American Sketches

Somewhere in California , c. 1988 ?

The Mathilda, Kingston NY 1995

Outside of Stuyvesant , NY 1999

Los Angeles 1990

As much as I love to travel to far away lands, my eye gravitates towards the American Scene.

I need to find more Rubber Stamp shops........where did Mr. Foster's Taxidermy Shop go ?

There's an urgency I feel to seek out these small, non-descript icons of our past. Not just to examine and photograph, but I want to meet and get to know the proprietors.

Was it handed down by their father...grandfather...who landed at Ellis Island perhaps ?

Whatever the case my be....I feel richer for having found these places. I hope my photographs do the job of conveying how American they are.

Michael Lardizabal: Remembering 911

Twin Towers from Caven Pt. NJ 1999

I used to look at the twin towers from this spot whenever I ran on the Libery State Park course.

One day I went out with my 4x5 Graflex to photograph the environs and came up with this polaroid. Its a one of a kind print.

I still run on this path when I'm in the city and my heart still sinks.

God Bless all the families today.

Wishing for Cape Cod

Cape Cod 1999

I usually miss the Cape by about this time. Summer is over, and the new season has me yearning for Truro or Eastham.

Perhaps one last trip to the dunes is in the cards.

This 5x7 inch cyanotype is from Orleans if I remember correctly, or maybe Eastham on the bay side. I forget. I know is was around 1999 when I made it.

Ghent, 1996

I'm baking apple pie today.

My orchard is ready for picking , so pie and cider is on the agenda.

This is an 8x10 contact print that I feel is appropriate for today. Its a vintage print made on Grade 1 Azo.

September

Backyard,Venice,California 1991

I was born on this month back in 1963.

For the past few days I've been looking at the relationship of space as it relates to environment and light.

Light defines space.

In the image of the backyard I feel there's a whole universe of things to look at. Funny thing is when I made this negative, I was more concerned with sense of place.

Almost 18 years later, I discover its more about the sense of light and how the light is what defines and creates the tapestry of place. Without that amazing Western ,strong California light....there is no place.

I made one finished Palladium print of this in 1991. Printed on vintage Cranes paper washed in Venice tap water that had the most amazing properties. The platinum and palladium prints I made during my years there ( 1989-1992 ) have a glow that is so unique I can almost always tell when I am looking at a print made in our Rose Ave. apartment.

There is 1 artist work print/studio proof of this image available at this time. The image is from an 8x10 negative which is signed and dated by me. The proof is printed on Japanese Vellum. If you are interested in this please email me and I can provide you with a payment link.

So I've been doing a lot of editing and printing.

The new work from Summer and Fall shows promise, mostly pictures of life around here.

I'll post more in the next day or so......

Something Old Something New

Walking the streets and alleys of Florence,Venice,and Paris never gets old. The job of a flaneur is timeless.

I made these images with a 60 year old Contax camera . This old magical box was my guide as if it was "back" home again.

The old regime is not old. I feel that the Medici's , Michelangelo, Bruneleschi were all modernists .

Here in New York we are in the midst of a cold winter, harsh light and short days . My only sense of warmth are these paper memories .

I don't mind .......... yearning is good.

Restoration, Florence 2006

The Traveller, Florence 2006

Santa Margherita Station, Italy 2006

Florence 2006

Venice 2006