Texas Photographer Mixes High Art with Middle-Aged Crazy Portrait Series, Captures Feelings About Turning 40

Plano, TX, May 13, 2010 --(PR.com)-- Two things people dread most – turning 40 and having their picture taken – converge in Forty@40. Conceived by Plano, Texas, photographer and artist Larry Lourcey, the project seeks to capture middle age at its most beautiful, bold, vulnerable, and creative.

Self-portraits – one per week -- interspersed with images of friends and acquaintances who are turning 40 this year – are published on the artist’s blog and Facebook page. Forty images total, the photos (seven so far) are often humorous, sometimes poignant – always honest.

“When I turned 40 in March I figured I could either run and hide, or embrace it,” Lourcey said. “I’m a big fan of musician Ari Hest, who did a project where he recorded a new song every week for an entire year. I decided to take this concept and put a photographic spin on it.”

Lourcey’s self portraits -- high art with a little middle-aged crazy thrown in -- showcase his skills as an artist and photographer, along with his sense of humor.

Then entire collection of images has been compiled into book form and is available online at Blurb.com. In addition to the 40 “official” images, Lourcey has included several rejected images - along with discussions regarding how and why each week’s image came about.

While Lourcey’s self portraits that anchor the project, he “breaks the monotony” with his “Fellow 40s,” featuring friends and acquaintances. Portraits published so far include that of a woman who recently lost 100 pounds. The first picture taken of her in more than 20 years, the black and white portrait reveals a girlish smile on someone who has found happiness unrelated to numbers on a scale. Another week’s image evokes a 1950’s magazine ad featuring a bikini-clad suburban housewife with an apparent fondness for her vacuum cleaner.

“Turning 40 forces people to look at their lives in a new way,” Lourcey said. “It’s a time to examine where you’ve been and where you’re going. Did you turn out the way you thought you would? Is there time left to become the person you thought you would be?”

Lourcey holds the designation of Master Photographer, awarded by the Professional Photographers of America (PPA) in 2007. He served as a juror in 2008 for several state conventions and has been awarded numerous awards for his work. In the coming year he will be both judge and public speaker at several major photographic conventions.

Several of Larry’s images have been selected for the prestigious PPA Loan Collection, including an image displayed at Imaging Asia in 2005.

While Lourcey is most recognized for his black and white photography, the breadth of his work includes vibrant photo paintings, Polaroid transfers, and photographic collages. In addition to photography, Lourcey's recent work explores intaglio and relief printmaking, which is informed by his photographic images. Lourcey derives his inspiration from master painters like John Singer Sargent and Edgar Degas, while embracing the bold styles of more modern greats; such as Pino Daeni.

Learn more about Larry Lourcey, Lourcey Photography and The 40/40 Project at

http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/1148412
http://www.lourceyphoto.com/4040project.html
http://www.lourceyphoto.com/blog/

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