Peter J. Crowley

Fine Art Photographer

Black & White and Me Changing Philosophy of Seeing 50 Years On.

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Spare change? Chip in on my paypal link.  Posting these stories is very time consuming. Or by mail, my address is on the contact page.

All the moneys gone no where to go.. I will keep delivering that magic feeling

Thank you peace

When I was 1 -2 years into creating Photographic Art, 1973. I had developed a style that included rigid composition, technique and presentation. No cropping, Walker Evans print quality, Focus a must.  This image from the late 90’s never made it to the darkroom. Perhaps a cursory glance as I looked at the film. Nope to flawed.

Now as I look again at old images todays sensibilities see a moment on this afternoon in #Willimantic. Recently I I saw a portfolio of

Romualdas Rakauskas Lithuanian master Black and White photographer.

An online photographic artist friend told me about his passing. A master has helped me to see deeper.

Out takes from sessions where the subject and me could not reach an understanding of what I wanted. This image from a test for my Woodnymph series. Not what I wanted but alright as a stand alone

My live long friend, Ken Morgan both of us artists from back to the 1970’s in Coventry Ct

Poised this thought. “how or why things get so clear so late in the game or is is it just me? …..another possibility “

I told Ken that it was pretty clear. Simplicity, seeing as a child so much peace and life to view and explore.

Willimantic 1999 the eyes all the metaphors apply. I like open conversational eyes windows to the soul.

Moments brief lasting forever. I have so many to relive, some to share conversational images that rarely receive a verbal response maybe the eyes speak, but no words to me.

To keep the focus is on seeking the highlights of my life is what keeps me alive. I also see the shadows as an effort to celebrate the highlights keeping negative space in composition not dark thought.Saturday, 9/25 a self portrait One more recent image before I head back out the door. 

Peace my friends 

 

The Willimantic Years 1999 Part One

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Willi arriving in 1994 but I was active in the art scene from a few years prior.

Spare change? Chip in on my paypal link.  Posting these stories is very time consuming. Or by mail address is on the contact page.

All the moneys gone no where to go… I will still deliver that magic feeling.

Thank you peace

A letter from home years ago a defining stage of my live/work/art.

Mills turned into Art Apartments and a Textile Museum.

A small city of immigrants arriving when it was time for the last group to get a raise.

Children always seeking everything need a closer look. 

On the porch at my place on Bellevue a dancer relaxes. I don’t relax, “hold that pose.”

Where everyone knew my name. Late afternoon light in November shines on the ambiance of the Willimantic Brewing Company.

My refrigerator or Maybe Paradise Cafés  the image is on a roll surrounded by a folk performance at the Café. This was also a place for me to plan, eat and sit in the sun and see.

I met The Muse there at lunch and the next morning she came to my studio to begin two years of sessions. The wealth of images made and learning to see was a highlight in my work. So many unseen images remain. I also interviewed and hired Roxanne as my asst. in Paradise. Two important strong women changed me.

The previously mentioned folk concert at Paradise Café with Jim Mercik  and Hugh Blumenfeld. 

The porch on Bellevue a series of puddle reflections this from early March rain and snow melt. A loose series never show as a group. The dancer above is also a porch series as well. The are themes, portfolios that intersect from different times.

There were eyes always eyes. Many of the images here have not been printed or scanned. Looking at sessions from twenty two years ago, I see photos that I missed after first look and printing for my subjects. There are also many that in my strict seeing of the past didn’t fit the way I saw. I am not so ridged in todays approach.

From a test for my Woodnymph series. A good model but never a woodnymph. Image made on Wormwood Hill at the Thorkelson’s home. 

You could rent a movie to watch while your clothes dry. I think I waited for the cars to clear the spaces in front of the door. I saw what I wanted to compose and cars were not included.

There were doors in Willi old Victorian works of art. I had always seen doors I like imagined history. In Willimantic doors became a series of love. All these doors became a book in 2017 “Another Door Entered” my second book.  My first was a love letter to Willimantic “All the Usual Subjects” portraits of people from my home. There are a few left.

A tree out side a window was part of a D-11 developer test High contrast with grain. I didn’t like the results with people so it was a short test 72 images. But I like this tree.

Clam Fritters, fries was my go to order. Cute girls were always on my menu. Starring into the sun the girls in deep shadow. I gave them a business card and I said call me and I will give you a print. They never called. Flash forward 22 years, email me and I will send a scan few ever email. This is a horrible neg. and I gained very little in post process. It is however a moment in my world.

I will close the door on this story with a door. 

peace

A Day in Northampton Summer The 80’s

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Most days now I am up early sometimes even out for the morning light. More flowers on my walks new inhaler better breathing, less inspired by the flowers but the air is cleaner. Birds singing, children  playing rarely close enough to catch but a glimpse. In my mind I am a child part of the chorus of glee. Inside it is me, Miles, John, Duke, and Oliver.  Searching my archives seeking my Photo Journalism for the Connecticut State Library. The haystack is full of distractions never printed negatives, old favorites. I live here in memories, stories of happy times before the world I loved died. It is said an artist creates for themselves. I enjoy folks seeing my images but not enough to live this day on Anti Social Media. The anxiety of hate and hopelessness amplifies my stress with a negative effect on my COPD. So here I will be telling stories living in my own time. Just me, Inara Wings of Fire, Dragons Life a virtual life. Liz shops and we garden with an occasional vision quest. 

Summer Northampton

Omelettes,  BLT’s  a cold soda. Start or finish  a day trip.

City Taxi pre-Uber I imagine Smithies rides to Amherst  for parties, the days game, an autumn afternoon. Just around town or sitting on the bench waiting for friends returning from home after a break. Another time another place.  At an outdoor concert 1985 two stages, Tom Rush, Jerry Jeff Walker many in the crowd scurried away for the food concessions stopped in their tracks when Jerry Jeff started to wail not the country music they expected. Settling in again as a strong breeze blew some of their Cocaine of the mirror. No one was upset I’m sure there was more. 

Catching some rays on the Y’s fire escape. Perhaps a human perhaps a dummy we never spoke. Many days spent in Northampton an oasis of creativity, studios, gallerias,  trendy shops, and cafes. Pretty people a blend of old and new architecture. I would go up to Amherst Wednesday to help layout the Valley Advocate after the Hartford edition began. I was the first staff photographer in Hartford.  Working full time as a paste up artist 2nd shift at the Hartford Courant surprisingly I often was sick Wednesday nights recovering at the Advocate in Amherst. 

Back to her dorm just a silhouette rushes back, a days classes ending, a forgotten book? So many tales these walls hold Dorms eloquent designs from the past well kept telling stories of prestige. One of the Seven Sisters dating back to the late 1800’s originally all Women’s Colleges.  Barnard, Smith, Mount Holyoke, Vassar, Bryn Mawr, Wellesley, and Radcliffe were given the name “the Seven Sisters” in 1927, because of their relative affiliations with the men’s colleges.  The schools are also sometimes referred to as “the Daisy Chain” or “the Heavenly Seven.” The name Seven Sisters is also a reference to the Greek myth of The Pleiades, the seven daughters of the Titan Atlas and the sea-nymph Pleione.

Composing in the viewfinder.  How I work I saw this light my angle was right for the detail I wanted of the two people on bicycles. A second shot squared up the frame  frame but in 4-5 seconds the two were gone. That image doesn’t make the grade. No Photo Shop, no crop seeing the entire frame subject and negative space.  My process, technique no screen to see if I got the subject. I got it I knew seeing the details not just the subject.  Dance, theater, movement understanding I had to shoot 1/2 second prior to create the moment I wanted. One image at a time fire cock fire. Process often three bodies in the bag slow Apx 100, TriX 400 or 800, color negs or transparencies. TriX the in hand body for most trips, Rarely shooting the same image in both B+W or Color seeing in B+W but noticing a color image switching cameras. The big bag full when I left, Free to see whatever on a journey. Now a little bag a decision of what to carry  when I head out. Then often seeing an image for a lens didn’t have in the bag. Having two diggies has alleviated  that somewhat. A roll of TriX sits in my home I may try to manually focus with a Nikon F next time? No room in the bag for 3 bodies and four lenses. 

Always time for a cookie, a scone or Portuguese Sweet Bread strolling Fox Point in Providence in love. But those days by the bay on cobblestone streets a memory that has burned off like the morning fog. Another time another place. 

 

Today there will be new memories that will burn off like the fog by a new bay. Today I’ll visit the 80’s a time of process, love and a hope for a highlight. Peace

peace pjc