I am here to jump up and down that I am headed back to Milan, Italy for MIA Photo Fair! I do attempt to be cool about such things but showing work in Italy is always a dream, and I can’t wait for proper espresso. I’ll be there for a bit roaming around Florence before the exhibition, then to Milan with quite a bit of work from over the years. Here is a sampling of what I will be showing on the Fabrik walls.
But first! Thank you to Gabriela Galindo for writing such a beautiful description of my work in El Rizo Robado magazine in Mexico. I had so much appreciation being at Zona Maco and exhibiting my work there and when Gabriela approached me she said she already knew my work. I can’t thank her more for such empathetic and thoughtful writing.
Please click to enlarge and have fun clicking though my Italy gallery, which was also shown in Mexico this February and will head to London for Photo London in May.
LA ART SHOWJanuary 7 – 11, 2026 LA CONVENTION CENTER West Hall
I’ll be showing again at the LA Art Show with Fabrik. I hope you’ll come see some color from me.
Not really what I do. I have only these 5 pieces.
I’m of the opinion that color looks too busy and causes your eyes not to flow from space to space in the frame the way it’s meant to be seen like black and white can convey so pragmatically. But California Poppies and Australian Poppies demand color. Egg yolks and Picasso shaped reflections in the water scream for it too. Dogs wearing sunglasses? Do we need color to appreciate the humor? The sunglasses are the plot not the laundry, and not even Fanny, the model. Although it is her perfect doggie. For some reason she has sunglasses for him, of course she does. Unplanned fun.
I will only be showing these works in LA this year, they are QUITE LARGE and I don’t trust a certain someone’s tariffs. Might cost more than airfare. And I felt like keeping my 1 of 1 color pieces at home in LA.
I have shows coming up with Fabrik in Mexico City, Milan and London with work more in line with what I normally do. I’ll post some of those works soon.
my year… my life… and my grief
I don’t ask anyone to read further, but I have been missing this year. Both my father and my mother passed away and two weeks after my mom went my 19 year old friend (kitty), Niles, passed too. I have been on constant emergency notice since the Palisades Fire started in January. In September, I finally got some sleep. Not having any family member’s to help was really hard. Tell yours to form a Trust so that it makes it easier on everyone.
It feels weird that I feel like I need to explain an absence from everything. I’ve also grown way less interested in social media drab. Especially with AI aggregating my work during all this and finding it used in some sicko’s portfolio like he actually made the image. So I have been “away.” I know it’s ok to just disappear for a while, I’ve just not been able to respond to a lot of people due to zero energy to do so, time differences, parental emergencies, pet emergencies, and trying to keep myself above water and my work afloat.
So…
I can’t wait to be back in Italy… Can’t wait to see Mexico City for the first time… and London is always London where else can anyone get a proper crumpet?
I have a few shows coming up where my work may be seen. These are some of the pieces I will start off exhibiting at Art Miami + Context December 3-8, 2024 the last show of 2024 for me.
*(click to enlarge the image thumbnail, use keyboard arrows or screen to scroll)*
I will also have a few copies of Sunkissed 85, my book focused on over 20 years of Solarizing Polaroid Type 85 negatives.
I have several 2025 Shows upcoming starting in February. I’ll post about those as they head over the horizon.
There are a multitude of reasons I enjoy working with this model, Denisa, but maybe the most important is her professionalism. It’s easy to work with someone when they also have an understanding of photo history and what obligations they have to the work. It isn’t just a “job” for her, she really cares about the photos produced and that they see life in publications and gallery exhibitions, of which a lot of these have been seen in several publications and several gallery exhibits.
I hope you like these.
You can follow me on Instagram if you want to see the censored versions. (and that was for a laugh) It would be wonderful if artists could reach the same amount of people with a blog delivered to your inbox.
Photography is about capturing moments that exist in the shadows of reality. Solarization allows me to dance in those shadows, creating images that are haunting and mesmerizing.” Zoe Wiseman
Hello! I have quite a bit of news, friends. Things are moving fast around here and I carved out some time to stop and write about it. As some of you may know, and some of you may not know, I released my first monograph, Sunkissed 85, with an absolutely amazing forward by the legendary Glen Wexler. It is 20 years of my solarized work with Polaroid Type 85 film. I solarize the negatives on the spot at the moment right after exposure. No photoshop, all analog. Whimsically dancing in shadows and illuminating them to create an industrial metallic feeling in some instances. The technique was perfected by Man Ray and Lee Miller, and I’ve expanded upon that vision with my own imagination. It’s a surreal blast from the past that I love. This is a body of work spanning over 20 years that I have presented inside this book, published by Vedere Press. << This link will zoom you over to purchase a signed copy.
If you would like to purchase through Amazon… mark up pricing on Amazon reflects their shipping charges and percentage Vedere has to pay them. International (outside the USA) shipments should go through me at Sunkissed85.com
I will also be signing copies of my book January 29, 2024 at Book Soup on Sunset BLVD in West Hollywood. I’m absolutely honored to be among some of the legends who do events at this brilliant independent book store. I hope you can come show your support of my art.
And on December 21st I’ll be talking with the former mayor of Augusta, GA on his podcast about my book of nudes. hmm. Should be interesting. I’ll do my best. Link coming soon.
There we were, a group of more than 20 dinner guests, across the street from this church and I made the comment about how fun and exciting it would be to make this photo. Titania jumps up, “I’ll do it!” So we ran across the street and did it. 30 seconds later they turned the lights off. I don’t know if they saw our blasphemy (lol) or not but the thrill of risking a good scolding felt exhilarating. I was completely sober, as I always am.
Tis the season. Don your juvenile delinquent hat and get out there. Yes, I might be a bad influence but fun is fun. I hope this gives you a smile.
Should you find the need of a 8×18″ print for your wall to celebrate the delinquency of two women celebrating blasphemy, just send me a message. Silver gelatin, fibre – $1000.00.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
I don’t believe there are ever mistakes, only lessons. This wasn’t a “first starting” moment, it was years into being a photographer. Two models and I were at this absolutely gorgeous location, and by the end of the shoot, I went to wind the film in my camera, and oops! no film was in the camera. Luckily for me, they were sympathetic. We went through each photograph I made in my head again, and things probably worked out better. That first run was just a practice session. We did have a few laughs about it, though.
10th Anniversary of the LA Nude exhibition and book.
I also made a new “Press” page to list with photo documentation some of the rewarding things I’ve been up to throughout the years. Listing the LeNU X here to pinch myself for being in a show with the likes of these masters. Don Weinstein really knew how to put a show together and I’ll always be thrilled I was part of it. William Claxton, Julius Shulman, Herman Leonard… come on! How did I rate? This was my 7th year as a photographer after transitioning from modeling. I remember someone asking me if I worked at the gallery and explaining to them that I had work on the wall and I was there for the exhibition and to sign books. Yes, girls make fine art too.
Sunkissed 85 by Zoe Wiseman
Forward by Glen Wexler
I am still waiting for my book to be launched. Hopefully the new publisher who bought out Vedere Press recently (yeah waiting on all that stuff) can make it all happen before the holidays so I can present my book to all of you by then. They are all signed, waiting on the go button. It will happen! If I need to have all the books shipped to me and do it myself, I will. I’m practicing patience. It takes a lot of practice.
St. Merrique and I went out into the wilds recently and here is the first image I looked at to apply post to. It was a long hike up to the location for 10 minutes of photo making, but worth it.
I also had this amazing shoot with my favorite LA Drag Queen, Mizz Tiffany Vogue. This shoot felt righteous due to the absurd political climate. I love drag queens!
I have so many images to add to the site soon too. So, this is just a little peek at what I’ve been up to.
I have been able to have three shoots during this awful pandemic. Two in my studio where I could control my environment and the last one in Palm Springs where they require vaccine proof to enter businesses and restaurants. And that’s just how it’s going to have to go for me until everyone does their duty to society.
Here is a couple from Palm Springs with Eva. There is a hotel I like to stay at there that always puts me in a funky room full of oddities and modernism. Then there’s the desert just a foot step away which provides some natural influence.
So happy Eva hit me up to go on a little shooting adventure! It was just what I needed, including that hotel breakfast. Memories of being there singing about purple socks with Stephanie Anne, about 10 years ago, was a nice flashback too.
Wash your hands! Stay Safe! Get vaccinated and come work with me. 🙂
Happy New Year everyone. It’s been quite a long time since I’ve blogged anything here. So I believe a new years post is in order.
I didn’t do much shooting this year or last because of the times we live in. Go away Covid! But, I was exhibited and published so I feel like there were some positive accomplishments that can bring a bit of cheer.
The first: bG Gallery is located at Bergamont Station in Santa Monica. The Naked Terrain exhibit may be seen by clicking HERE>
Naked Terrain Online exhibition – bG Gallery
This is the video from the April 2021 online exhibition, Naked Terrain. I don’t like speaking on video. It’s scary. So, cut me some slack please. LOL
They reached out this year to ask me to have a portfolio in their amazing magazine devoted to everything analog. Just about every accomplished photographer still using film graces their pages. National Geographic photographers, world wide published and exhibited photographers, masters and somehow me. (self deprecating humor aside…) It was a really nice end to a really sort of blah year because of Covid.
A very lovely written interview by Karin Majoka is included. It was great speaking with her about my work. She really listened and took what I said and depicted it correctly in what she wrote about me in the magazine. Such an honor to have someone see me and translate that into print.
It’s been awhile. I’ve been busy trying to redesign this site and organize my artist retreat. Learning new things and making new photographs –
On October 6 the opening reception for Instantaneous: The Polaroid Legacy will be from 6-9PM in Raleigh, NC
Anchorlight – 1401 S. Blookworth AVE, Raleigh, NC
Instantaneous: The Polaroid Legacy
The show runs from October 6-31, 2017.
I’ll have 4 prints in the show along with fellow Polaroid artists, Bill McAllister, Bryce Lankard, Harlan Campbell, Lisa McCarty, Polly Chandler, Richard McCabe and Tanner Messer.
Then at the Mythical Beast Lounge October 27-29 the 20×24 Giant Polaroid Camera will be strutting its stuff.. I’ll be in Australia for that and I’m crushed, but you should go! It will be incredible!
This is one of the images that I will be showing and selling in the show. Polaroid Type 85 POS/NEG.
