I don't live in Pilsen, Pilsen lives in me

…this is to satisfy your curiosity, to cure your sleepless nights wondering “Who was that artist REALLY? cause I didn’t get it from the bio”, “I wonder what their studio’s look like?” This blog is to get you excited about seeing some of the new artists, some veteran artist and other artist’s that don’t require an introduction all of who are participating in this year’s Pilsen Open Studios.

I had the positively amazing opportunity to go visit, hang out with and share a couple drinks with some pretty awesome artists and here’s what I saw and heard.

Here is the official website with map info http://www.pilsenopenstudios.wordpress.com

All photos & text by jackie orozco http://www.jackieorozco.tumblr.com

Newer

Older

Jackie Orozco is one of those rare photographers that takes a very painterly approach to creating photos. A common theme that I find throughout her work is an aura of mystery, something hidden- which creates a delicious sense of intrigue. Each photograph tells the fragment of a story and leaves the viewer wanting more. There have been other artists that used this technique, Magritte being one of my favorites.

I was fortunate enough to be invited on a couple of occasions to Jackie’s darkroom to watch her work. It was a really interesting experience for me, being a painter and knowing nothing about photography. I’d always sort of assumed that printing pictures was a simple process- what you see in the negative is what you get, right? Wrong- photographers are magicians!

In regard to technique, you can expect to see collage, stitching and even painting as frequent accentuations to Jackie’s photographs. Another thing I love about her photos is the high contrast. I was recently informed by another photographer that it is common knowledge in the photography world that people who like high contrast are fast drivers. I’ll vouch for Jackie’s driving, although I’m not sure it means much coming from another high contrast junkie.

Jackie Orozco is not just a photographer- she’s taking photography to another level. She’s the new kid on the block to watch, so keep an eye on this one. After all- Nobody ever suspects the butterfly.

Check out her tumblr here: http://jackieorozco.tumblr.com/

See her work during Pilsen Open Studios at Cafe Mestizo “Confessional Art” and at The official Pilsen Open Studios Closing party location at the APO building.

text by: Amanda Mudrovich

Posted on September 22, 2011