Just Don't Take This Personally

Because sometimes a picture is worth more than a thousand of my words and because I am too tired to edit my words, here is a snap of the completed "Don't Take This Personally".

art is not fun

Yesterday  was one of those days. Last night was one of those nights. Too much time spent carefully cutting individual pieces. Too much time was spent pinning the work on the wall. Toward eleven I discovered that all of the careful cutting still led to problem areas where things didn't quite line up. It was one of those nights where I wish more people had been roaming the fifth floor. If someone had, they would have popped their head in the door of the studio and contributed their ideas for how I could more efficiently accomplish what I was doing.

Art is not fun. Art is tedious. Art is tiring. Most importantly, art is a time suck. Borrowing from something that Drew Ippoliti said two days ago, "Artists aren't problem solvers. They are problem creators!"

That's as close as this son of a sailor is going to get to using sailor talk. On a related note, the piece is done but no pictures. Before Darien, Drew, Mari and I go out for dinner, I should be able to properly document the piece. In the meantime, I present one of my few and far between attempts at drawing. This is a little sketch in my Rhodia pad mapping out where each of the sections should be pinned on the wall. Dark panels represent ground only sections. Brown represents the area I should have started at for attaching to the wall. Crappy image made using the MacBook camera and Photo Booth.

paper cuts and map tacks

Works in progress. Actually pictures of works in progress. The 24 piece image "Don't Take This Personally" is getting closer to completion. Some of the pieces need to be reprinted due to overcoating of emulsion which creates different degrees of silvering. Each section will be cut on two sides and overlap its neighbor. I haven't decided left or right but top pieces will hang over the bottom ones. Last night I cut the bottom edges on the lower two rows. More cutting today.

Applying a brief lesson in painting from Bridgette (www.bridgettebogle.com), I hand painted 100 map tacks. Nine of which I created an off white paint form Titanium White and Light Burnt Umber acrylic to match the high key areas fo the final assembled image. Thanks for being my painting instructor last fall BBo!

ArtPrize 2011

I will be showing work in Grand Rapids, Michigan this fall as part of ArtPrize 2011. The Greater Grand Rapids Arts Council will host the body of work "from walking" in their 38 West Fulton gallery from Wednesday, September 21st through October 9th, 2011. Other artists showing in the GGRAC space are Inja Cho, Clyde Gaw, Michele Shelton, John Corriveau, Ellen Stuckey, and Jodi Endicott.

For more information please visit the websites of ArtPrize, http://www.artprize.org, and the Greater Grand Rapids Arts Council, http://www.artsggr.org/. 

file under research

A slight detour form the goings on in the studio to report on a visit to the Harvard Museum of Natural History, http://www.hmnh.harvard.edu/on_exhibit.html. Another artist in residence at Emmanuel College, Mari Lacure (www.marilacure.com),  suggested this visit a few days ago. We took the red line out to Cambridge, braved the Sunday crowds at Harvard Square and arrived at the museum with none of my usual "getting lost" mishaps (like last week's trip to the thrift store). The draw for Mari was the glass flower display which for me is a slight misnomer. While there are glass flowers are on display, the creations of this collection feature leaves, stems, fruits, and the nearly invisible parts of the plants needed for reproduction. The models were expertly created in glass by the father and son team of Leopold and Rudoph Blaschka. Almost all the items have survived the 125 years since their commission.

The difficult thing to express is that this trip was unplanned  (at least until a few days ago) yet so beneficial to the work that I am doing at the residency. Looking at the models made by the Blashkas, struck a couple of notes for me. The first is that I know the structures that fascinate me so in this botanical world can be seen at many scales of magnification. The general shape of a leaf or flower visible to the eye or the forms contained within a younger structure that is much smaller and shorter lived, are all possible subject matter for my photography. Some technical hurdles lay ahead which will require me to leave my favorite imaging method of choice, the flat bed scanner, and work with photomicroscopy  techniques to realize these smaller scales. The other “note” struck was a reminder of another reason for doing what I do, the slight threat embedded within these fantastical forms. They need to create a bit of fear in me because of their strangeness; a reminder of how I would sneak a peak out of my bedroom window at night at the risk of catching sight of some monster or alien being.

Last but not least some art history. My wife is a painter and she has shared with me her knowledge of the history of pigments. I had a small agenda going through the rock and mineral room. A whole blog entry could be written on magnatite and meteorites but it is important to go through that candy store of geology with a purpose. The purpose being to locate and photograph an example of Lapus Lazuli, the blue pigment of the ancients. So here it is, for Bridgette, one of three specimens in their collection but by far the one with the most intense blue.

Is that a pajama top in the window?

As promised, a picture of the anthotype as seen from the outside. It isn’t the most visible window. One only notices what is attached to it from that stairwell and only then from the 3rd floor window and up. The good news is that the contraption has held for 24 hours.

Other news from the studio, I have begun printing the sections of “Don’t Take This Personally”. All twenty four sections will be in vandyke brown. Perhaps some pictures of this tomorrow. Today was taken up with coating all of the sections plus extra sheets for mishaps. I only began printing the images at around 8:30 pm.

If MacGyver was an artist…

….he probably wouldn’t be making work like mine but I like to think there is a little MacGyver in all of us. Tonight I installed the latest attempt at an anthotype in the window of my fifth floor studio. The name of this image, if it survives the four week exposure, will be Charles Tesconi. The pigment for this image is derived from mulberries. Probably not the best combination of emulsion and paper. The drawing paper from Utrecht soaked up the chemistry as I applied it which means, I should choose a paper that is better sized. This image may end up being a bit streaky. Also, a repeat of what I noticed with the henbit emulsion, there is either oxidation of the pigment or some interaction with alkaline buffers in the paper that change the emulsion from a pink purple to a gray purple.

In and out of the studio today…

I searched for labeled sleepware at a reasonably close by thrift store here in Boston, the Morgan Memorial Goodwill which is about 1.5 miles away.

Coated the paper in the studio, fretting about the streaks and light spots. I could almost here Bridgette saying “Such a photographer!” i.e. let it be more painterly.

I scanned the label on the pajama and created a transparency which will be part of the photogram anthotype.

Installed the paper and garment with backing board in the window (see above).

Below is an image of the pajama top on top of the coated paper.

Tomorrow, a picture of how the anthotype looks from the other side. BTW, lots of sun forecast for the next week. 

Yesterday, Today and Tonight

I am almost too tired from a walk back from Chinatown (Boston) the long way to add much in the way of words to the pictures below. The sad truth is that I had a camera and I didn't photograph the four artists (Darien, Drew, Mari, and myself) eating at the Gourmet Dumpling House. Yes, we had soup dumplings.
I did make two exposures in Boston Commons and the public garden which were part of our route home but first, some evidence of my being a baseball fanboy.

Yesterday, Green Monster, Fenway Park

Today, rain on window

Tonight, solarized negative inverted, Boston Commons

a studio in Boston a.k.a. stairway to heaven(ly studio)

A studio in Boston may not seem like a big deal to some but to an / photographer who has struggled with humidity in a basement work area…I’ve died and gone to heaven. Heaven if paradise was a studio with two 40″ x 40″ windows with about nine hours of sunlight a day and was perched 5 stories up. I’m taking the stairs which can be tough at times depending upon what I am carrying.

Which brings me to the building. It has a church in the middle as well as a five-story science center joined at one side. More on that in pictures at a later time.

The downside:

1. the sink in the studio is a bit small for doing processing, at least for anything bigger than 8×10.

2. the sink in the darkroom is much more accommodating but getting the rotating door unlocked is another hoop for me to jump through.

3. the vacuum blanket on top of the UV exposure is not sucking which is not a good thing.

And trays, I need flat bottom trays which I forgot to pack.

Those are the few shortcomings. I pride myself on being a problem solver. Deep down I know that I am going to get this heavenly studio to work out just fine.

a predilection for windows

Here’s the view of my studio windows which are going to make the lengthy anthotype exposures possible. I spent most of the afternoon mashing and filtering the mulberries which, on the surface, seems like it should have been straight forward and quick.

It wasn’t. The tea strainer I have been using is too coarse. Fortunately Megumi Naitoh lent me one of Emmanuel College’s ceramic studio mesh filters that allowed me to get most of the fibrous matter out of the mulberry juice. It still took a while. For all of today’s time in the studio I have about 135 mL of mulberry juice to show for it.

Tommorow I’ll take some digital pictures of the anthotype mayhem.

and finally a picture (of sorts)

Here is the view from my bedroom (O.K. it’s a dorm room) in Emmanuel College’s Julie Hall. This is the negative side of a peel apart fuji film magically transformed into a positive by the number crunching powers of the personal computer.

Today I am working on a multi section vandyke brown piece with the working title “Two Comets” but I am leaning towards calling it “Don’t Take This Personally”. It will be in about 24 pieces for an overall size of 65″ (H) x 24″ (W).

quite luxurious for the monk

Yesterday I arrived in Boston. Officially, I am, maybe, six minutes away from Fenway Park.

The day started off cold in western New York and eventually got to be a 90 degree kind of day once I arrived at Emmanuel College. No pictures to show yet but today I should be out and about with either a digital SLR or the Polaroid.

Today was all about getting to Boston around 3 pm and navigating my way to Emmanuel College with google map directions. It worked out. I didn’t get lost but I did test the patience of Bridgette (Bogle) trying to have her direct me to Bed, Bath and Beyond via phone and her internet connection so that I would have a bath towel for a much needed shower. The bath towel is yet another thing I forgot to pack.

Today was also about getting an ID card, parking permit, access to an undergraduate dorm room, quite luxurious for the monk I will play for the next two months, appraising the studio situation and finally unloading my art making stuff into designated studio areas.

I am here. Please come visit me in Boston. I’ll take a pretty picture of you.

Close Encounters of the Deer Kind

With the crazy manic day yesterday searching for a lost negative and trying to remember how to correctly print a Ware method cyanotype, no packing was done (by me) until this morning. Instead of leaving the house at 8:30 I got on the road in the rain around 12:30 pm. Still despite my late departure, I was able to drop off my framed photograph in Columbus for the Roy G Biv benefit Friday night.

Halfway to Boston and the drive was relatively uneventful. Remembering what I forgot to bring. Trays for processing prints. Hair clippers (strangely enough I remembered a hair dryer). Medium format film and cameras. Some expired paper for doing lith and lumen prints.

I did have a close encounter with a deer at 65 miles and hour outside of Salamanca. I think I swerved enough and slowed down enough that it was mostly a brush for both of us. The deer was able to scamper into the forest after appearing suddenly from the sunken median. I just used up all that good kharma from last week rescuing the woodchuck with the tin can stuck on its head.

The Burning Building Scenario, Just the Studio

When packing for a two month residency one shouldn’t be rushed. There are important things to bring, first tier items that will keep the art and everyday needs to a minimum. So in order to prevent the burning building syndrome I offer myself and the visitor to this blog an idea of what I need to take along.

Just for Studio

Paper (Kozo Unryu) what ever is left

Gold Chloride Toner

Palladium Choride

Silver Nitrate

Tartaric Acid

Ammonium Ferric Citrate

Sodium Thiosulfate

Some sort of music (probably a CD player and a couple of CD wallets

Artist Tape

Trays

Beakers

Stir Rods

Gloves, disposable nitrile type

Brushes (Hake)

Brushes (Foam)

Kimwipes

Dropper Bottles

Premixed Vandyke Brown (to hit the ground running)

Inkjet transparency film (17 x 22 and 8 1/2 x 11)

Printing Frames for the nice weather printing days

Stouffer Step Tablets

Framing supplies (no)

Mat board (no)

Straight Edge

Another Straight Edge

Clothes Pins

Clothes Line

Hair Dryer

Anthotype Materials (Currently Mulberry)

Everclear (in case Massachusetts makes it hard to find).

Mortar and Pestle

Strainer

Coffee Filters

Digital Camera and Memory Cards

Card Reader

Hard drive with current work

Polaroid ProPack camera

SX-70 camera

Instant Film, Fuji and Impossible Project

to be continued

In All Fairness

In all Fairness, what is known as the Ohio State Fair Fine Arts Exhibition is happening once again and Bridgette and I have work in the professional division. I use this venue as a deadline to create new work in the weeks following the end of the spring semester at the University of Dayton. Bridgette has a painting titeled “Particle” which you can see on her blog http://bbogle.blogspot.com/2011/05/ohio-art-league-100th-annual-spring.html. I will have apple and sacred heart on display.

Other artists included in the exhibition:

Amateur Division:

Timothy Albon,  Prem Balson,  David Barnes,  Darlene Beiter,  Kevin Benson,    April Bleakney,  Karrie Caryle,  Rob Cook,  Marilyn Curry,  Kit Daily,  Sharon Daily,  Beverly Darwin,  Pamela DeLay,   Barbara Doll,  John Enterlin,  Juli Fogt,  David Ford,  Jules Garel, David Gentilini,  Helen Golovin, Dennis Gordon,  Samuel Hairston, Jr.,  George Halbert,  Tom Hart, Judy Hazen,  April Hernandez,  Bethany Jozwiak-Butler,    Dylan Kasson,  Paul Kramer,  Bradley Laxton,  Elaine Libbey,  Kristane Murray,  Elizabeth Nelson, Sarah Ockuly,  Larry Owen,  Alyssa Petrosky,  Tara Potts,    Douglas Reeder,  Julia Relick,  Marisa Rence,  Melissa Ritchie,  Brenda Ruegsegger,        C. Guillot Ryan,  Molly Savage,  Jerry Seabaugh, Owen Simonson,  Aaron Skapik,  Isaac Smith,  Jim Snyders,  Laura Stewart,  Rebecca Taft,  Sharon Telatnik,  Craig Wales,  Kimberly Webb,  Nova Weller, Cherry Williams and Judi Young

Professional Division:

Janet Adams,  Brandon Antczak,  Laine Bachman,  Lawrence Baker,  Ben Barnes,  Art Beery,  Catherine Bell Smith,  Bridgette Bogle,  Carol Borham-Hays,  Rick Borg,  Undine Brod,  Adam Brouillette,  Kevin Buckland,  Julie Bryne,  Karen Campbell,  Matt Carmean,  Elizabeth Chrisman,  Georgie Cline,  Susanne Dotson,  Jeff Douglas,  Diane Dover,  Paul Emory,  Gary Engle,  Frederick Fochtman,  Chad Fogt,  Kelley Folger,  Elaine Freeman,  John Freiman,  Angela Gage,  Bill Glaeser,  Jim Glover,  Beverly Goldie,  Amandda Graham,  Tracy Greenwalt,  George Gregory,  Carol Griffith,  Michael Hays,  Bryan Heyward,  Nicholas Hill,  Andy Hudson,  Andrew Ina,  Morris Jackson,  Tamara Jaeger,  Dale Johnson,   Marty Kalb,  Kevin Keiser,  Lori Kella,  Virginia Kistler,  Kristi Kloss,  JulesKnowlton,  John Kortlander,  Bernice Koff,  David Lane,  Nicole Langille,  Linda Leviton,  Michael Loderstedt,  Fran Mangino,  Michael May,  Juliette Montague,  Emily Moorhead,  Sherry Mullet,  Paula Nees,  Ardine Nelson,  Dana Oldfather,  Jeffrey Owen,  Christine Pereyma,  Tara Polansky,  Jose Luis Quinones,  Katelin Reeser,  Stephanie Rond,  Mark Rosen,  Debbie Rosenfeld,  Jason Routson,  Nikos Rutkowski,  Eliana Sarri,  Francis Schanberger,  Daniel Schreiber,  Jenny Scanto,  Michael Sheets,  Ashley Shellhouse,  Mike Siculan,  Carol Snyder,  Alissa Sorenson,  Grace Summauen,  Joan Tallan,  James Trout,  Crystal Tursich,  Barbara Vogel,  Melissa Vogley-Woods, Linda Wesner,  Paul Wilbur,  Eileen Woods,  and Dennis Zimmerman

The Ohio State Fair Fine Arts exhibition will run from July 27th through August 7th with an opening reception on July 26th from 6-8 pm.

ROY GOES TO CLINTONVILLE FUNDRAISER

ROY GOES TO CLINTONVILLE FUNDRAISER

Roy G Biv Gallery for Emerging Artists will be hosting an event a little bit north of their digs in Columbus, Ohio on June 17th. Look at all the names of these contributing artists (including me)! Laura Alexander, Michelle Amos, Kyle Boganwright, Molly Jo Burke, Kate Dowell, Rachel Heberling, Andrew Ina, Tony Mendoza, Jesse Mills, Scott Neal, Amy Niewirth, Ryan Orewiler, Stephanie Rond, Boryana Rusenova-Ina, Nikos Fyodor Rutkowski, Francis Schanberger, Cameron Sharp, Aimee Sones, Jeremy Stone, Aaron Troyer, Melissa Vogley-Woods, Ryan Walters.


Please visit http://roygbivgallery.org/events/?event_id=5 for details.

Although I will be settling into my residency in Boston, I will be dropping off a new, "nutty" piece, toned in palladium and gold, just for this one night only event.

In Progress

Fortunately the severe weather and flooding effecting much of the U.S. has only been a minor inconvenience here in Dayton. We have had a lot of rain this year which translates to a bit of water in the basement which is where I do most of my work. I have always thought that my work was immune to the vagaries of humidity often blaming the poor quality of prints on the water supply or old chemistry. This spring has been a learning experience. I now know that when the relative humidity climbs into the 70 or 80 percent range, it is pointless to coat and print paper. In a couple of days I'll upload two versions of "Apple" ( I wish I had a more romantic name) that were printed at 80% RH and one from two days ago printed at about 65% RH.

Besides the weather, my NuArc 26 1K plate burner has been a bit unpredictable, sometimes taking 2 hours to ignite the bulb. Perhaps it is the basement sending me signals that I need to clean up the office upstairs with all the piles of old and new Polaroid and Impossible Project photographs I have been scanning.

In progress. This week I will give this image the vandyke brown treatment, possibly outside or inside depending upon the NuArc and the weather outside.

From my walks this week, mulberries are on the ground. Possible anthotype pigment and the Catalpa trees are dropping their white flowers. It's already one time around the sun since I created that image!

Ten days until Boston. What kind of work will I be making there?