Best Price Leica M9 18MP Digital Range Finder Camera Review

Best Price Leica M9 18MP Digital Range Finder Camera Review.

“Two dollars and twenty-seven cents…”

I am inspired by a poem by Allen Ginsberg: America. Written in l956 (I believe), and a good, still relevant poem. I am working with an image I took of him in l984, a year that had a powerful Orwellian tone. I read the book as a kid and expected a large change in culture. I was in art school in l984 and Ginsberg came to a conference with many other poets. So far the piece, a silkscreen is creating itself, with a triple portrait imprint and color imagery.

I reached a significant goal: Meet Patti Smith, and give her a silkscreen I made of Robert Mapplethorpe (using a series of photographs taken nearly 25 years to the day, across the street). It was a fantastic night. Here are two foreign films I watched over the Holidays, with keen performances by other powerful women:

DVD: Vincere. Skirts the rise and effect of Mussolini. Striking cinematography and acting by the woman who plays the dismissed ‘first wife’.

DVD: Mother. (Korea – 2009). From the very first opening scene, this actress dominates the screen. A look at the possible lengths we might all go to save, well, ourselves, really.

Plus, another two USA films with one superior actress, who has been consistently high art in all her work: Annette Bening.

DVD: The Kids Are All Right
DVD: Mother and Child

My means of measuring the goodness of a film is whether l) I remember six months later anything about the film and 2) would I watch it again, as something in it moved me.

CD: Have One On Me. The sweet chirpings of Joanne Newsom.
Books: Loving Frank. Good one slowly digested.
The Hunger Games – A YA (young adult) book, but I had to know what is going on, why this is so popular. I hear that maybe many YA writers are writing to get into a lucrative market. Don’t know if that is true, and many of these books appeal to everyone. Liked it, and am moving on to book #2 and #3. I wish the YA market had been bigger when I was a YA.

A movie to miss – Or I wish I had not seen
DVD: I’m Still Here. Maybe I get the impulse to want to make a film, but ultimately there is little to redeem this wasted footage. I think much less of Joaquin Phoenix as a result, even if it is a character and not him. It brought me back to all the immaturity of drunken frat boys at my ex-husbands Bloomsburg State in upper PA, when I witnessed all kinds of horror first hand.

James Franco impressed me this year, with his various projects and his smile.

..climbed this whole mountainside, to wash my eyelids in the rain

CD: Best of Leonard Cohen. So lovely, his writing. I did tear up quite a bit, as my mother died a few years back this time of year, and I went to Paris after that. The image here is a strange moment under the mountain, with the skulls. My film camera ran out and I stopped to change the roll, all the while aware of my new friends. I ran the rest of the way.

DVD: Red Riding Trilogy. Ah, to be frightened and elevated at the same time. The first, l974, left me in…shock and awe you could say. The other two British films herein are just as daunting and unforgettable.

DVD: Ondine. I love the Auld Sod (and was born in Ireland) and it was delicious to watch the landscape and the sea town, and Colin Farrell. Nice film.

DVD: The Secret In Their Eyes. I’ve been trying to convince a friend to watch foreign films, and this Argentina piece is clever, and has great symbolism throughout and unusual plot twists.

My agrument for foreign films, with subtitles: It will expand your mind. It will force you to focus on this one thing, watching a production in another language (if possible), or the subtitles. It will enrich you.

Start with #l from the Decalogue. I think about that one often. It’s a perfect piece of cinema.

Otherwise I continue learning and producing silkscreens, the kind you do by hand. it’s tough. Right now I’ll be screening an image I took of Thom Yorke a few years back and I’ve already sold one.
Look for the piece here in the near future.

BOOK: The Imperfectionists. I told someone recently that I noticed some newer novels reveal in an unusual way, like Olive Kitteridge. It appears to be short stories, character studies told in one place, moving about an area and setting upon a few people therein. This book is very much like that. Is this a revolution, to save so many lost short stories?

A Few Things I Liked

Don’t let anyone tell you that silkscreen is easy. The by-hand screen process requires a commitment, and planning. It’s not cheap with time or materials. I began my class in April of this year, and have an advantage in that I’ve had many painting classes, am a film photographer and darkroom printer. On top of that I worked with Sarah Van Keuren for a year on non-silver processes, such as Cyanotype, Gum Bichromate etc. So all of this helps in the concept of a piece. This process is a marriage of photo and printmaking, at least the way I am doing it. I have done quite a few on Mapplethorpe, at least enough to put up an exhibition (if you are a gallery, please email me). This last piece I did was on Michael Moore, and I like it.

To entertain myself and get away from the process I did see:

DVD: Up The Yantgze. I don’t often watch documentaries, but this one is pretty special. In China, a new dam is close to complete and effects the lives of those that live along this massive river. Reveals rather than preaches.

DVD: Alice Neel. I had no idea this painter, now deceased, had such an exotic and interesting background. She spoke around l983 at our University of the Arts (then Colleges of the Arts) in Philadelphia. I met her and liked her, but it was hard to get a sense of the history of a person in such a short time. She was the most influential artist on my own painting style, short-lived as my painting (2 years) was.

DVD: Steven Schama The Power of Art. Great series of certain artists. The best was about Caravaggio. Wow. I didn’t know. I wish his piece on Mark Rothko was more extensive, with a different focus.

DVD: A Prophet. Really good film.

DVD: As It Is In Heaven. I may have written about this before, and if I did you know I loved it. NOTE: Interesting that the actor here, who makes this film so powerful, is a Swedish favorite named Micheal Nyqvist.
He is also the principal actor in The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, the Swedish version. Of course he is in the entire series made in Sweden.

DVD: Revanche. As good as they said, great foreign film.

DVD: A Single Man. Unforgettable film. Not sure if I wrote about this already, but as Andy Warhol is said to have uttered: So What! I still think about the emotional beauty in this piece. Has what the best films have, and that is a sense of love for that which you render.

You can see I have been watching mostly foreign films, and Hollywood (which I have watched) makes little impression, at least enough to write about. I did like a little film made in my area called:

DVD: Tenure. Kind of a sweet little piece.

**This image is taken by my mac laptop in the Warhol style. It is me. I call it “Peace”.

Robert Mapplethorpe and Me

See my blog Focus On The Grain (on sidebar) to know more. Mapplethorpe is very much on my mind. He is all over my desk at the moment. I’m working with negatives of him, black and white ones, I took back in l985, and promptly forgot about. I did one silkscreen panel, a double Mapplethorpe image, and its still in the finishing stages. I’ve prepped another, much larger image on BFK Rivas paper 22 x 30″. I pulled the background color and this week will pull the portrait on top of that and so far it’s a beautiful piece.

That’s where my time has been, with him. He had a negative impact on my own work back in the early 1990’s, and on the art world with all that followed. Anyway, each day I’ve developed a habit of beginning by ‘burping’ my Mac laptop. I open it, then gently pull it up near my shoulder and burp it, releasing all dirt and ash and grit that has settled in my keys. I do this now because of the little crunches I was hearing when stroking my keys.

I have watched some films and a few stick out in my mind:

DVD: Silent Light. Spooky foreign film with fantastic, original scenes that pleased me.
DVD: Seraphine. Always drawn to artist stories, and this is a compelling one. The actress in this is remarkable!
DVD: The Messenger. Loved it.
DVD: Legion. Much better than I expected.
DVD: Disgrace. Hard to watch, but I don’t shy away from what might upset me. Unusual movie. Nice symbolism/metaphor.
DVD: The Imaginarium……Also much better than I expected. Not sure if it is Heath Ledger, and his loss, that kept me glued. I wish he was still with us.
DVD: The Wolfman. Odd movie, but I liked the old-time feel.
and finally
DVD: True Blood-Season Two. So over the top I’m not sure what to say about plot, but I love the characters and this dark world I seem to be drawn to.

Forget about:
Valentines Day
The Road (hate to say it, but too dark – read the book instead)

CD: Land – Patti Smith and Dream of Live – Patti Smith.
I can’t help but play these when I am working on Mapplethorpe. Loved her memoir Just Kids about them, and it is a bit eerie to hear her sing when I am creating these pieces

No Message Could Have Been Any Clearer

Occasionally I re-watch This Is It, at least part of it. I miss Mr. Jackson and his great talent. Such a waste. I ruminate on whether he was a
‘media martyr’, which happens too much these days. To be in the media, and have them turn on you, so to speak, reminds of of high school and all that I did not like. Of course it is not so simple. But I miss him.

Am taking a Silkscreen printing class and prepping to enter a few exhibitions, so I have not been writing. Appreciate the feedback, at least a few people read this thing. For culture, I recently viewed:

DVD: Precious. I was reluctant, such a story, but it was much better and more illuminating then I expected. She is a great character. The nature of the spirit within that will fight back, I like that. And then I viewed:

DVD: The Blind Side. Two stories of rising out of the situation you are in, and the similarities are not lost on me. Kudos to this actor who played the football star to be. His understated stance, his reluctant manner made this story more real to me.

Alas, two characters lost in their circumstances and vow to at least move sideways, if not up.

Mostly I am enjoying being back in the big City, and spending time with the great weather.

The Flu, blizzards and hurricanes

Enough already. I just watched the movie 2012 and was getting freaked out about the real weather. Can’t really recommend the movie though….

Sick at home, so have caught up on some writing, reading and movie viewing.

DVD: Law Abiding Citizen – gotta blame the director. Script had all the potential to be another Seven, but alas, bad direction. Different actors would have helped much.

DVD: Read My Lips. Sweet, smart foreign film I highly recommend.

DVD: Departures. The most beautiful of films, and a fabulous story, from the talented Japanese.

DVD: The Decalogue. Yes, from way back in the late eighties, but this Polish writer/director understands film. I have been studying these ten films based on the Ten Commandments. Some are more lovely than others, but better than most Hollywood films. He went on to writer/direct (all or part?) of Blue White and Red, three films from the ninties.

Books: Just Kids. Patti Smith and the early days. Love this book, and loved spending time back in the school/early art days (some situations similar), on the streets of New York. I crossed paths with Robert Mapplethorpe several times, and am about to produce two silkscreen portraits of him.

Open. Agassi. I have been in love with this guy for years, and now I know why he holds his body as tightly as he does, why his struggle shows on his face. Love how honest he is. Love, Love, Love you Andre.

CD: Catching up on all the newer Neil Young cds, some great.

Snow, and lots of it!

I’ll go get a pix of the snow, but this is our second major storm and reminds me of those we had when I was young.

Movie: The Lovey Bones. As I am sitting in the dark theater, it occurs to me that this film is more like an opera, with crushing movements. The back and forth between the ‘holding’ world and the real is jarring, and some scenes I wish Jackson had just left out. It’s kind of a mess. I was an extra on this film, part of which was shot right her in my hometown, and I did recognize the back of my own head (thanks Andy Warhol), and that was fun, but I was distracted by the convoluted editing (or footage?). I left very depressed, and hated that he put that Susie voice over at the very end. It was unnecessary, and didn’t help the film.

DVD: Gomorrah. Read good things about this film, and I am glad I saw it. It seemed to be missing something, like about another two hours. A brutal looks into this crime group.
DVD: The Hurt Locker. Good as they say, and I didn’t expect it to be about a man who loves his job, does it well, and understands that.

Reading: The Girl Who Kicked the Hornests Nest, by Steig Larsson. I am lucky, a friend gave me this to read and I am slowly digesting. Many, many names to keep track of. I’d love to be able to lay out such a rich, tangled web with surprises as well as this author. He is a master. Hollywood can rarely surprise me in any interesting way (no, I have yet to see Avatar). I hear that the first book is in development by some studio in Hollywood, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. There was a film made in Sweden of the first book, and we are trying to get our hands on a dvd of it. Read all three books: The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played With Fire, and lastly (not released here yet) The Girl Who Kicked The Hornets Nest.

CD: Worrisome Heart by Melody Gadot. Love, love, love this girls voice. She is very young and still suffering from injuries. Her own story would make some great little movie. Now very popular in Paris, this bluesy, sweet album is lovely.
CD: Any album by Joe Henry. I think I’m in love with this guy.

TV: Caprica. The New Series. Love these writers. Very imaginative and true, as far as I can tell, to what happens later.

My goal: Screenplay complete, and Melody Gardot songs are in my filmed version. I have a scene where one of my characters is following her husband at night, watching him……ah, well, can’t tell you that but this music fits.

To The Moon, Alice!

Two films I watched on DVD this weekend.

Moon: Quiet meditation on the nature of the future. Gorgeous to look at, and Sam Rockwell was over the moon in his acting. Liked it.

Pandorum. Odd look at outer space. Bleak but bold ultimately. Liked it!

Music: Melody Gardot. Philly girl. Great story.

Book: The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest. I have not yet gotten this, but look forward to the last in the set that will ever be (at least by Steig L.). I am sure all the films are getting lined up in Hollywood. Can’t wait. Book out in Europe but here in May

This is a constant source of inspiration and meditation, one of a few places I go to sort out events and take photographs.

Best of the Best

Someone recently asked me what book changed my life? I asked for some time to consider this, but my quick answer was the Brothers Karamazov by Dostoyevsky, a certain translation. The second is Berlin Stories by Christopher Isherwood. But what came first to mind were films that struck me, yes it felt like I was struck in the heart. The first film I saw was as a very young child with our Irish Catholic family in a theater, where the idea of actor became reality watching the power of Richard Burton and Peter O’Toole together in Becket. The second was Camille, an old picture by George Cukor with Greta Garbo in a retro-theater with my first boyfriend, which left me crying for hours afterword. And the third, Cabaret, which exposed me to life outside our farm county, and the greater world of intrigue and consequence, and eventually to art school for film and photography. The impact of art varies with the experience of the observer.

DVD: Jennifer’s Body. Liked it much more than expected. Cody really has an ear for the pop dialogue
DVD: Let The Right One In. Love story of the strangest type. Real cinema.
DVD: A Perfect Getaway. Just okay, with a twist on a twist on a twist. At least the good guys win, which left me with
DVD: Is Anybody There. Liked.
DVD: Taking Woodstock. Wish I was there.
DVD: District 9. Wrote about this when I saw it in the theater. Love this film, and still waiting for sequel.
Re-DVD. Collateral. Michael Mann’s finest, in my opinion. I could feel his love for the mystery and beauty of the film process.

Book: In The Sanctuary of Outcasts. I can see this as a film.
CD: Blood From Stars. Joe Henry. Lovely.