on work and focus

© chrys laramy

I have work in a group show opening tonight at the Elaine Erickson Gallery. The work in the show is by artists participating in the Milwaukee Artist Resource Network's mentor/mentee program. As the name implies, the program pairs working artists with emerging artists. Participants meet to discuss their work and processes, their inspirations and direction. It's a great program, and I was proud to be a part of it.

I worked with the photographer Chrys Laramy, who had recently moved to Milwaukee. While living in Minneapolis, Chrys had completed a very personal documentary project involving the death of her baby son. She was looking for a new direction of sorts, and one of the things we discussed was still life photography - even though neither of us had much experience in that area. She was spending time at home with her son Morgan, and this type of project was an easy place to start. Chrys made a series of images of rocks she had collected - the one above is my favorite. I think it taught us both that it's good to change gears sometimes - even if it's not a creative direction that you keep heading in. I, myself, have stacks and stacks of paper in my office, and am pondering a still life project involving them somehow...