Wanganui

A couple of days ago I was browsing through the museum in Wanganui and was attracted by the look of this lizard skeleton. The foot in particular I think, although the vertebrae make a repetition that I like too.

I don't mind the way in which the light flared off the label. It might even add to the photo in some way. I wouldn't have wanted any words there to interfere with the other rhythms.

A technical point is that this photo was taken with a camphone which because the light was low, I pressed hard against the thick glass of the display cabinet. Camera shake is a problem with camphones, and by doing this I've sharpened the image up considerably.

Here are the recently restored, steps leading up the hill to the Sarjeant Gallery. Camphone again.

1982

These are two works of mine made in the early 80's when I had been photographing for about 7 years. I have resurrected them because I want to compare them with works that I am making at present. They seem similar.

In the top image I used a piece of trellis, with any protruding bits sawn off and cut to the proportion that I wanted it. Then, on a sunny day, with a helper, made these photographs on a nearby tennis court. They were in the 1982 Sydney Biennale.

The photos of the basket etc, was often sold as a pair. I made some little versions at the time and gave quite a few away.

Here are two recent ones that I am printing up at present. The shell will be released in an edition of six in a few days.

Office work

Paper clips from my office. I bought a set of these designer clips about a year ago from the Govett-Brewster shop, but just the other day when I was straightening up my desk, these two suddenly caught my attention. I've tried rearranging them but this seems to be the placement that I strenuously like and it is very precise. The water diviner in me says 'let's drill here'.

Just to check what the image looks like with the colour taken out, I've made this:



Now I'll make little prints to help me assess, and decide upon the next step. Often my next step is to do nothing further and move on, but living with a photo for a few days is usually more than enough time to decide yes or no. They have to clear the bar.

Racecourses

For some time I've admired these towers that racecourses often have. This one, that I photographed today, is at the Taranaki Racing Club. I was reminded of a beach scene I photographed in Denmark. I was there because of some WW2 bunkers. Bunkers that were built with slave labour as a German defense against a possible large scale Allied invasion but which are now sinking into the sand. There were towers there too, just like the one above.

Francis Bacon's Studio Floor

Tidying Up

Over the last few days I've been going through my clothes, discarding some, and looking at better ways to store the rest. In the back of one of my cupboards I found this tie or belt hanger that I had bought years ago. I always liked it more to look at than to use. If anything, I like it more and more. I gave up using it some time ago.

I'm going to make a print this photo so that I can live with it for a few days. To see if it's a keeper.

John Deakin 1912 - 1972

I came across this John Deakin photo Lucien Freud, in a recent book called, Francis Bacon's Studio. I remember how in the late 70's, when I first saw this image, it impressed me so much that I even tried to imitate it! Deep in one of my files is a print of the result but I wouldn't be able to put my hands on it right now without some rummaging I'm afraid. I would like to find it though. In it I was wearing a secondhand suit i remember.

John Deakin's photos drew me when I first saw them, and now, as over the last few days, I revisit them, they still stick to the ribs. They are unwawering. Here is a portrait of Francis Bacon, and below that Prunella Scales.

Nicholas Nixon

I am often asked which photographers make work that interests me. American Nicholas Nixon is one. One of his projects is to photograph these four sisters every year. He has been doing this since 1975. Bebe, the woman on the left, is his wife. The subjects are always arranged in the same order.

At present, he has a new body of work called Patients on show at the Fraenkel Gallery in San Francisco. If you enter their site, you will find your way to some installation shots.