IMAGE(S) OF THE WEEK #36

We are one year to the day again. After our first week on the road in the US, we felt that we had seen and experienced about a months worth of sounds, sights and overly filled plates of food. Today we have entered New Mexico. We are taking a little detour to visit the White Sands National Monument. White Sands covers 275 square miles of desert. The dunes are constantly shifting, therefore creating an ever changing landscape. The sand is not sand as we know it, it's pure gypsum (hydrous calcium sulfate) (science lesson over). This area is just amazing, as are the surrounds. Both Ansel Adams and Edward Weston spent time photographing the dunes in the 40's. Edward Weston in fact produced some of his later work here in 1946 only two years before he was unable to photograph any longer due to Parkinson's.

Simon Hewson©2012

Aside from Weston and Adams making photographs here, 1945 was a very important year for this area, if not the world. Around 50 miles north of this natural wonder a very unnatural wonder was unfolding. On the 16th of July 1945 the first atomic bomb was tested at the trinity test site within the White Sands Missile Range, this was the test for what was later used in anger at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. How can such natural beauty and such man-made ugliness co-exist? The image below was made at a rest stop on U.S. Route 70 en-route to White Sands National Monument.

Simon Hewson©2012

IMAGE OF THE WEEK #35

Happy 4th of July! It seems fitting that the American leg of our journey starts today. We begin in Hollywood. The home to so many dreams, some fulfilled and some not so. Although I have to say this girl is fulfilling a dream, she is happily high-fiving Darth Vader as her family looks on in amusement/ disbelief. I guess there is another side to this story though, that of the Dark Lord, I'm guessing he never imagined that he would be working Hollywood Boulevard for peoples spare change. His plans for universal domination didn't really go to plan did they? I guess you can put that in the dream unfulfilled bin. That's all folks! (until next week)

Simon Hewson©2012

IMAGE OF THE WEEK #34

This weeks image of the week is from my hometown of Sutton-On-Sea, Lincolnshire. Our Euro trip had ended and we were gearing up for our next chapter, the USA. We quickly went back to where I grew up to spend some time with the family and relax before we feasted our senses on America.
My hometown is a sleepy place, it is flat, it has a sandy beach that runs as far as the eye can see, it has an abundance of people with one foot in the grave and it has three pubs. These are the constants in this town. The things that have changed over the years seem minimal and inconsequential in terms of the wider world. However this town has changed a lot since I grew up here. There are no empty fields left. Almost everyone has UPVC windows and doors. The ice cream parlour is long gone as are the break waters on the beach. One thing that hasn't changed is this orange bin. It has been there for as long as I can remember. See you next week in the US of A.

Simon Hewson©2012

IMAGE OF THE WEEK #33

This week our Euro adventure comes to an end. We close this chapter in Belgium. We spent a couple of days in Belgium before heading back to England. We learnt all about frites, chocolate, beer and good old fashioned hospitality thanks to our lovely Belgian hosts, the Danschutter's. I took this shot in Gent, I'm not quite sure what is happening here, it's up to you to make your own minds up. Next weeks instalment will be coming from my home town, Sutton-On-Sea. We then jet off to the USA!

Simon Hewson©2012

IMAGE OF THE WEEK #32

On this day last year we were at the half way point of the European leg of our trip. This week we are in the beautiful land of Croatia. This place holds a very special place in my heart, it is where my wife and I first told each other that we love each other. Just to clarify it wasn't on this trip, but on our first trip around 8 years ago. Nothing has changed, I'm still in love with this place and I'm more in love with the ball n chain. Until next week.

Simon Hewson©2012

Craig Waddell

I recently visited artist Craig Waddell at his studio. I was commissioned to photograph Craig, his studio and his work for a soon to be published book.

Born in Sydney in 1973, Waddell graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Art from the National Art School in 1999 and a Master of Fine Art (Printmaking) at the Chiang Mai University, Thailand 2004. His recent awards include the 2008 Moya Dyring, Art Gallery of New South Wales residency at the Cite Internationale des Arts, Paris; the 2007 Marten Bequest Travelling Art Scholarship; and the 2007 Artspace residency at the Gunnery in Sydney. His many prizes include the Mosman Art Prize in 2010, the Woollahra Small Sculpture Prize and the Tattersall’s Art Prize for landscape painting both in 2005, and the Paddington Art Prize and the Norville Australian Landscape Prize both in 2004. Waddell was a finalist in the 2006 and 2012 Achibald Prize and was also included in 2006 Salon des Refusés. In 2005 he was a finalist in the Blake Prize and the Wynne Prize and is a finalist again in this year’s Wynne Prize. Craig is currently showing at Edwina Corlette Gallery in Brisbane, his home town gallery is Gallery 9 in Darlinghurst, Sydney. You can see more of Craig's work here www.craigwaddell.com


All images Copyright Simon Hewson ©2012

IMAGE OF THE WEEK #31

This time last year was our last day in Italy, we were due to set sail for Croatia the following afternoon. After much clenching of the teeth/jaw, we decided to park the van up for a few days and have a rest from driving. We decided that the Amalfi coast would be the perfect place to do this. I was more than happy to walk around for a few days, stretch the legs and avoid near head on collisions at every turn.
This weeks shot was taken on one of our walks from Marmorata into Almalfi. The walk is about  3 km, not a walk for the faint of heart. A very windy road with Sheer drops on one side and rock face on the other. Along the road are lots of little doorways to peoples homes and the odd shop, this doorway was just around from a blind corner. I'm not sure what was going on here, a nosey neighbour? A concerned passer by? I'll let you decide.  Later that night we celebrated our last night in Italy with a couple of beautiful ice creams, I bit into mine with all the gusto of a greedy child, I felt a strange crunch, thinking it was little odd, I carefully placed the hard object in my hand. On closer inspection I realised I had lost a good chunk of my front tooth. Great! The van got through Italy without a scratch, my teeth clenching however had taken its toll.

Simon Hewson ©2012