Eames Inspiration

Back in April, I was fortunate enough to get guided tour of the entire (exterior AND interior) of the Eames Case Study House in Santa Monica. In addition the Josef Albers painting that was casually hanging in a hallway of the home, the other unexpected inspiration in the home was Charles Eames' personal 'copy' (one of the very first ever produced) of the Eames Lounger. The leather on the chair was as ragged, patinaed and worn as baseball glove, and incredibly beautiful.

Fortunately, after a few months of hunting online and several auctions lost, my wife and I are bringing home a second-hand Eames Lounger of our own today. And thanks to some helpful advice from a friend, I'll be able to manage the disassembly/reassembly process to transport the item in the back of our station wagon. (Thanks Andy!)

I can't wait to spend a few hours reviewing some of my favorite reference books in the comfort of this beauty...

BLACK PIECE

I dug this gem out of the archives today....not sure why, probably just curious to see it again. It was the first piece of what would develop into my most thorough, inquisitive and defining body of work (Nonrepresentational Photographs), spanning from Summer 1992, to present. I totally abandoned the use of cameras to create works that were neither windows, nor mirrors. Just complete, physical fact.

The Black Piece was catalyzed by a number of factors, including increasing frustration with photography's notions of truth and beauty. I was also deep into my studies (at SCAD) of 20th Century Photography and completely immersed in Crisis of the Real by Andy Grundberg. I was also fortunate enough to have several, very supportive instructors at the time, Professor Tom Fischer and Professor Pete Christman....

How does the Black Piece appear to me today? I'm not sure, so maybe that's why I find it so interesting.

Above: JRF, Black Piece, toned silver gelatin prints, tape, push pins, 88" x 72", 1992.

REFERENCE LIBRARY / INSPIRATION

Whenever I am at a loss for that hint of creative inspiration, I can always rely on the work of Rauschenberg to stimulate my imagination. I never tire of reviewing his massive and varied collection of prints, paintings, sculptures, etc...one relatively obscure publication that really highlights his raw and playful sense of graphic design is Rauschenberg Posters.

Above is a cliche verre, which literally translates to 'glass picture'. (It's essentially a spin on the technique of photograms, which was pioneered by Moholy-Nagy and Man Ray in the early 1900's). Beautiful and complex results from an ancient (in terms of photo history) and analog technique...combined with some primitive typography and the result is a completely refreshing print design to announce an exhibit.