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.
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.
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 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.
Titania has this amazing writing technique (she’s quite full of artistic talent herself) so she wrote the placards for the images. We did quite a few images but one shot stood out and resonated to lots of people, men and women, on the internet. It went everywhere. I saw that some people had photoshopped out my english text and replaced it with Spanish, French, German and even Arabic.
My Ovaries Are Not Church Property in Arabic
I saw it first in Arabic when Buchet&Chastel publishers emailed me asking if I would be keen to publish the image in a book on the Tunisian uprisings. So I searched for it in Arabic and found that it had been shared during the chaos of the revolutions by hundreds of thousands of women online. It made me happy and hopeful for them. So, this was published in the book Insurrections Arabes by Smaïn Laacher.
Insurrections Arabes by Smaïn Laacher
It even graced the front page of Reddit – full of geeky male dudes (right on guys!). I know there are some ladies there, but it’s really predominately male.
Fast forward to yesterday when I received my copy of the next publication it was published in. Humanist Perspectives. This is a great magazine out of Canada which deals specifically with Humanism. As a Humanist myself I was quite pleased to be included in a magazine supporting the only belief system I relate to in any way.
humanist perspectives
I love the quote they included around the image: “One of my fantasies is that next Sunday not one single woman, in any country of the world, will go to church. If women simply stop giving our time and energy to the institutions that oppress, they would have to cease to do so.” ~ Sonia Johnson, American feminist, activist and excommunicated Mormon
So while Canada and France are standing up for women in their own ways, back here in the United States women are getting forced government vaginal probes and some women in Texas are fed up… and over in North Carolina they are having some problems! And Virginia and Wisconsin and Texas and Mississippi and North Dakota and and and and and. And while my image was specifically about BIRTH CONTROL PILLS because they were trying to ban insurance companies from covering that – hands off our bodies. Seriously. Just stop legislating laws to govern a woman’s right to control every aspect of her body. We are not chattel. We are women. And ladies who are reading… If you don’t vote in 2014 (you know for your state and local congressional stuff), don’t bitch when all of a sudden you find out it’s illegal for you to get an I.U.D. to prevent an unwanted pregnancy. Please, don’t be shocked when women start dying because they shouldn’t have carried their babies to term due to other health conditions. Because we are all Savita. Every one of us. When one woman is denied life due to religious ideologies, we all are. Until all women are free from government control, we are all under government control. Civil rights are a woman’s issue too.
The guys over at 1x.com put together their 4th book with some of the best photography I’ve seen in some time. The members there certainly rate. I’m happy to be amongst such great artistic expression with my image of Kat Love, “Architectural Nude.”
They have limited edition copies available at their website. Go over and get yours! It would make an awesome holiday gift.
Thank you to everyone who played a part in making 2010 a special year for me. It was filled with happy moments and great picture making. Trips to Australia, New Orleans, New England and all over my home state of California. Book publishings, gallery exhibitions, magazine features, working with amazing models and learning quite a bit and growing quite a bit.
A really special thank you to all the people at A&I. The exhibitions that I participated in were so much fun and I met so many wonderful people. It’s nice being part of a beautiful photo community in the city where I live. Thank you for allowing me to put on such a big solo exhibition too!
Australia. I love you. I love your people. I love your land. I want to throw a rope around the tail hitch of the plane each time I leave and drag you back to California with me. I do. I do! I hope all of you in Queensland are staying somewhat dry right now. What a flood! Sorry.
Thank you to all the collectors who purchased my work this year. While book and magazine publishings really make one happy, nothing makes someone happier than when someone likes the work so much that they buy it and hang it on their wall. Pure happiness!
Thank you to American Photo for making me their centerfold this July! What a hoot! 10 years later this photo is still being published. Love that.
Thank you very much to all the models who worked with me this year. I hope the work we did reaches the pages of more books and magazines in the future. You’ll be the first to know!
Thank you to Feierbend Unique Books, 1x, Sunset Studios and A&I for all the publishing and exhibits!
And speaking at Apple about iPhone photography! Geek moment to remember!
And thank you to all the people who have touched me personally this year. Who have helped me see the world a bit more positively and shared my love of the earth, sky and water. Made me laugh, made me cry, and supported me in ways that gave me that special boost to carry on. I love you all.
Enjoy a photo from what will be remembered as a very amazing year! Bring on 2011!! Happy New Year!
Google works wonders sometimes. Had no idea I had a full page in American Photo magazine (the Hollywood Sign pic). Now how do I find a copy? Oh Burlesque days were fun. This photo was a part of Katharina Bosse’s book “New Burlesque.” She came to photograph me right after I moved to Hollywood from New Orleans. This was on my old rooftop right underneath the Hollywood Sign.
