I'm very happy to annouce that a series of my work will be on display for this year's Artprize competition in Grand Rapids, MI.

Artprize is a unique juried show, decided by public vote, and is open to artists worldwide.

My official venue will be Founder's Brewery, who will be displaying a selection of work from my Rhythm series, including a number of pieces that are new and have never before been exhibited.

Artprize opens September 22nd, and runs through October 10th. 

More info to come... but be sure to check out the Artprize website for information on the competition and events during the festival!

After almost four years in my current studio, I've decided it's time to upgrade to a larger space.  Thus, I will be closing my current studio / gallery space, and relocating to a much larger studio in late July (details to follow).  I am very excited about the flexibility, spaciousness, and the opportunity to work in a new environment.  The only downside - I have close to 100 framed pieces in my studio and office space... and I'm really not sure I want to move it all.  

Thus, I'm offering a few of the pieces that aren't currently on exhibition at a generous discount.  All of the work I have listed on my website are either giclee or gelatin silver prints, signed and numbered where noted, and are professionally framed.  A selection of the prints I have in my studio are listed on my "sales page", and I have quite a few more unlisted and on display at my studio.  Others can be viewed by appointment.

Lastly, as a result of the studio relocation, I will be ending my work on some of my series projects - specifically, the Black Box Series, Cube ("Caged" set), Marble Block and the Throne series, as these are either props that I'm not moving, or are sets that are affixed to my current studio, and would be dismantled or destroyed as a part of the move.  So if you want to be forever immortalized in one of these series, you'll need to schedule your shoot within the next month and a half :) .

I am still scheduling shoots for the Sleeping Bear Dunes project as well.

This will be my third studio space since I re-immersed myself in my art work and began following my own path.  With every iteration, there is a process of reinvention.  This last phase has been so regenerative and full of amazing inspirations. I look forward to the next creative phase... and I am so thankful for the people that I have had the opportunity to work with and have provided inspiration throughout the last few years.

Two new images were added to the "Rhythm" series this week - "The Dream Muse" and "Arachnid".  I had a chance to get into the studio about a week ago with a new model, and everything seemed to come together for these new pieces.  I've found quite a bit of creative momentum with this series lately, so I'm hoping to add a few more over the course of the next month. 

I'm starting to line up shoots for my dunes project soon, as the weather warms up, so expect to see some new work there as well. As a side note, one piece from this series of work, "October's Chisel", recently won second place in the Mid-Michigan Artist's Guild Annual Photography show.  This is quite an honor, considering the caliber of the roughly sixty other pieces that were selected for this exhibition. 

Lastly - A series of my work has been submitted to the Artprize competition in Grand Rapids, MI.  This is a highly competitive competition, and is juried by public vote.  The first step is getting your work picked up by a venue (gallery, restaurant, public space, etc).  So... yeah, if you happen to dig my work, and have a relationship with one of the venues, feel free to drop my name! :)

More to come!

I made a number of updates to the website today, including a complete update of my "landscapes" section of work.

I added quite a few new images taken over the past year.  In particular, I added some black and white images from some treks around the Sleeping Bear Dunes, while scouting for different interesting landmarks for my "Bear Naked Project".

Additionally, I added a few black and white (plus one black and white, selectively colored image), from a recent trip to Colorado.  This was quite a change from the typically flat landscapes of Michigan, and was a very inspring journey. 

I also added a new section for environmental nudes, seperating my general studio work from this genre.  This section basically contains work that doesn't fit into any other particular project.  So, at present, it's a bit thin on work, but... with the weather warming up, there should be some new work added here in the future. 

While it is probably a few weeks early, weather wise, I am starting to explore the dunes again and setup shoots for the Bear Naked project.  I'm hoping to hit this aggressively this year and possibly wrap up this body of work.  My goal is to put out a book of roughly 200 images - so there is still some work to be done here.  And of course, I'm always looking for new models - so hit me up if you have an interest in working with me!

INSIDEOUT GALLERY EROTIC ART SHOW

Saturday, February 13th

211 Garland Street
Traverse City, MI 49684
(231) 929-3254

Artist's Reception from 6-9pm.

Featuring work from Hustler Cartoonists - JOHN BILLETTE, Dan Collins & George Trosley

Also in this show will be a selection of work from my Rhythms Series. 

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SUPER HAPPY FUNTIME BURLESQUE

Super Happy Funtime Burlesque is the most exciting, bawdy, funny musical comedy to ever hit the midwest!! This crack tea...m of saucy dancers, magicians, performance artists, comedians, and musicians offer up sizzling eye candy and scathing satire the way a vaudeville/cabaret should!! Musical numbers that reminisce of Rocky Horror or Gilbert and Sullivan match up with comedic acts that rival Saturday Night Live or Monty Python, scathing satirical spoofs that rival the Daily Show, and a smokin' 9 piece band pushing it all along!

9:00 pm

General Admission

$20advance $25door

$40Reserved $50V.I.P.

Doors open @ 8 pm

Buy Tickets Online

Tickets also available in Traverse City @ The Warehouse Lounge, Cuppa' Joe @ Bldg. 50 & InsideOut Gallery.

V.I.P & Reserved tickets only sold on-line and InsideOut Gallery.

More Info- 231-929-3254
Join John and other artists for a Naughty Art Reception from 6-9pm.

I've decided recently to devote a little more time to my Book of Ruins project.  This project focused on ghost towns and historic ruins in Michigan, and was originally started around the year 2000.  The original series was shot entirely on film.  I will be working on some new sites, focusing on the western and southern lower peninsula, as well as a number of sites in the UP that were overlooked during my first efforts.  

New images include some infrared images from the Frankfort Ironworks, taken last fall.  There are some additional images from Glass River and Bennington taken over the weekend. 

This was a nice escape from studio work, as well as a great opportunity to drive almost aimlessly through the countryside. 

Sadly, near the end of the day, my 50mm 1.8 Canon lens broke in half (focusing element seperating from the lens body).  This is the second time in a year I've had one of these lenses break on me.  I'm sure I'm not the only one who has had this experience - but these lenses seem to be horribly unreliable.  Just wanted to get that out there :)

More to come soon...

Two new additions to the Rhythm Series were added this week - "Vertigo" and "Mystic". 

You can find all of the works from this series in the Rhythms Gallery on my website. 

This body of work will likely be the focus this winter, as well as some additional pieces I have planned for the hybrids series of work.  And perhaps some new concepts as well...

Stay tuned -

I've updated my website today with the works that I have available directly through my studio.  You can find a complete list of items for sale on this page. 

All of these are on display at my studio and office, and can be purchased through my website or through the studio (see the contact page to make an appointment).

These don't include items for sale through other galleries.  Galleries that are currently representing my work can be found on the "Exhibits / Awards" page on my website.

Additionally, if you are interested in having commissioned prints done, please be sure to make an appointment prior to December 12th to ensure that your prints are here in time for the holidays.  Contact me for pricing and information if you are interested in having this type of work done. 

More to come!

I had the opportunity to shoot with a new model today at the dunes. 

The weather was wicked cold, and there was a pretty strong northwest wind, which didn't help the temperatures much.

We worked primarily in the Devil's Hole region, focusing mainly on a nitch high up on the side of a dune where the wind and recent wet weather had created some interesting formations in the sand. This was a very productive shoot.

My progress on this project was a little slower than previous years, but I did have an opportunity to hike a great deal of the dunes this summer, and discovered quite a few new locations for next spring.  This area is so vast, and quite malleable, so that every storm and changing of the seasons often has a dramatic impact on the landscape. 

I may try to pull off one or two more shoots before the fall colors fade... and have debated doing some winter shoots, within the limits of safety and reason... of course.

You can check out examples of this series in my Bear Naked - Figure Studies of the Sleeping Bear Dunes gallery. 

Today I posted a new portfolio featuring a few sample images from the "Bear Naked" projects.  This is a small selection of the images that I have, and I don't really plan on posting the bulk of this series until it is complete (or nearly complete).

The images span the period of time that I've been working on it, going back a few years.  As with a lot of my bigger projects, one facet of the series explores the concept of the passage of time.  Interestingly, many of the locations in these shoots have changed dramatically over the years.  For example, the barn where the red barn nudes series was shot has collapsed as of this year.  Also, the driftwood log in the "Ghost Forest" image has been completely buried by sand over the past two years. 

I discovered a few prime locations late last year, and will be shooting at those for the first shoots this year.  I'll likely post a few images from those shoots as they are edited. 

Though I have a fair number of people involved in this project at this point, I'm always looking for new people to work with - different ages, shapes, skin tones, male, female, etc, etc.  I would like to represent a wider range than in my previous projects.  As always, contact me if you are interested.

More to come...