For a few days this past week / weekend my house was off the grid (more or less). Due to cable company problems, our house phone, internet, and cable was off. I thought it would be much worse than it was, but the only real problem I ran into was not being able to look up little things that popped into my head, or work on homework. Luckily the weather was nice, and it was all pretty peaceful. Of course, movies helped get us through the silence.

While I primarily relied on DVDs, I tried to watch what was on the few channels we could get without cable (while they weren’t blinking out). The TV gods were generous and Saturday morning I was able to catch most of a documentary about the famous photographer, Dorothea Lange. (Thank you PBS/CET Arts!)

This episode of American Masters talked about Dorothea both as a photographer and as a person. Her story was told through friends and family, and of course through photos.

Things I Learned:

-Dorothea has a bajillion more works other than Migrant Mother

-The subject of Migrant Mother was named Florence Thompson, who first did not like the attention her photograph got. Because of it, though, she later got donations sent to help her get better when she was terminally ill.

-Dorothea married a man named Maynard & later in life re-married to a man named Paul. They loved eachother very much.

-She became ill with cancer and Paul took care of her through it all.

-She died 3 months before her solo show at the Museum of Modern Art

-Her spirit/attitude reminded me of my grandma

-She was a cool lady

*The thing I watched was: Dorothea Lange: Grab a Hunk of Lightning - An American Masters Presentation

Today I had the opportunity to sit down and interview the one and only Virginia Imhof! Virginia is a Photo major with a Spanish minor here at NKU.

Who inspires you the most?

I guess Pinterest and Google are where I go to find inspiration for my art.

What about like not for art? Like inspiration as a person?

Umm...I guess like things I read, like books and stuff, I see personality traits or attributions I like and try to apply them to myself.

What is your least favorite artistic trend?

Old or older people posting pictures of their food before they eat it. It's dumb.

What is your favorite music to listen to while making work?

I like to switch it up a lot.

-ZZ Ward (blues/rap/folk/rock?)

-rock -sometimes pop

-90's jams (if I need to stay awake)

What is your favorite social media platform and why?

Instagram. I think it's easier to promote artwork, in my opinion. At least for photography.

If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?

Australia, Italy, and Ireland.

What TV show are you watching right now?

The embarassing one or the other one? Actually, they're all kind of embarrassing haha.

-Hey, Arnold! -Dawson's Creek -Glee

Who are 3 artists you are looking at right now?

1) Bryan Adam Castillo - he does really interesting double exposures, colors, and layering.

2) Annie Leibovitz - she has a wide range of work, aaaand she did a project where she reimagined Disney Princesses, so why would I not like her??

3) Lindsey Dupuis Bledsoe - she does fashion photography and celebrity head shots. She has interesting things she comments on and uses Instagram really wisely.

Check out Virginia's work at: virginiagracephotography.com

-KP

Dorothea Lange Was Cool

Interview With A Vampire (JK, it's Virginia)