pixels, light and hot wax

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.

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.

Spring Street, Los Angeles, narrowed. from David Yoon on Vimeo.

(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.

June 26th and 27th you can find me, as well as fabulous jeweler Tammy of TM Originals, sharing a booth in the Artist Marketplace at the Shoreline Arts Festival. It will be my first time having a booth at an arts festival, and I am really excited (and a little scared).

I will be bringing pretty much everything — garden photography, science fiction photoillustration, big pieces, little pieces, pieces that I’ve never posted to the website, so come check it out. There will also be music, performances, and food.

I did a shoot last week with Tammy of some of her work and this is my favorite of the shots:

Steampunk-inspired beaded faux watch-fob with found objects, by T.M. Originals

I will also be doing greeting cards for the first time for this festival, though I haven’t been able to narrow it down to anywhere near the 10 designs I’m planning yet. Which means that sometime in the next three weeks, there will be a poll, with a giveaway attached.

I am donating winner’s choice of any fine art print in the support auction for Deb Mensiger’s Liver Transplant; my particular auction is at this post. Check it out, pass it on; there are a number of fairly spectacular things being offered in this (original art by Charles Vess and Terri Windling!)

Reception tonight for my show at Fremont Jewelry Design, as part of the Fremont First Friday Art Walk.
The show will be up for all of may, but if you come to the reception there will be a) me (eep!) pretending to not be shy, b) Nico Rich’s fabulous trunk show, c) free jewelry inspection/cleaning and 10% off retail items at FJD, and d) refreshments.

For those of you not familiar with FJD, it is on Fremont Place N, east from the Lenin Statue, between Deluxe Junk and Silence Heart Nest.

And here are a few more of the new pieces that will be up:

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.)

It’s on the Fremont First Friday Blog and everything!

The show will be up by May 5th and be up all month, but the reception, which includes a trunk show of fabulous jewelry by Nico Rich, and discounts on FJD‘s normal stock, is the 7th, from 6-9.

I’m really excited about this show (even if the body of work still desperately needs a better name) and hope to see some of you there!

Here are some of the photographs I’ll be showing, some on this amazing new metal substrate that’s so yummy I want to lick it:

(all 3 of you, but I wasn’t sure where else to put this)

This is the poster I designed for Jennifer Doering’s dissertation recital, since the physical copies apparently came and went, and several people at the concert asked:

It was a really amazing concert.