Wait a minute!

    I suppose I'm like everyone one else. It's that dance that sing feeling that seems to overwhelm me after every photo critic. "If you don't like my dance, just wait till you hear my vocal chords!". You know those movies where the main character is at that pinnacle point in show where they have to prove that they have the star material to wow the world and they run back on stage after nearly being dragged out of the auditorium by the judges... well in a way I am that lone star. Or so my pathos mind tells me.


    When I started this whole photo business four years ago, I would leave critic wanting to quit simply because I was so embarrassed by having to show work. I'm not embarrassed anymore, but I have acquired a new feeling that I still need to name. After I hear those dreaded words, "I want you to push yourself..." And my synapses start sparking away-  "Wait a minute! You don't understand me! Maybe you'll see my great artistry in painting, or drawing or ... well while we're on the topic of all the great things I can do, how about singing... or weeding?" I think I bore people and it disappoints me to see that, but it doesn't defeat me.

I'm calling this set of ink paintings, "My Fourteen Birds of Prey". They will go under the scanner this weekend and mercilessly get Photo-Shopped. I stayed away from it as long as I could, but now I need to sign, seal and deliver my soul by Monday.

Yes I made fourteen because that was the assignment given. There is no subtle concept incorporated in that number in any way shape or form.

Take II

I tried out silhouette land again this evening after getting home from a beautiful wedding in Bartlett town.
Boy this MN skin is not as resilient as it used to be.

Shadows!

Our next studio lighting has to be done at night. It can incorporate commonly lights seen in town, and it can also incorporate lights that we utilize to our advantage. With this in mind I came across the idea to preform a skit behind a screen.

I want to create a story of me as I stand outside of the screen looking normal. But as I pass behind it, I turn into something warped and rigid. As I come out the other side, I again change into my own physical self. It's working with the idea of visually joining the mental and physical state together.

(Well with totally honesty, when visiting Graceland this weekend, I was adoring a piece of art with silhouettes of Elvis playing his guitar and I thought to myself, "Dang I want to do that!"

I first experimented by using a slower shutter speed, getting a nice contrasting figure, but I realized that It was more pleasing to see the surroundings around me. So I slowed the time down.
    These are just test shots. I haven't figured out my costume yet...




                             

    This was done with a faster shutter speed.
                                   


And slower

And here is my costume for a slide photo shoot this weekend. I remember last year, my mother and I went shopping one afternoon in town. And as we were running around the store trying to find what we needed, we chanced upon a woman cleaning the shelves with a shopping cart beside her. We stopped and mom asked her for a little help, thinking that she was an employee. The woman didn't didn't seem shocked, but kindly replied that she didn't work here, and pointed to an employee to help us. So zoning I go! (Until I get kicked out).

                                              

NU and Blane St. Croix

NU
       It’s just possible that a great professor of MCA, Kevin Mitchell, has just opened a gallery this February First! The gallery NU, features current contemporary artists and is located on 2577 Broad Ave, Memphis. The opening on the first was a great success holding a one-night show,  Co LAB -­A Collaborative Experiment.  Feel free to check it out or go to the website; www.nugallery.net 

                         

         Blane De St. Croix visited MCA last Thursday taking time to visit both the afternoon IPC class and also lecture at seven-­‐thirty that same night in the auditorium. As an artist he works both in sculpture and two dimensions, creating massive and impressive landscapes that focus primarily on the conflict between ecology, politics, and the human race. St. Croix has found that creating sculptures is a way for him to enter and surround himself with his work in a real and tangible way. His sculptures are located all over the world including Mexico, Afghanistan and South Korea. I was very blessed to hear him both in class as a teacher and at the lecture as a professional artist. His wise words to the students and myself that afternoon impacted me in a strong way. He advised students to always always be conscious of the environment around them as they are influenced by it, to do creative research in places where students are rarely seen anymore, such as libraries, and to never show blood in artwork. One simply can compete with Hollywood. His website is: http://blanedestcroixwork53.blogspot.com 

   
                                                                 

Digital Imaging II

"Feeling restless and so I go for a walk. Its' abnormally windy outside and my boot are too big so I complain. A hobo starts up a conversation with me about something that he saw earlier. His name is Willie and he sleeps under benches in the park and say he used to be a painter. He's got a big, black, wiry beard and crooked teeth. I sit next to him and he lets me share his handheld radio radio that he listened to soft jazz on." (student)

Photoshop! I don't know why you and I don't get along as well as we could. This relationship is slowly getting better, but I still don't know why I don't die and go to heaven when I have to sit and gaze at you for five hours a day.

We were given a assignment in digital imaging class to recreate other students dreams/stories. This is 2/5 that have been partially completed. I spent two and a half hours in class last monday scribbling crayon on newspaper and then scanning portions to create backdrops.Some days I get so tired of just looking at a screen and clicking away. And this genius idea of crayon and newspaper, solved my distress on Monday.  The trees are from Overton park, the star playing these characters is ... yours truly!

"Two little boys who pretend to be in the army are playing in the woods. they have water guns and re-fill them with a bottle of rubbing alcohol they found in the cabinet because it burns when it touches their scrapes. Chasing each other, one begins climbing up a tree and the other follows. They climb high enough that the tree sways, but to the they are in an imaginary battle. the tree isn't a tree. They are in the sky flying in jets. The first boy knows that he is safe because he has a parachute on. He 

jumps out the jet; of of the tree" (student)

Ya, I bought a can of light.

Today was long. The moment I got up I was running around trying to do my final shoot for class. From shopping at Lowe's for clearance plants, to sitting in a  little dim laundry room for hours tying to be the boss and meter like I should, to printing at the school with Suzie (that was fun).

Well at first it looked like everything was just blahs and bloopers... I had thought that light would reflect nicely if I simply sprayed the plants with water. It worked in my mind when I was running around Walmart trying to find a darn spray bottle. But in my one window dryer studio, it looked like I was failing. What the heck!

 So I took out the gold spray paint. And like magic I saw light! I didn't really know that I was humorously cheating till Suzie commented this evening as we were looking at my prints. "Oh it looks like the paint is a light reflection!" I stopped what I was saying and started laughing. I remember my last post on this blog. I think with out really knowing it, I held light today. And my rays came in a four dollar can.

I wish I could hold light.

This assignment is just the opposite of the previous one in Studio Lighting. We are now required to take the light of our nearest star and use it as one would use clay. We have to model daylight. . . 

So today was rainy! And tomorrow is a working critic! And I had done nothing till this afternoon to prepare  for class tomorrow!  So we're back to paper dolls for now. There's a few familiar faces here. I have no real intention of using these photos for my final on Tuesday. Today was simply trying to meter light. I'm hoping to create something fantastical soon (All new cast included).