pixels, light and hot wax

The next leg of the abstract flower tour will be a stopover this August much closer to my own neighborhood: at the PizzaWorks in Bothell. This will be a subset of the work from the Fremont show, with a few new pieces mixed in.

Pizzaworks is unique, in my experience of local pizzerias, for offering not only vegetarian, but also vegan, wheat-free, and gluten-free options.

(and I thank them not only for the opportunity to show, but also for another reprieve in figuring out where to store all these large framed prints.

I’m hanging today (the 2nd) so stop in between the 3rd and the 31st for a slice or a grinder, eh?

2 new photographs and one old one (and the first not-a-flower) will be making their framed debut tonight, assuming there isn’t some horrible mishap with the drill:

(Edited to add: while there were no power tool mishaps, there was an epic tantrum. So these three did *not* get framed in time, alas.)

Cherry Blossom #98 (from my Lapin cherry tree)

Queen of the Night Tulip

Anemones in Pink and Green

My Sofobomo project is done, and ready to look at

20 Steps, a book of lumen prints by Jeliza Patterson

(and take the time to check out some of the other books. A couple standouts for me were Toshizaku Fujiwara’s 88 Temple Pilgrimage and Lucy Aboytes’ Urban Flux)

I will definitely do it again next year, though next year, I’m using a camera. (Not that I’m stopping with the lumen prints, but next year I want to really tell a story and design a book around it; this is more of a portfolio. I will be getting a physical copy printed, though, because I want to check out a potential new printer for A la Carte, so it will be a 5×7, hard-bound book with a linen cover, in my hands by late August.)

The most recent lumen print, which I am totally crazy about:

Lumen Print, Ilford Multigrade RC, English Ivy

And this love is good, because if I’m going to continue, I need to open the box of fiber paper, which is oddly scary, even though I know it is no longer darkroom-capable. I think the nice, thick leaves of the English Ivy — which trap the condensation underneath themselves, on the paper, rather than evaporating out — are definitely a pointer to where I should be focusing the rest of my printing.

words when I have more brain. for now, a few of my favorites from this weeks experiments:

Dandelions. Lumen Print. 8×10 on Ilford Multigrade RC.

Wilting Calla Lilies. Lumen Print. 5×7 on Ilford Multigrade Cooltone RC.

Japanese Maple, partially pressed. 5×7. Ilford Multigrade Cooltone RC.

Since my only digital camera is currently dormant and awaiting the delivery of a new battery charger *sigh* I had to go a little more … old school for this Photo Friday (but how could I miss Bloom, really? I should practically put flower photographer on my business cards…)

So, today, little Miss Elisabeth, age 5, and I made a quickie contact printer out of a piece of plexi and some cardboard, grabbed a box of Ilford Multigrade Cooltone RC 5×7 paper that is older than she is, and made some lumen prints. (quick version: photograms made by catastrophic overexposure of otherwise normal b/w photo paper. Alternative Photography.com has more concrete info.)

The colors are unaltered.

This one is probably my favorite, and yes, it was done by the 5 year old.

Dandelions, by Elisabeth

Fern and Clover Bud, Lumen print

These are using a really adorable yellow-flowered weed I have not been able to identify; I thought it was odd that the stems disappeared entirely.

Mysterious yellow flowers, lumen print

Dandelion and Leaf, Lumen Print

Fern, my first lumen print

2 Leaves, by Elisabeth, Lumen Print

I didn’t actually have any fixer on hand, so I scanned them immediately and stuck them in a dark drawer; we will see if there is any image left on them by next week. I also tried to contact print some color 120 negatives, but that was pretty much a train wreck.

I am, however, delighted to have something to do, on very sunny days at least, with the many boxes of not-refrigerated photo paper I have left over from my darkroom days.

I just spent a whirlwind afternoon acquiring bits and bobs to make my display equipment work for the Shoreline Arts Festival this weekend, as well as getting all those boring but necessary things like bags.

And, for my post-festival indulgence, I signed up for SoFoBoMo after Denise reminded me of it’s existence. Given that July will also be the month of both kids at home, I am choosing for my subject things 20 steps from my front door, which ought to be both highly manageable and a fun artistic challenge.

(Okay, an intense project is perhaps an odd choice for an indulgence, but given that I design photo books professionally, I suspect it will be less difficult for me than for some, and it will be fun to have a project with nothing financially or professionally hinging on its completion.)

While looking for something else, I found discs full of film scans I had done back in 2002, when I first got access to a medium format film scanner (thank you, PCNW!). These are from both that year’s shooting and way back in past (since I have been doing this since 1988) and there is quite a bit that is still pleasing to my eye (and of course, assorted images I will now class as juvenalia and hide away . Most of these were raw, unfinished film scans, so these won’t be ready for printing for another couple weeks yet, but at web resolution, you can’t see dust.

(More to come throughout the week)

From my father's garden (coneflowers?)

Purple and white cactus dahlia

And remember, I (and Tammy) will be at the Shoreline Arts Festival next weekend — come on by and say hi!

Due to some last-minute serendipity, I will be showing my floral photography at Ombu Salon & Spa in Edmonds for the upcoming Edmonds Art Walk, and (most of) the show will remain up through mid-July. There will be at least two, maybe more, new pieces for people who saw the Fremont show I just took down. And if the Edmonds Art Walk site is to be believed, there will be a wine tasting as well.

I am really excited about this –this will be my first show in my hometown (I’m so from Edmonds I used to dance around at games as “Bonnie Bengal” for the Edmonds High School Tigers. Fear my fierce school spirit!)

A new piece which may, or may not, be in this show:

The amazing Elisa, who is one of my favorite living photographers, is having a birthday print sale to help replace her dying camera; it’s a good cause, a great deal, and well, the art is just exquisite.

Go forth, and add some beauty to your life.

Occasionally I have conversations with people who don’t understand why I pay more to have my prints made a professional lab instead of using a cheap consumer lab.

On beyond the general higher level of trust I have that they will maintain their chemicals and machines well, and when I send them a pre-color-corrected image they won’t “tweak” it to make it more “poppy”, it’s the guarantee of professional service.

Today, I got a *huge* box from my lab, containing about a third of the show, including the biggest piece in it (which is the biggest print I’ve made in 5 years. ) And it was damaged (which happens easily when dealing with prints that big.) It’s not huge damage; it’s a couple of small dents, but I could see it and certainly didn’t want to show it that way. I’ve had a dented print made by the local one-hour, and when you bring it to their attention, the reaction is usually “so what?”.

My lab? Reprinting for free, with the order in production within 45 minutes of my e-mail to them. With no hassle and no drama (well, there was drama in my *brain*, but that’s because I hang in 8 days and I’ve still got framing to do.)