Bob Gurr

When I worked for the Betz & Peters Vintage Ferrari Collection I was drawn to (and drew from) a wonderful series of photographs they had of the Ferrari and Pininfarina factories taken by Bob Gurr in 1953. Bob is known to most people as being the original Imagineer at Disney. Walt often spoke about Disneyland as being an experiment in transportation, that each "ride" represented a different mode of getting around that may have applications in the community. Whether you are on the People Mover, the Monorail or Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, you are on a system designed by Bob Gurr. If you're not impressed with submarines, wheels or motors, you might think the audio-animatronic Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln is cool. Another one of Bob's creations. 

A long time ago Matt Stroud introduced me to the work of Herb Ryman. Actually I was very familiar with his work, just never put a name to it. Herb is an incredible artist and is responsible for the "look" of Disneyland and many Disney films. I had friends who were on the Board of the Ryman Foundation and expressed an interest in it. Soon I was invited to show at a gala in the Hollywood Hills along with Chip Foose and, you got it, Bob Gurr.

I've wanted to talk to him about his '53 Italian trip for years and the opportunity has never come up until now. He is good friends with Randy Ema (who I count as one of my good friends), and I thought I'd use Randy as a key to open the door. Well, it wasn't necessary; Bob's door is wide open and he is fun and accessible guy.  We talked about Randy, Bob's work, my work and finally about the '53 trip. This led to further email exchanges and more photos back and forth and eventually some loose ends and mysteries were resolved.
If you get a chance, look Bob and Herb up on the internet. You'll find their hands in every aspect of Disney's uniqueness and success.

Lisa Law

I’ve long enjoyed the work of Lisa Law, her name pops up in the neatest places and her photographs tell wonderful stories. We were in Santa Fe and I knew this to be where Lisa called home and after a few calls we met at a gallery opening. Our initial visit was terrific and was followed by the insider tour of her house and studio. She is generous with her stories and her hospitality knows no bounds, we had a terrific time. By this time in our trip to New Mexico we had amassed quite a group of friends and several of us made our way to a nearby Mexican restaurant where the stories bounced back and forth around the table as we all got to know each other. Before leaving town Lisa and I decided to collaborate on an art project. Now that has been done we hope to another soon.

Photography has an element of opportunism; you have to be there to get your shot. But a great shot needs more than being in front of a neat subject. There are plenty of awful shots of great things. In the right hands a photograph of the most mundane things can be wonderful, but you have to have an eye for beauty and composition and the skill to capture them. She’s got it. Her images hold up to artistic scrutiny and coupled with great subjects and events you get a grand package, the work of Lisa Law.

Lisa Law is a wonderful photographer who began shooting in the early 60s and today finds herself with a wonderful archive of iconic photographs. Tip of the iceberg. Once upon a time there was a house called “the Castle” in LA where musicians, artists and herbalists found a place where they could just “be themselves”. This was Lisa’s place for a time, taking care of the guests and keeping the place up until other ventures beckoned. Other opportunities came in the way of participating in and shooting concerts, festivals, communal experiments and feeding the masses at Woodstock. In her driveway is the bus from the Hog Farm days, the last one still running, and she has run it all over North, Central and South America. I don’t know how many miles she’s put on it but she keeps it mechanically maintained; and aesthetically it is both psychedelic and current in its decoration. She uses it in parades and campaigns in town.

Today Lisa maintains a strong advocacy for the ideas and ideals of the 60s. She is warm and generous and humbly speaks with authority about her role in the spiritual awakening. She is primarily known for her photographs and associations with iconic figures. She has been in some extraordinary situations and expressed them on film. Watching her work is a wonder. I don’t know how she does it, her sense of composition must have become so intuitive that she can shoot from the hip; maybe living in the wild west has influenced her. I’ve never seen anyone do that (successfully). She is so non-chalant as she talks about the difference in digital and analog photography, all the while clicking off these terrific shots in a most candid way.

All periods of time have diverse cultural aspects. The period from the end of the Korean War to the end of the Viet Nam war is particularly compelling. Once snapped out of the Depression the nation entered a period of production and prosperity. Young people who grew up in this time found the material gains were at the cost of spiritual development and some set out to recapture spiritual awareness. These are the people that populate Lisa’s life and fill her books. They have a valid story to tell and can be found in her images. She has two great books, Flashing on the Sixties and Interviews with Icons, and an excellent movie on the times, Flashing on the Sixties, A Tribal Document. If you have any interest in the soul of the 60s I suggest you investigate these sources.