#996 Caffenol Platform Session – Alternative B&W processing

We are offering an evening with Matt Hinther as part of our Ottawa Platform Series. Matt is joining us to guide you through the new-ish alternative process of film and paper development – Caffenol!

Caffenol development

Caffenol – Black and White Processing

What is Caffenol?
The Caffenol process is a much less toxic development process using simple ingredients to develop and print B&W film.

People with home-based darkrooms or those working in shared darkrooms will appreciate working in a less toxic environment.The opportunity to try new tinting and creative options is also exciting!

Join us on October 25th for a fun, evening of exploration with Caffenol!
Only $15…
Details and registration.

#991 Art Events in Ottawa

1. Portraits of Bluesfest
Last night I soaked up the fun at Peter Simpson‘s annual Portraits of Bluesfest Event at Patrick Gordon Framing.

What I love about this annual show is the diversity of work. There are a few photos but most the work are interpretations inspired by the festival.

Fine Bluesfest oriented artworks are auctioned off to raise money for Blues in the Schools. This year Peter estimated they raised close to $10,000. Pretty nice!

Bluesfest Ottawa

Michael Franti – Bluesfest Ottawa

2. Oil/Change 
Danny Hussey, accomplished Ottawa artist has recently opened a new studio Central Art Garage in Ottawa’s China Town and is kicking off the fall season with a show with other celebrated Canadian artists.
Worth a visit!

Details
Central Art Garage
September 13th 2013 7PM 10PM
66B Lebreton St. N. Ottawa, Ontario

3. Watershed Exhibition at YOW
More coming later… but our Watershed Exhibition is now hanging in the Ottawa Airport in the departure lounge.

Watershed Art

Ottawa Airport Exhibitio (thanks to Lisa Forbes for the photo)

#983 Art Studios at Ottawa Studio Works

We have just renovated two spaces available appropriate for fine artists, writers or other creatives at Ottawa Studio Works.

Individual artist’s studio spaces (2 x approximately 100 sqft) are available with shared access to larger exhibition space looking onto Ottawa’s Preston St.

Exhibition space @ Ottawa Studio Works

Exhibition space @ Ottawa Studio Works

Included with your own private creative space:
• use of kitchenette
• shared use of private patio/gardens
• access to shared exhibition space to meet clients, prepare bigger works, exhibit your work in solo shows.
• internet
• utilities
• feature on the OSW website and Facebook page
• your name on the studio door
• excellent Preston St exposure

Available September 1st.

Studios are just under 100 square feet and offer shared access to a larger exhibition space looking directly onto Preston St.

Work in your studio.
Greet patrons and show work in the exhibition space.
Get walk-by exposure from bustling Preston St.

View past art events at the studio:
www.ottawastudioworks.com/events

Cost $290/ month + HST.
First and last month needed.

Viewings available:
Please send your information (website, CV, artist’s statement or letter of intent) to info@Ottawastudioworks.com
… or call us at 613 601-9460

Questions? Anytime.

Ottawa art studio

Artist studio / exhibition space at Ottawa Studio Works

#978 Platform Sessions at the Photo Studio

Platform Sessions

Based on successes in the last few years, this fall we are introducing Platform Sessions at Ottawa Studio Works.

Platform offers a space and time to bring a selection of interesting photo, arts and related events to photo and arts enthusiasts.

presentation at Ottawa photo studio

Ottawa Book Award Winner – Jamie Findlay – at Ottawa Studio Works

Effectively, we are offering a platform from which people can speak and show interesting ideas to the community:
• slideshows
• tech nights
print presentations
• critique sessions
• equipment exchanges
• socials
book readings

We’re open to your ideas and would love to hear from you!
Cost? Dates? Events?
We’re making it up as we go…

Stay tuned to our workshops page to see what’s coming up… We’ll be adding some events in August.

photo presentation - Ottawa

Print Presentation at the photo studio

#977 Web Distractions – Photo Links from the Web!

A big thanks to readers for feeding us some fun photo links. This week we have some fun for you:

100 years of Tour de France photos
Cycling readers inspired this link to historical photos from the world’s most famous cycling race!

The Rise of the Selfie (Self Portrait) in Social Media
Lee brought us this link that explores the current social media obsession with the self portrait!

Photo Spotlight on Detroit (and a series on Theatres…)
Marc sent us a link to the works of Marchand & Meffre. Worth a look!

Photo Tips = Better Photos
And we bring you photo tips most days of the week @ PrimePhotoTips.com

Thanks for the web distractions. If you have things to share please send them in!

Self Portrait

iPhone Self Portrait – Harry Nowell

#959 Ottawa Exhibition this Weekend – The New Art Festival

Watershed Art Exhibition

Watershed Art Exhibition

It’s a big weekend – we’re exhibiting Watershed and other stories at the New Art Festival in Ottawa.

It’s a very fun collection of artists showing and selling their work. Last year was my first year and it ranged from misty to pouring – and that put a damper on things! This weekend the weather looks fabulous!

I’ll be exhibiting some “Watershed” – a photographic exploration of 13km of a creek that meanders through Gatineau Park and Old Chelsea, past our home and under Highway 5. Most of the work was shot on medium and large format film. I’ll also exhibit other stories – something for everyone…

Other Stories

… And Other Stories

But come and see others, too. Who’ll be there?
Louis Helbig! He’s an aerial photographer who has shot the Alberta tar sands, Sunken Villages and has just returned from a new aerial adventure – but you better ask him about that! …erm, I just found out Louis is away this weekend! 

Sandy Sharkey! She’s a super woman – just returned from shooting wild horses in the Western United States.

… And many, many others!
Please join us.

Details:
Saturday June 15th to Sunday, June 16th.
10am-5pm.
Central Park, 
The Glebe, 
Ottawa
My booth is ‘9 south‘ near Clemow and Bank St.

Free admission.

Last year there was cake!

#958 Photo Exhibition Review – John Rowlands’ 50 Years of Rock & Roll History

We just exhibited John Rowlands’ 50 years of Rock & Roll at Ottawa Studio Works!

Jean Marc Carisse and John Rowlands

Jean Marc Carisse and John Rowlands

Many thanks are in order…
• Thanks to John Rowlands for photographing (and sharing) Rock & Roll legends for the last 50 years.
• Thanks to all the people who made the exhibition possible – Tetra speakers, past students and Ron LaVoie for supplying the music.
• Thanks to everyone for entering the Music Photography Contest (Congratulations Jacqueline Barisan and Bartholemew Nowak for your photo successes!)
• Thanks to Spotlight Ottawa and Photokibitiz for sharing the fun!
• And thanks to all of YOU for visiting the exhibition, supporting the Ottawa Food Bank and purchasing John’s work!

John Rowlands with Photo Contest Winner Jacqueline Barisan's photo

John Rowlands with Photo Contest Winner Jacqueline Barisan’s photo

We had a steady stream of visitors including Andrew Balfour and Jean Marc Carisse, prominent Ottawa photographers. And the stories John Rowlands told over the evening captivated the audience. Amazing…

The show will stay up for a few weeks and is available for viewing and purchases by appointment if you missed it! Just let us know…

Jean Marc Carisse, Harry Nowell and John Rowlands

Jean Marc Carisse, Harry Nowell and John Rowlands © Sandra Finnner

#944 Elmwood School Art Exhibition

A while back we mentioned the Elmwood School art exhibition at our photo studio.

The Vernissage was last Friday and it was packed. Students, parents and the public packed the studio to see the artwork.

Elmwood Art Exhibition

Elmwood Art Exhibition

It’s worth seeing. One visitor this week came to see the exhibit as she passed the studio. Her reaction?
This artwork is done by high school students?!
Yes!

You only have a few days left to see it! The exhibition closes Sunday, May 12th!

Elmwood Art Exhibition

Elmwood Art Exhibition

Details:
May 3rd-12th, 2013.

Hours:
Wednesday-Friday: 12-6pm.
Saturday, Sunday: 10-4pm.

Ottawa Studio Works
160 Preston St. Ottawa

Elmwood Art Exhibition

Elmwood Art Exhibition

Read a review by Marita Cockburn BA, MA, MFA:

An exhibition of the work of grade 9-12 students, the second annual Elmwood Art Show sets an impressive precedent for high school art programs in the Ottawa area.

Drawing, sculpture, painting, photography, and mixed media mingle in the gallery space, producing a strong aesthetic end product. The works also present a convincing conceptual framework; indeed, a thorough understanding of any of the works is predicated on this conceptual underpinning.

The exhibition engages with several themes, among them the notion of place, space, and the conception of public and private identity; but, while complex ideas are at the heart of most of the exhibition, the works sustain a refreshing and admirable simplicity. Perhaps most rewarding for the audience, however, is that, embedded in each piece there is evidence of these young artists’ intellectual and creative processes, as they expand their consciousness. It is both exciting and a privilege to share and engage in this experience.

At the show’s opening, the artists conducted themselves impressively, often times volunteering insights on their work to the guests. The handbill was also helpful for navigating some of the work. Further, for the week-long exhibition, most of the students provided extended (and cogently written) artist statements that outlined the creative process, an acknowledgment of the evolution of the work, from its inception to its completion.  

Credit should go to Elmwood art teacher, Heawon Chun, for directing the student work in a conceptual direction – high school art is all too frequently trapped in the material and concrete realm. Acclaim, however, should also go to the participating students, who skillfully met the challenge presented to them by their teacher.

#942 – Announcing the Music Photography Exhibition of John Rowlands!

David Bowie - © John Rowlands

David Bowie - © John Rowlands

Last year we ran our second  Music Photography show at the studio. I was contacted by John Rowlands about his music work.

As I learned about the sheer depth of his work my jaw continued to drop! It seems he has photographed EVERYBODY in rock and roll with any significance.

Rolling Stones
Beatles
Bob Dylan
Elton John
James Brown
BeeGees
David Bowie
Elvis Presly
etc, etc, etc.

Bob Marley © John Rowlands

Bob Marley © John Rowlands

John’s music career started from humble beginnings:
John Rowlands, a 13 year old  teenager who lived in a part of Ottawa called ‘Manor Park’ was a big fan of the popular recording artist, Brenda Lee. With an advance on his 10 cents a week allowance, money made from his 77 drop morning paper route, and cash made from helping the local milkman he bought a ticket to the Brenda Lee Show. Sensing that it was a long shot that she might ever be his girlfriend he took along his father’s camera, a single roll of film and 12 very large flash bulbs…

And his career grew quickly from there! John has just returned from a show at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London featuring his portraits of David Bowie.

Jimi Hendrix © John Rowlands

Jimi Hendrix © John Rowlands

And soon he will be featuring his work at our photo studio – Ottawa Studio Works. It’s a one day show highlighting some of John’s fabulous work.

Details:
Saturday, June 8th, 2013
noon-9pm (approximately)
Ottawa Studio Works;
160 Preston St.

John’s prints will be exhibited and available for sale!

Jackson 5 © John Rowlands

Jackson 5 © John Rowlands

We will be collecting donations for the Ottawa Food Bank, too!

Ottawa Food Bank

Ottawa Food Bank

Stay tuned for the Music Online Photo Contest where we ask you to enter and vote for your favourite music shots, ever. The most liked photo will have a chance to be exhibited alongside John’s work at the studio – details coming this week!

Pete Townshend © John Rowlands

Pete Townshend © John Rowlands