BURKEBLOG.

Spectator, Pulse Miami with ClampArt, 2011.

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 22:15:03 -0500

Spectator, Pulse Miami with ClampArt, 2011.

i love your work.

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 22:08:00 -0500

Thank you!

Dude stuff, Miami, FL.

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 22:07:00 -0500

Dude stuff, Miami, FL.

Seagull Skull and Bunny, 2010. I have amassed a collection of...

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 11:13:59 -0500

Seagull Skull and Bunny, 2010.

I have amassed a collection of photos like this over the years. There is so much beauty in death. I am really interested in the details and textures in relationship to human skin. We are all the same. Skin, bone, fur, Earth. These photographs are my way of remembering these creatures and what I envision as their lives. Clover and I often will inspect things that we find like this and talk about the various properties of each object. What the beak is made of, how sharp it is, how the seagull uses it, where the eyes were. The softness of the bunny fur, the pads on his feet, how cute his little ears and tail are. It’s fun to be able to inspect these things so intimately. So again… I guess the Burkes love dead stuff…

Sakonnet Point, Little Compton, RI. Feeling the wind and...

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 13:19:00 -0500

Sakonnet Point, Little Compton, RI.

Feeling the wind and smelling the sea.

This is a Northern Gannet. They are not indigenous to Rhode...

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 12:12:00 -0500

This is a Northern Gannet. They are not indigenous to Rhode Island but migrate along the coast throughout the year. Last weekend we headed down to Sakonnet Point in Little Compton, RI. for a collecting mission. It was cold and windy but beautiful. Clover found this Gannet close to the water and we stopped to check him out. You never, ever get to see a bird like this close up. Never. So we inspected his beak, his feet, and tried to be wary of how he died. There were 4 of them on the beach that day. They may have died out at sea and floated in. Gannet’s stay out to sea most of the winter and rarely are seen on the shore. I’ve only seen one, and it was sick and couldn’t fly.

Clover was really intrigued by the blueness of his beak and feet (black with blue/yellow vertical stripes) and by the black mask around his eyes. They look so cool, even when they’re dead. I love how Clover’s jacket and finger act as a mirrored reflection of the bird and his beak. It reminded me of Michelangelo’s The Creation of Adam from his Sistine Chapel ceiling fresco. It’s her way of reaching out to nature. This image is so gentle and precise, so tender and cold at the same time. The warmth of the gesture coupled with the icy death in the lack of his eyeball. Clover asked me why he didn’t have an eye. We talked for a while about how the soft tissue is the first to go away, fish, crash, bugs. And how the bones will be all that remains after a while. I was glad she didn’t ask to take it home and keep the bones.

I showed this picture to a buddy of mine and his response was “You Burkes sure love dead stuff.” It got me thinking… we do. It’s an opportunity to see and touch animals in a close and personal way that’s not possible. We love dead stuff. The funny thing is we’re all vegetarians. So I guess we love dead stuff, just not in our mouths.

Clover gathered up a few ziploc bags of skate egg cases for a studio shot and some water from the ocean to treat the images with. We’ve been collecting water from sources for a few years now to use back in the studio in some way, just not sure how yet. I will say this, the recent popularity of water treatment on photos in the art world is annoying. I guess the lesson from that is: don’t sit on a good idea. Don’t sit on any idea.

The wonderful Kate Osba, the force behind This Is The What blog,...

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 10:13:07 -0500

The wonderful Kate Osba, the force behind This Is The What blog, did a post today about my new project and my adventures with Clover. Check it out here.

Blake, 2009. Teens and tweens are some of my favorite subjects...

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 10:33:50 -0500

Blake, 2009.

Teens and tweens are some of my favorite subjects to shoot. The complicated nature of their existence. Too much knowledge and an inability to use it. All the transitions happening. Blake was a gracious subject and host. I love this picture of her. It’s sweet and innocent but also kind of dark. The sun and the woods are magic.

I have an obsession with basketball hoops. I can’t help...

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 22:27:01 -0500

I have an obsession with basketball hoops. I can’t help but notice them, everywhere. They seems so sad and lonely out there in the cold winter weather. Like toys left out in the yard. They also seem proud, like a monument or pillar. An Egyptian obelisk dedicated to the god of sport, standing grand and dignified in the vacant, bleak landscape. Maybe it’s the typologist in me, but I can’t help but stop and shoot them, organize them, study them.

I’m a big sports guy, and basketball is my least favorite of them all. The NBA anyway. College hoops are sick. March madness babyyyyyyyyyy…

Contact sheet for Shame, 2005. Intertidal cover.

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 13:34:53 -0500

Contact sheet for Shame, 2005. Intertidal cover.

Nils, 2009.

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 13:33:01 -0500

Nils, 2009.

Pancakes. The sun was setting as we made our way home, south to...

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 22:26:08 -0500

Pancakes.

The sun was setting as we made our way home, south to Massachusetts. We whizzed past this smoke stack that looked interesting in a valley off the right side of the highway. I decided to “quickly” get off the highway for one last run. Most of the times I get off I end up backtracking a half-hour for nothing. But this mill was pretty close, easy to find and I wasn’t done shooting. We found a road that went up a bluff so we could face the west and down to a paper mill. Clover was totally over it before we even arrived. We hopped out and hiked down a little ravine to a sweet spot overlooking the valley. It was cold as shit, which sucked, but it smelled like fresh maple syrup, which was awesome. Clover said “I’m going down there for some pancakes.” Funny. We shot for about 20 minutes, some video, some stills. Time to go, we were shivering.

This trip wasn’t as fruitful as the last, but it had its moments. It was more frustrating than fun but I gotta keep pushing it. We’re starting to build some solid material. Shooting in the cold and dark of winter is not my favorite, hers either. So where to next? South. Who know, right now I just need heat, home, bed…

Half way.

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 13:40:39 -0500

Half way.

Climbing up to Lonesome Lake is hard wok.

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 13:38:55 -0500

Climbing up to Lonesome Lake is hard wok.

Trip 2, Day 3. Franconia, NH. to Rumford, RI. I love long johns,...

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 00:09:00 -0500

Trip 2, Day 3. Franconia, NH. to Rumford, RI.

I love long johns, I was happy in mine. Clover, on the other hand, was still complaining, and wearing long johns was one more good reason to bitch. “They feel weird, my sock has a string in it, I’m cold, I’m hungry.” Wait, we just ate. Let’s go dude…

We headed out fairly early to check out Echo Lake at the base of Cannon Mountain. We arrived and they were blowing lots of snow on the few runs that were open (not much snow in New England thus far.) It was pretty magical to see the snow waft up into the sunlight, making little glints of light in the sky. We hiked down to the beach to check out the lake and ice. It was covered with about a foot of snow, which created a blanket of silence over the valley. All we could hear was the vibrating hum of the snow machines and the squish of the snow underfoot. We followed what looked like a set of mouse prints and a set of fox prints along the lake edge down to a stream. It was as good as it sounds. We collected lake water to use back in the studio.

We hopped back in the Element and drove south down the Franconia Notch Parkway to the trailhead at Lonesome Lake trail. Lonesome Lake is set at the top of a 1.6 mile trail. Not so bad unless there’s a foot of snow and your basically dragging your five year old up a steep, icy mountain. After stopping every 50 feet for a rest and lots, and lots, of contemplating turning around going back we made it to the top. Big thanks to all the hikers that passed us and cheered her on. It was actually pretty gnarly; I’m totally impressed she did it. It was beautiful and awesome. We played around for a bit and took some pictures on the frozen lake and of the mountains, then quickly headed down. Going down was cake, she was cruising. About 1/3 of the way down we saw some people and they asked if we had made it to the top, to which we responded with an emphatic YES. Then they asked if we saw the cabin and went over to get some free hot chocolate, to which responded with an emphatic NO! What the… Free hot chocolate after all that work would have been perfect. Damn you Lonesome Lake. Clover gave me the “should we go back and get some” look. Keep it moving, keep it moving. We dragged our sweaty, tired asses back to the Element and blasted the heat. We collected some white birch bark and a big Ziploc of snow to use back in the studio. After a quick refuel at Dunkin back in Lincoln we dipped out and headed home. But not before stopping off in Concord to hit the LL Bean outlet and Boloco. That night I awoke to Clover in bed crying because her calves were cramping and keeping her up. Oops.

Song of the day: Telephone, Lady Gaga featuring Beyonce.

Birch Trees, Franconia, NH. Like veins into the night. I Love...

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 23:10:53 -0500

Birch Trees, Franconia, NH.

Like veins into the night. I Love the flat even light of the ice rink fluorescents.

Hoop II, Franconia, NH. As we arrived in Franconia we had to...

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 23:04:00 -0500

Hoop II, Franconia, NH.

As we arrived in Franconia we had to stop at the grocery store to pick up a few things, namely a comb. Don’t ask. Franconia is a crappy little town but it has two really sweet attributes:

1) The local ice rink also doubles as full basketball court. And it’s lit well into the night, allowing for hours of freezing fun and photography.

2) The Garnet Hill factory outlet. Crazy goodness for all you Martha Stewart/Pottery Barn types. Present company included. I can Martha out, for sure, NBD.

Trip 2, Day 2. To Franconia, NH. Cannon Mountain View Motel,...

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 22:51:00 -0500

Trip 2, Day 2. To Franconia, NH.

Cannon Mountain View Motel, Franconia, NH.

We were originally planning to drive north on VT. route 5 straight up to the US/Canada border, but we got sidetracked with a business matter and had to divert East to New Hampshire. No biggie, because we were headed right through Franconia Notch, one of my favorite places in New England. We cruised south through the notch and made it to Lincoln, NH just in time for dinner. We needed some time out of the car so we decided to stop and get some pizza, to stay, for once. We chilled, ate our pie, and watched as the little girl next to us spilled her brand new gatorade bottle all over the table and onto the floor. It was pretty funny, I know there was picture in there somewhere…

I decided we would go back up north and stay in Franconia, on the other side of the notch. That way we could wake up and explore in the am, at the foot of the mountains. We got to the motel, grabbed the keys from the bar and slipped into our no cell reception/internet free comas. Peace out matrix, see you in the morning.

A few weeks ago Clover and I took a quick trip to Stowe, VT. to...

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 02:33:00 -0500

A few weeks ago Clover and I took a quick trip to Stowe, VT. to pick up some work from the Helen Day Art Center. It got me thinking about the hotel bed shots. I’v been wondering how they fit in, what they represent. They seem to act as a reset, the end of the chapter, the daily epilogue. It’s a place to recalibrate and to prepare for the next day’s adventure. They are quiet and soft, almost sleepy.

When we are out there I feel like we are all alone, like hobos...

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 02:12:17 -0500

When we are out there I feel like we are all alone, like hobos on a lonely train. No schedule, no plans, just exploring. We hop off when the train stops and stretch our legs.