Rocky Schenck RRoocckky yScShecnhckenck Wonderful “Each photograph is like a still innocently believed in tooth fairies, Easter photographer, he honed his photographic taken from a movie that exists not bunnies, and Santa Claus a little bit skills while taking production stills on the longer than other kids. He was sets of his movies with a Yashica twin on film but rather in one’s nicknamed “Rocky” when he was three lens reflex. His love of art, photography memory, with all the fuzziness days old by his sister, who was confused and movie making all developed typical of remembered by the other names his parents chose for simultaneously. After grade 12 he spent a impressions.” his birth certificate: Richard Davis Botho year and a half studying an art major at Quote by John Berendt in his foreword to Arthur Schenck. North Texas Sate University, but decided Schenck’s 2003 monograph. to quit college and moved to Los Angeles. As a child he was introduced to He experimented with digital but did not "Sometimes I feel like I'm taking stills on photography primarily through the old like the look of them; they did not have a movie, but the movie is life itself." black and white movies he watched on the depth, the texture or the romance of Rocky has a way of turning the familiar television. Watching these classic films photographic prints, so he stopped using into the unfamiliar. He explores provided an escape from reality and that technique; he now mostly uses a fantastical and wondrous environments illustrated fantastic worlds created on the Nikon 35mm film camera. To create his that couldn’t be real but they are. The back lots of Hollywood. The films special effects he tends to do this at the images celebrate the magical world fascinated him and he studied them time of photography. He places elements around us. Many of these images are religiously, gradually experimenting with over the lens, home made diffusion fuzzy, blurred, vague, mysterious and duplicating tones, atmosphere, lighting, materials, a variety of filters to suit the haunting, impressions straight out of an camera angles and textures. He knew lighting conditions and subject matter; in Edgar Allen Poe story and starring that many of the settings were artificial fact a bag of veritable trade secrets. Most Vincent Price. The work lies in a and created by production designers, of his manipulation is at the shooting dreamlike state between fantasy and carpenters, scenic artists, and a crew of stage with some more enhancements in fear, foreboding and comforting, behind the scenes specialists. At age the darkroom. He is reluctant to share dangerous and lonely, yet romantically twelve, Rocky began studying oil painting, his mastered techniques. beckoning. There is a darkness that having been greatly influenced by the wants to invite you into its space and romantic landscape paintings and Rocky is a firm believer in the therapeutic envelope you with its secrets and share portraiture work of his great-great value of road trips, and travels often hidden desires. “By continually exploring grandfather Hermann Lungkwitz (1813- (usually with a friend). This body of work alternative realities and photographing 1891) and great-great Uncle Richard Petri was created during numerous trips the experiences, I feel that perhaps I’ll (1824-1857), both German immigrants throughout the South, and various parts better understand how I got to this point and artists who moved to the Texas Hill of North America, Europe, England and in my life, and perhaps where I’ll be Country in 1851. Rocky always admired Norway. His images range from heading in the future. These wanderings their work and diligently followed in their landscapes to interior spaces…..from are my therapy,” explains Rocky about footsteps. Working with landscapes he hotel rooms, store windows, lobbies, himself and his work. understood the concepts of manipulating living rooms, information booths and the environment in his artwork. If what conference rooms to oceans, lakes, Rocky Schenck was born in Austin, Texas he saw in reality was not to his liking, he forests, fields and trees. These during the last century, and then moved would romanticize the landscape by environments are occasionally inhabited to a ranch outside of Dripping Springs changing it through brushstrokes, colour by silhouettes or isolated figures. [Population 900], Texas at age five. His choices, shading and the inclusion of dad was a part time cowboy and a full dramatic skies or additional elements time postman. His mother occasionally taken from his imagination. Rocky began worked for the Internal Revenue Service. selling his paintings professionally at age Both were imaginative and creative 13. artists, who enjoyed life, parties, and the occasional drink or two. They delighted Around this same time, Rocky began a in creating a fantasy world for their two lifelong interest in motion pictures and children, making each and every holiday, photography. At 15 he began writing, birthday, and lost tooth a “really big directing and photographing low budget deal”. Rocky and his sister Becky experimental films. A self taught Page 4 Silvershotz Volume 5 Edition 2 Rocky Schenck Endless 2004 Silvershotz Volume 5 Edition 2 Page 5 Rocky Schenck Top: Ant Hill 2004 Bottom: Aurora 2003 Page 6 Silvershotz Volume 5 Edition 2 Rocky Schenck Top: Balloons and Cigarettes 2002 Bottom: Daydream 2003 Silvershotz Volume 5 Edition 2 Page 7 Rocky Schenck When asked how he goes about creating L.A. is famous for its sun-kissed He loves working with people but knows his photographs, Rocky Schenck replied sidewalks and palm tree-lined he can always escape into the private "my approach is rather simple: I record boulevards, but it's also known for being world of his art photography. It’s how he on film what I see and what I feel as I able to morph into almost anywhere else. started and where he will end up. There’s travel through life. Although my He seeks that shape-shifting quality in an absolutely nothing to compare with photographs have been taken all over the environment. Schenck roams the city, stumbling upon a subject or a landscape world, there is a consistency to the camera in hand, in search of the or a reality that is unexpected and imagery due to the manipulation of both undiscovered. His amblings have turned surprising, and then capturing it on film. the film's negative and of the print's up treasures in the historically rich West It’s an extraordinary feeling and he is surface. I consider my images to be Adams and Boyle Heights always looking forward to his next illustrations of my conscious (and neighbourhoods. The image "9th and photographic journey. perhaps subconscious) dreams, Lake," for example, depicts a spire- emotions, and longings. Many of the topped residence near MacArthur Park His current limited editions of 10 per images explore positive and negative superimposed against a glowing image, each image is a toned silver realities which inhabit dreamlike settings. background. An illuminated window gelatine print, sized at 16 x 22 inches When I shoot these images, they are reveals the silhouette of a solitary figure. which sell for around USD$2,500.00. Visit usually not premeditated or contrived.... M+B gallery based on Los Angeles or visit I simply take my camera with me "When you see the title, 'Los Angeles,' their website at www.mbfala.com or his wherever I go and try to remain open to you think you are going to see the cliché, own website www.rockyschenck.com whatever life shoves... or gently places... the downtown skyline or the concert hall," in front of me. When I'm shooting, I look said M+B associate director Shannon for images which tell a story, or provide Richardson. "But you walk in and nothing some element of a dramatic narrative. Of is familiar. Rocky rarely reveals exactly course, sometimes it's a matter of being where anything is because he wants it to swept away by the haunting beauty of feel out of context, out of time." Although nature, which provides constant many of the images can't be pinpointed to inspiration and solace. If I am sad or a specific location, some, such as "The depressed or melancholy, I can wander End," are instantly recognizable. Snapped somewhere with my camera and usually during last year's fire in Griffith Park, the turn my mood around by stumbling upon photo shows smoke rising above the something unexpected and wonderful." Hollywood sign. In 1987, a gallery owner in New York Rocky has enjoyed parallel careers in art discovered Rocky's work and gave him his and commercial photography. In his own first one man exhibition, followed by a words he says that the art world has second exhibition in 1990. Both shows treated him well, his assignments have were well received and reviewed by all come from word of mouth, he has several publications, including Art in enjoyed wondrous experiences with a America, Artforum, and Aperture. Since diverse range of photo jobs. He enjoys then, Rocky has continued to show in filmmaking and has written and directed galleries around the world and his work is multiple projects, including music videos now included in several prestigious for Kylie Minogue and Nick Cave (“Where collections. In his recent solo exhibition the Wild Roses Grow”), and other artists, "Rocky Schenck: Los Angeles" at M+B including Delta Goodrem (“In This Life”), gallery he documented the city secrets. Robert Plant & Alison Krauss (“Gone, "We all know the iconic places that have Gone, Gone”, and “Please Read the been photographed over and over again," Letter”), Alice In Chains and the Cramps.