Looks like I'm going to have to start wearing dark sunglasses when I go out. When I stepped out of the house yesterday, a news van was waiting for me. The reporter stepped out and asked if he could do a story on me. What answer is there but yes?
http://www.10news.com/news/artist-uses-unusual-canvas-to-display-his-artwork-092315
Very happy to wake up this morning to read in the Morning Report from the Voice of San Diego a wonderfully written article on my project. The writer came over last week to interview me after I told her about my exhibition. The article she put together really captured the spirit of the work and did a great job telling the story of how it came together.
Well worth the read: A Good Fence Makes Good Neighbors
Neighbors
A Public Art Exhibit,
J Raymond Mireles
Having lived in the Logan Heights area of San Diego for the past couple of years, I’ve come to know first hand the friendly, colorful and racially diverse mix of people and culture that resides here. This hidden gem of a neighborhood is completely overlooked by people outside the area despite the fact that it’s just a few blocks up from the ever expanding East Village and adjacent to trendy Golden Hill. To remedy this situation, I decided to share the area with the world through my project “Neighbors,” a series of portraits of people who live, work and regularly visit the area around my home.
As with much of my personal work, my goal with this series is to honor my subjects and bring out that spark of underlying humanity that we can all relate to and connect with. I decided to print the photos huge - nearly four feet by five feet - and exhibit the prints on the outside of my centrally located property so that my subjects, their friends and other inhabitants of the neighborhood could see themselves presented larger than life. Instead of displaying the prints in some far off gallery where they’d never be witnessed by the locals, these photos are on display outside, on the streets where they regularly pass so that they can be seen on a daily basis.
My other goal in exhibiting this work is to bring people from out of the neighborhood into the area. Eventually, I intend to have my work displayed on multiple buildings so that viewers can walk or bike along the Imperial Ave corridor to enjoy the images. For me, the opening event is more than just a party or social hour. It’s an opportunity for people from different social backgrounds and races to meet and mix and understand each other.
This project is just the start. I recently traveled across much of the country with Culture Runners (www.culturunners.com), an arts group from the UK, in an RV with other artists from Europe and the Middle East. During this trip, I photographed people in communities from ranging from Brooklyn to Ohio to the inner city of Detroit. I’ll be combining these images and other images from future US travels with images from an upcoming trip to the Middle East.
The work is on public display at 2747 Imperial Avenue and people are welcome anytime. The opening event, which will include beverages and music, will take place on Saturday, October 10th starting at 4:00 pm. Please RSVP to info@jraymondm.com.
For more information, visit wwww.jraymondm.com
I'm happy to announce that my work from the Bakken oil fields has been selected by curator Julie Grahame to appear on the website curator.com The photos appear big and beautiful with expanded captions. Here's the link http://acurator.com/#/2/218/0
As a photographer and lover of life, I wish that every day was opening day somewhere!
As part of my Invisible River project where I've been creating a portrait of the people and places from the high desert town of 29 Palms through Palm Springs and on down to the Imperial Valley town of Brawley. One intermediary stop along the way is the town of Indio. It's the dividing line between the agricultural areas to the south and the wealthier winter retreats to the north.
This past weekend, I headed off to the Empire Polo Club for opening day of the polo season. If the name sounds vaguely familiar, it's because it's also home to the far more popular Coachella Music Festival that takes place there in the Spring. Along the way to opening day, I managed to get sidetracked at a dog show being held there. When it come to street style photography, nothing beats a dog show.
Last year, I drove along this section of coast on my way to San Francisco. Because I had places to be and people to meet, I couldn't stop at this wild coastline just south of Half Moon Bay. Since then, I'd been dreaming of returning with my camera in hand. Yesterday I got my chance. I trekked down the precipitously steep trail down to the beach from the cliffs above. Like a splendid Christmas dinner all set for awaiting guests, the setting sun, misty air, the golden sand and elegant vertical cliffs greeted me and my camera with a sumptuous holiday feast.
The moment reminded me of an old John Stewart song covered by Dave Alvin. John Stewart, of the Kingston Trio, lived not too far from me in San Diego up until he died a few years ago. Guitar great Dave Alvin grew up not far from me in LA. Anyhow, the song and the moment resonates:
Had I been born in New York City
A New York City girl I'd know
Workin' in the concrete, not the sunlight
Livin' in the New York rain and snow
Oh, there's California Bloodlines in my heart
And a California woman in my song
Oh, there's California Bloodlines in my heart
And a California heartbeat in my soul
And just to think I might have never known you
If I had lived my life in Tennessee
But I really could have never let that happen
For you and California are in me
Here's the link on iTunes. It's a great soundtrack for this series.
Merry Christmas and Happiest of Holidays to everyone!
