Snow Blanket

Happy New Years......New Years Day 2011, Gold King Mine, Jerome, Arizona, everything was covered with snow......  Earlier in the day driving North on the 17 leaving Phoenix, I was unsure of the possibility of snow coverage in Jerome, but as we approached Cottonwood, doubt turned to promise as frozen fountains appeared along the roadside and the side of the hill that Jerome sat precariously upon was pure white, with the exception of the contrasting dark lines of rooftops perched on the steep slope.  As we made our way through town, we were positive that there would be good snow coverage at the mine.  I became restless, and could not contain my excitement.. the thought of the rusty plethora of vehicles that were scattered around the property, potentially sitting under a fresh coat of snow, made me want to explode.  I was worried that the owner would not be home and the gate would be locked, since during our last visit two weeks prior, the mine was closed for the Christmas holiday.   This time we would not be denied, we were in luck, and as we rounded the last corner just before the property began, today we would not greeted by a large chain link gate topped with rusty razor wire and a sign which a crudely crafted skull and crossbones was painted and the words" Trespass after 5:30 and Die" was hand scribed with what looked like blood.  We were in....once through the opening, we were fairly positive that we would soon be making our way through the maze of automobiles that were perfectly placed by the owner.   We made our way up to the house where we would pay our $10.00 entry fee.  Its all a blur after that...but luckily I had my camera with me and recorded the entire process.  I do remember the sun was shining brightly and the reflection of it hurt my eyes.... The snow was dry and fluffy, terrible for snowball creation, but nice for tromping around in.   The air temperature was a brisk 27 degrees, which did not seem to bother us at first.  We were somewhat prepared for cold conditions;  I had on boots, thermal underwear, jeans, t-shirt, and a sweatshirt, with a Northface shell and gloves just in case.   We shot all morning and afternoon, probably would not have stopped until we froze to death, however we became hungry and needed a break.  We ran into town, had a Ghostburger and headed back before we were finished chewing our food.  By this time the sun had made its way behind the mountain and most of the place was in shadow, which made for some wonderful light conditions, however it also made for some extremely cold temperatures.  Within 5 minutes, my fingers began to hurt from the cold, I was forced to put my gloves on and my pant legs were frozen stiff from the bottom up to almost my knees.  It was as if I were wearing bell bottom pants made of steel.  We made our way around shooting as much as we could, until we just could not take the cold any longer and the light ran out.  We knew we only had little time, the place normally closed at 5:00 pm.  We entered the house where we originally payed our entry fee with just 10 minutes to spare.  We said our fairwells, banged the snow off of our boots as we hopped in the truck and headed home.  EPIC!........Field Recordings

Mysterious Light Photography Exhibition

Mysterious Light Photography Exhibition
Thursday January 2oth-February 12th
Artitst Reception January 2oth 5-9pm

Artist in Residence Gallery/Studio
14010 N. El Mirage Rd.
El Mirage, AZ 85335

Thomas Schultz

Born in Oceanside, California in 1967 and spending his youth and early adulthood traversing the Sonora and lower Mohave deserts of Arizona and California, Thomas has been following the decay of the western landscape for almost three decades.  Using his camera, Thomas documents the interaction of human resolve and a harsh unforgiving environment.  His subject matter could be considered mundane; sun-bleached highways, abandoned structures, derelict signs, collapsing shopping centers, vacant motels, deserted gas stations, and vast landscapes are prevalent in his work.

Visual narrative in the form of sequences became a format for showing his work as early as the creation of his first flipbook in the mid 1970’s. Early exposure to films such as 2001: A Space Odyessey, and A Clockwork Orange , coupled with a middle class suburban upbringing during the early Reagan years brought about the confluence of boyhood innocence, censorship, and raw, unedited artistic social commentary.

Interested in reckoning disparities, Thomas’ perspective presents the viewer with a visual narrative of the evolution of time, space, and structure while exploring issues of transformation , and transience, life and death, temporality and abandonment.  His images evoke feelings of loneliness and despair immersed in sublime beauty.

 "My purpose holds to sail beyond the sunset and the baths of all the Western stars until I die"
— Alfred Lord Tennyson

Mysterious Light was partially funded by an artists grant received from the West Valley Arts Council

If these walls could talk....

Last Monday I gained legal access to the Toastmaster Cafe with the intention of photographing decades of neglect and nature’s unforgiving resolve.  Upon entry I was overwhelmed with a sense of time— past and present.  Although the interior was recently cleaned and re-arranged, there is a real sense of uninhibited decay.  I intend to make several trips to the cafe throughout the next couple months to record its current state.  Sadly, the café is destined for demolition and it will cease to exist.  These photographs will be a record of its last days.

El Mirage

2008 I received an artists grant from the Arizona Commission on the Arts http://www.azarts.gov/ for a proposed body of work titled El Mirage.

Here is said proposal:

Thomas Schultz -  “El Mirage”  Purpose:  The Photographer will capture a community at a critical moment in time.  Over speculation, population growth, politics, racism, patriotism, immigration reform, rising cost of living, water and natural resource depletion all play roles in determining if, and in what form, the community survives.
  The subjects are people and structures in the community, recorded in high resolution color digital format, printed on 16x24 archival art paper.  The presentation will be in the form of an exhibition of the photos followed by the publishing of a book containing said photos.  Commentary in the form of text, both in the exhibit and the book will be objective and as neutral as possible, allowing the viewer/reader to draw their own conclusions.  Artistic license will not be an issue, “As is” will be the rule, the community will have spoken to the viewer through the photographer’s pictures.
  It is appropriate that the series title reflects the community name, however it is possible that there may be some irony present in it as well.  The artist will attempt in all events to maintain neutrality.
  The Artists proposed project is to approach community groups, city officials, authority figures and residents with the purpose of photographing and recording, by documentation, the community as it is. 
  Thomas Schultz is a Photographer living in close proximity to said community, and ultimately, directly and indirectly affected.  The Artist attended Arizona State University, and has shown work in the West Valley, and throughout the Valley, receiving awards for his work.

  Originally I thought I could produce the images in less than a year, but the more I got involved in the project the more I realized that the photographs would be more effective if taken over an extended period of time. This would allow me to capture the progression of the community.  In regard to the publication of a book from the series, I am in the process of contacting publishers as well as seeking possible assistance with the cost involved.  I am also looking for a location to exhibit the series in 2011.  In the meantime I travel around El Mirage with an eye out for subjects to photograph, while paying attention to how the city has transformed over the last two years.  Like the community of El Mirage, my project continues to evolve....

Green Car Photographic Project

 

 Permaculture, environmental awareness, accountability, green energy and sustainability are necessary for humankind to survive.  In an attempt to create a body of work that is relevant, decrease my carbon footprint and become more sustainable, early last year I decided to convert my 2003 Honda Civic to operate on an alternative fuel.  Using the newly converted automobile I would travel around Arizona and photograph abandoned gas stations and car dealerships creating a series of photographs to be exhibited.  At the exhibit I would have my converted automobile on display with the conversion kit installed,  demonstrating the ease of becoming more environmentally responsible.  Also included in the exhibition would be a written journal describing the journey as well as details of the process of going green.  After doing some research I came across David Blumes book titled "Alcohol can be a Gas". http://www.alcoholcanbeagas.com/ which is almost half as thick as a phone book and filled with useful information about permaculture, global warming, sustainability, and green energy.  It contains  practical solutions to todays energy problems, as well as still plans and other related info.  I spoke with Davids assistant and described my project to her, she was very receptive to the idea and offered to send me a book, conversion kit http://www.alcoholcanbeagas.com/store/conversion_kits_front, as well as money for fuel.  I have received the kit, but have not installed it yet.  My original plan was to build a still http://www.alcoholcanbeagas.com/store/books for distillation, install the kit in my vehicle and grow my own organic material for the creation of the alcohol fuel.  As of today I am still working on acquiring a location to build the still and farm.  In the meantime I looked into possible locations http://www.e85refueling.com/ to purchase E85 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E85 and to my dismay I discovered that there are only two locations in the valley that offer E85 and the closest is 59th ave. and Olive, which is 35 minutes from my house.  Most recently my cars registration expired and required smog test.  I thought this would be a perfect opportunity for me to install the kit and start the process of burning a clean fuel, be eligible for a green plate, and reap the benefits; burning clean cheap fuel, ability to drive in the carpool lane 24/7, and not having to pay the fee for the smog test.  Before installing the kit I decided it would be best to call the dmv first to make sure that there would be no problems at the test facility.  I spoke with a woman who was not sure of the laws, and had to find a guide with the information in it.  She stated to me that E85 fuel was not eligible for green status in the state of Arizona.  I was shocked, but not surprised....she also gave me conflicting information about my eligibility.  Eventually she got her supervisor on the phone, who gave me the same conflicting information.  She gave me the number 602-712-8473 for the Tax Reporting Unit iftatax@azdot.gov which is responsible for the guidelines.  I realized that this is what I signed up for, I knew that there would be difficulties in this process, and that many other people in the world were dealing with the same problems, and have been for decades.  I notified Davids office of my dealings and decided to smog my vehicle without the device installed, planning on installing at a later date.  As for now, I plan on installing the kit asap, and am still in the process of obtaining a site for the creation of Ethanol.  In the meantime, I have been photographing locations for the Green Car Project.  Some of the images can be seen in my Flickr Set http://www.flickr.com/photos/digital_elysium/sets/72157625455624178/ check back often as I will be updating regularly.

Toastmaster Cafe

During my last visit to Globe, Arizona I revisited one of my favorite roadside icons.  The Toastmaster Cafe Sign which is easily overlooked, hidden in the shadows of a large concrete walkway extending over the highway connecting the old neighborhood to the school on the other side.  The sign sits as it has for half a decade or more.  Ironically the sign looks pretty toasty, as if it were burnt at one point in time and has most of its neon still intact.  The cafe itself is surfaced in a thick rough pink stucco and has vintage glass block flanking the front entrance.  In the past, I had paid no attention to the possible contents of this old relic, assuming that all was removed or vandalized at one point in time, like most of the structures I encounter during my travels.  But to my surprise this was not the case.....peering through skinny cracks between the wooden covered windows I discovered that the interior looked as if it might have looked 30 years ago, with the exception of a thick coat of gray dust covering all of the contents.  The building was secure and there was no way to gain entrance.  I wanted to photograph the interior and was determined to get in.  Returning to Phoenix later that evening I researched the cafe and was unable to find much information....with the exception of a short story written by the author Lewis Shiner titled "Twilight Time" http://www.lewisshiner.com/liberation/twilight.html which made a reference to Globe and the cafe.  This story gave me an idea......immediately I contacted the Chamber of Commerce in Globe, spoke with a woman who gave me a name and number of the person in charge of Main Street Preservation, who in turn shared with me a history of the building as well as whom the owner is.  I am waiting for a return call from the owner.  If all goes well, I plan on gaining entry to the cafe, photographing it as it is, then exhibiting the photographs while the short story by Lewis Shiner is read aloud.  I will keep you posted as the project progresses....for now take a listen to song number 207 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTzt7Z2zrwY on the old Wurlitzer Jukebox with the colored tube of bubbles on the side, which sat in the Toastmaster Cafe.

Mysterious Light

Early this year I received a grant from the West Valley Arts Council for Light-painting Workshop and Exhibition.  The workshop was held at the Pearsonville Junkyard in California and hosted by Troy Paiva and Joe Reifer http://www.lostamerica.com/workshop.html.  Troy is the man behind Lost America http://www.lostamerica.com/ Since the workshop I have been shooting every full moon, usually with friends interested in urban exploration as well as long exposures and light painting.  You can check out this link for definition of urbex http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urban_exploration  You can view a selection of my nocturnal exposures at http://www.flickr.com/photos/digital_elysium/sets/72157623847444373/ locations ranging from Pearsonville Junkyard, Nickersons at Picacho Peak, Old Ajo Rd. Gila Bend, Old Hwy 80, Arlington AZ, Salton Sea, Reeds Junkyard, Wittmann AZ,  Twin Arrows, Two Guns, Casa Grande Domes,  and Cordes, AZ.  I will be exhibiting this work at the El Mirage Gallery and Studio in January.  In the meantime I will be shooting heavily when the moon is in its full state.