Sunday, August 29, 2010

productive times

I've been able to get a lot done over the past few days.

On Friday I had the opportunity to go through a deceased man's photo estate.  Then I acquired a power supply for my second 4-track cassette recorder (which I got for free from a yard sale in the neighborhood).  I played around with listening to some of my older recordings simultaneously while making dinner.  Talk of a new music project.  Kicking around some ideas.

On Saturday I was able to get into the color darkroom to print the full sized 16x20 photographs for the "Symbiosis" series.  I got impatient and worked on two different photographs simulatenously on two separate enlargers.  Here is one stage of my printing notes:

This got considerably more hectic shortly after this was taken.


I was able to get great prints of the first four images for this series.  I'm very excited to get started painting on them.

This morning Jane and I woke up and had some iced coffee, then I set things up to take wet plate photographs.  We took several photos with the "Earth Magic" series in mind (which I've been offhandedly calling my "witch" series).  The first couple of images were a bit foggy until I realized that I needed to modify my chemistry to fit the hot weather here.

Then Jane put on her new dress that she got last weekend.  She didn't even realize until later that it's covered in witches.  Synchronicity!

Well, maybe they're just ladies harvesting things.  But still - check out those pointy hats!

When using the wet plate collodion process, you get to use all kinds of fun chemicals.  One of them is silver nitrate, which makes your glass plate sensitive to light.  If you don't wear gloves, you get black fingers.  So I have black fingers.


Cel phone photo taken while thinking of a better photograph from the past.  I think it was Edward Weston holding hands with one of his lady partners.  The identities were blurry at first, until you realized that what first appeared to be nail polish was actually his (Weston's?) fingernails stained black from developing prints in amidol.  Does anyone know of this photograph?  I can't find it anywhere.  Anyhow, this is my and Jane's hands after taking photographs in the kitchen.

Thursday, August 26, 2010

finally using this thing

I've decided to finally start using this journal.  I realized that I've been working on multiple projects at once, and maybe I should document the process.  I'm assuming that there are some people out there who would like to follow my progress, and I wouldn't mind documenting these things for myself. 

The two main projects that I've been working on lately are "Symbiosis" and "Earth Magic."  "Symbiosis" is a mixed media color series that I've been planning for over six months now.  I've made multiple series of tests/studies while making a three page-long list worth of influences and references.  Some of these studies are on my website (http://www.rikgarrett.com) or on my Facebook page.

The other series that I've been working on is "Earth Magic," which I'm photographing with the wet plate collodion process.  Examples of this series can also be seen on the two above links.

My girlfriend Jane has been fighting strep throat.  So last night we watched a movie that was so bad that it was vastly improved by watching it again at half speed.  I would highly recommend this approach to redeeming terrible cinema.  Then I painted on some of my proof sheets while she attacked some reading homework.  She would tell me about things she was reading (regarding the history of the library system) while I painted on tiny photographs.

Today when I got home from work, more painting.  I think that this might officially constitute the fifth series of studies for Symbiosis.

This weekend I hope to get into the color darkroom to print the full 16x20 images for this series, as well as take new photographs for "Earth Magic."

Friday, August 20, 2010

correction

It was pointed out to me that I originally posted an incorrect link to my new artist interview blog. 
The correct link to Transmute is:  http://transmutearts.blogspot.com

There are several interviews up now, with several more coming soon.

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Transmute - artist interview blog

I've started a new blog where I give artists a list of standard questions. Inside the minds of artists that I think are worth paying attention to.

Transmute
http://transmutearts.blogspot.com

The first artist to be interviewed is Terence Hannum, Chicago based visual and audio artist.