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?
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.
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.
In April 2022, I signed a book deal and the exciting process of editing, designing and prepping for a launch (that still hasn’t come yet), commenced.
During the designing process in August, after a yearly eye exam and a retinal scan, my eye doctor sent me to the emergency room for an MRI and I was diagnosed with a brain tumor and had a craniotomy within a week after that appointment. This set me back quite a bit with the book, as anyone would expect, but the good news is as of my last MRI this August 2023, my doctor says that I AM CURED! Thank you to the Cedars Sinai Neurology Department, Dr. Jenny Parks (my eye doc), and my neurosurgeon, Dr. John Yu… and every single beautiful person I came in contact with at Cedars, especially Desiree, my nurse. Also, whoever shaved my head so that I could cover the incision and not scare the children. Bride of Frankenstein, maybe? I took this as I was recovering and had a very swollen face.
Not only did I have to have brain surgery, but my yearly fine art retreat was already scheduled. I made it there, 2 1/2 weeks after surgery (I must be mad). We laughed, and celebrated and it was such a joyous occasion. A bit after that I went to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame celebration for the 2020 Nine Inch Nails induction that my husband and I were unable to attend due to Covid, once things started opening up again the RRHF scheduled the Nine Inch Nails event, and he got back on stage with them and all the former bandmates in Cleveland. A week after that there was a wedding! So right after surgery it was just go go go go go and I didn’t stop. Normally people sit down and have some rest. It was good for me. September and October totally occupied with activity.
In December, I received notice that the publisher I signed my book deal with sold the company. So then I realized what all the hold up was with my book. More on this later…
Skip forward to February, no books in hand, but my work exhibited in the LA ART Show (I actually posted about it <<), which was an eye popping glory of color and pop art, and me with my photography wall. Strange and wonderful all at once. I loved being part of that with Photo Independent. The Virtual show is still online there if you would like to see my two features, scroll down that page, it’s alphabetical so I’m last. Then immediately after LA ART Show I started preparing for the MIA Photo Fair in Milan, Italy. Scroll through the slide show below.
Italy was one of the most amazing things I did all year. Milan was special. Meeting people who understood my work and knew what solarization was without the need to explain my process was so incredible. Exhibiting my work there was a dream come true. It is where I decided my life goals when I was 16 years old. To come full circle back to the place where the spark began, well, I’m just happy that brain tumor didn’t do me in. I left 5 of my pieces in Italy, so part of me is there now. I also got to spend a couple of days in Venice and hit the Lee Miller/Man Ray exhibition.
April to today has been a busy bundle of taking care of aging parents and trying to get this book launch happening, some brilliant shooting with models who stopped in to participate and a tragic death of my friend, Jillian Ann. So I am here trying to process the day (a year ago) I was told I wasn’t going to die with all of the non-stop that has been going on, and the never ending phone calls about our friend, Jillian who was supposed to be at my home right now staying with me. Plans sometimes cannot be kept.
Jillian and I in one of many taxis we shared. This one in Australia. I will miss her.
Before the strange ending of a non-stop year I did a soft launch of my book. I have 5 limited edition prints with a book left available. Until I hear from Vedere Press, that’s what we have. I bent over and bought all my books and 1/2 of them are at a distribution warehouse, waiting. I’m so very impatient about things now and I’m doing my best to breathe and let the process unfold. If it doesn’t, I’ll just do it all myself. At least I can count on me.
I am waiting to launch. Until then, Sunkissed85.com is where you can snag the last 5 limited edition prints with my book. This is the print, and this is the book.
I should probably use this blog more often instead of attempting to cram an entire year into one post.
One year, hair is growing back and no more swollen face. It all worked out.
A LOT has been happening and I have been completely overwhelmed with busyness that I haven’t been able to tell you all about it. There was a bit of a drought and now its a monsoon. Just like California weather. What month is it? March?
February was a hit and 1/2 when out of the blue I was invited to participate in the LA Art Show (you can go on a virtual tour here) with Photo Independent. WHAT A SHOW! It’s huge. And to be exhibiting my work there was really wonderful. I met so many interesting and amazing artists and photographers, collectors; and listening to people talk about my work when they didn’t know I was the photographer was fun. It isn’t apparent in some of my work how exactly I do what I do and listening to them examining, out loud, their best guess on how an image was made really threw me off a few times. I let them get it out then went over to tell them how I make my images. The most beautiful thing I saw was a mother TEACHING her child about my work. There is hope for the future. Here are a few photo highlights:
Me. My Wall. Mother teachingLA Art Show 2023 LA Convention Center
I have much more to discuss in the coming days. I just approved the proof for the release of my first monograph titled, Sunkissed 85 and I’m headed to Milan to exhibit my work with Photo Independent at the MIA Photo Fair. You can catch me on Instagram for brief updates.
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.
““I don’t have to use it, but it’s my favorite,” said Wiseman, who has little use for digital photography because “it never gives me that punch my work usually had.””
New55 film made it’s Kickstarter Goal!! And Bob Crowley rocks! Check out the piece in the Boston Globe. And check out the New55Project website. 🙂
If you follow my blog and my work you know what a Polaroid lover I am. And you may have seen my previous post about the New55 film being developed to replace Polaroid Type 55 film. This is an extremely important tool for artists and I hope you will join me in pledging at Kickstarter. There’s 28 days to go and they’ve already raised almost $100,000.00 of their $400,000.00 goal in order to make a viable product.
I was lucky to be able to test the film and be a part of the beginnings. And I really hope it comes to fruition because I NEED IT FOR MY WORK. I pledged $750.00. Please kick them a little starter fuel to bring this film back into the world of creativity.
Attached is an image I made using the New55 film. I want MORE!!!
We’ve already contacted several potential suppliers to get quotes on parts and line up specification and delivery steps, but there is more to do.
The 4×5 sheet film component — the negative — could come from any one of five potential suppliers including Kodak, Ilford, Foma, Adox or Shanghai. We still need to determine through more testing which negative works the best with the receiver sheet and developer that is finally chosen. The plan is to use a cubic grained emulsion, since this is known to have rapid processing capability and fast transfer to the positive.
The receiver sheet — the positive print — requires significant research and development. Most of the New55 FILM examples you have seen used 20×24 Studios’coaterless receiver sheet. We hope to work with 20×24 Studios to create a reliable supply of receiver for this project and the future, if possible, as coaterless sheets are also compatible with the 20×24 camera. But, that type of sheet is very complex and has at least 8 layers to it. A coater-type receiver sheet, more in keeping with “Old T55” is also a possibility and may be a necessity if we are not able to make the coaterless type. Coater type sheets are somewhat less complex to make, but still have 6 layers. The coating is only one of several important requirements for the receiver: It must have just the right stiffness, thickness and be free of curl. It also has to be light proof, and not swell and shrink during processing. Quite a set of requirements for what looks like just a piece of paper.
An “edge taper” is a machine that we will investigate to assemble the top and bottom of the sleeve together into a peelable assembly. It is assumed that some kind of inking or printing needs to go on this piece so that users will know which is the “lens side”. This machine will have to be designed from the ground up, then built on the premises. It is a significant amount of work and expense.
Each envelope also needs a “stop” which is a thick paper bar bonded to the outside. The purpose of the stop is to prevent the user from pulling the sleeve out too far during exposure. A cutting tool and assembly fixture, and adhesive applicator are required. At this moment, we think that a thermal adhesive and thermal press can apply this strip, using a guide tool, and also perform some of the final thermal bonding on the end of the envelope to allow easier peeling. Two machines/fixtures are needed, at least.
The metal clips that slide into the 545 holder are important and have to be made carefully. The old T55 clip was made with soft steel that had been painted. Painting adds a lot of cost to a sheet metal part and we think it will be easier and better to use a stainless steel clip of a lighter and stronger gauge. Either way we will be buying a tool for use in four-slide machines, and have that part supplied to us by one or more vendors. Our hope is that we do this once, and not have to modify the tooling. If we have a problem, we will possibly have to make new tooling and do other things.
Once we have clips, they must be securely attached to the tongue – a part that holds both the negative, and the chemical pod. The tool used for crimping and thermal adhesive steps has to be designed, built, and tested, and then we have to make sure it can be assembled repeatably and reliably.
The “pod” is a critical component. It has to be sealed and yet also has to burst in just the right directions with just the right amount of pressure. As of this writing, 20×24 is offering to produce these for us at a per-unit cost. Not only is the assembly of the pod critical, what goes in it is also crucial, as it contains developer, fixer, solvent, thickener and toners, along with pH boosting ingredients needed for rapid diffusion transfer reversal to take place. 20×24’s formula for their black and white film is the starting point, and may have to be reformulated depending on the final negative stock and the characteristics of the receiver sheet. Production of the chemical pod is a major undertaking and will happen in parallel with development of the other components.
The entire process of development and manufacturing New55 FILM, and shipping the completed boxes of film to Kickstarter contributors is risky, and estimated to take eight months from the initial funding, but it could be delayed for a variety of reasons as there are long wait times for certain processes and materials to be made, cut, formed, coated etc.
It’s been so long! How are you? I’ve been in Australia at my yearly artist retreat. While I was away I got word that my work had been featured by the Duncan Miller Gallery in their newly formed website set to promote the work of contemporary, vintage and other well known images made by photographers. I was pleased to see the photo I made with Jazmine Dominique hanging out with Muhammad Ali. I think she looks just as strong. Kind of interesting seeing those images next to each other. Feminine and Masculine power. Nicely chosen, curators… nicely chosen. Their new site is called Your Daily Photograph and the images they’re sending out are superb. Masters and contemporary, emerging and vintage. You can subscribe to their site and get images delivered to your inbox daily.
Do so before my next image gets sent out! Which will be soon they tell me. I’ll post again when it’s up so you can see. Please click the image to be taken to the feature on their website where you can see the other images chosen.
