Favorite Pic of the Day for September 7th

Bryan Feiss by Patrick Mulcahy
-See more of Patrick's work below-

Happy Birthday today September 7th to:

Oh Look....it's Max Emerson's birthday! Happy 23rd Max!!!
Check out Max's blog today for a look back through pictures of Max's 22nd year of life as well as updates on his current experiences traveling through Europe. (any blog entry with a Hamburg hostel hunchback 'run in' reference is worth a look!

Max Emerson on FH

Check out more of today's birthdays HERE: & HERE:

Next on my Amazon wish list: Paul Freeman's Outback Brumby

'Paul Freeman's 'Outback' series continues to explore the rich natural beauty of Australia's rugged landscape. Outback captured our imaginations during a rollicking pictorial ‘boys own’ adventure in the parched farming landscape of Australia. Its successor, 'Currawong Creek' introduced us to the strong bonds forged between mates that work on the land.'

I love Paul Freeman's work and his Outback series (including pictured model Nathan Kelly) are truly a collection of some of the most breathtaking images ever! Check out more on Paul's site HERE:

Show I most look forward to DVRing: Ringer

I know...Mad Men, The Sopranos, Hill St. Blues, NYPD Blue all have tons of Emmy's but I am not sure any show has produced as many amazing hours (The death of Joyce and Tara, Bandcandy, Hush) of television as Buffy, yeah I said it Buffy! I never saw a second of Buffy The Vampire Slayer when it was on the air but thankfully a good friend of mine pushed season 1 on me as a Christmas gift. Season 1 is by far the weakest of the shows seasons but it does introduce you an iconic show that although usually only gets it's due from critics of cult and science fiction tv.

Star Sarah Michelle Gellar says Ringer is a mix of Buffy with another of her best known roles, Kathryn Merteuil from Cruel Intentions. Add to that a dual role, interesting concept and hot male supporting cast including the incredible Ioan Gruffudd means I will be (not watching sorry..but DVRing) next weeks premier on the CW!






-Mike Colter-



-Nestor Carbonell-



-Kristoffer Polaha-


Below:
Kristoffer from Life Unexpected.
Image Source:



-Ioan Gruffudd-


Below: Ioan in Horation Hornblower

Conflict & Intricacies: The work of Patrick Mulcahy

I was first introduced to the work of New York based photographer this past January when I was sent an image of Jonny (profiled HERE:) sitting naked atop a plastic white horse. The horse was a replica of the kind of horse you would see on a Merry Go Round. Even as a child I always found something sinister, something off about those horses. Maybe it was their odd painted on smiles, maybe it was the fact they were all impaled with a large poll which bound them to ride.




In the cast of Patrick Mulcahy's work, the 'something off' is a positive, creating a distinctive feel and mood which flows through Patrick's images. In some it is sinister, it others it simply causes the viewer to pause, take a closer look. It could be a small detail or the way Patrick frames and poses his models within their environment. From the first shot I saw, I was reminded for some reason of Dr. Seuss. On first glance everything looks as it should. With further exploration there is something about his characters, their faces, expressions, that make you wonder if they actually belong in a children's book. This contraction, used so brilliantly with Seuss, is as equally effective within Patrick's work.



Mulcahy of course is Irish, born in Ohio to parents who had immigrated from Ireland shortly before his birth. Patrick's love of photography began at the age of 8 when he was given a Polaroid camera. Patrick's focus, even at 8, was not cars or puppies but faces. His interest in portrait photography was born and his desire to capture the subject even led him to photograph ventriloquist dummies when people were not available.

Educated at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, Patrick immersed himself in the vibrant art community that he found there. He then moved to Atlanta where he was featured in the southern mainstay “ The Great Mattress Factory” exhibit. In 1989 he moved to New York City where he has lived and worked ever since. Patrick's work is exhibited widely and pieces from numerous bodies of work are held in private collections.



Patrick describes his focus as an exploration into the intricacies of human relations and the natural world. The three year project, DUOS, (originally titled 'Masculinity'), began as a series of single figure erotic portraits but has transformed into an analysis of potent interpersonal connections.

'Conflict, desire, fear, expectation, domination and surrender are just a few of the unconscious themes being revealed in this work.'



Somehow I cannot help but think the unique, brilliant sort of 'off kilter' feel I detect within Patrick's work began many years ago shooting those ventriloquist dummies. Like the horse on the Merry Go Round, though not real, speak volumes about the odd, sometimes disturbing relationship between man and environment.

Below:
2 Images from Patrick's 'Light Of This World' series.



Check out more of Patrick's work on Facebook & his official site HERE:

Below: Sam Devries




Below: Sterling Senia


Below:
A-Rod by Patrick Mulcahy.