I wonder why they call it the Badlands...

Actually, I do know why they call it the Badlands - I was just being facetious.

I'm at the Badlands modeling for a workshop (Dramatic Portrait: People and Nudes) for Doug Beasley. It is really fitting that I'm here because as of late I've been on an intensely personal spiritual search, and Doug's philosophy on photographing people and nudes comes from such a like-minded approach. He encourages his students to really get to know their subjects/models, and I think we can all agree that that is a cornerstone of making very powerful and substantial images, especially with portraits and nudes.

I'm getting along fabulously with all the participants, Doug, and my fellow models - Jordan and Dave. I'm getting lots of sun (and using a ton of sunscreen), getting well-fed, and feeling very connected to the world and people around me. It's like seeing something for the first time - I'm so intrigued, curious, and accepting towards everything. I feel still and love down to my bones. It's not always and continuously present, but it becomes more frequent and stronger each week the more I practice being aware - present - conscious of every moment. And that's all that I could ever hope for.

Because that's all that we ever have. It's this moment right now that means everything. There is no past or future. All there is, is this moment.





I get to see and work with good friend Dave Levingston for a good portion of a week in about a week and a half. We'll have a wonderful time of conversation, connection, collaboration and creation, for sure!!


____________________

Dave Levingston. <-- Check out his awesome new website!

Limitations and Potentialities

Short-ish post, as I have very limited access to the internet for an indefinite period of time, but I didn't want to leave my readers hanging.

Matt's gallery show went spectacular! We had over 1,200 people come through Matt's exhibit studio in the Grain Belt Building, and he sold quite a few prints, and had even more interest for people buying in the near future. The real money type, like, "I want a 8 foot print of that image, no matter what the cost" type. So, I think it's very safe to say that it was an uber-successful show.


On a completely unrelated matter, I am growing. Everyone is usually growing every day, I realize that, but this is very significant for me. Much more significant than anything else I've considered significant before.

My spirituality, my peace, my sense of calm, figuring out who I really am, the nature of my essence... that understanding and that strong current of awareness, of consciousness, has been filling me slowly but surely throughout the weeks and months. But it really took the 'straw that broke the camel's back' to bring me to that most important point in my life. It was a slap in the face and a huge blessing in disguise. It was the turning point.

No need to go into the details, they are essentially unimportant, except to know that it was the turning point for me. Of course, of course, I have SO much learning and growing to do, and will always continue to progress for the rest of my life - for it is the journey, not the destination. But the dysfunction has ended, the denial has stopped, the running away has turned into running towards. Everything that has happened in my past, I am so grateful for - because it has brought me here, to this sacred NOW. I don't regret, nor would I change one single thing in my life. It has happened because I willed it to happen, and everything in the future will happen because I will will it to happen. It's about the cosmic design of the universe, and the subtle patterns within.

Now, I know some of you think this is totally radical, completely out of character, or just plain nonsense. And that's completely okay and wonderful. And you're right, this progression or awakening or consciousness (or whatever you want to label it) in me are all those things. There's no way I could ever really accurately describe what this is, because our - and any, every - language has it's limitations. These words are only pointers to the truth of what is and what I am.

Perception is the world, and the world is perception. We are not separate beings, we are connected and interconnected with every single thing on this planet. Every single thing. Our destiny is to merge with infinity.


___________________________

Matthew Scherfenberg.

"Out Loud Color"

I'm posting this to my blog on behalf of dear friend Matthew Scherfenberg. If there's any local Minneapolis folk who read this blog, I urge you to see this show, and also all the other lovely galleries that will be open this weekend for the annual Art-a-Whirl weekend in the NorthEast Minneapolis Arts District.

I will be there Friday night. Hope to see many familiar faces there!

______________________________________________________

Hello friends,

It's that time of year again, and I have a show of new work opening in May as part of Art - A - Whirl. This years images are a shocking blast of color. I got inspired by some color changing lighting gear I used in a home installation. It made me really ramp up the color. I think you will be kinda shocked by how far. I'm shocked myself. Of course I'm including a black and white selection. Last year B&W was the focus and the color was second. This year the COLOR has come up a notch. The Gallery I'm in has a lot of space so I will be hanging some old favorites too. I will be there all of opening night and most of the rest of the time. I hope to see you all there.

-Matt

"Out Loud Color"
2010 - Art - A - Whirl Gallery Show

Come see my latest work on Opening night, Friday, May 14th, 2010 from 6-10pm.

I hope you can join me as we celebrate the opening of this year’s ART-A-WHIRL, North East's Open Studio and Gallery Tour. I will have more than 20 new images on display, which will also be available for purchase.

This years theme is COLOR.. Big Color. Yes yes I'll have some black and white work too.

If you can't make it Friday night, the gallery will be open Saturday, May 15th - Noon-8:00 p.m. and Sunday, May 16th - Noon-5:00 p.m. in conjunction with all of the ART-A-WHIRL activities. Come see my work, and then make a day of exploring the more then 500 artists throughout the buildings participating in AAW2010.

The gallery is located in the Grain Belt Bottling Company building at 79 Thirteenth Avenue NE in Minneapolis. The Bottling Company building is located just north of the big brewery building and my show will be inside the main entrance, on the first floor right under the red stairs, Studio 113. I hope to see you there.

My view on "Art"

This is definitely not the usual you're used to seeing here, but I'm really, really happy about this photo. It's just so fucked up and cool. I see something very emotional here, and that's what I see and love about it. It speaks to me.

Taken with a Holga with slide film that's been cross-processed.






------------

I know a lot of people have issues with Holgas... That they're mostly for people that can't afford "quality" cameras and want to achieve unconventional results that people with professional equipment and software could putz around with and produce in photoshop.

Here's my take. Art is not always pristine. Art is not always made with expensive tools. Art is whatever the artist connects with. Art is what comes from the heart, and what s/he gets meaningful aesthetic satisfaction from. Art can easily be made with a $.05 pencil, or a point and shoot. Art is not limited to or just made by or for the aristocrats.

Photography is not seeing the truth that is, photography is seeing the truth that the artist sees. A camera is just a tool. That's why I've never adopted the rigid, puristic view that photography has to be authentic. Meaning, I don't care if you limit yourself to having the photo be exactly the way you saw it in the viewfinder. Crop it and mess around with it in photoshop within an inch of its life, for all I care. I have no more or less respect for people who do it either way. I do think there is a discipline to finding the composition you want in the viewfinder, but I think that is akin to any practice. You become better and better at finding the art you want to produce and present.

So if you want to use a cheap $25 plastic camera, then go for it. If you want to use a $50,000 digital Hasselblad, then go for it. There is no definition for what art is, except that art is subjective for every living human being.

Don't get me wrong, I truly believe that there is a mathematical correlation (called the Golden Ratio) for what is beautiful, but I'm not talking about what is beautiful. I'm talking about art.

I know some artists, art critics, art enthusiasts, and art collectors will disagree with me, and that's fine. Like I said, art is subjective.


Your views/arguments are always welcome.


_________

Trevor Levin. Last summer in Portland, OR.