Tag: photo

Moving Forward

July 18, 2016 / Rick / 1 Comment

It only took a few hours of frustration to move this blog. That does not include the typo I made in the process, which locked me out of the old blog in nearly complete fashion. I took a few classes on relational databases when I was pursuing a computer science degree. Over a decade has passed since I had to practice database-related things, so this was a challenge. In the end, the knowledge was recalled and applied, and the move proceeded.

I now present “Rick’s Picture Corner” re-branded as “Richard Custer’s Blog.” I, of course, am Richard. This is my chosen artist moniker, but since we’re all on friendly terms, you can call me Rick. This blog is now more integrated into my artist website (www.artistrichardcuster.com), although the look and feel is much the same. I will soon be dumping the Rick’s Picture Corner domain as I start making more changes and updates to my main website.

Now with that bit of housekeeping out of the way, I’m pleased to announce that I will be exhibiting in my second show since graduating from the University of Houston. The show is going to be centered around hardcore, punk, and heavy metal music and features Houston-based artists. Here is the flyer:

The flyer (click to embiggen)

I found out about the show a few weeks ago. Given the short time left before the show, I placed a link to my work on the Facebook event page to ask to be considered for inclusion in future shows. The coordinator messaged me back the next day and told me he would find space for my work. It’s an understatement to say I was surprised, and was very happy when I found out that I would indeed be included in this upcoming show. I immediately went over installation concepts in my head. This will be my installation concept:

My installation concept (click to embiggen)

This is based on a wall space width of 4 feet. I will have to update this concept as I just found out that we will each have 5 feet, but it becomes a matter of moving the larger images out a little bit. As for the images themselves, the 2 larger images are finalized as shown. Each one will be a 12″ x 12″ print mounted on cradled wood. The smaller images, which have yet to be finalized, will be 4.75″ x 4.75″ and placed inside CD jewel cases.

Conceptually, the inverted cross is a reference to the adversarial nature of heavy metal music to religion and ideologies related to such, especially the Judeo-Christian belief systems that dominate the West. The live shots reflect the almost ritual aspect of the live performance and its importance in the genre. The jewel case “frames” for the smaller images signal the importance of the physical media format as CD sales outpace digital sales among heavy metal fans. The larger prints, as with the inverted cross, display the iconography often associated with heavy metal.

At this point, I will conclude this, the inaugural post of the re-branded blog. I have more updates coming as my activity in my chosen medium has picked up in the last month. To all of you, I thank you for your continued support. Feel free to comment below with any ideas or critiques you may have on what I’ve written this evening. I will see you all again soon. Until then, my faithful and not-so-faithful readers, I bid you goodnight.

Condensed Information

November 17, 2014 / Rick / 2 Comments

I’m not going to bore with you a big long academic style artist statement. But truth be told, it’s because I don’t have one at this point to describe this work. But here’s a little bit of a breakdown…

Sugimoto did a famous series in the 1970’s and 80’s whereby he set up his 8×10 camera in a movie theater (both indoor and drive-in) and he exposed the film for the entire length of the movie. He would start just as the projector started and would only close the shutter after the final credits rolled off the screen. Here his goal was to show us about too much information. Too much information, of course, is light.

I’m seeing things a little differently. The information from the screen comes at us in a constant stream and we must synthesize it as it comes. We have the luxury of those streams at that time. Here we condense the entire video into a single frame. Perhaps this is a representation of the fact that we receive so much information that we can’t possible synthesize it all. Or could it be a function of memory? We can take in the information fine when it is streaming, but looking back and trying to get to it – well, that’s a whole other issue.

At this, the final song in the album that is playing has come on and it’s time for me to go. Here are the 2 images I just created. This series will grow, and hopefully my understanding of its significance (as well as that of the series by Sugimoto). Rather than the venue, these are titled by the video that played for their creation.

As always, comments and critiques are welcome.

Kara Hearn – One Thing After Another

Kara Hearn – The Temporary and Heroic Transcendence of One’s Fate

When It’s Not Your Best Side

November 8, 2014 / Rick / 0 Comments

Normally I would wait until I got home and had time to think about the images before I would even think of posting them. This particular case, however, is one where I felt I needed to get it out. I’m literally in my school’s lighting studio right now, posting this with my laptop on the school’s wi-fi.

This semester is one where I’ve turned inward. In my past work, I strove very hard to minimize myself in the photograph and to keep it about the subject. Aside from silly selfies with my wife, I normally fiercely resist putting myself in front of the camera. I felt the need tonight.

I looked at the shots halfway through. An overwhelming sadness came over me.

I think I better go home now.