Later this month I am presenting my drawings at an event put on by the Young Architects Forum of AIA Eastern Oklahoma, A Chapter of the American Institute of Architects here in Tulsa. The event is called CHiTCHaT 10 and it is 20 images, 20 seconds each. So, about 7 minutes total.
Because of the nature of the group I thought it would be fun to create a few drawings just for the presentation. I created a series titled ‘Architecture Is’ that had a quote from a famous architect that was being spoken by actual buildings.
Here is #1.
Julia Morgan
The quote is by Julia Morgan, an amazing architect who built mostly in California. She’s best known for having been the chief architect on the Hearst Castle in San Simeon, California. She collaborated with Hearst for 28 years on it.
She built extensively around the San Francisco Bay Area. Remember I mentioned recently that I stayed at an Airbnb location in Berkeley when visiting my daughter Chelsea? Well, I was being given the tour of that house and was in the back yard when the host pointed to the house immediately behind her and mentioned it was built by Morgan. It was just the back of the house and it didn’t have a lot of definition but I could definitely tell it was in that Arts and Crafts / Craftsman style she was primarily known for in most of her residential work. I would have liked to been able to get in to see the interior. The East Bay of the SF Bay Area has an amazing collection of residences in that style. I think it’s more beautiful than the Victorian style you see more often in the actual city of San Francisco.
Some Firsts
Julia Morgan was the first woman to:
Graduate for UC Berkeley with a degree in Civil Engineering
Graduate from the Ecole Nationale et Speciale des Beaux-Arts in Paris in Architecture
Receive the AIA God Medal
Some Buildings
Here are a few photographs of her buildings.
Merrill Hall, Asilomar Conference Center, Monterey, California – 1928
Asilomar Lodge Interior
Morgan built 16 buildings at what originally the YWCA Conference grounds at Asilomar. 13 of them still remain. It is a now State Park in California.
Mills College Campanil (Bell Tower), Oakland, California – 1904
This bell tower was the first on a college campus in the US and the first building made of reinforced concrete on the west coast. It survived the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake.
Hearst Castle, San Simeon, California
Julia Morgan worked in Hearst Castle for 28 years (1919-1947), only stopping when Hearst ran out of money and left San Simeon for good.
Berkeley City Club Swimming Pool, Berkeley, California
Indoor pools were very much in style back in the 20s and 30s. I stayed at an Airbnb place in Tehachapi, California last month that had one and it was great to swim in! You can see it here.
Sacramento house, on Sacremento State University campus, 1920s
Sacramento house -1920s-interior
Residential Home, Presidio area of San Francisco
Redwood Grove house
Julia Morgan did an prodigious amount of work. This selection barely scratches the surface. Do a google search on her and read up, she’s an amazing architect.
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Here are the other Architects and historians I’ve written about so far:
Liz didn’t grow up in the church but she had been attending for many years.
Chapter One
She got the dress from a new online shopping service. She loved it and was excited to wear it to church where she was going to get up on the alter and report about the youth choir.
Chapter Two
As they got out of the car in the church parking lot her husband said, “I just noticed that two of those little donut circle things on your dress look like your nipples. They’re right where they would be.”
Liz gave him the death stare. “WHY ON EARTH would you say that to me right now, even if it is true?” She said. “You know I am going to be completely self-conscious about that now! You can be such an unthinking idiot sometimes.”
Chapter Three
By the time the pastor called her up onto the alter she had already suffered through 20 minutes of panic. As she walked up she saw her four choir friends sitting on the side, waiting to go on and do their quartet devotional. She looked at them looking at her and she knew they saw the same thing as her husband. She turned to face the congregation blushing a deep crimson. There was nothing she could do about it.
Chapter Four
She forgot to tell the congregation what time the youth choir concert was going to be and forgot to explain about the fundraising needed to send the kids to choir camp next summer. She tripped on her way back down the stairs but caught herself before she fell. She sat down next to her husband, who whispered that she did a great job and no worries about the dress, it wasn’t obvious at all. She wanted to kick him in the balls.
Chapter Five
Afterwards, everyone said she did a great job. Many of the women complemented her dress and asked where she got it. Two guys from her husband’s mens group also complemented the dress. She wanted to kick them in the balls too. She dragged her husband out of the Fellowship Hall the second the niceties were over.
Chapter Six
Her husband was in the dog house for the whole week. As a result he missed out on their weekly night for having sex. She told him that he deserved far worse so he better not complain.
Epilogue
In later years Liz said that it was that moment, as odd as it sounds, that changed the direction of her life. She ended up leaving her husband and her church a year later. She moved to Florida with their kids, taking a job as a music teacher at an inner city high school. She started caring much less about what people might be thinking of her and her clothes and as a result was very happy. She ended up having polka dots and circles in almost everything she wore.
People tend to put professional photography into a very serious box. It’s used to show the worst of humanity and nature, a very serious thing. It is also used to show the highlights of both, which ironically is usually just as serious. It is true that in recent years, with the advent of the cell phone camera and the internet, everyday snapshots of very funny events and juxtapositions have proliferated. But in professional photography, seriousness still is given the top shelf on which to reside. It’s not that different than in cinema. Funny movies and comedic actors just don’t get the same level of respect and reward as do those that are serious.
But, in spite of that, we still have great comedic movies and actors. We also have some very funny photographers. Foremost among them in my mind is Elliot Erwitt. He is one of my all time favorite photographers. He spent 50+ years as one of the preeminent photographers photographing the world. He was a founding member of Magnum, the elite photography agency started by Robert Capa mid-twentieth century. He eventually became its president. He took some of the most iconic and important political and social photographs of that century. He was a VERY serious photographer. At the same time he was the least serious photographer you will ever find.
The perspective of Erwitt is not to be purposely funny. It’s to record a world that has interesting juxtapositions that can sometimes be very funny. They can also be poignant and stark in their irony and pathos as they reveal the human condition.
Dogs and other animals
No one has ever been better at capturing the humanity of the Dog and other animals.
I have been drawing and photographing the nude figure since I was 17 years old in High School. As I matured, one of my goals in doing the nude has been to juxtapose the inherent sensuality of the nude with something that offsets it. It can be humor, a unique visual perspective or something disturbing. I want there to be an element that draws people away from the sensuality just enough to make them stop and think about it. I was inspired in that direction in no small part due to Erwitt and other photographers ability to do that so successfully.
I have focused only on what I think are his humorous pieces. He took photos of some of the worlds most important leaders and entertainers as well as some of the iconic national moments in America. If you like what you see here, do an information or image search of Elliot Erwitt. There are fantastic collections of his work out there as well as revealing articles and histories of his place in 20th century photography. He’s well worth exploring further.
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You can see and read the entire ‘Artists I love’ series here or by going through the list below.
How did The Napkin Dad end up being such a sexy hunk modeling a ‘Don’t Hate the 918’ t-shirt?
This is a photo of me taken by Steve Cluck, a Tulsa artist and entrepreneur. One element of his business is producing and selling the famous ‘Don’t Hat the 918’ t-shirts (for those of you out of the state or the country, 918 is Tulsa’s telephone area code). He is doing a photography project that consists of 918 people from the Tulsa area wearing his ‘Don’t Hate the 918’ shirt.
Beth
A few months ago a friend of mine, Beth Hawkins of Beth Hawkins Video and Photography, posted a request on Facebook looking for some people to be in a promotional video she was shooting downtown. It was on a day I had to be in Tulsa to coach so it would be easy to just go a few hours early and take part, which I did.
Beth Hawkins
Steve
One of the other people acting in the video was Steve Cluck, who I had never met. We had to wait while shots were set up and got to talking about his t-shirt business and my Napkin Dad endeavors. He told me about his project to photograph 918 people from Tulsa in his ‘Don’t Hate the 918’ t-shirt. When I explained who I was he recognized my moniker and invited me to participate.
That was enough for me and a few months later Linda and I went over to his studio and took the shots.
Steve Cluck
Showing Up
Have you ever heard the old saying “90% of success is just showing up.”? Well, it’s true. I answered Beth’s call because I like her and want to support her in her work. I also thought it would be fun. She also promised free pizza so there’s that too. Showing up is not just about showing up for things you are obligated to show up for, that should be a given. It’s also about being proactive and grabbing hold of things to show up for. Using your own initiative to go do something, to help, to participate, to explore your world. The results are usually unexpected and positive, as in meeting and networking with people who are good for your business, your social life, and your friendships.
