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Work from The Town and the City can now be seen and purchased through Gallerie Wanted in Paris.  Most of their sales are generated through an extensive online gallery, but they also show and sell prints out of a cool looking space in Paris (not that I’ve been there, but the pictures are cool).  Their business model for new artists is to sell large editions for less money - which is kind of similar to Jen Bekman’s website 20×200.  In the past I had been hesitant to make my images available to online galleries, but I got over it.  Of course there are plenty of online art sites that I would still want absolutely no part of.  But Wanted and 20×200 are both very discerning in the work they choose to sell which (among other features) keeps them at a level of professionalism high above the vast majority of web galleries.

This is the cover of a promo I have designed, but at the time of this writing, have yet to print and mail out.   I have finally updated my site with new work - all of which has been posted on this blog for a while now.  But, what the website has that the blog doesn’t is a more polished artist statement about the project.

You may be wondering what the title In the Belly of the Whale means. After all, commercial whaling more or less ceased in the United States almost a hundred years ago.  Think about the title in a more figurative way.  It is well known that this term is derived from the Book of Jonah which is part of the Bible’s Old Testament, but in modern times the phrase “in the belly of the whale” has taken on some alternative meanings.

In writing, the term is used to describe the time in a story when the main character(s) or hero is at their most destitute point.  This is the point when everything that can go wrong has gone wrong, and it is usually followed by an upward turn of events.  In this case the fishermen and the industry as a whole are the hero and right now they are at their most down and out point in history.  It remains to be seen whether they will emerge triumphant, or they will be beaten into complete submission and vanish forever.

Here are a few of the interesting things we came across during the Smith Street demolition campaign.

If memory serves me, doll was somewhere in the house, and the combat skills handbooks were in the garage.

A dry erase reminder board showing that the previous tenant unfortunately had some trouble with the law.

Detail of crayon and marker mural on wallpaper hidden under a layer of wood paneling.

One of several stashes of pornography discovered.  This batch was tucked into the insulation in the upstairs hallway ceiling.

Some new pics of Smith Street property.

Since my photography career continues to move along at a snail’s pace, I have decided to dip my toes into a couple of other arenas in an attempt to widen my income stream.  These are some shots of the initial stages of renovations on a real estate venture my friend and I are in the midst of.  More will follow as things progress.

Amazing fish, and look at the expression on the kid on the left.

Just another day at the local cannery.

Portrait of a turn of the century fishing boat captain - Pefection.

I found these images on the Maine Memory Network and other similar websites.  They are a visual representation of things I’ve been reading and thinking about lately.  Most are from unknown creators, which brings perspective to my own current endeavor.  I can’t say I’d be surprised if it takes 100 years before anyone becomes interested in my recent images of the fishing industry.

I just came across this video about the design and construction of Dennis Weaver’s 10,000 square foot luxury home called Earthship.  I’m having trouble finding out the year it was built, but if you watch the video you can see Weaver certainly was ahead of his time.

Main Staging Area, Portland Fish Exchange, Portland, ME

Fish Trays, Portland Fish Exchange, Portland, ME

Captain of the Fishing Vessel Rachel T, Portland, ME

Copied from the Portland Fish Exchange website…

The Portland Fish Exchange is America’s first all-display fresh seafood auction.  A non-profit organization owned by the City of Portland, the Exchange opened in 1986.  The Exchange is managed by a Board of Directors representing seafood buyers and sellers, and City residents and government leaders.

The Exchange’s primary function is offloading and auctioning of seafood.  Commercial fishing vessels are offloaded in the early morning.  The Exchange separates the catch by species of fish and market grade.  The catch is weighed, and arranged in the facility’s 22,000 square foot refrigerated warehouse for inspection.  Buyers arrive throughout the morning to inspect the quality of the day’s catch.

Last Sunday morning only one boat showed up to offload.  The rest of the fish were brought in by trucks from other towns in the area.  If that isn’t a sign of hard times for the Portland fleet I don’t know what is.  This was my first of what will likely become many Sunday mornings spent milling around the exchange taking pictures.

The other night my daughter and I were playing Candyland and watching the Simpsons before bedtime.  After the game I went downstairs to put some laundry in and fish some clean pajamas out of the dryer.  When I came back upstairs the Simpsons had ended and what is she watching, but the opening scene of Jaws!  I quickly got her away from the tv and upstairs to bed before she realized what was really happening.  As far as she knows, the girl was only screaming because she was having such a good time swimming in the ocean.  The next day I was researching surf spots in New Zealand for my dream vacation, and came across this gnarly shot.  I couldn’t really tell what this had to do with the search I typed in, but can only imagine that this shark was caught somewhere near the surf spot I was trying to find pictures of.  Scary, but cool.

I sometimes wish I had become a scientist so I could make things that really benefit mankind.  Check out this story to learn about a huge breakthrough these MIT scientists made recently.  They have figured out a way to use solar power to separate water into oxygen and hydrogen gas.  The gases can then be stored and used to make electricity when needed.  A safe, clean and efficient way to store power from solar cells during the day for use at night is a major factor holding back the solar revolution.  This could be the answer.