A Rose By Any Other Name...

There is another sky

"There Is Another Sky"
by Emily Dickinson


There is another sky,
Ever serene and fair,
And there is another sunshine,
Though it be darkness there;
Never mind faded forests, Austin,
Never mind silent fields—
Here is a little forest,
Whose leaf is ever green;
Here is a brighter garden,
Where not a frost has been;
In its unfading flowers
I hear the bright bee hum:
Prithee, my brother,
Into my garden come!

La Mission

La Mission Cemetery in Baja Mexico

Remembering Richard Salvatore D'Amore: A Photographer, A Poet, A Brother, An Uncle

May 31, 1940- December 14th, 2006

Richard D’Amore, My Brother

"From my birth, until my manhood, my brother Richard was my guide and my hero. As we grew up we widened our adventures and challenged the world with our god given talents. Working different jobs, repairing, cooking, helping others along the way. Surviving, while being self-taught in the arts.
Our parents had little schooling, but taught us both to use the wisdom we were born with. For me this was my way of life, and still is. If I ran out of wisdom, I just asked my brother; he always had enough to give. We both like to finish what we start and we found that putting the finishing touches on things helps to make an art form.
I liked to call my brother Dick, and he called me Bob. He had beautiful hands and long fingers. He was a great flamenco guitarist, writer, and most of all, photographer. When he was young, he went to medical school for a while. His friends would say he had the best hands to be a fine surgeon. He did not finish school. He wanted other things in life. His eyes were open to the arts.
The camera was the eye opener he was looking for. With photography, his world began to get larger and larger. The things he saw behind the lens began to make stories, the stories that later became mysterious and poetic. His new art was to anticipate through the lens and create an image that showed the world exactly how he saw it, how he felt it. Photography was easy, but the more he learned, the harder it was. There were people who saw his work as a piece of beauty and conversation, kind of a fairy tale, a place to go into and play. I was proud of my brother, and I found myself also having a special talent with my camera. We were told to stay original. Fifteen years into our work, there were art shows and publications world wide."... "In spite of all the pressure on my brother, especially towards the end of his life, he was a man who could go into his darkroom, and when all the work was done, he had in his hand a piece of art worth a museum wall or the finest gallery in the world. My brother was a master of his art. I would not like to see his life’s work wasted. I want to help share his photography with the world were it belongs. I will do now what he can do no longer. My brother is my blood. His work is my blood." - Robert D’Amore




Today my Uncle Richard would have been a healthy, vibrant 70 year old artist. His birthday would have been quite a celebration and I know that all of you would have been there to toast him. In LA at the Venice studio with the the photo blessed walls with a slice of salami and the stinkiest of blue cheeses. In Paris the celebration might have been in a boisterous french cafe with glass upon glass of some amazing red wine, paired with an even stinkier piece of unpasteurized french cheese.

Not a day goes by that I don't think of him. I'm surrounded by his photographs, surrounded by my father's and almost daily, creating my own imagery that is a tribute to my family. It's in my blood. The thirst to explore and question. It's a gift, to document life, to create a story, to express a thought or a feeling onto paper and now share even faster via the web. My Uncle's artist statement says it perfectly...

“Culture is the lifeblood of peoples... It is what they are, their art, their food.. their personal grace... their soul. With images on paper, I extend to others the bouquet of a people... It is always a privilege to be offered a sample, a taste of another culture, to listen to the stories, the music, to feel the land, to smell the odors of the kitchen... to feel the wild sage on the skin... to have someone pray for you in a foreign tongue...”-Richard D'Amore

In honor of my Uncle Dickie, I raise my camera to the sky so that he may look down from above and bless my lens with light and wisdom, with courage and compassion, with humor, and with love. With every click of the shutter I am reminded how lucky I am and forever proud to be your niece and a D'Amore.

Bonne anniversaire mon vieil et d'humeur changeante. Je vous aime
Aurelia

Easy Rider, Have a Great Trip

Again, another great, eccentric artist gone too soon. With 30 being the new 20 these days, that makes 74 the new 64, and that's just too young to have to call it quits. Rest in peace and have a great trip Easy Rider.

I wished that I had an opportunity to do a real portrait or Mr. Hopper instead of merely an event photo on the fly. None the less, I must admit that I was star stuck and embarrassed to ask..."Excuse me, Mr. Hopper, can I photograph you next to the Liechtenstein BMW art car?
In a similar fashion to rock ledgend photographer Jim Marshall passing away right before his exhibition at the Fahey Klein Gallery, Dennis was preparing for an Exhibition at MOCA Geffen Contemporary. that will be open from 7/11/2010-09/26/10

"Dennis Hopper Double Standard" (named for his iconic 1961 photograph, pictured below) will be the first comprehensive survey of Hopper's artistic career to be mounted by a North American museum. The exhibition will feature approximately 200 works, ranging from an early painting from 1955 and photographs, sculpture, and assemblages from the 1960s to more recent large-scale billboard paintings and film installations. The curator? Julian Schnabel.-"-Media Bistro
In May it was announced that Hopper will be the subject of an upcoming biography by American writer Tom Folsom, Hopper: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream.

Here are a few more photos of Mr. Hopper at the LACMA & Vanity Fair 2009 Oscar Party.

ps... Dennis bought one of Andy Warhol's Campbell's Soup Cans paintings for $75 dollars back in the 60's. It pays to support your favorite up and comming artists :)

more photos from the event I photographed
LACMA & Vanity Fair Magazine 2009 Oscar week

Oklahoma

A couple weeks ago I had the privilege of visiting the great state of Oklahoma. Upon arrival I was greeted with a tornado warning. As terrifying and destructive as that might have been to experience, the Dorthy in me wanted to have a Wizard of Oz photo shoot and see a real tornado. (I know, wrong state, but close enough) The warnings remained simply warnings and Tornado Alley was calm aside from a little lightning. I was blessed with a magnificent sky to photograph. The following day was on it's best behavior and it was perfect weather for Oklahoma in May.

"For My Heart"

Poem by one of my favorite poets, Pablo Neruda titled “For My Heart” and in Spanish ... “Para mi corazón basta tu pecho”

XII (from Twenty Love Poems)


Your breast is enough for my heart,
and my wings for your freedom.
What was sleeping above your soul will rise
out of my mouth to heaven.

In you is the illusion of each day.
You arrive like the dew to the cupped flowers.
You undermine the horizon with your absence.
Eternally in flight like the wave.

I have said that you sang in the wind
like the pines and like the masts.
Like them you are tall and taciturn,
and you are sad, all at once, like a voyage.

You gather things to you like an old road.
You are peopled with echoes and nostalgic voices.
I awoke and at times birds fled and migrated
that had been sleeping in your soul.

The above poem was translated by W. S. Merwin

Happy Birthday Josh!

Happy birthday Josh!
I'm processing these images right this minute and was overcome with cuteness, so I'm posting this photo... more to come from Josh's third birthday party on April 25th 2010.

I've been photographing Josh and his older brother Elija for three and a half years now. It's such an honor to document them growing. I photograph them every six months and each time I am amazed at how their little personalities get bigger and bigger.

Along the way...

Roaming around the Los Angeles Reservoir with my friend Evren Goknar, singer/songwriter and guitarist mastermind of the band Evil Maria.
Check em out.... http://www.myspace.com/evilmariatheband

There are places to escape in LA, you just have to find them.
Taking a moment to replenish my own creative reservoir after a day of photographing a wild party of 3 year olds. Here are some photos....

along the way....

Say it isn't so.

The other Hollywood sign ;)

shadow play

The Hollywood Reservoir

Hollywood

the heart of the earth

portrait of Jake & Murry

me: photo by Evren Goknar

me in a tree: photo by Evren Goknar