this is marianne...

i just picked up my framed gimme gimme gimme from local art dealer and framer pablo godoy at right angle framing. it's glorious, praise jesus! pablo picked a gothic-inspired frame to evoke the feeling of the inside of a cathedral, it perfectly complements the tone and feel of celeste's painting. once the art is on my wall, (my apartment is too small for the largess of the piece), i will post a snapshot... thanks pablo! and thanks celeste! as i start to explore more art, i thought about one of my longtime favorites -- the german photographer loretta lux and her series of wacky, other worldly children. take a peek at her other surreal children...

"marianne" 2004 by loretta lux

Army Ink

As the Iraq war is whitewashed by the mainstream media, and the major candidates for president rarely discuss the reality in the Middle East and make only vague promises about the removal of troops, I thought I would do a little advertising for a photojournalist that my brother turned me onto: Zoriah. His work, which can be seen at http://zoriah.com/ is an amazing collection of photojournalism from some of the world's most oppressed and troubled places: The West Bank, China, and Iraq.

I was particularly struck by a short series of photos entitled Army Ink. Here is the description from the collection:

A member of the United States Army shows off a tattoo. The US Army has recently lifted a ban on certain kinds of tattoos in order to address one of the worst recruiting crisis in US military history. Tattoos have long been a source of pride, tradition and a rite of passage for soldiers as well as a way for them to express their individual personalities in a world of conformity.

The tattoo in the above picture reads:

Walk peacefully in heavens streets, you've done your time in hell

Portrait of Paterson... From the Eyes of Children

every june i attend the annual Paterson Youth Photography Project (PYPP) exhibit to celebrate the city in which i work. and every time, the reception is packed, the children happily scoot around, showing off their photos to family, friends, community leaders and the press. held at the paterson museum in the great falls historic district, the exhibit showcases the children's work produced during their PYPP classes.

after you check out the exhibit (from 6/1 to 7/31), breathe in some serious history by walking up a short hill to the stunning great falls of the passaic (see photo, top left), the spot where, in 1791, alexander hamilton founded the Society for the Establishment of Useful Manufactures (S.U.M.) & the US industrial revolution was born.

PYPP's mission is

"to enrich the lives of school age children

in Paterson by introducing them to photography

as a means for self-expression

and an opportunity for personal growth."