Wrestling the Octopus

July 1, 2026 This website of mine began tidily three or so years ago, with images deposited in galleries based on the kind of photographer I saw and still see myself to be, adjective and emotion-based.  With each update, I knew where new work should land. 

Now, that order is slipping away.  I’ve mounted a couple of solo exhibitions which want to remain intact.  Images from places in the world I’ve been to are lobbying for their own galleries.  New approaches have asked to be given merit.  My website is a living breathing writhing thing.  It is defying my efforts to force images into my current (past) galleries.   I’m wrestling an octopus, and so far it's a draw, but I think in the end the octopus will win. Which could be a good thing.

The push for new “Places” categories seems commensurate with the effort involved in getting there: months of learning a new language; logistics and cost of air travel; endless planning of road trips; looking past the iconic post card images of places like the American Southwest, Petra, Paris, and Florence. Logic tells me they belong in Places galleries.  But they defy such labels; they are states of mind.  The octopus wants to wrest the images from the anchor of Places to the adjectives that describe the experience.  We compromised.

So for now, you won’t see major changes, just a lot of new work landing in existing galleries; a new Place gallery, “Paris on a Slow Walk”; a new blog about Paris.

I had big plans for a second new Place (Tuscany), Personal Projects (Prior Lives) and a new gallery called Edgy, but the octopus says, not now.  You are already overcommitted.  Here’s the link to New Work, which will get you started.  https://www.judyannejohnsonphotography.com/new-work Come journey with me.

Judy