international group of photographers, writers, artists, filmmakers, videographers and designers

Please welcome Skip Hunt as the newest member of aamora!  Skip has contributed here before as a guest. One of the images he has on aamora.com is the one to the left, titled “The Birds” . This photograph will be hanging in the Smithsonian from July this Summer until Feb 2011!  Congratulations, Skip! Click here to find out more.

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Skip recently pointed out to us that  “there’s been an uptick in upscale bars using the plasmas & lcd screens to display curated local artists. One such venue contacted me for a slide show for this purpose and I put this together for them:

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Skip also sent us the video below. He tells us he made it “just for fun… shot with a little flip-style Kodak video cam at 60fps to make a smooth slo-mo of this girl hula-hooping… mixed it with some ambient drum circle audio from the same event/party.”:

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We’re always pleased when Skip returns to aamora. This time it’s as our newest member!  His photography is remarkable for its beautifully vivid color, incisive composition and varied locales, including Mexico, Guatemala and South Africa. You will be well rewarded by checking out more of Skip’s work at skiphunt:visualartist .

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Marie Wilson was one of the first members of aamora. She is a writer, photographer, artist, actor, mother and muse. Originally from Vancouver, she lives in Toronto. Enjoy more of her photography at her photosite here and check out her writing, art and photography, as well as some cool links, on her new website

“Old paint on canvas, as it ages, sometimes becomes transparent. When that happens, it is possible, in some pictures, to see the original lines: a tree will show through a woman’s dress, a child makes way for a dog, a large boat is no longer on an open sea. That is called pentimento because the painter ‘repented,’ changed his mind. Perhaps it would be as well to say that the old conception, replaced by a later choice, is a way of seeing and then seeing again.

-From Pentimento by Lillian Hellman

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Maura is an aamora member. She tells us: “I received my B.F.A. from Bennington College in Vermont. It was there I learned how to “see” and ‘listen” abstractly. Before that, I studied in NYC with Daniel Green, a well-known portrait artist…. total realism, oil paints, “live” models….also, posed as a painter’s model during that period. Owned “Embellishments” – a business I created from being inspired by a small Indian mosaic frame found in the gift shop of the Jacksonville Museum of Art. – for 12 years. Now, I work at Merrill Lynch, helping people with their 401k plans. Photography has become my salvation.” – You can see more of Maura’s photography at jpgmag.com and her previous aamora posts here.

What seemed like moments later the sirens got extremely loud and Dave and Jenny heard tires screeching as a police cruiser came to a stop in Dave’s driveway.

Thomas James Broadway stepped out of the cruiser – sunglasses and wide brim Stetson hat firmly affixed to his head – gun unholstered – surveying the “situation”. TJ as he liked to call himself, worked with Dave at Bloomfield’s Sheriff’s department 11 years ago when TJ broke into the force. TJ was always looking in a mirror at himself and his uniform was always immaculately maintained; from his highly polished shoes to the tip of his hat. He earned the nickname “Broadway Joe” or just “Broadway” which TJ hated – but it stuck.

TJ looked through the iron gate down toward the back of the property. As he gazed his eye stopped at the bright red color of the swimming pool. He thought for a moment and then said to himself “Nah, can’t be”. His thoughts were interrupted by the shouting and hand waving of Jenny who was trying to get TJ’s attention.

“Miss”, TJ returned, waving his arm, “I’ll be right there”. Although TJ didn’t see Dave, dispatch had told him that Dave called in the 11-8 and requested an ambulance. TJ firmly gripped the Glock 9mm in both hands and held it with the barrel pointed to the ground as he kicked open the iron gate.

Read what you’ve missed here:

Part 1: In a Blur
Part 2: Tomato Soup
Part 3: Missing in Action

We are pleased to have Claudio Parentela as our guest. Claudio is an artist working in a wide range of media.  The pieces above are all untitled mixed media on cardboard (24 cm x 34 cm) created in 2010. We highly recommend that you enjoy exploring more of Claudio’s work by clicking on the links in his biography below.

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Born in Catanzaro, Italy where he lives and works, Claudio Parentela is an illustrator, painter, photographer, mail artist, cartoonist, collagist and freelance journalist. He has been active for many years in the international underground scene. He has collaborated with and been featured with  many, many zines and magazines in Italy and around the world. To see more of Claudio’s amazing range of work, check out his websites here and here .

Staying at Disney World, I got up at 4am with the family to drive to see the launch of STS-131. The shuttle lifted off the pad right before dawn, and and as the sun rose, it created a gorgeous, scrolling backdrop of deep gradated colour upon which it illuminated the clouds of alumina compounds left by the solid rocket boosters.  These clouds drifted and shifted and twisted in a kind of divine cursive script hanging in the sky, lasting for over an hour, in which ghostly letters and signs and sigils could just barely be discerned. The clouds were much more impressive than the launch, and I found it highly symbolic of modern attitudes that the brief roar of the shuttle was seen by millions, while the long, quiet glory of the clouds was all but ignored.

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Aamora welcomes Steve as our guest. We asked him to tell us about himself:

“In the words of Ralph Wiggum, I “like stuff”. I am a classic dilettante, interested in pretty much everything I come across. It has only recently dawned on my that I may not live long enough to do all the things I want.

Artistically, I have found it particularly satisfying to express and communicate with photography and writing.  My goal with photography is to find situations in the physical world that have a unique voice, and then and attempt to drag them across the semiotic chasm to share with others.  My goal with writing in much the same, but I draw from my imagination instead.

I live in Woodbridge, Ontario. I am a dual Canadian/Italian citizen, and I love to explore the areas where those two cultures overlap — and where they don’t. In my day jobs, I am the co-founder of both XE.com Inc. and Wifarer Inc.

I am also a pilot, and have been particularly interested in flight since childhood. I’m excited about the possibilities of mixing flying and photography.

And in my mind’s eye, I am always sixteen, bounding down the stairs to rush out into the world to explore, to invent, and — always — to learn.”

(Steve didn’t tell you, but we happen to know, that he was a torch bearer for the Vancouver Winter Olympics.)

“Time present and time past

Are both perhaps present in time future

And time future contained in time past.

If all time is eternally present

All time is unredeemable.”

From “Burnt Norton” in “The Four Quartets” by T.S.Eliot

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Catharine is a founding member of aamora. She grew up in England but has been living in Italy since her marriage in 1969. She spends her winters near Milan and her summers in Tuscany. Check out her previous contribution to aamora – the very first one! – by clicking here and her other contributions by clicking here. You can also enjoy more of her wonderful work on jpgmag.com .

Aaron Schwartz is the founder of aamora.com. When we run short on submissions, he posts his own stuff. Be warned. You can see more of Aaron’s photography on his own photo site , and at jpgmag.com. You can check out his previous aamora posts here.

downtown St. John’s

Old World Charm

St. John’s from the harbour

boats in the harbour

the four sisters

looking out from the harbour to the North Atlantic Ocean

I’m Lyndon Keating from St. John’s,  Newfoundland.  About 4 years ago I bought a point and shoot camera and began taking pictures.  I’ve been teaching myself as I go, learning from my mistakes, and treated myself to a dslr. Advice from a couple of experienced photographer friends of mine has also come in handy.  I learn new things everyday.  There’s a lot of beauty to Newfoundland.  It is a great classroom.

Throughout most of my working life I have done just about everything, from baking to driving. Up until a couple of months ago, I was a steel bender.  You put sheetmetal in a bending press, grab the handle and lift.  It required a good eye for angles.  Backbreaking work.  But recently, my photography has sort of taken off . I had my first exhibition at a local art gallery. I got an award.  I’m honoured to be here on aamora.  No more steel bending for me, I hope. A career in photography would suit me just fine.

Here’s a link to where I won a photography prize.  And I’d be pleased to have you look at some of my work on Flickr.  I’d sure welcome any comments you might have, and will be looking forward to seeing all the great work here on aamora. And any time you want to come up to St. John’s for a visit, I’ll share a few glasses of Screech with you and show you around. The icebergs come by in June, if you’re planning.