Different Than My Usual Subject Matter...

These are not my usual subject matter. A couple of silly things I happened across and some that are more about texture, color and things I might use in a photomontage down the road.

Returning to my friend Joanne's house we found this lovely surprise. What else is there for a kitten to do while their owner is away?

I was walking to Starbucks when I came across this. The wind had just blown it down and it was kind of surreal. The man in the orange shirt was more concerned about the fact that it landed next to his car, while I thought the way it broke was very odd.

I was walking by my neighbor's window and saw this dead moth. I thought it was interesting against the wood and water stains.

This is one of my favorite rose bushes. It is supposed to be lavender and red, but as it fades it gets a watercolor look to it.

My dog's kiddie pool. I left it out long after summer was over and this is what I found when I finally got around to cleaning it out. I really like the texture and color.

This is my bird bath in the front of my house. Once again the signs of fall and neglect left interesting colors and textures.

I actually shot a series of these while thinking about photomontage. I was waiting at Les Schwab and wandered around outside. Lots of metal objects, water, rust, etc. Interesting textures and colors again. I actually like this one as is. Probably the softness of it.

More New Images

These are more of the new images I have been working on.

Kittens for sale under a sign about adopting cats from the Humane Society. The kids are in costume because it was Halloween.

Gunther and his aging face. I think the texture is amazing.

Dieter hanging out with the fallen apples in my yard. I actually don't photograph my dogs enough and I thought this fit his personality.

The remodel at the Shilo Inn in Vancouver. I thought it was a perfect example of waste and American consumerism. We demand new and throw out the old.

This squirrel looks like any other squirrel, but I came across him after he had been hit by a car. He was in the street, looking stunned and I stopped and chased him onto the sidewalk so that he might have a shot at surviving. He sat looking at me with blood around his mouth and I debated about what to do. In the end I knew he probably would not make it, but I want to believe he recovered and I saved him from being flattened by a car. Tough situation for an animal person.

I was leaving my friend's apartment and saw these kids. They're different than my normal subject matter, but there was something about how excited they were.

Portrait of Elvis from Saturday Market.

Cleaning tables at a cafe. Kind of felt like a Robert Frank moment.

I really was drawn to the color and pattern in this shot. The red neon gave the scene a deeper feel.

More of the New Sweet Tooth Photos

These have to do with me being back in my parent's environment and the changes within that environment; raised toilet chair in the bathroom, new bed, etc.

My dad's bathroom.

Mom's dressing area.

Me reflected in my dads' bathroom mirror.

Me in my parent's old bed.

New Photos for "Sweet Tooth"

I have a new set of photos I am considering for the Sweet Tooth series. I am not sure if they will fit into the books I will be making after the first of the year, or if a few of them should stand on their own. I feel the ones of my dad in dialysis are particularly painful to look at. It is unfortunate that young people who are being diagnosed with diabetes cannot see the future in store for them if they do not take care of themselves. I have my dad as an example and he actually did take care of himself over the past 30 years while having diabetes. His condition makes me want to avoid the same fate and if it can help to show others why they should take diabetes seriously I will feel like I have accomplished something. I also should add that my mother is more open to what I have been working on, while my father is not. I am sure he is embarrassed considering his condition after being a big, strong father figure for most of my life.

Dad at Dialysis.

My Parent's Home. These have to do with medical care, appointments, prescriptions and blood sugar monitoring.

Talking with my mom about my dad's condition.

Self-Portraits

These portraits were taken with the intention of being included in a series I started about man-made products and nature. I completed the first piece for a recycled art show at the White Sturgeon Gallery in Vancouver for November & December. I am not sure how these will be incorporated in the series yet.

The first piece completed.

A tribute to the photo montage I did in your class.

The rest of the portraits. I am especially pleased with the last two.

Re-visiting the Trojan Nuclear Site

I recently re-visited the Trojan site and found that they had knocked down the dome, which had been there when I photographed it in June of 2008. It was the starting point for The Hanford Project which I worked on in Art & Ecology class. My friend Kyle went with me and these are three of my favorite shots from that day.

1. The gate where I photographed the dome from.

2. Kyle sitting on the train tracks. The dome would've been in the background.

3. We walked around the park next to Trojan and I thought the swampy green water was beautiful.

Changing The Goal For This Semester

After the talk we had about my project and the realization that I could not #1 - prove how much time was being spent on research and #2 - finish the project until I had all of the materials from my mother, I have decided to add to my goals for this semester.

I have already taken, logged and reviewed approximately 1063 digital images this semester for other projects, not including the hundreds I have taken for FA 385 assignments. I can actually break down the dates and the amounts uploaded from my camera as I keep everything in dated, titled folders. At this point I will continue to work on the Sweet Tooth Project this semester, but in addition I will complete work you can see in order to prove I have done over 120 hours. Honestly I have already exceeded that between gathering and revising images in order to build my artist website and the on-going projects I work on everyday outside of school.

I am continuing the journey I started last semester with the encouragement of Rhoda, in order to start adding gallery shows to my resume and building a network for myself. Until 6-8 months ago I had never submitted my work, let alone never been juried into a show. Since the Art & Ecology show at Northbank in July I have now completed the Stephanie & Sophia installation and also been juried into a recycled arts show at White Sturgeon Gallery. I have now been asked to become a member at Northbank where I have found a support system of other female artists.

In order to keep building momentum I have decided to build my own website. I have artwork dating back to 1985. Of course I will most likely only include the work that fits into my most recent series and perhaps some of my street artwork since it is what Juxtapoz magazine featured last year. Over the last few weeks I have gone through hundreds of digital and analog images in order to start getting organized for the website. I hope to start the actual building next week.

In addition, I have gone through all 1063 digital images I have taken this semester (outside of class projects) so that I might present some samples for you here. Some fit into projects I am already working on and some were just things I found interesting.

These are from my trip to Seattle where we visited the sculpture park. I really loved walking around the city and taking photos.

1. Reflection Mural

2. Construction

3. Red Lady