Category: Art

Altered Photos, Art, Photography

Altering Polaroids

Shelly

I actually managed to get some artwork done over the weekend, but I haven’t gotten around to scanning/photographing/uploading it yet. I’ll try to do so tonight. I’ve been doing 6 x 6 inch collages, many of which incorporate altered Polaroid photos.

Speaking of Polaroids, I played around a bit with bleaching them. This is a nice way to recycle photos that didn’t turn out well.

Start by taking them apart. This can be a bit tedious, but once you know how they’re constructed, it’s not difficult. Begin by pulling off the edging tape (you might have to use an Xacto or razor blade to pry up an edge), then remove the front plastic sheet from the backing. The plastic sheet is what you’ll be working with. The photo emulsion is on the back of it. You can sand the front, which is kind of neat, but you can also scratch and/or sand through the emulsion from the back. Or, you can bleach it. I used a dinner plate with a shallow pool of undiluted bleach. Just lay the photo, emulsion side down, into the bleach. Lift it out and watch the front side of it. When it is lightened the desired amount, immediately place it in water. (I did this at the kitchen sink, and just left the water running.) Gently blot and leave to dry, emulsion side up.

Caveats: Dark photos work best for bleaching. Any white areas will disintegrate easily when bleached, so be careful not to overdo the bleach. Also be careful handling the emulsion side, at least until it has dried thoroughly. It’s especially delicate when it’s wet.

Or, instead of bleaching, you can wet the emulsion with plain water. Let it sit a moment to soften. Then, you can gently manipulate it with your fingertips, a brush, or a pencil eraser. It’s possible to get some interesting blending results this way. Just be careful not to overdo it, because it’s a fine line between manipulation of the emulsion and its complete removal.

You can also remove the emulsion from part of the photo, if you want to use it in collage so that the image beneath that section shows through.

Once the photos are dry, you can use them in collages, paintings, or in art journals. I’ve used a very thin layer of acrylic medium to adhere them. Make sure you burnish thoroughly, both to ensure good contact and to force out any extra adhesive. Mechanical fasteners, like eyelets, brads, or thread work great, too. And then, of course, there are good, old fashioned photo corners.

Art, Crankypantsing

Why I’m Not a Joiner

Shelly

A couple of years ago, I joined a Yahoo group for gluebooks. For those who don’t know what gluebooks are, they’re journals or artist books full of collage. The group started out as a low-key, fun bunch of people. Then, the moderator started getting cranky with lack of participation by lurkers.

I wasn’t a frequent participant, but I had been attempting to post at a frequency that was well within her guidelines. I say “attempting,” because she kept blocking my posts. On topic, perfectly civil and supportive posts, I might add. Hrmph. I sent her an e-mail, explaining that it was kinda hard for me to participate if half my messages were getting nuked. I never heard back from her.

About a month later, she went on another bender, this time stating that those who weren’t participating enough (like me) would be unsubscribed from the group. M’kaythen. I e-mailed her again, and again, was ignored.

Then, the kicker: she used one of my images for the group’s home page, but credited it to someone else. I e-mailed her to tell her that she’d mis-credited it. No biggie. It has happened on every art-related group I’ve ever belonged to. Normal, accepted practice is for the moderator to fix the problem and send a correction message to the group. Not this time, though. Nope. Instead of the usual week that images were left on that group’s home page, mine was yanked down that same day with no correction, no “oops” message to the group, and no explanation. What the fuck?!

At that point, I unsubscribed from the group. I’d heard enough about the moderator’s shitty behavior from others, that I decided it wasn’t worth it.

That’s all ancient history, but it explains why, when I recently ran across a gluebooks “lens” she’d created on Squidoo, I was gobsmacked to find that the Flickr snapshot was composed entirely of my artwork. HAW!

Art, Ladybusiness

Look Away!

Shelly

Surely y’all’ve seen this. It seems to be everywhere, but just in case you’ve managed to miss it, I’ll share. I wouldn’t want you to be left out, dontchaknow. Really. It’s for your own good. You’ll be a better person for having gazed upon its WTF-ness, in the sense that what doesn’t kill you is bound to make you stronger. Or is that stranger? Anyway…

Britney Spears, 2006, by Daniel Edwards

Britney Spears, 2006, by Daniel Edwards
Britney Spears, 2006, by Daniel Edwards

Britney Spears is now the poster child for the anti-abortion movement. Yea, verily, it is true. What cracks me up–well, one of the things that cracks me up–is that Her Britness had a planned C-section. Apparently because she didn’t think she could deal with the pain of childbirth. I read it in Us Magazine, so it must be true. In any event, I’m pretty sure that no woman has ever, in the history humankind, looked like that while giving birth. That is some seriously fucked up, pornographic view of The Miracle of Life, lemme tell ya’.

Art, Crankypantsing

Happy Ides of March!

Shelly

Beware, this post contains crankypantsing.

First, certain people I work with speak far too often and far too loudly. I wish they would either shut the hell up or use their indoor voices. One of these days, I’m going to snap, and yell, “Shhh! This is a library!”

Second, I pulled a muscle in my neck and it’s killing me. I’m praying that little movement and much ibuprofen will be of help.

Instant Review: Creating Sketchbooks for Embroiderers and Textile Artists by Kay Greenlees

According to Amazon.com, it hasn’t been released yet. It came through my coworker’s cataloging queue, today, so I got a chance to check it out.

  • Eye candy galore
  • Chock-a-block with color plates
  • Hardback with sewn binding
  • Amazon.com has it listed for $15.72, but the US price listed on the cover is $24.95, which is still damned good value for money

The book is geared toward the use of sketchbooks for fiber artists, but I think there is plenty of information and inspiration for those who, like me, are fiber-challenged. It’s not really a journaling resource, as it focuses more on the relationship sketchbooks play in the creation of finished artworks. Not that journalers wouldn’t get their money’s worth out of it; I think they would. It’s just not a journaling-specific resource, so it deals less with personal exploration than it does with the process of creating visual concepts. Anyway, I’ve added it to my Amazon wish list and will be purchasing it when it comes out. I’ve definitely spent more money on lesser books.

Oh, hey! My neck/shoulder cramp is nearly gone. Hallelujah!

Art

What to Paint

Shelly

Via What’s in Rebecca’s Pocket, some, um, interesting ideas for paintings from the New Yorker.

Stampede of Nudes: … What has frightened these nudes? Is it the lightning in the background? Or did one of the nudes just spook? You don’t know, and this creates tension.

The Repentant Cameron Diaz: Cameron Diaz, her tear-streaked face lit by a candle, gazes wistfully at a photograph of me.

Still-Life with Rabbit: A wooden table is chockablock with fruit, cheese, and a glass of wine. To one side is a dead rabbit, a dead pheasant, and a dead eel. And you’re thinking, Thanks for the fruit, but, man, take better care of your pets.

So, if you’re ever suffering from painter’s block, you obviously need look no further for inspiration.

Art, Paintings

Vessel (In Progress 4)

Shelly

This one is nearly finished. I added braided tissue paper “vines,” then colored them with oil pastel. Unfortunately, I tried to photograph it outdoors, where it’s approximately 900F, so the pastel melted into a mirror-like finish. I’ll have to buff it a bit with paper towel to re-matte the finish. That’ll be the final step. In the meantime, there is a bit of glare.

100_2247
oil, oil pastel, and oil pencil on newspaper adhered to 90lb Stonehenge paper, with braided dress patterns and tissue paper
11 1/4 x 15 inches

Art, Crankypantsing, Pets, Photography

Potato-Tomato

Shelly

100_1686

Happy Monday! I woke up this ayem with a stiff shoulder and sore back. I hate it when I get a sleep injury. It’s really not a good way to start the week, I think. It could be worse, though. One of my coworkers got a speeding ticket this morning. I know the area where she got it, and it’s only a fluke that I haven’t gotten one in that spot, myself. The speed limit goes from 45mph to 35mph to 45mph, so it’s easy for your speed creep up without realizing it.

So, here’s a question. I do a lot of journaling, of both the arty and just text variety. Journaling, by definition, is a personal activity. Intensely personal, at times. Twice, though, I’ve come across folks selling pages from their journals. The thought gives me brain ache. It’s one thing to share select pages from a journal by posting them on-line, but to tear pages out of a journal and sell them? It seems to me that what is being sold, then, is not in fact a page from a journal. And, why would someone want to buy a page from someone else’s journal? Maybe if you’re some sort of Leonardo, it would be understandable, but that’s not the case with the journalers in question.

I realize this may just be an issue of semantics, but there are days when I feel like semantics is the only thing that really matters. If we cannot communicate effectively, there’s not much point in communicating at all. Hrmph.