Noel from We Can’t Paint has big news for his blog.

Back in December 2007 I started a blog called We Can’t Paint, a project that has since grown both in scale and in readership. I’ve enjoyed the continuing discourse between fellow bloggers and those of you who have submitted work and ideas. Not only have these past months been extremely interesting but they have opened my eyes to a whole new avenue for the examination and promotion of photography.

By September 2008 We Can’t Paint will no longer simply exist as just a blog, it will also be an online magazine (a future print version is in the works) and online gallery (as is a physical space). This was ultimately my goal from the beginning (the expansion of We Can’t Paint), to build upon a promotion of emerging photographers and those select few Canadian’s who often go unnoticed. I truly believe in the artists I showcase and I respect all of you who continue to produce interesting and thoughtful projects both in and out of school.

We Can’t Paint Magazine and We Can’t Paint Gallery will become extensions of my blog, permitting both a lengthier viewing experience and a broader forum to contemplate issues concerning the medium. For me these two new additions are not replacing the We Can’t Paint blog, but they are natural progressions of expanded ideas and collaborations. That being said, I’m hoping that you can post a notice on your blog and pass along this e-mail to those who may be interested in submitting (you included) writing, ideas, and photographs to We Can’t Paint Magazine and Gallery. I have temporarily set up a hotmail account specifically for submissions. Here is the info:

Send all work and writing to wecantpaint@hotmail.com

All work should include a brief bio (one or two sentences).

PHOTOGRAPHS

Send a selection of 5 – 8 images:
- All images should be 72 dpi
- Sized to10 inches on the longest side
- Saved as a .jpg file and labeled with no spaces or punctuation like this:

your_name_here_1.jpg

- In the body of the email you may list the titles but only if they are absolutely relevant
- No image should be over 5mb

Note: A link to your work is also accepted but strongly discouraged.

WRITING

All articles and/or essays should be 500 – 1000 words in length.

Send a brief summery and intent of your article/essay in the body of the e-mail with the actual article/essay formatted for Microsoft Word.

BOOKS AND ZINES:

If you would like We Can’t Paint Magazine to review your publication, please contact noelrodo@hotmail.com for more information on where to send your “review copy”.

For future details please visit:

http://wecantpaint.com

I have a love/hate relationship with the Chelsea gallery scene. When I started sending my resumes out to galleries looking for internships two- three years ago, I did my research in choosing galleries I knew showed work I enjoyed. Along with the galleries, I enjoyed, there were a handful of places I was hesitant about as I either never been to the place or knew it had large spaces and pieces of pretentious art with pretentious people. Being young, I thought, “what the hell.. it’ll be a learning experience.”

Let me take you through one of my interview sessions at one such “pretentious” place.. where the walls echo.. and gallerinas’ heels click with annoyance… and nobody gives a crap who walks through the doors.
Fashion-wise, I am a t-shirt and jeans type of person and slap on a pair of sneakers and I’m good to go. Knowing I was heading the Chelsea for an interview, I snazzed it up a little bit with dress pants, a button down shirt, a pair of ballet flats, and my portfolio. Nothing too fashionable, nothing designer-made.. nothing close to what gallerinas wore on that day at that top Chelsea gallery.

The gallery was featuring a video piece that month, so after opening the huge and heavy door into the space, you get to deal with the very busy “gatekeeper” who’s usually either typing away or on the phone. No “hello, how may I help you.” Nada.

“Hi, my name is Jane Tam. I have a meeting with blah blah.”

You couldn’t see the space because there was a floor-length curtain blocking you from entering the space.

You hear the heels click and out comes your interviewer, dressed to impress, topped off with a red lip. She was wearing 3-inch heels, some fancy dress, and had perfect highlights to her haircut. From that.. I already knew.. “fuck, this place is not for me.”

When the art doesn’t impress you, and that video that was playing definitely did not impress, and the woman interviewing you seemed to spend a fortune dressing herself.. as well as the rest of the staff, not giving two shits about a new intern, please, just walk away.

Sure, I thought,” Jane, suck it up and maybe you’ll be able to expose yourself to lots of important people.” I’ve tried it. For two weeks, I tried being good and gritting my teeth while I filed for the 50th time and ran to get lunch and researched where to get concrete for some new piece going up, but I just couldn’t get over how a gallerina I worked with flirted with every guy who came in and looked like he had money, how she complained about her high heels that she wore everyday, how my black jeans and flats just didn’t look professional enough, and how every job I was given was in no way challenging. I hated how fashion was as important as the job and how fashion and trend was a priority to hiring.

Now I know interns do get all the grunt work.. but when you see the gallerina above you on a smoking break, clicking her shoes, and fondling over her blackberry, and you’re compiling the represented artists on file.. and there are 10 male artists and 2 females.. you wonder, where the hell are we?

I don’t know… I just could not deal in that environment.

(People know I interned at Jen Bekman.. and by far, one of the friendliest, most welcoming, and diverse gallery. I chose Jen over Chelsea.. just from the environment, the opportunities/responsibilities given to me, and the feeling.)
Read Cara Phillip’s “What’s a Lady to Do?”

Submit: Women In Photography contains a simple concept:

-To showcase work, news and ideas from women in the contemporary photo world.

-To create a collection of strong work by women actively creating work.

-To reach new audiences collectively.

Those interested in participating can submit as follows:

-5 jpegs from a cohesive project or a work in progress.

5×7 @150 dpi named “myname_title.jpg”

-short statement/bio

Email submissions to
womeninphotography at gmail dot com

Submission deadline for first monthly spotlight: May 1st. 2008 (11:59)

The 4 selected photographers will be given a week each to showcase a current project or a work in progress.

Psst… Prints are still for sale!

I interned at Jen Bekman Gallery two summers ago, when Hey! Hot Shot was building a lot of momentum and press and was before the creation of 20×200. Working directly with Jen, you can feel her ambitions for how the way the art world was run and for her gallery. It was between interning at Jen’s gallery or a major photography gallery in Chelsea that I had to choose from. Ultimately, I chose Jen because of the chance to work one on one with her and learn immensely from her drive. I truly enjoyed that summer (despite the fact that I sprained my ankle in the worse way possible that time.)
Anyways, the New York Times has a great article, “Easing the Pain of Collecting” featuring Jen and her gallery. It’s still amazing to see how far the gallery has come since last two summers ago.

Currently on view at Jen Bekman:

Ne Plus Ultra The Hey, Hot Shot! Annual
February 8 thru March 15, 2008
6 Spring Street
New York, NY 10012