2011-10-01 17.53.02: L.A. Mart, S. Broadway & W. Washington, LA / 2012-12-19 15.20.08: Ann Hamilton @ Park Avenue Armory, NY, 2013, Epson Ultrachrome Print on archival paper, 8 x 19 inches

What's wrong with cell phone photography? The over-popular and casual nature of the practice? The small image size? The poor lens quality or the lack of photographic control? While some of these issues may be valid and others perhaps more cliche, they can also be seen as a challenge. Looking is a new body of work shot with a Galaxy S II cell phone camera. At first, I wasn't sure if I was comfortable calling anything that came from this device 'art.' But after looking at almost 3000 images from several years of shooting it seemed fairly clear that my interests were similar to aspects of my past work: jarring and/or pleasing color effects, ephemeral qualities of light and shadow, flatness and (apparent) depth, gentrification and decay, the ongoing competition between signage, murals and graffiti. More surprising to me was noticing when I chose to shoot. Many of the images were taken during weekly art excursions to galleries and museums. The act of looking at other work, both good and bad, heightened my sensitivity to my surroundings and stoked my urge to create, to analyze and capture. This became the organizing principle for a series of images: the distinctions between what is and isn't 'art.' Because I organized and first printed the images in book form, I present them as page spreads, or diptychs, with the exact time, date and location or subject of each image pair as its title.


2011-11-12 14.11.54: Woods Davy @ Craig Krull, SM / 2012-06-25 18.07.23: "Gerhard Richter Painting" @ Laemmle Royal, LA
2013, Epson Ultrachrome Print on archival paper, 8 x 19 inches


2012-12-18 15.02.42: Peter Campus @ Bryce Wolkowitz, NY / 2012-04-29 14.11.39: W. 5th & S. Broadway, LA
2013, Epson Ultrachrome Print on archival paper, 8 x 19 inches


2012-04-29 14.35.55: MOCA, W. 3rd & S. Grand, LA / 2011-11-12 15.17.32: Pae White @ 1301 PE, LA
2013, Epson Ultrachrome Print on archival paper, 8 x 19 inches


2011-04-30 14.20.25: Kris Martin @ Marc Foxx, LA / 2012-11-10 16.38.21: 10th & Bay, SM
2013, Epson Ultrachrome Print on archival paper, 8 x 19 inches


2011-08-11 19.26.58: Bay Street, SM / 2011-05-21 12.34.58: J. Golden mural, Ocean Park & Lincoln, SM
2013, Epson Ultrachrome Print on archival paper, 8 x 19 inches


2011-12-20 15.51.43: graffiti mural, NY / 2012-12-18 13.42.22: Olafur Eliasson @ Tanya Bonakdar, NY
2013, Epson Ultrachrome Print on archival paper, 8 x 19 inches


2012-06-22 15.18.00: University of West Virginia, Morgantown, WV / 2012-09-08 18.06.31: Blackwelder & La Cienega, CC
2013, Epson Ultrachrome Print on archival paper, 8 x 19 inches


2011-12-20 14.16.08: Jim Hodges @ Barbara Gladstone, NY / 2012-04-27 14.21.09: San Vicente & Ashcroft, W. Hollywood
2013, Epson Ultrachrome Print on archival paper, 8 x 19 inches


2011-05-27 16.36.02: CA 395, in the Owens Valley / 2012-06-16 17.00.43: W. 29th Street, NY
2013, Epson Ultrachrome Print on archival paper, 8 x 19 inches


2012-06-16 20.05.57: Holiday Inn, W. 26th Street, NY / 2012-07-15 13.21.14: (Made in LA) Biennial, Venice Boardwalk, LA
2013, Epson Ultrachrome Print on archival paper, 8 x 19 inches


2012-03-28 13.07.18: Petersen Museum, Wilshire & Fairfax, LA / 2012-12-15 16.34.11: Barnes Foundation, 20th & the Pkwy., Philadelphia
2013, Epson Ultrachrome Print on archival paper, 8 x 19 inches


2012-07-15 14.03.10: R. Cronk mural, Wave Crest & Ocean front walk, LA / 2012-06-16 16.14.40: Carl Andre @ Paula Cooper, NY
2013, Epson Ultrachrome Print on archival paper, 8 x 19 inches


2012-08-28 22.32.45: Kurt-Wolters Strasse, Kassel / 2012-06-16 16.33.26: Jason Loebs @ James Cohan, NY
2013, Epson Ultrachrome Print on archival paper, 8 x 19 inches


2011-06-20 15.19.54: Rodney Graham @ FundaciĆ³ la Caixa, Barcelona / 2012-11-09 12.01.21: Chung King Road, LA
2013, Epson Ultrachrome Print on archival paper, 8 x 19 inches


2012-11-09 11.58.54: Bamboo Lane, LA / 2012-06-18 14.41.36: Katharina Fritsch @ MoMA, NY
2013, Epson Ultrachrome Print on archival paper, 8 x 19 inches


2012-06-17 17.14.36: Tom Sachs @ Park Avenue Armory, NY / 2012-01-07 17.12.44: AAA Brake + Muffler, Venice & La Cienega, LA
2013, Epson Ultrachrome Print on archival paper, 8 x 19 inches


2012-06-16 14.21.12: W. 22nd Street, NY / 2012-11-26 13.14.18: Kosciuszko & S. Hope, LA
2013, Epson Ultrachrome Print on archival paper, 8 x 19 inches


2012-12-18 12.32.01: 10th & 18th, NY / 2012-03-28 13.07.38: A+D Museum, Wilshire & S. Orange Grove, LA
2013, Epson Ultrachrome Print on archival paper, 8 x 19 inches


2012-06-23 12.33.57: High & Walnut, Morgantown, WV / 2011-06-05 19.41.39: Church, SM
2013, Epson Ultrachrome Print on archival paper, 8 x 19 inches


2012-09-23 12.05.59: 1st Street NW, Albuquerque, NM / 2012-10-13 16.47.31: Fairfax & Olympic, LA
2013, Epson Ultrachrome Print on archival paper, 8 x 19 inches


2012-06-27 12.14.41: N. Broadway & Bernard, LA / 2012-01-27 12.37.49: Santa Monica & N. Crescent, Beverly Hills
2013, Epson Ultrachrome Print on archival paper, 8 x 19 inches


2012-11-09 11.56.02: N. Broadway, LA / 2012-04-14 15.18.38: Francois Ghebaly, La Cienega & Venice, LA
2013, Epson Ultrachrome Print on archival paper, 8 x 19 inches


2012-05-15 13.47.51: La Brea Station, Expo Line, LA / 2012-07-10 17.39.37: Olympic Boulevard behind Track 16, SM
2013, Epson Ultrachrome Print on archival paper, 8 x 19 inches


2012-06-19 16.45.51: Sol Lewitt @ Carnegie Museum, Pittsburgh / 2011-10-01 17.39.40: Pulse Los Angeles, Chick Hearn & Georgia, LA
2013, Epson Ultrachrome Print on archival paper, 8 x 19 inches


012-05-10 17.19.30: Tacita Dean @ Getty Museum, LA / 2012-09-23 12.04.03: 2nd & Marquette, NW, Albuquerque, NM
2013, Epson Ultrachrome Print on archival paper, 8 x 19 inches


2011-11-19 14.27.56: WSS Shoes, La Cienega & Cadillac, LA / 2012-09-08 17.56.07: Retna mural, La Cienega & Smiley, CC
2013, Epson Ultrachrome Print on archival paper, 8 x 19 inches