Wednesday Edition: Liz Kuball

Untitled (Santa Barbara) (2009) by Liz Kuball
8"x10" ($20) | 11"x14" ($50) | 16"x20" ($200) | 24"x30" ($1000)

Untitled (Santa Barbara) (2008) by Liz Kuball
8"x10" ($20) | 11"x14" ($50) | 16"x20" ($200) | 24"x30" ($1000)

Bright and sunny Wednesday greetings collectors! It's Sara, sending salutations again. What's Jen's deal lately, you ask? It's hard work running three businesses (seriously!) and there are more than a few people in Cali wanting to meet + greet her. So, she's being all business-y, but business-y in the name of the art! Art—and our artists and you, collectors—are always at the forefront of Jen's mind. She does want me to remind you that we are offering FREE SHIPPING on orders over $50 till Monday!

We also had the chance to chat about today's editions, so I'll be able to share some of her thoughts below. Still, I know she's really sorry to not be here herself! Instead, I am happy to introduce you to Liz Kuball and two prints from her ongoing series, California Vernacular. I first laid eyes on Untitled (Santa Barbara) (2009) when Liz submitted her work to Hey, Hot Shot! in the last round of competition. As I wrote then, over on the HHS! blog, Liz's photographs are rich allusions to the stories, personal and public, small and epic, that we all associate with California. Liz was first a writer, and then a photographer, and it shows in her work; each image is bursting with tales to tell.

For example, I would imagine that the driver of the car in Untitled (Santa Barbara) (2008) was seeking out secret waves, long before surfing was cool in California. The car, the wooden board and the vine-covered chain-link fence speak of eons soaking up the sun. Jen had similar thoughts:

I keep thinking about this concept of new vintage... the hot Cali sun bakes everything into this timeless Mid-century moment. Liz's photographs feel like a more southerly reflection of my own California experience. When I moved to the Bay Area, I noticed similar things. And while Brad Moore notices that stuff too, he idealizes this past while Liz is sort-of reveling in its perfect imperfection.

We end up talking about photography's role in shaping—and its representation of—the West a lot. I grew up in Colorado; Robert Adams spent many years living and photographing in my hometown and I've long been fascinated by him and his work. Jen knows this and sent this text to me yesterday: "OMG D.M. has the most amazing photography in his office! You would die!!!! Adams, Callahan, Friedlander. Incredible." There is nothing like seeing those works in person and as we talked today, Jen admitted to being on the verge of tears in the presence of the photographs. She said:

I almost cried again talking about it [the Adams photograph] later in the day because it was SO beautiful and so reverent of the mundane... In regards to Liz's work, it's all connected for me; learning about the photographic tradition of the West is [relatively] new to me. So, I am especially appreciative of photographers like Liz and Brad for providing me a path to connect into that past.

Liz's photographs work to bridge the past and present, within the photographic tradition, and also with their own way of storytelling. They whisper about glowing trees leaden with fruit, Baja-bound surfers of the last century, the storied light of the South, attempts to wrangle nature and tumbleweeds settling in on the outskirts of town.

So, *huge* thanks to you, Liz, for giving us these excuses to California-dream in the middle of the week. Lastly, duty calls and I have to close with a few notes of business:

As I mentioned above, the FREE SHIPPING offer on orders over $50 is valid through Monday! But, please note, the orders must be over $50!

We found Liz's work via Hey, Hot Shot!. She was an honorable mention in the 2009 First Edition. If you want to see your work here, now's the time to send it our way. HHS! 2009 Second Edition is open. Read the details, then submit your work!

And please, join us for the opening of the Hey, Hot Shot! 2009 First Edition Group Exhibition at Jen Bekman Gallery in one week, on Wednesday, September 9th from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. See you at 6 Spring Street, NY, NY!

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