Category Archives: studio visit

A Glimpse at the Originals

For the archive project I was lucky enough to have been given the chance to go and have the interview at a place where Irma Ostroff, an artist, had worked before to create her pieces of art. After the interview was over I got the chance to talk to her more about many of her pieces and to my surprise, she even had some of the original works within the residence. When we walked into the common area I immediately noticed a piece of art hanging on the wall which had a unique style, that was of course the work of Professor Ostroff. It was titled Plan C and was made using a pattern of stamps of varying colors among other techniques all of which contributed to the final product. That’s when I remembered something that Professor Ostroff had told me during the interview where she had said that she made the work because she enjoyed doing so, and she herself knew that it had value. To believe in yourself is something that doesn’t only have to be limited to art; it is something that everyone should strive towards accomplishing and surely will allow you to move forward and aspire toward any ambitions you may have.

Ugly Beauty

When I was younger, I used to always watch modeling competitions on TV, but never seemed to pay attention to the photographer. I have a newfound appreciation for photographers after visiting Greg Broome’s studio. I realized that without the photographer capturing the perfect moment, there would be no picture. That moment could happen in a split second and all the pressure is on the photographer.

I also found the concept of photographing moldy food noteworthy. No body would question photographing fresh food, and most people wouldn’t even look twice at it. Why is the human mind interested in the unusual things? It reminded me of that cliché “beauty is in the eye of the beholder” and the whole “ugly beauty” concept. Finding beauty in things most people consider “ugly” shows a unique characteristic in someone. The ability to think outside of the norms created by society shows true creativity. This idea transcends into another cliché, “beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” Everyone has their own perception of what they see and photography finds a way to capture that. 20130917_125027

Visit to Greg Broome’s Studio 9/17

Greg Broome's delicious plate of food. It looks like cheese from here.

Greg Broome’s delicious plate of food. It looks like cheese from here.

As interesting as seeing how photographs for advertisements were made in addition to photographing moldy food, I was really interested more in how Greg Broome survives as an artist. In my lifetime, I’ve always heard that being an artist meant not earning money, not having a sustainable lifestyle, and always living on the edge. Greg Broome voiced almost similar situations; the key difference is that he seems successful at what he is doing. He mentions how there would be days or even weeks where he would be “technically unemployed”, meaning his agency was unable to find a project for him.

What does he do in his spare time? We saw a little bit of what he does during his moldy food project, but how does he come up with these ideas? It’s almost even appalling to imagine how he maintains his lifestyle during the “drought” of unemployment. Greg goes on to talk about the total opposite side of this lifestyle; the projects where he has to finish it only in a few days. It’s like living a schizophrenic lifestyle. One day you might be working on a private project that you’ve really wanted to do, the next day you’re staring down a huge project given by a rather large company with limited time and resources to do.

It can be quite disheartening to live such an erratic lifestyle, but I’ve seen and known people who persevere through such times. Can you imagine how it would be like to live such a lifestyle?

Greg Broom Studio Visit

Hello Everyone,

On Tuesday 9/10, we will visit photographer Greg Broom at his Studio on West 29th Street.  We will meet inside the VC campus lobby, near the 25th Street entrance. Please explore these links so that you have a sense of his work, and so that you can think about some questions before we arrive:

http://www.jedroot.com/photographers/greg-broom

http://gregbroom.com/