My West Coast Gallery, Wallspace in Los Angeles, Celebrates Official Opening
Yes – that’s yours truly listed among the gallery photographers at bottom 
. Official Wallspace invitation text is republished below.
Official Opening Reception
Saturday March 3rd 7-10pm
607 N La Brea, LA, Ca 90036
one block south of Melrose
Wallspace has been open for over a month but now it is time to celebrate with an official opening night reception on Saturday March 3rd 7-10pm at 607 North La Brea (one block South of Melrose).
In conjunction with the day-long Miracle Mile Art Walk, wallspace invites you to come view wonderful work by Los Angeles-based artists, both emerging and established. Hung in a salon stye, we include over 300 pieces by 50 artists and photographers.
DJ Tesslove spinning and refreshments from 7-10pm.
All the best and look forward to seeing you.
Valda Lake
Wallspace
607 North La Brea
LA, CA 90046
Gallery direct: 323-930-0471
Email: art@wallspacela.com
www.wallspacela.com & www.graphicspaceonline.com
Wallspace Artists
amadea bailey, randall bass, mark benson, mb boissonault, hilary bond, mark brunner, cutter cutshaw, todd davis, shannon drake, ruben esparza, andrea fellers, sean finocchio, kim gritzer, patrick hammerlein, stephanie han, zeal harris, linda jacobson, cj kang, jenn kennedy, jung ji lee,celeste maguire, rose masterpol, melinda mcleod, nick mcphail, sona mirzaei, dan monteavaro, michelle oppenheimer, gary palmer, sonja salinas, amy shock, lulu stewart, chris trueman, ioana urma, stephanie visser, nina weintraub and neil wicks.
Wallspace Photographers
Five of My Winter Landscapes Exhibited by Toronto-Based Photography Art Gallery in February
"Alone with the Silence" 16" x 20" black and white photograph by Keith Dotson, 2007. On display at Toronto-based Garland and Ford Contemporary Photography through February 2012.
I’m happy to announce that five of my winter landscape photographs are currently on exhibition at Toronto-based art photography gallery, Garland and Ford Contemporary Photography. The group show, titled “Cold Traveling: Interpretations of the Winter Landscape,” features snowy black and white images made in Wisconsin and Boston, along with amazing work by several other photographers.
Curated by gallery owner Julia Hrivnak, the show lasts only for the month of February, 2012. See the entire show online here.
To see more of my black and white photographs visit my website, or come talk to me about photography on Facebook.
Thanks for reading!
~Keith
“Nine Springs” Landscape Photo to Be Displayed on Capital City Trail in Fitchburg, Wisconsin
Madison, WI — This color landscape photograph taken at Madison, Wisconsin’s Nine Springs E-Way Watershed Park has been selected for use on an educational display that will be posted along the wonderful Capital City Trail and at McKee Farms Park in Fitchburg, Wisconsin.
The purpose of the displays, which will be installed after the Spring thaw, is to educate the public about the springs and the watershed system. I’ll post photographs of the completed displays once they have been installed.
To learn more about my photography, visit my Website, or come talk to me about photography on Facebook.
Thanks for reading.
~ Keith
"Broken Fences" This small cyanotype contact print was exposed directly from a 2 1/4" black and white film negative in mid-day sunlight
"Spokes," a cyanotype on photosensitized watercolor paper, contact printed in direct sunlight from a 2 1/4" film negative.
Just this past week, photography icon Kodak announced its bankruptcy. In spite of that dire news and the fact that the company failed largely due to its reluctance to embrace digital photography in a meaningful way, film photography is not a lost art. In fact, film photography is seeing a resurgence along with a host of other archaic photographic processes. Lately I’ve been shooting a little more film, and looking for ways to expand my horizons within the art of photography, including the beautiful, blue cyanotype print.
The cyanotype process was invented in 1842 by English scientist Sir John Herschel, who saw it as a way to reproduce diagrams and plans. Even today, most of us know cyanotypes for their more common use in making blueprints. It was pioneering British female photographer Anna Atkins who first saw potential in cyanotypes as an photographic medium. Wikipedia has an excellent article about cyanotypes here and about Anna Atkins here.
A photogram of Algae, made by Anna Atkins as part of her 1843 book, "Photographs of British Algae: Cyanotype Impressions," the first book composed entirely of photographic images.
Unlike the more common silver prints used in traditional black and white photography, blue cyanotypes use a combination of irons to chemically sensitize a surface (which could be paper, fabric, or other receptive surface). Cyanotypes are exposed by UV rays from the sun or a UV lamp, and rinsed in water to stop development. It’s a very simple process!
Cyanotypes are contact prints and can be printed from film negatives, from digital negatives made on an inkjet printer, or from objects such as flowers placed directly onto the paper.
See many more great cyanotypes on the Flickr cyanotype group page here.
Make your own cyanotypes
Want to mix the chemicals and coat your own cyanotype paper (or other surface) from scratch? This alternative photography page provides a recipe and explains the process. Be safe with the chemicals!
Or for the less ambitious, you can purchase very affordable cyanotype paper that’s sensitized and ready to use. Just place an object or negative on the paper, expose to sunlight for 10 – 15 minutes, and rinse. Click here for Cyanotype papers ready to use
Interested in making a large digital negative on your inkjet printer to make contact prints from? This book will show you how:
See more of my own black and white photography
Visit me at my Web page here, or say hello on Facebook here.
Thanks for reading!
~Keith
Last year I photographed the landscape and architecture of the small town of Harriman (map), in East Tennessee. Harriman was built by temperance activists in the 1800s with the intention of establishing a utopian society, free of alcohol. One of the fascinating buildings I photographed there was the Temperance Building, which has served many purposes over the years including occupation as a university building and a jailhouse. Apparently some visitors liked the building so much, they decided to stay in the afterlife.
Yes, the Harriman Temperance Building is reportedly haunted and a Tennessee paranormal investigation team has the evidence to prove it. The Chicago Tribune reports that the city of Harriman has approved broadcast of the evidence on a Web-based paranormal program, and will authorize paid tours and overnight visits in the building, which the city owns. The proceeds will be used to aid in restoration of downtown Harriman.
Last week, by unanimous vote, the six-person city council agreed to let Ghost Hunters of Southern Tennessee — G.H.O.S.T. Paranormal — show footage caught during a night spent inside the city-owned building. It will be aired on January 27 on the web-based Paranormal Network.
The haunting is a part of local lore, said Mayor Chris Mason, who grew up in the town of about 7,000 residents. Ghost enthusiasts often visit the Temperance Building, but G.H.O.S.T. Paranormal “found an exceptional amount of paranormal activity” there, said the mayor.
– Excerpt from Chicago Tribune article by Tim Ghianni
Read the full Chicago Tribune story here.
See a photograph of the purported ghost in the Temperance building here.
No ghosts here: Wooden handrail on the interior of the Temperance Building in Harriman, Tennessee, black and white photograph by Keith Dotson, 2011.
"The Remains of Utopia -- Harriman Tennessee." This is not the Temperance Building, but another part of Harriman's aging downtown.
To see more of my photographs, visit my Webpage here. Or come visit me on Facebook and let’s talk about photography.
Thanks for reading.
~Keith
"Black ink in the Wet Dawn" Black and White Photograph by Keith Dotson, 2012
WINTER TREES
The wet dawn inks are doing their blue dissolve.
On their blotter of fog the trees
Seem a botanical drawing
Memories growing, ring on ring,
A series of weddings.
Knowing neither abortions nor bitchery,
Truer than women,
They seed so effortlessly!
Tasting the winds, that are footless,
Waist-deep in history–
Full of wings, otherworldliness.
In this, they are Ledas.
O mother of leaves and sweetness
Who are these pietas?
The shadows of ringdoves chanting, but easing nothing.
– Sylvia Plath
See more of my black and white photographs here.
Or visit me on Facebook.
Thanks for reading.
~Keith
Introducing my new Savannah Portfolio
Over the holidays I had the pleasure of experiencing Savannah, Georgia for the first time. In spite of the non-stop rain and unseasonal humidity, I was completely charmed and disarmed by this fascinating Southern coastal city. Savannah is simultaneously haunting and haunted, creepy and beautiful, historic and dynamic, artistic and thriving. Savannah has done a wonderful job maintaining its old colonial charm while becoming a vibrant modern city. It reminded me a lot of New Orleans, but cleaner and more successful (no offense — I love New Orleans too!). As with all my photographs, I wanted to capture the essence and spirit of the place, more than the place itself. Savannah has a lot of essence (and apparently plenty of spirits too)!
Below is a sampling of my Savannah Portfolio, a collection of 19 black and white photographs, available in one size, at two price points, depending on your choice of paper. Remember these are real silver-based photographic papers, not inkjet or other print media. Whether you live in Savannah, or just love black and white photography, I think these prints will add something special to your home or office decor — but then I am biased!
About the prints
All prints are sold at size, signed by the artist au verso, unmounted and without mat or frame. They ship carefully protected to prevent damage. Every print is made to order, so please allow approximately one week for RC prints to ship and approximately 3 weeks for fiber-based prints to ship.
Option A) Museum Quality Fiber-Based Silver Gelatin Prints
$600.oo + 18.00 Shipping
- 16″ x 24″ Borderless
- Stunning museum-quality fiber-based prints on Ilfobrom Galerie Fiber paper
- Semi-gloss real Silver Gelatin photographic print
- Double thick at 315gsm
- Processed to archival standards
- Signed au verso in pencil (on the back)
- Ships in approximately 3 weeks from time of order
Option B) Resin-Coated (RC) Silver Based Prints
$150.oo + 18.00 Shipping
- 16″ x 24″ Borderless
- Crisp and beautiful prints on real resin-coated true black and white photographic paper
- Luster Surface real photographic print
- Beautiful tonal range and image sharpness
- Standard paper thickness
- Signed au verso in black ink (on the back)
- Ships in approximately 1 week from time of order
Order Form is Below the Photographs
Image 01: Avenue of the Oaks, Savannah
Image 02: Colonial Park Cemetery, Downtown Savannah
Image 03: No. 101 Savannah, Georgia
Image 04: Cast-iron Cemetery Fence, Savannah
Image 05: Ironwork Detail -- Bonaventure Cemetery, Savannah.
Image 06: Carousel Horse on Balcony Post, Savannah
Image 07: Cobblestone Streets with Puddle Reflection, Savannah
Image 08: Cemetery Bench, Bonaventure Cemetery, Savannah.
Image 09: Bonaventure Cemetery, Savannah
Image 10: Tiny Angel, Bonaventure Cemetery, Savannah
Purchase Your Fine Art Prints Here
Ordering is safe and secure with your credit card through Paypal. I can also process credit card payments over the telephone using “Square” Credit Card Processing on the iPhone.
Your private information will not be shared with anyone ever. I’m a working artist, not a spammer. I appreciate your support!
Savannah Portfolio: Fine Black and White Photographs
My photographic goals for the year…
- Travel more
- Shoot more
- Continue learning and improving
- Set up my photo darkroom and get back into using film more often
- Pick up two new art galleries to show my work
- Get more work in TV shows and – even better – movies!
One of my goals is to use more film, and get my darkroom back up and running. What are your goals for 2012?
What are your goals and resolutions for 2012? Share them here or come over and talk to me about photography on Facebook.
On a recent visit to the Museum of Appalachia, in Clinton, Tennessee, I saw for the first time some startling work by a deceased folk artist I’d never heard of before.
A display from Cedar Creek Charlie's polka-dot house at the Museum of Appalachia. The figure is wearing Charlie's actual clothes, as you can see in the family portrait of him below.
The strange work of “Cedar Creek Charlie” Fields left me so fascinated (and a bit unsettled), I had to learn more about him. Fortunately, members of his family have posted information and photos about Charlie, and their RootsWeb page is supplemented by a great synopsis of his art on the Smthsonian’s folk art Website. Born in 1883, Charlie was a bachelor who lived in a cabin with his mother in rural Appalachian Cedar Creek, Virginia. After her death in the 1930s, Charlie began painting every surface of the cabin in red, white, and blue squiggles, stripes, and polka dots. He even painted a set of clothes, which he wore to greet visitors. He worked and lived in Cedar Creek until his death in 1966.
Charlie Fields, also known as Cedar Creek Charlie, in a family photo posted on their RootsWeb site.
Charlie's cabin seen in a family photo posted on their RootsWeb page about Charlie.
Some of Charlie’s work was downright creepy, like the cabinet with baby dolls seen in the photo below. But apparently he was a fun-loving and popular local character, who built a ferris wheel in his yard and welcomed families with children to tour the house and enjoy the rides.
Some of the painted folk art of Cedar Creek Charlie -- CREEPY?
I encourage you to learn more about this fascinating American original by visiting his family’s well-illustrated page about him here: http://rootsweb.ancestry.com/~varussel/photos/cedarcreekcharlie.html. Or read about his artistic legacy on the Smithsonian’s page about him here: http://americanart.si.edu/collections/search/artist/?id=1536.
Thanks for reading!
~Keith
Hey everyone. I’m attaching a coupon code good for 10% off #photograph purchases exclusively on my Etsy store. Valid from November 25, 2011 – December 11, 2011 (but it’s actually active now — shhh don’t tell anyone!)
Save 10% on photograph purchases through my Etsy store with this coupon code. Click to open as a PDF)
Click the thumbnail to open a PDF of the coupon to grab the code.
Thanks!
Keith