colorfields at matteawan gallery 2/10-3/4

It's been a fun month of showing my colorfield work (photos and watercolor paintings) at Matteawan Gallery in Beacon.  This work has been coming together for a long time and it was extremely gratifying to see it up on the walls of this really sweet space.  

I started thinking about making these pictures over a decade ago but working, moving and having babies kept everything but the essentials on the back burner. In a way, I am glad this is the course I was forced to follow.  I don't know if these pictures would have become what they are if I had been able rush to make them.  They were allowed to remain in my head with sporadic days in my studio here and there where I could try something, fail, and then let the idea retreat back into my head for more puzzling over.  The watercolors have come more naturally - maybe because I had already spent so much time thinking about color by the time I started making them but I think they fit really seamlessly into this body of work.

When asked why I make this work, I think people mostly mean 'why the hell are you working with jello?'  What I hope is not lost in the novelty of the material is the feeling you get when you spend some time with these pictures.  They are meant to be a balm, to create a space to go and feel a certain way.  I don't want to dictate the way a person feels when s/he looks at them, that's personal.  I just hope the viewer feels something and wants to linger there for awhile.

I'm not sure what's next - if this work will continue or if I am ready to move on.  Time will tell.  In the meantime, in this moment, I wanted to use this blog entry to collect some of the things written about this work and some of the pieces in the show so that when I am feeling down or lost or unproductive, at least I'll have this.   

http://highlandscurrent.com/2018/02/10/cooking-with-color/
https://www.chronogram.com/hudsonvalley/on-the-cover-of-chronogram-meredith-heuers-photography/Content?oid=4010769
A pecha kucha talk I did about the work:  http://www.pechakucha.org/users/meredith-heuer

when harry met salami

That's the title I gave to my story about Harrison Manning and his Beacon sandwich shop this spring.  Nixed (probably wisely?) by the editor, below is what remained.  I loved this exercise in writing, but sticking to snapping pix for now.

Harrison Manning sounds older but looks younger than his quarter of a century. There is something sweetly collegiate about him and so his sordid academic story comes as a surprise: Pressured by his parents to enter college right after high school, Manning enrolled.  After three semesters, he boasted a GPA of .79. His failure wasn’t due to laziness as much as his desire to be out in the world working, so he put down his books and took a job as a barista. He had worked at a local Sonic during high school and he felt really comfortable in the world of simple, fast food.

“I really loved working in a fast-food kitchen,” says Manning. “I always knew I wanted to have my own space ... run my own thing, be the local spot.” A serendipitous vacancy down the street from where he worked offered Manning a location for what would become Harry’s Hot Sandwiches. 

The atmosphere at Harry’s is lovingly uncared for and the offerings reflect both his fast-food inspiration and the rudimentary kitchen in the back. Manning says the attitude toward building out the space was, “Let’s see how far we can go without doing anything.” Many of the dishes boast a bit of South American flair brought in by his chef, Carlos Laguna-Driscoll, whose mother is Bolivian. Initially, the menu was more driven by traditional Bolivian food, but Manning felt they were missing the mark . “We had to find the balance between what was new and exciting and what was accessible,” he explained. 

The result is truly a treat (who can resist trying the “Decent Chicken Sandwich”?). The foundation of each sandwich is simple—say, pulled pork—but it’s dressed up with pickled carrots, sliced jalapeños and cilantro.  The Calentado is not a sandwich at all: black beans and rice, homemade arepas, chorizo, grilled plantain, eggs and half an avocado make for a decadent meal.

What’s next for Harrison Manning? He’s decided college might not be out of the question so he’s enrolled in a class for the fall, but he’s also considering opening another Harry’s. Having just celebrated the second anniversary of Harry’s Hot Sandwiches, that’s the one thing that feels solid for now. 

And if sandwiches aren't your thing, here's another little story I wrote about a local flower farmer, Diana Mae:  http://ediblehudsonvalley.ediblecommunities.com/food-thought/diana-mae-grows-good-idea

almost drowning with daniel handler then watching him play dead

I make no secret of the fact that I love to swim, so last month when my friend, Daniel Handler, contacted me to schedule a shoot, and the location options were slushy NYC or potentially sunny SF, where I could see his lovely wife and son, meet his new dog and swim in the Bay him, I did not hesitate to choose the latter.  Daniel is also a big fan of swimming and we'd been talking about me joining him for this for a couple of years.  Even though it's been a real winter in SF (meaning lots of rain), we lucked out with an incredibly beautiful, sunshiny morning for our swim date.  As we jumped into the water, Daniel remarked that it was a little colder than usual but honestly, it was so cold that I was immediately numb and so I am not sure how he could have noticed a degree or 2 difference. Cold aside, the water was fantastic and I felt so happy to be there.

We swam out of a protected area and into the bay proper to fully take in the scene - the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz - it was a spectacular point of view.  In my overconfidence, I even took a moment to scoff at the people who decided that Alcatraz would be the most secure prison in the world because of the treacherous water surrounding it.  

And that's pretty much when things went south.  We turned around to re-enter the cove where we had begun the swim and I realized I could not make any progress back through the currents.  I tried for a bit but, with the ice-cold water, it was impossible to catch my breath and swim harder.  I looked at Daniel, cried uncle, and we flagged down a boat (which, in my defense, was filled with other swimmers who had also decided they could not fight the water any longer).

I like to think that if there were no boats around to rescue me I would have managed, and that it was knowing I had a full day of shooting ahead and did not want to destroy myself before 9AM that made me call out for help but honestly, I don't know.  In any case, my deep respect for the ocean renewed, I retreat for now, hoping that Daniel will be willing to risk letting me join him again sometime.

The shoot was super fun!  It was Daniel as himself, Daniel as Lemony Snicket (playing dead) and Daniel with his lovely and super-talented wife, Lisa Brown.

Here are some photos from our shoot that I am so happy to have lived to experience!

shoes and socks, optional.

Happy New Year!  This year, let's all take a lesson from August and try to remember that sometimes you have to take action before you get both shoes on. Or socks, as the case may be.

emily and michael

Below are some pictures from Emily Simoness and Michael Chernus's wedding.  I met these guys a couple of years ago when I photographed their very cool project at Ryder Farms in Brewster, NY for the Wall Street Journal.  Ryder Farm has been in Emily's family since 1795 and a few years ago Emily got involved and decided that she wanted to figure out a way to wind her background in acting and performance into the mission of the farm.  And so it went from being a CSA growing vegetables to one that also supports artists and writers through a residency program.

Their wedding was lovely.  It doesn't hurt to have an incredibly talented playwright (Max Posner) perform your ceremony.  I had never heard of Max before the wedding but I will watch out, with anticipation, for his work now.  It's not surprising that I hadn't heard of him as I live a little bit under a rock.  I am embarrassed to say that I didn't do any research about Michael before the wedding, though I knew he was an actor, and last week while flipping through the limited channels of airplane TV, I was thrilled to see that one of the Bourne movies was on. I really love those movies.  And there was Michael (and several other of the wedding guests that I had thought looked suspiciously familiar at the time.)  I guess it's good that I didn't know beforehand or I would have been nervous.  : )

Oh, and the dress!  I almost forgot to mention that the gorgeous dress was designed by http://www.danielvosovicny.com.