Insider's Look: Aluminum Foiled

Readers of my blog get the first look at my new home page photo every month. This photo is part of my Truths, Lies and Legends collection. I begin with a spectacular natural setting. Then, I interfere. I place something in the frame giving the impression that a person has been there recently. My interfering in this way transforms a photographic landscape into the set of an unfolding story. My intention is to involve the viewer as storyteller. To get ideas flowing, I offer a few storylines of my own.

When Frank Goldberg was a young boy he created vast futuristic cities made of aluminum foil.

Or…

As he toiled to push the shopping cart full of precious recyclables, a ball of foil popped out
unnoticed.

Or…

After reading a viral email that aluminum foil causes alzheimer’s disease, Frank took it upon himself to alert the American public.

Be the first to buy an Aluminum Foiled print and get a 50% discount on the size of your choice.

Blog-o-Meter Reading September 27, 2008

Search results for Molly Ahearn:
• Google: #1
• Yahoo: #1
• MSN: #1

Google Page Rank for my site: 2 (out of 10)

Number of page views to this blog: 3505

Number of page views to my site: 2965

Number of email subscribers: 19

What a Party!

Thanks to everybody for making the opening of True Cowgirls a magical night! Great job on the photos, Nadine. Thanks for sharing.

Will Babe’s Ghost Move?

The Yankees played their final game in Yankee stadium Sunday night. A sad day to be sure. I love that place. When I lived in the city I often took the D train uptown. The team was horrendous back then and tickets easy to find. For four bucks I could buy a cheap seat and slip an usher a couple more dollars to sit front row along the field. Dave Winfield (I used to call him Legs) was my favorite player.

To celebrate my brother’s birthday, my parents treated the family to one of the last games played at the stadium. For me, a lot of what makes the place is the characters that fill it. They’ll definitely move next door when the new stadium doors open in April, but will the ghosts of Yankee greats float over? We’ll have to wait and see.

Truth, Lies and Legends

I’ve had second thoughts about the title of my latest collection. Last week I released, Fried Eggs, the first in that series. The working title I’d been using, Absence or Presence? Just doesn’t describe the project or enhance it in any way. As readers of my blog, you get to witness all my successes—and my missteps. So, I’ve renamed the collection “Truths, Lies and Legends.”

My intention has always been to make the viewer an active part of these images. To get them started, each photograph will be accompanied by a few storylines I invent. Paper and pencils will be available for people to write their own storyline ideas, constantly enhancing the exhibit. Why is a bicycle in the middle of a country road with its wheel spinning under a threatening sky? Little Stevie was riding up and down his driveway one crisp, Autumn Saturday morning, and carelessly abandoned his bike when a huge snapping turtle began crossing the road. Or, 5-year-old Susie was hit by her license-free, 16-year-old neighbor, Cal, who had taken his father’s old truck out for a joy ride. Or, a tornado came through whirling and spinning the little red bike thousands of feet into the air and dropped it harshly onto the pavement five miles away.

Love to hear feedback on this. What do you guys think?

The Fair Isn’t Over

Join me September 18 for a presentation about the Dutchess County fair. Hosted by the Millbrook Historical Society, I’ll be giving a slideshow and talk on the fair’s history. Tom Odak will then speak to the group about his 29 years as fair manager. A great storyteller, I’m sure his remembrances will be fun and memorable.

Members of the historical society are preparing visual displays and fair memorabilia. I’m bringing my research notebook which is full of articles from the Agricultural Society’s 168 years including agricultural census information dating back to the 1840s and a copy of IBM’s Thomas Watson’s original speech—cross outs and all—to international representatives after the end of WWII.

WHERE: Lyall Federated Church, 30 Maple Avenue in downtown Millbrook, New York
WHEN: 7p.m. Thursday, September 18

It’s All About Merritt

Merritt Bookstore in Millbrook, NY is the coziest bookstore I’ve ever been in. Comfy couches and chairs are scattered throughout for a quick, or lengthy (they don’t mind), perusal. The kids section is stuffed with great books you don’t see anywhere else. The people who work there love books and love to share what they know.

Owners Scott and Alison Meyer are committed to supporting the arts and the community. They host music and art shows as well as author readings, and were the masterminds behind last spring’s popular book festival. The upstairs area of the store is a big, open gallery space where we (thanks again Bill!) just installed a show of my Dutchess County Fair photos. Go on down to the store, enjoy the art and buy a book!

Cowgirls in a Winery

The big day is approaching fast. Bill (thanks honey!) and I set up the show last week and it looks great. Come drink some wine, taste some yummy treats (Smitty’s cooking) and see photos from my cowgirl collection as well as the intense colors of Jose Acosta’s allegorical oil paintings. If you can’t make the opening reception, the show is up through November 16 and the winery is open daily from 11 to 6. If you’d like to buy a program, shoot me an email.

Opening Reception: Saturday, September 13, 4:30-6:30 p.m., Millbrook Vineyards, 26 Wing Road, Millbrook, NY

Wicked Surf and Dolphin Smiles

Spent last week chilling and having fun in Virginia Beach. Our hotel was right on the beach so we woke to the sound of crashing waves and vivid sunrises. It’s an ideal vacation spot for families. Bikes and surreys are easy to rent and cruise up and down the boardwalk. The beach is full of kids. The city offers free entertainment every night on the streets near the beach and in several bandshells. You can see all kinds of musical performances—classical to rock—watch fire-eaters, have your face painted, see a magic show. One day, we went on a dolphin-watching cruise. They swim along the beach and are easy to find. No animal gives me as much delight.

Insider's Look: Fried Eggs

Readers of my blog get the first look at my new home page photo every month. This is the first photo to be released from my Truths, Lies and Legends Collection. II begin with a spectacular natural setting. Then, I interfere. I place something in the frame giving the impression that a person has been there recently. My interfering in this way transforms a photographic landscape into the set of an unfolding story. My intention is to involve the viewer as storyteller. To get ideas flowing, I offer a few storylines of my own.

Tom lived a decidedly 18th century kind of life inside a one-room cabin in the woods venturing out only to satisfy his bizarre mind’s affliction to slay eggs.

Or…

Sweat dripped from her forehead onto the spreading yokes as she dropped the eggs onto the
asphalt in an attempt to test the theory of whether blacktop gets hot enough to fry eggs.

Or…

Anna forgot to latch the door to the chicken coop.


Be the first to buy a Fried Eggs print and get a 50% discount on the size of your choice.

Blog-o-Meter Reading August 27, 2008

Search results for Molly Ahearn:
• Google: #1
• Yahoo: #1
• MSN: #1

Google Page Rank for my site: 2 (out of 10)

Number of page views to this blog: 2840

Number of page views to my site: 2589

Number of email subscribers: 18