High Desert Journal

Today I received the Spring 2007 issue of the High Desert Journal. This beautiful magazine is filled with excellent essays, fiction, poetry, artwork, and more. And this issue contains a 2-page spread of my work as well. Selections of my series Through the Shadow are included, with an introductory essay. This work was completed in 2004-05, begun during my Caldera Arts residency, in the burnt out pine forests of central Oregon.

Urban Cowgirl

Erica is from the country, but she lives in the Portland. Her parents have horses, she has a desk job. Although she loves her work, and enjoys the city, she's still a country girl.

And then there's the rain:




More Portland portrait photography can be found on our website!

Love at the Center of the Universe

Leslie and David are getting married in Astoria this summer. I'll be there. She said that when she was researching northwest wedding photographers online, that my photographs made her cry. So she hired me. I like that.

See the photographs that made this bride cry at www.fritzphoto.com!

Beth and Willie's Engagement Portraits

Non-traditional engagement portraits in Portland. What more can I say? Beth and Willie are a hoot, and Oaks Amusement Park was the right place for some fun portraits. I won't tell you what Congressman Willie works for. Partly because I can't remember. But he's really famous.


I included this one, because I deserve a little face time here and there.

And because you can see I'm having fun.

Be Nourished

Today I am hanging a brief show, in collaboration with Be Nourished, for their open house. Come by Friday, April 20, from 4-7 pm, to see some work and eat some yummy food. I'll be there. The work should be up for a week or so, so stop by later if you can't today. If you can't come by at all, you can view the work online as well.

Be Nourished is located at 3808 N Williams, Suite F, in Portland.

You can also meet the women that run Be Nourished, providing wholistic help to those struggling with eating disorder and body image issues.

Douglas Lynch

Did you know that Portland, Oregon, has an official flag? Do you know who designed it? I didn't until now. The answer is: Douglas Lynch.

You may have seen his work around. He was commissioned, in the 1930s, to create mural panels for the Works Project Administration (WPA) at Timberline Lodge.

Some of his work is incorporated into Lynda Wysong's installation at the Delta Park/Vanport Max Station.

And his flag, designed in 1969 (and revamped in 2002), flies at Portland City Hall, the Portland Building, Pioneer Courthouse Square and other locations.

And he still designs labels for a local vintner, updating annually a label he first designed several decades ago.

Douglas and his sweet wife Alix still live in the same house they've had for fifty years, sitting inconspicuously right off busy NW 23rd. It's filled with their collections of books, folk art, and music--more LPs than I've ever seen in one person's collection.

Over his 94 years, Douglas has worked as a commercial artist (back before the term 'graphic arts' even existed), taught for 30 years at the Museum Art School (having graduated from there in the 1930s...he has some interesting stories to tell about it's history...), was the president of the Portland Art Commission, and more.

View more Portland editorial portrait photography at www.fritzphotographic.com.

Eunice Parsons

At 90 years old, Portland artist Eunice Parsons has more spunk than many 60 year olds I know. She also has one of the finest handshakes of any woman I've met; her fingers, curved with age, fit my hand like a glove. Like most of the senior Portland artists I've photographed in this series, she has a lot of stories, knows a lot of people, and has produced a lot of work.

Eunice is a well-known collage artist; you can see some of her work here, at the 12x16 Gallery. (She also has a show and lecture this month at the Helzer Gallery at PCC Rock Creek.) She is known and adored by her many students, from her many years teaching at the Museum Art School (now PNCA) and PSU, many of whom still visit her in her West Hills home and studio. This year, she is being honored, along with a select few others, as a Faculty Emeritus at PNCA.

Up in her attic studio, Eunice seems to melt right into the floor. She kneels to work on collages she constructs from boxes and boxes of collected and sorted materials, setting antique irons atop them to help them dry flat. As she talks, her face is animated, and as she makes a point, her face lights up and her eyes sparkle.

I could have stayed several more hours, talking and photographing, if I weren't so allergic to her dogs and cats....





View more of my Portland editorial portrait photography at www.fritzphotographic.com.

On the Airplane

Twenty-eight straight hours of travel, from Jerusalem to Portland. At least there were some things to photograph on the plane.

Yeah, kid, I know. We all feel like that by now.

From Tel Aviv to London, there were many traditional (ultra-orthodox) Jewish families, and many, many children.

My seat-mate Ela. We talked at length about Israel, her life there, her family, the Arab-Israeli conflict, her 2 years in the IDF, school, safety, etc. It was helpful to get an idea of regular life in Israel. A sweet girl with a lovely accent. Of all the places I've taken portraits, this was the first on an airplane at twenty-some-thousand feet....

View more of my travel and editorial photography at my commercial photography website.

Jerusalem

We've been in Jerusalem for several days, and while the city is overwhelming, it's also fascinating. As with most of Israel, literally layers up on layers of history are beneath every step you take here.

The Temple Mount is a far more massive space than I'd ever imagined. It is quite disappointing to have Muslim mosques on top of a spot that has such significance for Jews (and Christians). Such tension is apparent in much of Israel. The above photo was taken there. I think it's kind of a bizarre picture, but I guess that's fitting.


As is the case in most of the world, one thing tends to diffuse tension and unite cultures: playing children. I caught these kids talking and playing near the exit from the Temple Mount into the Muslim Quarter.

Perhaps the most well-known and well-loved places in Jerusalem: the Western Wall (also known as the Wailing Wall, for the Jews who pray loudly there). Many people--Jew and Gentile alike--come here to pray, hope, and stuff written prayers into the cracks of this 2000 year old edifice. The wall is the western portion of the incredible Temple Mount built by Herod; each one of these hand-hewn stones weighs multiple tons a piece. (We were shown one that weighs as much as a fully-loaded Boeing 747....)

Not only is the Western Wall courtyard a place for prayers, it is a popular place for Bar Mitzvahs. At any given time 5 or 8 were in process. Here you see women (on the women's side of the courtyard) watching and participating in the Bar Mitzvahs on the men's side.

And then you have the Sukh. Throughout the Old City (the castle-walled portion of Jerusalem framed in during the Crusades) are narrow streets of narrow shops selling all kinds of goods: spices, candies, jewelry, electronics, shoes, fresh juices, etc. etc. Above: a shopkeeper opening his shop door; below, a woman purchasing candies.


View more of my travel and editorial photography at www.fritzphotographic.com.

A Little More Kenya...

While I'm taking an afternoon to 'rest' here in Jerusalem, I'm still editing photographs taken in Kenya last week. Here is a selection of images I am enjoying:

Each day, a few members of our team worked with children in the slums, playing games, singing songs, coloring, and having generally a rather good time. The kids loved it almost as much as the adults.

A school notebook, from Pastor Esther's little school for disadvantaged children in the slums.

A little still life from Pastor Esther's church building.


For the most part, Kenyans walk, bike, or bus everywhere. Like so much of the world, they display an amazing ingenuity in their ability to pack great quantities of goods on the back of very small vehicles....

One morning, we had to arise at 4 am, to take a bus to Nairobi for a safari. The only thing I enjoyed about getting up that early was the early morning light.

Want to see some exceptional photos of wild animals in their native habitat? Go to the library and check out a National Geographic book. This, above, is among the best offered to me at the Nairobi game park in the middle of the day with my heavy-lidded eyes. Actually, I did get a handful of fine images from this safari.

A Beautiful Land

I have to admit, my first day in Israel, I couldn't quite see why so many Psalms praised the beauty of the land. It's much hillier than I had expected (although here they call mountains what at home we call hills...), and covered with rocks and boulders. But the further we have travelled here, the more I see its praiseworthy beauty. Someone has said, "When God went to create the world, he decided to create a scale model, and called it Israel." There's truth in this; within very short distances, it is possible to go from sea to mountain to valley to desert. A great deal of variety (not to mention history) are packed into this small country, and every twenty minutes of driving brings to view a new geography.

It's spring here, and the flowers are in full bloom. The above field of wild poppies is in the Jordan River Valley. The near side is Israel; the other side of the river is the country of Jordan.

One of my favorite adventures so far on the trip was swimming in the Dead Sea. The lowest point on the face of the earth, the Dead Sea (also known as the Salt Sea) is composed so heavily of minerals that nothing grows or lives in it. Its mineral composition also makes the water so dense that you can sit down in it and float. Which was great for me, since I don't normally have a floatable bone in my body. That was a real delight, to lie in the water, without effort or fear, and bob like an apple.

The Sea of Galilee

I've been in Israel for several days now. It's fairly overwhelming to be in a place where you're constantly exposed to about 5000 years of history. Sorting it all out is difficult. But it's obviously a special place, the crossroads of the world, really.


At Hell's Gate (an ancient temple area of Greek influence, dedicated to Pan) in Caesarea Phillipi, I had some fun photographing children from a local kibbutz. Seeing so many historical sites is fascinating, but photos of piles of rocks gets old. It was enjoyable to see some life amongst the ruins.

These two images are from the Sea of Galilee. It's a fascinating area, with so many historical, meaningful places within walking distance of each other. The area is very hilly, and I frequently imagine Jesus walking and boating about, disciples in tow.

Langas

I was given a walking tour of the Langas slums by Pastor Esther, a dear woman working there with poor children. She takes in children, teaches them, feeds them, helps them get into schools, and much more. Below you'll find a few images from Langas, as we walked and talked through the area. See if you can find my self-portrait....

View more of my humanitarian and travel photography at www.fritzphotographic.com.