Archive | August, 2013

Gallery sitting…

By John on August 28, 2013 in 4×5 photography, autumn, beauty, black and white portraiture, craft, darkroom work, Greece, Paros, Paros Portraits, portraiture, quiet islands, skill and craft, working

It is quiet here on Paros. The tourists are leaving in a steady flow. French, English, Italian and Greek…For many of them next week is the beginning of the school year for their children. Here at the Aegean Center, this is true as well. The Autumn Term begins next week in Italy. My show comes down in 11 days. I am very pleased with the reception I have had. I am still seeing about 25 people per night visiting the exhibition and have had many interesting conversations with tourists and locals alike.

The summer is winding down and I am about to experience my first September on Paros. I have heard it is the best time of year, a reward for making it through the high season: warm, sunny, quiet…

So I will ride my bike, swim in the sea, take care of some maintenance in the school darkroom, sweep the courtyard and water the plants.

Before I know it it will be September 25th and I will be in Athens, meeting up with the school and then returning here on the 28th. To paraphrase Bukowski, time runs like wild horses over the hills…

JDCM

The exhibition…

By John on August 20, 2013 in 4×5 photography, beauty, black and white portraiture, craft, darkroom work, Greece, Paroikia, Paros, Paros Portraits, portraiture, skill and craft, spiritual journey, Uncategorized, working

My solo exhibition opened Sunday evening. It was a joyful relief to have it up an on its way. I realized that I have been building this portrait project since October 2011 while also working on (and completing) several other portfolios in both photography and painting en route to this destination. No small feat. It feels as if this has been an overreaching arc representative of all my labors to date here on Paros.

I have had some interesting comments regarding the 22 photographs. One on-line viewer remarked that I had created a community. I can see that too: a small town. I have a butcher, barber, teachers, students, potters, cafe owners, artists, farmers, families, etc…The portfolio could stand alone as a village almost anywhere. A visitor to the exhibition last night said that I had captured the souls of these people. I like to think I only borrowed them for a brief moment.

I was too busy to take any pictures of the opening, but I know others did. When I have some of those, I’ll share them.

I think I will concentrate on portraiture for a while. My other photography is good, solid work. It is like doing push-ups or lifting weights–all preparation and training for the real event. I will begin a second round of portraits in late September, once the light has shifted a bit and people’s schedules have settled down.

Thank you, once again, to all those who helped make this happen. You know who you are. Yes, I did the work, but without the support of the Aegean Center and the people of Paroikia this project would never have seen the gallery lights.

JDCM

Busy, busy, busy…

By John on August 13, 2013 in beauty, Greece, Paroikia, Paros, quiet islands, spiritual journey, Uncategorized, working

The Greek summer holiday is upon us and Paroikia is mobbed with tourists from Athens and beyond. The roads are crammed, the cafes are overrun and anyone with any sense stays away from town unless they really need to do something vitally important, like go to the hospital or something. This will all end, for the most part, in about 5 days, but for now…

I went to Naoussa last night with some friends to see the opening of another artist’s work. He is very technical, very intellectual and, I feel, on the cusp of something. What I felt when I walked into the room was a sense of change, a shift and alteration of shape in his thinking and raison. It was a transitional vibe. Others did not feel that way, but so what. He would say that too. I am quite sure he is not particularly worried about whether or not people like his work, or even understand it in the same way as he does. I, for one, was happy to go and see the event. In regards to the holiday crowds, Naoussa is very different than Paroikia. It is not stretched along the seafront but rather all crammed in together, like a white-washed, sun-burned and idiotic fist. This made for dense crowds and the ‘wall-to-wall-people’ effect. I am not a huge fan of that. It was a relief to return to Paroikia, sit at a table with friends and have a late supper.

My own show is on the near horizon. The 22 photographs are matted, framed and behind glass. They look wonderful. The space will be free on Saturday morning and, I hope, I can begin hanging my pieces that afternoon. The posters start going up tomorrow and I have been handing out cards. More cards to go out this weekend. I have designed and put in place a new website specifically for this show and will send out an email blast to the mailing list this Sunday. I don’t want anyone to see the show in it’s entirety until then.

I am pretty nervous about this show. It is a big deal for me, perhaps bigger than I realize. The future will tell…

I have decided to save some money this year and have bought a bike–a used mountain bike from a local bike shop. I like it a lot. I have been cycling to a local beach every day, jumping in the sea to cool off and then cycling back. The weight I gained while I was in the USA will drop off and I save money and gas to boot. In the off-season, it cost me 320 euros per month to rent a car. This is extravagant. The bike cost 375 euros and with the added helmet, pump, spare tube, etc…the bill came to 515 euros. There are still a few items to pick up but they are not necessities. If I can work my way back down to 82 kilos from the 88 I now currently weigh, then I will be happy.

One thing I have noticed is the obvious disregard the tourists have for bikes on the road. Just an observation. Perhaps I will start a movement based on the idea of banning all non-essential motor vehicles from the island of Paros, or at least Paroikia and the surrounding environs. It would be a safer, quieter and more interesting place to live, that is for sure. Imagine all the car rental companies renting bicycles instead? Cheaper, less insurance, less maintenance…For now, I stick to the backroads.

JDCM