Stephen Fieser "Juxtapose" May 17 - July 3, 2011

The Yellow Wall Gallery at the Midtown Scholar Bookstore is pleased to present Juxtapose, an exhibit of drawings by Stephen Fieser, painter of the Midtown Scholar Bookstore's mural. The exhibit features sketchbook pages of figure observations from public life and nude figure compositions drawn or engraved without models. The exhibition will be at the gallery May 17 through July 3, 2011. A reception for the artist will occur on Friday, May 20, 2011 from 6-10pm at the gallery. Light refreshments will be served. An "Artist Talk" with Stephen Fieser will happen on Friday, June 17, 2011 at 7pm as part of the Third in the Burg festivities from 6-10pm at the Midtown Scholar Bookstore.

Juxtapose begins with several dozen pages from Fieser's pocket sketchbooks. Here, brief impressions were caught on the fly, as people acted and interacted in public spaces. The park offers the artist a place where he can observe and draw without feeling intrusive, although he must be inconspicuous to be productive.

The bulk of the drawings and prints of nude figures in this exhibit are constructed mostly without models. This is an approach to figure drawing that is less practiced than the typical method of drawing with live, posed models. The resulting drawings and prints are influenced by Fieser's admiration for calligraphy, with his use of flowing, changing and directly executed lines, and for sculpture, with his attention to the subtleties of complex structures of real bodies and his consideration of intersecting forms within those bodies.

Stephen Fieser grew up in western Pennsylvania. While still in high school, he began working as an artist for a television station. Later he designed and illustrated for the publishing industry, eventually concentrating on children’s books and magazines. He has illustrated 6 books for HarperCollins and Henry Holt publishers, and many pieces for the Cricket magazine group.

Fieser has been an adjunct instructor of drawing and illustration for Messiah College, Marywood University, and elsewhere. He also has collaborated with Fathom Studio and others on advertising and design projects.

In 2003, Fieser was commissioned to create an 8’ x 66’ mural for The Midtown Scholar Bookstore. Scores of figures in the mural describe the present and past of Harrisburg’s Riverfront Park.

Fieser earned an MFA in illustration from Syracuse University. His most important mentor in art was the late sculptor, Richard Koontz, of Camp Hill. Stephen and his wife, Cherie, have lived in their Harrisburg home for almost 30 years.

To draw the human figure was Fieser’s early and lasting motivation. His study of anatomy, figure invention and drawing from life has been an ongoing background pursuit, as well as the foundation of his illustration work. In 2010, Fieser’s art took a new direction as he concentrated on the production of figure drawings and original prints for exhibition and sale. Juxtapose is the first such exhibition.

Interview with Courtnye Koivisto

Courtnye Koivisto's "Minimal Taxonomy", an exhibition of paintings and photographs, will be at the gallery from April 12 to May 15, 2011.

When did you first discover your creative talents?

As early as before elementary school. I've always been drawing and interested in art. My big thing used to be dinosaurs. I love dinosaurs! I would draw dinosaurs all the time. In middle school and even into high school I drew a lot of fantasy creatures. I still love dragons. I've been doing it all my life. I don't know exactly when I found out…but a long time ago.

When did you start doing painting and photography?

Definitely when I was in high school I got into both of them. I had always done pencil sketches up until high school. I was taking more art classes and started to paint. I was on the staff of the high school's art and literary magazine. I started taking more photographs then and also explored other forms of art at that point. That's also when I found out that I liked graphic design. That all came out of sophomore year.

I majored in fine art at Shippensburg University. I concentrated in Graphic Design. I had an internship in Photography and Graphic Design.

When did you begin to focus on nature as a subject in your artwork?

It's a tricky question because I've always liked nature. When I was doing it primarily for fun, it would be sketches of animals or fantasy creatures.
Then in college, I kind of put it on the back burner. I did subject matter that interested me, but I wasn't necessarily passionate about. Part of it was being around so many different artists and having to fulfill certain expectations. Nobody else really did nature, so I thought maybe that's not acceptable. When I had to do my senior project, we could do anything we wanted. I still felt strongly about doing stuff like this, so I did a series of paintings on endangered species. I really enjoyed that. So when I graduated, I was like, this is what I love doing so I'm going to continue to focus on that.

Could you talk about the life/death cycle in your artwork?

I've always been fascinated by macabre and dark. When I say I drew fantasy creatures in middle school, I would draw unicorns, but they would be black and dark. My dad thought it was a phase, but I've kind of continued with it. In photography I find some of the more interesting subjects to be decayed things. Even man-made, rusted, old. You can tell they had a life, but they don't now. They've taken on a different embodiment. From that you can see a cycle of rebirth.

Who are artists/artwork that you are inspired by?

I enjoy seeing other artists who have taken on a more natural aspect to their artwork. One photographer that I absolutely love is Nick Brandt. De does black and white photographs of African animals, primarily. The way he photographs them…they're just breathtaking. I love his work.

Another photographer is Andrew Zuckerman. He has two photography books; one is called Creature, one is called Bird. They're beautiful photographs, but sometimes they shouldn't be. The details he captures…you see every bump and crevasse and you're just like..eew! but at the same time you're amazed at things that you don't usually see. One because they are half a globe away and Two you don't ever see them that close. He photographs them on white backgrounds. All your eye is drawn to is the animal itself.

Also Salvador Dali. Paul Klee.

What camera / gear do you use?

I primarily use three different digital cameras and two 35mm. The two 35mm I haven't used so much lately. It gets expensive, unfortunately. Even though I work in a photo lab, it's still expensive. Both of those are Nikons. I've surprisingly been able to take good pictures with my point and shoot Olympus. But right now the one I'm using is a Canon Powershot G10. It's wonderful because it can be point and shoot, but it also has manual settings. It's a great camera. I like how it's small, it's not like a big digital SLR.

Do you have a favorite lens?

For the photographs I've been doing lately, I've been using the macro lens. (interchangeable lenses for the G10)

Could you talk about your choice to use wood panels to paint on.

They are birch panels. I have another one that is umm, I forget what it is. Pine? In my painting class in college, one of our projects was to do a painting on small 12x12 panels. The assignment was we had to do a wet sand layers of paint then cheesecloth to create texture. But the part we had to paint on was just the wood. Painting on the wood, I loved how it felt. It's very smooth. Very natural. I like painting on canvas, but there's something about painting on wood you just can't get from canvas. I also like the textures of wood. I did another painting where I just did a very thin wash for bones over the wood so you can still see the wood through the bones. I like the texture and the smoothness.

What were you like growing up?

My mom has always said that I live to the beat of my own drum. Not necessarily in a bad way. I'm okay being alone doing my own thing, not having people around. I do what i enjoy. But at the same time, I like to have fun. I was quiet growing up, I'm still quiet now. I get very excited about some things though. I was very excitable. I was an easy kid. I never really had much of a rebellious stage.

Describe your workspace/studio.

It's in the corner of my living room. In our apartment, we have two sliding glass doors that lead onto a patio. I have my studio setup right next to it. So when at all possible I can paint with the sun coming in.

Last year we found this awesome antique corner desk. I didn't have anything except stacked milk crates and it was a pain in the butt to have to bend over to get my paints. So I have my corner desk now. Right next to it I have my easel, which was a wonderful gift from my husband. Usually the way it's set up I can look at the TV while I'm painting. It's a little messy. I have extra carpets and towels down so I don't get paint all over the carpet.

How do you decide which birds to paint? Do you research them first? or paint the birds you see and then research later?

It's kind of a little bit of everything. I'm familiar with a lot of bird species, so I just have ideas in my head. I've always had bird books and liked birds. For the series, I wanted to pick birds that are a little more common. Some of them are slightly more exotic. Rose-breasted Grosbeak is one of them. It's a songbird. It's a bird you see around, but not like a robin. For this i didn't want to go into the tropical birds. One is a painting of a European Goldfinch, which you aren't going to find around here. For the series, I wanted to do slightly more common songbirds. Another thing that played into my selection were their colors, their body structures, habitats even. I didn't want to do a series of just red birds or brown birds.

What sort of outdoor activities do you engage in?

I definitely enjoy walking now that the weather is getting nice. I go to Wildwood by HACC a lot. It's a nice place to walk around. When I can, my parents own kayaks, so I go out kayaking or on the boat or tubing. One thing I wish I could do more often is snorkeling! Definitely not something I can do in Central PA though.

Hiking… there's King's Gap, Pole Steeple, Pine Grove Furnace.
My parents house is a great place to observe nature. They live out in the woods. Any of the parks around here too. Long Pine at Michaux State Forest. Whenever I needed a break from school, I'd just drive up there and it was nice and quiet. You can hike and walk around. You can kayak but you can't fish or picnic there. It's the water reservoir for the city of Chambersburg!

I haven't been here recently, but Lake Erie has Presque Isle. It's a nice natural area to go to.

Any music you are listening to a lot lately?

I'm recently on a kick of Mumford & Sons and the Avett Brothers. That style. iI seems to fit with winter going into spring. I'm on a bizarre task of listening to all the song on my ipod in alphabetical order. I'm always listening to Gorillaz. I love them! I'm always looking for new bands or rediscovering old ones. Like, Matchbox 20! I used to listen to them a lot. I recently listened to their first album again and thought, oh! this isn't that bad! I'm always listening to music. One reason is because I have a half hour commute to work. It's nice to put on music and drive.

Any books you are reading? magazines? websites?

I'm currently reading At Home by Bill Bryson. Amazing book! It's so dense with information that it's a bit of a slow read. It's a history of private life. One of the chapters I just finished reading is about why we put salt and pepper on the dinner table. There are long bloody histories to both of them. It's just stuff you don't think of. When you do you're like, yeah why is that? So it's a fascinating read.

I'm not much of a magazine reader. I enjoy magazines. When we go to the bookstore I like to look at Archive.

Websites? umm.. stumbleupon. it takes up a lot of time.

You've been married for a year an a half. How does your husband, Joseph, influence your artwork?

He hasn't really influenced it directly. I've done some drawings of him. Most of his influence comes from his support, which has been great.

Like, the other week we were at Michael's because I needed a tube of paint. The one I wanted was nine dollars and I was like, oh I don't need to spend nine dollars. So he says, oh no, you can get it. So it's stuff like that.

He helps motivate me. Anytime I need a second opinion on something, he gives me an honest opinion. Which is nice because there were times that I thought something was finished but it would've looked like crap. He's been wonderfully supportive even through high school and college. And it's technically his camera that I use. He calls it my camera, but it was his.

Do you like to cook?

I love cooking! I like curries. My dad got me into curries. My most recent discovery is leeks. We went over to a friend's house for dinner and his mom made sautéed leeks and italian sausage. So good! Never thought I'd like leeks, but they are pretty tasty. Part of my cooking I get from my dad. My dad is a great cook. you better enjoy it now, because he might not remember how he made it! I kind of cook like him sometimes. You know, hodge podge, throw it all in and see what happens.

Any recipes to share?

Here's a link to one of Courtnye's favorite recipes: http://www.fieldandstream.com/articles/hunting/deer-hunting/2009/10/how-cook-venison-pumpkin-curry She says: It's for venison and pumpkin curry, but beef and butternut squash make good substitutes.

Any new skills you'd like to learn?

I'd like to learn HTML coding. It's one thing in college I didn't have an interest in. I was more interested in print graphic design. Upon graduating I realized that so many graphic design jobs want you to know HTML for websites. Print isn't' appreciated as much. HTML would be a useful skill that would help me.

I would like to be able to scrape by speaking another language. I've taken so many years of french, I just can't remember it.

Other art techniques. Metalwork.

I'd like to learn more about how to build my own frames for wood. So it would be a built-in frame. I've done canvas frames and then stretched the canvas. But I haven't built my own shadowbox frame for a wood panel. That would definitely help me with my art.

Are there places you'd like to travel to…either new or revisited places?

Oh yeah, I love to travel. Definitely want to go back to Paris. I went there in college. We did all the tourist stuff, it's still amazing. We didn't get to go to the catacombs because they were closed for renovations. And that was one of things i was looking forward to.

We're definitely sometime in the future going to go to Germany. My husband, Joseph, lived in Germany for a few years. His family is in the military. He wants to take me to Germany so bad.

In the states, I'd definitely love to go back to Florida. We always used to go. My uncle has a sailboat. We can go snorkeling. I love that.

Maine. I loved Maine.

I haven't been out west so much. I don't know if I'd want to go to the Midwest again. Went to Oklahoma and wasn't too impressed. I could just skip that and go to Oregon. I do have family in Washington state. So someday, hopefully I'll make it out there.

Do you have any pets?

We don't have any at our apartment. With pet fees, we can't afford it. But I do have a fat cat, whose name is Fatty. She lives with my parents. She's my baby. And they have….I consider them to be my pets because I've known them…Fatty and Skinny cat and then two dogs Penny and Tika. Tika's an Irish Setter and Penny's a Collie. I love them.

We've always had pets. 30 rabbits…yeah..one was a boy. Didn't know that! We've had chickens, hamsters, fish, birds. I would definitely like to, once we can afford it or live somewhere the pet fee isn't so much…I want an animal to be part of my family.

I'd also like to have a scorpion. Joe's not too thrilled about that! So if i ever have a separate studio, i'd get one. I love pets! He's a cat person. I'm a dog person. I want a Corgi! I want a Corgi so bad!

What do you hope your audience gains from viewing your artwork?

An appreciation for things they've seen but not looked too hard at. Just realizing that there's so much beauty in the natural world that you can skip over without a second look. People are running around so fast they don't stop to smell the roses or even to stop and look at the roses. I'm hoping that the next time they're out on a walk they look into someone's garden and see bees pollenating and think that it's beautiful to just watch them. For some of my creepy subject matter, like snakes and spiders, people can see they are beautiful…their colors and patterns.

More of Courtnye's artwork can be found at: http://courtnyekoi.tumblr.com/

"Minimal Taxonomy" photographs and paintings by Courtnye Koivisto

Courtnye Koivisto
"Minimal Taxonomy"
April 12 - May 15, 2011
Reception: April 15, 2011 6-10pm




Artist Statement:

Since I was a child, the natural world has always intrigued me, and I found that different art mediums have allowed me to explore this interest. My work mainly focuses on the subtle and uninterrupted existence of nature, both flora and fauna, and attempts to capture it without the imposition of extraneous meaning.

There are cycles of life, death, and rebirth that occur everyday, yet go unnoticed within our own isolated cycles. Each photograph is a portrayal of the modes within these cycles, thus allowing the viewer to witness a fleeting moment that would otherwise be lost. By meditating on the individual embodiments of life and death in my work, we encounter the unique forms of nature that act without our influence or interference.

While my photographs focus on the natural world as metaphor, my paintings center on birds as portrait subject in an attempt to present them as beings with which we share the world, but may not fully understand. The birds in my paintings are individuals, deserving of recognition; yet, they are representatives of their species as well, perhaps as a symbol of what we do not consciously recognize in the fellow inhabitants of our environment.

More of Courtnye's artwork can be found at: http://courtnyekoi.tumblr.com/

Interview with John Maneval

John Maneval's "Jaw Mandible", an exhibition of screen prints and paintings, will be on display at the gallery from March 15 to April 10, 2011. A reception for the artist is on Friday March 18, 2011 from 6-10pm.
















When did you start making art?

When I was a little kid I used to draw monster trucks. I had art class through high school. I didn't really like art class. Then I started getting more serious about 6 years ago. I started painting more on my own.

What is appealing to you about screen printing and printmaking in general?

I like screen printing because I like the process. I took it in high school so I could make shirts and I kind of fell in love with the process of it. Then sometime later I started doing posters. When I learned screen printing, I didn't realize you could do posters and now that's pretty much all I do with it. I just like the thickness and boldness of the colors. I like the feeling of picking up the screen and seeing what you've created underneath. It's actually kind of a long process to get your image onto paper. I like that about it.
I worked at a screen printing shop in Mechanicsburg printing t-shirts for people's family reunions and pizza shops - boring stuff like that. Then I didn't really do it much for a few years until I decided to start doing posters and started doing it at home. So that's where I'm at now.

I read in another interview that you have your studio set up all around your house and not in a specific room. Do you still work this way? How's it working out? Would you rather have a dedicated studio space?

I would rather have a dedicated studio space. I'm going to be moving soon and I'll have a more dedicated space. Right now, yeah, it's all over my apartment. I expose my screens in the bathroom. I actually print in my kitchen. My dining room isn't really a dining room anymore. It's sort of just an art table where I draw and paint. When I spray paint I use the exhaust fan on my oven to get the fumes out. Yeah, I'm not going to have a security deposit, I don't think. Whatever.

I also read that you use your bathtub to clean up.

Yeah. I've actually gotten really good at cleaning my bathtub, so I'm not too worried about that.

It doesn't have a purple ring around it, does it?

Yeah, it's pretty gross. Magic Eraser and CLR can clean it up pretty well.

What's CLR?

It's some kind of spray cleaner.

Is that specific for screenprinting?

No, you can buy it at Giant.




















When did you start drawing creatures and monsters?

I'm not really sure. Maybe when I was a little kid, but I really don't know. At some point in the last few years I got really obsessed with them. I don't have a really good technical skill set when it comes to art. I can't draw something and make it look like what it actually is. At some point I just quit trying and now I make bloppy little monsters.

What were you like growing up? What kinds of things were you into?

Umm…mostly just monster trucks. I liked reptiles a lot. I still like reptiles a lot. I was kind of a shy little kid. I remember feeling overwhelmed a lot as a kid. I don't know why. I don't know. I think I was just a really small version of what I'm like now. Probably not as vulgar. (laughs)

Any inspirational monsters? cats? creatures? worms?

I think I have a cat print which will be in the show that is a song lyric to a Weakerthans song. It's pretty inspirational to me. There's a lot behind the print that makes it my most inspirational piece.

What's the song?

It's called "A Plea from a Cat Named Virtue". The lyric I used is " I know you're strong". But, if other people find something else I do inspirational, that's awesome and I'd be happy about that. But for me, that's the most inspirational one.



In your show description you state "Somehow the hardest things to say in life are easier if we let little creatures do the talking". How do you use these creatures to express "the hardest things to say in life"? Are they stand-ins for events or people in your life?

Some of them are. Some are more generic and some are just general things I think everyone deals with. Some aren't specific to things that have happened or people in my life or things that I want to say or have had to say that have been difficult. I think generally though it's just sort of… it's the same way where people might say something as a joke when they're really serious just because they can't bring themselves to say it seriously.

Tell me about your cat, Panda.

She's black. She's great. She knocks everything onto the floor. It's easy to find things, because I know it's always on the floor. She can be a total pain when it comes to making art. She just wants to sit on whatever I'm working on. But, she's great.

How old is your cat?

She's six.

I saw the commercial you made for the Black Thorn Gallery that Panda stars in. Do you often use your cat as a model for your artwork? Does she get treats out of this?

No. Well, I guess the cat print is sort of modeled after her. And the fact that it's a black cat... then I do have one painting is sort of her. But other than that, not really. She doesn't get treats. That's sort of just her job. The Black Thorn Gallery commercial was just sort of a funny thing. It's the first thing I thought of.

Does your cat make that weird face when she smells something weird or pungent? Can you draw this?



You've said you get inspiration from google image searches. Anything you've searched lately that you've been inspired by?

Um. Not really. I haven't been doing it as much lately as I used to. Honestly, for this, I've been going back through my sketchbook and using ideas that I never got around to using.

Are there any new skills you'd like to learn?

Ice skating so I can play hockey.

Any screenprinting you are inspired by? that could be certain artists, an era or genre.

I like a lot of the gig posters of artists currently around. I do a lot of posters for bands . I like a lot of those artists. Drew Millward is one of my favorites. Jay Ryan and also Leia Bell.

Do you generally only print on paper? Do you use other surfaces or mediums?

I've only done paper at home. I would consider doing shirts, but it doesn't interest me as much.

What about graffiti?

I've dappled in it. I don't do it as a habit. I'm kind of inspired by it. I like the fact that it's just there and no one has control over it. It's just there. There aren't gallery or museum people who pick what you see. It's whatever the artist wants you to see. I also like that there's an element of time. The Mona Lisa looks the same as it did 50 years ago. But street art is only there for a while. It might weather. It might get painted over.

Do you listen to music while you work on artwork?

I don't have anything specific. Pretty much whatever I'm listening to at the time. There's no specific genre or artist that I listen to when I'm working on art. I listen to a lot of indie rock, punk rock and a lot of old country stuff. Some of my favorites are Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, The Promise Ring, The Lawrence Arms, Jawbreaker, The Weakerthans.

Are you reading any books? magazines? any good websites?

I'm reading a book that's a collection of old articles on sideshows.

What about websites? any that you go to every day?

well, Facebook! Who's not inspired by Facebook.



Any places you'd like to travel to?

I'd like to travel pretty much anywhere. I really like traveling. I'm going to Montreal soon. I'm really excited about that. I'd love to go to Europe at some point. As far as the United States goes, I'd really like to go to Chicago and Minneapolis and San Francisco.

Any places you've been that you'd like to go back to?

I'd really like to go back to Salt Lake City. I've been there twice. It's awesome! I was to Denver recently. I'd like to go back there.

Have you ever been to a cat show?

(laughs) No, but I'd love to go to one!

More of John's artwork can be found at http://www.etsy.com/shop/jawmandible

"Jaw Mandible" Screen Prints and Paintings by John Maneval March 15 - April 10, 2011

"Jaw Mandible"
Screen Prints and Paintings by John Maneval
March 15 - April 10, 2011
Reception: March 18, 2011 6-10pm

The Yellow Wall Gallery at the Midtown Scholar Bookstore is pleased to present “Jaw Mandible” an exhibition of paintings and screen printing by John Maneval. Images of monsters, cats, worms and Bigfoot are used to aid in the expression of the far ends of the emotional spectrum. Through the use of these creatures in a manner influenced by street art and cartoons, Maneval is able to communicate the feelings and emotions that are not always easily spoken or expressed.

John Maneval currently resides in Mechanicsburg, PA with his cat, Panda. John is a fan of the screen printing process Spray paint and acrylics are his favorite painting media. Many of John's recent works depict fictional beings struggling with human problems.

You can find more of his work at http://www.etsy.com/shop/jawmandible

An interview with the artist will be available on the gallery's blog yellowwallgallery.blogspot.com during the exhibition.
Also, here's an interview on the blog Printsy: Printmakers of Etsy
http://printsy.blogspot.com/2010/08/john-maneval.html


The exhibition will be at the gallery March 15th through April 10th, 2011. A reception for the artist will occur on March 18, 2011 from 6-10pm at the gallery. Light refreshments will be served.

Interview with Chris Bavaria

Chris Bavaria's "Around the World in 17 Days", an exhibition of photographs from his trip to Japan, China, Egypt and France, will be on display at the gallery from February 15 to March 13, 2011. A reception for the artist is on Friday, February 18, 2011 from 6-10pm.

When did you start photographing?

I always took the family camera on trips. I didn't really start concentrating on photography until I was about 14 or 15.

What is it about photography that appeals to you rather than any other medium?

I suck at drawing, so it was the easiest thing to pick up and still be able to express myself.

Your work is primarily documentary, and especially of street photography. How do you reach the "decisive moment" (as made famous by Henri Cartier-Bresson)? Is this something you are consciously looking for or is it something you stumble on and hopefully you have your camera with you?

It’s definitely the latter. I just try and walk around and find moments. Hopefully I have my camera with me. I was taught to always have my camera with me for stuff like that. I’ve definitely come across situations where I wish I had it and didn’t. I try to just let moments happen and hopefully I’m there to catch them.

What camera do you use? Do you prefer digital or film?

Right now, I’m shooting with a Canon 5D. That’s digital. I use that pretty much out of ease and expenses. I would ideally like to shoot film. Going on an around-the-world trip and carrying around hundreds of rolls of film is just not practical though.

What’s your favorite lens?

I have a 50mm 1.4 which is the classic street photography lens. This whole series was shot with that.

The title of your show reflects your journey, “Around the World in 17 Days”. You went to Japan, China, Egypt and France. Why only 17 days? That’s crazy!

Partly because of expenses. Partly because I am crazy. Partly because I went with another friend of mine and had to be back for work.

How did you choose to go to those specific places?

We pretty much just picked the four places we wanted to go to the most and that’s what we came up with.

Could you talk about your travel partner?

My travel partner was my friend Al, who is….I don’t even know where to start.

You know Al. How would you describe Al?

Well, I know he likes kittens and keytars.

That gives a good visualization of Al. Kittens and keytars. We’ll leave it at that!

Can you share your favorite story from the trip?

Oh man. There are a lot. My favorite….oh man. Some are really long!

Oh man. Going to Egypt was crazy, in general, especially because of what’s going on right now. Looking back on that…and we were just there….

Some brief highlights:

Al getting hit by a guy riding a horse with his horsewhip. Not on accident.

Bribing police to have a child tour guide.

Riding the only subway in all of Africa

Going through 5 metal detectors to see the Egyptian Museum, which was not all that it was cracked up to be.

What country / place had the best food? What was it?

I’m vegan, so my food options were limited in a lot of places. I would have to say China was the best. They had a bunch of all vegan Buddhist run restaurants that were awesome. One in particular was called Pure Lotus. It was one of the fanciest restaurants I’ve ever been in. We had an 8 course meal and it was about 13 dollars.

What’s your favorite subject to photograph? I know you shoot a lot of bands too.

I haven’t done that in a while. I primarily used to shoot a lot of band photography, but not so much any more. Now I pretty much just shoot people and environmental portraits.

What subject matter would you like to photography but haven’t yet?

That’s a good question. Just more interesting people. I’d love to travel more and meet people in different countries.

What kinds of things in a scene cause you to photograph it? Is it the design? The absurdness? Emotions (either the subjects or your own)?

All of those, really. For a lot of the street scenes, I definitely gravitate towards geometrical shapes and patterns, but also a person’s expression or someone doing something ridiculous too.

Any new skills you’d like to learn?

I’d like to learn how to surf.

Any places that you’d like to go next or go back to?

I’d definitely like to go back to Japan and spend more time there.

In each place, we only had around 4 days, give or take. So, having more time in Japan would be great. As far as going somewhere new, I really want to go to South America. That’s my new next adventure.

How do you feel about this trip being so quick? I can imagine there would be moments that you’d just like to stay in one place and immerse yourself into it, more than just an observer or tourist.

Al and I didn’t want to leave and go to the next place. We were excited to go to the next place, but we were just getting into the swing of things after four days. So having to get up and leave again kind of sucked. We wish we had only picked, maybe, two places and then just spent more time in each.

What was the best part of the trip? The worst part?

The worst part was probably some of the crazy stuff that happened in Egypt or Al getting his phone stolen in France.

The best part was seeing new things that I had no idea existed. And totally immersing yourself into cultures that you know nothing about is really exciting.

Did you have a goal to achieve by the end of your trip? A certain project in mind to photograph?

Try to have as much fun as possible and take lots of pictures.

I didn’t really go on this trip as a photo trip. I just wanted to go on this trip and the photos came second hand.

How many tattoos do you have?

Oh no! A lot! I lost count.

When did you get your first one?

When I was 18.

Any favorite tattoo artists?

Ryan Spahr at Black Thorn Gallery in Mechanicsburg

What music are you listening to lately?

Currently I have a cd demo from this band called Reservoir from York. They just put out the demo and they’ve played one show. It hasn’t left my cd player for a week.

Are you reading any books? Magazines?

I’m currently in the middle of about 5 books. I always find new books and start reading them, then I find new books and don’t get to finish the other ones.

I’m reading this one book, it’s called Straight Edge and Radical Politics. It’s about living a straight edge lifestyle, which means you don’t drink, don’t do drugs or smoke, and having that mindset while participating in radical politics. It’s a pretty interesting book. It has a lot of interviews with people from all over the world.

You’re vegan. Do you like to cook? Any recipes to share?

I love to cook! Yes! I make a really good soup.

Super Awesome Soup!

• 32oz vegetable broth
• 1/2 cup tomato sauce
• 1/2 box ditalini pasta
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper
• 1 tsp sugar
• Pepper and Nutritional Yeast to taste!

Do you have any other hobbies besides photography?

I play in a few bands and tour around the country a lot. It kind of goes hand in hand with my photography.

What was it like being in San Francisco to go to school for your MFA in photography?

It was really great! I wish that I still lived there, especially when it’s this cold outside. I’m going back in March to visit and I can’t wait.

What’s the art community like there?

The school art community was good. I found it really hard to get involved in the more professional aspects of it. It’s such a big place and there are so many big names. So, it’s hard to get your foot in the door.

What’s your five-year plan?

My five year plan is to go to as many new countries as I possibly can, go to the two states I haven’t been to yet (North Dakota and Alaska), and try to get a teaching job teaching photography.

View more of Chris's photography on his website: www.chrisbavaria.com

"Around the World in 17 Days" Photographs by Chris Bavaria February 15 - March 13, 2011

New Exhibit!
"Around the World in 17 Days"
Photographs by Chris Bavaria
February 15 - March 13, 2011
Opening Reception February 18, 2011 6-10pm

Artist Statement:

Around The World In 17 Days documents a rather spur of the moment trip that took me to Japan, China, Egypt, and France in only 17 days. It was quite ambitious to absorb it all in such a short period of time. But the photographs embody the feelings of utter stimulation and unprecedented gratification that took place. This series is a proposition to everyone to step outside of their comfort zone and go explore new places.

I photograph everyday people and places. When you walk by them you might not even give a second glance. We always seem to be in such a hurry, we never have time to stop and really observe our surroundings. Quite often there is a lot going on beneath the surface and first appearances can be misleading.

That being said, I like to focus on subjects that may be neglected or have a common-like connotation to them. The mundane can easily transform into something beautiful. Everything has a story and I try to tell it through my photographs.

Bio

Chris Bavaria is a photojournalist based out of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. He received a BA in Art from Millersville University and an MFA in documentary photography from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco.

You can see his work on The Travel Channel, AOL, Brooklyn Vegan, Fight Magazine, Effort Fanzine, and Caveat Lector Bi-Annual.

www.chrisbavaria.com