november 27, 2008, columbus circle by Joe Holmes

Happy day after Thanksgiving to you, dear collectors! Today is a fine day to relax and learn more about photographer (and Esquivel fan) Joseph O. Holmes, don't you agree? Joseph has been part of the Jen Bekman family of artists since he was crowned a Hot Shot and Ne Plus Ultra in 2005.

Most recently Mr. Holmes had a second round of edition prints on 20x200, both of which are still available:

Left: amnh #10
Right: amnh #62

And now on to my trusty interview questions:

When did you decide to be an artist?
I always wanted to be an artist, as far back as I can remember. I went through serious periods of songwriting and performing and recording, graphic arts, and fiction and screenwriting, with varying amounts of success in each, before settling on photography.

Can you remember your first photograph?
Not at all, but I do remember my first cameras -- in high school I used my family's Miranda Sensorex SLR, and then as I headed off to college, I bought my own Yashica rangefinder.

Where is the best place to live and work?
I already live there: Brooklyn, New York! But maybe I could answer a different question: WHEN would I like to live? I've always thought it would be a thrill to live in the West Village in the 1950s, a time of incredible experimentation in theater, music, and art -- and what a great scene to photograph.

Image from Joe Holmes' workspace series

Your favorite painter?
I'm a sucker for Basquiat. Closer to home, I love the paintings of my friends Shawn Dulaney and Nuala Clarke.

Your favorite photographer?
The photos of Thomas Roma, a friend from my neighborhood, have been a tremendous inspiration. It took me a long time to understand and enjoy Lee Friedlander's work, it was something I had to work at, but all of a sudden one day it all fell into place. And, of course, Alec Soth.

Image from Joe Holmes' CBGB: Noiseless series

Your favorite musicians?
My son exposes me to his favorite bands and musicians, and I'm convinced that we're in a period of really wonderful, fresh new music. I really enjoy Battles, Marnie Stern, High Places, and Aa to name just a few. But if you ask me to pick one favorite musician, I'd have to say my son Julian, drummer for Fiasco. (Though if you'd asked me for a favorite songwriter, my daughter Sophia would be a contender.)

Authors?
Flannery O'Connor, followed by Don DeLillo, Martin Cruz Smith, Elmore Leonard.

Do you sense the above having any influences on your art making?
When I read or hear or see great art, I get filled up with an irresistible impulse to create. I used to read Don DeLillo, for example, and then immediately feel compelled to start writing, short stories pouring out of me. It was the same way with songwriting, and it's the same with photography: Alec Soth's Sleeping by the Mississippi powered me for days.

Ludlow Street by Joe Holmes

Do you have an art collection?
We have paintings and photos from friends on our walls, but I don't consider us art collectors in any way. The term "art collector" suggests to me certain investment motives. This is exactly the kind of attitude Jen Bekman is battling with projects like 20x200.

Any 20x200 favorites?
I really enjoy Jason Polan's delightful drawings; Eliot Shepard has the freshest eye I ever knew; I'm really envious of every photo I see by Brian Ulrich; and Bert Teunissen's mission is wonderful and his photos are gorgeous.

How important is it to you to keep art affordable?
On the one hand I want to share my prints as widely as possible. On the other hand, I like to earn something of a living taking pictures. Affordable art seems to be able to serve both purposes.

Second Avenue by Joe Holmes

What are you working on?
I've always got three or four projects in progress at the same time -- a mix of long-term series, new ideas I'm testing, and casual experiments. But I don't discuss them. I need to take an idea through a nonintellectual period of percolation and marination (to mix a metaphor) without outside evaluation.

Chibi by Joe Holmes available here!

If you didn't make photographs what would you make?
I sometimes miss writing short stories -- I found it extremely satisfying to work in a medium that let me control intertwining layers of meaning, bringing a reader slowly through a journey to an emotional payoff. Photography works in a much more immediate and less intellectual way, at least as I practice it, though it's rewarding in its own way.

Lastly, do you have any guilty pleasures?
Guilt plays no part in my pleasures, though I do have a hard time admitting to my friends how much I love tacky, overproduced 70s pop tunes like The Baby's "Isn't It Time" and Andy Pratt's "Avenging Annie."

Thanks, Joe!
Joseph's 20x200 edition prints:
Prospect Park
amnh#30
amnh#10
amnh#62
Joseph's gallery images on jenbekman.com
Joseph's site
Joseph's daily photos