LottoHEART mordançage

i've been sitting on this image for a while because it was created as a donation to LottoHEART and was just auctioned off along with 199 other works of art for their annual artwork lottery. every piece of work, donated by hundreds of artists ranging from beginner to established, is exactly 5x7 in size, and is presented anonymously so that no one knows who created each piece (hence the reason i had to wait to post mine publicly). see all the artwork that was auctioned HERE at this link, and you can also see more about the organization and get a list of the participating artists there as well.  i had fun trying to match the works donated to the artists on the list, but am not sure anyone would be able to do that for mine... this piece is a little different than my more widely known artwork. but, hopefully it will end up in a good home and help raise money for a good cause!

oh, and happy 4th of july, everyone!

Brookland Holga

this is the last holga image from the brookland sketchcrawl in may. technically this is the first holga i took that day, and this is the corner of 12th and newton NE streets, underneath the CVS overhang. the sketchers all went their separate ways to sketch and arranged to meet at the CVS, and i was there earlier than most... so i whipped out the holga for the remainder of my time there. 12th street is the main drag in brookland, and there were a lot of signs, letters, numbers, and various other things we're probably supposed to be paying attention to. i like jumbling them all up together in my images. ;-)

Franciscan Monastery, Brookland DC Holga #2

this is the second holga image from my latest dc sketchcrawl outing, again taken in the franciscan monastery gardens in brookland, dc. i tried to showcase the architecture a bit more in this one, and i was immediately drawn to the door labeled "private". i find myself photographing doors and fences a lot with my holga work, and while part of the appeal is the aesthetics of these details, there is a psychological intrigue as well. i don't know what it is, but i always want to open doors that tell me i am not welcome there. ;-)

Franciscan Monastery, Brookland DC Holga

this is one of several holga images i made during the latest sketchcrawl on may 15 (#27, for those in the know) where we walked around the brookland neighborhood of dc. one of our stops included time in the franciscan monastery gardens, which are huge and gorgeous - definitely worth a visit whether you are religious or not, as it is a very peaceful and pretty place to chill out and enjoy being outdoors. the mosaic of mary in the center of this image was one of many pieces of art i found throughout the gardens, and you can also see the architecture to some degree in the photo.

it is official: i love brookland, and want to live there someday!

Zeek Magazine

I recently received a copy of the Spring 2010 issue of Zeek Magazine in the mail, where I am a featured photographer! I'm not sure if the magazine is out on the racks for individual purchase, or if you need a subscription, but the cover looks like this:

And the image that is featured is this one, from my Route 66 trip back in July of 2008, which was taken at the very start of the excursion in Chicago's Millennium Park:

overlooked holga image

i shot this image a while back during a session in washington dc, but overlooked it because it did not fit with the theme of the shoot i was going for at the time. often times, when i have one goal in mind, i only collect / process / print the images that allow me to accomplish that preset goal and skip over the rest. fortunately, i kept this frame in my holga folder and came across it today while searching for holga images for another purpose. so yay for new found old images!

everything old is new again

here are two new 16x20 mordançage prints that i made from old (previously 8x10) negatives of cherry blossoms. the finished product is always a one of a kind image, so it's cool to rework images at different scales and fun for me to see how many different looks i can achieve with the same image as a base.

washington dc holga

another holga image taken in washington dc... i think this was around the portrait gallery.

bethesda holgas

i recently photographed these images on the way back to my car after dropping off artwork at the recent fraser gallery photography exhibit in bethesda. i had not been using the holga as much lately in favor of mordançage work, but since i have a feature exhibit coming up next year, i want to try to get some more new material to work with and possibly display. therefore, i bring the holga with me everywhere and see if i happen upon anything interesting...

holga images - the mall, washington dc

 more holga images taken during the february sketchcrawl in washington dc on the national mall...

holga!

yeah, i've been neglecting my holga use the last half year, but recently took it out again for some new images. here's one that i photographed in my hometown of new castle, pa:

winter mordançage

the smithsonian s+udio arts blog - featuring me!

i was just featured in the smithsonian studio arts blog with an article about my mordançage work.  it focuses a little more on my mordançage work as it is applied to wedding photography, but a lot of it is general and spans my personal work as well. check it out HERE!

the above image is not featured in the article, but you can see different photos over there. :)

washington monument / american indian museum holga

i made this image during the last sketchcrawl on the mall in washington dc this past february.  because it was cold, we chose to museum hop for most of the day to make our sketches, and this shows some of what we passed by throughout the day. :)

pictured are the american indian museum on the left side of the frame, which is where we ate lunch (their cafeteria is pretty awesome!), and the washington monument is in the center of the frame.

what do you think?

this is another 16x20 mordançage print from my march darkroom session. it's a little different than the others in that it is a single image as opposed to a composite. i'm still not sure how i feel about it, and while i usually only post the "keepers" here, thought i'd see what you all thought about it. i'm still working through this series and trying to determine what direction(s) to take, so feedback is always helpful...

if it matters, it's another taken during the snow storm in february...

click to see it larger. :)

you have questions? i have answers.

because i get a lot of questions from people around the world about my work (especially my holga artwork and process), i decided to start a formspring page to give inquiring minds a platform to ask me their questions. this way you can also see what others have asked, and i won't have to write the same answers many times over. win-win :)

here's a direct link to the question box if you have a question, or you can visit the page here to enter your question or view other people's questions: http://www.formspring.me/antognoli

another large mordançage

here's yet another 16x20 mordançage / gelatin relief print from my printing session back in march. this is an older negative made from images of cherry blossoms from 2009, but i enlarged it (the previous images i made were 8x10, so this is a significant change!).

despite the size difference, the prints themselves are very different because it is impossible to duplicate a mordançage print exactly. each version has unique color and texture, which is awesome from my perspective. hopefully you think so too!

(as always, click on the image to see it a little larger!)

more mordançage

here's another 16x20 mordançage / gelatin relief print from my darkroom session in march! :)

(click the image to see it larger!)

BIG mordançage prints

yes, i am aware that it's been ages since i've posted. but i've been very busy in the darkroom, and have lots of new images to share. my latest batch are 16x20 mordançage (gelatin relief) originals, which is super cool to see them so large. here's one that is based on images that were taken during the snowpocalypse in february, and i'll post more later!

(click the image to see it a bit larger!)

Upcoming Exhibits - Fraser Gallery + Laurel Arts Guild

I am happy to announce some exciting exhibit news! I have two opening receptions in March, and both exhibits will feature some of my new gelatin relief prints!

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Firstly, I found out I was accepted into the 9th Annual International Photography Competition at the Fraser Gallery in Bethesda. I plan to attend the opening reception where one of my brand new Gelatin Relief images will be displayed. More info about the show:

MARCH 12 - APRIL 3, 2010

A group exhibition of photography by finalists of this annual competition, curated by Catriona Fraser. $950 in cash prizes will be awarded, with a Grand Prize of $500.

The Fraser Gallery received submissions from 151 photographers. The finalists are Erin Antognoli, James Blackie, George Borden, Deb Casso, Alain Debrabant, Sharon Dowis, Karl Doyle, Jane Vanden Eynden, Lee Goodwin, Edward Hahn, Chris Heard, Walter Hobbs, Jessica Jastrzebski, Prescott Lassman, Minny Lee, Anita Licis-Ribak, Stephen Marc, Michael McCullough, Kent Mercurio, David Orbock, Michael Palmer, Walter Plotnick, David Quinn, Allen Russ, Virginia Saunders, Edgar Stewart, Shaun Van Steyn, Michael Wilson, and Christopher Zedano.

An Opening Reception and Awards Ceremony will be held in conjunction with the "Bethesda Art Walk" on Friday, March 12 from 6pm - 9pm.

This is the piece that will be in the Fraser exhibit:

Find the Fraser Gallery at 7700 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite E, Bethesda, MD 20814

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I will also have a photo in the LAG (Laurel Arts Guild) Open Juried Exhibition from March 5th - 28th. Local glass artist extraordinaire Michael Janis juried the show.

The opening reception will be on Sunday, March 7 from 2-4pm.

This is the piece that will be in the LAG exhibit:

Find the Laurel Arts Guild at 9700 Muirkirk Rd, Laurel, MD 20708

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I was also awarded a solo exhibition at Black Rock Center for the Arts in Germantown, Maryland for the 2010-11 season. I don't know exact dates at this time, but will keep everyone posted as soon as I know.

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So, the year started out to look slow but is shaping up to be pretty busy for art, which is a good thing!