I am very pleased to announce that I have photographs included in the upcoming exhibition of The Barbara Morris Goodbody Collection. It’s very moving for me to be exhibiting in the company of my mentor, Walter Chappell, and photographers I have long admired including Pentti Sammallahti, William Clift and Paul Caponigro.. I met Barbara with Walter in 2000, when she came to visit El Rito with Wendy Lewis, PhotoEye’s galley director at the time. She was gracious, inquisitive and openly appreciative of Walter’s work and way of life. She also had a keen eye, great discernment along with a clear sense of what she wanted, and she chose important pieces to add to her collection. And when I held my first exhibition in Santa Fe the following year, Barbara acquired two of my photographs, choosing the most excellent prints I made at that time. The print she chose of December 13 is to my mind, the best I have made. She acquired more pieces over the years, and six of these will be on view along with the work of forty-six of some of the finest practitioners of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.
Something notable about Barbara from the beginning is her generosity, not just in acquiring photographs, but felt in her smile and laughter, the sparkle in her eyes and the warmth of her being. I feel her collection is based on relationships and an expression of her love. As a photographer herself, she distinguishes and appreciates the particular qualities of the work. And she has chosen to purchase from living photographers to support the work of those around her, frequently establishing friendships with the artists that go well beyond transactions. I had not realized until this time that her collection was so extensive, and this new awareness only increases my admiration for her and her exuberant support of photography. Barbara seems to have collected all of these pieces with delight. It is an honor to have my work included in her collection.
Barbara Goodbody has long been a leader in support of the arts in Maine. Her collection reflects her commitment and dedication. Featuring, some of the best makers in Maine, Santa Fe, Europe, and beyond, this compilation is idiosyncratic and optimistic, and mirrors her world philosophy. It is also curious and egalitarian. Barbara values the artist as much as the product, and the monetary value, or, the prestige of a piece is not what compels her to acquire it. It’s the content of the work that matters to her most. Many of these pieces were worth far less when they were attained years ago. That said, there is a staggering amount of important and valuable photographs in the assortment.
- Director Denise Froehlich, Maine Museum of Photographic Arts
http://www.mainemuseumofphotographicarts.org/the-barbara-goodbody-collection
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L E A P I N G C L E A R
I am also pleased to announce that my work has been published in the Spring issue of Leaping Clear, an online journal dedicated to art, literature and contemplation. It is a beautiful resource for poetry in all forms. They have published a group of my photographs of the tree peony and a little bit of writing on the influences and practices related to my work.
https://www.leapingclear.org/elvira-piedra-photography
I am keenly aware of how long the time has been since I wrote C O M I N G S O O N, and also that in this first post I am not delivering anything about printmaking. I did begin, and brought something to a particular place, but it felt lacking in some essential way, and so it has languished. The water is flowing again in my darkroom sink, and soon I’ll have new pictures to share, and new insights as well on the actual, present experience of printmaking. What I wrote before included opinions on the practices of making print editions and marketing of vintage prints. I do neither and should perhaps keep clear of these discussions, though I continue to reflect on these matters. I shall finish something, without getting technical or dry, and tell you about how I came to care about my printing, and about my instruction from Walter Chappell. That’s much more sensible and doable, but other posts may arrive ahead of it. I hope you’ll stay tuned.
