Mike Stroup - Artist Statement
Photography can be a medium for travel through time and space. Beyond the literal world we live in are places seen and unseen by the everyday eye. The simple act of passing by familiar landscapes can be mystically transformed through the photograph to suggest the fleeting passage of time and the life before us.
Much of our lives are consumed in the pursuing of contentment and a state of happiness, of balance. Very rarely are we able to allow ourselves to delve into the peace of melancholy, or the quiet contemplation of the remembrances of lives and living passed.
Life in bloom, life in repose, life denied, and anew.
Often there is a searching, a reaching, a haunting grasp for a more comforting path just beyond, perhaps never fulfilled.
According to a poem -
The questions lie
As the answers die
And we know not why
But so it shall remain
Old buildings, worn landmarks, cemeteries, vanishing rural communities – almost all forgotten – places “from nowhere to goodbye” deserve a second look to remind us that we are all here but for a moment. Only when we stop, speed up, or change perspective does precious time, our greatest resource each day, take on a new and different look when captured through the eye of a camera.
Words gently adapted from an old song help to capture the essence of the photographs you see here: “Will the wind (or the silence) ever remember, the whispered moments of our lives?” Look . . . and then, look again.
Mike Stroup
The Photographs presented at the Kern Gallery by Ron Kern are from his forthcoming Book, Sunset Junque Shop.
Ron Kern - Sunset Junque Shop
While driving to Saugatuck, Michigan, Satch and I decided to turn off the interstate and take an older, less-traveled road to Saugatuck, Michigan. Driving north along the Red Arrow Highway we were enjoying the perfect Michigan summer weather. It was one of those July days where a gentle breeze was blowing off of the lake keeping the heat at bay. The sun shone brightly in the deep blue sky.
First up were the small towns, Lakeside, Harbert, Sawyer, Bridgman and Stevensville. Getting onto the Blue Star Highway at St. Joseph we drove along the lake and through the dunes to South Haven where we stopped for a quick lunch and a walk. Onward to Saugatuck, a town where Satch and I find solace and inspiration.
Many men can attest, while traveling, wives love to stop at every interesting, and not so interesting place (in our opinion anyhow) especially if it’s an antique shop. We were almost to Saugatuck, and then Satch saw it. A little north of South Haven, on the west side of the road, we had passed a place called Sunset Junque Shop. Of course we had to turn around and check it out. As I steered the PT Cruiser onto a swatch of gravel at the side of the road, I looked over a landscape of objects that I couldn’t quite put my mind around. We got out, amazed at what we saw. It was a place like no other. There was a gypsy wagon with a stuffed ogre leaning against it. I thought, hmm, this stop might be interesting.
Off I went while Satch headed into the shop. Walking over the property I was pretty amazed with the conglomeration of stuff that was everywhere. Before long I realized that I wasn’t just seeing a bunch of things strewn about, but I was walking around in the middle of a gathered and assembled array of elements. The canvas of objects stretched out for acres, in and around several barns, broken down sheds, and a tattered house, held together with hope from its last repair. As I looked closer I began to see messages, scenes and assemblages.
There were installations, abstractions, still lifes and social commentaries. Within this environment there were “residents," and they are an intriguing and mystical lot.
After exploring and soaking it all in for some time, I went back to the car to grab my camera. Pictures immediately began to reveal themselves. Isolating particular details yielded even more richness of the whole. After working for I don’t know how long, I stopped to take a break. While resting for a moment, I realized that I had not been this inspired to photograph for years.
We’ve returned many times to Sunset Junque Shop and found our share of treasures. Satch always finds objects to use in her art. Every visit is a new exploration - there are additional items, some things have sold and elements have been moved around on the property presenting a different perspective. Sunset Junque Shop’s property is indeed living performance art.
I invited my friend, Karen Bruner Stroup, who, along with her husband, Mike, has visited the Sunset Junque Shop, to join me with her poetry written in response to this place and the photographs in the forthcoming book. We'll post information about purchasing the book in the near future.
No comments:
Post a Comment