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!
I knew I’d get to do book covers eventually. (Actually, through A La Carte, I do tons of book covers, but they don’t usually have pictures I’ve made on them.)
Book is a poetry memoir by a friend, I designed the cover (at her request) around a mixed-media experimental piece from my “sketchbook” involving a photograph of my oldest and a great deal of white gouache.
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:
Tomorrow is the last day my show will be up at Fremont Jewelry Design, so if you want to see it in person, I suggest you have lunch in Fremont tomorrow.
While some of the pieces in the show will also be at the Shoreline Arts Festival in 4 weeks, about half of it will not, and it probably will not be exhibited again in the next 6 months.
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.
This video from David Yoon’s “Narrow Streets” project (which I found via photojojo) is a marvelous example of compositing, in this case to realize a vision of Los Angeles as a smaller city. I love that you can watch the “trial and error” process and all of the detail work into doing even this simple two=image composite.
(If I learned to make videos like this, would people be interested in seeing how, say, something in mode of Atlantis Vogue or Nigella Nebula comes together?)
I went out last night to the first meetup for the Seattle Artist’s Salon, and it was rather lovely to have face to face time with people who take the value of art as a given; I am going to try and go to more of these events.
Although, it was a bit disheartening to have several complete strangers comment on how exhausted I look and realize that my looking completely exhausted has become the normal, expected state of Jane for the people who *do* see me regularly. I kind of wish I had the ability to nap.
However, I have slaked the Monday morning grumpies with a large dose of lolcats and chai, have my one rush order out the door, and am now possessed of a flow chart to govern getting things ready for my first arts festival. I might be moving very slowly, but at least I’m moving slowly in a somewhat efficient manner.
My next scheduled round of overcoming my introversion will be, I think, trying to go see the ukiyo-e print exhibition that is up at SAAM next First Thursday (June 3rd), probably around 11. I’m happy to go solo, but company would be okay too.
I just signed up with CreativeLive.com, which is offering a number of very cool free classes from the kinds of teachers you’d normally have to be quick on the draw and flush in the wallet to get a workshop from (Zack Arias! Art Wolfe!); it leans towards photography and tech (which is expected, with Chase Jarvis one of the creators) but I will be taking a Watercolor 101 class (since I already have the supplies, but now the know-how; it’s been *years* since I last really worked with watercolor.)
A few lucky Seattle folks might be able to attend these in-person, rather than telecast, for free, since they film here. Check it out.
. 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. 
