Gum Bichromate Final

Here's a sneak peak at a couple images I've been working on for my gum printing critique.  

More Van Dyke

Here's another experiment with van dyke brown.  These two images were a test on vellum.  I actually made the mistake of not fixing the images, so the brown is much more dark compared to the other van dyke on vellum I tried before.  Anyway... it's a good start to something bigger- I definitely want to try to print more on vellum.  The transparency of it has so many possibilities. 

More on body image.....

Here are a few more images I took a couple weeks ago at the Headlands.   I am continuing my series on body image distortion and the discrepancy between reality and perception on this subject.  I distort certain parts of my body to visualize the distortion that occurs in my mind when I think about my physicality.  I am emulating fashion photography to critique its influence on women.  Any feedback on this project is very welcome.  I took these shots in the evening as the sun was going down, so they have very different moods.  

Gum Printing

Here are some test prints I made while trying to figure out how to work with gum bichromate printing.  I was pretty discouraged for a while.  Working on gum printing was technically very difficult.  I finally realized that printing gum on top of a cyanotype was the best way to go.  The details were getting lost in just a straight-forward gum print.  The very first image of this series is just a straight gum print.  It's a really nice image, but I need to do something else with it.  I haven't quite figured out what yet.  I really like the layering of color these have overall.  Especially the blue and green.  I'm excited to see where this project goes and have my final idea in place.  

Sustainability

         

       I have been thinking a lot about sustainability and how I can interpret this term as a photographer.  In the past, I have used different forms of trash as an added element or prop to a photograph to enhance it.  For example, I have used bubble wrap as part of a portrait to add texture and interest.  Spring-boarding from this idea, I decided to try using these same elements in portraiture, but add a twist.  I asked my husband to volunteer for my first experiment.  I wanted him to find something that he considers wasteful that is part of his daily life.  As someone who works from home, he is constantly receiving packages full of packing materials.  Using some of these materials, we worked together to create a portrait where the material is "suffocating" him.  Utilizing color casts, I wanted the image to come across as eerie and evocative of death.  I think it would be interesting to see what other people feel is part of their lives that is wasteful.  I think the first step we must take in order to work towards sustainability is to look within ourselves and scrutinize what we do that is wasteful and figure out how to remedy it.  With this reflection, hopefully we can think of ways to reuse, recycle or reconstruct the materials in our daily lives into something useful- instead of sending it to the landfill.  

New Direction

      

  

     Continuing to work within the realm of self-portraiture I am exploring issues of self perception and the factors that influence it.  Working within the technique of fashion, I am using the technical aspects of fashion photography to critique the influence it has on body image.  Manipulating my body in the physical layer of the photograph reflects the distortion of self perception I hold within myself.  This is the continuation of images and ideas I have been working on for the past year dealing with perception and reality.  This is the start of a new direction within the same construct of the issues much of my work is about- body image.  

Finished Product

    I decided to create a book-type object out of my cyanotypes.  The images are reminiscent of storybook illustrations.  I wanted the layout of the images to resemble a book.  I used book binders twine to sew the pieces together.  

Andrew Bird and Loney Dear

Had a great time two nights in a row at the Fillmore last week.  Loney Dear opened for Andrew Bird.  Both bands were phenomenal.  I was lucky enough to have a photo pass and capture some moments of the shows.  

Dave Bazan

Took some photos of Dave Bazan yesterday.  It was a lot of fun.  He and Winston got along great.  It's always a pleasure hanging out with Dave.  And of course he always makes for a great photograph.  Dave is on a house tour right now and his new album comes out in August.  One of my all time favorite musicians and people.  Truly an amazing person.  

Cyan Toning

This was pretty cool. My favorite toning was tannic acid with borax. Pretty rad. I feel like there isn't enough time in each day to do exactly what I want. If only I were a vampire and didn't have to sleep......

Van Dyke Brown

I just learned this process yesterday.  Tried it out and pretty much fell in love.  More to come...

Cyanotypes

Success!! 

Dave Bazan Show

We hosted a Dave Bazan show at our house last night.  It was also the first opening for Ideal Utopia Gallery.  Gabe Weis's colorful paintings decorated the walls.  I decided to talk to some strangers and take some portraits; Alex Berg style.  I actually ended up talking to this guy Taylor for a while and we ended up having a mutual friend (Andrew Fuller) in common.  Pretty small world.  

New Stuff

So I've been working on some images that I'm going to turn into cyanotypes.  These are some of the originals.  The drawings were scanned in and added as a layer in Photoshop.  Tomorrow I'm going to make digital negatives and start doing test strips for the cyanotypes.  I'm really excited.  They should look pretty cool if I can get the exposures right!   I'll scan in and post the cyanotypes when I'm done.  

A New Voyage

This blog has served me well as an outlet for my self portrait work.  I'm now going to shift gears a bit and start to include any and all of my current work.  I invite any constructive criticism you might have for me since I am always seeking to improve and always love others' input because it helps my way of seeing.  

Artist Statement

Memory can be a tricky thing.  When asked to recall a certain event or time, I often find it very difficult to accurately bring to mind much of what I have experienced in my life.  I often contributed this to genetics because my father is extremely forgetful and I find myself following in his footsteps more and more.  Much of my  memories are very scattered and skewed.  I often fell like I am barely flitting through my life experiences when I try to evoke them.

As a photographer, I not only use the camera to create new imagery to communicate a concept, but I also use it to record my experiences.  I have done a lot of traveling and have many photographs to "prove" where I have been.  I love looking back at these images I captured because they hemp me remember my past.  This is one of the reasons I became interested in photography in the first place.

In this series, there are two layers to each image.  The silver gelatin images presented are from a trip to France in 2001.  I have drawn over these images with oil pastels in order to convey what happens when I look at these images.    When I view them, I am taken back to the time of my travels, but I never can fully remember my experiences.  The images become representations of a time in which I used to exist, but to my present self, they are just that- representations.  The photographs remind me of places I once visited, and it is with this proof that I am able to remember some fleeting memories of my travels.  

The second layer is of a figure in each image, which is a self-portrait depicting how I interact with my memories.  As I have said before, may times my memory is skewed and much of the information that is missing is filled in with my imagination.  I often skirt through imagery in my mind of past events that may or may not always be accurate.  Many times my memories become daydreams and I find myself contemplating my past experiences like a waking life.  The figures are in color and are captured digitally to contrast with the silver gelatin prints.  This is also a metaphor for the past versus the present which is a major part of how memory functions.

There are seven images in this series consisting of two parts.  The base image is a silver gelatin print with mixed media using black and white oil pastels.  The second layer is an image captured digitally then inkjet printed with color on transparency.  The layers are representations of the past and present and the way I interact with my memories.  

Final

This series of images is for my final.  I will post my artist statement soon. 

Final in-progress

This is my final project in-progress.  I got a lot of feedback in class yesterday about it.  I think I'm going to have to reshoot a lot more figures.  I need to be less tense and more "flowy".  The figure is too stressed in the second image, which isn't what I want.  I want the imagery to flow and seem connected.  I still am really liking the process though.  I have been in my darkroom a lot lately making prints, so it's nice to be doing that again.  And working with multimedia again is always fun.  It's been a while, so I'm glad I decided to try my hand at it again.  I think the oil pastels really help with the dreamlike qualities of the imagery.  The first image I used OHP, but the blue cast isn't working so well.  So the second image is on transparency film and it works much better.  Now I just need to have the figure more like the one in the first image and I'll be set.  Only 2 more weeks until my final!  I've got a lot of work to do!

Idea for Final Project

So I know I showed this image before, but I wanted to talk about it some more.   I want to incorporate film and digital/ black and white with color.  I'm considering either using old b/w self-portraits and making them new by adding new color self-portraits.  OR taking new b/w photos or scenes- nature probably and then adding the color self-portraits over them.  I'm planning on printing the color on OHP transparency and having the finished photo actually be two surfaces on top of one another.  We'll see what happens in the next few weeks.  On an exciting note, I finally have my darkroom done in my basement!  So I am very looking forward to working more in the darkroom! 

Self As Subject

This image is a pretty literal interpretation of self as subject.  My only addition would be to have a camera on a tripod in the image as well to show that it is indeed a self portrait.  I've been playing around with the frame within a frame layout and I really like it.  I might have to play around with it for a while and see where it goes.  

The other image is another experiment.  It is a digital image printed on transparency overlaid on a black and white print.  Both are self-portraits.