on a separate note

Those of you who expressed interest on my metals pieces. I have been quietly debating the presentation of these pieces in  the back of my head while I am working on the cyanotypes for my thesis graduation exhibition.

If you care to comment, leave me a message here or on the other means available. I would appreciate your suggestions.

I am interested again in the ways we see, understand, and expect things. I am hoping to find a suitable means to convey this with something that is truly of a metallic nature as part of the finished piece.

I'm not sold on this as it seems too removed and not integral to the meaning.

Final Residency and Last Semester!

I am indebted to the very kind and generous Lisa Sibley for making these photos of my work at the residency. Thank you Lisa!

 Detail of one of the papers. During the making of cyanotypes on any type of paper in an earlier semester, I realized that since I was calling into play the elements of discard, I should then, use lots of discarded papers I had on hand from other projects. This was an etched print using water color paper.

Placing the papers on a column traditionally used to support works of art, i.e. sculpture, I focused on the irony by activating it even more with many discarded and strewn pieces of paper. 

I have to say a huge thank you to Jarod Charzewski this last semester for his intelligence, humor, and thoughtful analysis of the ongoing piece. 

What I have found in this last residency is that the whole piece is able to be re-worked and implemented in many different ways in terms of presentation. And that allows me to play on various aspects of the piece. 

There is still much work to be done. And along with it a thesis to write so I will be checking back infrequently to put in a few photos as the work progresses. 

I am working with the wonderful and intelligent advisor Sunanda  Sunyal at AIB. He has given me more (much more) to read since I've veered off the path of photography and into sculpture and installation. It's also enlightening to listen to him talk.  

I also have to say to my earlier mentor Susan Dunkerely Magurie that it was wonderful working with you and thanks to you I've made many amazing discoveries!

As you can see the yard is full of light and shadow. It makes an interesting interplay with the time and specifics of UV light.

Anticipating the final residency - which will also be the graduate exhibition! There is a lot of work to be done still!!!!

I have started more panels to beef up the size and give vertical lift. As per the factory method I employ, I lay them out and dry in the sun. For these foam board I coated first with a gelatin coating so that was one extra step.

Finishing Touches

We're heading towards the end of the semester. I have an internal support structure and individual pieces that I am going to hang during the residency. Coming up will be more prints (if the weather ever clears up)!

stacking

Looking good for the pedestal problem

This is the one I like best. It's a cardboard box that I hope I can color with cyanotype.

 

This is most of the work of this semester so far. There is still some that I have drying and others waiting for exposure.  I counted it once but already forgot how many. I'll have to see how many more I can quickly process before the end of the semester. It never seems like enough! I want it to be 4 feet high!

 

approaching storms

It has been so difficult to use the sun when the weather has not been cooperating. It wouldn't be so bad because I've been able to use the sun and expose the papers even when it's been 15 degrees outside.

But lately it has been either snow or rain. In fact we've had 2 storms this last week, one was a near white out in Duluth. We didn't get it quite so bad but we had close to 6-8 inches. Now they are calling for another storm coming in tonight or tomorrow and another 8 inches or more. Oh well.....

I've still laid out the papers on the snow but the constant temps above freezing and the intermittent drizzle make interesting patterns on the papers (and cause them to get soaked).

I've started treating other types of papers and substrates to see what and how they'll take the cyanotype and how well they will rinse off. It takes a good 5 minutes and often more to rinse to clear water. And I've had many papers start breaking down their fibers in less time than that and end up with a matted mess after rinsing.

This is yellow which is the cyanotype coating before exposure.

This cardboard has been exposed and is now drying. I thought it would fall apart during rinsing but it didn't seem to have too much problem.

 

Winter in Northern MN

I can't believe that they still had high school today. It is still -21degrees out at 10 am. OK so it was even colder during the night and 'got up to" -21 by 10:00 am.

In spite of this I'm using the winter sun to continue to expose the prints. It's bright and sunny despite the very freezing temps.

Here are photos from the residency. It's hard to tell that there are 150 hand made, double-sided prints piled up there. They flatten so much through their combined weight.