The Cellist

Digging

Work In Progress

Catharsis part 2

Catharsis

Final Print

Back in February I posted an entry about the beginning stages of an experimental project, one that I fully executed, shown here. The initial experiment was shot digitally from the television screen primarily to find out if the image would relay in any desirable way. It did, considering that the ultimate intention was to make an image with a distressed quality to enhance the surreal and dreamy aspects of the image content. I started by choosing color palettes that mimic the muted, faded colors of an old photograph and then used materials that would have an inherently worn looking quality. I first shot the images with a neutral toned chrome film and then exposed them onto a Polaroid film which can be used to make dye transfers. I then transferred the dyes onto watercolor paper and made high resolution scans of the these prints. After a small amount of adjusting (mostly contrast adjustments) I then printed the final images onto canvas. I felt that the canvas would best emulate the texture of the dye transfers while allowing a large print size (34"x 22"). I stretched the prints over wooden bars, like one would do with a painting, so that the result could be unframed without looking unfinished.

Summer Vacation

Every summer I take a trip to the beautiful shores of Lake Michigan, where I grew up. I have just returned from a short vacation there. I would have liked to stay longer to enjoy the relaxation, clean air, running along the shore, and to satiate my craving to swim in the fresh water which I didn't get quite enough of. One thing I miss during hot, humid NYC summers is the ability to jump in the water on a whim. There is no better way to cool off. As a young girl my parents had to lure me out of the water even when my lips turned blue and I proclaimed that I wasn't cold and wanted to swim longer. It was also a pastime to collect shells and the coveted Petoskey stones. I kept them in a jar full of water in my bedroom, their colors and patterns more brilliant when wet. During this trip home I spent a few days at my Dad and Step-mom's house where the guest room has a beach theme, influenced by both the lake and the ocean. The palette is blue, white, and beige, and the room is adorned with items such as signs for fresh oysters and a glass bowl full of shells on the nightstand.