starting over (again)

After much work on the most recent incarnation of the Symbiosis series, I decided to start over.  Again.  I've lost track of how many incarnations there have been in the past 8 months.  There have been 11x14 photographs with oil pastels, 4x6 foot collages on unstretched canvas with oil paint, 11x14 photographs with oil paint and 16x20 photographs with acrylic paint.

On Wednesday I photographed artist Steven Johnson Leyba.  Wet plate portraits.  He was in town for an exhibition he was in.  We've been friends for around a decade and have worked on collaborations a few times in the past.  I'll post images as soon as I'm able to print them.


Later on Wednesday, I took more color photographs for the Symbiosis series (which, to be honest, I'm thinking I need to re-name).  On Friday I got into the color darkroom to make test prints, then did some quick painting with acrylics.  I'm very happy with how they're turning out so far.  A very different feel.

I'm thinking that I'm going to keep them small.  Intimate.

Tonight Jane and I are planning on seeing Wolvserpent and Locrian.  Last summer I photographed Locrian in anticipation of their upcoming release on Utech Records, "The Crystal World." 

Look at the Utech website to see Justin Bartlett's great cover artwork for "The Crystal World."

busy

I've been working on the "Symbiosis" series for around nine months now.  I believe that I've been through seven sets of tests/studies.  I was very excited about the most recent, but after putting them on the wall and looking at them objectively I've decided that I can do even better.  So I'm starting over - a few more rolls of film this week, another couple of rounds in the color darkroom and more time hunched over prints with a paintbrush.

In other news, my photographs grace the new record by Ural Umbo.  This is going to be a great release.

Information on Hammer Smashed Sound. 
http://hammersmashedsound.blogspot.com/2010/09/ural-umbo-fog-tapes-lp.html

I've also been working on some other design projects.  Planning some things.  Coming up with new ideas but trying not to get ahead of myself.

Earth Magic (#3)

painting progress

Retouching color photographs the old fashioned way.

No, I'm not using an easel.  In fact, it's startling that I'm not doing this while laying on the ground.  Maybe I'm finally growing up.

The first few images in the Symbiosis series are coming along quite nicely.  I've also been attempting to design an album cover for an old friend's music project.

Autumn has begun to settle in here in Chicago.  It made me panic a bit, as I haven't been able to finish nearly as much of the Earth Magic series as I'd like, and since the wet plate process favors natural sunlight it seems that I should get to work immediately before the city is covered in snow.  I started to worry the other day, but it is supposedly my "witch" series.  Jane reminded me that Autumn is most definitely the "season of the witch."  Still, I'd better to to work right away.

prints

Every once in a while I'm reminded how much computers destroy artwork.

I toned some prints from the "Earth Magic" series.  I always do this, as it makes them more archivally stable and enhances the blacks.  Looking back over the prints I was reminded how much is lost when artwork (even photographs) are viewed on a computer monitor. 

Sunday I was going to take more photographs for this series, but scheduling didn't work out.  I stayed at home and painted some things for the "Symbiosis" series.  Last night involved more painting.  There are currently three pieces I'm working on simultaneously.  I'm being secretive with these, but I'll post some images when I feel like the time is right.

An interesting thing happens when working on two projects at once.  When I make a lot of progress on one series, instead of being content I kick myself for not getting more done on the other.  It's a good thing though, keeping me motivated.

tapes, painting, etc.

Three days ago I started painting on the final "Symbiosis" prints.  I've made a good amount of progress on two of them so far.  I don't know why, but I started using an egg carton as a palette.

It was so hot out that my paints were drying up almost immediately.  A bit of a struggle.  The second time this week that I've had to adjust things due to the heat.

Playing with cassette recorders.  Two tapes + a pedal or two, turning a bass guitar into a murky rumbling drone.  Was it what I wanted?  I haven't decided yet.

Also:  my new custom box for sensitizing wet plates.  Bad photo.  But it's opaque black acrylic.

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.