Edition Announcement #226 - Joe Holmes

Hugo (Library) by Joseph O. Holmes

Good Tuesday collectors! It's Sara again. Jen will be back tomorrow with another brand-new-to-20x200 artist. Today I'm here to introduce this handsome foursome of photographs from none other than Joseph O. Holmes, along with today's 200-minute special related to all four: Milling Machine Shelves, Engine Lathe Shelves, Van Norman No. 12 Milling Machine and Hugo (Library). We really, really love all of these photographs and think they should live together, which is why today's special is as follows:

Collect all four 11"x14" Custom Machinery prints and receive a FREE portfolio and a $20 gift certificate.* Offer ends today at 4:40 p.m. EST.

Jen, Jeffrey and I have spent a lot of time as of late looking at and talking about these images since Joe first opened up a box of proof prints for us to pore over at our old round-the-corner coffee haunt, The National. Fueled by Americanos and cappuccinos, we concocted plans to produce insanely huge photographs to install in Rag & Bone (they're up and spectacular, swing by 119 Mercer to see for yourself!), plotted dates for Joe's solo show at JBG (2010! It's going to be super!) and of course, hatched the seed for these editions.

In the greater series, Custom Machinery, that these four particularly stunning images were culled from, Joe documented a portion of our history that began with Lewis Hines' Powerhouse Mechanic and slowly, but surely, is coming to an end. It's a story of epic proportions, made plain and made personal by details: oily tools and their specific order on a work desk, the mystery of untold use for each and the postures of men who have spent countless hours with nose and shoulders bent into skilled labor.

Joe is a fast photographer, ever ready on the street, but he is also a photographer who knows exactly when to slow down, bring in the lights, a tripod, and take some time in a space. If I had to guess, I'd say it's Joe's experience as a writer that helped him hone these instincts. To be a good writer, you must be a good reader; to be a good storyteller, you must be a good listener. Joe, I think, is all these things and it's what makes him a great photographer. It's not that he always knows right away when and how to take a picture, it's that he seems to know exactly how much (or little) time to spend where and to never pass up an invitation to stay awhile. He's the kind of guy who can sit and chat with just about anyone; he is genuinely interested in other people's lives.

And, thankfully, he makes other people's stories visible for those of us who wouldn't have the time, the patience, the intelligence, and really, the compassion, to see what unfolds around us, in places both public and private. It's one of the most generous gifts to give and to receive. It's no wonder that fancy collectors the world over slyly acquire Joe's work. They're no fools; they know and we know, what Joe is offering.

* If you order all four 11"x14" prints in the next 200 minutes, they will automatically be shipped in one of our custom-embossed archival portfolios. Within 24 hours, we'll send you an email with info about your gift certificate—you'll need to choose the recipient (yourself or a friend) and decide on a paper or electronic version. So, hurry! and take us up on our offer!

Previous Newsletter : Edition Announcement #225 - Amy Casey