Experiments

Presentation has been an issue for me since the beginning of this project. After trying both a luster paper as well a mat paper (almost a printmaking type paper) I have decided that I am not a huge fan of how the prints look on stiff paper. It just doesn’t look right. And so, I have been looking for something lighter and possibly transparent for a few weeks now. I printed some on transparencies, which I think work better in some ways, but I still wanted to test more materials. This week has been the start of those experiments.  Using a light-sensitive dye I exposed negatives of my multiple exposures onto fabric. I have a variety of fabrics at this point, as well as different types of negatives and different ways of applying the dye. It has been a major learning process so far, and I still have lots of problem solving to do, but I’m excited about the possibilities with this.

The first round didn’t go well at all. My images basically didn’t show up at all.

The second round of tests went much better. You can actually see an image somewhat, which was exciting, but I am still hoping to figure out how to get more detail in future tests.

The Thought Process

It had been ages since I shot a self-portrait before this one. I had some vague ideas that I was wanting to shoot but never seemed to have the time, energy, or motivation. This summer has been a bit of a slump for me artistically, but I’m hoping I can turn that around once the craziness of this month settles down.

Anyways, about a month ago I went home with Scott (the boyfriend) to his parents’ farm. They have some big wheat fields, which, as previously posted, are one of my favorite things. I had the itch for a self-portrait, though I didn’t really know what it should be. Before we left for their house (which is close to a two-hour drive) I had thrown in a bunch of tulle and other fabric thinking I could do something with movement and wind (since Kansas is ALWAYS windy). That evening, around sunset I decided to just go out and see what would happen. It was all very spontaneous and unplanned, which is often the best for me. When we were walking to the spot that I wanted to shoot at there were some hazy clouds covering the sun and light wasn’t very exciting. I was sort of bummed out and even debated not shooting that night. But, I decided to go for it anyways, and it paid off. The haze ended up lifting while I was shooting, making for some wonderful golden light in most of the images.

I have sat on these images for a while, unsure of how I wanted to edit them, and share them. Finally, as I am sitting in a hotel in Lexington, KY about to shoot a wedding I decided I was sick of having them sit on my hard drive. I will make another post with a few more, but this one was my favorite, and when the title popped into my head this morning I thought it deserved its own post.

Happy weekend everyone!

230/366 – Daydreaming

Today one of my friends introduced me to the sculpture artist Daniel Wurtzel. His video titled Magic Carpet inspired this image, and potentially a series as well. His work is truly beautiful.

107/365 – Where I long to be

Terribly lame picture I know. Everything is due Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday for me, and so my head is spinning. Not to mention getting my drivers license renewed in time and so many non school related things that I need to get done this week. I had been working all day, and then fell asleep accidentally, and when I woke up I realized I didn’t have a picture. I wasn’t going to take one, but was making my bed and decided the wrinkles could look alright.