39 rolls of film

and $340.00 less in the bank...

lots of scanning and printing to do.

25 rolls yet to come... $$$

Love the NZ

Nazraeli Press is one of my favorite publishers.
Their One Picture Books are affordable jewels with an original print tipped in back. I am so pleased with my subscription. Four books in the mail in one day!

Masao Yamamoto is one of my favorite artists and his book, Fujisan was a surprise. I received an AP as the edition was sold out long ago. Too bad I don't live in Philly, he is showing at The Print Center September 10 – November 26, 2008.

July 24, 2008 - a great day

Yesterday was such a treat- here's the short list

1. Long Life Ceremony for His Holiness the Dalai Lama
2. Visit with the grandparents
3. Visit with Kevin to talk about his portfolio
4. Stephen Shore Lecture
   
5. Talked with Andy Adams
   
6. Dinner with Mel and Dan
7. Four One Picture Books waiting for me when I got home (#45.#46.#47,#48). One of them by one of my favorite photographers! - Masao Yamamoto

back home...

Back in Milwaukee... good to be home. I was pleased to drop off 65 rolls of film at my lab in Mil-town. I am not looking forward to the bill but excited to see some results.
Bruce Rodgers, director of the Hermitage Artist Retreat, just sent me this image - hard to believe it was two weeks ago.
Kristina and I at an event at the Hermitage. What an incredible experience!
Thank you Bruce and Board.

I look forward to my visit again in December.

catch up...

Kristina just sent me these images from the past few days...

Saturday early morning walk with the Turtle Patrol... they dug up three nests to count the hatched and unhatched eggs...

Friday night sunset... Kristina shot me shooting the dramatically changed beach front. A few moments later Kristina and I saw the green flash!

i love this photograph...

One of my favorite images by Harry Callahan. I have been thinking of it often during my time here at the Hermitage.

last night's full moon

fun digital snapshots of the full moon and water last night. Shot a lot of film...and did a lot of looking for sea turtles...

Didn't catch a turtle in action but ran across a new nest and tracks...

snail mail!!!! (3/4)

Thanks so much Anne! Happy Anniversary!

shark teeth, turtle nests and a full moon... day 11

So yesterday we found out from the palentologist walking the beach that the best time for finding sharks teeth was low tide on the full moon. Well that was this morning and look what my friend from Cincinnati found... good looking shark tooth! I was not as lucky but did not put in as much time either.


The other thing that I have been anticipating (during the full moon) is turtle sightings!

If only I took a walk late last night, I might have see this turtle that ventured from the water to build a nest right in front of the Hermitage!


These women are part of the turtle patrol and mark and record every nest that is spotted each morning. The gestation period for the nests are 50 days. And at 53 days the turtle patrol digs up the nests to count the egg shells and rescue any living hatchlings that couldn't get out of the nest.
They are doing a dig tomorrow and I hope to join them bright and early after staying up all night on the look out for turtles coming in.

They were so kind to include my initials on the marking stick for the nest as one of the spotters. Right behind the yellow stick is where you can see the loose sand that she kicked up to make her nesting hole. So amazing!

fin

get out of my head.... day 10

So I have been here at the Hermitage for 10 days now... just a few days left for this visit. I have had a lot of time to work, write and think. But I think the thinking right now is driving me a bit nuts. I am so in my head... trying to make sense of what I do, why I'm doing it and what's next. Quickly I spin downward into a dark space of self doubt and anger. A line of questions that have nothing to do with my practice as an artist and everything to do with my ego as a person; Why am I not this way? Why have not not been successful like they have? What is success anyway? Should I have done that? said that? AHHHHH

I know we all can feel this way at times and I am not looking for any reassurance it is just amazing how we can be our worst enemy, even at a picturesque artist retreat that you were invited to attend.

This interview with Duane Michals was the breath of fresh air I needed to jump out of the land of self doubt. I am in amazement with this place, my place our world... the work will work itself out and I need to get out of the way right now. Leave the questions at the door Sonja.

Stephen Shore in Milwaukee!!!!

Haggerty Museum of Art, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI

July 24

6:00pm

Stephen Shore will talk about his exhibition "Biographical Landscape: The Photography of Stephen Shore, 1969-1979"

Be there people!!!

Photography in Milwaukee - that's right!!!

The other date to put on your calendar...

Panel Discussion – The Emergence of the Color Photograph
Thursday, September 18, 2008, 7 p.m.
Free and open to the public

Moderator-Wally Mason, Director of the Haggerty Museum of Art
Lisa Hostetler, Associate Curator of Photographs-Milwaukee Art Museum
Brian Ulrich, Photographer
Karen Irvine, Curator, Museum of Contemporary Photography, Columbia College, Chicago
Tom Bamberger, Photographer

Updated website

lacuna update on my website....

Ms. Wong

I have mentioned Kristina already on this blog, she is the other fellow here at the Hermitage. We have enjoyed each others company and share stories on the beach. We have much in common although we work very differently. I am happy to have met her and look forward to watching her career further explode... (she has a creative capital grant to produce and show wong flew over the cuckoo's nest and just gave a commencement speech at her alma mater UCLA, among many other things...)

Today I received a beautiful gift from Kristina... this hand-made felt turtle. She creates many creatures while watching TV... cnn and vh1 to be specific. Be sure to read the fine print...

sticky day 8

Pointing to Richard Miscrach without the spectacular vantage point, and to Catherine Opie without the dense fog. What is it about the incompressible scale of the landscape that with the tiny figure snaps it somewhat into place?

These guys knew how to use the figure in the landscape in the late 1800's. I also like how she used her body in the landscape in the early 1980's.
My work has usually been about abstracting scale in my photographs but I find myself entranced with the bobbing heads and the endless horizon that I have been observing each day.

snail mail!!!! (2)

gotta love the love from mom!

snail mail!!!!

i feel the love!
thanks Mel.

middle of my stay...

So today is the seventh day and I have seven more... I guess I will have to start counting down now... Still there is lots of time to take advantage of but it will probably go by too fast. The bright side is that I will be visiting again in December so it is not truly the end of my time at the Hermitage Artist Retreat. I look forward to looking at all of the film and video I have shot here and plan on continuing the work in December.

The surf is high and the water is much cooler since Saturday. The beach is a completely different place today.

books and Blurb...(2)

Second book...
looking closely at the surface of oil.
small 7" sq soft cover, 20 pages

Recently diverse circumstances came together that made me curious about oil’s invisibility and ubiquitous influence in daily life. These circumstances climaxed in November of 2006 when a loved one returned home after his tour of duty in Iraq. I realized that obscure is my understanding of oil; it’s origins; its raw potential; its refinement; its economic, social and political relationships. What does oil look like?

rain, wind and sun... day 6

all of the subtle water movement gets lost in the compressed video... oh well
It was an eventful day of weather. The strong winds off the gulf were cool and salty.
Its amazing to have the beach waiting for you when you get frustrated with your work inside...
Working on images for pause to begin and a soon to be announced project...

books and Blurb...

Well I took the leap today and sent the lacuna book project to Blurb. It is not public right now so if you would like to see it you will have to request and invitation from me. I am not sure how I feel about the selling of the books through Blurb... is there anyway not to have it publicly for sale?
Anyhow... thought I would jump on the train for the Photography Book Now submissions... the eyes that will hopefully see it is an exciting prospect.

long walks on the beach... day 3

Its too bad that I am not a calendar photographer because the sunsets here are unreal- for example tonight...

amazing by itself and my photographs would never amount to much if i tried to do something with it. It is beautiful at dusk with the painted sky and the cool air. Kristina and I keep reminding each other that we are really here... luck? hard work? a mix of both?

what a gift!...

that is all I can say.

Armadillo at sunset

oil in water

I can't see the rigs out there... but I know they are out there beyond my horizon.

long walks on the beach... day 2

I had help finding these shark teeth this morning from a lovely couple from Cincinnati Ohio.
It is amazing to think about how old the fossils are and how many teeth are in the massive body of water that I have the privilege to enjoy right now.
I have to come in by 10am, mid-day heat and the intense sun are too much for my northern blood.
A pod of dolphins just swam by my picture window. Where am I? How am I going to make photographs in such a picturesque place? I am taking it in, watching the light. Working on images I scanned prior to my arrival...

I will hopefully receive my G9 today and will be able to share better images in the future.

long walks on the beach...

pinch me I'm here...

I arrived to sunny Florida this morning and have recently settled into my new home for the next two weeks.  Accommodations include; this view from my bedroom, a similar view from my bathroom, a sea turtle nest, an afternoon storm rolling in, the fabulous Bruce Rodgers, the productive Kristina Wong, and miles of beach and ocean.  My Cannon G9 crashed on me right before I left (i am hoping to get it back while i am here) so i will only be able to post a few iphone pics for now... everything else I am shooting is film.  I may post some video too... a work in progress...

til tomorrow..

write me

snail mail is where its at... july 8-20

Sonja Thomsen
The Hermitage Artist Retreat
6650 Manasota Key Road
Englewood, FL 34223

Kristina Wong & Hermitage Artist Retreat

So I leave tomorrow for my time at the Hermitage Artist Retreat. I am looking forward to my time there. I will admit I am nervous about the heat, humidty and BUGS... check out this video that Kristina Wong another fellow at Hermitage posted...

I am really looking forward to making the best out of my two weeks on the ocean and meeting Kristina in person... her bio is incredible (see upcoming events on her website) and her videos are so much fun.

Update: No more roaches... thanks Kristina!