Poetry and Photography (crank letter department)

"Poetry and photography are similar in that more people do it than appreciate it." Bill Jay (1940-2009) was perhaps the most articulate, insightful (opinionated) writer about photography of our time. He claims that this statement was made to him at a cocktail party but I'm inclined to consider it his.

What brought this quotation (and issue) to mind was a conversation with a photographer friend who was lamenting an overheard statement at a recent group show opening concerning the "exorbitant" price of a framed, exquisite, small print (an edition of 1 cyanotype)..

Don't get me wrong here! I totally agree that a lot of the photographs you see in gallery show are WAY OVER PRICED!. This was not one of them.

Brooks Jensen, editor of LENSWORK posits that photographs should be priced relative to the satisfaction and joy that they bring to the buyer. (Bill Jay's column "End Notes" appeared in Lenswork for years and this tidbit likely was in one of them.)

The price of dinner for two and a bottle of wine at a mid-level restaurant would be about the price of the print in question. The print sounds like a good trade to me!

Peter Fetterman, owner of the spectacular Peter Fetterman Gallery in Santa Monica, says that his career as a collector and then gallery owner was launched by buying a Max Yavno print instead of fixing the badly needed brakes on his car. He's my hero.

"Before they disappear" -- I don't know where this idea is going (if anywhere)/

There are buildings in Seattle and in my more immediate south-county area that are still here largely because there is no motivation to tear them down. This one is on Occidental Avenue just one short block east of First Avenue in the stadium district. (I assure you that I was not in the stadium district for a ball game -- the Seattle Art Fair is held in Lumen Field.

The vintage buildings along First Avenue have all been refurbished and spiffied up but the old unreinforced brick buildings along Occidental Ave. are still there. Why? Well, except on game days there is not much traffic -- on game days the crowd is overwhelming and there is no place to park.

I have 10 or so prints -- maybe it will turn into a project.

What? Me -- color and no people? I will have two prints in the group show at new Venture Mechanics Co-Working gallery in Bellevue in May/June. (Top) Monet's Garden in Giverny, France -- (bottom) Rouen France cathedral during the summer night light show.

This show was brokered, promoted, arranged and hung by f/5.6 member Philip Malkin who gets the title of expert cat herder to make it happen!