I’m in class right now, so I’m not going to write a lot, but I wanted to post some of my most recent work. Here are some photos from my “50s Hollywood-Style Portraits” project.  These are modeled after images of Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn, and Bette Davis.

ALSO…

Here’s another photograph I took yesterday that I’m pretty fond of :) It’s just a little preview of what’s to come…

If anyone actually reads my blog… I’d love to hear some feedback!

(Above: Powell Jordano, my wonderful boyfriend.  This is just a little update on what I’ve been doing in my work — just messing around with lighting in the studio and taking some wide angle, distorted portraits!)

I have been absolutely horrible with keeping my blog up to date, but I’m going to try to start updating it on (at least) a weekly basis.

So for today’s post, I’d like to share some awesome photography shows going on in Chicago right now.  Seriously, if you’re in Chicago and have any interest in photography, you should DEFINITELY go see these three.

1. The Innocents - Photographed and interviewed by Taryn Simon
http://www.roosevelt.edu/gagegallery

Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any good images of her work up on google, but there are a few images up on the website I posted above.  It’s a very heartbreaking exhibit.  Simon photographs wrongly convicted felons that have served years in prison (some even faced the death sentence) for crimes that they did not commit.  Their stories are absolutely unbelievable.  

The Gage gallery is located at 18 S. Michigan on the first floor.

2. The Suffering of Light - Alexander Webb
http://www.stephendaitergallery.com/dynamic/exhibit_display.asp?Exhibit=Current&EventID=2

Webb photographs the often vibrant light of developing countries, often showing his audience the tender, personal moments that we do not see in the media.  If you enjoy beautiful, dramatic lighting — you must see this show.

This show is located at the Stephen Daiter Gallery, just off of the Chicago brown line stop in River North. Check out the site for more info.

3. Double Life - Kelli Connell
http://www.edelmangallery.com/currentshow.htm

Kelli Connell’s Double Life series explores the duality of human nature in relationships.  Using only one model, she photographs and digital manipulates her images to make her model’s “double.” 

I have to add a personal note here: as much as I absolutely adore Kelli Connell’s work, I was a little disappointed by the printing quality in the show.  Some of the images looked pixelated and blown out in the highlights.  I still highly recommend checking it out though, especially since there’s some great work up by random artists in the other half of the gallery.

The Catherine Edelman Gallery is also located off the Chicago brown line, just around the corner from the Daiter Gallery.  Again, check out the site for more info!

Anyway, I hope someone enjoys this post :)

I recently wrote a short critical paper about the iconography of Salvador Dali’s painting Corpus Hypercubus, as well as a brief response to Roland Barthes’s Camera Lucida and Walter Benjamin’s The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction.  I may post those soon, as the painting is one of the most interesting representations of Christ’s crucifixion that I have ever seen, and the other two books are simply crucial to know if you’re a photographer. 

I have been preoccupied with moving, as well as searching for a summer job, so I have not been able to post any new work recently.  I assure you that I am still photographing and creating though!  I’m hoping to have my website and my blog fully updated by the end of next week, so keep looking our for that.

In other news, my print sale is up! The page is still a work in progress (as I’d like to organize it a bit better, get more photographs available for sale, and get some higher resolution files up), but my latest project is now available to purchase here (sashaandruzphoto.tumblr.com/prints).  If you are interested in purchasing any other work off of my website (sashaandruz.com), simply email me at prints@sashaandruz.com and we can discuss the details. Also, students may receive an additional 25% discount.

Note: All proceeds from the print sale will be going towards a new project that I am hoping to begin working on.  Every little bit helps! 

So, as I’m sure you’ve all noticed, this is the first post on my professional blog.  I’m excited to finally have this up and running! I’ve also recently gotten my website up, as well as some new business cards.

Coming up: I will be having a print sale soon, so watch out for that if you’re interested in some prints of my work.  Also, email me at news@sashaandruz.com to get on my mailing list! That, especially, is crucial for anyone that is interested in coming to my new gallery (opening in June, hopefully). Get on that list!

Current projects: I’m currently working on a series of paintings using cosmetics and other female products that are getting scanned in and printed digitally. I don’t want to give out too much information about the project since it’s still in its early stages, but here’s a taste ;)

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