I'm still working on that book...

...that one I've been talking about a lot.  It's possible that life just doesn't give you enough time to complete all the projects you start.  It's possible that I've already shot the entire thing but haven't had enough time to put into the insane amount of hours it's going to cost to edit this thing together.  It's possible I think about it every day wishing I could hole up and devote an undisturbed month to it and complete it.  It will happen.  I think the time is coming.  

At least for Chapter 1.  

Soon...

Paige and the Thousand

Ryan Kittleman

Steer the Stars

The Sea, the Sea

Here's a new addition to my personal portfolio - one cold morning, a very willing, dedicated, and humble friend, and half a day of retouching.

I think I've tried to explain my conceptual process in the past but sometimes I can feel a bit defensive about it.  In some ways I feel like it's a bit backwards because I don't always have the true meaning of the work figured out before I make it and then I get down, thinking that, as an artist, the work doesn't mean as much if you didn't have a clear intent when making it.  Truth is I almost never understand it until it's finished.  Generally, I only come to understand the work after it's been created.   

Some of the stuff I do is just fun, just image making for the sake of it, but then there are images that are really personal and important to me.  Really from the beginning they all start from the same place - it's only through the process of making the stuff that I figure out if it's any good, how much it means to me, and what it is I'm doing.       

The man in this shot, the awesome bay area theatrical artist Nathaniel "Natty" Justiniano, had a lot to say  about what he saw in this image.  I love that the image takes on new forms in different peoples minds.   So much of the intrigue is in the viewers own narrative that I'm often hesitant to explain what the image means to me.   I don't want to ruin the impression of an image with words because if the viewer can create their own narrative, filling in the blanks with their own story, then the work really becomes alive and personal.  That's why I think my best work is the work that doesn't have a statement, but asks a question.   That being said only read the bottom three sentences if you want to because I tell you what it is I see when I look at this image.

*Spoiler Alert!*

To me, when I look at this image I see myself.  I see my fear of the unknown, my fear of change, my fear of death.  By making this picture I think I'm living through the man in it because he's a lot braver than me. 

-Matt

Max Burke

Max Burke is a good friend of mine.  He is a freelance writer living and working in Brooklyn.  His work has appeared in Altered Zones and Prefix Magazine among others.  Max has lived in Amsterdam, Tokyo and Los Angeles. Follow his twitter here: twitter.com/maxburke

The Father and Son

Here's a sneak preview!  It's a story about a father's love, a mother's devotion, epic beards, and the mysterious powers found in some of the darkest places.  I can't wait to unveil the rest but first I have to thank all of the great folks that helped out on this shoot:

Cast:
The Father:  Daniel da Silva
The Son: Anthony "AJ" Viola
The Mother: Candace Myers
The Girl in the Woods: Heather Michaels
The Baby: Townes Jeter

Crew:
Jesse Silver: Production Design, Prop Styling
Shannon Dunn: Wardrobe
France Pierson: H&M
Shawn Burke: Special FX H&M
Jesse Semler: Production Assistant/Photo Assistant/Key Dude
Logan Barrier: Photo Assistant
Matt Thompson: Project Sculptor

A special thanks to:

Terry Heffernan at Dogpatch Studios for being incredibly generous and running an awesome studio.  

Marcus at Scene 2: Couldn't have done it without these guys and their space, materials, and talent.    

Mary Zeeble for loads of things including hooking me up with a top notch style crew.
Kelly Montez for being critical and supportive at the same time.
Nick Kiripolsky for doing an amazing job illustrating the layouts and for things that have not yet come...
Travis Deuel for lending the wheels that made it all possible.
Danielle and Chris Viola for lending me their incredibly awesome and tough kid.
Nathaniel Justiniano for being the most dependable, talented and devoted dude.
Valerie McKenzie for being an awesome child wrangler.
Candace Myers and Mike Jeter for lending me their child.
John Merkl for the support!
Rachel Stephenson for lying for me.
Nate Helm for telling me where to find a tree.
Ashley Fenton for hooking me up with Matt Thompson, the awesome builder.
Jesse Semler for pulling crazy hours and doing crazy things for this project, we had a good time!
Anyone who supported me or this idea along the way, it all meant a lot to me.  Thank you.

An extreme special thanks to:
Jesse Silver for pulling 15 hour days with me for 8 days straight.  You made it happen.

More to come!