In memoriam, Riley Smithson Steinway 1998-2011

Looking Back
I think it’s important to take stock at the end of each year–to celebrate and be grateful for successes, to understand failures, and to set goals for the future. I feel particularly grateful this year. I was offered wonderful opportunities, got to travel to a variety of photo related events around the US and in China, and most importantly, am very appreciative that I can create work in a community that is incredibly supportive and communicative.

First, I want to thank the galleries and photographers that supported my curatorial efforts with the exhibitions Redefining Hollywood at the Factory Gallery and later at the Analog Salon in Los Angeles, and Summertime Exhibition at the Duncan Miller Projects in Santa Monica.

I am also appreciative for the opportunites to juror exhibitions and competitions: the Center for Fine Art Photography’s Dreams Exhibition, the Downtown: Incomplete LA exhibition at the Terrell Moore Gallery, Critical Mass 2011, and the upcoming Imagination exhibition at the A Smith Gallery in Texas and the I Spy:Camera Phone Photography at the Kiernan Gallery in Virginia. I am also thrilled to have attended Photolucida as an artist this year, and Review LA and Filter Photo Festival as a reviewer.

Thank you to the gallerists, directors, and editors for giving me the opportunity to share my work: Crista Dix from Wall Space Gallery, Valerie and Vicenc Boned from Galeria Tagomago, Jennifer Schwartz from the Jennifer Schwartz Gallery, Elizabeth Barragan and Kathleen Mahoney-Cobb from Finch & Ada, Dan Miller from the Duncan Miller Gallery, Jason Landry from The Panoptican Gallery, Daniel Cooney from the Emerging Artist’s Auction, The Darkroom Gallery, The Soho Photo Gallery, Ann Jastrab the Rayko Photo Gallery, the Honor Fraser Gallery, Melanie and Michelle Craven from the Tilt Gallery, Elizabeth Houston from Hous Projects, Liz Gordon from The Loft at Liz’s, Julia Dean from the Julia Dean Gallery, Amber Terranova from PDN, and more.

Teaching is a big part of my life and I want to extend a huge thank you to my AMAZING students in Los Angeles that I have worked with at the Julia Dean Photo Workshops over the years, and to my students in the virtual world–they continue to enrich my life and I am so proud of their accomplishments. It was a pleasure teaching workshops in Chicago and Colorado this year, and I look forward to my first experience at the Santa Fe Workshops in March, where I am teaching The Big Picture.

And lastly, thank YOU, the wonderful Lenscratch readers who remain curious and excited about looking at all kinds of photography. There are some changes afoot with the blogzine, so keep an eye out.

Some highlights?

It was an amazing year, one of those years where wonderful things happened when I was least expecting them. And I thought I’d have time lots of time to make new work…hmmm!

The cover of PDN and recognition for my workshop teaching…

Having my image on the cover, tickets, posters of the Photo Off Festival in Paris…this image was featured on the sides of buses and on posters around the city…

Traveling to China…

Looking Forward

My continuing goal is to make more time to create work. In order to do that, it means less time down the rabbit hole of Facebook and Twitter and social media outlets.

I want to get a book or two out into the world.

I want to explore more conceptual work and push traditional boundaries a bit.

To close,
I would love to hear from you–things you would like to see on Lenscratch, subjects you would like to see explored, or any ideas you want to pass my way.

I wish you all a very very happy, healthly, prosperous, and productive 2012! Be sure to visit the Favorite Photographs of 2011 Lenscratch Exhibition tomorrow!