Beautiful Losers

Last night, I attended the Denver premiere of the film Beautiful Losers, by first-time director Aaron Rose - many thanks to Tom Horne of Andenken Gallery for his gracious invite. The movie profiles some of the uber-talented artists (Shepard Fairey, Mike Mills, Harmony Korine, Margaret Kilgallen - love your work, thank you for the inspiration, you will be missed - Ed Templeton and more... ) who got their start at the influential Alleged Gallery in NY. Some of them are now considered to be leaders of the urban/street art movement which has exploded onto the art world recently. But the film is not just about the artists, it also goes into their thoughts/philosophies about being a creative person too. Some of these artists are putting on art shows all over the world and some have even made films: Mike Mills directed Thumbsucker and Does Your Soul Have a Cold and Harmony Korine wrote Kids and directed Gummo. It's a really inspirational film that leaves audiences with a urgent desire to create something! It's definitely a 'must see' for anyone who creates! You can check out the trailer here: http://www.beautifullosers.com/

The Digital Journalist - Myanmar

Residents from across the river in Dalah come to Yangon the morning after Cyclone Nargis, Burma (Myanmar).

© James Whitlow Delano

By Dirck Halstead ~

Digital Journalist Contributing Photographer James Whitlow Delano was in Myanmar covering another assignment when the huge cyclone hit the isolated country last month. For the next ten days, he was able to penetrate into the heart of the low-lying Irrawaddy River Delta where thousands of people had been killed when a five foot wall of water submerged their homes. Despite offers of help from the countries of the outside world, the regime rebuffed all attempts to come to the aid of these people. Few western journalists managed to get in to the country, and those who did were quickly hunted down and banned from the scenes of devastation. Therefore, few of these images have been seen by the outside world. http://digitaljournalist.org/issue0806/delano-intro.html

South Park City - Fairplay, Colorado

This past weekend, I was fortunate enough to shoot South City Park in Fairplay, Colorado - awesome time - if you have the chance, visit this great little ghost town.

http://www.southparkcity.org/ - The year was 1859. Gold was discovered in South Park and the rush was on! Hordes of gold-seekers spilled into the Park, and within a few short months the mountains were dotted with mining camps sporting names like Tarryall, Leavick, Eureka and Buckskin Joe. These camps grew to become boom towns, thriving communities on the edge of the frontier. Gradually the mining dried up and the people moved on, leaving their towns and camps to the elements, until all that remained were decaying ghost towns. South Park City is a remarkable restoration of these early towns, preserving the history of our nation's frontier while it educates and entertains the present. Located in Fairplay, Colorado, the museum is an accurate representation of a mining town between 1860 and 1900. Thirty-four authentic buildings filled with over 60,000 artifacts portray most of the economic and social aspects of boomtown life. Seven of the buildings are on their original sites; the others have been moved from abandoned camps and ghost towns in South Park, a 900 square mile basin surrounded by Colorado's majestic Rocky Mountains. The restored buildings contain period room settings and exhibits illustrating the professions, trades and industries that contributed to life in a nineteenth century Colorado mining town.

Keystone, Colorado

As I see it...

Animal Portraits

Let me introduce you to Samoa - she's the sweetest dog. She was not a puppy when she was adopted and she is a very obedient, loving addition to the family. Which brings me to today's featured photographer, my very dear friend Jill Flynn. She runs a successful photography business in the Phoenix, Arizona Metropolitan area. Her work has won numerous photographic awards in international competitions and has been published in Commercial and Fine Art venues. Jill's work is listed and represented by Corbis Stock Agency.
Her specialty is pet photography. She volunteers her services by photographing shelter animals and images like the one below can be seen on her website - http://www.visualharmonyphotography.com/.



Many of the pets she photographs are adopted because she captures their inner beauty, fun personality and need to be loved. Do yourself a favor and visit her website if you want a pet, and then visit your local animal shelter. Your best friend is waiting for you.
Thank you Jill!

Stock photography

What I'm working on today....

Frank Warren - PostSecret

On a whim, I bought Frank Warren's books - I am amazed as to what people consider their "secret", or how many regrets men, women and children carry for so many years... it is an incredible social experiment which started out as an art project, very interesting indeed...

http://postsecret.blogspot.com

Robert Sturman

How fortunate am I to have Robert as a friend? I love having his artwork in my home, it exudes serenity, peace and honesty. He chose his craft to convey this energy to people, he's a Kindred Spirit - his talent speaks for itself, and he speaks through his talent. Not to mention what a kind, gentle soul comes through his work. His site (http://www.robertsturmanstudio.com/) is worth visiting, and his work is worth having in your home. But most of all, Robert is going to touch your heart.

Happy May - It's Winter Again!

Colorado weather - love it!