Newsletter #3
Good things coming in threes (Summer '24)
Hello! Hope you’re all doing well and enjoying the longer days and warmer weather.
The time for another update has rolled around alarmingly quickly, so here’s what I’ve been up to since my last post.
Some success!
I’ve been on a bit of a roll recently, doing well in some photography competitions. It’s been pretty great and surprising in equal measure.
First up, my image of The Former Armstrong Rubber Building was awarded the Urban Concrete category winner at the GCCA Concrete In Life Contest!
I’m incredibly grateful to receive the award and have the image (plus another that was shortlisted) included in the GCCA anniversary exhibition at The Brunswick Gallery back in April. Unfortunately I couldn’t make it over the pond to see it in person, but my Dad sent me some photos when he visited.
A huge thank you to the judges and all of you guys who voted and shared the news on my behalf.
As if that wasn’t enough, I’ve also been named as a finalist for the Hasselblad Masters! Having my work recognized by such a prestigious brand is a real honour. I’m keeping my fingers crossed when the winners are announced later in June. I’ll be sure to let you all know (and literally everyone I ever meet) if I make it. Keep an eye on my Instagram.
The third bit of great news was being named as a finalist in Klompching Gallery’s FRESH 2024 open call! This was my second try entering the competition and I’m delighted to have made the cut this year. Very much looking forward to making some new connections in the New York art world and meeting the other 19 finalists at the opening reception.
LIGHT/MASS features
Very happy to have my series LIGHT/MASS featured on two fantastic websites in May. Take look at them both via the links and be sure to check back on them for more fantastic art.
First up was Noice Magazine (thank you to Colin for featuring the work) and then The AP Almanac featured it as their project of the week (thank you Lexi!).
Head Out On The Highway
I had a great time exploring beyond New York City over the spring, making new work for ongoing projects and something entirely new (more on that later).
In April I took a day trip out to Long Island to photograph the very space-age looking Stony Brook Hospital to add it to LIGHT/MASS. I remember coming across a photo of the building during a Google search for something I’ve forgotten (most likely weird looking buildings) and vowed to make it out there to photograph it one day. Very glad to add it to the series and it was well worth braving the hours of traffic on my way back to the city.
In May I took a 2-week trip down south where I originally intended to work on one project, but ended up making work for another two. I’d buy that for a dollar!
First stop was in Arlington, Virginia to photograph the visitor center at Great Falls State Park for The Great Outsiders. The building was designed to evoke two passing barges, as a nod to the old Potowmack Canal that used to run through the site.
I had a spare day in Arlington, so I jumped on the metro for my first trip to the capital and I found myself in some sort of brutalist Shangri-La. I photographed the Hirshhorn Museum, the incredible HUD Building, managed a few of the squeaky-clean Metro station (MTA take note!) and even got a drive by from everyone’s favorite octogenarian President.
I felt like I’d only scratched the surface, so I’m fully intending to go back to DC and spend a few days making more work for LIGHT/MASS.
Next was a quick stop in Richmond to photograph the visitor center at Petersburg Battlefield and the completely bonkers Markel Building.
From Richmond I made my way to the Outer Banks, spending a few days in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina photographing the visitor center at Wright Brothers National Memorial. This was one of the buildings in The Great Outsiders I’d most been looking forward to shooting and it was a real treat to spend a couple of days there in the sun capturing this modernist gem.
The last leg of my trip took me to eastern Tennessee where I photographed the observation towers at Clingmans Dome and Look Rock in the Great Smokey Mountains National Park. I’d already visited here on vacation back in 2021 and the UFO-like Clingmans Dome tower was the spark that led me to starting work on The Great Outsiders. It was great to come back with more intention this time and make some further images of it and also Look Rock, which I’d missed out on during my last trip. Unfortunately I had to work with some less-than-ideal weather conditions, but I think I managed to capture both locations effectively.
I’ll be adding all the new locations to The Great Outisders on my website over the coming weeks.
A New Project!
Whilst I was in the Smokies, I had a couple of days where the weather conditions weren’t the best for heading up into the mountains with all my camera gear. Not wanting to waste my trip or sit in the hotel, I set off in the car and eventually found myself in the city of Pigeon Forge.
Some of you might know Pigeon Forge for being the home of Dollywood, but you may not know that it’s also home to some of the most bizarre roadside architecture in the world.
Ok, maybe not the whole world, but it’s still pretty bloody weird and I immediately fell in love with it.
What started out as a little bit of rainy day entertainment for myself has morphed into a whole new body of work I’m calling Adventures In Fiberglass, which takes a closer look at the surreal landscapes of Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.
I’m putting the final touches on everything and I can’t wait to share the work with you soon. Here’s a sample image to whet your appetite:
Make sure to follow me on Instagram to see more in the coming weeks!
I think I’ve rambled on for long enough, so I’l wrap up with a couple of recommendations.
Things I’ve Liked Recently
If you’re in NYC, go and see Ismail Ferdous’ Sea Beach at the Leica Gallery in Chelsea. I went to the opening recently and really enjoyed it.
I’ve been enjoying Kamasi Washington’s new album Fearless Movement quite a lot recently as well as revisiting my youth with Incubus’ re-recorded Morning View XXIII. I find the idea of revisiting and renewing older work quite intriguing and I’d be interested in exploring how that could work in photography. Are you spreading doing something similar? Let me know in the comments!
Right, that’s me done for now. Wishing you all a great summer and I’ll catch you next time!
Looking good Owen. I like the expanded nature of your posts on your work
Oh my goodness, I got to see Pigeon Forge last year, and Gaitlenburg or whatever it’s called… such a wild place!