I have been wanting to see this ever since I first heard about it. I really do feel this is a very smart piece.

I received an email earlier in the week from Adam Livermore. He’s a hair stylist from Minnesota who I have a lot of respect for. I have followed his work for a couple years now. He informed me he was going to be in NY this week and asked if I wanted to work with him. “Absolutely!” was my response.

I’ve been talking to MANY hair stylists about ideas but many of them have been shutting them down. I gave Adam a challenge and, where most of the others bailed out, he stepped up. The goal was to shoot a male model in a way that wasn’t masculine, wasn’t strictly feminine and was not “stereotypical androgynous.” I wanted something special, new and to create a gender blur. I did NOT want it to look “draggy” or “faggy.” (my impolite but sincere words)

I brought in some new guns: Jennifer Fein on wardrobe and JP on makeup. Ford delivered with Ian, an amazing guy from London who jumped in to the project with enthusiasm (I quickly found out he is also signed with Bleu in LA with my good friend Mel)

We opted to shoot at Adam’s hotel near Times Square. We shot for a total of 4 hours (including time for makeup, hair and wardrobe changes)

I always feel like I could shoot men better, but I feel this is a great leap in my work. Ian suggested the name “Xavier” for the character we shot… so enjoy the shots of Xavier!!!

Lauren came to town and we did some shooting at her place.

I’m a blackberry. I want an iPhone. But iPhone does not have a real keyboard. And iPhone lacks BBM.

The Pre looks and acts like the iPhone with a keyboard but it “feels dumb.” I want Palm to do well, but they need to make a phone that actually feels sophisticated and less cheap. Make the touch screen less sugar coated and put it in a phone that feels like something substantial.

Android just weirds me out. The interface is wonky like some 1980’s thing-a-ma-jiggy. And I haven’t found a phone carrying the OS that feels good in my hands. Make the Android more comfortable.

The blackberry: BBM and a real keyboard. That’s pretty much all it has. The apps suck but you can get real business done on your eeny-weeny-teeny screen. (you can get a larger touch screen but, as every BB user will tell you, the Storm sucks sweaty balls). Develop a genuine cool factor and you’ll be cool again.

The iPhone has apps, iTunes and the cool factor. but your keyboard sucks. And don’t say “you will get used to it.” EVERY blackberry user that switches from BB to iPhone says “yeah.. this keyboard sucks.” And many switch BACK to the BB just to get the keyboard. The people who say “you will get used to it” have never owned an adult phone and need to stop using that lame argument. Get a real keyboard thrown in there, Mr. Jobs.

The”other smartphones.” They’re not real phones. Sorry, but there is a reason why these phones are market leaders used by professionals, militaries, and tech nerds. My advice to them is simple: create a super phone that no one can live without (ask any BB or iPhone user: we will both agree we cannot live without our phones).

I’m sticking to my BlackBerry until something changes. I have the Curve and I do not plan on doing ANY upgrades until
a) my phone falls in a bucket of water
b) my phone catches fire
c) my contract with Sprint expires completely (less than a year away. Although I have been happy with my service and I’m glad they keep their rates low considering AT&T, Verizon and Sprint essentially ALL carry the same damn level of service but Sprint decides to save their customers $50 per month on the unlimited plans)

In the meantime there is a year where a lot can happen. AT&T and Verizon can spend less on advertising and drop their rates. RIM could come out with a blackberry that has a real screen and real apps. Pre could make an adult version of itself. and Android could, well, be more human. And the iPhone could get an keyboard intended for adults who do real business.

Luke Smalley: Sunday Drive @ ClampArt

I was only able to see about 8 openings yesterday because I had meetings and couldn’t come out until 6pm. And, out of the 8, 6 of them sucked. I found more people agreeing with me as I ran in to other people looking for new and fresh art. My biggest pet peeve was how many portrait photographers were flooding the art scene this week. I guess oversized shots of people’s faces just didn’t resonate with me. I understood the concepts, I saw their value, and I saw the effort and work behind them but they really didn’t “wow” me. Would I want to have a 3′x4′ photo of a homeless person looking at me from behind my sofa? And will that REALLY be socially significant in 5 years?

There were two photographers that DID stop me. One was Luke Smalley. I won’t say why I liked all of his work, I just did. That’s the thing about really good art: you just like it. Artwork with reds sell better than artwork with browns. And art with cows have a MUCH harder time selling at Christie’s and Sotheby’s than artwork that doesn’t have cows. People will never say “I like this because the red” or “I like this better than the other work because there are no cows in it,” but people will make up SOME story in their heads. So I don’t know WHY I liked Luke’s work but I DID like it. In fact, MANY people liked it (ClampArt does an exceptional job at bringing in really good work).

Luke was presenting in the same gallery as Jill Greenberg. I understand the appeal of her work and I liked the large shots of bears with her signature lighting but I kept thinking they compared to kitten posters with taglines like “Hang in there.” She is going too commercial for my taste (it doesn’t help that her monograph is loaded with sales pitches by comedians and celebrities). Maybe that is why ClampArt stuffed her in the back room.

Bruce Davidson @ Bryce Wolkowitz.

The other was Bruce Davidson showing at Bryce Wolkowitz on 24th. The gallery was featuring shots from around the US dating five decades. There was a lot of cultural significance in each of the photos. I was eavesdropping on one of the dealers while she explained each piece to a potential buyer and, well, everything about the presentation from mounting to explanations was just sweet. The photos were approachable, the gallery staff was approachable and the small space was accommodating.

Bruce’s work in portrait was everything the other portrait shooters lacked. They all had an eye however he has a sense for art and telling stories. He wasn’t just shooting blank faces and attaching some meaning as the others were doing, Bruce shot people and let people attach their own meanings. He wasn’t “trying” to be someone else (you can read that in SO many contemporary artists!) but he was just himself and at peace with his work.

I missed everything at Pace Wildenstein and several other key galleries due to getting caught up in conversations with friends I hadn’t seen in a while (I tried to go in to Pace Wildenstein but it was closing. Chuck Close was leaving and our eyes locked briefly, I feel like he was saying “Yep… come back tomorrow. You’ll enjoy yourself”). Also, I was told Bill Viola at James Cohen Gallery was really good so I will be sure to check it out Saturday when I have some free time before a shoot.

(PS: I have this habit of changing the home page on every Mac I see to my site, MichaelDonovanPhotography.com. So yesterday I changed the homepage at ClampArt to mine just as I got caught. I hope they have a sense of humor. Please let me know if you need me to come in and change it back.)

I was engaged to a girl a few years ago. We broke up and, within a year of separating, she was engaged and pregnant. I didn’t take most of the other relationships I had very seriously until last year when I fell for a girl in Chicago. We had an interesting relationship that lasted until February. I just received a call from a mutual friend telling me she is engaged and pregnant.

So tip to women: date me and you will soon get engaged and pregnant.

(PS: I’m super happy for both of them… REALLY! I wouldn’t have dated them for so long if I didn’t think that and I hope the best for them!)

Andy Warhol’s “Gun.” (No, Jose Mugrabi did not pay me to post this…)

My mind can’t release the images of Hockney’s giant paintings he made for “Bigger Trees Nearer Warter” I saw Thursday evening at Pace Wildenstein. The web do an awful job showing the paintings for what they really are and the energy they give. They’ll be showing until December 24th and I suggest you pop in if you haven’t already.

Technology, music, fashion, dance, architecture, design, painting, sculpture, engineering, math, literature, film, cooking, serving, leading, science, sales, photography, comedy and everything else all need art. But Art doesn’t need each of them to survive. And Art will continue to grow with or without its users. And that is why some of us choose to be artists and others choose to be slaves of the games artists play.

I was looking up other new music when I stumbled on this one:

1901 is forever-old at this point but this remix was released about a week ago. I’m a huge fan of the music by Phoenix and I am always excited to see what they come up with next and who they inspire- imagine the sounds coming out influenced by this in the next 10 years!

Also- I have to say that I love Passion Pits sound too. They remind me of a road trip to Seattle I took when I was 21 with Allison, a girl I was dating at the time. We went to her cousin’s house and he had all this mixing gear in their apartment by University Bridge. It just has that ‘fresh and living” sound to it…