Hello friends,

Well, I predicted in my last newsletter that I might not get much done this month, and though I had every reason not to (none of which were what I had in mind when I made that prediction) I still managed to get a few things accomplished, including putting the finishing touches on a brand new project that I’m very excited to share with you. I’m not going to lie though, April was quite the month. It included breaking my children’s heart, and my own, having to return Charlie to the rescue; a trip to the emergency room and two days in the hospital; and then unrelated to the hospital stay getting the sickest I’ve been in a very long time. So you’ll kindly understand when I say, good riddance!

(I feel like I should add here, I’m fine, all is well, and things seem to have settled down for the time being.)

I wrote two blog posts this past month, bookending all of the craziness. It wasn’t until afterward that I realized how nearly identical they are in sentiment, though the images are different. One of them includes a reference and link to Maggie Smith’s poem, Good Bones. If you’ve never heard or read it before I hope that you’ll pop over and check it out. It’s an absolutely stunning poem which perfectly expresses where I live my life these days.

But at least as much as I hope you’ll read the poem, and probably more, I really, really hope that you’ll check out my latest project, Wild Blackberries, down below. It has been an absolute labor of love; and I don’t use that phrase lightly, I use it fully. It has been exhausting and difficult and emotional, and in the end so, so worth it to see it come together.

I’m very much looking forward to a (hopefully!) peaceful month ahead, and wishing all of you the same. Thank you for reading! And I always love to hear from you, so send me a note!

kg

Oh and ps - how could I forget? It’s my newsletter’s birthday! It’s hard to believe it was three years ago that I sent the very first one of these! It was a far cry then from what it’s become; I know quite a few of you remember its humble beginnings. I had no idea when I started how long this little experiment would last, or what to expect from it. But I’m so, so happy to still be doing it. It’s brought me so much joy, getting to know and share with all of you. So whether you’ve been here since the beginning or you just signed up, thanks for being here and coming along on the ride!

WILD BLACKBERRIES

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“On the day I realized that much of my neighborhood is fringed in wild blackberry bushes, I rushed home to tell my boys. The berries weren’t particularly good; a bit sour compared to the ones we could buy. But they still felt like a treasure to find, and with a little sugar and time they became delicious. Those mornings spent picking were my saving grace; a reminder that tucked into the weeds, if you are willing to brave a few thorns, can be something worthwhile.”

…

Some of you may recall last summer when I mentioned here in this newsletter that I had sort of discovered a project, within some of my old work. At the time I had hoped to be sharing it by the end of the year. As usual though life had other plans and no matter how much I fussed with it, it just never quite felt ready. But strangely, somehow, this past month it all came together, as if some unseen hand were working through me. Though I had initially wanted to look at having it published as a book, right now if feels right just to get it out into the world through my website.

This work is deeply, incredibly personal; probably more so than any other collection of work I’ve shared. Frequent readers and those of you who have known me the longest may recognize or remember some of the images, but many have never been seen. Some are old, some of the first I made even; and some are very recent. A handful were made with this project in mind. Some are on film, many are not. But together they are the product of years making pictures of something I knew but could not say, a deep love of a place, and the stubborn exploration to figure out how to belong in the middle of so much complexity.

RECENT BLOG POSTS

AT THE MOMENT

LISTENING TO

I’ve really been enjoying Devendra Banhart lately, particularly his 2013 album Mala; It’s chill and fun and perfect for the warming weather.

READING IN

Occasionally I find a book too intriguing not to check out. I came across Stephen Ellcock’s The Book of Change: Images and Symbols to Inspire Revelations and Revolutions through something Austin Kleon had written. It’s quite a fascinating little book, full of art and images from every age, divided by category: Source, Fall, Connections, Loss, Lies, Rise, and Hope. It’s not at all what I typically pick up, but looking through the images has had me thinking a lot about the deeper meaning in my own pictures; considering what draws me to making them, what resonates. I find it’s a helpful way to think about my work.

THINKING ABOUT

My friend Pete and I had a fabulous discussion not too long ago about the effect AI is having, and will continue to have, on the art world. So it was wild when a link to the Scientific American article, How This AI Image Won a Major Photography Competition, popped up in my inbox not even a week later. My reaction reading it vacillated between fascination and fear. The implications on the art world are one thing, but thinking about what this means for journalism is a scary, scary thing. I think it’s safe to say we are not ready, and yet, we’re here just the same.

If you, too, find this AI thing interesting then you might also like this post from Feature Shoot, Reality Vs AI: How Sharp is Your Eye? The article shows five pairs of similar images, one real and one AI generated, to see if you can tell the difference. (Note: It was initially a live poll, but since the poll has closed the answers are shown directly under each pair; so scroll cautiously if you want to test your own eye.)

CRUSHING ON

With one project wrapped up and another on hold, I have, of course, already started something new; a collaborative project that I’m very excited for, and will share a little bit more about in an upcoming letter. But for now I will share that I’m drawing all kinds of visual inspiration for it from the work of Sal Taylor Kydd and Heather Evans Smith.