Bel Kaufman, writer, b. 1911.

A warm wonderful and with-it lady who is 100 years old/young. She lives on upper Park Avenue in a light-filled modern apartment, with her husband (a younger man of 94). She has every honor a writer can have and then some, and a bookcase filled with every book by Nabokov, in every language.

photos © ellen wallenstein 2011

herbert j. wallenstein (1917-1996)

today would be my father's 94th birthday. happy birthday, daddy.

last pages from "book of my ancestors" 1985

i miss him a lot, if not daily; from time to time; often. i wish i could give him a hug, show him my pictures, read him my writing, ask for advice.

last time i saw him was about a week ago: he appeared in my dream holding his hands out and shrugging his shoulders, as he did in life.
i wish i knew the question he wasn't answering.

spring, archive

just going through the tons of pictures i've taken,
this one jumped out at me.

from below the cherry tree, lower yard, spring 2011.

al mutanabbi street lament

i have just published a 'zine about the 2007 bombing of a bookstore in baghdad. available from magcould.com 
it's only $10.

                 

   

     al mutanabbi street lament Issue 1:      al mutanabbi street lament    

   

     20 pages. collages of xeroxes with reproductions of paintings from art history. made in response to the 2007 bombing of a bookstore in iraq. showing in  "the photograph un/framed" a group show at the center for book arts in new york city, july 2011, and will be part of a group show at the baghdad m…    

   

                       

Platon/Power

Attended the Platon lecture tonight @ the SVA theatre.

"Power" is an interesting concept.

Platon, (or as some referred to him, Mr. Platon, no need for first names) is quite cute. (Literally; he's like 4'8". We shook hands, he was shorter than me). I understand why people let him get so close.

A slight man with presence and wit, British, so the charming accent always helps. The stories he had about his subjects were funny and touching and told in various voices. 

I gotta say though, I don't like his photographs very much. 
I really wanted to.

They are too fish eye, too stylized, with some awkward cropping -  
Come on, you can get the whole hat in-- don't leave off the left side!

But who doesn't love celebrity, I say? 

His pictures of leaders from the UN were compelling, but not as good as the stories he told about them. But, I do think his heart is in the right place and that is comforting. 

As you can imagine I did not buy the book.

Pictures, Overall - pretty okay. a B, bordering on B+. 
Good but not Excellent.
His Heart, Overall - A+, Bravo. 
Keep taking those photos, Mr. P.

photography book reviews

I have been writing reviews of photography shows and books on and off (occasionally) for many years (since 1981, to be exact.) I continue to enjoy the process though editing is difficult. I usually start with 1000 words that easily come to mind, then spend days (or weeks) whittling them down to the 200-300 asked for by the publisher.
Here are links to my most recent published writings, 2 reviews in Fraction Magazine, an online photography magazine founded, edited and curated by David Bram, of New Mexico. 
September 2010: 

http://www.fractionmagazine.com/reviews/wallensteinchelbin/

December 2010:

http://www.fractionmagazine.com/reviews/wallensteinregen/

I intend to write more for Fraction in the upcoming months.

the woodmans movie

                                (photograph by francesca woodman, ca. 1980)

a troubled artist daughter finding her way in her own way and with her own medium, francesca is the ghost that brought them real fame. 

art as healing: betty stopped making useful ceramic objects. 

george starting making photographs, of nude models creepily reminiscent of his daughter. 

the posturing of both of them, arms crossed and in control. 

thirty years of bearing whatever pain you can bear and guilt you can muster and continuing to make art everyday. 

and allowing yourself to be filmed .

i used to wish my parents were artists. 

after seeing this movie i am glad they were not.