Rist Canyon Fire Fighters Art Sale and Auction

If you are looking for something to do this weekend the Rist Canyon Fire Dept. is having an art fundraiser. I'll have a booth set up between 11-5. I will have some work available for purchase and a print in the silent auction. So, please stop by, support local business and the fire fighters! Who can argue with food, beer, and a petting zoo?!

Pet Portraits-Hercules and Athena

Last week I had a pet portrait session with Hercules and Athena. Hard to believe, but the garage was able to withstand its first tussle of the gods, a.k.a. huskies. (I better put that down in the insurance!) They were a bit excited at first, so we took them to the backyard to run around with Buckwheat. It succeeded in tiring them out a bit and then the rest of the shoot incorporated a lot of tongue wagging, mostly from me as I am out of shape! However, overall it was a good time for all. My thanks to Jo Carney for allowing me to photograph her beautiful dogs and thanks to Sylvia of Sylvia's Pet and House Sitting for the introduction! I'd like to extend this project and eventually turn it into a book of local (to the Fort Collins area) pets. So, if you have, or know of, a photogenic pet and/or one with a lot of character and you would like them to be part of this project please get in touch with me! Pet parents are encouraged to be photographed with their pets, too! It's not only for dogs, I want to photograph ALL types of pets. I might draw the line at a "pet rock." Actually, I DO to photograph the person with a pet rock! That would be awesome.

'Suspended Cords' at Cuppy's Coffee Shop

You may remember a ways back a post I did about photographing headphone cables during "Creativity Week" here on the blog. Well, as promised, here are more images from that series. I wanted to hold off posting anything further until I found a place to show the work. Now, thanks to Cuppy's Coffee Shop at 353 W. Drake here in Fort Collins, they have a home on the wall. So, if you're in the neighborhood, you can stop by and get your caffeine and art fix at the same time. And, if you were so inclined, you could probably even get in touch with me and I'd probably meet you down there.

These images are the result of hours of throwing cables into the air. Sometimes I'd get something interesting, though most times I'd get a mangled ball of cords or just a blank frame. There's no digital manipulation here. After photographing Goletaville, where everything in the frame became very purposeful, measured, and precise, I needed to do something completely different. I needed to delve into randomness. I don't remember why I started throwing cables into the air and photographing them, but the first time I did I was reminded of the beauty and expressiveness of a line. A feeling I hadn't had since my days in art school. In hindsight, it makes perfect sense that this would come about after Goletaville. It being a project where I returned, in a way, to high school. Art school followed quickly thereafter.

Line drawings and blind contour drawings were always my favorite things to do in class. I also love the line drawings of Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse. Actually, I think I photograph because I can't draw or paint, so I'm always trying to emulate those guys in some manner. And let's not forget Joan Miro.

Lastly, these are for sale, so if you are interested in purchasing any please contact me at matt@mgravesphoto.com. These are inkjet prints available in 5x7, 8x10, or 13x19 personally printed by me on Ilford Galerie Smooth Pearl paper unless otherwise requested. The edition is open. Thanks!

Accordion with Case Study

The accordion I found at Foothills Flea Market while shooting the office commission was so great I had to post more.