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Installation Day at the BMA  

Monday was installation day for the 2011 Sondheim Artscape Prize exhibit at the Baltimore Museum of Art. Each of the finalists has an entire room in the exhibit space. For my space, we installed 14 pieces, including two large panoramic images 38″ x 75″. The staff at the BMA was outstanding, and of course they did all the real work of hanging and lighting everything. Saturday the space opens to the public.

The Beaches of Cabo de Gata  2 

Tuesday’s Frugal Traveler column in the New York Times covers the undeveloped and (so far) undiscovered beaches of Cabo de Gata in Almeria, Spain. In fact, author Seth Kugel describes his ideal beach as: one that you come upon after a hilly, rocky hike over scrub-covered hills. It’s a half-moon cove of ashen sand flanked at either end by rock formations that look like giant Impressionistic sand castles. Instead of palms, occasional yellow and purple wildflowers dot the nearby hills; instead of mojitos there are mandarin oranges and nispero fruits bought at a farmer’s market; instead of warm Caribbean ripples, there […]

Interview in La Voz de Almeria April 24  

The Uncover Series: Curator Amanda Maddox’s selections at FotoDC Flash  

FotoDC’s Uncover Series, part of the current Flash exhibit in Crystal City, has  a story behind it (and some basic math): On Sunday, February 6th, five industry  experts gathered at the Corcoran Gallery of Art & College of Design, to meet and  review the work of 165 regional photographers who had responded to the call from FotoDC for submissions.  Each curator selected five photographers whose work  represented a cohesive and creative vision, with technical excellence, for a total representation of twenty-five. Four of my panoramic photographs of the old Spaghetti Western film lots in Almeria, Spain, were selected for this exhibit by Amanda Maddox, Associate Curator […]

Cleopatra in Almeria  

By the start of 1963, the ill-fated 20th Century Fox production of Cleopatra was three years in the making and tens of millions of dollars over budget. The film had lost its first director, suffered months of delays due to the star’s illness, and moved its operations from London to Rome to Egypt, rebuilding enormous sets and reshooting scenes along the way. The final cost was over $40 million dollars. Adjusting for inflation, it remains one of the most expensive films ever made.  In February, a boat arrived in the port of Almeria transporting roman carriages and other set decorations […]

“Landscapes de un Sueño” in today’s La Voz de Almeria  

The article appears online also here. 

Washington Post: Photographers share tips for budding shutterbugs  

The cover story on friday’s Washington Post Weekend section highlighted the work of three DC photographers, including Joshua Cogan, Josh Sisk, and myself. Journalist Lavanya Ramanathan provides an engaging look at what drives these three photographers and also includes some expert advice on how to take better pictures. The Post gave lots of space to showcase selected images, including my panoramic shot of the old Flagstone set from Sergio Leone’s Once Upon a Time in the West. The article is accompanied by a guide to March photography events in DC — it’s a busy month, including friday March 18 openings […]

Satanic Messages Save a Decaying Old Church: La Iglesia de las Salinas  

The Iglesia de las Salinas has been slowly decaying since its construction in 1907. The century-old church lies the coast of Almería in the Cabo de Gata natural park. A combination of ocean winds and salt in the air–the church’s name comes from the fact that it sits next to a salt processing operation–have been literally eating away at the stone construction. The process has worn down the facade, making it appear much more advanced in years. However, recently the process of decay has accelerated, hastened by neglect and periodic vandalism. A faded billboard from 2007, the 100th anniversary of […]

Insider Tips for Exploring Almeria  

The art-themed October-December issue of YeahBaby magazine, from discount British airline bmibaby, offers local travel tips from artists and entertainers. I was asked to provide a few insider recommendations for Almeria–the results are shown above.

Casa del Cine Almeria  

A long-awaited film museum in Almeria, Spain, is finally set to open January 15. The city spent 5 years renovating a nineteenth century manor house which itself has an intriguing history. As I’ve blogged about previously, John Lennon spent three months there during the filming of How I Won the War in 1966. Below is a recent image from the tourism office of the museum lobby along with a photograph I took before the renovation on the second floor.