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The reward of September…

By on September 4, 2013 in autumn, beauty, black and white portraiture, craft, Greece, Paroikia, Paros, Paros Portraits, quiet islands, skill and craft, Uncategorized, working

 

Blue Menu #1

Blue Menu #1

 

August is past and July is a memory.  The streets of Paroikia are no longer mobbed with summer tourists.  The groups of families have departed, returning to their homes.  The weather is lovely,warm and sunny–breezy and cooler at night.  The beaches are quiet, all but deserted.  The wind is from the north, about Force 5, gusting to 6, which is about 33 to 38 km.  This made for a nice headwind as I rode my usual 11.5 km out to a beach on the northern part of the island today.  I was alone for a solid hour until a couple walked onto the sand.  I swam, read my book, and left in no particular hurry.  I had a tailwind all the way back to town.

I am still very pleased with my exhibit.  I take it down in a few days and put it away.  It has been a good run.  I have had excellent conversations with other photographers about the craft as well as people wanting to know more about the Aegean Center.  I feel my work spoke for itself.

So for all of our industry and patience during the summer months, those of us on Paros are presented with the reward of September.

JDCM

Gallery sitting…

By 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

 

open-door

 

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 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 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

 

MY new bike...

My new bike…

 

 

 

Updates from the road…

By on July 6, 2013 in beauty, Cyclades stone walls, Cycladic stone walls, Greece, Paroikia, Paros, quiet islands, spiritual journey, stone walls

I am in New York.  It is hot, humid and lush.  It is hard to describe the quantity of water on the land and in the air.  Back on my Parian home the heat is the same but the arid conditions make for a more pleasant experience.  Outside my window the trees and foliage are dense green, impenetrable without the use of a machete or  chainsaw.  I can hear it grow, sucking up moisture from the rich earth.

 

A view from my mother's front porch, Ancramdale, NY

A view from my mother’s front porch, Ancramdale, NY.

 

I am back in America to visit my family, and only for a month.  If all goes well I will be back on Paros on August 1st ready for the final push towards my solo exhibit of large format portraiture.  It has been almost two years since the project began and I am looking forward to the event.  I am nervous, yes, but in anticipation, not dread.  I know my work can stand on its own as a complete body.  I also know that whoever views it will bring something unique to the experience.  I am also currently designing a new website specifically for the portraits.  I will launch this site after the show opens on August 18th.

For the time being, I will visit with my elderly parents and my dear sisters.  I hope to drop in on a fellow student and alumna of the Aegean Center, but time and schedules will determine that visit.  I am able to catch up with good friends and compare notes on how our lives are faring.

I am experiencing a good amount of culture shock here.  The cars all all huge and the food seems heavy to my palate.  As I sit here at my computer I sweat.  Just sweat.  I am not even exerting myself.  There are no sounds of ferries docking, motor scooters riding down the narrow streets of my neighborhood.  No smell of the sea.  I cannot walk to my favorite cafe.   It is supposed to rain tonight and perhaps that will ease the heat, but it also promises high, hot and humid conditions for tomorrow.  I am not whinging, just noticing some differences.

Todays post has a new header image.  It is a section of wall behind my mother’s house.  The stones are slate and granite, green with growth.  So different from the Kykladic structures of which I have grown so fond.   Different, yet the same.  It serves the same purpose:  it is a retaining wall preventing the downhill slide of earth after the rains.

The skies have suddenly clouded over.  There is a low rumble of thunder in the air.

JDCM

Return to Paros…

By on June 25, 2013 in beauty, craft, Cyclades stone walls, Cycladic stone walls, darkroom work, Greece, hiking in the Cyclades, Paroikia, Paros, quiet islands, rangefinder camera, skill and craft, spiritual journey, spring in the Aegean, stone walls, working

As the ferry rounded the northern tip of the island, opposite Naoussa, and I saw the lighthouse atop Cape Korakas, I knew that I was home.  I leaned against the port gunwales, waiting until we had passed the Cave of Archilochus, and then I went back inside the old ship and gathered my things.  I was the first person downstairs in the garage bay.   I walked off the NEL Lines Aqua Jewel with a feeling of deep relief and happiness.  I was home, back on Paros.  I allowed the noises and smells of a busy Greek island port to fill my senses as I walked back to my flat.

That was two days ago and since then I have taken care of essential business, mostly laundry.  I have come back to my favorite cafes and eaten in my favorite restaurants.  All is well with the world.  In other words, life continues and changes in small and big ways and I find myself, as usual, listening more than talking during intense discussions with friends.  My grandmother always said that was a character trait that would serve me well.  We’ll see…

I do have a lot to say, but verbally it seems that many others say it so much better than I, so why paraphrase?  Many years ago I was an avid musician.  I wrote music, songs, lyrics, played in bands.  I did this for many years-decades.  I had a lot to say then, or I thought so.  In the end the words became dark, sinister and negative.  The bands moved on without me and I dropped the music, along with a few other pastimes.   I can still play the instrument, but the desire to express with sound has left me.  Just part of the Great Circle, I suppose.  These days I have a quieter way to explain the world.  I find it much more calming, and good deal lighter in actual weight.  It lets me stop, look and breathe.  The shutter clicks.  I feel that this is where I should have been all along.

The island has become the color of worn brass and oxidized aluminum. The craggy, yellow-brown contours are set off by the blue sky and the deeper, indigo sea.  White buildings dot the arid landscape,  like so many chunks of salt-lick.  The tomatoes are rich and sweet and there is fish to savor in a nearby taverna.  In two days I leave Paros again, this time for America.  I will visit with friends and family, eat American food and have my senses bombarded with different sights, most of them very green and wet.  It will be humid and there will be rain.

En route I will stop in Athens.  While I am there I will visit the Benaki Museum and see a large photography exhibit by Constantine Manos.

Now I am rambling.  It is hot and I need to add some images to this post.  These are from my recent island hop.

JDCM

Folegandros

Folegandros

Folegandros

Folegandros

Images from the past weeks…

By on June 20, 2013 in beauty, craft, Cyclades stone walls, Cycladic stone walls, Greece, hiking in the Cyclades, Naxos, Paroikia, Paros, quiet islands, rangefinder camera, skill and craft, spiritual journey, spring in the Aegean, stone walls

I leave Folegandros in a couple of days and return to Parikia.  I have noticed that wherever I have stopped–Amorgos, Sikinos, Folegandros…I always seem to find a high vantage point, usually the Chora or a high mountain.  I peer north, searching for my lovely home and I see it.  Paros.  It is there, close at hand.  I am thinking like this now.  I am somewhat homesick.

I have rented a small car.  Today I will take it easy and drive around and take pictures.  I saw some areas along the road during the bus ride yesterday that demand attention.  Plus, I want to give my feet a rest.  No hiking today.  Maybe tomorrow and then to a beach.  I want to get home, but I am no hurry to get through the day.  Plus, at 1PM the sun is far too bright to be of any use to me.  I will wait until 3PM or so and head out.

JDCM

Short DoF image of some wall detail on Amorgos

Short DoF image of some wall detail on Amorgos

 

 

The Aspropounda Lighthouse on Folegandros, looking south.

The Aspropounda Lighthouse on Folegandros, looking south

Detail of the door of Episkopi, Sikinos

Detail of the door of Episkopi, Sikinos

Detail of some wall work on Folegandros

Detail of some wall work on Folegandros

A kouros statue found on the island of Naxos

 

Hello…goodbye…goodbye…hello…

By on June 7, 2013 in beauty, craft, Cyclades stone walls, Greece, Paros, quiet islands, skill and craft, spiritual journey, spring in the Aegean, working

I attended a conference of like-minded individuals a few years ago.  It was an exhilarating weekend of sun, new friends, laughter and earnest conversations that ran deep into the night.  When I departed I felt strangely disconnected, as if something was missing.  I felt as if I had not met enough people.  After I spoke to a close friend about this they assured me that this was natural and that I would soon come back down to Earth.  It wasn’t until the next event that I understood: I had not met enough people.  The truth is that one can never meet everybody.  The reverse is true as well.  One can never say goodbye to everyone.  This realization hit me last week when I discovered that some students from the Aegean Center were flying from Paros rather than taking the ferry.  I would have liked to send them off at the port.  Call me a traditionalist, but I will choose the boat over the plane any day.  That’s just my way.  I am no hurry here in Greece.  Unless there is a dire emergency that demands my being in Athens in 30 minutes, I’ll pay half the price and slip past the islands on Homer’s wine dark sea en route to Piraeus.

So I am in Athens for a few days, as you might have guessed.  I have brought my 22 4×5 portraits to a framer to be matted and framed and put behind glass.  He has quoted me an excellent price for the lot, half of my estimate.  If I had to do this in America it would have triple what he is charging me, for the same materials.  He will ship them back to Paros at the beginning of August, in plenty of time for my August 18th opening.

I will visit some friends, check in at a couple of museums and then on Sunday take the long, slow boat back south, past Paros and on to Amorgos.  I will take two weeks off and hop around the Kyklades a bit: Amorgos, Sikinos and Folegandros.  This means beaches, stone walls, hiking and very few tourists this time of year.  I am bringing few clothes other than shorts, T-shirts, hiking boots, my towel and a couple of hats.  Most of my luggage is camera equipment, both film and digital.  I have a few books and a watercolor set, some pencils…

I’ll update from Amorgos…

Teaching and craft…

By on May 26, 2013 in beauty, craft, darkroom work, Greece, Paros, silver darkroom, skill and craft, spiritual journey, spring in the Aegean, working

There is less than a week until our student exhibit at the Aegean Center for the Fine Arts here on Paros.   It has been a busy three months for most.  Like all previous sessions there is always one or two students who fall away.  This spring has been no different.  One student left and returned home a few weeks ago.  Another has stayed here but has followed a different path from those found on our artistic maps.  So be it.  There is nothing I can do about either case.  I will say, in my own defense, that I was there for both of them in a professional capacity when they needed me and,  in the beginning, helped to guide them through some of our philosophies.  Their individual decisions to take different routes has no bearing on the Center, the teachers or my own labors.

This spring I was given the honor of filling in as Silver Darkroom instructor.  This is not a post I assume to be permanent.  All teachers learn that their own skills, craft and knowledge increase when they pass on what they know to others.  This has been my experience as well.  I have learned more about the art and craft of photography in three months than I thought possible.  It was knowledge that I had already accrued so to give it away freely only strengthened my own foundations.   It was not  review or regurgitation.  I found myself solving problems and asking questions of myself from a new point of view.  One important lesson is to be able to say “I don’t know.  Let’s find the answer together.”  What freedom to not suppose, to not be a fake!

There is an ethos to teaching.  It is not enough to greet the student, spend a few hours or days, and then set them free.  That would be tantamount to showing them a map and telling them to drive to California from New York without first discussing the possible roads west.  As the more experienced traveler it is important to guide these eager minds along the way.  Yes, let them take a wrong turn, experience a sudden detour or two and even run out of fuel, but do not abandon them in the badlands of inexperience.  Let them know that you are there, waiting up ahead at the next marker or traveling alongside.  I have practiced this and it has paid off.  I have gained a level of patience and understanding by remaining available.  I have set up appointments and answered their questions to the best of my abilities, abilities which have grown over the course of three months.  To some this may seem a sacrifice of my own personal time, my own independence.  It is quite the opposite.   I have never felt so free, so happy and, at times, so completely baffled.  At that point I turn to someone more knowledgable than myself.  Such is the nature of education, or it should be.

There is a quote from George Bernhard Shaw: “Those who can, do…those who can’t, teach.”  I must admit that I have found this to be very untrue and can only believe that GBS had his head (beard and all) deeply imbedded in his anus when he thought it up.  The quote should be “Those who can, teach.”    Learning is a cycle:  Practice>Teach>Learn>Practice>Teach>Learn>Practice>Teach>Learn…

Ralph Waldo Emerson had a better idea:

“Be an opener of doors for such as come after thee.”

JDCM