Jacob Johnson

Hey, look at that! Only 2 weeks between posts this time! That's a 50% improvement! Seriously though, I am trying to be more consistent with my blog. It certainly doesn't have to be a daily journal, but I think weekly updates seem pretty doable.

School started on 1-20, so this is the third week of classes. Unfortunately, the ice storm we had that weekend resulted in campus closure through all of the second week. I had the first class meeting for my darkroom course before the storm, and just yesterday had my second meeting with the class. For the other students, yesterday was their first time exposing and developing paper, so we made photograms. I brought a few negatives with me just in case, but class time was limited so I didn't really have the chance to print much.

The assignment was to bring some objects to use for the photograms, so I brought an assortment of things to try, including a completely exposed sheet of 4x5 film (to provide ‘negative space’, get it?), a chainmaille necklace, a tuning fork, and the hand-carved lute roses given to me by Mel Wong on my trip to San Francisco in 2017. I also tried a few other objects, like Gamut varnished gut strings and a 120 takeup spool, but I am happiest with this print:

I've never made a photogram before, so it was an interesting experience! I might spend a little time playing with the idea as an exercise in figure/ground relationships and composition in general. I particularly enjoy the way that the cylindrical metal objects have some amount of exposure due to reflections. The chainmaille necklace reminds me of a fossil or something:

The Leadership class in Arts Management is ok, but I am really looking forward to the Fundraising Course that starts after spring break. 

I have been a little too busy with other things, so I decided not to apply to one of the artist residencies I was considering this year. The deadline was on Sunday, and I just didn't really have enough time to do everything I would have liked. I probably could have just applied with the materials I already had, but I decided it was better to wait for next year and focus on the other applications I have been working on.

The last day of January I got to photograph the Hamilton de Holanda Trio at Windmills. Hamilton is a 5x Latin Grammy winner, with 16 nominations, so I was a little surprised he was playing in my hometown! I first heard Hamilton's music almost 15 years ago, and it was an honor to meet him, Salomão Soares, and Thiago “Big” Rabello. The performance was incredible! 

For now, I think I've covered everything. I will try to be more consistent with about one blog post per week, with updates about school, the darkroom, and my progress with ‘Songs Without Words’. See you again soon!

Happy New Year! I can't believe it's been a month since my last post. I had just finished my first full semester in the Master of Arts Management program when I posted last, and in a few days I will return to classes. I am enrolled in a few courses this spring, including AMGT 5243 Leadership and Strategic Thinking in the Arts (January through March), AMGT 5263 Fundraising and Development in the Arts (March through May), and I'm taking ARTS 2356 Photography I at Collin College (January through May). I'm looking forward to getting back to school. I needed a break, but I'm excited to get back to work on my degree. I'm most excited about the fundraising course-- given my experience with grant writing for individuals and my more limited experience with grant writing at the organizational level, I am interested in expanding my knowledge of the subject.

As I mentioned, I'll also be taking a photography class at Collin College. I have chosen to enroll in this course for a few reasons. Participation in the course will give me access to a real darkroom with 4x5 enlargers, and I will have the opportunity to grow and learn more about photography and printing. Additionally, the class may help improve my overall experience with school. I have discovered that I am not a huge fan of wholly online studies. I think it is best for me, personally, to physically go to school at least a few times per week. In the fall, I made the transition from in-person classes 5 days a week at Wesleyan to a 100% asynchronous schedule with online courses. At first, I really appreciated the fact that I reclaimed 10+ hours of commute time per week, and I enjoyed the flexibility of having no set class times. After a while, I realized that I had become a bit of a hermit. Rarely leaving home made it seem as though time was passing without time passing. Days and even weeks could blend into one another. As a student in the photography class, I will be physically present on a school campus for classes on Mondays and Wednesdays. My intention is to conduct all (or nearly all) of my work for the MA program in the Collin library on those days. 

Speaking of school, I have been invited to audition for doctoral guitar studies at UNT, and I am actively preparing my audition program. The audition is on 2-28, so there are still six weeks remaining. My program includes the Second 'Cello Suite BWV 1008 by J.S. Bach, Abendlied, Op. 13 by J.K. Mertz, 5 Hommages Francaise by Arnaud Dumond, and Musikones Op. 107 by John W. Duarte. I have been attending open mic nights like Open Classical to air out the program and to practice performing-- non-traditional performance spaces present unique difficulties (conversations and other background noise) which are not usually present in an audition environment. If one can learn to perform through external distractions, it may help prepare us for those internal distractions which arise in a traditional performance environment. 

Aside from school, I am still working hard on ‘Songs Without Words’. I have spent quite a bit of time over the past few weeks laying out the deadlines for each step of the process of designing and manufacturing the book, rehearsing and recording the EP, and printing the work for the exhibition. This is the most ambitious project I have ever undertaken, and there are so many conflicting elements which must be balanced in order for everything to come together as planned. 

Sometime in the near future, I will open preorders for the book/EP bundle. Grant funds have covered the majority of the costs associated with producing this work, but there are always surprise expenses with projects of this magnitude. Anyone who preorders the bundle will be included in the acknowledgments section of the book. The plan is to produce a limited run of 100 numbered copies. 

Last weekend, I had the honor to photograph Emily Levin (principal harpist of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra) at soundcheck before her “Mid-Century, Modern” recital for Voices of Change. I was deeply inspired by ‘Music for the Temple’ by Jonathan Cziner, and the ‘Suite Galactique’ by Caroline Lizotte.

Tonight, I will be performing from 5-7 pm for the Allegro Guitar Society's Kimbell Cafe Concert Series at the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth. I will be playing my audition program as well a few popular tunes arranged for guitar solo. I will also be performing on this series on 2-20, 3-20, and 6-26.

Additionally, the Guitar Studio Foundation's International Guitar Festival and Competition is this weekend at TCU in Fort Worth. There is an incredible lineup of performers and clinicians, and I am looking forward to attending some of the events and taking some photos.

I don't have the publication date yet, but I am honored to have been selected for a feature in Fort Worth Magazine's February edition. I will share another update when I have more information.

Finally, I am applying for some artistic opportunities with deadlines in the near future. Superstition prevents me from saying too much about which specific opportunities I am applying for, but I will say that there are calls for exhibition and artist residencies around the US that I would love to participate in. Applications for these opportunities are quite similar to the grant applications with which I have experience, so it is simply a matter of gathering the remaining materials and submitting my applications on time. I am hopeful that the various organizations to which I am applying will find my proposals compelling, and I am interested to hear the feedback I might receive.

I am very excited for the year ahead, and I can't wait to see what else 2026 will bring!

Last night I presented a grant application for my project ‘Songs Without Words’ to the board at the Lewisville Grand Theater, and the board voted to approve my application! This grant will allow me to continue gathering work for this project, and covers the costs associated with making several large prints in the darkroom for a solo exhibition at the Grand from 7-18-26 through 8-15-26.

The exhibition will be in the Education Wing at the Grand, which is approximately 125 linear feet (or about 38 meters), and I will be playing some of the music from the ‘Songs Without Words’ EP recording project as well. From the very beginning, 'Songs Without Words' was conceived as an interdisciplinary project including a book, an EP, and a solo exhibition with a live performance element, and I am excited to have finally found a venue and additional financial support. Film photography is a fairly expensive medium, and this grant helps relieve the significant financial strain of the project. 

As a major contributor to the project, the Lewisville Grand Theater and the City of Lewisville will be featured prominently in the acknowledgments section of the book, and I will be donating a copy of the finished book to the Lewisville Public Library. If you would like to help support this project, I have a few prints available here. Print sales will contribute to the project, and purchasers will be included in the acknowledgments section and will receive a copy of the finished book. 

As we approach the end of the year, I have been overwhelmingly busy. I am wrapping up the second course of my Master of Arts Management program at the University of Oklahoma, and there has been much extra-curricular work to do as well. I have turned in the necessary applications to seek Doctoral studies in music at the University of North Texas, and I expect to audition in February.

One thing that I have learned from my studies this fall is that I don't really enjoy being fully online for classes. I have decided to enroll in a class at Collin College to help in this regard. If I do my coursework for my online class on the days that I am at Collin for class, I should feel less reclusive. 

I have enrolled in a darkroom course, which will give me access to 4x5 enlargers and teachers who can help me improve my printing and my photography in general. This is fantastic because I have a show at the Lewisville Grand Theater in July and August of 2026! I'm excited to finally have the chance to print enlargements from my 4x5 negatives. I can't wait to get started with the course.

There is still one week in my current class, and I still have a few assignments to turn in, but I have finally made enough headway to have earned myself a little space to take a deep breath. I suspect I will make another update or two before the end of the year. I am still planning to do Dallashenge, after all!

One of these days, I will establish a regular blogging schedule that I am able to maintain over a long period. There is so much to tell! First of all, I suppose that I should give an update to my June post.

Back in June, I decided to celebrate graduating from Texas Wesleyan University by making an incredible, 5000-mile solo road trip. The goal was to visit family in Sacramento, CA, and to gather new work for my photographic portfolio. I packed 5 cameras, 23 rolls of film, one guitar, one 10" Dobsonian telescope, and set off. Since one of the main reasons for the trip was an opportunity to grow as a photographer, the first stop of the trip was at the Amon Carter Museum of Art in Fort Worth, Texas to see the Richard Avedon 'In the American West' show they had on display at the time. On the trip, I visited Tucumcari, NM, the Painted Desert and Petrified Forest, and the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. I drove up the Pacific Coast Highway to Gorda Springs in Big Sur, and then I spent a week in Sacramento visiting family. On my last full day, we visited the Oakland Museum of California to see the Dugan Aguilar photography exhibit 'Born of the Bear Dance', and we visited Muir Woods, the Golden Gate Bridge, the Palace of Fine Arts, and Fisherman's Wharf for clam chowder. 

On my way back to Texas I stopped at Chaw'Se State Park, and then drove from San Francisco to Carmel-by-the-Sea on the Pacific Coast Highway. I was excited to see Pigeon Point Light Station. I spent a night at Jacob Lake Inn on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon (just a few weeks before wildfire consumed much of the area, including the Lodge at the north rim), and the next day saw Vermilion Cliffs and the Wupatki Pueblo ruins. The last stop on my trip was at Medicine Mound, a ghost town in Texas that I've visited before. The trip was incredible, and I was able to add a lot to my photography portfolio.

On the day I began my return trip, in fact just as I was getting back on the highway after leaving Chaw'Se, I received word from the Greater Denton Arts Council that I had received a grant for my 'Songs Without Words' photography project. The grant is to produce a photobook and solo exhibition, as well as a recording of the same title. You can learn more about the project here. 

Additionally, I am working on an online Master of Arts Management degree through the University of Oklahoma. It's a 15-month accelerated program. I have already completed the first course, and we are currently halfway through the second. It's been a really interesting course of study thus far, and I've been enjoying the classes.

Regarding my photography, I have recently begun working with 4x5" film. I recently received an Intrepid 4x5 field camera, which I have already used for portraits of Grisha Goryachev and Leonela Alejandro. I'm excited to add large format work to my portfolio!

Finally, I'm currently preparing for graduate auditions for the guitar. The plan is to earn a Master of Arts Management and at least a Master of Music in guitar, with the possibility of a DMA. I would like to elevate my own performance career, and I also see a need for administrative training in the arts non-profit sector. I am really looking forward to continuing my studies.

I will try to update this blog more regularly going forward!

It's been a long while since I posted anything here, and a lot has happened in that time. To make a long story short, after the release of ‘the ghosts of dawn’, I went back to school to complete my Bachelor's degree at Texas Wesleyan University in Fort Worth, studying with Dr. Kevin Manderville. I graduated on May 15th, 2025!

In celebration of finishing my undergraduate studies, I will be taking a solo road trip to visit family in Sacramento, CA. I will be leaving later this week, with a guitar and telescope in the car, as well as an assortment of cameras and film. I've planned the drive so that I have time each day for a little photography and exploration, and I'm really looking forward to a change of scenery!

My debut album, “the ghosts of dawn” was released last Wednesday, 21st June, 2023! I've been working toward this release for over a year now, and I'm pleased to finally share the album with you. All of the preorders have been mailed, so if you supported the project you should be receiving a package very soon! In the meantime, you can find it on all of the streaming platforms. 

The album artwork is cropped from a picture I took with a 1931 Kodak Brownie No. 2 F from the Clear Creek Natural Heritage Center in Denton, TX the night before the first recording session:
 

I'm very happy with how my design for the packaging looks in print, and the audio sounds great. As a perfectionist, I wish I'd had more recording time, but I'm proud of all 41 minutes and 33 seconds of the finished product!

At the moment I'm working to schedule a concert to give Eddie Healy's “Astrolabe” the premiere performance it deserves, and I plan to play the album cover to cover. I will share updates as soon as I have more details!
 

The Holiday Season is upon us! I still have some availability for December 2022, and I'm really looking forward to playing Christmas parties and family gatherings. My holiday repertoire includes dozens of traditional Christmas carols as well as excerpts from The Nutcracker Suite.

Send me an email if you're looking for live music for your party!

It's been too long since my last update, so I thought I should post something.

As I mentioned in my previous blog entry, I have commissioned Eddie Healy to compose a suite of music for me called 'Astrolabe'. We're approaching completion of the suite-- the last movement to be composed is Virgo ♍︎, and then I'll have all 12 movements! It's difficult to believe that nearly a year has passed since we started working on this suite.

I've enjoyed learning these pieces as they have arrived, and I'm looking forward to recording them as part of my debut album! The idea is to record an album of music evocative of the night sky-- the 'Astrolabe' suite will have pride of place, taking up about half of the album, as well as Nocturnes by J. K. Mertz, and music by Vincenzo Galilei (the father of famed astronomer Galileo Galilei), Roland Dyens, and Frank Zappa. 

Earlier this summer, I applied for some arts grants to help fund the project. I was awarded grants from the Greater Denton Arts Council and Friends With Benefits Denton to fund album artwork and recording expenses, and I am still seeking other sources of funding to help make this album the highest quality I can. I've also entered the Jarritos "JarriTODOS" grant contest, which will announce results on 9-9. If you'd like to see my video submission for the grant, you can find it here.

Last fall I purchased a new guitar built by Marco Antonio Alfaro Jimenez from Monarca Imports to take some of the burden of constant gigging off of my Rubio concert guitar, and I have been extremely happy with it. I have enjoyed playing on the new guitar so much that I commissioned a new guitar from Marco Antonio! The new instrument is nearly finished, and I can't wait to hear it! It is a 640mm scale length guitar with a cedar top and Palo Escrito back and sides. I asked for a 20th fret, an elevated fingerboard (to more easily navigate the highest frets), an armrest for the right arm, and, since I'll be using it on this album, I also asked for an inlaid star on the headstock. Marco Antonio has been sending me pictures of the instrument throughout the building process (below), so I am extremely excited to see the finished guitar!

I will try to share more frequent updates as I move from preparing for the album to the production phase. 

the top

the back

the rosette

inlaying the rosette

cutting the soundhole

marking the soundboard bracing locations

top, sides, end- and neck block joined

purfling

gluing center brace
back bracing

'para Jacob'

sides

top routed for binding

back routed for binding

a little tied up

dry fitting the neck

gluing the neck

gluing fingerboard and headstock veneer

finished gluing fingerboard and headstock veneer

fret placement template

headstock star inlay

finished headstock

armrest

I'll definitely be sharing more pictures and video when I receive the guitar!

If you follow me on facebook or Instagram you probably already know this, but Eddie Healy is composing a suite of music for me called "Astrolabe" and it will consist of 12 movements named for the signs of the zodiac. I've already received Libra and Scorpius, and I've really enjoyed learning them! Eddie will be composing each movement during its namesake sign, so I'll be getting new music about once a month. I'll be uploading videos as I get the pieces under my fingers. I'm excited to see what he comes up with for Sagittarius!

In other news, the Winter Solstice (12-21-21) is rapidly approaching. As part of the Astronomical League's 'Astronomy Before the Telescope' certificate, I will be taking a picture of the solstice sunrise through the arch of the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge in Dallas. In order to complete this requirement, I had to calculate the azimuth of the sun at sunrise using my new astrolabe from Jo at Wavytail. The sun will rise at 7:25 am on 12-21, at about 118° of azimuth. I'll be taking a camera and a compass to the Trinity Levee Trail near dawn. Hopefully, the weather will be clear and I can get a good picture!