!!

Did you guys know that Imperial Storm Troopers could wear glasses under that white helmet?


Robocop

Then I spotted this Imperial Stormtrooper (short guy) and his blue-haired wife (or partner). He was wearing those cool, Japanese Samurai wooden sandals that add [like] four inches to your height.


And a dark Sith Lord posed for me...

And Robocop is still attracting attention...


And then I spot Security...


And so I asked them to pose for me


And then I spot The Green Lantern and The Hawkman


And then I catch Mrs. Hawkman coming out of the little girls' room

The Justice League poses for me... including a sullen-looking, knock-kneed Batman


Two hotties posing...


Clark Kent obviously forgot to take his watch off while changing into Superman inside the phone booth. And by the way... now we all know where Clar k Kent's clothes go once Superman rips them off: in a duffel bag!


Two color-coordinated Storm Troopers with a vision-corrected Jedi Knight


And the girls say goodbye...
The first morning, I rushed to the elevator as the doors were closing, "Sorry!" I shouted as I ran to it, put my arm in and stopped the doors from closing. There were several people inside and I suspect a little annoyed that I had delayed their rise to the top floor by a few seconds.

I immediately noticed that one of the persons in the back of the elevator was the tiny actress Natalie Portman (Princess  Amidala from the Star Wars prequel).  As she was not my first rodeo in meeting movie stars, I gave her privacy and following the law of elevator etiquette, faced the door and turned my back on her and her posse.

The lady who I assume was her personal assistant, apparently couldn't stand that I was apparently ignoring her client, and stepped to my side and said softly, "do you know who this is," her chin moving slightly as she pointed to the rear in the direction of the tiny actress.

I looked back at Portman, who smiled, a little embarrassed (if that's possible for an emerging Hollywood starlet).

"Nope," I said to the assistant in my best bored voice.

I think that I heard a small heart crack behind me... made me feel a little guilty.

Opportunity for Artists

Maryland Art Place (MAP) is putting out a call for artists interested in exhibiting their work as part of a curated exhibition that will take place in MAP’s galleries during the final weeks of 2005. Artists are being asked to submit a maximum of ten images of recent or new works on a CD or in slide form, including a one page image index outlining details of each submitted artwork, listing title, date, medium, dimensions and any other pertinent information. (No original works or master slides should be submitted for review.) Artists are given free reign to create works: inspired by; limited to; or resistant of; sensibilities normally related to kitsch.

If selected to participate in this exhibition, the artist’s chosen work will be exhibited along with their brief statement and bio. Many works for this exhibition will be selected during a studio visit by MAP’s Director of Programs, Lisa Lewenz or a guest curator. Artists are encouraged to consider submitting work ranging from small objects to large room-sized installations. This exhibition will celebrate irony, style and a full array of responses to kitsch as an important genre.

This call for entry requires that artists desiring consideration must complete an application form (found online at www.mdartplace.org) and submit a CD with proposed images as a maximum of ten 300dpi 5x7” medium sized jpg copies (or a sheet of ten slides) with a corresponding image index, and a recent copy of your resume. After review, unless previously arranged, application materials will be forwarded to the Maryland State Arts Council Visual Artist Registry—a free resource housed and maintained by MAP that promotes Maryland artists. Artists without a Visual Artist Registry file will be asked to open one if it has not been previously created. Thus, please do not submit a self-addressed stamped envelope, as application materials will not be returned. IF a self-addressed envelope is enclosed, please use stamps only (not dated postal strip.)

Artists will be responsible to coordinate delivery, installation, and removal of their work. Please send all application materials in one envelope to:

KITSCH!
MAP
8 Market Place
Suite 100
Baltimore, Maryland 21202

There is no entry fee or cost to participate. Questions? Call 410-962-8565 or email llewenz@mdartplace.org (put KITSCH in the subject line.)

Art-O-Matic 2006

There will be an Art-O-Matic next year. Stay tuned for news.