Merry Christmas/Happy Birthday/Cyanotypes Rule

Not too long ago, someone asked me what I got for Christmas. When I rattled off hammers to texturize metal, an R2D2 measuring spoon set, and cyanotype chemicals I got the quizzical, confused, cocked puppy head look back. No really - that made me quite happy I assured them!

Flash forward a month, my photography buddy Tad Barney came to my studio for a visit and some playtime. He was very kind to come hold my hand.  It's been about a decade since I played with creating cyanotypes and I was a bit nervous.

I lugged my printer, laptop, and Pictorico Inkjet Transparencies to the studio, but Tad gets the award for strangest contraption. He brought his homemade UV light source. It was a wonder to behold!

Tad's magic blacklight box

We painted the emulsion on all kinds of different papers, including book pages, watercolor paper, pastel paper, and even some antique paper I bought as a bundle but had never figured out how to use. The antique paper (shown below) has a wonderful circular mark on some of the pages that Tad put to good use to accentuate the composition of one of his images.

Tad showed me how he has been staining his cyanotypes with instant coffee.

 

I was particularly enchanted with Tad's dreamy image of his daughter Lily on the book page.

My main goal for the day was to see if cyanotypes would work with a super thin unryu combined with my encaustic work. While I don't have the exposure dialed in yet, this was definitely a successful proof of concept.

All Hail King Tad!

Remnants - How Did I Get Here?

I knew at the end of 2013 I would be hanging a show at the MS Rezny Studio and Gallery in Fall 2014 - this month to be exact.  When presented with any and every option available I tend to freeze.  How can anyone make a decision when the universe is your set of choices?

This year I had decided to work with other artists toward a common theme so I felt the pressure of picking a theme all 3 of us could work toward.  I chose "Remnants" after reading the following definition:  

Remnants - noun \ˈrem-nənt\

: the part of something that is left when the other parts are gone

: a surviving trace or vestige

You see the other 2 artists, Page Turner and Amanda J. Cawby, create wonderfully detailed assemblages.  The match for them seemed perfect since they are already working with actual physical remnants.  Here's where my thoughts froze more solid than any ice cream headache.  I was left wondering how in the world do I relate to this wide open theme?  I use vintage costumes and props in my photography but that seemed a weak connection at best.  I must have moaned for months trying to find my way.

Finally the universe set 2 light bulbs off right in front of me.  Teresa, my friend and model in the triptych below asked me to think about what had left marks on me.   She knows my naval-gazing ways well and made a very good point.  I tend to think better when I can directly relate to a theme on a personal level and not just as some esoteric generality.  A week after that conversation, I was on the phone with my mother and she unknowingly set off the 2nd set of fireworks in my brain.  She wished that she could buy new living room furniture.  The back story is that 20 years ago when my great grandmother passed away my mother inherited her furniture.  Fast forward 20 years later and a decision my mother is trying to make is still being controlled by my great grandmother after 2 decades.  Ah ha! That was something I could sink my teeth into and gratefully the ideas finally started flowing.

On a side note, the piece below was created for the show to represent my amazingly strong, and oh so chic great grandmother, Lucille Ledbetter.  Most of the family jumped when she asked but not because she was a dictator, just because more often than not she was simply right.  I was lucky enough to have her around until I was in college.  There was never a problem I couldn't take to her for a tidy solution.  I can remember that she was always dressed to the 9s. There were never white shoes on her feet before Memorial Day - perish the thought!  But she also didn't mind getting her hands dirty.  One of my last great memories of her was walking into her house to find her, at the age of 90, high up on a ladder hanging new wallpaper in her bedroom.  It never occurred to me at the time that this wasn't a fine idea...

Grace Under Pressure

My artist statement for this show:

The stories of family have been heard all my life.  These miniscule glimpses into long and full lives led by not-so-distant ancestors have become woven into my own identity.  Small trinkets, newspaper obituary clippings, vintage military records, odd bits of furniture, and mysterious piles of unidentified photos dot my domestic landscape.  These remnants, both physical and emotional, have inspired my recent body of work.  Inherited heirlooms became symbols sparking visual narratives.  Tall tales and individual histories fueled ideas for concepts and compositions.  In the knowing and not knowing of these characters from my family, I sought to examine the contradictory potential to be both burdened and inspired by these remnants which cling to us from the past.

Lay Down Your Burdens

So...I know right now (God willing and the creek don't rise) that I will be hanging another show at the gallery next Fall.  Don't ask me yet what the theme will be!  I honestly don't have a clue, but maybe I've learned this year how to limit my options a little better.

Washi Paper is Your Friend

I woke up one morning with an idea for a small experiment to try in the studio. What would happen if you sandwiched a regular photo printed on heavyweight matte paper to a photo printed on 55gsm (super thin) washi paper using my new favorite buddy - 3M(TM) Positionable Mounting Adhesive 568?  Would the result be transparent when wax was applied to the top?

I scanned and printed some old handwritten letters onto regular Epson Watercolor paper.  Then I printed the color photo of the model onto the washi paper.

A couple years ago I tried this type of sandwich but with wax between the photos. While it technically worked, it was a painful process and the inevitability of air bubbles, especially with a larger piece, caused me to have nightmares.

Here's my 2 images glued down before the application of wax.

And here's the piece after a few layers of encaustic medium have been applied.  It was fun watching the under letter layer reveal itself as I fused the wax and it soaked into the washi paper/upper photo. 

I'm quite excited about the initial result.  It has sparked many more ideas and I can't wait to refine this idea.  My first change is to break up the texture of the letter layer so it isn't so uniform.  Here's a shot from the next attempt.

On a less technical note, my ideas behind this piece evolved from the theme "Remnants" from my show coming up in September.  I wanted to depict how I both know and don't know my most recent ancestors through family stories and photos, but how all I really have is a glimpse into the lives of these people.
For those of you who are around the Lexington, KY area and might be interested, I will have new pieces on display along with Page Turner and Amanda J. Cawby at the MS Rezny Studio and Gallery for the month of September 2014.  

Here's a write up for the show:

Left: Page Turner
Right Top: Melissa T. Hall
Right Bottom: Amanda J. Cawby

Defined as the part of something that is left when the other parts are gone, “Remnants” is a body of work produced by three artists brought together by a common fascination with the scraps, mementos, leftovers, sentimental objects, and traces left behind by others.

Approaching the theme from slightly different directions, Page Turner and Amanda J. Cawby make use of the actual physical remnants from people’s lives in their complex assemblages, while Melissa T. Hall uses the idea of people’s actions leaving behind a vestige or trace to fuel her conceptual images.

Turner sculpts assemblages which resonate with the personal history of everyday objects. Her sculptures explore ideas about female gender roles, especially social mores of women seen through fashion, undergarments, and sexual taboos. Using domestic skills passed down from Grandmothers, Mother, Aunts, and Sisters, Turner pays sincere homage to the feminine.

Cawby finds herself drawn to the inherent energy of objects and remnants left behind by others.  Her completed assemblages are a combination of her own personal narratives and the collected ephemera she repurposes and transforms.  Cawby’s work evokes thoughts of stories left untold, paths not taken, and destinies unfulfilled.

Hall approached the work by asking herself, “What has left a trace or mark on me?”  This led her to explore the physical and emotional remnants left by those who have gone before.  Inspiration was derived from oral family histories and advice heard over and over again.  Inherited heirlooms became symbols sparking narratives.  Her imagery examines the contradictory potential to be both burdened and inspired by these remnants which cling to us from past relationships.

It Takes a Village & 2.5 Gallons of Milk

 Preferably whole milk...

I've been drawn to a lot of photo shoots and ideas with water as an element lately.  There have been beaches, creeks, an in-ground pool, and now an inflatable baby pool.  I'm not entirely certain why water has become such a muse. The underwater pool shoot started this craze and definitely created a monster.  There's just something very magical about what happens to a body in water.  

An Ophelia-style shot has been on my to do list for years.  I'm afraid its become my white whale.  My logical side admits it's an idea that's been done to death (just look on Pinterest), but my heart yearns to dunk a girl in the nearest stream and throw flowers at her.  For one reason or another, this idea has never made it off of the back burner but finally, the stars aligned!  I had models and thanks to my local big box store, a very large baby pool.

It took some mighty good friends (because I sure don't have well paid minion) to orchestrate my most technically difficult photo shoot to date.  This wasn't really supposed to be all that complicated, but Mother Nature almost always comes to play with her own ideas...  Kathie, my buddy of over 20 years, graciously allowed me to set up the pool in her front yard because we thought we'd found the perfect shady spot.

We decided to set the pool up and fill it the evening before the shoot in hopes that the water would warm up to the ambient temperature overnight. Well - if you fill it, they will come!  By "they" I mean friends and neighbors. We ended up having a hilarious hillbilly pool party!  Notice the drink holders built into the baby pool.  It was meant to be!

The day of the photo shoot ended up being a very bright day and there was no avoiding the game-killing spectral highlights in the water.  There was also no dragging the pool to another location.  Water's heavy yo!  Call me Captain Obvious but we did try it.  Kathie and Kiersten (model and mother of my other 2 models), sprang into action.  They built the craziest impromptu tent/pool cover I've ever seen!  It consisted of 2 porch chairs, 1 pine tree limb, numerous bungie cords, 2 ladders, and an SUV!  I of course, stood around and took pictures.  That's my job right?  Someone had to document the insanity...

With shade installed, we ventured into the pool.

I had seen the idea on Pinterest to add milk to the water to make it look cloudy.  It took much less than I thought it would.

The idea worked as advertised!

I have to thank my village for another wonderfully wacky weekend!  As usual, you rock Kathie, Kiersten, Emma, and Audrey!  And thank you Tenderly for the milk donation and for agreeing to my next water adventure!

Swimming with the Fishies!

Hallelujah for new experiences! Last weekend I got to experience my first underwater photo shoot and it was a wild ride.

Last year my friend and fellow photographer Suzanne Clements had a pool installed in her backyard in Florida.  In her words, she "hounded and hounded" me with the possibility of exploring under water photography. I don't remember it as hounding, I just remember setting a date as soon as the pool would be warm enough!

In preparation for this undertaking, I studied Brook Shaden's wonderful video about shooting in a pool as well as Jennifer Thoreson's workshop on Create Live! where she shoots in a shallow, constructed baby pool-esque container.  I even made an underwater Pinterest board to collect ideas and see what was possible.  There's a lot of amazing underwater work out there that I respect even more now that I've tried it.

I found a few vintage dresses with full skirts and bright colors with this shoot in mind. My iPhone got a brand new shiny underwater housing.  I justified this by rationalizing that I could use it when kayaking too.  

It turns out thinking about a project can be quite different from the actual experience!  I can't remember the last time I went swimming, but I remember enjoying it years ago...    Super excited, I got into the pool and pulled down the mask to cover my eyes and my nose since I figured I didn't need to think about getting water where it didn't belong AND dealing with a camera.  At that point I had a little panic/claustrophobic attack.  That was unexpected! After a few stern words to myself, I went underwater and shot a few frames. Once I saw the possibilities, my fear evaporated and the right side of my mind said water - what water - get to work?!?  

There is a huge potential for happy accidents when shooting under water. I wish I could say that I saw this shot, carefully composed it, and shot exactly what I wanted, but that would be a big 'ole lie!  The truth is I was quickly floating back to the surface in dire need of a breath and using the spray and pray method of shooting. Whatever works, right?



Dealing with the color shifts and changing light was a challenge.  With full sun we had the typical pool water highlights.  I was delighted at the difference in the feel of the shots when the clouds came out.  We were only shooting in a pool that was 6 feet deep at the far end but with the super soft light, the background in the images appeared to stretch out much farther.  Without the water highlights on the floor of the pool, I could stretch that effect out even more in post processing quite easily.

Also - remember to shake things up.  Shoot from outside the water too. Have the model outside and shoot up through the water.  The possibilities seem limitless.

And now for some of my lessons learned:

• If you are using a new camera or an old camera with a new housing - it pays to practice before you even come close to the water.
• Take a few minutes to get accustomed to shooting under water.  Figure out your ISO and f stops to make sure your images won't be a blurry mess.  Then start to notice your background and reflections.  It took me a lot of trial and error to get my framing correct so I caught those amazing reflections on the surface of the water.
• Remember to give it a second after your model goes under to let the bubbles dissipate.
• Check your camera for water drops on the lens or housing if you start shooting out of the water or you will have random white blobs.
• Sinking to the bottom or floating to the top - just keep shooting!
• There was so much to think about that I thought my head might explode! Taking the occasional break to examine what you've shot and do a little on the spot critique will help to fine tune what you are doing.  It felt like a 500 mile race.  The shots started out a little wacky but I kept making changes until I was getting more consistent results.

Below are some lessons learned from the model's perspective:

• A little goes a long way… there's probably no need to spastically flail around… think slow, steady movement.
• Don't worry about trying to actually swim - you will not succeed… the clothing will drag you around. Instead figure out what the clothing will allow you to do and find a way to work with it.
• Don't forget to pause here and there for the benefit of your photographer.
• Check back frequently with your photographer to find out what's working and what's not.  (Melissa comment - especially if your photographer gets lost in the big picture and instead of giving you instructions just keeps muttering to herself ooooh pretty!)
• Explore with different depths… you might not actually have to drown yourself for a great photo.
• Take occasional breaks to drain ALL the water from your sinuses ;)
• Oh and don't forget ear drops. Those are good for after the shoot to get water out of them ears of yers.
• When underwater, concentrate on softening your expression. Plenty of us squint hard to keep water out of our eyes and noses… try to just let go and think soft.

Suzanne's cat Mr. Noodles did an excellent job
supervising our photo shoot.  I was
precariously balanced on this ledge when he
decided that I was in his way!

Upcoming Exhibition Schedule

Friday June 20, 2014
I will be the featured artist at the Walton and Main Studios for Lexington's Gallery Hop, 5:00 to 8:00pm.  

June 1, 2014 - July 30, 2014
310 Art Gallery, Asheville, NC
An Invitational Exhibition of National Artists working in Encaustic and Cold Wax - I have three pieces in this show.

September 2014
Three person show - "Remnants" at the MS Rezny Studio and Gallery.

March 2015
Solo show at the Fifth Avenue Art Gallery in Melbourne, FL.

Focus!

May 2014
I'm finally posting this delayed snippet to my blog.  It was one of those things I started but never really finished.  I'm tossing it up on the blog though for continuity's sake and to remind me next Winter not to take things so seriously.

*************************************************************
March 2014

One of my Winter projects
ended up being shots of
this poor little mocking bird
who I found passed away on
my front porch during the
coldest week of the year.

I wish my brain had the same automatic focus my camera does.  It's been a struggle all winter to feel like I'm making any meaningful progress in the studio.  I keep making busy work for myself since I can't seem to find my mojo.

One of my artist friends (Leah) called me out of the blue last week and we talked about how each of us was experiencing an over abundance of negative voices right now.  It was a relief to hear someone else say it.  I can only blame this crazy Winter and the odd colds I keep catching.  I've been stuck inside from either the icy roads or the hacking cough for what seems like months now. 

Don't want to go out in the cold?
Fine - shoot in the backyard!

Today I saw my first daffodil bloom in the front yard and it was shocking!  Oh yes - the wheel does turn!  

Maybe now Mother Nature will grudgingly return my higher brain functions to me and I can get on with it.  

I want to move forward but there is no progress without making time to play.  April will be that time!

*************************************************************

Time jump back to May 2014...

I'm happy to report that April and Spring did indeed cure my lack of gumption malaise.  The ideas started flowing, the negative-voice monster was back to more normal proportions, and the work started getting made with a vengeance again.  

I've started shooting at my studio with
it's variety of flooring options.
The model Lauren brought the shoes
and the excellent hot pink tube socks.

Photo shoots in my studio, Florida, and an upcoming trip to Savannah helped me get back on track creatively.  I'm going to try to remember this next Winter when I'm stuck in the house and feeling like nothing is going to ever be right again.  Make a cup of hot tea and quit stewing - Oh the drama!

How many pieces of vintage luggage
can you fit in Teresa's Jeep Wrangler?
More than you'd ever guess!

Anna on location

William and Chris make wonderful minion on a cold photo shoot at the beach.

Once again thanks to my friends and family for not only saying yes so often when I have a hair-brained idea, but pitching in and making it happen...  XXXOOO