Teaching

Teaching over at Manchester Art Gallery all weekend, in response to the work of Dorothy Bohm. The exhibitions on until the end of August though.

Still alive

image copyright ed watts 2010

#1 Max

image copyright ed watts 2010

Last Thursday was the official World Book Day, with many book fans showing appreciation for their favorite characters... Who would you choose?

R.I.P Urbis

image copyright ed watts 2010

On Saturday the day finally came that Urbis closed its doors for the last time. This is terrible news, not only for the staff made redundant, but a massive blow to Manchester's cultural outlook. or lack of! This article maybe hits the nail on the head. Stay tuned for lots of redundancy based work, yes I'm very bitter and self pitying...

Exhibition 8th February - Urbis

The photography course I created and delivered was a great success with great help from visiting lectures from Meatyard Arts and Manchester Photography. I am pleased now to announce that a selection of work created by the participants will be on show at URBIS in Manchester from the 8th Feb. So if your in town swing by and say hello 6-8pm for the private view.

#6 Sixties Ceramics

image copyright ed watts 2009

Taken from the series 'Collectors'

#4 Proposals

image copyright ed watts 2009

Taken from the series 'Good Books'

Portrait

image copyright ed watts 2009.

I take a lot of portraits, many of which are part of a series or broader project. However, every now and again I take a portrait that is simply a portrait and yet it holds me and makes me question the way I define my work. My work, often typologies, become conceptual documents which may now be typical to what we are told constitutes an 'art' photograph. Its portraits like this that makes me question this very notion. Looking back at art over the centuries, the past masters of painting would be commissioned to create portraits of the significant and wealthy. As time past these paintings aged and became desirable, displayed, bought and sold in the art market, often regardless of 'who' the portrait may be depicting. So I guess this is the point to this post, in a couple of hundred years will portraits that photographers are taking today, possibly the simplest of editorial portrait commissions, will these be the for sale within a futuristic gallery somewhere ready to be bought and hung in pride of place in someones futuristic home?

Anyway that may be a terribly written rant that doesn't make any sense to anyone, but the point I was getting at is can I just create work as 'art' that is made merely 'because'? devoid of concept?

To answer my own question, YES

# 3 Philidelphia

image copyright ed watts 2009.

Taken from the series 'souvenirs I have from places I've never been'

#2 Storm Trooper

image copyright ed watts 2009.

Taken from the series 'star wars portraits'

Arles 2009

image copyright ed watts 2009.

Oopps, This doesn't count as a missed day because I don't class a day as over until I go to sleep!

#3 Learning To Love You More

image copyright ed watts 2009.

Taken from the series 'Good Books'

#7 Electrician

image copyright ed watts 2009.

Taken from the series 'Amateur Referees'

Hope

image copyright ed watts 2009.

Spectacular

image copyright ed watts 2009.

So, first go at my photo a day...

I have bumped in to loads of people during this snowy period and many conversations go like this, "hey, your a photographer, bet your getting loads of great shots of the snow. What a fantastic photo opportunity!" or "Hope you've documented this, you won't see scenes like this again for 30 years!"

Its exactly the same feeling I got my first time in New york, everywhere I looked seemed to be a recognizable amazing photo. At first I felt awkward about my reluctance to take these scenes in front of me, later I have learned to embrace it and for good or for bad the result is that I never take these pictures I feel I should!

So this is my document of the snowy season. It my not be as spectacular as some you may see on the likes of flickr, but hopefully there are not as many as these.

Snow bro

image copyright ed watts 2009.

Its officially the coldest I have ever felt the world to be and I can't decide if I like it or not. After being house bound for a couple of days I have decided to go for the standard 'Flak' esq blog approach of a picture a day. Knowing me, I wouldn't hold your breath though.

Christmas is over

image copyright ed watts 2009.

Hope you all have had a happy holidays. My new year resolution is to blog more so watch this space...

family portrait

image copyright ed watts and fay cartwright 2009.

Buy Art Fair 2009

image copyright ed watts 2009.

A selection of of my photographs will be for sale at the Buy Art Fair this September. The fair is held at Urbis in Manchester and will be open September 24th until the 27th. So if you are in Manchester come along, there's over 75 international galleries exhibiting. My work will be part of the Urbis Creatives stand, showcasing the best work from the staff at the gallery. For more information or to get a free BAF ticket click here.

Junk

images copyright ed watts 2009.

These are a few images from a new series 'Junk'. I am obsessed by second hand objects and places like this amaze me. Junk shops, the home of the lost and once loved. Items in limbo, ready to be given a new lease of life.