So busy!

May 09, 2009

I have been SO busy lately. That's a good thing, right? So I thought I would just show you a smattering of shots that I have taken over the last week or so. There is lots happening art-wise, business-wise, and otherwise.

A couple of weekends ago we enjoyed the early spring in Boston...

Well we had Open Studios last weekend at Western Avenue. Here is fellow photographer Meghan Moore, who was hunting down other artists in order to create some editorial-style portraits for a portfolio of Western Avenue that the owner is putting together. He needs a photo of Meghan, so...

And last weekend the 10th annual Westford Road Race was held here in Westford, Massachusetts. It is organized by by the Westford Charitable Foundation, and it goes through the center, which is a short walk from here.

Stopping the action is too easy :-)

We are also getting ready for the Lowell Humane Society benefit art show at Western Avenue, and I had one more staff member who I wanted to include in my work. Suellen has an ginormous Flemish rabbit and very kindly invited me to photograph her with her friend. If you come to the show, this and several other photos of mine will be on display.

And finally, last night was the reception of the excellent show currently at the Loading Dock Gallery, "People Standing" by painter Rebekah Wetmore. It runs until May 24th and is really excellent!'

lowell.com

April 16, 2009

I recently met and worked with Elliot Silver, the owner and operator of the lowell.com website. Among his other internet endeavors, he has chosen to run the lowell.com web site and make it the go-to location on the internet for information about Lowell. Elliot met with several of us at Western Avenue Studios over lunch to talk about his intentions for the site. He is originally from Nashua, and so has an interest in the region and in Lowell in particular.

The lowell.com website will list all kinds of upcoming events and happenings in and around Lowell, including Western Avenue Studios Open Studios as well as shows, receptions and other happenings at WAS and The Loading Dock Gallery. There will be news articles, interviews and guest articles as well as lots of tourist-related information about the city.

Elliot Silver

People at Work - Part 8 - The Lowell Humane Society

March 19, 2009

My latest photo shoot at the Lowell Humane Society involved a walk on the wild side with a BIG puppy and a visit with an extremely colorful tropical bird.

In these shots, Jill is holding an Australian Rainbow Lory that was very well-behaved and cooperative.

Jill and friend

Jill is the executive director of the LHS, joining in August of last year. She has 11 years experience in the animal welfare field, including work with the MSPCAs of Boston and Methuen. She spends some of her time in her office, but like all of the other members of the staff, really enjoys working with the animals in their care. She said that the staff at the LHS has a passion and an affinity for animals and that every member has a commitment to make a difference.

Chris, because of her roll as the Community Outreach Director, has been essential to allowing me access to the facility and to allowing me to meet and photograph the staff. Chris has some office time in her schedule, focusing on community outreach, such as signing up volunteers and generally getting people in the door, but like the others at the LHS, really enjoys her time working with the animals. In her spare time, Chris is a board member of "Lowell Unleashed", Lowell's responsible dog owners association ( http://lowellunleashed.org/ ).

Chris and a big friend

Chris has been working with Western Avenue Studios to get the message out in the form of a collaborative art show this spring. That's where I came in. It has been an interesting and enlightening experience. The staff has been incredibly welcoming, accessible and appreciative. They truly love their work and hope that the community can become even more involved with their efforts. They invite everyone to browse their web site ( http://lowellhumanesociety.org/ ) and to come in for a visit.

People at Work - Part 7 - The Lowell Humane Society

March 05, 2009

As I mentioned last time, I have been spending some time at the Lowell Humane Society photographing the dedicated staff there and seeing first hand the good work that they do. Their web site says it best:

"The purpose of your Lowell Humane Society is preventing cruelty to
animals, providing care for homeless and distressed animals and
educating the public about responsible pet ownership. The shelter
receives over 3,000 animals annually"

They are always in need of volunteers and donations. I encourage you to explore their web site, and even stop in for a tour: http://lowellhumanesociety.org/aboutus.html

These blogs are being done as a small series with the goal of showing all of my work at a Western Avenue Studios show sometime in the spring, along with other artists.

As a blogger, it is clearly best if I let my pictures speak for me!

For this offering, I visited with three of the staff, all fairly new additions to the organization. The first being Kristyl, who has come to Lowell after working for about a year at a humane society in Florida.

Sara, who came to the Humane Society as a volunteer after working in the construction industry, and has been a full time staff member since the fall, is clearly happy when working with the dogs in the society's care.

And my last session of the day was with Amanda, who also started as a volunteer and has been on the staff since November, and who loves domestic rats. I am learning a lot at the humane society. That there were domestic rats was something I was not aware of. Amanda has several of her own, and was very happy to educate me on them. Needless to say, she had her work cut out for her on that! :-)

People at Work - Part 6 - The Lowell Humane Society

February 27, 2009

This week I was fortunate enough to visit with the staff at the Lowell Humane Society. They were very accommodating while allowing me to photograph them in their workplace. I was constantly under foot. I will be finishing up shooting next week and will be presenting some of this work here in the next few People at Work blog entries. As always, my blogs are brief and I let the photos do the talking, but I will try to profile one or two of the staff members in each blog submission while doing my best to highlight them and the good work that they do for the community.

Please visit their web site at http://lowellhumanesociety.org/, or better yet, visit the facility at 951 Broadway Street, in Lowell. It's right next to the university campus on Broadway Street.

Yesterday I visited with Michela, who came to Lowell after having worked in Belize and South Africa with baboons and jaguars, and studying animal care and behavior. She also interned at the Museum of Science, in Boston.

Michela is also a ferret lover and has a couple of her own, which she enthusiastically volunteered as subjects.

Yesterday I also met Lisa, who has been doing this kind of work for 11 years, starting off as an animal care giver, and is now a supervisor at the Lowell Humane Society. She really loves her work!

Check back again to seem more!

People at Work - Part 5

February 17, 2009

It has been a while since my last blog, but I am finally ready with my 5th installment of People at Work. This submission features artist, writer and teacher Caroline (Carrie) Allen. Carrie's studio is suite 408, on the 4th floor of Western Avenue Studios, in Lowell, MA. In photographing Carrie I tried to show the artist as a part of her studio space, which is big, sunlit and open. She was really great to work with, suggesting concepts and allowing me to take the time necessary to get the atmosphere and look that I wanted. In art, I am often attracted to the bold and colorful, and Carrie's paintings certainly fit the bill.

Check out her web sites and blog here:

http://www.carolineallen.com/

http://www.artofstorytellingonline.com/

http://artofstorytelling.wordpress.com/

Caroline Allen

People at Work - Part 4

January 03, 2009 in People

This week I am profiling artist Jessica Cohen, who also has a studio in the "A Mill" of Western Avenue Studios in Lowell. You can get a feel for some of her work behind her in these shots. You can see more of her work, including some drawings that I really like, at the Loading Dock Gallery.

Jess and I had an interesting time actually making the shoot happen. We tried to meet up over the holidays, but due to weather and holiday traffic, and her long commute, it was postponed until yesterday, the day after new years day. I am not sure Jess knew what to make of all of the stuff that I brought to the shoot, or my constant messing with it. But I definitely had a look in mind for this shoot, and we finally had the time to make it work.

Jess - People at Work

People at Work - Part 3

December 19, 2008 in People

It has been a while, too long really, but this is my 3rd installment of People at Work. This time I asked wood sculptor David Crane if I might shoot his portrait in his Lowell studio. David does really interesting and creative work with all kinds of wood. They sometimes involve other materials, and might be free standing sculpture or wall-hanging. But wood is the thing. He doesn't yet have a web site :-), otherwise I would reference it. But he can be found during open studios at Lowell, MA's Western Avenue Studios.

People at Work - Part 2

November 21, 2008 in People

This installment of my People at Work series features glass artist Peter Zimmerman. You can find Peter in his Western Avenue studio creating his high-quality, imaginative functional and decorative glass art. He is especially driven right now as he prepares for the holiday season open studios and the Loading Dock Gallery show called Winter Lights, in which he will share the spotlight with 8 other artists. The details are here: http://www.theloadingdockgallery.com/

Peter's studio, La Sal Mountains Studio, is located on the 4th floor at Western Avenue Studios, number 415. Here is his web site: http://www.lasalmountainsstudio.com/index.html