Baker's Dozen : A Pinhole Dialogue

What began as a trek through the woods towards Fairy Beach, with canned chairs atop the heads of her children, fusing the paths of two wellie-wearing women … Amy Rockett-Todd met Antonia Small on that rocky beach the summer of 2012.  As Jack, Antonia’s jack Russell, perched himself atop a nearby rock, the two discovered they were both ‘pinholers’.

 A chance meeting on a quiet empty slip of land, a stone's throw from Andrew Wyeth's childhood home "Eight Bells" ... on this beach which isn't even visible at high tide, the two found themselves stepping into a visual pinhole dialogue that would span almost 2000 miles and 13 months.

They began in April 2013, on Worldwide Pinhole Day, with their wooden Zero Image Cameras with 120 roll-film, shooting images specific to their own artistic visions as well as the contrasts of their varied regions – the flatlands of Oklahoma and the rugged coast of Maine.  Each image from both artists includes a backstory, a personal account of the experiences of discovery and image capture.  These backstories can be found alongside all 26 exhibition images within their 90 page book titled Baker’s Dozen : A Pinhole Dialogue, and can be purchased at TAC Gallery (9 E MB Brady, Tulsa OK) during the exhibition (April 1-30, 2016) or online at Blurb.com here:   

                    http://www.blurb.com/b/6943426-baker-s-dozen-a-pinhole-dialogue

What exactly is Pinhole Photography? … Pinhole photography is lensless photography. A tiny hole replaces the lens. As light passes through the hole; an image is formed onto film emulsion in the camera.

(re)VIEW : Explorations in Human Nature ...

(re)VIEW : Explorations in Human Nature - Dec 12,2015 - Jan 9. 2016 at Art Intersection, Gilbert Arizona

(re)VIEW : Explorations in Human Nature

Art Intersection, 207 N. Gilbert Rd #201, Gilbert AZ,  Exhibition Dates: Dec 12, 2015 - Jan 9, 2016. Closing Reception Jan 9, 2016 from 5-8pm.

In the exhibition (re)View, we take an extended look at work from four exceptional artists who exhibited work earlier this year in our annual Light Sensitive exhibition of hand-made darkroom works, juried by Robert Hirsch. Artists: Jonah Calinawan, Karen Hymer, Amy Rockett-Todd (Director’s Choice), and Rebecca Sexton Larson were selected by the Art Intersection curatorial staff and invited to exhibit additional pieces from the bodies of work they showed in Light Sensitive.

All four artists are making work that relates to the natural world with the clear influence of man. Although each uses different light sensitive processes, their subjects and scenes tie nicely to one another with a quality of surrealism and mystery. Join us for a Walk and Talk with the Artists on Saturday, January 9, as well as a Closing Reception in the South Gallery at Art Intersection.

Visit Art Intersection's website for more information:

http://artintersection.com/event/review-exhibition/

ALL THINGS ANALOG AT REVELA-T 2015 ...

Collodion Exhibition at REVELA-T 2015 in Vilassar de Dalt, Barcelona Spain.

My friend and REVELA-T volunteer, Jesus Joglar, beside my image "Gathering Pieces" in the Cal Garbat, Vilassar de Dalt.  

Opening June 19th, noted as the only analog photography festival in the world, REVELA-T in Vilassar de Dalt, Barcelona SP, will be host to more than 50 exhibitions of top photographers and gallery owners in the world as well as over 50 micro-exhibits in the surrounding shop windows of Vilassar.  

The festival will include a "Fotomercado" (Photomarket) where amateurs and professionals will have the opportunity to show and sell their work, as well as international presenter gatherings of collodionists, street photographers, pinhole photographers, and even Leica M lovers.  

I am thrilled to have my collodion image "Gathering Pieces" (shown above) in the Collodion Exhibition at REVELA-T this year!  (I am beginning to think she (my image) has many more travel adventures than I do!)

Please visit reveal-t.cat to learn more ... 

The Story Behind the Diptych series ...

"Diptych 1"  3.5" x 9" ferrotype diptych.  Framed to 11" x 17".  Amy Rockett-Todd 2013.

"Diptych 3" 3.5" x 9" ferrotype diptych.  Framed to 11" x 17".  Amy Rockett-Todd 2013.

The Diptych series (consisting of 4 diptychs) are abstracted images created within a concrete bunker under a midtown Tulsa home as a response to the Cuban Missile Crisis, now used as a tornado shelter.  The images stem from various pipes within the small underground room.  The choice to create images within the diptych format was born of the dual purpose of the original bunker.  

I am pleased to announce I have six pieces of my work, including two from the diptych series, at the 108 Contemporary Gallery in the consignment gallery,  108 East Brady Street, Tulsa Oklahoma.  The folks at 108 Contemporary recently interviewed me about my work.  You can read more here:

http://108contemporary.org/meet-the-artist-amy-rockett-todd/

THE BIG PICTURE ...

"Anna" 3.5x4.5 ferrotype by Amy Rockett-Todd.

"Gathering Pieces" 3.5x4.5 ferrotype by Amy Rockett-Todd.

Several exciting opportunities presented themselves this Spring for my work! Two of my collodion portraits, "Anna" and "Gathering Pieces" were selected by Mark Sink for inclusion in THE BIG PICTURE during the MoP in Denver, Colorado.

THE BIG PICTURE ... at MoP - Month of Photography Denver is a biennial celebration of fine art photography with hundreds of collaborative public events throughout Denver and the region March and April 2015.  We are joining multiple museums galleries and schools surrounding fine art photography creating an exciting artistic and educational event for the city of Denver and the region.

My images will be enlarged to roughly 3 foot by 4 foot and wheat pasted onto buildings around the Denver, Colorado area.  As to the exact location, I am not sure yet, but I look forward to following THE BIG PICTURE facebook site to see images being pasted!  This year, the project has gone global with images being pasted in France, Australia and many more locations.  

To learn more, please visit: (highlight, copy and paste into your browser if links are not active).  You can also see more images as they are pasted in the facebook page of THE BIG PICTURE!

http://www.mopdenver.com/#/thebigpicture/

https://www.facebook.com/bigpicturedenver

"Gathering Pieces" ...

"Gathering Pieces" by Amy Rockett-Todd.  2014.  Wet plate collodion ferrotype. Original plate 3.5"x4.5".

Light Sensitive 2015 at Art Intersection, Gilbert AZ ...

"Root" collodion ambrotype 5"x5" (matted & framed in all black to 15"x15").  Amy Rockett-Todd 2014.

Thrilled to announce my collodion image "Root" will be included in the Light Sensitive 2015 exhibition at Art Intersection in Gilbert, Arizona.  The exhibition opening is on March 7, 2015 6-8pm at 207 N. Gilbert Rd.  and runs through April 18, 2015.

Art Intersection's signature exhibition, Light Sensitive, celebrates the art of handmade darkroom processes with guest juror, Robert Hirsch; artist, curator, and author.

Stay tuned for more ... 

The Story Behind "Tower" ...

"Tower" ferrotype mosaic assemblage.  MANUS portfolio.  Amy Rockett-Todd 2014.

"Tower" (detail).  Amy Rockett-Todd 2014.

My design and architecture background helps guide my artistic endeavors, which led to this new work, MANUS, combining art, architecture and photography.  With the creation of each piece, I am inspired by historic buildings in Tulsa, Oklahoma. 

The Tower piece is based off of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Price Tower in Bartlesville, OK.  There are 8 image sections symbolic of the 8 residential balcony levels within this building.  The images are adhered to a 30.60.90-degree triangular substrate.  The angle degrees match the angle degrees used within the Tower’s structure, as all angles within the building are either 30.60. or 90 degree angles.  The 8 (4x5) ferrotype images on the right of the piece are abstracted images taken digitally directly from the exterior of the site, then printed onto OHP film and exposed via the wet plate collodion process in the darkroom.  The 8 ferrotype images on the left of the piece are abstracted ginkgo leaf images, symbolic of Frank Lloyd Wright’s beloved ginkgo tree.  He had his home and studio originally built around his beloved ginkgo tree.  This piece stands roughly 4 feet tall and includes 16 one-of-a-kind ferrotype images.  The ginkgo images have all been hand-tinted with archival pastels in oranges, yellows, and blues, and have been varnished with a sandarac lavender oil varnish, as all of my collodion images are sealed with this protective varnish layer. 

Most of the architecture-based pieces in the MANUS portfolio are directly born from a building's design.  It's aesthetics and structure is reflected in the way each art piece is photographed, designed, and created.