Community Highlight: Bonnie Fukazawa

Name: Bonnie Fukazawa

Location: Portland, Oregon

Website: bonniefukazawaart.myportfolio.com

Social Media: Instagram @bonniefukazawa

Artist Statement: Bonnie Fukazawa is a working artist based in Portland, Oregon. Her mediums include mixed media, collage, acrylic, graphite, and digital art. Her work blends the digital and abstract layering her subconscious experiences into ethereal textures and pastel-toned images.

She is inspired by elegance, simplicity, and beauty. She finds inspiration from her dreams and draws from her hyper-sensitivity and intuitive nature to create work that transcends and reflects her subjective experiences.

Who/what is your biggest artistic influence?

Jan van Eyck

Where was the last place you went on vacation?

Tokyo, Japan

What’s the longest you’ve gone without sleep?

3 days

If you could go back in time to change one thing what would it be?

I would take Japanese instead of Latin in High School

When you have 30 minutes of free-time, how do you pass the time?

Taking baths or going on walks

If you were a superhero what powers would you have? and what would your hero name be?

Multiply myself to work on multiple projects at the same time

Do you have a lucky number? What is that number?

808

What’s your favorite color?

Orange

Favorite Quote?

“Sometimes you have to lose your mind before you can come to your senses.” – Peaceful Warrior

#communityhighlights #1309imaging #fineartprinting #bonniefukazawa

Community Highlight: Mick Hangland-Skill

Mick is one of the graduates selected to exhibit in the Blackfish Gallery 24th Annual Recent Graduates Show throughout the month of July. A selection of his series "Urban Solitude" will be hanging in the show. If you want insight into his thoughts check out the Artist Talk July 30th at 2pm. Otherwise enjoy the opening reception July 3rd from 6-9pm.

Name: Mick Hangland-Skill

Location: Portland, OR

Website: mickhs.com

Social Media: Instagram mick.jpg

Artist Statement:

My photographs show an intimacy with my subject, but I know I am an outsider. I am a participant in a moment, but not in their lives. While the camera mediates an interaction between us, we each maintain our personal spaces. I enter their space for just a moment; enough for a brief acknowledgement but not so long to break their solitude. These have been points of personal contention; dilemmas between knowing someone and knowing their image.

Who/what is your biggest artistic influence?

I come from a modern street photography practice in the likes of Robert Frank, Gary Winogrand and Diane Arbus. Recently, I’ve been looking to contemporary practitioners such as Alec Soth, Sally Mann and Rosalind Fox Solomon. I appreciate their work and have been looking at ways to incorporate narrative, poetry and sequence as they do.

Favorite piece of photographic equipment?

My trusty and beloved Rolleiflex 3.5A is always at my hip.

What is your preferred subject matter?

People are always at the center of my work. When I’m feeling flat in my work it’s usually because I have drifted away from people. This has been a recent goal of mine: to be closer.

Where was the last place you went on vacation?

My family and I visited Venice Beach, CA no too long ago where my most recent work was made. My parents lived in Venice in the 80’s and is a favorite place to return every so often. I use this as an excuse to distinguish myself from the other tourists and hipsters that crowd the boardwalk. You know, the one’s I photograph, right?

When you have 30 minutes of free-time, how do you pass the time?

Free time is a relatively new concept to this recent college grad. Because of that, I have been intentional in how I spend my downtime. I still feel guilty taking time for myself as I’m used to every moment dedicated to my academic success. Still, I can relax, fall into a book, article or poem and accompany myself with music.

#communityhighlights #1309imaging #fineartprinting #mickhanglandskill

Photolucida: Critical Mass 2019 is OPEN!

Photolucida Critical Mass is one of my favorite photography competitions of the year! I don't submit every year, but I do spend a good amount of time looking through the top 50 finalist images and reading their artist statements. It is one of the best places to see current fine art photographers works from around the world. Check it out!

Submission open between June 7th and July 15th!

The photography is the number one reason for my love of this competition, but another reason I love this competition is that I typically have a hard time writing my artist statements. Their website is a great resource to do research reading through artist statements and looking back at the previous years (because they keep them up and available) and you have a great variety of all the types of statements all in one place. Very inspirational.

#1309imaging #photolucida #submissions #contests