It's been far too long

It's been a busy few weeks for me. Work, school and the show at the Hot Shops have been taking up all of my time. Now that everything is winding down, I found time to get out and explore a few of the towns in Nebraska that I haven't visited yet. As you can tell, it was a near-perfect day for making photographs. A very productive day at that.

I can't begin to explain how much I needed to get out on the road. It's been entirely too long. I plan to begin work on my next project over the summer and will have more information about it once everything falls into place. I have begun to research the project, but, as my past endeavors have illustrated, the initial plans usually bear little resemblance to the eventual results of the effort.

And remember, photographs from The Magic City are on display through next weekend at the Hot Shops if you've yet to see the show.

Saunders County

Surprise 

Seward County

Loma Cemetery

Also visited: Jack Sinn Memorial State Wildlife Area, Ceresco, Valparaiso, Dwight, Ulysses, Gresham, Staplehurst, Oak Glen State Wildlife Area, and Raymond.

The Magic City at the Hot Shops

The first exhibition of photographs from my series on South Omaha is up and ready to go at the Hot Shops. The spring open house runs today from 12-8 and Sunday from 12-5. I'm going to do my best to be around for most all of the open house so stop by and say hello.

Framed images are priced at $100 (16x20) and $70 (11x14). If you're interested in the smaller size, please be aware that you will receive a matted image. There was a mix-up in the mats I ordered, so the photographs on display are framed without mats. So it goes.

I'll also have a selection of 6x9" images from the series and some greatest hits for sale for only $30 in a very nice string-tie envelope.

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Here's the artist statement for the project:

The Magic City
Photographs of South Omaha

After being founded in 1884, South Omaha grew to be a city of 8,000 people by 1890 and 30,000 by the time Omaha formally annexed it in 1915. Because of this remarkable growth, South Omaha was nicknamed "The Magic City."

I moved to South Omaha a few years ago and have fallen in love with this area of the city. This photo project is a an exploration of its neighborhoods and a tribute to its rebirth over the last decade. It serves as a visual document of South Omaha's details and landscapes as it exists at this particular moment in history.

I'd like to thank Kate Saroka, Kelly Adams, Les and Deanna Vavak, Jeremy Hanson, Nic and Kaeli Swiercek, and Bill Hess for their help and support in my endeavors.

Pre-show print sale

For the next two weeks, I'll be offering a print sale to help with some of the costs associated with the show at Hot Shops that opens May 5th. William Hess and I will have photographs on display in the Hallway Gallery throughout the month. My images will be from a South Omaha project I've been slowly working on for the past year.

This time around, I thought it would be nice to offer something a little more affordable. So here's the deal...


A 6x9" print of (almost) any image from my Flickr page for only $25. The print will be enclosed in a custom paper envelope and will include a small signed and numbered certificate.

If you'd like the print mailed to you, please add $7 for shipping.

Please email your request to josephvavak (at) gmail.com and I'll send you a Paypal invoice.


And the fine print...

This offer excludes any images in the "Beginnings" set on Flickr.

If you choose a square image, it will be an 8x8" print.

Depending on demand, expect to receive the print at some point between the middle and end of May.

If you have any questions, please feel free to drop me a line.

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Thank you to everyone for your support. It is always greatly appreciated. I look forward to seeing many friendly faces at the Hot Shops during the Open House weekend on Saturday and Sunday, May 5th and 6th.

For those interested in the ninety-three photobook, I apologize for the delay. Between work, school and this upcoming show, I've had very little time to spare. I plan to get the book ready to go once June gives me more free time.

The end of the road

Every so often in my random travels, I end up in what would best be described as the middle of nowhere. Today, I headed north and found myself in such a place somewhere south of Decatur, Nebraska. The gravel road I was traveling on suddenly disappeared without warning, no "Minimum Maintenance Road" signs to be found, and I would up in the middle of a rather desolate part of the flood plain. The photograph above shows the end of this path, a stop sign attached to a tree in the middle of the barren land.

near Fort Calhoun, Nebraska

Fort Calhoun, Nebraska

Decatur, Nebraska