9.11.10

Awake Polaroid Test 1


Awake_Polaroid_test_1a, originally uploaded by Paradise Gonzalez.

Yesterday I was finally able to start a project I've been thinking about for a long time. A series of large format portraits. 
It'll be an ongoing project until I'm able to fit around 15 portraits. 
I hope you like the first one. 
= )

25.6.10

Corrupted File


CorruptedFileFinalF, originally uploaded by Paradise Gonzalez.

Como un castigo divino a mis fechorías de la infancia y a mi eterna pereza aquel que está más allá por encima de todo y todos, entiéndase el todopoderoso, se jodió mi drive externo. Era de suponerse, me dijeron en Teckserve. Todos los discos duros se joden en algún momento solamente es cuestion de esperar. Como la vida de una persona, la vida de un external drive es una constante espera de la caída final. El drive no dio ninguna advertencia, ningún sonidito o algún coff coff que me hiciera pensar que la noche siguiente todo el trabajo de meses se estancaría en una especie de purgatorio entre el drive disfuncional y la posibilidad de recobrar su memoria. Aquellos que se dedican a la recuperación de memoria saben de su negocio y cobran caro, muy caro. ¿Cuánto valen tus recuerdos? me preguntaron. ¿Cuánto valen? Y me di cuenta de que no son tan caros, o que si lo son me es imposible pagar esa suma estratosférica que va más allá de los dos ceros, que para cualquier artista en exilio que se precie de serlo comprenderá que es demasiado. Me quedé con mi drive amnésico y a cuenta gotas extraje lo que pude, algunos archivos por aquí, otras imagenes por allá y esta maravilla de la corrupción. La encontré de suerte hace un momento y me enloqueció la combinación de colores, las líneas como de persiana digital y el desface informativo. Ahora, porsupuesto, intentaré jugar a la corrución hasta lograr una serie similar a esta imagen. Con tiiempo, claro, que el verano me derrite y se agolpan todos los pendientes en una semana que ya se desvanece.
Vale, saludos y hasta pronto.

23.6.10

1Point_believe


1Point_believe, originally uploaded by Paradise Gonzalez.

This was an experiment with inverting colors. The idea was to bring out pastel colors in a white background and then promote the image as part of an ad campaign.

photo: paradisegonzalez
Hair and Make up: Jarrett @ jarrettbrandonartistry.com
Style: Astrid Brucker @ astridbrucker.com
Model: Rachel

22.6.10

kaleidoscopio


love inside, originally uploaded by Paradise Gonzalez.

photo: paradisegonzalez
Hair and Make up: Jarrett @ jarrettbrandonartistry.com
Style: Astrid Brucker @ astridbrucker.com
Model: Rachel

Circle


See, originally uploaded by Paradise Gonzalez.
We did this photo session with a model from Cancun, Mexico. We got in touch trough MM and worked together during her visit to NY. Una de las cosas que admiro de la RED es la posibilidad de armar proyectos interesantes con gente de otros lugares. A través de "sites" podemos organizar toda la session, aportar ideas y prepararlo todo de manera que el mismo día de la sesión nos conocemos todos. Por lo general prefiero cuando puedo conocer y platicar con los integrantes del TEAM un poco antes, pero tenemos que adaptarnos a la época y reaccionar acorde con lo que tenemos. Por lo general los resultados, si se tiene una buena organización previa, son geniales.
Saludos
C.
Photo: paradisegonzalez
Hair and Makeup: Jarret @ jarretbrandonartistry.com
Stylist: Astrid Brucker @ astridbrucker.com
Model: Valeria

23.3.10

change

I have decided that I must change everything. Forget of who I am and what I have done. Focus on the light, the textures, the lines, the composition, but most of all, life it self. Breath, growth, movement, change.

bcr5


bcr5, originally uploaded by Paradise Gonzalez.
I have insomnia
Long nights with no sleep. It's raining in Manhattan and there's a felling of melancholy. I wish it was only warm. I don't like the rain. I don't like it when I'm getting wet. From the inside it is a nice experience, but I'm afraid of getting wet. To much water when i was in the mountains I guess. One night Pachecoff's and I got stuck in the top of a hill, there was an electrical storm fallowed by a heavy rain and we had to hide under a little roof that protected a lady Mary statue. A religious oasis for the pilgrims. Just a 1 by 1 little roof. And we hid there and see the lightning struck meters from us. I was sure we were going to die. We smoked cigarettes and joked about the rain. And tried to keep warm. It was a beautiful night. At some moment we decided to run home, still a couple miles away but the rain had slowed and we needed some coffee. We where younger then, and fear was in some other place. Not that I would do something different today, but In the city the logic changes. Here there's more probability to get a short cut. So I smoke a cigarette and enjoy the night. Dreams will arrive at some point. I hope.

19.3.10

B245


B245, originally uploaded by Paradise Gonzalez.
Some unknown stories. Never say, never ask. Not the same of the stupid idea of don't tell don't ask... but oh, well. Secrets should not be kept. Some, perhaps. Only the priest knows, after abusing the kid. Terrible. But not going to talk about nightmares in here. "Not politically correct" . Gosh as if someone cares. There's war all over the world and my country is going mad with massacre and corruption and "nobody will do anything". Fuck that. Fuck the stupid nonsense. I wish we could all just relax at the beach and smoke a joint. Oh well. Paradise is long lost.

15.3.10

Don't Peek


don't peek, originally uploaded by Paradise Gonzalez.
An amazing piece about life and death and that long moment in between. Learning to let go. What a difficult process. Anything, childhood, lovers, an old shirt.

"Theater piece Don't Peek, Woof Nova Collaboration
Explores our relationship with life after death through three interwoven tales that take place at the threshold between this world and the next. "

Temple Crocker, Annie Kunjappy, Daniel Allen Nelson, Morgan von Prelle Pecelli, co-creators, co-directors, designers and performers.

Lighting design by Tim Becker
Sound by Brandon Pane
Video by David Rogers
Stage Manager: Maggie Sinak

 

Performed at La MaMa E.T.C Feb-March 2010

12.3.10

B 3305


B 3305, originally uploaded by Paradise Gonzalez.
This is the first image of a series based on time, hunger and decomposition.

11.3.10

Project B24


Iris b24, originally uploaded by Paradise Gonzalez.

The beginning. Finally we found a model to re start. Irsida, a beautiful eastern European. Jarrett Brandon -http://www.jarrettbrandonartistry.com- and I are very happy. With her we restart the work we stopped in December due to the celebrations and cold. I discovered that going back to taking pictures in a regular basis is like going back to the gym, very difficult. It's better not to stop because good thinks are always hard to recover. Strangely that won't happen with bad addictions, it's always easy to go back. Ha ha, all do I love addictions so there's no downer.
Cool. Beautiful day in Manhattan and the door to creativity has opened again!

26.2.10

Jenny12


Jenny12, originally uploaded by Paradise Gonzalez.
Yesterday I finally had some to scan some 6 x 6 film that had been in the drawer for a couple of months and Surprise! I found this beautiful image.
I like shooting in film because it involves a completely different process. I learned photography on the digital era and with digital cameras, and contrary to most later I went to film. It was a whole new world. An absolutely different perspective. From counting the times you press the shutter to the walk to the developing lab. Fortunately I was able to TA at ICP -International Center of Photography- and learned how to scan film and make my own prints. I love to mix processes, film and digital. And wait, like a kid on Christmas night, for the result.

GREAT CACTUS K11


GREATCACTUS k11, originally uploaded by Paradise Gonzalez.
Historias del desierto.
Una serie en proceso sobre los alrededores de la casa de mi madre. El desierto, ese fascinante escenario que nunca acaba. Plantas en una batalla abierta por subsistir, y la belleza de la agresion.
Es imposible dejar de caminarlo.

missy12 ... We all love missy !!!


missy12, originally uploaded by Paradise Gonzalez.

An under valuated love story. We all love Missy. 

19.2.10

Film Noir


Danielle, originally uploaded by Paradise Gonzalez.
This is a series of film noir shots. I've always loved this type of films. The detective and the blond girl.
My eternal fantasy. Needles to say I'm big fan of Chandler. And Bogart.

headshot


headshot, originally uploaded by Paradise Gonzalez.
Portrait of a model.

Self portrait


Self portrait, originally uploaded by Paradise Gonzalez.

Fortune cookie philosophy


cover , originally uploaded by Paradise Gonzalez.

Pictures from Slovenia and Venice. I added some fortune cookie philosophy to the image. I'm always wondered when I open a fortune cookie. In some way I imagine it's a great saying that will change my life. I think about an old philosopher somewhere in the deep China writing this amazing sayings that are meant to be open by a specific costumer at the Chinese restaurant. I imagine the waiter concentrating before grabbing the cookie so he can become a medium between the great knowledge and the nurtured costumer.
All an all I believe they have this magical beauty of the unknown and the mystery. What's inside this cookie? What's behind this door? What's upon this life.

7.2.10

PERFORMA 09

This are some links to the photographs I was assigned to for PERFORMA 09.
The biennale was a delicious experience.  There where  hundreds of artists from all around the world. Everyone "performing"  their conception of "art". Creating an amazing world where you could jump from installations to dance to empty spaces to gatherings to... practically the most unexpected situations. 

NYtimesMagazineBlog

Performa 09-frieze magazine

Dominique Gonzalez ARTFORUM magazine

turbulence.org

Estos son algunos links a las fotografias que tome para PERFORMA 09.
La bienal fue una experiencia maravillosa. Hubo cientos de artistas de todo el mundo. Todos mostrando su concepcion de lo que significa  "arte". Fueron semanas de maravilla, de nino en una tienda de juguetes magicos. Practicamente se pudo ver de todo, desde instalaciones hasta danzas, de presentaciones teatrales a espacios vacios... practicamente cada evento era un encuentro constante con lo inesperado. Una experiencia maravillosa.

K124


K124, originally uploaded by Paradise Gonzalez.

This is part of an ongoing project of beauty shoots I'm working on.
I'm proposing it as the opening picture. I love the texture, the range of shadow and light and that it makes me wonder of how does the other part of the face looks like.

I love laughter


enjoy, originally uploaded by Paradise Gonzalez.

And happiness and joy and surprise and excitement and freedom.
And beautiful things that just happen. This picture was part of a "serious session" catalog style I did a long time ago. This two images where forgotten among the rests of the shoot. Just somewhere in an external drive. I bump into them by coincidence and was able to look at them with different eyes. I found things I didn't see before. And was able to rescue them.
It's fundamental to keep your work in a safe place and go back to it from time to time . You never know what you'll find.

15.1.10

No Pants


DSC_1095, originally uploaded by Paradise Gonzalez.

Every 10th of January people all over the world gather to... well, take their pants off. Its a volunteer group that each year is growing. The idea is, you ride in a subway, wait for the specific time and take your pants down. For a couple hours you'll be ridding the subway without pants. There will be a few others doing the same as you can see in the pictures. Why or what for is still a question for me. But it was great to see the expressions on the faces of the regular subway commuters and to enjoy the happiness of the no pants people. For more info you can visit the site http://www.improveverywhere.com