Little Pictures - BIG PEOPLE

I signed the contract with Verlhac Editions of Paris to publish my photo book titled "Little Pictures - BIG PEOPLE" I'll let you now when it will be available (worldwide). These are all "snaps" that I took of Musicians, Actors, and Artists when I directed them in Movies or Videos or just knew, Like Andy Warhol and Matt Dillon.

Picture of the Week #44 "Card Players of Shanghai"

Picture of the Week #44 "Card Players of Shanghai" Shanghai, China 1980 Signed and Stamped. While scouting locations and working on the budget for what would have been the first American - Chinese co-production that I was to direct, I encountered all these men dressed in Mao outfits playing cards on the streets of Shanghai. Chairman Mao had only been gone for four years and the remnants of his regime still lingered. Sadly the movie "The Footprints of the Pheasant in the Snow" which I was hoping to star Ingrid Bergman never was filmed as she had become ill and backed out. The money quickly followed. I remained as a guest of the Shanghai Arts Council where I continued to photograph and draw. When I returned to America I painted many paintings using those photos and drawings as my inspiration.

Picture of the Week #43 "Anonymous"

Picture of the Week #43 "Anonymous" Muscle Beach, Venice, California USA 2009 Signed and Stamped

After checking out Peter Gould's L.A. Louvre gallery's annual "Rogue Wave 09" exhibit and feeling less than impressed, I decided to walk down the ocean path on a bright Saturday afternoon and face the strange characters who inhabit the walkways. As I past Muscle Beach with glistening ripped bodies I noticed this guy sprawled out like a religious icon. His arms had just fully stopped moving and that is when I grabbed my hip pocket camera and recorded it for posterity. My wife thinks he resembles a terrorist. If I had more change I might have stayed longer, but felt rushed as the meter was running out. I grabbed a few more pix documenting my lovely stroll amidst colorful crazies and headed home.

Picture of the Week #42 "Swan Lake at the Bolshoi"

Picture of the Week #42 "Swan Lake at the Bolshoi" Moscow, Russia 1988 Signed and Stamped
While participating in the first Soviet - American Film Interchange where two of my movies were being screened, I was able to attend the famed Bolshoi Ballet. I remember sitting near Raisa Gorbachev and in front of Jacques D'Amboise the head of the American Ballet theater. When one of the dancers leaped across the stage they landed with a thud, rather than a graceful pitter pat on the wooden floor. Jacques later told us that all of the great Russian dancers had immigrated to Europe and America. Nonetheless I enjoyed every minute in the baroque theater with my celebrity contingent of film participants.

"Selling Buddha"

I completed printing my second 8 foot by 32 foot photograph titled "Selling Buddha" for my installation at the Melissa Morgan Gallery in Palm Desert California. The Gallery reopens in October and this image as well as the earlier post of "Fatigue of Compassion" of homeless unfortunates will be adorning the outside walls on El Paseo, the Rodeo Drive of the desert.

3D Clown

Walking down the 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica, I couldn't resist this image of a clown being watched by a kid in 3D glasses.

Picture of the Week #41 "Coney Island Respite"

Picture of the Week #41 " Coney Island Respite" Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York USA 2006 Signed and Stamped

In 2006 I was honored by the Coney Island Film Festival and to screen my motion picture "Boardwalk" starring Ruth Gordon, Lee Strasberg and Janet Leigh. As my film had barely been seen since the 1979 Cannes Film Festival I jumped at the chance. A month earlier I had acquired all rights, title and interest back from the current library holder to my semi-autobiographical film, of which I am extremely proud. The film was screened digitally and received a five minute standing ovation. There was a Q & A afterwards that lasted about 45 minutes. My hope was that a distributor would hear of this successful screening and want to scoop up the rights for DVD and cable sales. Needless to say that didn't happen. I was turned down because the actors were dead. As far as distributors go they only want name actors to promote their films. If there is no name actor available, then it is off to that library in the sky of never being seen films. Even worthy films like this. While the film was being screened I went for a walk along the Boardwalk and did what I love to to, take pictures. Coney Island is a potpourri of images and characters. It is so colorful and graphic it's hard to take a bad picture.

Sidney B. Felsen's Birthday

The ever dapper Art publishing legend Sidney B. Felsen's glorious 85th Birthday celebration with his wife and partner Joni Moissant Weyl. A couple of hundred friends and greats like Frank Gehry, Michael Ovitz, John Baldessari, Chuck Arnoldi, came to wish him well. I am so glad to have Sidney and Joni in my life for 35 years.

"Fatigue of Compassion"

I just finished printing the 8 foot by 32 foot image titled "Fatigue of Compassion" for the Melissa Morgan Gallery installation in Palm Desert California, which reopens in October. The 34 figures pictured here are life size. These unfortunates were originally photographed for a Music Video that I was producing and directing for Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show of their song "Carry Me" that dealt with alcoholism. It is a very powerful image and especially when presented life size.