Endings and Beginnings.

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"Our Tree"
Flavio Martín Morante_2014 _Iphone 4S

Here we are again. One year gone by, another one coming, new white hairs showing up each day faster  and as always, the look to what it was and the bet to what it will be. This year I made a holidays tree out of a branch from our backyard in which I hanged pictures of the ten most remarkable things of this past 2014. It was a good year I can say, in which a lot of projects were completed, many wishes were made true and many ideas for the future have been drawn.

It was a great year despite all the negative things you see or heard everyday with only turn on the tv, reason why I am thankful for being able to do, be and wish, and that's how I think to start this coming year that shows its presence from behind the pages of the calendar, wishing to be by being able to do. Simply I wish that not only for me, but also for you too.

Greetings and a VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR FOR EVERYBODY THAT COMES TO READ THIS.

SALUD!

Sacred Matters

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"The Sacred Elements"(Assemblage with woodbox, clay pot, feather, bottle and sea shell)
_© Flavio Martín Morante_2014 _Iphone 4S

A while ago I built the assemblage you see in the photograph that illustrates this post, somehow following in the aesthetics of a great artist as it was Joseph Cornell, and inspired by one of my favorite short tales by Eduardo Galeano, which I share today as some sort of Happy Holidays message.

The tale is called "A Window about Arrivals" from the book "The Walking Words" and it goes this way (translated from the original in spanish)_

The son of Pilar and Daniel Weinberg was baptized at the city's shoreline. Was there that it was taught to him what is to be sacred.

He received a seashell: "For you to learn to love the water" _they said.
They opened a bird cage with an imprisoned bird inside: "For you to learn to love the air"_  they said.
The gave him a "Malvon" flower: "For you to learn to love the land"_ they said.
And then they gave him a closed little bottle: "For you to never, NEVER open it and so to learn to love the mystery of things".

It is one of my favorite stories ever, one that made its way to one of my shelves at home, and one I repeat when I can, in case we forget that the real sacred things are just right there, in front of us.

Happy Holidays to everybody!

Light Postcards of Paradise.

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(Maui's South East Shore from the Piilani Highway)

4in x 5in  Ilford FP4 Plus (film negative). Arista Paper (contact print). 

Pinhole camera f231_© Flavio Martín Morante_2014

I started to print the first test prints for the photographs I took recently during our trip to Hawaii. I am glad most of them are coming as I envisioned, showing the magnitude and beauty of a landscape that grabs you really hard just to show you how insignificant we are. More pictures to come as soon as I receive the order for the "good paper"(my favorite: Ilford RC Warmtone) with which I will be making the final prints.

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(Manawainui, Maui)

4in x 5in  Ilford FP4 Plus (film negative). Arista Paper (contact print). 

Pinhole camera f231_© Flavio Martín Morante_2014

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(Iao Needle Valley, Maui)

4in x 5in  Ilford FP4 Plus (film negative). Arista paper (quick test contact print). 

Pinhole camera f231_© Flavio Martín Morante_2014

Sister Moon.

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The Full Moon

Stereoscopic Card Made by Keystone View Company.

Year unknown.

I know that to give yourself a holiday gift can be a little lame, but since I do not care about that, and also because I am so cheap to satisfy, I gave myself a little something yesterday just by chance.

I stopped at the Antique shop in Highway 32 where I usually stop to see what I will be lucky enough to find regarding photography and old postcards and as it happened before (click here if you are curious), I came across this stereoscopic view of the moon taken from the Yerkes Observatory at the University of Chicago. What a nice gift to myself for only $2.00.

Cheers to that!

Speaking from the Heart.

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Me speaking today during my presentation on pinhole photography and cliche-verre at Gallery 224.
Photo_ courtesy of Gina Litherland.

It was great today to be able to share my passion for photography with a really nice audience during Gallery 224 series of talks. It is hard sometimes to compress so much in 1 hour, but I had a great experience doing this and I hope the public did the feel the same way.

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Me speaking today during my presentation on pinhole photography and cliche-verre at Gallery 224.

Photo_ courtesy of Gina Litherland. 

While this show (GOOD ALTERNATIVES) is coming to an end next week, I am looking forward to keep working this winter. This was a good closing of a very productive year and from here, just hoping to keep growing in the next one.

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Cliche-verres and prints from my work with paper negatives today at Gallery 224.
Photo_ courtesy of Gina Litherland.

Thanks to everybody that came today. Cheers!

This Saturday

This coming Saturday at 9AM I will be doing my presentation on my work with pinhole imagery using paper negatives and film. Also I will be talking about cliché-verres, a medium that combines printmaking, drawing and photography in which I been getting slowly involved in the past few months.

Check it out as the show GOOD ALTERNATIVES is coming to an end (December 20th) and this will be the last talk on the series of Saturday morning's talks. Visit Gallery 224's website for more info HERE or check their facebook page by doing click HERE.

Two in the City...

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Dawn and I, New York City.
_© Flavio Martín Morante_2014 _Iphone 4S

The trip to NY City went fast and the weather could not have been worse, a lot of rain, like... A LOT OF RAIN; but that did not stop us and we took a walk around the some parts of the city, avoiding getting more wet, but getting to see some pretty interesting stuff. Not many pictures, and some of them are still on my camera until I get to process the film. In any case, it was short but nice lived.

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Times Square, New York City. 

© Flavio Martín Morante_2014 _Iphone 4S

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Chrysler Building, New York City.

© Flavio Martín Morante_2014 _Iphone 4S

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Tickets, tickets. New York City.

© Flavio Martín Morante_2014 _Iphone 4S

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Lady, Lady, Duck.

© Flavio Martín Morante_2014 _Iphone 4S

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Neighborhood Smells. New York City.

© Flavio Martín Morante_2014 _Iphone 4S

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A little breather. Central Park, New York City.

© Flavio Martín Morante_2014 _Iphone 4S

At the House of Dreams

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82 North Broadway, Nyack, New York is the address where Edward Hopper was born and lived for almost 28 years. Today is the Edward Hopper House Art Center, dedicated to preserve his legacy as well as to share the work of people influenced by him.

© Flavio Martín Morante_2014 _Iphone 4S

Dawn and I have just come back from a quick run to New York, where we made our way to the Edward Hopper House Art Center where I am very proud to have 3 of my photographs hanging there as part of the show Small Matters of Great Importance. It was a short and fast trip, but it was WELL worth it.

First because I was able to see his house, which to me it meant a lot since I really came to admire Edward Hopper for his work as well for his life. Been able to stand on his small but warm house and added to that, making come true the dream of having some of my work there was an experience I won't ever forget.

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Me standing by the door frame that leads to one of the galleries inside Edward Hopper's house, where 3 of my photographs are hanging until January 4th.

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The 3 pinhole photographs selected for the show and the photograph of Edward Hopper "watching" from the steps that take to his bedroom studio.

Added to that, we were given an excellent tour of the house and got to hear some stories about his life in the house and in the town of Nyack as well from docents Lee and George. During this tour, we saw not only the lower part of the house, but also his bedroom studio. Among the objects and stories we got to hear, was the detail about his bicycle, which hangs today by the fireplace. It was this that he will use to go around town or to catch a boat or train that will take him to Downtown New York, where he studied. His bike is an impressive object to come across, not only because it does show the passing of time, but also because it shows how tall Hopper was (6.5 feet tall), aspect that had to do a lot with his introverted personality.

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Edward Hopper's bicycle and paintbrush box on display on one of the many rooms open to public at his house.

I have to say it was a VERY nice visit despite the nasty weather over there. Still, being able to see that place and walk around it where Hopper's presence it's well felt, it was something I am truly happy to have lived. I am also deeply grateful to Dawn for helping me get there.

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Photos of Hopper and his youth years in Nyack on display at one of his house's walls making his presence something very latent. 

Extra, Extra!

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Myself at Gallery 224 with my "Talbot's Horse"

PHOTO_© Bill Schannen IV for Ozaukee Press

Thanks to the Ozaukee Press and Editor Bill Schannen IV for an article written and published on their latest edition, referring to my work in photography. You can read the article by doing click HERE.

There They Went.

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Mom and Dad, Up Country, Maui.

© Flavio Martín Morante_2014 _Iphone 4S

My parents "finally" are arriving to Uruguay today (I say finally since their flight back was a mess that took two full days); after sharing a vacation with us with two weeks touring the Hawaiian Islands, as well as visiting our home here in Wisconsin. They came here not only to spend time with us, but also they did so in celebration of their upcoming 40th wedding anniversary. 

It was great to have them here for many, many reasons. One of those was the one that made this picture (above), which shows them walking ahead of us on the Up Country area of Maui, during one of our morning walks while there. This image (and the image I keep on my mind) shows them holding hands while walking uphill. On these times when divorces are in the high numbers, and the idea of relationships have changed completely, to see them walking together like that after 40 years of good and bad times is a sight I like to celebrate.