show at the american hotel!!!!

happy new year! i'm so excited to announce that the american hotel (of the fabulous beekman boys fame) is hosting me as part of their "meet the artist" series on saturday, january 21. i'll be showing my collage work and will have framed pieces and prints for sale. please come! i'd love to see you :)

warpaint @ music hall of williamsburg - 3.4.10

long time no blog! i shot warpaint when they opened up for akron/family at mhow and they put on a phenomenal show. not only was i impressed by their rockness, i was blown away by how they treated their fans. between songs they chatted to everyone who was there to see them. a class act.

boston museum of fine arts

there are definite perks to helping to run an event. when we had our opera conference welcome reception at boston's museum of fine arts, i got to go in early because i was photographing the party. i've never been in a museum that was closed. and even though there was only one wing to which i had access, i had it all to myself. the experience just blew me away.

published in the boston globe!

i'm just back from boston where we had another awesome opera conference. and while i have a million photos to edit, i just wanted to quickly post that the boston globe published one of my photos!

here's the original shot. i like the globe's creative cropping - never mind that this was taken at the museum of fine arts. it is a family newspaper, i suppose.

the best porch in all of new york

i just got back from one of my whirlwind work trips to new york and i'm glad to be home. i usually stay with a friend in harlem while i'm there, but on this occasion i stayed with one of my oldest and dearest who lives in brooklyn heights. he has the most fabulous place on the promenade. and i can't even really describe his view with words. you can see all the way from the verrazano bridge to the empire state building. UNOBSTRUCTED. AMAZING.

it's really, really special. and while it was cold and much too windy this trip, i was reminded of the last time i stayed there in the late summer and slept every night with the french doors wide open. sigh. i have some pictures of the view and so i'll post them now, if only because there was a blizzard this morning and i'm staring out at two feet of snow. besides, we could all probably use reminder of what warmer weather looks like.

now that i'm sufficiently sad because it's FREEZING here, i'm going to take a cup of tea and go hide under my electric blanket.:)

k

a walk in the snow pt. 2

as i have promised myself, i'm making time for my own art! yay! even if it's just for ten minutes, i need that time in my day. and, miracle of miracles, i've stuck to it! i finally finished this piece up last night. you'll recognize the main image of trees from the photos i posted yesterday. my next goal is to find a way to actually sell my work again. i had a short-lived etsy shop and then i just took orders over the site and fulfilled them myself. unfortunately, that won't work anymore as i just have no easy way to send packages to people. my post office is now located in the general store and i don't have easy access to packing and mailing supplies.... it's just too much of a hassle. while it isn't what i would like to do, it's looking like i'll have to go the print on demand route. i've fought it forever because i like the personal touch of sending things myself (and i appreciate it as a buyer), but i just don't see any way around it. so stay tuned as i figure out this small logistical nightmare.

thanks for visiting and happy thursday :)

k

a walk in the snow

hi friends. work and some fun freelance projects have been keeping me busy and so i was looking forward to a quiet weekend to finally do a little updating around here. and then saturday came and i randomly developed this. so instead of blogging and reading and cooking and relaxing, i went to the emergency room. fun times. i'm going to be fine, i just have another week or so of popping motrin and avoiding mirrors. anyway, as we in the northeast brace for yet another winter storm, i thought i'd share some recent wintery pictures.

not long ago, i discovered a wonderful blog whose fantastically awesome writer inspired me to get the hell out of the barn and go for a walk. i woke up at the same time as the sun on a cold and snowy morning and decided to grab the camera and go outside. here's what it looked like.

yes, i live across the street from a cemetery. i have quiet neighbors :)

stay warm!

k

rhett miller @ city winery - 3.20.10

oh, rhett miller. i adore you. i've written about my love of rhett and our ridiculolus high-five exchange before, so i don't need to go into it all again. what i will say is this: on march 20 of last year, i took my first trip to city winery. it's a wonderful place to see live music and drink wine, two of my most favorite activities. it's an especially great place to see rhett miller play live. and when i just went to city winery's site so that i could link to it from here, i noticed that rhett is playing TONIGHT. AND THERE APPEAR TO BE TICKETS LEFT. nyc people, buy tickets here and go. you'll thank me later. anyway, on this particular night rhett played 2 shows. and because i'm a super fan, i went to both. for the early show, i somehow ended up sitting in the first seat of the table next to the stage. i was so close that he sweat on me. and i was also so close that i got a whole lot of great pictures. even though i was slightly disappointed that he had just cut his hair, there was nothing disappointing about his performance.

see that setlist? it now lives on my fridge :) you can see the rest of my photos here. happy friday, friends. enjoy the long weekend!

k

i'm changing my name to frank

since i moved, i've told everyone that i don't really miss manhattan at all. and it's true, i really don't. brooklyn, on the other hand, well, I MISS BROOKLYN. and while there are many great parts of brooklyn, i will always be partial to my old neighborhood, carroll gardens. carroll gardens is the old italian neighborhood in south brooklyn. it's famous for its beauty and charm and brownstones. and while it certainly is both beautiful and charming, i maintain that it's the food that is what makes carroll gardens the best neighborhood in new york. carroll gardens has the most amazing italian food i've ever had. and lucky for me, it was all located within a few blocks of my apartment. i could talk all day about the fettucine ai funghi di bosco at fragole or the pizza at lucali. but my favorite carroll gardens spot has got to be frankies spuntino. the food is simple and delicious and the atmosphere is terrific - a cozy dining room, a great bar, a huge garden in the back and an old horse stable where chris robinson occasionally spins records (this happened on one of my first trips there and i fell in LOVE). and it was literally right around the corner.

i still get the frankies e-newsletter. even though i don't live there anymore, i can't bear to unsubscribe. and i'm glad that i didn't. awhile ago, i got an email saying that they were having a book party. for their new cookbook. WHAT!??!?!?!??!?!??!?! i could make the cavatelli with hot sausage and browned sage butter or the sweet potato and sage ravioli in parmesan broth MYSELF!?!??!?!??! next to winning the lottery, this was the next best thing. i immediately ordered the cookbook (pictured below, and you can get your own copy here) and started dreaming of making my own frankies food. and then i remembered that i don't know how to cook. which could have been a problem if this book was just a book of recipes. but it's not. it's also a cooking manual.

the other day, i decided to try to make something. something small. something i could handle. and after i found their recipe for roasted eggplant (which was one of my favorite things at their restaurant), i knew what i was going to make.

i had a bunch of vegetables on hand that had seen better days (it's VERY hard to keep fresh vegetables when you live alone and don't have a grocery store for several miles) and so i decided to roast my own vegetables for the first time.

and miracle of miracles, IT WORKED. I ROASTED PEPPERS AND AN EGGPLANT!!!

i cut up a beautiful ugly tomato i had, layered the peppers on top, scooped the gooey eggplant awesomeness on top of that and then had some garlic couscous on the side. it was a perfect lunch that i was so proud of, not only did i eat it at the table like a civilized person (as opposed to my couch or the even worse sin, my desk), i used a cloth napkin! oh, and i put some bob dylan on. because that's what the franks would have done. HURRAY!!!!

thanks, franks. not only for all of the wonderful and special meals i had at your place, but for so generously giving me the tools so that i'm able to make them at mine.

k

(all photos are by me, except for the first, which was taken of my awesome brunch group from the inside of frankies by my wonderful friend, lara. i miss you, ladies!)

happy new year!

happy 2011 friends! i hope this finds you all happy and healthy and relaxed after the holiday break. i had an amazing time with my family – we drank lots of champagne, ate too much rich food, took naps, read books, spent quality time with friends and laughed. and then we laughed some more. it was wonderful and magical and i’m sad that it’s over. but now it’s time to look ahead.

whether it’s on facebook or the blogs that i read, a consistent theme over the past few days has been new year’s resolutions. i can honestly say that i’ve never really made any. but as a result of the huge personal changes i made last year, i’ve decided that it might not be a bad idea to give some thought to the year ahead.

many have wondered why i left brooklyn and moved to the country last spring. it’s a hard question to answer because there are many reasons, but here are a few:

1. to spend more time with family

2. to learn to enjoy and appreciate peace and quiet and a slower pace of life

3. to be part of a community

4. to save money

5. to devote more time to my own creative pursuits

6. to learn to cook and eat well

7. to get real, restful sleep on a consistent basis

8. to have my own home that is comfortable and happy

the list is much longer, but this hopefully gives you an idea.

i’ve done the hard part, which was to leave new york. and i’ve already started working on the things i’ve listed above. but there is much more to be done. i’m still rooting myself and getting to know the place i now call home. and it feels really good. none of these are resolutions, per se, but the many reasons why i moved serve as a constant reminder about what i need to do to make the most of my new life here.

if i had to choose just one thing that i really need to change right now, it would be this here blog. i’ve never really found my voice or purpose here. a few years ago, i had a blog that was solely personal. so much so that it was password protected. and then i decided to end it and finally set up a website for myself where i could share my work publicly. very quickly, this blog had one focus – my concert photography. and it’s no wonder – it was something that took a huge amount of my time, something that i loved immensely and something i was very proud of and wanted to share. but now i live in the country and i’m no longer shooting shows on a regular basis. so the blog’s focus must change. (don’t worry, those of you who come here for the pictures – i’ve still got a huge backlog to share and will continue to shoot when i'm in nyc.)

i read A LOT of blogs. music blogs, design blogs, photography blogs, personal blogs. there are so many wonderful people out there in internet land whom i have never met, but whose lives i feel a part of because they share them with me. even though i have always had a hard time putting myself out there, it’s time to do just that. and so, i’m boldy going forward in this new direction, even if it kills me. i am going to make my blog more about me…things i care about, things i’m working on and have created, things that interest and inspire me…

i don’t know exactly what it will be, but I do hope you’ll join me for the ride. i have a lot of plans that are in the works and i look forward to sharing them with you. stay tuned, friends. and thank you from the bottom of my heart for your encouragement and support and friendship.

all my very best wishes for a terrific 2011 for ALL of us,

k

(the photos above are of my first christmas tree in 6 years – just one of the many little things that i’m able to have now that i live here. i love it so much that i don’t want to take it down!)

buke and gass @ the bell house - 3.12.10

you can see the rest of my photos here.

k

ted leo @ the bell house - 1.27.10

you can see the rest of my photos here.

akron/family @ music hall of williamsburg - 3.3.10

i shot this show for nyctaper, you can download the set here.

you can see the rest of my photos here.

k

elizabeth and the catapult w/jeff taylor @ the gramercy theater - 3.10.10

i mentioned not long ago that i had a huge backlog of concert photos to share and now i'm finally getting around to it. and since all of these shows took place FOREVER ago, these next posts are going to be short on commentary...i'll just let the photos do the talking.

enjoy!

k

you can check out the rest of my photos here.

k

kites

i was talking to a friend on the phone tonight about his website and it made me realize that i have some new stuff i need to put on here!  a few weeks ago my family and i went to the cherry valley kite festival and had a fabulous day.  i came home inspired and with a million photos of beautiful kites, so i decided that it was time to work on a new collage piece.  here it is.

more to come soon!

k

the wrens @ the bell house - 1.27.10

how does one describe the wrens? this group of guys has been playing together since the late 80's and you can tell. their musicianship and comraderie and general rockness was apparent. when greg whelan walked off the stage i'm pretty sure i yelled some innapropriate expletive before the word AWESOME in his face. he thanked me. but honestly, that's what their set was. *#!&@+% AWESOME.

you can see the rest of my photos here.

k

atlas sound @ the bell house 2.3.10

atlas sound aka bradford cox, lead singer of deerhunter, is an AMAZING musician. when he played the bell house last february, his looping machine kept quitting on him. you would think that this would have ruined the performance, but to the contrary. he held the audience in the palm of his hand. he makes gorgeous music and is a completely enthralling performer - even if he never moved off of his stool.

you can see the rest of my pictures here and download the recording here.

k

please the trees @ music hall of williamsburg - 3.3.10

please the trees, a band from the czech repulic, opened for akron/family a few months ago at the music hall of williamsburg in their first ever u.s. appearance. and i have to say, they did an impressive job winning over a completely new audience.

you can see the rest of my photos here.

k

lauren ambrose and the leisure class @ the bell house - 1.27.10

remember how much you loved lauren ambrose in six feet under? how about can't hardly wait? so talented, right? now imagine her heading up an amazing old-time band and singing her guts out. still talented. what a voice.

you can see the rest of my photos here.

k

wilco @ the wellmont theater, montclair, nj - 4.3.10

hi folks.

long time, no write. i really do apologize - i've had a crazy summer with lots of traveling and lots of work. and since i have satellite internet in the barn, i have found that working on my site takes up too much bandwidth. so i can really only work on this when i'm somewhere with a solid internet connection, which isn't very often. i didn't figure this out until after i had already started re-designing my site, so everything is kind of a mess right now and a bunch of stuff is missing. but i'll hopefully get it fixed and good as new soon!

as a result of my major lack of posts in recent months, i have a HUGE backlog of photos i took at a bunch of really great shows. so in honor of the fact that i leave a little later this morning for wilco's solid sound festival in the berkshires (!!!), i thought i'd jump right in with the photos i took at their amazing show at the wellmont theater in montclair, nj last april. they played the night before and i was there for that show, too, but i only took pictures on the second night. if you're a wilco fan, i'm sure you know all about their spring tour and how they played EPIC 3+ hour sets with no opener. and these shows were both epic and AMAZING.

here are the photos i took for night 2:

these aren't my best wilco shots - they implemented the 3 song rule and there was no pit, so i was way off to the side and away from the light. i've shot them twice before where i was positioned much better - you can see the photos from those shows here and here.

the ever-awesome nyctaper recorded both nights and both recordings are excellent. click here for night 1 and here for night 2.

to see the rest of my photos from this show, click here.

more to come soon!

k