PATTERNS AND TONES

"Kern County Fair No 1" 2016 I only attended two county fairs in California this year. Their dates and my schedule did not jive. But I did end up shooting the first and last county fairs in the state. The Riverside County Fair and International Date Festival occurred in February. The early date helped fair goers avoid the blistering heat of the desert later in the year. While Kern County ended the fair season at the beginning of October. Although technically it was Autumn, the summer sun was unrelenting and the harsh light was hard to escape. This is the first time I had revisited a specific county fair, as I wanted to round out the collection of images I had captured of the Kern County Fair back in 2013. What captured my eye this time around was the BMX Pros and their tricks on their bikes. They reminded me of all the skaters I used to hand out with in Walnut Creek: fearless, crazy and fun. The little kids were in awe of their theatrics and I enjoyed a new generati...

"El Camino No. 22" 2015 My husband Jonnie Green is a motorcycle enthusiast and entrepreneur who runs Ton-up Classics . Over the years I have attended different swap meets with him in hopes of finding interesting crates, vintage toys or other unusual items, as well as to support his passion. The El Camino is the one swap meet I have attended consistently for the past 7 years. I started attending the swap meet with Jonnie in his unrestored '59 El Camino. The irony was just too good not to become a tradition. For 36 years it was held at El Camino High School in Redondo Beach but has now moved to the famous Irwindale Speedwa y. for the past 4 years. It's always good to see many of the sellers that attend year after year. These swap meets are a group of hard working folk with a burning passion for motorcycles and are a parallel universe to the portraits I take of the hard working folk at the California County Fairs . The repetitive patterned backdrops tell an i...

I recently gave a lecture at the Los Angeles Public Library which focused on a series I have been working on called "California County Fairs" . This photographic series has been evolving over the past two years and by laying out the images into a cohesive narrative for this lecture, I was able to see the direction it has taken and where it needs to go.  It was an honor to present this body of work and a good challenge for me to select, organize,  and ruminate over the various themes that had developed over time.  With over 50 rolls of film, I began scanning the heros and ended up selecting 90 images for the lecture presentation. You can watch the lecture in its entirety by click on the photograph below: "Alameda County Fair No. 8" 2014 With 47 county fairs to go, it looks like I will be working on this project for years to come. In the mean time, I look forward to visiting each county and capturing their unique twist on a timeless theme. See ...

"Fleeting Perspectives: A Paper Ballet No. 13" will be exhibited in the Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery at historic Barnsdall Art Park  as part of the 2015 Los Angeles Juried Exhibition. Presented by the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, this "pioneering biennial exhibition provides emerging artist from across Southern California with a competitive opportunity to exhibit their work". The exhibition runs from July 26 - September 20, 2015. The opening reception will be tomorrow Sunday, July 26th from 2-5pm. Hope to see you there! Barnsdall Park 4800 Hollywood Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90027 In other news, I have been invited by The Photographers Eye to give a lunchtime lecture on my photographic series " California County Fairs " at the Los Angeles Public Library Wednesday, August 26th from 12:15 -1pm. The Photographer's Eye is a free lecture series presented by Photo Friends of the Los Angeles Public Library . Pho...