Last October we featured an excerpt from Daughter of Fire, a novel in progress by Dory Fiamingo. Shortly thereafter, Dory received an invitation to exhibit her art, a series of sensual and erotic nudes, at Westwind Frame and Gallery in The Dalles, Oregon. She told us: “Every time I think my work isn’t a big deal, not really, I think, yeah, how many artists get told by a gallery that they want 11 paintings to display!?! You should have seen the owner greedily grabbing canvases and saying, “I want this one and this one, and definitely this one!” Dory likes to paint nudes, and she reports the show was a smashing success. When the show ended, Dory had sold one and gotten three commissions. More commissions have followed. Most recently, Dory has submitted a few pieces in the Artists of the [Columbia River] Gorge competition taking place October…
Erich Griebling’s Typewriter Art
Editor’s note: We are excited to bring you Erich Griebling’s sculptures, made almost exclusively from typewriter parts. I first saw these sculptures when I was young, living on Plum Island. His use of items from the shoreline – some organic, some man made – resonated with me as a junior beachcomber. We invite you to enjoy the intricacy of his art: both visual and symbolical, as well as his essay about the typewriter. *** Homage to the Typewriter Underwood, L.C. Smith, Royal, Remington — these were the names of the real authors of the information age. They made it possible to produce a unique printed page (and one that was legible) at the rate of sixty and more original words per minute. This was a feat unparalleled in human history and resulted in a leap…
Egrets and Herons: The Photography of John Woods
John Woods has been taking pictures most of his life, but only with the advent of digital photography and the time allowed after his children were grown did he get serious about it. Most of his work includes travel photography, especially from Europe and Mexico, as well as his home state of Wisconsin. He loves to take pictures of egrets and blue herons, mostly during his annual visits to Los Cabos, Mexico. All these pictures were taken at the estuary in San Jose Del Cabo. The ones shown here are among his best from hundreds and hundreds of pictures taken. Although photography is his love these days, John made his career in book publishing for over 40 years. If you like what you see here, you can see more of his work at his Facebook…
Barry Zaltman: Ojos de Tango
Editor’s note: “Ojos de Tango” is the title of a new photographic exhibition opening Friday, June 5, 2015, at the Movimiento Gallery in Boston. It translates into Tango as seen through the eyes of a photographer. And what a feast is Tango for the eyes of the viewer as well! Barry Zaltman is one of the photographers whose work will be on display at the Movimiento Gallery through August 1st. He has graciously allowed us to present several of his stunning Tango studies here in the Fictional Cafe. Note Barry’s photographic style of using pure black and white. Please click on the images for a larger view. Barry Zaltman, a travel photographer, tanguero, bullfight aficionado and educator, recently spent four months in Buenos Aires studying Tango at the…
The Sketchbooks of Jonathan Shih
Jonathan Shih lives in Taipei, Taiwan, although he lived for many years in the U.S., mostly in New York, where he earned his MBA and worked in finance. You cannot say he has retired, for his interests and activities keep him busy every day. A prime activity is his art. He carries a sketchbook wherever he goes. We met up in a beef noodle restaurant on TaoYuan Street in Taipei. [BTW, the beef noodle soup was exceptional!] Jonathan arrived with three sketchbooks under his arm, and I had to know what they were all about. He told me these three were just for the past few weeks – he regularly fills four to five sketchbooks a month. Clearly, art is his passion. I began browsing through the sketchbooks and quickly decided we should feature his work here at…