Artist Lecture: December 1, 2010

I attended the artist lecture for Carol Aronson – Shore today. About 20 people showed up to the lecture which was given by Kimberly Alexander. I was surprised to find out that the actual artist wasn't giving the lecture even though she was there. Kimberly Alexander is the curator of the Strawberry Banke Museum, which is a preserved 10 acre village. After learning that Aronson-Shore's exhibit wascomprised of all paintings of Strawberry Banke I reasoned that if the artist herself wasn't going to be giving the talk, the museums' curator was the next big thing.

 Aronson-Shore's work filled the bottom level of the Art Museum in the PCAC. All of her work had beautiful bursts of color that were pleasing to the eye. One thing Alexander pointed out in the lecture was that the careful viewer was rewarded with detail. I found this statement particularly interesting because at first glance I found the pictures to be a bit static and unrealistic. However, upon closer examination I found much more detail than I had originally. It was clear that Alexander is a huge fan of Aronson-Shore's work, she did a good job of pointing out the detail and simple beauty in each piece.

From my early memories of visiting Strawberry Banke as a child I remember going through the entrance and it was like you completely left the present world behind. I felt I had gone back in time to the 19th century. Each and every building told a story and had so much character. Of course the vibrant colors and landscape was very beautiful, but I found more pleasure in the stories and characters of all the old homes and buildings. My own critique of Aronson-Shore's work is that although she captured the beauty of Strawberry Banke, her pictures don't convey the stories behind the buildings.

photoshop image

Social Narrative

Don't know why these wouldn't post earlier, but here they are now!

Social Narrative

Vacant
By Kristen Phelps

Statement of Purpose

Littered across the U.S. is evidence of life, which has come and gone. People build and use their homes, garages, businesses, and barns and give them back to the earth. Thus, the epidemic of vacant, abandoned, neglected structures, which covers New Hampshire.
For me this project has been a long time in the making and still not nearly finished. Over the years I’ve taken a liking to old, abandoned buildings, rusted trucks, and falling fences. I think what attracts me is the story in which they hold. Unlike new cars, buildings etc. they have lived through many years of good times and bad times, their weathered appearances are proof.
As I’ve become familiar with disregarding “No Trespassing” and “Private Property” signs I’ve been able to find the real beauty in these old places. The reflections and sharpness of broken glass, the curvature of warped floors, the texture in rusted metal, the moss growing in gorgeous green patterns all over the weathered wood have become things I look forward to capturing with my camera.
Although most of the places I visit are beyond repair they still deserve a second look. For decades, even centuries for some, they served their uses well and should be appreciated for that.
My hope is to continue this project. Research more abandoned and vacant places and visit them. This is somewhat of an on-going process. This body of work is my witness to the old, vacant, abandoned, neglected and beautiful things scattered around New Hampshire.
Enjoy.

Contact sheets for Social Landscape

This project I tossed some ideas around, I wanted to take pictures of prisons, but after little research learned that was impossible unless you're the TV show "Lock Up". So I stuck with what I love to shoot, abandoned places.

in class photo shop

Inspiration

Since I missed the class this was assigned in I'm not sure if we're supposed to say who inspires us or what inspires us.
As far as what inspires me... I'd say a little bit of everything. I find the most inspiration when I'm walking around, people watching, or driving around. Since I began taking photography a couple years ago my eye is always searching for interesting compositions or pleasing things, I am always thinking about my next photo. So everything around me inspires me, the people I see, the places I go and the things I come across. Knowing this, I spend a lot of time researching different places and cultures and have cultivated a thirst to travel and photograph foreign people, places and things. When I look at a picture many questions come to mind, I always want to know more. I think that is why many documentary photographers really catch my attention. Right now I really enjoy Mary Calvert's documentary style work.
I am inspired and greatly admire the work of Elliott Erwitt, Sally Mann and Annie Leibovitz.