Bling bling

My daughter got engaged last week. She was very excited to show me her ring and have me take a photo of it. It is beautiful and I am very happy for their little family.

Photography Class

Last Saturday I taught a Photography class for the day. It was so much fun. One of the things I asked the group to do was to make a portrait discribing the charactor of their choosen model, without using the face. I couldnt let them have all the fun.So here is my portrait of Laura. I added a bit to it but I think you can tell that she is a funloving , young lady.

Adventures in Collagraph

 I spent a few days now preparing the matrix for this print. This is what the matrix looks like after a few prints. I was excited to try this technique because it seemed fun , easy, inexpensive, and a good way to make a larger print. Also a great way to use up the roll of rice paper I have had in my stash for a few years. The Matrix is made of cardboard that I cut away with an exacto knife. I think I would have been tempted to try something a bit more complicated. After a few cuts I realized that something bolder and more graphic would be easier to cut. I also thought if it was more primitive I wouldnt be so hung up if it flopped. After I finished carving and glueing up the matrix it had to be coated a couple of time with some sort of water resistant coating . That keeps the ink from soaking in and preserves the life of the matrix. That took me a few days to do and I learned a few things here. But it was hard to be patient .... come on dry now... I want to start printing.

These are the prints that I handpulled from the matrix. The first print is done with black speedball ink. I chose it because I had more of it. Living so far out of town has it's drawbacks . One of them being that I am not able to run to the store for supplies.. so I get to use what I have on hand. I didnt like the way it printed in black. So on the second one I added some colour. My colour palette in speedball inks is limited. Not happy again. I do however have a whole shitload  tote full of acrylic paints. Hmmm... thinking. I thought the craft paints would be more the right consistancy , I also used a acrylic retarder to slow down the drying process. That gave me a little more time to apply the paint. Of course I had to try it with my metallics.. love that. For the most part I was not really that happy with the way they turned out. I did like the mottling of colour I was able to acheive and I think number 6 is my favorite colour combo. It is hard to tell hear just what the colours are. Maybe I will take some photos in the daylight so you get the idea. I think I am going to try this again with mattboard. although I love the way the corrugated part of the cardboard prints.

All in all it was a fun experiement.

The printed part of the images is 10"x 27"

Easy Come Easy Go.

Yesterday I cashed in my winning lottery ticket. I spent 24 glorious hours dreaming about what I was going to do with it. Today my daughter needed $20 .. poof there went my dreams.

Melted Ice Cream

Yesterday on my way home from the store , I thought the sky looked promising. I decided to drive  around for awhile. I Was hoping to catch the sun lighting up the underside of a huge cloudbank in the western sky. By the time it got under the cloud there was a film of haze between the sun and the cloud. This created a hazey glow instead of the fire I was hoping to see. Drat foiled again.. but then again this photo I took on my way home from my "secret" vantadge point made me smile. I hope it comes accross as good here as it did on my computer. I have a feeling it will come up small , if that is the case you just need to click on the photo to see it larger.

In perspective

Once in a while, especially when I look at the work of others I feel like I have a long way to go as a photographer. I have agreed to teach a photography class in a  nearby town and so I have been purusing my past photos looking for examples to support my classes. One good thing that has come from it is I get to see all the photos I have taken in past years. I get to see how my photography has grown, and all the lovely photos I have taken. It really is a boost. Sort of the same feeling I got when I saw all my paintings together in a show. Very gratifying indeed.

Farm dogs.

These two are my constant companions when I am out taking photos.
Always curious about what the heck Mama is doing laying on the ground again.
The top one is Bear.. also known affectionatly as Fattyfatty bear dog. She has one of the sweetest temperments of any dog I have known. Below her is Mick. He is a hardworking funloving kinda guy.
He loves long walks, playing ball, and catchin a frisbee.