Alternative Art Collages, More Squares, Color and Polaroids

I began a discussion on montage and collages a couple of weeks ago and got some interesting responses. As I searched for examples, one notable practictioner of alternative process collages in my area was escaping me...until I found out I was just misspelling her name.

Jesseca Ferguson creates ethereal and memorable collages using a variety of materials and alternative processes, with the aesthetic of the pinhole underlying her creations. In her words:

"While some might consider me a photographer, I feel I am really more of an assembler of images and tableaux, which then come to exist as pinhole photographs of an interior landscape. The poetic aspects of pinhole photography are what draw me to it."

I took an alternative portraiture class last summer, and one of the best things about the class was getting to hear other photographers talk about their work...and the class actually visited Ferguson's studio, though I unfortunately missed out because I was out of the country traveling. Since she is in my area, I hope I'll get another opportunity to meet her or hear her speak...her work is quite striking, and undoubtedly has more impact in real life than on the web (where the textures and craft are largely lost). A good sampling of work can be found at this page, and Polaroid also has a nice feature on her work (with emphasis on the 20x24 Polaroid creations).

"Princess/shoe (fear of snakes)" Jesseca Ferguson pinhole ziatype

More random discoveries:

* David Graham currently has a show at the Edelman Gallery, and has a colorful take on Americana. He hones in on the kitsch of American advertising and roadside attractions in fresh, funny, but sympathetic (and not patronizing) ways. (More images can be seen here).

"John Cerney's Big Baby, Duncan Family Farm, Goodyear, AZ", David Graham image

* Sarah Girard is a more unknown quantity...a younger French photographer whose (very) small sampling of images I came across by accident, but I like the understated way she uses color and the billboard to compose her urban landscapes...hopefully she'll produce more that's worth seeing in the future.

* I've always loved the films of the Russian filmmaking legend Andrei Tarkovsky, so it should come as no surprise, I guess, to see that he can even take distinctive Polaroids (though it's still striking to see characteristic elements of his grand compositions in the small Polaroid frame). The few images that the Guardian has up are whetting my appetite for the upcoming book (links courtesy of greg.org, an excellent film and art blog)

"Procession" Tarkovsky Polaroid

* Finally, if I can be allowed to slip in one more film bit in this photography-focused blog, I have to say I never thought I'd see the day that the film geeks won....I remember too many times going to rent or buy movies and being looked at like an alien when I wanted a widescreen version of any film. Now widescreen versions sell better and I couldn't be happier...no more dealing with someone's chopped off body part or people talking to the side of the screen in some hacked off pan and scan version of a movie.