Visually Yours, Laurie and Charles

Weekend in NYC

2011-10-11T13:39:00.001-05:00

#5 Anne Trumble, landscape architect

2010-08-11T14:32:00.009-05:00

To view more visit
http://www.emergingterrain.org

Anne's favorite sites:

http://americancity.org/
http://www.winterhouse.com/
http://www.nature.org/design/
http://pruned.blogspot.com/
http://livingclimatechange.com/
http://the99percent.com/
http://www.crowdrise.com/
http://www.good.is/category/art-and-design/

Point of View

2010-07-28T13:15:00.000-05:00

Bemis Center Art Sales Gallery Open House

2010-07-19T15:52:00.002-05:00

Happy Earth Day

2010-04-22T15:03:00.013-05:00

Happy Earth Day! Get out of your car and walk or ride your bike. Plant a tree. Do something to help this lovely earth of ours!

Omaha skyline on our ride to work

Self portrait in front of our downtown building.

tree-inspired Kaleidoscope photographs by Laurie Victor Kay

Paris Still Lifes by Charles Kay Jr

Art Chicago 2010

2010-04-20T15:20:00.002-05:00

When L'Anne Gilman, owner of Gilman Contemporary, told me that they were applying to attend Art Chicago with my Kaleidoscope series, I was more than flattered. L'Anne has been a both a friend and mentor with my fine art for over five years. It was L'Anne who took note of my Au Musée series and gave me my first solo exhibition in 2005. In 2007, she opened Gilman Contemporary and has attracted clients from around the world with her unique vision. Charles and I enjoyed our joint exhibition 'Pieces of Paris' at her gallery in 2008. We are inspired by the unique approach that L'Anne takes with her gallery and friendship that has grown out of this relationship. We can't wait to be a part of L'Anne's repertoire of artists at Art Chicago. If you are in the area, stop by her booth and check out her gallery. You will love what you see!!! Email us if you plan on attending the event. We'd love to meet you there.

Our Room with a View

2010-04-01T16:53:00.075-05:00

Something arrived in the mail today that we are very excited about. It's a book published by one of our favorite publishers, Assouline. We first met Martine Assouline in her unpretentious Paris office a few years ago. She epitomizes French style and class. Her vision with Assouline continues to visually inspire us. The book is a compilation of the many "Room with a View" images photographed for Condé Nast Traveler spanning 57 countries, 140 hotel properties, 230 pages, and among the contributors, two smiling photographers from Nebraska. Our photograph was shot at Little Dix Bay in Virgin Gorda.

I love the poetic introduction of the book by André Aciman. Here's an excerpt:

"A room with a window is not about the view but about having the view and knowing you have it. A picture of the same without the window is a still file, what the French call a nature morte-dead to the senses. And that, in the end, is what is so magical about a room with a view that shows us the room and the view. It is not dead. It is not timeless. It is here and now. Just walk onto this balcony, says the picture, and you're suddenly there."

To order this book go to www.assouline.com

#4 Rhizosphere Farm

2010-03-31T11:51:00.006-05:00

Meeting Terra and Matthew was like a breath of fresh air. The March day was still a cold one, but you sense the anticipation of spring and the ground beginning to thaw. They came into the studio and immediately engaged us by telling us how they ended up in Omaha over a year ago. It is precisely their path to Omaha that continues to intrigue us. Omaha is growing its own organic roots and drawing amazing people from all over the country. I hope that everyone reading this will check out the blogs that Terra and Matthew chose as their favorites. Supporting the local food movement is so important for an infinite number of reasons. We can't wait to enjoy the produce that they will be growing at Rhizosphere this season. I'll be checking in with Terra and Matthew in the coming weeks so stay tuned. And don't forget to buy locally grown food whenever you can! It tastes better and will definitely make you SMILE!!!

Thanks To Terra, Matthew, and all those other farmers out there who are feeding us and making the world a better place. Keep it growing!

Terra and Matthew's favorite sites:

http://www.slowfoodusa.org/
http://www.localharvest.org/
http://www.naturallygrown.org/
http://www.chooserealfoods.org/
http://www.jamieoliver.com/campaigns/jamies-food-revolution
http://www.rhizospherefarm.com/
http://www.chezpanissefoundation.org/
http://fedupwithschoollunch.blogspot.com/
http://clean-plate.com/
http://rareseeds.com/
http://www.buylocalnebraska.org/
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/807904906/stored-potential-repurposing-a-giant-grain-elevat?pos=1

#3 Artist Susan Knight

2010-03-25T14:56:00.004-05:00

Behind the scenes with Rachel Jacobson

2010-03-24T15:34:00.000-05:00

What are you working on? #2 from Laurie and Charles on Vimeo.

#2 Rachel Jacobson

2010-03-17T13:00:00.006-05:00

Behind the scenes with Chef Teresa

2010-03-11T15:48:00.002-06:00

What are you working on #1? from Laurie and Charles on Vimeo.

#1 Teresa Kramer Ruback

2010-03-10T10:49:00.001-06:00

2010-03-05T13:22:00.002-06:00

Inspired.

2010-02-25T09:33:00.000-06:00

Photographing commissioned portraits and creating fine art is only part of our visual process. The manner in which a framed portrait, or any piece of artwork for that manner, is hung can completely transform a room. We like to think outside of the box when we approach this part of the process. Changing things around in one's home can invigorate the space. We love seeing big pieces on small walls, hanging multiple pieces asymmetrically, and exploring the use of frames to create structure in a room. The process of installation continues to inspire us. We hope it inspires you too.

Images from Elle Decor March 2010

Station 52

2010-02-24T13:04:00.003-06:00

Station 52 from Laurie and Charles on Vimeo.

This behind the scenes video is from the February Metro Magazine shoot. Laurie and I are always struck by how nice, humble, and genuine firefighters are. (And for some reason they are all really tall!) We were told that they would be available until the bell rang. At the very end of the shoot, it did. Visit www.spiritofomaha.com to read their story.

iPhone series: Park City

2010-02-19T14:15:00.000-06:00

Sawasdee

2010-02-17T18:46:00.003-06:00

Inspired.

2010-02-17T12:14:00.002-06:00

As you may know, we heart photographs. The use of red frames with black and white photographs to create structure in this hallway is brilliant. We love the energy, whimsy, and originality of this installation. The light fixtures are perfect against the crisp white walls. Thanks for the post-Valentine's day inspiration, Steven.

Image from Elle Decor Jan/Feb 2010

*Steven Gambrel is the interior designer of this Southampton home.

Snow Day

2010-02-08T15:03:00.003-06:00

The snow just keeps coming...

2010-02-04T19:43:00.003-06:00

Avenue Trudaine from Laurie and Charles on Vimeo.

This is our first video post from our photo shoot in Paris. Laurie and I produced a shoot on Avenue Trudaine in Montmartre, hence the name. We had great models and a very crazy schedule. The wardrobe came from all over the place...American Apparel, Zara, some vintage and some from our closet. We checked our bags and a ton of equipment. I am sure the cab driver thought we were moving to Paris. I was so happy to see an elevator in the building!

Begin

2010-01-29T14:29:00.034-06:00

Starting is the hardest part. For those of you who know us, we have been wanting to start a blog for a long time. Conceptually, it felt perfect to begin this after returning from a place where Charles' family history is so deep. We recently returned from Thailand. We held snakes, saw ancient temples, witnessed Buddhist ceremonies, and rode tuk tuks in Bangkok. Journeying on to Chiangmai, we spent time with our many Thai family members in our favorite Thai city. Two years had gone by since we had last seen our family there. We were greeted with smiles and when we left there were tears. Chiangmai's charming magic and the beauty of the Thai people had once again taken us. Our Thai aunties and cousins spoiled us with the most delicious local treats. I could write (and post photographs) about so many things here: the food, the elephant riding, the jungle zipline tour, the gibbons, the night markets, the sticky rice in bamboo, the tuks tuks, the Lanna architecture, the Thai silk, golden Buddhas and of course the Thai people. It is a visual feast when you are a photographer in Thailand. I often stopped on the side of the busy streets with my camera and just photographed the movement of traffic. Charles and I have photographed alongside each other for 14 years now. We both agreed that this visit to Thailand with Miles and Evie was the most spiritual journey of all. At the end of our trip, we went south to a very small village called Si Kao on the Andaman Sea where we watched the fishermen with their nets each evening. Time seemed to stand still. We were worlds away from our home in Nebraska.