The Artist and The Space ~ Carl

I’m so excited to share this new photography project with you!! I started it today, on the first real snowy day of the season in Minnesota. Coincidence? Maybe so, but I think it came at the right time… Every winter seems to be getting a little longer up here. It may very well feel that way because I now have the opportunity to escape the cold on a regular basis for my work. After each trip to teach a workshop during the winter months, it feels as if winter should have subsided up here. But it remains, month after month, from November to April. This year I was determined to start a new project before the first snow flake flies, but I didn’t expect it so soon!!

I came back from teaching in France exactly a week ago. The very next day I met Carl at his studio in NE Minneapolis during an open studio event. He was listening to Shostakovich, his little dog Bella was wearing a Wonder Woman outfit and we talked about seagulls. I knew we would become fast friends!  After exchanging a couple of emails, I asked Carl if he would participate in my new photography project ‘The Artist & The Space’. We agreed on a day and time to meet at his studio again the following week. Et voilà! He is the first subject of my new series.

For consistency, I will shoot this project at 35mm (my fastest prime lens) with the Fujifilm X-Pro2 (for a change) in Jpeg Acros film simulation and in horizontal format. I will also always use ambient light and do minimal post processing, if any (applying my 5 sec. rule per frame or less). The point of the exercise is to spend time playing with my camera, not with Lightroom.

As the title indicates, this series is about artists and their space, not so much about the art itself. As you know, I love photographing people, but I also love those little details that say so much about who a person is. Nothing is staged or posed, I simply record the artist at work. Working with Carl this morning made my day as we enjoyed a nice conversation while he was painting and I was shooting. And sweet little Bella gave me my much needed dog fix. I will certainly visit them again soon!

Please visit Carl Oltvedt’s beautiful work on his website and follow him on Instagram!

Visit the full project gallery on my website.  What do you think about this new project? I’d love to read your thoughts!

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Thank you for visiting, please leave a comment! Thank you for your continued support.

Valérie

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30 thoughts on “The Artist and The Space ~ Carl”

  1. Pingback: The Artist and The Space ~ Philip | Valérie Jardin's Blog

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  5. What a great project Valerie. You manage to capture the small details that form the larger picture. From the photographs can tell it was a very enjoyable time for both artists. Love that little dog!

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    • Thanks Gail! I’m loving this new project, it’s perfect to feed my creative souls between workshops. Especially during the cold MN winter days! I hope you’re well. I hope to see you in 2019 on another photo adventure 🙂

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  10. I love your photos, Valerie; they tell beautiful stories. I would love to see a “project” on the people who are SDF in France or USA. (without fixed address, i.e., beggars and/or homeless). I would like to explore how they arrived on the street without identifying them or any personal information. Each day I pass these people in France and instead of giving money, I give them food (pain au chocolate (bread with chocolate) and a drink and sometimes a sandwich). I ask them what kind of pastry/drink/sandwich they want. They are very proud and often ask for very specific food or drink. (I do not give money when I see a smart phone, beers, or cigarettes.) I would like to work with you on a project like this. Love the “Do something for nothing” series. You have a big heart.

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    • Thank you dear Mike!
      About your thoughts on a project on homelessness. There is one thing that I learn while working on #DoSomethingForNothing and meeting so many homeless people on the streets of Paris, NYC and Mpls. The cell phone is their last ‘life link’. Those people had a ‘normal’ life before, with a house, a car and a cell phone. Often, their phone is the last link they have to their parents, children… It’s their most valuable possession and often the first thing to get stolen on the streets, which has absolutely devastating effects on them. I used to also only give food to people on the streets. After listening to their stories and the struggles they face daily, I understand their need for cigs and wine/beer. For most, it’s not an addiction thing, it’s comfort. Doing the photo documentary has really changed my perception of homelessness. It’s scary to think that it can happen to any of us. Most people are only one pay check away from the streets and the problem is only getting bigger. I will continue to work with Josh in 2019 in other cities. And I will continue to talk with people on the streets, wherever I am. Even a smile or a handshake can turn their day around. It’s all about human connection and not feeling so invisible.

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  11. This is incredible…your ability to capture a moment, including the energy within the space is remarkable! I cherish these as I have experienced many hours in the studio with my Dad…thank you for sharing!

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    • Thanks Sara and it was my pleasure! It’s good for me to feed my soul as a visual storyteller locally. I travel so much,I tend to spend the ‘in-between workshop time’ catching up with office work. This new project is just what I needed and, as a bonus, I make new friends! I must say that it was particularly easy to work with your dad, I think he felt quickly at ease as well. That’s the type of connection I look for, and I think it shows in the photographs.

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