Paul Politis
Photography

I am a self-taught photographer from Montreal, Quebec, and currently living in Ottawa. I have been making photographs since 1988, first in the traditional chemical darkroom, and since 2005, digitally. I have been showcasing my black and white photography on the web since 1998 (link is to the wayback machine, and my website in 1998!), and through www.paulpolitis.com, since 2001. My work has appeared or been reviewed in several magazines internationally, including Shutterbug Magazine, Black & White Photography (UK), The American Muse, Black + White Photography Magazine, and PhotoEd Magazine. My prints are also held in private collections, and in the collection of the National Arts Centre (NAC) in Ottawa. read more »

www.paulpolitis.com

Ray Cologon
Sculptor

Ray Cologon is a sculptor based in Melbourne, Australia. Cologon utilises precious and exotic woods to create exquisitely detailed turned and carved wood art. His work is evocative and timeless and explores metaphysical themes. read more »

www.nightwing.com.au

Arnaud Poilleux
Photographe

The portfolio of a young French photographer
arnaudpoilleux.free.fr

Luc Selen
Fotostudio

Photography Fotografie
www.selen.be

Dave Beckerman
New York Photography

Black and white photography is still the best language that I have found for capturing the beauty, the sorrow and the humor of the City. read more »

beckermanphoto.com

Artez
Association Visions Nomades

Different galleries of black and white photographs made by Artez : Ballet, statues, mannequins, Venice carnaval, journeys, portraits and research works.
www.artezphotovisions.com

Daniel Monnier
Sculptor

Daniel Monnier was born in 1941 in Senegal-West Africa, where he grew up. He was 12 when he left to study in his home country, France. He immediatly showed very obvious interest for Art, and made this interest blossom by attending the "School of Art" of Bordeaux in 1964, for a period of two years. He then specialised his skills of sculpting at the "National School of Arts" of Paris ~"Ecole des Beaux-Arts"~, where he studied for a further three years. After his graduation, Mr.Monnier carried his passion of sculpting to Spain, where he spent three years. He then returned to France where he is now known for his numerous sculptures and symposiums. Daniel Monnier enjoys sculpting all kinds of stones: soft stone -limestone or sandstone- as well as hard one such as marbles or phonolythe (volcanic stone),and will adapt himelf and his work to any kind of circumstances. It usually takes him two months and ten days to achieve a sculpture (The "Lot" project being an exception). He actually creates his sculptures in their final setting place, which allows the client to appreciate each stages of his sculpting.
membres.lycos.fr/monnierdaniel

Beate Sandor
The seven prayers

I just finished my major project "the seven prayers" which dominated my life for the better part of the last four years. Many changes in my life accompanied and influenced the work. Deep inside me sometimes I started to doubt that I would ever bring it to an end. The whole series consists of 21 large sized pictures, each one 180x180 cm. Using a specially designed alphabet based on circle segments the seven tryptichen take up motifs of the buddhist Lotus Sutra and represent them as text-pictures. The old geometrical symbol of perfection, the circle as the smallest denominator for unity, is cut into segments, to form a script. Variations of the no longer as text defined words and word fragments are stripped of their semantic meaning and become indecipherable. But this destruction of the upper layer of language bares a deeper level of meaning which only reveals itself after the habitual attachment is overcome. The series consists of seven prayers: to the sun (2000-2001), to the earth (1998), to the fire (1999-2000), to the wind (1998), to the lotus flower (1998-1999), to the sea (1998) and to the moon (2000). The choosen colors are in harmony with the seven factors of inspiration of the buddhistic philosophy. The Pollock-Krasner Foundation, New York, supported the project through a one year grant during 1999-2000. All the 21 paintings of the finished work are published as an artcard book with the title "the seven prayers" by the Edition Ursache & Wirkung, Vienna, in 2001 read more @ amazon.de »

www.studio-sandor.com

Simon Gade
Fatonoze

"Fatonoze" par Simon Gade Notre avis : Depuis quelques années, Simon Gade explore les possibilités offertes par la vidéo et le numérique sur la fabrication d’une image. Toutes les passions de sa vie sont réunies dans ce livre de photographies vivifiantes, où la couleur et les retouches graphiques donnent une unité stylistique à ce patchwork rutilant : voitures de collection, motos racées, portraits expressifs d’amateurs de l’extrême (BMX, skate) et impressions de voyages au Tibet, Etats-Unis ou Angleterre… Rien ne doit vous empêcher de monter sur le siège arrière ! read more »

www.fatonoze.com

Sergio Dolce
Mexico tour

Fotografare è la mia passione. Mi considero soddisfatto solo quando riesco a far "parlare" la fotografia. Dedico gran parte del mio tempo a realizzare scatti, sempre con l'intento di cogliere l'attimo negli eventi, negli animali, nelle cose e nelle manifestazioni più varie della natura. Amo la spontaneità e mi affido all'intuizione. I risultati migliori infatti li ottengo quando fotografo all'insaputa del soggetto, e la foto è pura espressività. Infine, penso alla fotografia come ad un'arte che matura e si evolve attraverso la passione, l'impegno e a una continua ricerca. read more »

www.photografando.com

Nathan Combs
Photoshop 7.0

In today's challenging business environment, Adobe Photoshop 7.0 helps you stay competitive with innovative tools that deliver new ways to express your creativity and work efficiently. With Photoshop 7.0, you can more easily produce exceptional imagery for print, the Web, wireless devices, and other media. Photoshop 7.0 rounds out its comprehensive toolset with new capabilities to meet any creative or production demand and to handle the widest variety of image-editing tasks in the most efficient way. With enhanced Web features, you can instantly make Web page elements transparent simply by knocking out one or more colors; create dithered transparencies; manage Web page rollovers and animations; and create more sophisticated Web rollovers. Powerful new tools help you explore your creativity without limits so you can more easily meet the multimedia demands of today's market. Simulate traditional painting techniques (including pastels and charcoal) with dry and wet brush effects and use brushes to add special effects. Adjust dozens of precise brush settings including size, shape, and tilt to create custom brushes that you can share with other Photoshop users. With the new Pattern Maker plug-in, you can select any area of an image and automatically generate a nearly endless assortment of background patterns. And the enhanced Liquify plug-in lets you distort images more easily and gain greater control over warping. Photoshop 7.0 offers unparalleled precision and control so you can be confident you're achieving consistently superior output. New security features let you restrict access to your images with password protection.

J. R. Taylor
The story

I've been conjuring images in some form or fashion for the vast majority of my life. After a 24 year break working as air traffic controller in the Air Force I've once again managed to return to my creative roots on a full time basis. I did perform a considerable amount of freelance commercial work in Japan as well as the odd portrait commission before leaving the service. I've worked in every sort of medium and finally devoted myself to digital imaging a little over 2 years ago. Web design for me is akin to painful and protracted dental work.
www.logiquenoir.com

Ned Massey
A brief appearance

Our lives are so short. The Japanese have a saying that the man who dies with the least regrets dies the happiest. So the challenge is in deciding what makes a life worthwhile. If I were to die tomorrow, what would cause me the most pain would be if I had betrayed the love in my life and the gifts God has given me. If I can keep that foremost in my mind, and act accordingly, embracing what I know in my heart to be true, I could die tomorrow with peace, knowing I’d done my best. An awareness of our imminent mortality is the best friend we have. Act accordingly. Let’s get to work. read more @ amazon »

www.nedmassey.com

Colin D'Cruz
Bassman

Colin D’Cruz got into music professionally as a bassplayer with resident bands at five star hotels. Performing every night on yearly contracts with different bands laid strong foundations for his musical growth. From nightclubs to the concert stage today, Colin has played just about every form of music from jazz, rock and pop to funk and fusion. Being open minded with a best is yet to come philosophy helped in widening his musical horizons and developing an individual style. Colin’s credentials include several concerts for Jazz-India, some of which he performed as a member of backup bands for international visiting artistes. His experience with so many bands and musical styles led him to form the Brown Indian Band, a melting pot for music from all over the world.
hullocheck.com

Robert Hague
Modern, abstract steel sculpture

Aug:02 "Looking at early modern sculpture and abstraction circa 1915, I can see a way forward, a voice of my own." May:02 "These new works, all have a logic to them. The focus being on connections, the relationship of parts. In both harmonious structure and in collapse." Jan:02 "Lately, I have given myself permission to introduce a sensual, almost figurative element to my work - with the subtle tension of curve against curve." "I've not sought to push concept or elaborate meaning with my sculpture . Each piece should follow its own rules, and live or fail on the strength of it's form, alone." Robert Hague is a Sydney based sculptor who works primarily with welded steel. Modern, abstract sculpture as well as figurative and contemporary in parts.
www.artwise.com.au

Stu Jenks
Circles & spirals

Universal symbols from all cultures, representing everything from festive pinwheels to the internal journey of the soul. The Spiral: A movement down into despair, a motion up into joy, a sojourn inward and back out again. The Circle: A path of completion, a new beginning, a continuing sense of union. "For the past number of years I have been exploring in my photography these two symbols, creating them in sand, in flame in water, in time. Each time I learn a little more about the space I am in, both emotionally internal to my experiences, and physically external to my environment. This series is as much about the exploration of my spiritual reality, as it is about an appreciation of form, shape, and design."
stujenks.com

Corvisier - Barberis
Ordinary days

Corvisier - Barberis : A beautiful black and white day
www.ordinarydays.com

Federico Gentili
Gallery 121

I live and work in Italy and I am not a professional photographer. I love Visual Arts, in particular photography, which is perhaps the most efficient and immediate instrument for telling stories. The site is divided into four parts of photography. Black and white photographs with no title, which deal with the themes of Nature, Architecture and Lifestyle. There is also a gallery “GoTo” where I tell about some places and how, in my opinion, I saw them and maybe how I would have liked to see them. read more »

federicogentili.wix.com/gallery121

Ronald T Simon
Fine black and white photography

Rehearsing With Gods [2004]
Ronald T Simon and Marc Estrin are pleased to announce the release of their upcoming book: Rehearsing With Gods - Photographs and Essays on the Bread & Puppet Theater. 146 Duotone Photographs by Ronald T Simon. Eight Essays by Marc Estrin. Foreward by Grace Paley. Rehearsing With Gods Photographs & Essays on The Bread & Puppet Theater combines a twenty year photographic documentation by Ronald T Simon with eight essays by American author Marc Estrin, in a unique bookwork to be published by Chelsea Green Publishing Company, available May 2004. Rehearsing With Gods offers a profile of theatre director Peter Schumann, established for decades as an important and influential artist, and presents a wealth of visual and written ruminations that may prove a respected publication in the history of modern theatre "I never thought a book could do justice to the magic, the beauty, the power of Bread and Puppet. But Rehearsing with Gods does just that, with the poetic, profound commentary by Marc Estrin, and the magnificent photographs by Ron Simon, all suffused with the loving spirit of Peter and Elka Schumann and their intrepid band of puppeteers." - Howard Zinn, author of A People’s History of the United States For an art book, Rehearsing With Gods has a solid market base to build on, beginning with Bread and Puppet`s own forty year production history and established following. Several areas of study including theatre/art history, fine art/documentary photography and activism/ philosophy are richly entwined together by eight archetypal themes that provide a framework for discussing Peter Schumann’s work. The hard bound cloth version with a first printing of 6000 is reasonably priced at $35 US. Further online discounts will make this book accessible to a larger buying public. Rehearsing With Gods may go beyond The Bread & Puppet Theater’s traditional audience and appeal to a wider readership, both as a reference and as a work of art in itself. A heartfelt tribute that rediscovers a world of artistic creation and identifies Peter Schumann’s grand theatrical vision as one of genius amongst the great directors of modern theatre. read more @ amazon »

Rehearsing with Gods: Photographs and Essays on the Bread & Puppet Theater Hardcover – May 1, 2004 by Ronald T. Simon (Author), Marc Estrin (Author), Grace Paley (Foreword)
Landscape and Desire: Bread and Puppet Pageants in the 1990s Hardcover – 1997 by John; Simon, Ronald Bell (Author)

fineprintphoto.com

Tatsuya Sato
B/W photo

Tatsuya Sato's artistic background is learning from the people, books & films, local galleries, and nature on the road. Much of his work has been inspired by the Beat Generation " and his friends " their works and concepts. In the meantime, Tatsuya felt a growing need to spend time on his own work. he decreased his commercial commitments, and concentrated more and more on his personal work. His journey began at the age of 22 when he felt that " to see myself and the world " with a Nikon F (35mm film camera) and later on having a Leica M3 & MP4. One may take with an everyday occurrence and an unexpected occurrence. And through his lens the ordinary becomes extraordinary and poetic. He confers moods and emotions upon everyday subjects or scenes which he captures in a mystery of lights & shadows reflect a perspective of relationship between people, society and the natural world by internal images. Setting out in the open for a poetic itinerary where the song of his sensitivity happily coexists with both his images and his soul. read more »

www.gallerytokyo.com

Ingrid Kamerbeek
Art-kollektion

Pygoya about Ingrid Kamerbeek: "Born in 1952 in Gummersbach, Germany. Currently lives in the romantic area of Bavaria. The beautiful landscape not only attracts many foreign tourists worldwide but also provides inspiration for Kamerbeek's art. After high school the artist embarked on a very special education in graphic arts through tutelage and apprenticeship with her grandfather and father, two previous family generations of professional painters. Kamerbeek owned galleries in Kaarst near Düsseldorf (1978 - 1980) and in Mönchengladbach (1980 - 1982) before creating her own web site which assists other cyberartists to gain exposure for their work. A true inspirational leader and motivator for the cyberarts. Much art exhibiting, on earth and in cyberspace. One of her works, "Global Consciousness", was inducted recently into the online Cyberculture Art Museum. The artist finds time to maintain the position of Co-coordinator for East Hawaii Cultural Center's International Cyberart World Tour and Coordinator of CenterofCyberspace.com". read more »

www.artingrid.de

Rodney Chang (Pygoya)
We Cyberartists

We Cyberartists have tunnel vision. Through our art, best fitted to the digital network that the spidery Web is, we pipeline our "cyber"-works for "cyber"-culture's sake that is globally prevalent. When I first established a presence on line with my "Truly Virtual Web Art Museum" in 1997, I had difficulty finding good digital art online to fill the virtual gallery spaces with international computer art. It was pretty much a vast e-wasteland. Cultural experience back then was more about taking up residency in free "home"-pages such as Geocities, and flirting in then novel online "chatrooms." But the Internet held the near term promise that scores of digital artists would soon arrive to claim this new realm of art opportunity. And yes, today, they pervasively inhabit this exciting, proliferating cyberspace! There is now such a diverse richness online of cyberarts that I am proud to be part of this pioneering first generation of artists that are providing culture unique to the Web. Here is art found nowhere else but on the Web. "Cyberart," according to my perspective and mission, is digital art that is created exclusively for viewing, appreciation, and experiencing, on the Internet. Imagine the power to now be able to transport your feelings, ideas, as artist with anybody on the planet, bypassing the physical bottlenecks that museums and galleries are, through a democratic, distributive vehicle for public visibility and consumption. All one has to do is conform to the medium of expression that best fits this electronic modality, the computer, the network, the boxy screen. Not all artists, especially the sculptors, take naturally to this beckoning new art medium . But for me, like a fish to water, it was a logical extension from "computer artist" (1985-96) to "cyberartist" (1997- present). It just took a change of commitment from printing-framing-nailing-hanging-on-the-wall to merely uploading new works to my web pages. With the advent of this new portal for artistic visionaries, the Internet's Flash, Java, and multimedia integration developments guarantee future visual delights for all cybercitizens. For 2002 a new milestone for all cyberartists - the EHCC World Tour of Cyberart www.lastplace.com/EXHIBITS/EHCC/ICE2002/ art of disciples for Internet Art- is downloaded, printed out, framed, and exhibited to reveal themselves to those who only "see" in the "real world"- outside the domain of online culture. With the stewardship of Ingrid Kamerbeek of Germany, it is our plan to establish a "web ring" of worldwide museums that recognize, and support, the virtues of Cyberart. Hopefully this will accelerate the pace of opening "unwired" eyes, leading the way to the hidden dimension of edge art just a fingertip away, lying buried, like hidden treasures, within the new landscape of ubiquitous desktops. Pygoya (aka Rodney Chang, M.A., Ph.D) December 5, 2002

Rodney Chang, better known as the Internet's Pygoya, Cyberartist, was the first digital artist to exhibit in Honolulu, back in 1985. Since then he has exhibited around the world, including Paris, New York City, Russia, Germany, England, India, and Japan. His 1988 solo show at Shangahi Art Museum was China's historic first computer art exhibition. In 2002 Dr. Chang curated and organized East Hawaii Cultural Center's first International Cyberart Exhibition and World Tour. Through the 1980s-90s the artist completed his first major project of computer art (over 150 large painted canvases), "PaintOuts" (as in "printouts") or "Cyberpaintings", before dedicating his creative works solely to digital online display , as content for his virtual 3D museum, The Pygoya Webmuseum, established in 1997. His latest major contribution to the visual arts of the Web is "100 Cyberbabies" (as in new art born on the Internet) exhibition. Currently the artist is curator and director for his online virtual reality Truly Virtual Web Art Museum, webmaster for Las Vegas Art Musuem Web site (until 2002) and the East Hawaii Cultural Center Pygoya made history in organizing and traveling to Calcutta for India's first ever international digital art exhibition (1999). In early 2002 Truly Virtual Web Art Museum proudly greeted its 1 millionth visitor.
The computer serves as assistant in discovering new art visions for Pygoya. The artist, over the years' parade of changing personal computer systems, always attempts to reinvent his developed "style" on the computer, as much his own input as the evolving technical tools. Then, instead of a hard copy printout that other computer artists exhibit and sell, an intermediary actual painting on canvas is produced to "dedigitize" the work This is done in order to remove a purely technical feeling of computer graphics, which some consider a bit "sterile". Then the working painting is photographed, "redigitalized" and modified through editing refinements by the artist. The "final" work of art are either Giclée or Epson archival inkjet prints or such derived digital cyberart is placed online for exhibition in Internet cyberspace virtual reality galleries, such as the 3DPygoya Webmuseum . Most recently, purely digital images are garnered from 3D software and posted as art created for the Internet to contribute to the global visual arts online cyberculture. As such Pygoya's 100 Cyberbabies in 2002 were inspired by the online life of the artist. read more »

www.lastplace.com

Matt Costa
Songs We Sing

Songs We Sing is a winding collection, running the stylistic and historic gamut of pop music; hues of ragtime, folk, psychedelia, country, and rock are cast liberally across the album.  Songs We Sing recalls a time when America was under the spell of such UK imports as Donovan and Van Morrison. The man responsible for this throwback to simpler times is 23 year-old Matt Costa.   At age 12, Costa received his first guitar but it was quickly shelved and replaced with a more “thrilling” gift: a skateboard. Costa compensated for his late start skateboarding with intense dedication to the sport and in a matter of years nearly turned pro.  Three years ago that path shifted drastically when Matt shattered his leg in a skateboarding accident.  The injury required eighteen months of recovery and rehabilitation.  During that downtime, Matt directed his energy, passion and talent toward the guitar, writing and recording simple tunes.  Initially, a mini tape recorder served as his crude studio.  Matt’s songwriting later flourished when he invested in a 4-track recorder. Two years ago, Matt’s homemade demo began circulating amongst friends and acquaintances in and around his hometown of Huntington Beach, California.  One copy found its way into the hands of No Doubt guitarist Tom Dumont.  Costa made such an impression that Dumont offered to record more demos for him in his home studio.  Those first recordings led to a self-titled 5 song EP that Costa and Dumont distributed themselves.  As interest in the EP grew, the two were already deep into the sessions that led to Songs We Sing.  Considering Dumont’s experience as a songwriter, one might expect him to have taken a more active role in the songwriting process. This however, was no usual mentorship, as Dumont remained behind the control board, offering encouragement, more interested in capturing Matt’s talent than in shaping the songs himself.  Phil Ek (Modest Mouse, The Shins) applied the finishing touches, mixing the twelve tracks that have become Songs We Sing. Archetypal themes run throughout Songs We Sing. Evil, love, nature, poverty and the universe itself all make appearances.  Costa approaches these topics without posture and without politics.  As the narrator in “Cold December” Costa sings, “I have not failed to be what you’d expect of me / Swallowing glass just to stay pure.”  Costa doesn’t put on an act and he makes no effort to meet anyone’s expectations. He re-presents his life in a mixture of words and melody, and the seeming effortlessness with which he performs leaves one wondering why songwriting isn't a more common form of communication.   Matt Costa’s skill with a guitar is immediately apparent, especially in a live setting. He has supported a variety of artists including Built To Spill, Lou Barlow, Pinback and James Mercer from the Shins. A 2005 summer tour with label mate Jack Johnson opened Costa’s eyes to the rigors of touring. Taking the stage as the opening act for one of the most anticipated tours of the year can allow you to shine, or lay bare your weaknesses, but Costa held his own on the road. Whether it be solo, armed only with an acoustic guitar, or backed by a collection of musicians, his performance draws you in and you are left with no choice but to listen to the stories he has to tell.   Costa’s flexibility and willingness to embrace almost any situation, musical or otherwise, keeps Songs We Sing fresh and free from categorization.  It’s an unexpected effort from a young man in the unlikely suburban surroundings of Huntington Beach: a city whose reputation is built on surfers and skaters, not brown-eyed bards with compelling voices. read more @ amazon »

www.mattcosta.com

Beck
Sea Change

Beck is bummed. Really bummed. And if song titles such as "Lost Cause," "Lonesome Tears," "Already Dead," and "Nothing I Haven't Seen" don't make the point, his achingly sad lyrics and Sea Change's unerringly downcast sound do. While 1998's Mutations arguably the singer-songwriter's masterwork and Sea Change's spiritual cousin--was filled with unflinching self-examination, moments of levity were found in songs like "Tropicalia." Not so on Sea Change. Beck's woozy, almost narcoleptic delivery seems to amplify the set's sense of ennui. But sad isn't necessarily bad, and despite the somber tone, there's much to praise, not the least of which is the return of producer Nigel Goderich (Mutations, Radiohead ) who wraps Beck's gloom in a dreamy, warm blanket of soft strings and floating bleeps and gurgles. Like Daniel Lanois , Goderich is all about vibe, and even Beck's most bare-bones songs benefit from billowy atmospherics. That's especially true of "Paper Tiger," a restless, slowly building epic improbably propelled by a languid orchestra and Beck's expressionless drone. The inky black feel of "Round the Bend"--a glacially slow dirge with muffled vocals--may be the darkest thing Beck's ever written, not counting the very grim "Already Dead." Whatever's going on in Beck's world, at least we know he's purging, which, all things considered, may be better for his soul than ours. --Kim Hughes read more @ amazon »

www.beck.com