Look Who Came to Visit

My good buddy and longtime colleague Gordon Lewis is my houseguest for a few days here at TOP Rural Headquarters, which is a treat. Speaking of treats, Gordon is a master of martial arts and a devoted guitar player among many other skills and talents, but he's also an excellent chef, and he's actually fixing me an omelette as I write these words. So I'll make this quick.

The eggs come from my friend Dave, who lives up the hill from me. Dave is a master stonemason but also a farmer, and he has a variegated collection of  exotic chickens—some of whom have intermingled with each other. So Dave will say things like "That one's grandmother was a Wyandotte, but her father was that Rhode Island Red rooster over there." (I just picked those names out of a hat; I don't remember any of the names of the chickens Dave has.) The eggs are all sorts of shades, including blue.

Did you know that eggs keep for years as long as you don't wash their outer membrane off? True. But these are very fresh. (I'll write a post about Dave sometime soon. He's a master of his craft and an interesting guy.)

In the picture above, Gordon is holding the artist's proof of the print of "Precipitation" from the reprise print offer that we'll launch soon, standing in front of my framed print from the first sale back in 2009.

So do you recognize this scene?

It's a snapshot of the place where Precipitation was taken. Obviously the wall has been painted, and decoration in the form of painted plywood cutouts have been added. A no smoking sign has been added too, but the plaque thing that had the yellow rectangle on it in 2009 is still there, albeit without the yellow rectangle. The sidewalk is still the same.

Gordon's picture makes it clear that the patches on the concrete wall had a certain artistic quality; I thought it was a bit ironic that someone painted over those, but then they, or someone else, saw fit to add different decoration of their own. Needed something.

Gordon's picture disappeared as soon as the woman with the umbrella took one more step, of course, but as you can see, the setting is gone now too. He says that if the woman in his picture had been walking in front of those plywood figures, he wouldn't have bothered making an exposure.

The new print of Precipitation is made by Mike and Janine Zaikowski of Profiles in Chestnut Hill, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philadelphia. "They get photographers," in Gordon's words, but their main business is printing high-quality, color-matched reproductions of artworks (for which they still use the old word "giclée"). They made the prints the first time around, too.

The new print is on slightly warmer paper but the paper is gorgeous. The print looks fantastic, very rich. It captures the feel of the light. We'll only be offering one size this time, the size Gordon is holding.

One question: should all the new prints be signed or unsigned? He's still deciding.

By the way, the omelette, which has new potatoes, broccoli, fresh basil, and mushrooms in it, is delicious.

Mike
(Thanks to Chef Lewis)

Original contents copyright 2017 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site.

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Comments

[Ken Tanaka]

Signed, baby, signed. I just picked up a copy of Marvin E. Newman's retrospective book (at 13lbs it was no trivial feat) and, now in his 90's, he managed to sign every one of the 1,000 copies. Gordon looks like a very hale and hearty fellow. Sign, baby, sign!

[Patrick J Dodds]

You sound blessed.

[Bryce Lee]

Food, glorious food as prepared by a master chef will always be better than photography. Face it, we need food as much as photography however food does come first.

[John Wilson]

Where's the picture of the omelette???? Oh! It didn't survive long enough for a portrait.

[Actually, true! --Mike]

[Phil]

Oh man... I brought leftovers for lunch but now I want to take one of Gordon's books and go have an omelette from the local retro-hipster café.

[Roger Overall]

"He says that if the woman in his picture had been walking in front of those plywood figures, he wouldn't have bothered making an exposure."

But what if she were just a little further along, as if she were at the head of the line? Dog, boy, adult & girl and then real life lady?

[Stefan Laarm]

Signed

[John Scott]

I have one of the original prints, and it’s still a favourite.
I’ve always thought it would be improved if it were a little bigger and a little warmer. Is the reprint the same size?
Either way I can see another purchase on the horizon!

[Steve H]

I am not entirely sure about broccoli in an omelette. Broccoli to me should not make an appearance on the menu until at least lunch time where it may be in a supporting role in some sort of salad, but I don't believe it should be eaten warn until dinner time.
On the topic of the photograph under discussion, it really sums up the nature of photography as capturing a moment in time that only exists for that moment. To create that image now would be impossible without digital fiddling and that for me is one of the reasons I still get out and about with the camera, to immortalise those slices of time.

[Peter Williams]

"...fixing me an omelette..."
Sound hilarious to me as an Aussie, I'm imagining it needs fixing (repairing) because the eggs were broken.
We'd say, making me an omelette.

[Scott Paris]

I want the picture (signed) and I could use one of those omelettes, too.

[David]

I quite like the photo, but liked it more when I thought the shadows on the wall were actually made by precipitation. The benefits of not looking too close!

[s.wolters]

Signed or unsigned?

If you are good photographer, let’s say one who can claim that your work can be called Art, then a signature could add to the value. However, if you are a very, very, very good photographer and capable of making iconic images you should not sign. Then your work already is your signature. In that case you should let your printer sign with light grey pencil and add the printing number.

But if you sign…
- Always outside the image area. Inside is for painters and celebrities signing their own portraits.
- Practice first. The signature should be artistic, chique and discreet. If you are only capable of producing illiterate scribbles, please sign at the back.
- Sign by hand. Designed typefaces, logos or watermarks as a signature are pomp and ceremony that make your work second-rank.

[Jack Stivers]

@ Peter Williams regarding "fixing."

Where I'm from we sometimes say, "I'm fixing to make an omelette."

And just to be annoying, I've said, "I'm fixing to repair to the kitchen to prepare an omelette."

Cheers