"Night News" - an occasional missive from the darkness
Vol.5 No.2
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"Here ye boys, now take my advice
To America I'll have youse not be coming
There is nothing here but war
Where the murdering cannons roar
And I wish I was at home in dear old Dublin."

-"Paddy's Lament"
Trad. Irish Emigration song
Arr. by Sinead O'Connor/Donal Lunny
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Friends of The Nocturnes,

In these edge-y times, around The Nocturnes encampment, the song quoted above (an emigration favorite of ours) has come back to haunt us - now, as a very strong anti-war statement. It was recently covered by Sinead O'Connor on her CD "Sean-Nos Nua" ("Old Way New").

But still, a busy near-springtime is all about - we have a brief "Night News" for you this time 'round - just to alert you to a few items of note, approaching deadlines, etc. Actually, we're really trying to make up for the small number of these missives produced in 2002!

WORKSHOP NEWS
First of all, the April 1st deadline to book your Photo Tour of Ireland is fast approaching (even tho' the trip is not until May 8, 2003). This is the same tour that we've offered the past two years - only with a major reduction in price. Because we are working directly with Ron Rosenstock in Ireland, a photographer who bought a former "Bed and Breakfast" (Irish Tourist Board - certified) to host Photographic Groups in Ireland, we are able to offer this 10-day Photographic Tour for only $1500.00. This is exactly the same tour that large tour groups (including Voyagers, whom we travelled with the past few years) offer for a land cost of $2695 - $2995. Our relationship with Ron Rosenstock goes back over 20 years, when Tim Baskerville took a number of Workshops that Ron was offering in Ireland at the time. As Tim says: " . . . it was life-changing. I immediately felt like I had 'come back home' in this land of saints and scholars!"

The west of Ireland is a beautiful, peaceful part of the island and May is a great month to visit. Good weather prevails, fields are covered with wild rhododendron, and wild fucshia lines the roadside for miles. This is the time to ramble the hillsides, photographing the landscape before the growth of summer blocks some of the views.

Hurry, though - At this special reduced rate - almost 50% off - this trip is bound to fill up fast. More details are available online at http://www.thenocturnes.com/ireland.htm - where there is a Registration Form (PDF) you can download, and fax/mail in to us. While you are there, be sure to have a look at the work done by Michael Quinn on our trip to Ireland last year! In addition, should you want to speak to past particpants of our Irish Photographic Workshops, we can provide emails of people who are happy to talk to you regarding some of the great points of the trip, from a participant's perspective.

Our first San Francisco Workshop of the year, conducted by Lance Keimig and Tim Baskerville is coming up soon - April 12, 13, 14, and 16, 2003. Note that the deadline for pre-registration has been extended to March 14th. In addition to the Workshop he and Tim are doing, plans are to have Lance speak one night (April 11) at Tim's Night Photography class at U.C. Berkeley Extension. Additional speakers scheduled for the Berkeley class include Tom Paiva (April 4), who incidentally, plans to join us on our Death Valley trip March 17-19; and his brother Troy Paiva (March 21) a nocturnal favorite of our Workshop series!

EXHIBITS NOTED
Stephen Wirtz Gallery - www.wirtzgallery.com - is celebrating the publication of Michael Kenna's new books: Japan, and Lace Factories, published by Nazraeli Press. Selected works from these monographs are on display at the gallery thru March 8, 2003.

Todd Hido and Honorary Nocturne Richard Barnes take part in "Dwelling," an exhibit at Montalvo Gallery - www.villamontalvo.org - in Saratoga, through May 11, 2003. The show explores the concept of shelter through the work of four artists: Barnes, Hido, Patrick Dougherty, and Mildred Howard.

Three works by Tim Baskerville - "Dream Date #1, #2, and #3, Death Valley" have been chosen as part of "Selection 2003." Every other spring, San Francisco Open Studios artists are invited to submit slides of their artwork for the prestigious, biennial Selections Exhibition where twenty artists are chosen for one of the coveted titles. This year over 1,300 Bay Area artists were eligible to enter! The opening reception will take place Thursday, April 3, 2003 6-9pm at The Mills Building at 220 Bush Street at Montgomery. The Exhibition will be open 8am-6pm, Monday-Saturday until June 27, 2003.

"Dream Date #2, Death Valley" was an award winner in the exhibit "Time and Transcendence" at the Santa Cruz Mountains Art Center. The show ran thru March 1, 2003.

Yet another "Dream Date" by Tim appears in the Faculty Show at U.C. Berkeley Extension, thru April 1, 2003.

CALL FOR ENTRIES
Back to Open Studios here, for a bit - this October, The Nocturnes will host Open Studios for commmitted "Nocturnists" at Fort Mason Center, as part of ArtSpan's city-wide San Francisco Open Studios. The event, "Studio Nocturne," occurs October 18-19, and we will be sending out a "Call for Entries" to the usual suspects (plus a few choice others) for acceptance into the event. Note that artists will have to register separately with ArtSpan for the Open Studio catalog and exhibition. More news about this in the next few weeks, by email or on the Web site at http://www.thenocturnes.com/studionocturne.htm

The March 26 deadline for entries into the latest in our series of online Exhibitions of Night Photography is fast approaching. Entitled "California Nocturne," it will explore the connections between "California" - the geographic location, the culture, the people, the cars, the dream, the ideal, and our favorite topic here at The Nocturnes: Night Photography. A natural, we'd think! Be sure to visit - http://www.thenocturnes.com/entries.htm - for a full Prospectus for the show . In the meantime, we'll all be "California dreamin,' on such a winter's day."

BOOKS AND ARTICLES NOTED
Andy Frazer points out that David Fokos' long exposures of water and piers appeared in the February 2003 issue of Shutterbug. New York Night Photographer Lynn Saville (and Juror of "Nocturnes 2000" online show) had work featured in the current issue of B+W Magazine. And Bay area resident Dan Heller's work graces the cover (a 3.5 hour exposure!) and four pages (80-83) of the current issue of Popular Photography. The article is entitled: "Long Shots: 8 tips for Great Time Exposures."

ALUMNI NEWS
Marc Babsin continues to show work all around town - the last e-vite from him simply states:

"Photography.
Wine.
Thursday.
6-8 pm.
Caffe Centro.
102 South Park."

-That would be Thursday, March 6, 2003!

Updated AlumniLinks:
Marc Babsin / http://www.marcbabsin.com
Deb Rourke / http://home.earthlink.net/~debrourke
(Let us know if we missed your site!)

IN RELATED NEWS
Todd Hido lectures at the San Francisco Art Institute - www.sfai.edu - as part of The PhotoAlliance - www.photoalliance.org - Lecture Series, March 24, at 7:30pm. SFAI, Lecture Hall, 800 Chestnut Street.

LIBRARY NOTES
Ireland, various authors, edited by James O'Reilly, et al. Travelers Tales, 2000. ISBN 1-885211-46-5
Road Guide to Death Valley National Park, Barbara and Robert Decker. Double Decker Press. ISBN 1-888898-04-6
Inside Death Valley, Chuck Gebhardt, Tom Willis.CWG Creations,1995. ISBN 0-9601410-4-9
Tracing Your Irish Roots, Christine Kinealy. Appletree Press, 1999. ISBN 0-86281-756-0 Magical and Mystical Sites: Europe and the British Isles, Elizabeth Pepper & John Wilcock. Phanes Press, 2000. ISBN 0-933999-44-5
Spring 2003, Aperture #170. The Aperture Foundation, 2003. ISBN 1-931788-16-2

MUSICAL NOTES
Sean-Nos Nua, Sinead O'Connor, Hummingbird Records Ltd, Ireland #79724-2
Divine Discontent, Six Pence None the Richer, Reprise Records #WD2-886010
Aoxomoxoa, The Grateful Dead, Warner Bros. Records #1790-2
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This concludes this edition of "Night News." As always, this and past issues of "Night News" are accessible at http://www.thenocturnes.com/nitenews.htm

And even if you wish you were back "home in dear old Dublin," it's still important to remember something: "... lets just be careful out there."

Susan Nichols
nichols@thenocturnes.com
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"It's been ages since you visited any of us . . . "

The Nocturnes family of Web sites:
http://www.thenocturnes.com
http://www.timbaskerville.com
http://www.meersfamily.org