Sunday, April 21, 2013

Oddities on the Horizon

This body of work consists of images that zero in on various beacons in the water. Some show posts with numbers and others feature red and green lights. I find these markers odd and strange-looking almost like tiny robots existing on these vast horizons.  In general, the landscapes/seascapes feel bleak to me and somewhat menacing. Out of place and out of time yet marked by humankind in some way.

The last three images are slightly different. One image reveals a blasting light source on the water. Another shows the solar panels that power the red and green light beacons. The last image shows a sewer plant on the southwest shore of Hawaii.












Horizons in Japan

Industry, light pollution, and human interaction on the horizon were readily available in the Tokyo region and a small coastal town, Kamakura. However, traveling to these places to photograph them required more logistics than I had originally anticipated. Nevertheless, it was an excellent opportunity and crucial time in my explorations to step outside Hawaii and photograph in new locations. Here is sampling of work.







Saturday, April 20, 2013

Student Exhibitions: "Speak Your Truth" & "Speak Hawaii's Truth"

Last Friday marked one of my favorite days out the year. For the past four years, I've co-hosted a large student art and poetry event with Kerri Schweibert (http://kerrischweibert.com), a literature teacher at my school where I teach. It was another amazing evening celebrating student photography and spoken word! Special thanks to everyone at 39 (www.thirtyninehotel.com) who generously donated their gallery space and time.

In addition to the overall "Speak Your Truth" theme, my photography students collaborated to create a 2nd display titled "Speak Hawaii's Truth: Paradise Lost/Paradise Found." Much of this project has been driven by my current graduate research exploring the notions of paradise and escape and various depictions of Hawaii in the media and tourism industries. It has been incredibly informative (and fun) to weave my graduate research into my classroom curriculum. Even better, the exhibition was received with enthusiasm and many viewers were interested in the themes behind the work. We showcased images of beautiful isolated beaches versus congested highway traffic, tropical flowers vs littered cement sidewalks, high rise buildings versus homeless tents, surfers versus giant vessels carrying Matson containers, glowing sunsets versus graffiti walls, etc etc the list goes on. It was exciting to see this display come together and to honor my students' hard work.

Here are a few images of the event in addition to our "Speak Hawaii's Truth" display.










Saturday, April 6, 2013

Contemporary Photography in Hawaii 2013 Exhibition

Honored to be a part of this annual exhibition again. This year's exhibition showcases a wide range of subject matter and approaches. Thank you to everyone who stopped by on First Friday for the opening. I received a reward from The Peggy Hopper Gallery and an award to co-exhibit a body of work at Kapiolani Community College sometime in 2014. I will be co-exhibiting with talented photographer Lisa Hornak www.lisahornak.com. I am grateful for this exciting opportunity and am looking forward to working toward this goal! Mahalo.