Friday, April 15, 2011

Lorna Rockey - Photographer

lone adelie penguin - antarctic continent
Lorna Rockey

Name: lorna rockey
City/State: minneapolis, minnesota
Website: http://www.mnartists.org/artistHome.do?rid=3901 AND
http://flavors.me/welltravelledguru
MNartist.org profile: http://www.mnartists.org/artistHome.do?rid=3901


Bio~
i am a global imagist (photographer), one of "the last of the mohicans", who
stubbornly still only shoots in 35 mm NON-digital format. i'm also an
advanced diver/underwater photographer with a shark diving specialist
certification. i have photographed all 7 continents (yes, i know antarctica is
a continent, and yes, i've photographed it), around 90 countries and obscure
islands, and a lot of marine life underwater.


giggly girls - panajachel, guatemala

Tell me about your work? What are you currently working on? How is this
different from past projects
?

i just launched a new web business with a travel blog, twitter, and flickr site
called "well travelled guru"(wtg), which aids people travelling who have a
fiji h2o taste but tap water budget. i hope to dispense some of the wisdom and
insights i have garnered through my extensive travels abroad on the wtg site.
soon i plan to add my photography to the site as well (it's only a newborn, so
give it some time to grow).

for years people have been urging me to write a book or a blog, as fate has put
me in some very interesting places at precarious times (e.g. bali before
the bombing there, thailand DURING the tsunami there, mumbai before the bombing
there, isla mujeres 1 day after a category 5 hurricane blew through, cairo 5
times recently before the overthrow of mubarak, etc. etc.). i guess i've just lived on the edge so as not to take up too much room. ;-)

"What is Art?" is certainly too big of a question to ask here, but what do you
hope your audience takes away from your art? What statement do you hope to
make?


my photographs enable me to ponder and share with others the basic similarities
between all living creatures. my desire is for those that view my photographs
to be transported to a place so foreign, and yet so familiar simultaneously.
i shoot photos to abate the distance between what we fear/don't understand,
whilst attempting to elaborate on the vast commonality that exists between us
all.

there isn't really an "us and them" i've discovered, just an US.
i am thoroughly convinced that ONE single photograph can bridge the vast fissure
that separates people from understanding and inviting the unknown.
my hope is that my photographs encourage others by giving them the impetus to go
out and explore, shed their paradigms and stereotypes, and LIVE life, not merely
exist.

and eventually, world peace...one person at a time. ;-)


mother with child - kanyakumari, india

What was the best advice given to you as an artist?

an old friend (who is an established artist in colorado) once told me,
"keep taking photos lorna, even if you never see a dime for your art. what you
do comes from your soul and moves people. a true artist keeps creating until
the day they die--no matter what".

he was right. it's not possible for me to stop shooting photos, it's just part
of who i am.


Tell me about your working space and your creative process?
my work place is the planet at large (and the oceans too). i feel a strong
spiritual affinity to water, so i find myself gravitating to places near oceans
to photograph.

it's strange, but i always know, as soon as i click the shutter, if a photo is
going to be good or not. and oddly, i never take more than one photo of the
same thing. i guess that makes me a strange type of purist; ansel adams would
be proud, right?

when i'm visiting a place i know most people will never see (like last year in
the jungles of borneo), i really desire to bring viewers into my experience as
much as is possible through a two dimensional medium.

orangutan friends - sepilok, borneo, malaysia

Who are some of the Minnesota artists you enjoy?

ann ginsburgh hofkin who's always finding creative ways to express her art:
http://www.aghofkin.com/

stuart klipper who is well known internationally for his work on antarctica and
beyond:
http://www.mnartists.org/artistHome.do?rid=4623

prince(is that even his name now?) who's artistry stands the test of time:
http://prince.org/

atmosphere who continues to wow! crowds at home and away:
http://www.myspace.com/atmosphere

the suburbs(now defunct). forever a minnesota icon:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Suburbs


If I were to follow you around to see art in Minnesota, which places would we
go? What would we see?


we'd go to noerenberg gardens on the shores of lake minnetonka, hidden falls on
the river road, the "secret" art at the sculpture gardens, hackensack, and
definitely the north shore (anything north of duluth) including the gunflint
trail to the bwca. oh, and of course the walker, mia, warehouse district, and galleries "nordeast" (don chya knoo). lastly, i'd take you to a bingo hall for any bingo session - definitely "art" on display there!

bedouin boy atop mount sinai - egypt

Where do you go online for good art resources, whether to find a new artist, or
to see what is going on in the art world locally and otherwise?


new york times:
http://www.nytimes.com/pages/arts/index.html

legalsounds:
http://www.legalsounds.com/

awdio:
http://www.awdio.com/

shazam:
http://www.shazam.com/music/web/home.html

the filter:
http://thefilter.com/

soundroots:
soundroots.podomatic.com


Do you have any exhibits to promote in the near future?

i have an exhibit, "terrestrial solidarity: an introspective", that has toured
extensively (mostly in educational institutions) in the midwest for years.
in 2008 it was invited to Cairo for its first international show in a
predominantly muslim country. it was a BIG hit there (3 ambassadors were in
attendance), and now i am brainstorming how to get a tour going again locally,
but this time in spiritual sanctuaries across the religious spectrum and
beyond.

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