Revisiting the ‘F’ Word
October 27, 2009
Like many female artists and photographers, I’m interested in the concept of the “female gaze”… how women look at women. For centuries it’s been men on the other side of the canvas or, more recently, the camera, interpreting us. Women were not allowed to express themselves creatively or artistically until the middle of the 19th Century. Historically speaking, we were strictly cast as models… usually portrayed in a passive stance that somehow fulfills male fantasies.
In the July/August issue of Frieze Magazine (www.frieze.com) Jennifer Higgie points out in her article, Alone again, or the Persistent and Enigmatic Subject of Women Turning Away:
“She’s been painted like this for centuries, and more recently, photographed. Often she is naked, in a bathroom or bedroom, solitary, sleeping, or day-dreaming, or at a picnic, momentarily stilled, or enveloped in a vague dark space. The one constant is that her face is obscured.”
Laura Mulvey’s groundbreaking 1975 article, Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema made a huge impact on critical art theory and Feminist theory. In it, Mulvey coins the term “male gaze.” Within traditional films, she wrote, the subject being the woman is positioned as the “image” or spectacle in relation to the control of the male gaze. Michael Foucault then took this a step further by linking the “inspecting gaze” to a position of power rather than gender.
In 2000 I did a series of photographs called “Returning the Gaze.” The idea was to investigate how women see women, and to give the models a sense of power by having them confront the viewer and actively engage in the staging of the photograph. The challenge I found was finding this unique way of looking. We are so conditioned to look at women through the eyes of a culture that sexualizes and objectifies women that I found it difficult to locate a true “feminine gaze” that wasn’t influenced by this cultural bias.
I discovered the images contained an overtone of sexuality which seemed to be a softer, more sensual aspect of the erotic rather than the overt hardcore pornographic kind. This revealed to me a difference in the way of looking at and responding to sex.
In the blog post, Webcamatic Gaze, Reconfiguring Visual Eroticism http://www.sexualinteractions.org the blogger is a young woman discussing the self-consciousness she experiences as she uses the webcam to have sex with her boyfriend who’s a thousand miles away.
This aspect of looking and being looked at through eyes with a point of view other than the “male gaze” is deeply rooted in “Feminist” ideology, and has interested me and been an underlying concept in my work.
An artist needs to be aware of the critical, cultural and personal contexts in which their work is created and interpreted. Linda Alcoff discusses the position of women in her article, Cultural Feminism vs. Poststructuralism: The Identity Crisis in Feminist Theory:
“The identity of a woman is the product of her own interpretation and reconstruction of her history as mediated through the cultural discursive context to which she has access.”
I grew up in the ‘60s and ‘70s, a time when “Liberal Feminism” forced society to focus on the oppression of women. The “movement” dictated the solution was to put on suits and act like men . By the 1980s the radical views of Feminist ideology had collapsed into the political mainstream. But not without a strong backlash. One only need look at the entertainment industry to view the models of women in power; the majority are highly sexualized commercial products. This is one industry that defines culture, especially for the younger generation.
With these and other images coming at us from all directions, what are the questions today’s young women need to ask of themselves and our culture to establish a position with which they can be confident and comfortable?
Alcoff goes on to say, “The position of women is relative and not innate, and yet neither is it undecidable.” Gender, she says is the starting point. “We are not passive recipients, but actively contribute to the context of our positions.”
Art Reviews
This month I reviewed photographs by Monica Elizabeth Breen at The Butcher’s Daughter Gallery (www.thebutchersdaughter.com). Breen brings to light the question, “What’s wrong with leaving things in their natural state?” Thus, she views Feminism from an intuitive place. (Please read the complete art reviews on detroiter.com.)
I also reviewed Beverly Fishman’s show “Kandyland” at The Lember Gallery (www.lemberggallery.com). Fishman examines the body’s relationship to technology and science, bringing up interesting questions on our position in relationship to the pharmaceutical and medical industries that have become big business within our culture.
There are also some exciting resources and projects by young women on the site http://www.Aboutface.com that deal with women and teenage girls’ body image. Then there is Sarah Haskins’ blog, “Target Women”, which she uses to critique how the mass market sells products to women. She does it in such an amusing and entertaining way, you’re hardly aware it’s very educational.
For me, my photographs and the aspect of staging help me understand my position in the world.
My photographs, or “image worlds,” as Walter Benjamin refers to them, provide a space for the emotional, psychological and physical to converge. Working through how I see women helps me understand how I see myself.
Walter Benjamin writes, “For it is another nature that speaks to the camera rather than to the eye; “other” above all in the sense that a space informed by human consciousness gives way to one informed by the unconscious.”
As my subconscious stares back at me, I discover places in my psyche that have remained hidden. Parts of myself, thoughts or feelings reveal themselves, attaching new meaning to my personal history and my position in relation to the world. For example, the ways in which the mind and body become fragmented through the prism of technology, or ways in which sexuality permeates imagery, text and sound, and the resulting effect on my relationships.
There have been overtones of the ‘F’ word in my work from the beginning. Today as our work is passed down to a new generation of women, I anticipate they’ll continue to ask the difficult questions that impact the lives of women. It’s all good, I happily don my bowler hat and sneakers one day and my stiletto heels the next. I continue to explore issues that relate to my position and identity in the world, aware that that both are ever changing, allowing me to emerge continuously transformed.
Join the “F” Word Project
It is my goal to compile a series of essays written about experiences and ideas encountered through the “F” word. I welcome contact from both genders. If you are willing and would like to participate in this project, email dalesparage@msn.com. Please use “The ‘F’ Word” in the subject heading.
About the Subconscious
Women today who are challenging the stereotypes and for more information on the subconscious and other workings of the mind see Dr. Elaine Kissel’s blog (www.4elainekissel.wordpress.com).
On a Path
August 19, 2009
Summer Love
• As Labor Day looms, I ruminate on summer ‘09: Volleyball in the pool, great road trips, good films, and oh yeah…falling in love. (Again!) Bet you didn’t expect that…so I’ll ease you into the story.
Ignoring that I am “relationship impaired,” out of practice and other important facts, I forged ahead regardless, treading into very unfamiliar territory. What followed was frantic and frequent text messaging, the emailing of mushy love songs, feeling my heart beat faster every time I saw his number come up on my cell phone screen.
Like every experience in life, each of us feels love in his or her own way. For me, love expressed itself in a play of opposites; I felt supported, yet free. Connected, yet autonomous. Unsteady, but balanced. All these feelings came at once.
In his best-selling book “The Path to Love,” author Deepak Chopra explains, “The mystery is not whether you will begin to transcend your old reality, for that is a given. What is mysterious is that being engulfed in your beloved is also divine. But the visitation of the spirit is a subtle phenomenon, and a very impatient one. Either the spirit takes you with or quickly departs.”
In my case, the spirit literally got up and ran for cover, completely abandoning the scene. Sigh. But here’s the good news: It stuck around long enough to shed some light on a few seriously old patterns of thinking that were taking up space in my subconscious. The experience has helped me let go of some useless old baggage. It helped me heal, leaving me better and stronger. Who knows when the next love spirit will come along and cast its spell, luring me to ‘fall’ yet again.
As fall flowers re-appear in the local nurseries, I’m back on familiar ground with a few sweet memories added. And I realize that yes, I’m in need of a little practice in the field of love. Yet if and when the opportunity arises, my heart will be a little more open, and I will proceed with a little less hesitation, and a little less fear. I have been down this path before.
• Balance in My Life
I enjoyed photographing the talented instructors from Karma Yoga this past month for the website . I derive so much from the practice of yoga, for my body, my soul, my state of mind. Naturally, it was truly a pleasure to give back to the wonderful people who guide me through a continual deepening of this ancient practice. To all of you whose inner lights shine so brightly, thank you for smiling in front of my lens! Go to the website to see more images: (www.karma-yoga.net).
Photographer’s Dilemma
• Lately I’ve been contemplating the psychological dynamic that underlies the process of shooting someone’s picture. What individuals see when looking at themselves in a photograph depends so much on how they feel about themselves. In short, it boils down to self-image.
This month I had the opportunity to study this concept in the laboratory of life when I photographed two women, each with very different reactions to the completed photographs. The first proclaimed, “Wow, I look good, I had no idea that my legs were so long or that I appeared so thin, what a nice smile I have…Thank you, you did a wonderful thing!
Now for Woman Number Two: After emailing the photos and hearing nothing, I finally approached her. “What did you think of the photos?” I asked. “Well,” she said with a long face, “I’m so critical of myself, I just don’t know.”
Being ready to take the blame for almost anything that went wrong, I quickly felt miserable. I started thinking that I must be a terrible photographer for making someone feel so badly. Then I took a step back and thought about the blazing compliments I had just gotten from Woman Number One. That’s when the light bulb went off. I realized that my skills as a photographer could only go so far. I can control the light, location, even choose certain angles, and expressions, but I am not able to fill someone with self-love.
Please remember this the next time you are on either side of the camera. Sure, we all take a “bad” picture now and then. And yes, many of us (myself included) do not always like being in front of a camera. But never forget, the camera does not always tell the truth! In fact, thanks to Photoshop and other photo-fixing software, these days it rarely tells the truth. A portrait is a single moment frozen in time within our multi-faceted lives. So why is it so easy to forget all that when the image is our own face gazing back at us, asking, as if it were the mirror, “Well, how do I look?”
The Power of Transformation….
June 23, 2009
Butterflies: A Symbol of Transformation
• In the 1990s I had the privilege of photographing from the nature archive at the Cranbrook Institute of Science. I had recently purchased an enlarging bellows for my medium format camera and couldn’t wait to enlarge some tiny beautiful creature, transforming it into a photograph. When I saw the butterfly collection, I knew I had found my subject. Skimming through drawers of these brightly colored insects, I marveled at their still, tiny bodies carefully pinned to tidy white cards with typed labels naming their species and categories. I remember learning that caterpillars actually melt into a liquid state within the chrysalis before they transform into butterflies.
Today as I reacquaint myself with these photographs, I ponder my own transformation over the past year; from married to single; from a life with a clear, premeditated direction to one open to vast possibilities.
I remember so well the tedious work of laying these fragile beings on the colored backgrounds, arranging them just so, struggling to focus the bellows to truly capture their magic. Today, I feel grateful for having had this experience; it was a great privilege and a big responsibility. When I look at these photos now, in my present situation, and think back to the experience of photographing the butterflies, the same feelings arise: Exhilaration. Fear. And of course the most powerful feeling of all, the feeling of being transformed.
Butterfly photos by Dale Sparage
Animal Instincts
• While spending a weekend at our family cottage near Lake Muskoka, I got a lesson in “being in the moment.” I was on a Sunday morning jog, walking and running past vast fields and farm land at 6 a.m. My first discovery was two deer calmly grazing. I watched their eyes follow me until I turned a corner knowing I would pose no threat. Funny how these huge muscle-bound animals would perceive my thin body as dangerous. 
The bison are what really threw me; I was taken totally by surprise by their quiet yet imposing presence. There were at least six, and unlike the deer, gave me no mind whatsoever. I got one bored glance from the largest in the herd, who went right back to eating. Apparently, I had intruded upon these creatures at the breakfast hour. I continued on, passing horses, cows, birds, goats, and pigs.
Aside from being in the middle of nowhere, a strange sensation came over me. I felt like I was tapping into the animals’ state of consciousness. Their calm, non-reactive demeanor, each movement, each breath were in complete synchronicity. It’s the state of mind that takes me hours of endless yoga practice to get a slight glimpse of, yet here it was, suddenly all around me.
I decided to surrender and let these strong vibrations, this deep state of contentedness, (‘Saccidananda’ the Sanskrit word for bliss), move through me. The fact is that while humans come into contact with this blissful state only at certain fleeting moments, it exists always for and within these animals. They have no worries about the economy, whom they’re going to date, or the latest fashion trends. They’re simply hanging out in a field in the middle of nowhere, being one with the universe, their existence a total union of mind, body and soul.
How I envied these bison, deer and cows! Encountering them on that Sunday morning allowed me a brief insight into what existence is like when ‘being’ and nature convene as a single pure energy. Now we’re talkin’ Shanti!
↑ Bison photo by Regine Sparage
The Future of Art Making
• Over the Memorial Day weekend I attended a performance at the Detroit Film Theater called “Real Time.” It was part of the DEMF or “Tech Fest” known as the Detroit Electronic Music Festival, which has taken place in the city since 2000.
This extravaganza of the senses took shape on three large screens that were set in motion with colors, and images both abstract and real. Most of the performance was created in ‘real time’, hence the title. Musicians and artists were armed with video cameras and laptops. As a musician played his guitar, a video artist would capture and project the action and sound onto the screens applying painterly like special effects: Soft focus, close ups, muted colors. This was also done with drums. There were other pieces that projected paintings of figures, or abstract Mondrian-like shapes that moved and changed color on the screen as electronic sounds filled the air waves.
As I watched, fascinated by what I saw and heard, I wondered how far away we were from having this medium replace the two-dimensional framed images hanging with stillness on the walls. Artists are creating more of their work in the digital realm. I considered my own background; in the 1990s, I was painting seven-foot canvases, now I’m creating digital photographic images that can be enormous or very small. Immersed in this astounding feast of motion, sound, color and light, I thought, radical? Maybe not.
Tribute to A Veteran Photographer
• If the name Kissel rings a bell, in last month’s blog I wrote about Dr. Elaine Kissel. 
Don Kissel, Dr. Kissel’s husband and partner, has been photographing the human condition for decades. The two met while Mr. Kissel was stationed in England during World War II, working as an Army photographer.
Later, Mr. Kissel photographed for AT&T and various newspapers, assignments which entailed photographing many prominent politicians. When asked for his thoughts on the Digital Photography Age, Mr. Kissel replied, “It’s good and bad.” He loved working in the traditional darkroom under the dim amber light; it offered him “solace and sanctity” and the feeling that “something ‘magical” was happening. He wishes everyone could experience this. Mr. Kissel goes on to say though the image is of “superior quality today, the downside is there are too many crummy ones.”
It’s obvious that Mr. Kissel’s work stands out from the crowd; his highly trained eye and compassion for his subject allows him to capture with depth and beauty images that remain timeless. Thank you for your inspiration and for passing along your love of the art and craft of photography!
↑ Bonfire, Newsboy, Alone in the Park by Don Kissel
May Day Fashion Shoot
• May Day is traditionally celebrated with dancing and streamers amidst the beauty of the blooming of spring. This was the theme along with a vision of the Manet painting, Picnic on the Grass, that I held loosely in my mind when shooting my first fashion shoot of the season. Thank you to the wildly creative and talented team that worked with me, each of you contributed to the success of this shoot.
Models: Natalie Stakich, Lauren Morey and Ina Slauyova worked together like “Charlie’s Angels,” bringing poise and beauty to each shot. Stylist Autumn Riggle, brought an outstanding wardrobe of vintage and contemporary looks with equally astounding accessories. She dressed the models with creative flair. Thanks to Lori Karbal in Birmingham for loaning three dresses from the French Designer Anik Batik. Many thanks to my hard-working assistant Julie McDonough, whose emotional and physical strength gave me great support. Thanks to all for making this a smashing shoot!
doneRide on the Art Train….
May 25, 2009
Question Remarks
It certainly has been a busy ride this month. I’ve travelled from Bejiing to Glen Arbor and back….always on the same quest, searching for those bits and pieces of inspiration that keep driving me onward to create that essential work of art. I seek that one piece that will speak to me, providing all the answers to my never-ending questions about life, art, love and existence, the missing piece to the visual puzzle, a peek into the supernatural, a glimpse at the “irrationality of the creative process,” as Elizabeth Gilbert so perfectly describes it.
In last month’s blog, I asked readers WHAT INSPIRES YOU? I am grateful to the reader who responded by sending me the link to Elizabeth Gilbert’s talk, “A Different Way to Think About the Creative Genius” (http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/Elizabeth_gilbert_on_genius.html.)
Gilbert, I discovered, is the author of “Eat Pray Love,” which I am about to read (more thanks to kind reader!). I was intrigued by the prospect of a creative genius being outside ourselves, a “disembodied genius,” a “dictation from the divine.” Though it does take some getting used to, the idea does take some of the pressure off. But I must admit some days it is hard to find where divinity may be hiding itself. That doesn’t mean we should not keep looking.
For artists, sometimes the divine road to creative endeavors is truly blockaded by all kinds of baggage, like stress and even past lives. It can get to the point where we just reach an impasse in our work. Or come to a roaring halt! Has this ever happened to you? It’s nothing to laugh at.
But there is someone offering help to inspiration-challenged artists. Her name is Elaine Kissel, Ph.D, a hypnotherapist. Yes, I know hypno and Houdini reside in the same vowel sounds. Dr. Kissel’s technique, combined with her astounding program, “Mind Mastery,” will undoubtedly get you back on the road to wherever you were headed. Or, better yet, on a completely new and improved path, one that is more fulfilling and expands your potential.
Based on my experience, you will emerge with a new friend you will hopefully have for life…your subconscious. “What’s that?” you say. Well, you can continue to scratch your head and wonder,
or you can head to the website (http://www.elainekissel.com/) and learn more about the amazing things she does (better than Houdini!). FYI, Dr. Kissel is offering a workshop for artists who want to free talents and break through blocks or for those who want to find the latent ‘artist’ within. The workshop is set for June 14; I’ve got dibs on the first chair.
Ride on the Art Train
I’m not an art critic, but I believe that as artists we need to look at lots of art and be aware of what influences our work. Our ‘look around’ has become more daunting because local has become global. We’re going way beyond our neighborhoods and backyards to get the local art scene. Jeff Bourgeau, Director of The Museum of New Art in Pontiac, MI, has been aware of this fact for a long time. Face to Face: Beijing- Detroit opened this month, the third in a series of exhibits titled “Changing Cities” to promote the exchange of art from other countries (read more at http://www.detroitmona.com/PURE_DETROIT_oakland_press.htm).
The quality and breadth of work in this exhibit is on par with a New York or LA exhibit, it’s a must see. Jeff is an accomplished artist in his own right, there is a link on the museum’s website to his 2007 retrospective. There’s also an essay by Jan Van Der Marck that’s well worth taking a look at (http://www.detroitmona.com).
In my own backyard…there were a number of notable artists in the Bejiing show. One in particular caught my eye, a young Korean woman, Jayoung Yoon. Jayoung is a Cranbrook student; her photographs, video and performance titled “Watching the Mind” have a gentle Zen-like quality, very subtle. I am a meditator, so I knew right away what “watching the mind” meant on an experiential level. The work really spoke to me deeply about the transcendence that takes place during meditation.
"Watching the Mind" images by Jayoung Yoon at the MONA in Pontiac
Another artist I met was not part of the exhibit, so instead Michael Rappaport showed me images on his mobile phone that were a stark contrast to Jayoung Yoon’s soothing work. Even at this small scale I could see the eccentric frenetic energy his work contained. Like Michael himself, the images were in constant motion, had unlikely juxtapositons and filled with elements of dichotomies. Michael was showing at the CPop Gallery which has sadly closed, leaving the community with a big gap to fill. Please somebody out there: Michael needs a home for his work!
Image by Michael Rappaport
Image by Michael Rappaport
Artist as Mom
OK, from Bejiing to Glen Arbor, MI, a small town on the Leelanau Peninsula, home of the Leelanau School www.leelanaua.org. I went there to visit my daughter on Prom weekend. The theme was Alice in Wonderland and it was a wonderland indeed watching as students boarded the bus to travel to the Prom in Traverse City…elegant young men and lovely young women some holding onto their tulle dresses as they carefully made their way up the steps of the bus made for some great photo ops, a few examples:
girls before the prom, Dale Sparage
Kids on the bus waiting to go to prom, Dale Sparage
Couple on bus, Dale Sparage
Girl getting into car, Dale Sparage
boys waiting to board bus, Dale Sparage
Bikes at Leelanau School, Dale Sparage
Lake Michigan, Dale Sparage
After my soy latte Saturday morning, I was looking for things to do and stumbled upon The Cottage Bookstore. Owner Barbara Siepker obviously has been bitten by the reading bug! She’s got her own new book, “Historic Cottages of Glen Lake,” with photographer Dietrich Floeter. It was just selected as one of 20 Michigan Notable Books for 2009 by the Library of Michigan. But there is even more to this charming little log cabin filled to the brim with books, photographs, maps, notecards, teapots, and a canoe.
Cottage Bookstore, Dale Sparage
There is a newsletter with customer recommendations and a Book of the Month Club. Join and every 30 days or so you’ll be mailed a selected book with a 15 percent discount along with a pre-emailed review. Barbara supports local artists by hanging their work. Local musicians perform there. She even carries a nice selection of art supplies for those creatives who may happen upon their disembodied genius right there in Glen Arbor. This was a real Find! For a wealth of book reviews and recommended titles check out http://www.cottagebooks.com. Never again will I be at a loss for filling in empty moments in Glen Arbor.
Abandoned House, Dale Sparage
Ride up to Glen Arbor, Dale Sparage
surfing the web…
April 20, 2009
Surfer Girl
What I love about surfing the web is that it’s so absorbing. You type your search or address and before you know it, hours have gone by. What I don’t like about web surfing is that it’s kind of like eating that fourth or fifth chocolate. I glance at the clock, it’s midnight. I know I should go to bed, but continue anyway. I get pulled in, something draws me further and further into the unknown vastness of the water, until alas, the Internet has swallowed me up. The saving grace is the wonderful things we learn (hopefully). Sometimes I get up from the computer thinking, ”What a waste of valuable time!” Lately I’ve been looking at this whole web thing as a creative act. So why is it that when I create something, sometimes it sucks and I’m frustrated…and other times the planets align and voila, it’s magic. Lo and behold, art is made.
To answer this question I did some analytical investigating into my own creative process.
When I’m tired or low energy, it usually is expressed in whatever I’m doing. It’s tepid, it’s lifeless, half asleep. If I’m not focused and uninspired about what I’m doing, it will most likely flop. As an artist we have to live with failure.– even expect failure–because how can we be in a constant state of excitement and inspiration? It’s kind of like sex on demand; it just doesn’t hold the same passion. Then again, if we wait for this state of heightened awareness we would never get dinner on the table, let alone compelling works of art. Yet, even within failures there can be sparks of brilliance. Well, maybe not brilliance, but maybe a great color (almost) or shape, or a slight beginning of an intriguing idea. My optimum state for creating is never and always at the same time. I keep my eyes open, pushing myself out the door to attend lectures, exhibits, perusing the periodicals at Borders, daydreaming, pulling out old work. Where do I find inspiration? I find it through actively engaging then letting go and discovering what turns up in my strange little brain. So I’d like to put this out there to everyone, all you creative people, how, where, what, when and why do you find inspiration? Let’s commit right here and now to inspire each other.
Search for Inspiration
I’d like to share with you where my search for inspiration led me this month.
First and foremost I went to California for the Palm Springs Photo Festival. There were seminars all day on everything from digital photography, marketing your work, archiving, and shooting; and presentations from some of the best photographers in the country. How can one possibly not be inspired?
Some links to pass along from the Festival:
If you are a nature photographer or just love animals and nature, check out the International League of Conservation Photographers (http://www.ilcp.com), a group of photographers who are not only saving endangered species but making gorgeous images. Here you will see social transformation attached to a body of photographic work. These artists are empowering others through their image-making.
Another site to see some amazing photography is Photo-eye.com. Click on the Gallery button to see the “Photographers Showcase.” Then you can do a key word search to look for portraits, landscape, etc. You will see some of the best photography being made today.
One of my favorite (and among the best) marketing people in photography was at the festival to review portfolios and give a workshop. Her name is Mary Virginia Swanson (www.mvswanson.com). If you are a photographer wanting to better understand marketing, the industry and your own personal work Mary Virginia is a MUST! She has a blog where she writes about everything and anything related to photography, including juried shows, portfolio reviews, events and more. Her book, “The Business of Photography: Principles and Practices” is invaluable; you will not find anything more relevant to photographers, anywhere.
Coming to Terms with Beauty
During and after the Palm Springs Photo Festival, I could not help but rethink my own work. The experience forced me to clarify what I am really interested in and what statements I am making with my work.
The first word that comes to mind is beauty; I realize I’m asking how three generations of women, my grandmothers through my daughters, have come to terms with notions of beauty in our culture. It goes deeper than just looking at models in fashion magazines. How we confront beauty and identity at all life stages is something each woman has to come to terms with in her own way.
I hear so often from friends in the middle passages of their life that they feel a sense of gratitude to be alive and healthy, enjoying their families. Many of us, myself included, encounter a newfound peace with those parts of ourselves we just couldn’t quite accept as our own earlier in life. That nose that was a tad too big, those freckles that marred our skin. In our wisdom we’ve broken through the stereotypes that have held back women, and have begun to formulate new definitions of what is beautiful.
Several years ago I was fortunate enough to photograph a friend and colleague of Korean descent. She was truly committed to exploring ideas of beauty, sexuality and identity through these images. We both came through this collaboration with a new understanding of how the camera and, most of all, how our own cultures create concepts of what it means to be and look like a woman.
On a lighter note as women most of us share a love of fashion, if you want to have an online blast with fashion go to www.polyvore.com. Immediately!
In Brief
It’s evident from a recent show at the Cranbrook Art Museum that women aren’t the only ones with issues. The show’s title, “Mixed Signals Artists Consider Masculinity in Sports,” left me…detached. So I was not prepared for the strong emotions I experienced as I walked through the work. One photograph in particular by Hank Willis Thomas called “Scarred Chest” sent an overwhelming message of the physical and emotional pain that claim athletes involved in male dominated sports.
The show has closed, but the catalogue is still available in the Cranbrook Museum store for 40 percent off the regular price. It’s interesting reading, with good reproductions of the work in the exhibit.
Men, women and anyone who’s a little of both…please send me your stories, your tips, tricks, trips, anything that moves you, that inspires you to go back to your pads of paper, paints, computers, cameras, dressing rooms, kitchens, or backyards and create things that are close to your hearts.
www.DaleSparage.com/dalesparage@msn.com
…with a little help from my friends
March 13, 2009
On a personal note..when I joined Facebook a couple of months ago I was newly divorced and socially isolated. It was uplifting to see my in-box fill with old and new friends, colleagues and students requesting to be friends or confirming their friendship. I’m excited about the diversity and breadth of communication that has grown on my home page. I continue to relish logging in to see the activities and creative endeavors that are taking place moment by moment. On February 15th the New York Times Magazine’s Medium section at nytimes.com/the Medium had an article written by Virginia Heffernan called “Being There the subtle art of the Facebook update”. Where she asked the question “what makes a great Facebook update?” One idea she mentions is that making requests gets a great response. Heffernan recommended the site Smith Magazine, home of the six-word memoir; there are also entries titled “Six-Word Memoirs on Love & Heartbreak”. They are very clever and worth checking out, you can even enter your own six-word memoir.
On the Design front..TYPOGRAPHY is a big buzz word these days; there are more typefaces than ever to choose from and the awareness is growing as to the importance of a well chosen font. Along with software programs coming well loaded with font selections, there are lots of websites that have fonts you can download for free or purchase. There’s even a site that allows you design your own font, using your personal handwriting and download it to your computer. At www.fontifier.com they provide a template and very simple instructions, for the price of $9 you can be typing away in your very own hand writing within minutes.
This month in HOUR magazine I photographed Alicia Skillman, the new director of the Triangle Foundation. To read the rest of the article go to seekingHarmony-HourDetroit-March2009-detroitMI
Dale Sparage Ad
APRIL GREIMIN’S lecture this month at CCS was inspiring, she works in several different mediums, including architecture, video, paint, and photography calling these mixtures “transmedia”. In her lecture “Think about What you think about”. She listed the following to consider when creating:
-
1) Am I taking enough risk? 2) Is failure tolerated or even encouraged? 3) Do I explore the unknown? 4) Does what I do encourage people to grow? 5) Do I work with my head and my heart? Her website is Sooo cool, check it out www.aprilgreiman.com/MadeInSpace.
Speaking of websites if you’re looking for a website with a hip design and one that will grow your business too, check out Garo.ca, ask for Sam Techner, it’s a Toronto based company that does cool and ’state- of- the- art’ sites.
This was Erika before she got cropped and was moved to the beach.
Want to learn Photoshop? Archive photos to hard drive or CD? Scan prints to create digital files? Retouch old photos, or color black and white? Create digital collages? Create a digital portfolio? Photograph your artwork?
Prices vary according to project
Considering a Portrait?? Think about the following..a portrait can be a collaboration between artist and client.
-
1. Pick someone who’s work you admire. 2. Speak up about what your vision and expectation is for the final piece. 3. Keep an open mind, sometimes we have rigid ideas about ourselves and another can open our eyes to qualities that we may have missed. Have fun and relax it’s only a photo.
