Art Is A Word

For years I had a postcard of this image on my refrigerator door. Alas it's gone now, along with several other, slightly more salacious images. I think this shot  was taken by Bettina Rheims. I still love it. 

Central Machine Works

Austin, TX

Let Them Eat Cake

Selected pictures from a three year old's birthday party...

... Happy Birthday to Andrew Bates Jr.

The Kids Are Alright

The gentleman in the picture above is Andrew Bates, and the folks who share the foreground with him are his 3 year old son, Andrew Jr, and his wife, Susan. Andrew (Sr, that is) is an artist who, amongst other works, produces lovely pencil drawings of children for delighted parents. For Valentine's Day this year I made a trade with Andrew - he produced a spectacular drawing of my son Miller (which I gave to my wife), and I had to somehow live up to my part of the deal by producing a family portrait for his wife.

Now, one requirement Andrew had was that he didn't want anything too rigid or stuffy. He preferred an image that would capture something of the madness of his daily visits to the park with his son. The image above is the one that makes me happiest, makes me feel that I met the requirement. At the very least, I owe a debt of thanks to the little girl in the picture for helping me out.

Michelle Knapp Auction: Portraits

Last year I donated a portrait session to a fundraiser for a local teenage girl, Michelle Knapp. Michelle was struck down by a grave illness and her parents incurred significant health care bills while Michelle underwent treatment and rehabilitation. Family friends, the majority of whom work in the restaurant industry here in Austin, helped raise an astonishing $25,000 for the Knapp family through a silent auction at a food and booze event held at North by Northwest. 

Charlie Childs won the auction for a portrait session (along with several other auctions, I might add). Charlie sat on his portrait winnings for a several months, but finally cashed it in last month - and with good reason. These portraits are from a series I shot of Charlie with his fiancée - now wife - Caroline, the week before they were married. Apparently it's been a lucky few months for Charlie...

And, I'm happy to report that in the months since the auction, Michelle Knapp has made significant strides in her battle against her illness. Having been hospitalized for several long months, she's now living at home with her family, and a bright future lies before her.  

What I've Been Reviewing: David Hockney: A Rake's Progress by Christopher Simon Sykes

My review of this upcoming David Hackney biography is available online at:

http://dossierjournal.com/read/

                                   A Bigger Splash.        David Hockney