In the third and final change in my recent additions to my series of prints based on the belief in "There but for…" I have converted my original Home Sweet Home print from the bold colors to this, my trademark stark black and white.
If you would like to learn more about what was behind this decision to go black and white you can read "The Power of Color to the Imagination of Stark Black & White" that I posted on my commercial photography blog DOUGLAS Photography, Inc. News.
This print, as are all of our prints, is 100% art gallery archival quality. They will not yellow or fade for over 100 years if displayed properly. The prints are all produced at the time of the order and each print is hand signed and numbered by Douglas.
There are more than 200 original Douglas contemporary art prints to select from.
DOUGLAS Art Prints® | DOUGLAS Photography, Inc.
June 17, 2009 - Cleveland, Ohio - In a second unusual move commercial and fine art photographer Douglas Konkol has replaced an originally released print with a new version. This new "Ken from Mars II" print replaces the original color version again with Douglas' much preferred stark black and white.
The report from the original version…
June 11, 2009 - Cleveland, Ohio - Ken from Mars II, this is part 3 in a series of DOUGLAS Art Prints® based on "There but for the Grace of God go I" After working with the homeless on a photo project for the Salvation Army Douglas, contemporary artist, commercial photographer and owner of DOUGLAS Art Prints®, met many of the people we see and ignore every day in large cities across this country. The experience left him wondering if it was the alcohol that led them there or was it being born without the God given tools most of us have and take for granite? That the alcohol is a coping mechanism and one of the only pleasures available.
Larger View
Just like the folks in the Fortune 500 companies he asked me to wait while he changed his shirt. He wanted to look nice for the photos. He was embarrassed because the shirt he had on had stains on the front. "I drool when I sleep and the chewing tobacco stains my shirt," he explained.
Ken and I chatted while I took photos. In a very pleasant conversation Ken explained that he was sent here from Mars to report back about life on this planet. He explained this in exactly the same way someone you meet explains they're from Michigan or Wyoming. If I'd have met him about anywhere else and he said he was from Michigan and not Mars this would have been no different than 1000's of other conversations I have had with about anyone.
There was something else about Ken that impressed me. He was proud of what he had. Exactly like any other American who is pleased by what they have accomplished. The fact that others have bigger homes or more expensive cars doesn't diminish the value of what they have accomplished with the tools God gave them. It seemed clear that Ken was pleased with what he had based on the tools he had to cope in life. In fact living on the streets is something many if not most of us could survive but Ken has.
The other thing that impressed me about Ken was that he didn't ask for money. I offered him a few bucks and he accepted it with a thank you but he didn't ask. While I am sure he knew which church or shelter to be at for meals he didn't depend on begging for money. It was no different than you or I carrying a heavy box and having a neighbor ask if he could help. We could likely get the box where it was going but we appreciate the help. There was an independence to Ken. He appreciated the few bucks when I offered it but somehow I knew he would do fine without it at least in Ken's world living on the streets of Cleveland.
When I look at this print I see a man that is pleased with what he has accomplished with the tools he was given. When I look at this print I realize that "there but for the Grace of God go I."
DOUGLAS Art Prints® | DOUGLAS Photography, Inc.
June 17, 2009 - Cleveland, Ohio - In an unusual move commercial and fine art photographer Douglas Konkol has replaced an originally released print with a new version. This new "Ken from Mars" print replaces the original color version with Douglas' much preferred stark black and white.
The report from the original version…
Ken from Mars, this is part 2 in a series of DOUGLAS Art Prints® based on "There but for the Grace of God go I" After working with the homeless on a photo project for the Salvation Army Douglas, contemporary artist, commercial photographer and owner of DOUGLAS Art Prints®, met many of the people we see and ignore every day in large cities across this country. The experience left him wondering if it was the alcohol that led them there or was it being born without the God given tools most of us have and take for granite? That the alcohol is a coping mechanism and one of the only pleasures available.
Larger View
Just like the folks in the Fortune 500 companies he asked me to wait while he changed his shirt. He wanted to look nice for the photos. He was embarrassed because the shirt he had on had stains on the front. "I drool when I sleep and the chewing tobacco stains my shirt," he explained.
Ken and I chatted while I took photos. In a very pleasant conversation Ken explained that he was sent here from Mars to report back about life on this planet. He explained this in exactly the same way someone you meet explains they're from Michigan or Wyoming. If I'd have met him about anywhere else and he said he was from Michigan and not Mars this would have been no different than 1000's of other conversations I have had with about anyone.
There was something else about Ken that impressed me. He was proud of what he had. Exactly like any other American who is pleased by what they have accomplished. The fact that others have bigger homes or more expensive cars doesn't diminish the value of what they have accomplished with the tools God gave them. It seemed clear that Ken was pleased with what he had based on the tools he had to cope in life. In fact living on the streets is something many if not most of us could survive but Ken has.
The other thing that impressed me about Ken was that he didn't ask for money. I offered him a few bucks and he accepted it with a thank you but he didn't ask. While I am sure he knew which church or shelter to be at for meals he didn't depend on begging for money. It was no different than you or I carrying a heavy box and having a neighbor ask if he could help. We could likely get the box where it was going but we appreciate the help. There was an independence to Ken. He appreciated the few bucks when I offered it but somehow I knew he would do fine without it at least in Ken's world living on the streets of Cleveland.
When I look at this print I see a man that is pleased with what he has accomplished with the tools he was given. When I look at this print I realize that "there but for the Grace of God go I."
DOUGLAS Art Prints® | DOUGLAS Photography, Inc.
June 16, 2009 - Taking a break from a bicycle ride on a Sunday afternoon but not the image one might expect. This is a calm image with a bridge along a river but it isn't the usual country landscape. This is an abandon industrial railroad bridge in downtown Cleveland, Ohio along the Cuyahoga River. An unusual place to take a break from a bicycle ride especially with a park setting a few feet away.
It was this very unusual nature of where this man decided to rest from a bike ride and take in some sun that caught my eye. I couldn't help but wonder why there? I like the fact that one has to stop and look at this print to see the man and his bike. I hope the response is like mine. Why there?
This print, as are all of our prints, is 100% art gallery archival quality. They will not yellow or fade for over 100 years if displayed properly. The prints are all produced at the time of the order and each print is hand signed and numbered by Douglas.
There are more than 200 original Douglas contemporary art prints to select from.
DOUGLAS Art Prints® | DOUGLAS Photography, Inc.
June 11, 2009 - Cleveland, Ohio - In part 4 of his series based on "There but for the Grace of God go I", Douglas has released his newest print Home Sweet Home. That is if your living under a bridge in Cleveland, Ohio.
"It is my experience working on photography assignments with the Salvation Army and volunteering to help feed the homeless that made me aware that these people we see and ignore in big cities every day are not always or even often the alcoholic losers we might imagine. These often are people who just weren't given the tools to thrive or maybe even cope in this world. There but for… . The ironic part is that most of us couldn't survive in the world of the homeless," Douglas, commercial photographer and owner of DOUGLAS Art Prints® and DOUGLAS Photography, Inc. said. "I did this series of prints not to bring attention or sympathy for the plight of the homeless but for the viewer hopefully to be thankful for what he was given and maybe even where he was born. It could easily have been very different."
Larger View
This print, as are all of our prints, is 100% art gallery archival quality. They will not yellow or fade for over 100 years if displayed properly. The prints are all produced at the time of the order and each print is hand signed and numbered by Douglas.
There are more than 200 original Douglas contemporary art prints to select from.
DOUGLAS Art Prints® Catalog | DOUGLAS Art Prints® Nude Prints Catalog
DOUGLAS Art Prints® | DOUGLAS Photography, Inc.Douglas on Twitter
June 11, 2009 - Cleveland, Ohio - Artist, commercial photographer,owner of DOUGLAS Art Prints® and owner of DOUGLAS Photography, Inc. Douglas is searching for models for a new fine art project for new works for gallery shows and a pending new fine art photography book.
Douglas is looking for both women and men from the ages of 18 to 65. This could be an opportunity for aspiring models to build their portfolio.
All information, requirements and the submission process can be found at: Model Search.
June 11, 2009 - Cleveland, Ohio - Ken from Mars, this is part 3 in a series of DOUGLAS Art Prints® based on "There but for the Grace of God go I" After working with the homeless on a photo project for the Salvation Army Douglas, contemporary artist, commercial photographer and owner of DOUGLAS Art Prints®, met many of the people we see and ignore every day in large cities across this country. The experience left him wondering if it was the alcohol that led them there or was it being born without the God given tools most of us have and take for granite? That the alcohol is a coping mechanism and one of the only pleasures available.
Larger View
Just like the folks in the Fortune 500 companies he asked me to wait while he changed his shirt. He wanted to look nice for the photos. He was embarrassed because the shirt he had on had stains on the front. "I drool when I sleep and the chewing tobacco stains my shirt," he explained.
Ken and I chatted while I took photos. In a very pleasant conversation Ken explained that he was sent here from Mars to report back about life on this planet. He explained this in exactly the same way someone you meet explains they're from Michigan or Wyoming. If I'd have met him about anywhere else and he said he was from Michigan and not Mars this would have been no different than 1000's of other conversations I have had with about anyone.
There was something else about Ken that impressed me. He was proud of what he had. Exactly like any other American who is pleased by what they have accomplished. The fact that others have bigger homes or more expensive cars doesn't diminish the value of what they have accomplished with the tools God gave them. It seemed clear that Ken was pleased with what he had based on the tools he had to cope in life. In fact living on the streets is something many if not most of us could survive but Ken has.
The other thing that impressed me about Ken was that he didn't ask for money. I offered him a few bucks and he accepted it with a thank you but he didn't ask. While I am sure he knew which church or shelter to be at for meals he didn't depend on begging for money. It was no different than you or I carrying a heavy box and having a neighbor ask if he could help. We could likely get the box where it was going but we appreciate the help. There was an independence to Ken. He appreciated the few bucks when I offered it but somehow I knew he would do fine without it at least in Ken's world living on the streets of Cleveland.
When I look at this print I see a man that is pleased with what he has accomplished with the tools he was given. When I look at this print I realize that "there but for the Grace of God go I."
DOUGLAS Art Prints® | DOUGLAS Photography, Inc.
May 26, 2009 - Cleveland, Ohio - Ken from Mars, this is part 2 in a series of DOUGLAS Art Prints® based on "There but for the Grace of God go I" After working with the homeless on a photo project for the Salvation Army Douglas, contemporary artist, commercial photographer and owner of DOUGLAS Art Prints®, met many of the people we see and ignore every day in large cities across this country. The experience left him wondering if it was the alcohol that led them there or was it being born without the God given tools most of us have and take for granite? That the alcohol is a coping mechanism and one of the only pleasures available.
Larger View
Just like the folks in the Fortune 500 companies he asked me to wait while he changed his shirt. He wanted to look nice for the photos. He was embarrassed because the shirt he had on had stains on the front. "I drool when I sleep and the chewing tobacco stains my shirt," he explained.
Ken and I chatted while I took photos. In a very pleasant conversation Ken explained that he was sent here from Mars to report back about life on this planet. He explained this in exactly the same way someone you meet explains they're from Michigan or Wyoming. If I'd have met him about anywhere else and he said he was from Michigan and not Mars this would have been no different than 1000's of other conversations I have had with about anyone.
There was something else about Ken that impressed me. He was proud of what he had. Exactly like any other American who is pleased by what they have accomplished. The fact that others have bigger homes or more expensive cars doesn't diminish the value of what they have accomplished with the tools God gave them. It seemed clear that Ken was pleased with what he had based on the tools he had to cope in life. In fact living on the streets is something many if not most of us could survive but Ken has.
The other thing that impressed me about Ken was that he didn't ask for money. I offered him a few bucks and he accepted it with a thank you but he didn't ask. While I am sure he knew which church or shelter to be at for meals he didn't depend on begging for money. It was no different than you or I carrying a heavy box and having a neighbor ask if he could help. We could likely get the box where it was going but we appreciate the help. There was an independence to Ken. He appreciated the few bucks when I offered it but somehow I knew he would do fine without it at least in Ken's world living on the streets of Cleveland.
When I look at this print I see a man that is pleased with what he has accomplished with the tools he was given. When I look at this print I realize that "there but for the Grace of God go I."
DOUGLAS Art Prints® | DOUGLAS Photography, Inc.
In December of 2007 I issued my print "there but for…", a homeless man sleeping on a bench on Public Square in downtown Cleveland, Ohio. It's not pretty and it's not meant to be. Some see a bum. "Get a job," some say or think. I see "there but for the grace of God go I." This was intended to be the first in a series of ugly contemporary / modern art prints meant to make you think. Maybe, hopefully make you appreciate that you were given the tools to thrive and not just survive in this world. Something to display on your wall that when you glance at it you remember you could have been born to parents who were homeless. You could have been born without the tools to succeed. If the dice of life would have rolled just a little different that could be you.
Some years back I had the opportunity to do a major photo project for the Salvation Army. I finished that multi day project a different man. I was emotionally drained from seeing the kids born into this world with virtually nothing and even the adults, the parents that for whatever reason didn't have the tools to do anything more than survive let alone raise children. We see the salvation Army on TV during disasters or after a fire in someone's home when they come to help. These people deal with life's disasters every day. Not just after a hurricane, a tornado, a flood or a fire but every single day. I never knew how much they do until I saw it for myself. I never knew how hard of a job that is until I saw and experienced it for myself.
Seeing what these fine folks at the Salvation Army do I learned it would be easier to deal with the victims of a flood or a fire or even a hurricane. These victims you know or at least believe that with some help they can put their lives back together again. For them, you believe, tomorrow will be better. Then there are the hundreds you deal with that as much as you want to help you know the best you can do is help them to simply live until tomorrow until they're back the next day.
There are more than 200 original Douglas contemporary art prints to select from.
DOUGLAS Art Prints® | DOUGLAS Photography, Inc.
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