Maria Soto Photography Blog

Il Duomo - Florence, Italy

2012-02-08T11:08:00.000-08:00

Still working very hard and have finished uploading all the new galleries onto my website. Now I'm going back to enter the dialogue and titles. Since it's just writing and typing it should go faster. I REALLY want to finish these up today or at least by the end of the week. (I'm working tomorrow at the gallery, so there's one day I can't work on them.) Even though I had picked numerous photographic images for each gallery, when I was uploading them to the website, I also made decisions again as to which ones I really didn't think were THAT great. I didn't even do a gallery for our stop at Cephalonia, Greece as I really didn't have anything good that would give anyone a good representation of that area. It was pretty much hodgepodge.

Here's a little something to keep your interest up until they are done! I liked this digital B&W image, even with the people in it, as it shows so much depth-of-field. What you are looking at is the Il Duomo (cathedral) in the background in Florence, Italy.

Website Galleries

2012-02-07T09:45:00.000-08:00

Just a quick note today, as I have been diligently working on uploading my new galleries to my website. When I'm done with that, then I will go back and add the 'words of wonder' to each gallery. I enjoy writing about the pictures, the history, and/or whatever transpired when I took each image. I'm just starting on the seventh gallery and I will have eleven when I am finished! Eesh!

I have to say though that working with the Google Chrome is a lot faster with my website update. I'm not really working on the internet to do this, but it just seems that this route is a lot faster. I know, I was fighting the change...but it is working for me after all! Wonders never cease.

More manana!

MariaSotoPhotography website

2012-02-05T09:20:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was such a beautiful, sunny day outside - and to think I spent most of it in my studio working on the computer!! Such is life. However, I FINALLY finished selecting and re-sizing photographic images for my website to upload. I thought I had finished that task but when I went to the Venice folder there wasn't anything in it!! So I had to work on Venice which also meant Burano. Now I'm ready to upload my photos to my website. My website was created in 2001. So it is an older version and I have been tempted to create a new one on my own, I just haven't made that move. What I have to do is upload each picture individually to my website files, then from there add them to my galleries. That is going to take me a long $#% time! We'll see how it goes. If it's too frustrating, then I may have to do something about it. All I want to do is get in the darkroom!!! I made a list for myself in January and it had 10 items to check off and now I'm down to the last three hardest items! Of course!

Today is the unofficial national holiday known as 'Super Bowl'. I honestly don't follow it except for watching the last quarter of the playoff game, and then on to the Super Bowl. So there's an interference right there! ; )
After working on my photos all day yesterday I came out of my studio and told my husband, '...I don't think any of my pictures are very good, really. There's nothing what I would consider breath taking.' He said, you've just been looking at them for too long! Well, I do like Venice, Burano, and Santorini, and okay, Taormina the best!

High Hand Gallery is increasing their art classes this year. They have quite a few coming up. They have asked me several times to do one, but photography is performed in a dust-free work space. You're either in the darkroom, on the computer or printing, at a work station cutting mats (which is just a small task of making the photographic image 'pretty'). This all needs to be performed in a dust free area - and the sheds do not meet that criteria. I'd have to lug a laptop, printer, definitely no transportable darkroom, etc. 'But you could teach them how to take pictures!' Seriously I don't want to teach anyone. Even trying to do a class on photo transfers, I would need my computer and printer - so that's not going to work. So that's a moot subject for me. However, if you're interested in taking any other classes at High Hand, just go to HighHandGallery.com.

Here's a photo of Burano. Just your basic, simple backyard, with the laundry hanging out on the line to dry. Nothing to be shy about here! Life is friendly and cozy! The only thing missing is the grass.

Digital Black and White

2012-02-03T11:55:00.000-08:00

First of all I'm going to wish my hubby Ron, 'Happy 5th Anniversary!"

Yesterday I spent the afternoon attempting to finish my oil paintings. I don't want to have any unfinished products laying around before I get in the darkroom. I know painting doesn't have anything to do with photography other than I am painting some of my own photographic images. So there.

I received an email about NVAL (North Valley Art League's) Carter House Gallery 2012 International Juried Photography Show in Redding, California. Photographers can enter as many times as they wish, there are three prizes. I haven't read the whole prospectus yet, but if you are interested in this one just go to: http://nval.org/Photography show.html. Then this morning I saw that the Auburn Arts Commission is also having a juried art competition for The Mountain Quarries Railroad Bridge (aka, No Hands Bridge) which is celebrating its 100 year anniversary this March. Artists can submit up to two entries. Now that one I already have half of it done! I have the bridge done as a photo transfer and I have a B&W film image I can print! Perfect!

Digital black and white photography: I can of like it but I do have to say there isn't any 'mystery' involved there, unless you go back into Photo Shop and add it! But I still take 'em! Here is the photo I mentioned earlier of my sister-in-law's granddaughter. The background really caught my eye when I looked down at her. It was perfect actually. Of course, children are always a great subject. One, being they are cute, sweet, and innocent looking. Two, they're definitely not afraid of the camera, thus making them relaxed and natural looking, unlike adults who worry about how they look and ultimately stiffen up.

Artist Portfolio

2012-02-02T09:16:00.000-08:00

I have had a couple of artists contact me about how to 'get into a gallery' and/or how to 'create an artist portfolio'. When I first started testing the waters with my photography I had several artists help me and I did a lot of research online (and that was when the Internet was just beginning). That's what I love about the Internet is that it's like a 'magic genie' or 'swamee'. Basically, I am paying it forward with this information.

In regards to the portfolio, I found a great website that lays it all out for you. The website is:
http://art-support.com. I'm sure there are others out there too. This one provides samples and forms - everything an artist might need: Artist Information Sheet, Resume, Artist Statement, Certificate of Authenticity, sales forms, gallery forms, exhibition forms, release forms, and much more. In fact, I printed out their outline and samples that I needed and put them in my Artist Business Info/Resources binder that I could easily access. It's helped me tremendously.

As far as a portfolio goes, here again, you can do a search online and get many answers to create your own. What you need to include would be information about your past one-person exhibitions, bio on yourself including education and background. For example, a one sheet Artist Information Sheet would include the following subject lines: Artist, Philosophy, Style, Technique, Background, Publications or Exhibits, and Prices. You can change the titles to fit your own personal specialties.

You would also include in your portfolio, professional, quality photos of your original artworks, and photos of other variations that you may apply your artwork in (i.e., cards, coasters, wall hangings, etc.). If you were in previous 'shows/exhibits' include the cards from those shows. Your portfolio changes as you branch out and should be kept up to date with your current work. Now that reminds me, I need to update mine very soon!

Color Sunset Photography

2012-01-31T08:35:00.000-08:00

Sorry to keep you waiting...personally delivered my sister-in-law's framed images she purchased from me. All the way to Lake Havasu City, Arizona! Long drive, but we had a great visit. Helped her hang the photos up and they really look great in her living room. The first night we got to Barstow and had to stop and spend the night. We were tired before we left - so need I say more? It was windy there, but when we left the motel to go eat dinner there was this fabulous sunset. Of course I had to run and grab my camera very quickly as these images don't last long.

My husband's sister and husband put on a little party with about 14 friends coming over to greet us and she said, 'to see my artwork'! That was really outstanding in my book. Very thoughtful. We got to see their friends some of whom we know, and also the grand kids who are now teenagers. They do have a little sister who is just a doll! I'll post a photo of her tomorrow! Today I am working at the High Hand Gallery, so if you're in the vicinity, come by and say 'hi'! I'll be back in my studio manana getting back on track!

Digital Resizing

2012-01-25T09:45:00.000-08:00

Yesterday proved to be quite productive despite me having vertigo! After scanning in photos for my husband, I was able to start resizing the European photographic images and got thru most of them. I only have three more cities to do: Rome, Florence, and Barcelona, Spain. What a job that was - I worked on it for probably five or six hours! I'm resizing them for my website which I haven't updated since the beginning of 2011. This blog takes some time, imagination, and selection of a photo. I try to do most of my postings in the morning, but sometimes that doesn't work. My next step is to upload them to my website, which is another event in itself! That should take another couple of days and that's just the uploading of the photos. Then there's the dialogue and the pertinent/historical information that I add to each image. But I am getting there!

This image is from the isle of Santorini, the town where all the blue domes are that you see on calendars. I've had several myself. I thought there would be more of those blue domes than what I saw. There's really only about 10 if that many. However, every view is beautiful and I'll post more from Santorini as we go along. Again, by the time we got to any of our destinations it was already somewhere between 10 a.m. and high Noon. Not good photography-wise. But you've got to make the most of it when you do get there. I guess I don't need to mention that it was so bright up there on top of this island, and then you're dealing with bright white reflections!! My film black and whites were not so good even after shutting down the lens, but I did get a couple that I might be able to work with.

Perils of a Photographer

2012-01-24T11:40:00.000-08:00

When I worked on Sunday I got all my updated prices on my photography. It was storming that day so we did have some traffic in and out, and sales weren't bad either. It was one of those days that most of the folks already knew what they wanted. Either they had been in before, or were looking for gifts. I took my oils and painting in with me, so Paula and I both worked on our paintings that afternoon. There is a new retail shop located in the sheds now, called "The Vintage Bricoleur". They re-purpose items and one side of the shop has re-purposed antique silverware made into necklaces, bracelets with added beading and such. Very nice stuff I must say. A lot of other antique items. I saw a set of four Colonial small frames that had pictures of Thomas Jefferson's home in them - I believe it's Monticello. However, what I saw were four small darkroom prints in them! ; ) That would look really cool!

Unfortunately for me, I woke up today with vertigo!! Ugh! It seems like I tend to get this from time to time. I hate it. So I won't be doing a lot of stuff today except maybe scanning in some old family photos for my husband. Yesterday I worked on photography paperwork - it's that time of year, and also cleaning up my desk area. Looks neater in here now.

I was looking through my European cruise photos and saw a photo that reminded me of a near mishap! Ahh, the perils of an intense photographer! I was so involved with the beautiful scenery at this monastery that we stopped at in Paleokastritska, Greece. It was up at the top of a mountain, overlooking the ocean, and the monastery was pristine white, and I'm looking thru my viewfinder as I'm climbing up the stairs, oblivious to anyone and anything, and ... I trip on the uneven flagstone flooring!! Then I'm taking off, bent over, almost running, but not wanting to fall with my two cameras (yeah, let's save the cameras and forget about our body!), and luckily for me I actually stop when I come up to the group of people in front of me! A young girl says to me, "wow, you could've gotten hurt!" No @#$! Sherlock! ; )

Matting and Framing

2012-01-21T13:51:00.001-08:00

Well this so-called Google Chrome is nothing but a big pain in the you-know-what, if you ask me! Nothing like going around in circles to get to my blog.. I liked my old version of blogger - not this one! That only took another half hour to get online today. How does one complain to Google?

Today I spent all morning matting and framing. I finished up my sister-in-law's order, so that is done! My son gave my husband a beautiful print of an original drawing by the artist Dan Brewer who also re-signed the print. It is titled "Bartering to Pass", and consists of a cowboy on a horse bartering with an Indian on foot. It's done quite well and my husband loved it! I had ordered the frame and ended up not matting it because I didn't think it needed one - it stands out all on its' own.

I'm going to re-establish my prices for my photographic images, which means I will be printing up new labels for my work at High Hand Gallery. One of the many things I learned early on when I went 'public' with my work, was that an artist should be consistent with their pricing. So increasing my prices at High Hand will definitely make me more consistent.

2012-01-19T20:11:00.000-08:00

Good news! I went to my second oil painting class yesterday - and I think I'm getting the hang of it now! It was a lot more enjoyable this session and I was able to put down some oil on half the painting.Last night I finished up putting the portraits I took of the High Hand Gallery artists on CD's which only took me about 40 minutes for 16 CD's. Then this morning I stopped at the gallery and dropped them off. I put them on disk mainly because I have satellite internet connection - bad scene. I would have been here for days trying to email them out.But here's something for you bloggers, I updated to Google Chrome. So I'm not very computer literate when it comes to figuring out programs. I downloaded it, but shouldn't it come up by itself for the blog? It didn't. There is a shortcut on the bottom menu bar and that's how I was able to get into my blog. I tried my normal way of getting to the internet to my website blog, and '...my browser no longer supports my blog.' So as long as I went to the Google Chrome shortcut I could get to my website, then my blog. Why did I ever click the update button for Google Chrome?I spoke with two of my fellow gallery artists when I was there, and they were commenting on my new Venice images and thought that my prices weren't high enough. That's funny that they brought it up, because I was just thinking that to myself recently. I do put a lot of work into taking the image in the first place, developing or uploading, printing it just so on fine art paper or developing them in the darkroom on fiber based paper, cutting my own archival mats, replacing the glass with non-glare glass, and framing them in a professional way with the proper backing and wire. So that is a lot of work, time, effort, expertise, etc.! You don't have to sell me on this subject! ;)

Matting & Framing

2012-01-18T09:17:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I began working on the three 11x14s that my sister-in-law ordered: two from Venice and one from France. I usually cut my own mats, but I purchased the mats for her from Aaron Bros., as well as the frames. I use Aaron Bros. when I'm in a pinch! The reason I don't buy from them all the time is that the frames aren't the best. The ones I purchased weren't wood, but rather plaster with gold paint. They had the 'Old World' look to them to go along with the images. Well, the plaster broke off on the corner of one of them, so now I have to go purchase another one. I know they won't let me exchange, they'll say I dropped it. Whatever! And I wasn't able to replace the the plain glass with non-glare because they must put the glass in first, then finish off the 'plaster' work which makes the opening less than 16x20! Oh well, she wasn't really expecting the non-glare glass anyway.

Last night I was checking my supplies to make sure I had enough Cd's to put the High Hand Gallery portrait photos on for the artists. I won't be emailing them the photos as the files are rather large and we have satellite! I would be here for days trying to send photos. This morning I will start putting the photos on the Cd's and then later this afternoon I have my second oil painting class. I don't know about that class. I'm not really in the mood for painting. It seems I have to be in the mood to paint - and oil has such a big learning curve. We'll see.

Portraits in Color and B&W

2012-01-16T15:13:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago I offered the High Hand Gallery Artists the opportunity to have their portraits taken and/or with their artwork...yup! I sure did! High Hand has a blog, so we needed photos to go along with the artists bios. So photos took place yesterday, all day long, which was also our first "Artful Sundays" at the High Hand Gallery. It was a happening place let me tell you. We also had some great keyboard music by Wayne Baxley who just happened to play with my uncle's band for over 25 years, known as the George Bruno Big Band. And if that wasn't enough, candle making classes were going on too in the back studios. I like it when they're making candles, it smells so wonderful!

I set up my lighting and backdrop panels in the back area where we wouldn't be disturbed and I could turn off the overhead lighting when I needed to. It went fairly well and I ended up taking 16 artists' photos out of 31. Not bad. At first I was taking the portraits inside, but during a break I started wandering around and found a back wall of the sheds that would be a great backdrop with natural lighting, which is what I love working with. I had searched on the drive into Loomis looking for a natural backdrop setting and there were some brick walls, but we would have to walk back down the street a couple of blocks. So the back wall turned out to be perfect!

Needless to say, I wanted to finish these up and be done with this project, so I've been working on them all day. I just finished and I think I need a hot pack on my neck. I told the artists not to expect truly professional portraits, as this is not being done in a studio (I'm landscape, remember) but that I would do my best. Hope it works out for them (and me!) Here's Unni Stevens who is an oil painter. She's extremely photogenic!

ICC Profiles - Again!

2012-01-13T08:42:00.000-08:00

I continued to clean out the last of the shelving units - just about there! Went back into the darkroom yesterday and finished the contact sheets for my son. Because each one of his rolls of film were different speeds, my 'basic' menu for timing of contact prints worked for most of them with the exception of one in particular that I re-did five times in order to get something on it, but finally after exposing it for 45 seconds I think I got it the best way possible! I hope he doesn't have anymore rolls for me!

I talked about downloading the ICC profiles for Ilford Galerie papers after speaking with the guy at the camera store. So I downloaded them, printed a sheet of 3 cards (even though the product sheet said it was not recommended for Epson UltraChrome K3 inks), then I also printed the same on my HP All-in-One printer. Examined them side by side: the HP sample was more vivid color wise than the Epson sample. And the HP print is nice and dry, whereas the Epson is still not sure what it wants to do. Next time I go back to the camera store I will share the product sheet with my friend, and then purchase the right product!

Today I need to go back to Dela Mat & Moulding and pick up a frame and some white 4-ply mat board. I forgot to stock up on the white that I use for back mat. Then I plan on getting back into the darkroom for MY images!!

This image is I'm posting today is from Corfu, Greece. I just loved exploring all these little towns. They were so quaint and even though there were at times lots of tourists, it still seemed like you had taken a step back in time and at least I felt transformed to another time and place. Don't get me wrong - I like all the amenities we've grown accustomed to in making our lives so easy - but still...

Painting with Oils

2012-01-11T08:50:00.000-08:00

Yesterday morning I headed out to purchase my supplies at Delta Mat & Moulding. I ended up ordering a frame, purchasing lots of 4-ply Crescent mat board, and only two other items on the list. The tacking iron was outrageously priced at $80. I'm going to have to look for a used one. Then on the way home I stopped at High Hand Gallery to take some pictures of the new artwork that was hung last week for the next two months' show: Journeys. That only took about 20 minutes. The hard part was posting them to High Hand Gallery's Facebook page. Satellite Internet is not the quickest medium. I got them uploaded after refining them to my liking - so that is done!

Yesterday I also started cleaning out my three large shelving units that go from floor to almost the ceiling. It's so easy for them to get jammed with stuff that doesn't belong in there. Also, I wanted to get rid of all my old clear glass that I originally purchased before I started using non-glare glass; plus the glass I remove from over the counter frames I buy that I replace with the non-glare. It was a good 200 lbs of glass. My husband said he'd take it to the glass contractor he knows so it could be recycled. I still have one shelving unit to clean out. But it looks a lot better.

Today I start my oil painting lessons! My husband gave me this gift on my birthday last year and it's time to begin. Sunday I went out and purchased my supplies: the oils and disposable pallet. I have the rest of the required supplies: table easel, brushes, and pallet knife. This morning I need to figure out WHAT I am going to be painting. I'd like to paint something from my European cruise. Maybe the hillside of Italy with the water in front. That's my task this morning. Learning to paint with oils is something I've always wanted to do, but at the same time I have photography nagging at me in the background! What's a girl to do? ;)

Photography Supplies

2012-01-09T07:54:00.000-08:00

Every now and then I go back to my images from my European cruise. That sure takes a long time to go thru and see what you really have as viable pieces of artwork! I just finished Croatia the other night. I didn't think I'd ever get done with those. I have to say there are a lot of good ones. I just love the architecture - it's so old and mysterious, and the streets are so worn and smooth - the doorways, well each one is inviting. I guess that's why people like doorways and gates - they're inviting and in Europe they are just plain quaint. Next folders I'm moving on to will be Corfu in Greece. I keep thinking if I ever get thru printing images from each folder it will definitely be a miracle. And to think those are only the digital ones. I still have my black and white film images!! Speaking of black and white, here's one of some kayakers in the bay at Dubrovnik, Croatia.

Yesterday I sent out an email to the High Hand Gallery artists that I will be taking photographs of the artists for the gallery use this coming Sunday at the gallery. So last night I started receiving responses to sign up for a scheduled time. I'll be at the gallery pretty much all day for that project, plus it will be our Artful Sunday. What is Artful Sunday you ask? This is our 2012 version of Third Saturdays which used to be held in the evenings. I think this new change up for Sundays from 2-4 p.m. will be more successful since people will already be out and about at the gallery. Looking forward to the change.

This morning I started working on my list of supplies I need from Delta Mat & Moulding. It's getting long which equals $$$!! But I feel like I'm getting a lot accomplished this past week. My studio needs some organizing - AGAIN! Doesn't take long to get that overflowing look!

Moving Forward!

2012-01-07T10:02:00.000-08:00

I called the Blue Moon and yes I could change out images. Yesterday morning I drove down to Sacramento and changed out the two that were there. In exchange I took the two large Venice color images and she really liked them. Plus she took another framed 8x10 of the Gondolier on Break which was the color image with a layer of colored pencil over it. I also picked up a framed photo transfer from the High Hand Gallery that had a spelling error!!! Egads! I hate that! Fixed that last night and will take it back today.

I also had a lesson from one of the clerks at the camera store on the ICC profiles! I am such a novice on digital. I told him I had purchased the wrong box of Ilford paper and he said I could still use it. What I needed to do was to go to Ilford.com and actually download the ICC profile to my computer! It's not just changing the printer settings, but the ICC profiles also have to be downloaded. I'll work on that one when I start printing. I really would like to have someone come and spend a day with me on digital printing and sizing.

Last night I made up my 'list' of things to get done in regards to my photography. It's a little on the long side. One of the items is to work on large format images in one form or another. The High Hand Gallery has an upcoming show later in the year for large format, and I had mentioned I wanted to order some images from Magnachrome in 16x20 - maybe even larger. Then in March we have a Shed Sale coming up and I am definitely participating. Artists can have a booth with all their overstock for sale!! I could use some cleaning out! Here's a picture of the No Hands Bridge photo. It's not the transfer, but the original photo.

Just another day in the life...

2012-01-05T07:31:00.000-08:00

For the last three days I've been working to mat and frame four images: 2 - 11x14's and 2 - photo transfers. I was trying not to be rude since we had company visiting from out of town, and I would come out to my studio either early in the morning or in the late evening. I also had glass to cut for the two smaller images. I did manage to finish them, but unfortunately it was too late to hang in the High Hand Gallery. Today I'm calling the Blue Moon to see if I can change out the two I have in there right now, with the two new large Venice framed photos. If that doesn't work, then I think it's time for me to call another gallery!

Attended the High Hand Gallery's meeting last night. It was a long one as we discussed events for the whole year. The one good news is that our Third Saturdays monthly event will now be Artful Sundays held once a month during the day light hours of 2-4 p.m. A lot of the artists have been wanting to change it to the daytime since most people don't really like to come out at night. I think this will be a positive change for us.

Even though our company has just left, today the contractor is coming to finish running the heating and air ducts out to my studio, so I need to hurry and cover my desk area and other surfaces. Hopefully that won't be real messy!

Matting & Framing

2012-01-03T15:06:00.000-08:00

The new year started out great! I went back in the darkroom and finished developing the last three rolls of my son's film. I wanted to be rid of all my old projects hanging over my head! I was so thrilled. Right now we have company for three days, but I will be making his contact sheets for him soon.

Yesterday morning I went down to Loomis to the High Hand Gallery and worked for a couple of hours or more helping to take down all the art work, and then patching the walls, getting it ready to be painted. There were probably 8 - 10 artists there helping, and I'm sure more came after I left. We have 31 artists right now, so if everyone came for a couple of hours to help get the work done, then it's not like such a humongous chore.

After I left the gallery, I headed out to Aaron Bros. to pick up frames some new images. I usually purchase my frames from Delta Mat & Moulding, but when and if I'm in a pinch I buy from Aaron Bros. Later in the evening I started matting and framing and still have more to go. But in the process, my sister-in-law asked to see some of my European photos and she loved them so much she put in an order for three matted and framed pieces!! Sweet! She picked one from Burano, Italy, Venice, Italy, and Trinite Sur Mer, France. I like it! I've got to get busy!

HAPPY 2012!!

2012-01-01T09:44:00.000-08:00

Today is the start of something new. A chance to start all over, a chance to reinvent one's self, if one so desires! And I so desire!! There are so many things on my list, as I'm sure you have a list too. Time can be short, or long, or 'of the essence'. What we do with our time is what makes the difference. I know of a couple of artists who have artistic drives 24/7. It always amazes me. I'm not in my studio or darkroom 24/7, but when I am in here my mind swirls with ideas, as some of you who read this blog may know about.

This year for me is going to be about production and presentation of artwork. That's my goal for 2012. My blog is mainly about photography and its many processes, some that cross over too. There will be times when you'll have to read about painting too though.

My plan is to get my European photographic images matted and framed and branch out to other galleries. I'll take it one step at a time. My plan is to: 1) move new images to the Blue Moon in Sacramento; 2) branch out to another gallery in Roseville; and 3) larger prints to the High Hand Gallery. it may not seem like alot here in print, but it IS. Staying focused is another priority. Keeping a balance in my life - as in 'juggling' all my responsibilities. Now that one is HUGE! ;)

This image looking out from the walled city of Dubrovnik to the ocean's bay that I've posted today is somewhat symbolic - for me and YOU. It's a window of opportunity to motivate me and YOU: A portal to your dreams, your new year, and what you want to accomplish! I challenge you to go after your artistic dreams and desires. You can't go wrong. There's no way you can make a mistake - there are no mistakes, only life lessons! So just go do it!

New Year coming up!!

2011-12-29T18:19:00.000-08:00

I hope all who read this had a very Merry Christmas with their families. I'm old school, so I will say Merry Christmas because that's what our family celebrates. If you celebrate something else, then that's great and I'm happy for you too!

Although I have been sick this week with a cough and sometimes flu-like symptoms, I was still able to get on my computer. So I finished up my last project which was putting pictures of my sisters and myself from our Mediterranean Cruise trip on a DVD! That was a first for me, and trust me it was a challenge. First of all I had to go the DVD route (which I had purchased a stack of DVDs just in case I was going to need them for a project), since the CDs I had wouldn't take all the photos even though I had resized them from their RAW status to JPGs, and to an even smaller size, but large enough to be able to be printed if need be. I even added music to it, which I wasn't planning on doing, however, it just worked out that way. I just used my MSN Media Center to do it. I was lucky too in picking music I didn't even listen to before selecting -- yikes -- that's risky! For some reason a few of the first photos loaded didn't rotate, even though they were already rotated in the file. I don't know what was up with that - maybe someone can share some light on that subject?? I thought of calling my nephew but I didn't. So that project is done and they are off in the US Mail!

This morning I just happened to look out the window and there was a cloud by what we call our 'lion' on the hill. The cloud looked like it was smoke coming out of the mouth of the lion, so I ran and grabbed the Canon T2i and clicked off a couple of shots. I liked the black and white version the best.

I also spent some time today looking through my negatives from Europe and I have enough there to keep me busy for a looooong time! I'm anxious to get back in the darkroom. I think I will warm up by developing some film for my son that I haven't done yet! I want it over with and off my list!!

Christmas is coming!

2011-12-20T09:47:00.001-08:00

Wrapping the loose ends up for Christmas. I'm basically done being ready! Whew! Yesterday I went down to Sacramento to pick up some of my framed pieces that were on display for a Second Saturday earlier in the year and ended up in a public gym/personal trainer establishment. They were sad to see them go, but it was time to move them. So now I have 15 framed pieces that need to be cleaned and I'm thinking of taking them out of the frames and just selling them as matted prints. They are getting 'older' now. A lot of them were from my France, NYC, and San Francisco series. I can't afford to just have them taking up space in my studio, when they're meant to be enjoyed on an every day basis! ;)

I'm going to call Aaron Bros. today and find out when their One Cent Sale is - buy one frame, get a second for one cent! I'm thinking it's going on right now! I'll be needing some gold fancy frames very soon for my Italy images.

I was busy making CDs for some family members yesterday and the day before. We had our family Christmas get together last Friday, so I figured it would be easier to put them all on disk rather than me making prints - cheaper too! It takes a lot of time to do that. I'm still working on a project for my sisters. Hopefully I get that one done by New Year's!!

I may have to paint something real soon, as I keep having these great dreams of beautful skies. Last night I dreamed of a black and white sky with only one portion or thing in color. As I'm looking at it, there are men there with digital equipment messing around and I'm saying, "Wow, look at that sky, it's how some digital photographers make them!" Silly stuff!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Wonderful Christmas-time!

2011-12-15T20:44:00.000-08:00

The only photography I've been doing is putting together some photo albums. I don't print out what I call 'snap shots', I take them to Walgreen's. I reserve my precious ink for my artwork! ;) And the photography I have done this week is for our family when we took the grand kids out fishing the other day to Folsom Lake. Well, the water was waaay down, I mean we had a bit of a hike to find the water. We weren't really depending on catching any fish, it was all about being with the grand kids, which was a lot of fun for us. I did take quite of few shots using my Canon T2i - both color and black and white. I'm posting a photo that I took in digital black and white. The lake was so eery looking, almost like the surface of the moon.

We have a family gathering tomorrow so I've been busy baking and getting ready for that. I'll be working the High Hand Gallery on Sunday and of course on Saturday is our Third Saturday, but it's also our 3rd Anniversary of being in business! If you'd like to come out to High Hand Nursery, the High Hand Gallery, we will be open until 8:00 p.m. Don't forget the '3Vigne' wine tasting will be open from 12:00 to 5:00 p.m. (They may even stay open until 8:00 p.m. - I don't know!)

High Hand Gallery

2011-12-13T08:54:00.000-08:00

Christmas is coming upon us and life is so busy right now. I haven't been in my studio or darkroom except just to share it with friends and show them around. I'm not giving any photographic images as Christmas gifts either as my family has already informed me earlier in the year that they have no more wall space!! Okay, okay, not to worry! (I guess they don't know how to rotate artwork!)

Sunday I will be working again at High Hand Gallery from 10 - 4:30 p.m. so if you are local and you're reading this, please stop by and see me. If you need to do any Christmas shopping this would be the place. There are lots of gifts to choose from either from the gallery or the new Bricoleur shop or the florist or from the nursery. Some of the High Hand Gallery Artists have made Christmas tree ornaments and we have them displayed on several Christmas trees! And if you get a little thirsty, then there are the 3Vigne wine tasting rooms from three local wineries that are open on Saturdays and Sundays from 12 - 5 p.m. Bring your significant other, your friends or yourself! It is quite the destination these days. And don't forget to bundle up for the fruit sheds. It's a little chilly in there, so put on your Christmas sweater and scarf and drop by!

Epson Ultra Premium Matte Paper

2011-12-07T18:29:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I was able to get some Christmas shopping done, and then today I worked out in the yard all day! We've had such great weather I had to take advantage of it.

I did continue to finish up with some more cards, so I got that accomplished. On Sunday I also printed out some digital black and whites on Epson's Ultra Premium Presentation Paper Matte. Not every photographic image looks good on matte, and other papers I could say the same thing too. However, I did print out two black and white images on the matte paper and loved them both. This one I'm posting today is again from Burano. I tended to switch over to my programmed black and white function on the Canon T2i when I saw more of the 'still life' types of scenarios. This one was shouting out to me when I was there. It's just an image of ordinary everyday life there - the laundry hanging out to dry, the bikes left at the front yard - simplistic as it was, it was worthy of capturing. It printed out fabulously on the matte paper and I'm very happy with it. I'll mat as many as I can with the amount of mats I cut not long ago, then whatever I don't have, I'll cut.

Just to touch again on the ICC profiles for all papers, I have to admit years ago I would just do trial and error kind of printing. I mean, it was new to me and I guess I just loved wasting paper! Hah! But I learned that one should read the instructions for the settings - I mean it's all right there so you don't have to go thru all that wastefulness. So read the cheat sheets, that's what they're there for.

ICC Profiles

2011-12-05T08:38:00.000-08:00

Over the weekend I was busy with a couple of projects. First I needed to head over to High Hand Nursery and take photos of the High Hand complex for their newsletter. I almost got there too late, as it was pretty bright by 10 a.m. But I think I managed to capture a few that hopefully will work out. That project pretty much took up half my day. I came home and started working on my second project of printing out some of my digital European photographic images.

It was basically a 'study in ICC profiles' for me. (FYI: Definition of ICC - International Color Consortium profile. An ISO-approved color management standard for specifying the attributes of imaging devices such as scanners, digital cameras, monitors and printers so that the color of an image remains true from source to destination. A profile can be embedded within the image itself.) Come to find out I didn't realize that I had purchased the wrong Ilford Galerie inkjet paper. It wasn't working in my Epson and neither did it fare well in my HP printer. I'm like, 'what the heck?' I kind of thought the box was looking a little different, but you never can tell, companies continually change their product names and styles of boxes (Epson's really good at that). I accidentally bought the Ilford 'Classic Pearl Paper', when I should have been buying the 'Smooth Pearl'. You know, getting older is a real challenge these days! I was so mad because I had purchased the box of 100 Sheets!! I like the results you normally get from the Pearl and like using it for my cards. I opened the box and used several sheets trying to figure out what was wrong! So now I can't return it! Dangit!

Once I figured out where I went wrong, I put the Ilford paper away, and continued with the Epson Ultra Premium Glossy. I spent Sunday afternoon printing out more color digital photos from Italy, as well as making some new cards, which I haven't done for a while. This is a new image from the island of Burano. Just loved all the colors in that small town.

Darkroom Day

2011-12-02T07:00:00.000-08:00

Wednesday I did head back into the darkroom and started developing one of my Venice images! I very rarely make test strips - I know, I know - but even when you do make them, you still can end up making 2 or 3 prints until you get it right anyway, so what's the diff?? ;) The image I printed was one of the Venice gondolas all lined up on the Grand Canal. Since I don't use flash (which in this particular instance I probably could have used it!), it was a slightly contrasty photo, which means some major dodging in the foreground. Then I ended up with an additional 3 second burn in the upper right corner. Unfortunately, I do not have a scanner large enough to scan 11x14's. Yesterday I bought more darkroom supplies so that once I get going I won't have to run down to Sacramento. Sometimes I order online too which has a short turnaround time of about 2 - 3 days.

Here is a digital image from Cephalonia that I actually took in color, but like it better as a black and white. If I were to go to the wine country here in the USA I guess I could probably find a shot similar to this one, but there wouldn't be Vespas out front, they would definitely be Harley Davidsons!!

Digital Black and White

2011-11-30T09:17:00.000-08:00

Yesterday proved to be another productive day. I mixed up some chemicals for the darkroom where I will go today and start printing some of the images from Europe. Afterwards, I couldn't help myself and I worked on two photo transfers. There was a photo I took in a winery that had some murals on the walls. When I looked at them, I saw 'photo transfer' written all over it. So I worked on that one, and then printed out the No Hands Bridge at the American River confluence that I had taken last year or so. I didn't have to add any water color to that one. It was already a light foggy day and I wanted it to still portray that original image. It came out rather well I must say. I placed them in a book last night to press them out.

This morning I was doing some research online about gallery wraps since I received an email from BayPhoto on pricing for their gallery wraps. They also now offer 'Fully Integrated E-commerce Solutions' on their website. In other words, you can upload their software and actually sell from their website. You might want to check it out, it looks pretty inviting. Pricing is based on the number of uploads and is very economical for them handling everything. You can have them edit your photos or not. Then I remembered MagnaChrome. So I searched that website again and printed out some of their info - which to me sounded reasonable considering your images are printed on metal. Actually, the image is not printed onto metal, special dyes are printed onto a transfer paper and then infused into a patented coating using pressure and heat. There are several ways to finish the picture: no frame, European frame, and/or a floating frame. I'm seriously contemplating giving that a try and see how those work out for me at galleries.

This image I've posted today is again a scene from Cephalonia, Greece. We passed a little boy who had been riding his bike, and then he seemed to be a little frustrated and/or was just taking a break, who knows? But he was rather cute and I turned around once more and clicked off a shot.

Contact Sheets

2011-11-29T10:11:00.000-08:00

FINALLY, I threw myself back into the darkroom and started whipping out the contact sheets for the 11 rolls of film from my recent travels to Europe. It only took about 3 1/2 hours to complete the task. I normally use RC paper for my contact sheets, no sense in wasting the FB paper on those. I had just enough to make 10 sheets, then had to break into the FB paper for the last one!! As you may already know, it takes a longer development time for the FB paper, and it's just the contact sheets.

There are some pretty cool shots in those thar rolls of film. I was surprised I didn't have very many black and whites of Venice - dangit. But apparently I made up for it in the color photos, as well as black and whites of the other cities. In reviewing the negatives, I noticed that (as I was expecting) some of the pictures from Santorini were way, way overexposed. It was in the middle of the day, it was sunny and hot and bright light bouncing off all those white buildings, even though I stopped it down as far as I could, there were several that were pretty washed out. Then on two other rolls, there would be say one out of the whole roll that was a complete wash, which tends to make me think something is/was wrong with the camera. Maybe it was me?? I just had two of the Minolta bodies worked on, so I don't know what that was all about. I'll have to keep an eye on it - pay more attention as I'm shooting.

I can't say enough about film v. digital. In my opinion, the film captures what is TRULY there: the shadows, the mystery that's seen with the naked eye. Digital captures a MORE perfect scene, then some photographers go back and add the mystery. I mean I took digital black and whites too, and they look good, but not as GREAT as the film images. It's weird. I suppose if I only knew digital to begin with my opinion would be different.

Here's another color image of Cephalonia, Greece. The building was actually a yellow-gold, but the canvas canopy was reddish-orange and it made this shop really pop out! Later, I saw another photographer being intrigued with this same scene.

Cephalonia, Greece

2011-11-28T10:18:00.001-08:00

The Greek island of Cephalonia (also spelled with a K) was very pretty considering the whole town of Argostoli had been devastated in the 1953 earthquake. When it was rebuilt, it was built up as a resort: lots of shops and eateries. Coming into the port early in the morning was something to see - but every port was like that with the exception of one or two that were more industrial. Here you can see the early dawn with the town's lights and the light from the cruise ship illuminating the green ocean water.

Lately, I have been conversing with a couple of newbie artists who have contacted me with questions about getting their work 'out there'. I enjoy helping artists with information and this time I was able to meet both of them - one in person and the other via telephone. Making new friends is always fun! I worked again at the High Hand Gallery on Saturday and we were quite busy with people gearing up for Christmas. Thanksgiving was wonderful and now it's over and time to move on to Christmas for our family!

However, I am moving into the darkroom today - come rain or shine - to finally make my contact prints of all my rolls of developed film from Europe! That's it - that's where I'm going. There's just not enough time in the day to do everything I want to accomplish. That's one of the reasons I'm not set up for sales on my website because I just wouldn't be able to keep up with it. If you want something - email me or call me. ;)

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-22T08:06:00.000-08:00

Time is flying by and there's so much to do! First of all we need to stay home and I mean it this time! Got together in Monterey with my husband's family this past weekend. Great weather as it was supposed to rain, but waited until we left. It did rain Friday nite but we had just arrived and were inside having fun at dinner.

Last week I was having issues with my blog counter. Apparently my cache was full on Internet Explorer so by deleting the cache the counter eventually re-appeared for me as in just today. It was probably showing up for you, just not moi! One of these days I'll have to get another computer since mine's going on 7 years old. Macs are more but then there's the learning curve - always a learning curve - and I don't know if I want to spend that much money. It's my understanding you can go into the iMac store and play around with them, so I might just do that.

This morning I was thinking about my photography. I WAS around in the 60's and as I look back, I wished I could have really picked up the camera back then. There was so much history taking place back then: in the music industry, the Vietnam war, civil rights, fashion, to name few. Okay, so I was in Barstow, but it all affected us there too. I would have liked to have been in on the jazz scene and taken black and whites back then. Hopefully you'll be motivated from my yearning of "if only's and what if's" that if you have a passion then go for it NOW. Just take your trusty little camera and give it your best shot. And don't be hard on yourself by thinking they're not good images!! Look at the old black and whites that were taken by various famous photographers - they're not perfect images, they're not perfectly clear digitals, and yet they're invaluable pieces of artworks. Just go do it and do it today!

Birthday Week!

2011-11-16T10:48:00.000-08:00

I haven't done much in my studio - art wise, anyway. It's the week of my birthday and other fun things are happening: like spending time with my granddaughter! We spent a couple days sewing and we made her two tops and a skirt! She is also very talented in many artful ways: photography (natch!), videography, drawing and painting, an actress, and much, much more! We've also been out practicing driving just around our property as she recently got her learner's permit. I remember those days.

Getting back to Dubrovnik, Croatia, we had perfect weather for the day we were there. Sunny, warm, more like hot, especially when we got up to the top of the city's wall! About a quarter way around the top of the wall we saw across in the distance, still part of the walled city, a movie set! How exciting. Apparently they were shooting for an HBO series that Ive forgotten the name of, and my sister Carole knew the actor, Peter Dinkley. There was also a medieval ship not too far out in the ocean that was part of the 'show' that we saw later as our cruise ship was leaving shore.

Auburn Artists Studio Tour

2011-11-14T11:25:00.000-08:00

This weekend was also the Annual Auburn Artists Studio Tour. Saturday my granddaughter and I went to a candle making class at High Hand Gallery. Amanda was giving the class and she is the artist that I photograph her candle products for her website. It was alot of fun and I hope to do it again soon. Our candles came out really good and the fragrances we picked out are quite lovely! I chose Christmas Wassail.

After the class we met up with my neighbor and we went over to a couple of the artists studios. One of them was in Foresthill: Dana Barrow who is a potter. Unfortunately we just missed her horse hair demo. But we were able to go inside her studio and see all of her pottery. Absolutely beautiful works. Then we headed back into Auburn and went to the OLAS Group Studio. There were six artists showing there, as the space they rent is their studios. Amazing stuff I've never seen before. Most artists work in more than one medium.

I guess it's time to move on from Venice into Dubrovnik, Croatia. There's more to Dubrovnik than the walled-city, but that's where we spent our whole day. This is an image of one of the corners of the walled city. The walls are 10 feet thick - and in some places, 20 feet! Dubrovnik by the way was a Turkish invention - the Turkish phrase dubro-Venedik means 'the good Venice'. Croatia is also the country where the tie was originated from!

Studio Tour in Cool

2011-11-11T07:57:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was quite the busy and fun day. My aunt and some of her high school classmates she has kept in touch with over all these years met me at the High Hand Gallery. I was able to show them around the whole place, and saved the gallery for last! They really enjoyed the tour and liked my artwork (and the other artists' artworks) very much! Then we all loaded up in the car and headed up to my studio.

They had never been on the canyon road from Auburn to Cool, so that was a treat in itself! I went slow for them. We got to my house and showed them around the place and then we had lunch. After lunch I took them out to my studio and they fell in love all over again. I showed them my work spaces, how and where I developed my film, the photo transfers, my equipment, my artwork. It was fun to share it with people, as I would never be able to be on the Auburn Artwalk. Cool is in El Dorado County and I am closer to Placer County, but so far out in the boonies, no one's ever going to come here! So, I'll just have to have my own 'tours' when I want them.

This black and white digital photo I'm posting is from Burano - amidst all the bright colors of Burano, I pulled out my film camera and clicked off this shot. I liked the simplicity of the old office chair against the concrete wall with all its texture. I found myself taking several of these types of scenarios on my trip. It lends itself to portraying a mood of some sort...

Film Developing DONE!

2011-11-09T08:03:00.000-08:00

I managed to get back into the darkroom yesterday and finish up with the last three rolls of film! They're all developed, negatives cut, and put into sleeves. At some point I'm going back in there to make the contact prints. I'm going to another meeting this morning at the High Hand Gallery. We actually have them every Wednesday to discuss ideas and whatever, I just don't always make there. Actually, I never make it there. But I'm going today! I made my labels yesterday too and while I'm at High Hand will put them up with the new framed pictures. I was a little behind on that task!

Last night I connected with a local artist who was referred to me by a high school classmate. She is new to 'thinking' about showing her artwork. I looked up her artwork on the internet and I really like it. I've learned over the years that even when I was venturing out with my photography that I had met fellow photographers/ artists who were more than willing to share information, and it's only right that we pass on any words of encouragement to other budding artists. Makes sense to me. Having someone speak kind words of wisdom was such a relief, because believe me, a person can sure talk themselves out of anything!

Here's another 'bridge' picture that I'm just entertaining you with until I come up with some of my B&W film images. Most of the ports we were in was always in the middle of the day. So we all know that noontime photography isn't that great. Too flat, too bright, no shadows. So I added a layer to a rather perfectly boring picture and gave it some flair!

Quick Trip in the Darkroom

2011-11-08T08:10:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I headed into town to get more chemicals so I could finish up the last of the film. By the time I got home I was only able to get two more done and I'll finish up the rest this morning. Then I will start making the contact sheets for each roll. This morning I was having a very tiresome dream that I was tinting some of my photographic images and remembered I had forgotten to rinse them one last time and I had to go back and get that done...and it just went on and on! So basically I'm still working when I'm sleeping!!

Last night I went to Loomis for our High Hand Gallery meeting. It gets extremely cold in the sheds. The owner is updating the place with heaters and lighting and his list goes on, but in the meantime we wear layers of clothing in order to handle the cold inside. By the time I was driving home my body was already aching from the cold weather. The good news from the meeting was that we had a great month in sales for October! Also while I was there I dropped off the special order and I will call the gentleman this morning to let him know they are ready for him to pick up. I still have labels to do for my photography I took in to High Hand. I keep telling myself every time I walk into my studio, "...do the labels, do the labels!"

The image I am posting today is also of Venice - in digital Black and White. We were returning from our tour of Murano and Burano islands, so this picture I shot from the cruise boat. As you can see this is just one of the many pedestrian bridges over one of the many canals throughout Venice. I'm honestly not sure which one this is, but they did point out one of the bridges as the "Bridge of Sighs". Remember the Robin Trower blues song, "Bridge of Sighs"? Well, the bridge got its name from the fact that that particular bridge connected the prison to the hanging place, and the prisoners would sigh on the long walk over the bridge to their deaths. Sad, but true.

Productive Day!

2011-11-04T09:10:00.000-07:00

Yesterday went well. I was able to get in the darkroom and develop six of the 11 rolls of film I had from the Mediterranean Cruise! Now I only have five more to go! Then I'll do contact print sheets for each roll all in the same day. It felt good to be in the darkroom again. It's so soothing, and to think I used to doubt myself.

Then in the midst of all this I received a phone call from someone who had gone into the High Hand Gallery and seen some of my Bodie color prints. I have a couple images of the old forgotten cars left on the property and people just love those. I must have sold at least five already of the car prints. So he was calling to order two of the prints for his daughter's birthday. I love it! So now I have the frames, one of the images printed and will print out the other. Then mat and frame and take to the gallery so he can pick them up next week. That was a plus for me and just made my day!

I just got a call from my sister Pat and I'm jealous 'cause she already has her pictures printed and in albums! She said she has a couple of pictures she's not sure where they were from. I should call her back and tell her to check to the back of the print, as they usually print the date it was taken on it.

The first morning in Venice of our first full day I got ready early and went out to take pictures. Not many people on the street just those walking to work. I came across this scene: a stuffed bear with a bottle of wine next to him outside a restaurant. Well, someone was having fun!

Maria Soto Photography

2011-11-03T09:07:00.000-07:00

I took a few minutes to read thru my website which I haven't done for a while. Made some changes, and my web designer fixed it just like that! Thanks Ludie! I have been spending most of my time on my blog trying to keep up with the posts while working on my artwork. So I have longtime neglected my actual website and haven't really posted any new galleries. Lord knows I have some to post!

I worked at the High Hand Gallery yesterday half day for the re-hang of the artwork for the next two months. Unfortunately for me, my pieces are hung quite high. Too high for photography, but that's the way the ball bounces! You can't have the good spots all the time! And I have been fortunate to have had lower spots, so it's time for change.

I can't believe I'm still downloading photos from my camera SDs to my PC. What a job! My website and the photo transfers are calling to me, but I really need to develop my film so I can identify the images and catalog them! Each roll is labeled with the country and/or town, but I still have to ID the pics within each roll. Well, it's all fun, so not to worry, right? And I have the day to myself, so what more could I ask for?

Getting back to Venice, this image is of the Rialto Bridge on the Grand Canal, finished in 1592. The history is that this design was the winner in a competition that included Michelangelo! (I don't think he won.) This new bridge replaced a bridge of 'boats'! What an improvement.

High Hand Gallery Artwork

2011-10-31T20:17:00.000-07:00

This weekend I started working on my new pieces to take to the High Hand Gallery. I selected my photos that I was going to print, mat and frame. Two of them I've already posted on my blog: Venice at Sunset and the Grand Canal Gondolas. In addition I selected two that were pics I took of a gondolier who was on break or didn't have any takers for the moment. I actually took several shots of him as I thought it was unique at the time, something natural. So the one I really liked wasn't very clear (as I was trying to be sneaky about taking his picture). I kept walking when I took the first shot. But I liked it so much that I put a filter/layer over it (pastel pencil) and it came out pretty cool I must say! I printed two different pics of that scenario - giclees on smooth fine art paper and voila! A piece of new artwork.

I went to Aaron Bros. and picked out some frames and a fancy mat for the picture with the gondolas. I cut mats for the other three. The larger one of the Venice at Sunset (purple shades picture) I ended up cutting a double mat for that one. I just happened to have some gold mat board that matched the frame, so I used that under the cream colored and textured mat. I wished I'd taken pictures before I rushed off to the gallery, but I didn't and I had to get it down there today.

I am posting the original photo of the gondolier on break, and what the photo looked like with the filter of pastel pencil.

External Hard Drive

2011-10-29T11:11:00.000-07:00

The computer guy arrived this morning on time and we sat down to face the issue. Apparently it wasn't anything I did. I had loaded it properly, he said sometimes you have to circumvent the way the added software shows you what's happening, by going to 'My Computer' and performing the task that way. So that's what we did, and of course I wrote it all down for future reference. I asked some other computer related questions and that was it. He did not know about calibration, so it ended there. So, bottom line, my pictures are getting backed up and that's all I care about.

This weekend I will be busy putting together at least two additional new works for the gallery. I may have to wait until Monday to get a frame at Delta Mat & Moulding if I don't have any in stock or find one elsewhere. So that's my work cut out for me this weekend, as well as maybe doing a couple of photo transfers. Oh! Yesterday when I was working at High Hand I did sell another framed 8x10 of Bodie!! I should say it sold itself! So that was a nice shot in the arm!

Getting back to the Mediterranean, Burano was the other island in Venice that we went to. That particular island is known for its lace, but I don't think the tourists were that interested in lace. The island's other main attraction is their brightly colored houses. The story goes, that the fishermen (that was their mainstay) would paint their houses a bright color so they could keep their eye on their homes. Whether that is true I don't know. But I will say it was unique and picturesque!

Murano, Italy

2011-10-28T07:50:00.000-07:00

For us adding a day to the beginning of the trip didn't seem like we got to see what we wanted to see. A lot of it I think was jet lag, being tired, the thrill of being in a foreign country, just wanting to soak everything up and there was SO MUCH to take in!! We didn't make it to St. Marks Square, but we did see it from the ship twice. Once when we went on our tour cruise to Murano and Burano islands, and the other time when we left Venice heading south. In between all this we still had to haul our luggage to the ship and do our initial boarding on Holland America.

It was quite a treat to see the city of Venezia from a higher advantage point. We took the cruise to Murano and Burano. Murano is the island where they have several glass making/blowing companies. These glass works were moved to the island by royal decree at the end of the 13th century because of the fire hazard. So we took a tour cruise to one of glass works: Ferro-Lazzarini. There were quite a few people so it was hard to get any 'great' shots from my point of view. I've been to glass works studios before so I knew what to expect. Here's a shot of the glass blower making one of his famous horses. I was quite surprised to hear from the tour guide that the men we see in this shop today will be the last of the glass blowers as the young people don't want to take up the occupation. I had a hard time believing that. Maybe they should send out some job notices to Tacoma and Seattle. Chihouly doesn't seem to have any issues with the younger generation!

Venice, Italy

2011-10-27T11:37:00.000-07:00

Venice is a city of islands, actually 117 of them, and there are 150 canals, which means there are more than 400 bridges that cross each one! It's amazing when you think about it. Would you be able to live on an island, or conglomeration of islands? We did see bicycles as the only other mode of transportation besides walking. Each walkway you come to, each channel or canal is breathtaking. I was so 'excited' about the place that I pretty much filled up one disk on Venice alone. It kind of made me worry what this trip was going to be like for me, picture-wise! Egads Soto, slow down!

For now my computer is working and I finally called for someone to come out on Saturday and help me with this external hard drive. It should be easy - for them! Maybe I'll learn something!

Now I'm getting back in the groove and realized that I need to bring in some new art work this weekend to the High Hand Gallery! I'm not ready. Maybe I won't have to. I do have some photo transfers done but I don't have any frames yet! It's always something!

Venice Waterways

2011-10-26T14:06:00.000-07:00

I'm still having computer problems, mainly I don't know what the issue is! It has to do with my external hard drive, so I guess I'll have to get someone up here to help me...maybe. So I got the computer unlocked so-to-speak, and thought I would hurry and make a post!

Getting back to Venice...what a transition in lifestyle from concrete sidewalks and cars and horns to waterways and pedestrians only. It was pretty cool just coming into Venice. All the old stone buildings and bridges - did I mention bridges?? ;) There are small bridges over each waterway. Coming into the city by air, keep in mind you have to lug your luggage to whichever hotel you are staying in. So this is an adventure in itself. But all in all, we found the Venetians pretty happy to see us and welcomed us with open arms too! The first night we found a restaurant actually not very far from our hotel, and we didn't mind as we were so tired and the restaurant 'barker' pulled us in anyway! We had a bit of a wait, but it was fun people watching. The food was pretty good as I recall. I took pictures of some of our dishes along the way, but not this night. We walked around at night and of course made our first purchases of mementos: mostly magnets. I must have been excited because when I got home and unpacked I had purchased more than enough magnets. What was I thinking??

Venice and Mediterranean Cruise

2011-10-24T08:47:00.000-07:00

So, yes I did come home from my cruise, but then I had another small trip planned to the east coast to visit my son and family, and so there was this brief interruption so to speak!

I have been really busy getting caught up on my 'household' chores, and now I am back in my studio. For the last few days over the weekend I have been uploading pictures off my camera san disks to the computer. That takes a long time, since I'm learning this new process for my Canon T2i. The EOS Utility program as some of you are probably aware, uploads the original and at the same time makes as additional JPEG file which is nice. However, I'm not that digital savvy and so yesterday after I'd been going thru this process for awhile, the program decided not to make the second JPEG image. I don't know what button I pushed if any, but at the same time I know I can make that second image later. Enough of this I want to talk to you about Venice!!

The long flight over to Zurich was just that: LONG! From Zurich we then flew to Venice on a much smaller plane and much more comfortable one too. All three of us conked out for the whole flight and felt fairly rested when we landed. From there we were met by a guide of sorts. We had to lug our suitcases over to the 'taxi'. So, I'm not thinking that far ahead...still tired...and so the 'taxi' was a 'water taxi' because Venice has no streets for cars, right!? So we load our luggage onto the water taxi, and off we go at sunset. It's about a 20 minute ride. Well, it was the water taxi ride from hell. We had a young driver who apparently was in a hurry and not ONCE did he look back at us to see if we were still in the boat. Once we got to the city limits he HAD to slow down and this was when we were able to really look out and see our first sights of the city of Venice. It was sunset and the colors were pretty awesome to say the least.

Auburn's Second Thursday Art Walk

2011-10-12T11:34:00.000-07:00

I've been busy to say the least. This Thursday is the last of Auburn's Second Thursday Art Walks, and Kerry Terese Salon & Gallery's Theme this time is Maps and Travel. So I took in three of my framed gelatin silver prints: White House, Canyon de Chelly; Bethesda Passageway, Central Park; and Villefranche Divers, France. Then when I got to her gallery I saw that she had two different paintings of the Eiffel Tower, and I said, 'hey, I have an Eiffel Tower too!' She said, 'I want it! Bring it in.' So I came home yesterday, finished off the sides, added a wire and varnished it, and made a second trip later in the afternoon. Whew!

Now this morning I was having another learning curve to deal with. While on my trip I shot all my digital prints in RAW. Now there's a subject for you! I have already loaded the Canon T2i's program for photo editing/uploading/filing, etc. I'm not going into detail here today - I haven't had time to really read thru all the process to deal with these types of files. I did get them uploaded and into folders so I could clear off a memory disk - that's all I wanted to get accomplished today. I uploaded Florence, Italy and Barcelona, Spain digital photos.

I'm sharing a picture of one of the many mimes we saw on the streets of Barcelona, namely the main drag for tourists: La Rambla. This mime is Medusa. I have to say these guys go all out for their costumes. It was hot and humid and to think they can sit there so still (without passing out!) in the heat of the day is amazing. When you give them money, that's when they move! It can be scary too! I'll share more mimes later.

Back to Business!

2011-10-07T15:46:00.000-07:00

I hope you haven't given up on me - for you who have come to read my blog this year. I am back from a loooong cruise of the Mediterranean and what a vacation that was! Almost too long however. We had great weather, very, very warm, and only one day where it slightly dropped a few droplets of refreshing rain! ;) I am so tired of lugging around my canvas bag holding my two precious cameras and lenses. Wholly Toledo. I'm getting too old for this!

The cruise was great in that we always had a fairly cushy bed to come back to on the ship, the beds were turned down, with a chocolate laying on the covers for us, with a cute little towel animal of varied species each night. The entertainment was great, the food was scrumptious, the cruise staff were polite and kind and ready to please. The only bad thing that I can think of is that you are on a 'timed' agenda for the day for each port that you come into. Of course you want to see what each country has to offer, but you only have so much time to do it in. So that means, transporting from the ship to shore (at some docks), riding a bus or train to your desired destination (in some cases we were lucky and we could just walk within the town), and then when you get to your destination you only have so much time before you have to turn around and make sure you get back on the ship before it leaves for the night! But it was a great opportunity to see where I would like to return for a longer stay sometime. I would definitely go back to Italy to visit the Tuscany area, and from my previous travels to France, I would definitely go back to the eastern portion of France to their wine countryside - I think they call it the champagne region if I remember correctly.

So I am home with over 1,500 digital shots, and 11 rolls of TMAX B&W 36 exposure, and I ran out of film after Florence, and for some strange reason I felt a huge weight lifted from my shoulders!! ;) Now I only had to carry one camera and just switch over to 'P' for my programmed B&W feature! Hah! It was great. Last night I started showing my husband the digital pics on the TV. He really liked them. We'll do more tonite.

I'll post more soon with pictures - just not today as I have been busy getting back to some normalcy around here. Chica my dog sure missed me. She has been by my side all day and couldn't stop kissing me when I got home yesterday. Aaawww. She is just too cute!

Sales and more Sales!

2011-09-14T08:45:00.000-07:00

Saturday when I went in to High Hand Gallery to work I found out someone bought my Empire Mine Staircase gelatin silver print! And then that day a gentleman and his fiancee came in and bought one of my Bodie Ghost Town framed piece - that's two framed prints. And if that wasn't enough, I received a call from the gallery yesterday that my photo transfer of "Rodin's Re-do" sold!! Wow! But you know, that's how it goes in the art world. It goes in spurts and it goes by artist. One artist will have a great week, then it moves on to another artist. It's crazy like that! Luckily on Sunday I took in a couple of framed replacement pieces just for times like this! ; ) Who knew??

I am finally done with running errands for the household and baking goodies for my husband for when I'm gone to Europe. Today I am taking care of a little paperwork and then I am going to start packing!! I received my Global phone on Monday and took it in to Verizon to put it together. I didn't want to even have to think about that one.

I still have some photos to upload from my camera to my PC of High Hand Gallery and then I should be done with all my responsibilities.

Matting & Framing

2011-09-09T12:41:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a chaotic zoo! I was running around like a nut, spinning my wheels, and really not getting anywhere. Sometimes when you try too hard, it just doesn't work. Well, it wasn't a complete failure. After spending too much time at the High Hand Gallery taking pictures of the new artwork for Facebook, I then headed out to the mall looking for a frame for a 16x20 black and white picture titled 'Bryce Canyon Floor'. I ended up coming home and just using a frame I already had - still in the package. I think it looks just fine too. The photographic image I've had printed for some time now, and I wanted to do something to it to make it even better. So I hand tinted with water color pens specifically for RC and FB papers. I hand colored the mountain range that ran right thru the middle of the image. It is a pale ochre (light tan-ish yellow). Then I cut a mat that was about the same shade! Just happened to have it! I also changed out the glass for non-glare and voila! Instant jaw dropper! So now I had two pieces to take to the Blue Moon Gallery for the next month's show. The other piece is the photo transfer of the rose that I previously posted.

I got all this done by 2:30 p.m., packed up the two framed pieces, and again headed down to the Sacramento valley which is a good 45 minute drive. And it has been really hot here. At first the gallery owner wasn't sure if she would have room for the large B&W piece, but then she decided to keep it and hopefully will hang it for this weekend - tomorrow nite!

Today I was busy uploading and resizing photos for the High Hand Gallery's Facebook page. Got those done and posted! Now I have other things to do and it's not in the studio.

Photo Transfers

2011-09-07T09:46:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I worked on framing another completed photo transfer. It is one of a rose bush my husband and I purchased in memory of my brother Joey. It's called "Just Joey". The rose is a beautiful peach/pink color. The finalized transfer / water color image is more of a deeper peach - verging on orange. I just happened to have a frame in stock that is silver and black, thin wood frame with a mat, and I added a second mat around the actual painting. The frame was a perfect match for it! I've posted the original photo and the painting. And I just want to say this is NOT how you photograph artwork. I photographed it already framed, and that's a definite no-no.

Today I need to head out and pick up another frame for the other transfer. Hopefully, I can get this completed to get on over to the Blue Moon Gallery to trade out two gelatin silver prints that have been there (and not sold!) since February of this year. Bummer. That particular gallery is geared more to the painters of the art world. Those are the types of artwork that sell there. So, hence the change out!

I haven't made it into the darkroom yet - I have so much to do before I leave on my European trip! I did purchase an external hard drive, loaded it, and have been painstakingly dealing with the addition of the new program to my PC!! Ai, yi, yi!! If you know what I mean. My PC is 6 years old and that is apparently old in the fast world of technology. But I'm not upgrading! Not now.

I did hear from my sister-in-law in regards to the old negatives I scanned for her and put on disk. She loved them!!

Web Photography

2011-09-04T09:50:00.000-07:00

Today I'm on my way out to the High Hand Gallery to take a couple of framed photographic images to replace some I'm bringing home. BTW, I can't remember if I mentioned before that my photo transfers were juried in - so there's five new pieces of artwork for the next two months, too!

I'm also going to pick up a photo box from the client I'm photographing her candle products for the web. I tried yesterday taking the shots with just my tri-fold white cardboard easel, but that wasn't really working. I just didn't want to shell out $$ for the nylon photo box. It's hard to find them by themselves as I already have lighting equipment and tripods. So for now, I'm borrowing hers. In addition, I did go online and ended up at a photography school website for any pointers I may have overlooked, which I found out I was already on top of things for this one.

I did a previous photo shoot for this client for her website, and this time I need to shoot the photos in RAW, per her request. So this leads me to another subject that I am 'learning' about. Number one, they say shooting in RAW is the best way to shoot digital as it maintains the true colors of the subject matter. However, one should save them as JPEGs, but also keep the original RAW files for future use without manipulations that you may end up making to them. So the problem is STORAGE SPACE! I shot my Bodie and Yosemite pics in RAW. I still haven't uploaded them as I'm thinking I need another type of offline storage system. And I just haven't had the time to get over to Best Buy and speak with someone, let alone purchase IT! I'd like to sound somewhat intelligent. It's just another 'thing' for me to take care of before my upcoming trip.

More Photo Transfers

2011-09-01T20:01:00.000-07:00

Once I got all my labels done for the gallery, I accidentally went back to the photo transfers - namely, finishing off the rose painting that was almost finished. That only took about another hour, and then all I know is the next minute I'm printing out another flower image on transfer paper and pressing it into the damp water color paper! I almost finished that one too last night. It's kind of strange to look at it - as it appears so much like the photo. It is a photo of a live lavender orchid I had at one time and it has a dark green ethereal background.

I had previously lucked out finding some pretty classy gold and antique silver frames on sale at Delta Mat & Moulding for the other photo transfers I did. Now I'll have to figure out more frames for these. I've never seen any frames of that sort at Aaron Bros. Speaking of those transfers, tomorrow I am taking them back to High Hand Gallery to have them juried in. I hope they get in. I would think they would make great holiday gifts as I am pricing them pretty reasonably!

Looks like this weekend is when I go back into the darkroom. I'll keep you posted.

120 and 220 Film

2011-08-31T09:47:00.000-07:00

The last two days I have been scanning in old negatives in sizes 120, and as I discovered 220 film format. That was a job in itself. Luckily I do have a small scanner, Epson 4490 Photo Scanner, which does the trick. I mainly bought it for 35 mm film negatives. Who knew I would one day use it for anything more?

The 120 equates to 2 1/4" x 2 1/4", or 6x6 cm. I learned that the larger frames, same width, was still medium format, but at 2 1/4" x 3 1/2" or 6x9 cm. That right there was a lesson in itself for me.

After I scanned in all four sets of negatives, I worked with them in Microsoft Image Editor, and from there, went into Photoshop Elements. I tried removing some of the dust particles, did some hand painting, and fixed some of the brightness, contrast, and/or exposure. Like I said these were pretty old and not in the best condition, but I think even for viewing family history it works. I did print some of the photographic images to see how they would come out - and the better ones look pretty good I must say. A lot of them, my husband hadn't seen before. Especially the ones of his parents probably when they were first married without any children!

Now that I have that project complete, I need to sit down and make out new title cards for the High Hand Gallery, as we have a new signage requirement.

35 mm Film

2011-08-26T12:06:00.000-07:00

My sister-in-law had some old negatives of the family she found and I offered to scan them in. I had asked her if they were 35mm and she said no and that she didn't think 35mm had been around 'back in the day'. Well, that got my curiosity up because I knew it had been around for a while. I don't profess to know everything - I'm always learning something new about photography to keep my interest up.

I did a search on the internet and 35mm film was introduced in 1892 by William Dickson and Thomas Edison (using film stock supplied by George Eastman)!! Wow! Thomas Edison - who knew?! It was mostly used for movie films. So it wasn't until 1934 that the 135 (35 mm) was introduced by Kodak in the 'cassette' specifically for still photography use. The cassette was engineered for 'daylight' loading into the camera. Prior to the cassette, photographers had to load the film into reusable cassettes. This new cassette was developed specifically so that it could be used in both Leica and Zeiss Ikon Contax cameras, as well as, the Kodak Retina camera for which it was invented.

So there's your little tidbit of 35 mm film history for the day. There's alot more out there if this has peaked your interest - the internet is just a click away!

It's Too Hot!!

2011-08-24T19:27:00.000-07:00

This is the third day and I haven't been in my studio working, other than to clean it up and read my emails!! I think the heat got to me and I was one lazy little girl yesterday. Today I at least went out and got some errands done for my upcoming trip in September. My sisters and I are going to Europe!!! We fly into Venice, Italy, and stay for a day and a half, then on to Dubrovnik, Croatia; Kerkira, Curfu, Greece; Argostoli, Cephalonia, Greece; Santorini, Greece; Catanaia, Sicily, Italy; scenic cruising thru the Strait of Messina; Naples, Italy; Civitaveccchi (Rome) Italy; Livorno (Florence/Pisa), Italy; and then to Barcelona, Spain for 2 nites.

I purchased a new canvas tote to carry both cameras for the trip, bought film, and I'd like to purchase another large San disk and then I should be ready photography- wise - I think. I still have another three and a half weeks - but it's getting here fast.

Tomorrow I need to can the last of the peppers from the garden and get that over with, and then I hope to get back into the dark room and get some Bodie and Yosemite prints done!

Kayaking

2011-08-20T19:19:00.000-07:00

I wasn't able to get the photography transfers juried in at High Hand Gallery. I misunderstood the directions, and so I will bring them back in on the first Friday of September.

I honestly have not done a whole lot in my studio the last couple of days. Had to work outside in the yard. Also on Thursday my husband and I took our granddaughter out kayaking! That was fun. She was quite the natural and she did quite well for her first time! We couldn't believe it. But I guess that's youth for you. That's her in the kayak!

I did receive my supplies Thursday that I ordered from Freestyle Photographic Supplies. One of the supplies were some coloring pens for hand-tinting black and white photographs. I practiced on some old RC prints I have stashed in a drawer. The pens will work on both RC paper and Fiber paper. At first I didn't think they were going to work - or that maybe I wasn't that good at hand coloring. However, once the ink dried they actually looked pretty cool.

Tonite I took my neighbor with me to High Hand Gallery for Third Saturday Reception. It was held supposedly in conjunction with the High Hand Nursery's Tomato Festival event. But apparently we missed the tomatoes!

Matting & Framing

2011-08-17T08:00:00.000-07:00

Two days ago I spent the afternoon cutting mats for the photography transfers, then cutting the non-glare glass and framing them out. Yesterday I finished up putting the paper backing on all five of the pictures and writing up the description of the transfer process (authenticity labels). This is what reads on the back:

"This original piece of artwork is "one of a kind". It originally starts out from a photo (either film or digital) and is printed onto transfer paper, then pressed onto 140 lb watercolor paper, and the ink is then worked on with water color brushes. Some pictures may have additional water colors added to enhance even more. The artwork has been matted with 4-ply museum quality mat board and non-glare glass. Avoid exposing the print to extreme heat or place on a heat bearing wall."

Today I will submit them for the jury process and hopefully they 'get in'! I don't see why not, but one never knows. I have one more transfer in the works which is a close up of a rose from the garden. My next gig will be to go back into the darkroom and work on more photos from Yosemite and Bodie Ghost Town.

I'm posting one of the black and white photo transfers so you can see the difference between the color and B&W transfers.

Back in the Darkroom

2011-08-12T13:32:00.000-07:00

After I worked for two days on the photography transfers, I went back into the darkroom developing some of the photos from Yosemite. There were five in a row of Half Dome that I started developing - got to the first two. These five film shots were taken pretty much in the middle of the day, so next round of developing I will need to do some dodging of the trees in the foreground. Or, maybe, just take out that portion and increase the skyline in the upper foreground. There is a shot of some faint lightening in the background in one of the pics.

Once I cleaned up in the darkroom, I couldn't help myself, and I found a recent photo of some roses I took that are in our backyard, and printed one out. Then I proceeded to work on that for a while. Of course dinner preparation got in the way of that. This time, however, I did tape off the sides with painters blue tape - the thin smooth one. I also picked up some more 140 lb water color paper. (I made a mistake the other day by stating I was using 130 lb paper, when it was 140 lb. Oops! Here's a sample of the original photo and the photo transfer so you can see the difference. I think on this one I didn't click hard enough on 'mirror image', so they're not exactly going the same direction.

I need to take an afternoon and cut some mats for the photo transfers so I can have them ready to get juried in on Wednesday. I think I better do that!

Photography Transfers

2011-08-10T08:57:00.000-07:00

Like I said before, I really hate to leave my studio!! The last two days I have been working on transfers. It's easy, it's addictive, and FUN! Yesterday, with the High Hand Gallery's theme for September " Autumn Glow" in mind, I pulled up some Autumn leaves type photos and printed one out and transferred it to watercolor paper. Then I proceeded to work with the ink and a paint brush. Then for added emphasis I added some additional color, not that much, to enhance what was already there. Needless to say I think it looks great. I wished I had taped it off, but I can mat it. It's just that I think it would have looked even better with a margin around the actual photographic transfer image and THEN the mat. The next one I did tape it off with artist's tape, but I basically ruined it because that tape isn't quite right - it's too much adhesive and it tore off the paper. I might have to go with the household blue tape for painters.

All in all, I've completed about 6 or 7 transfers. Some have the photographic image feel, and others are literally paintings. Now I just need to get juried in to see if I'm even going to be allowed to use them at High Hand Gallery. I ran out of 140 lb, cold press watercolor paper (smooth surface), so I'll have to make a run into the local art supplies store. I need to pick up a couple of square and round paint brushes too while I'm at it!

Toning and Transfers

2011-08-08T08:50:00.000-07:00

Yesterday and the night before I started playing around with photo transfers and then simultaneously with the Berg Brown/Copper Toning solution. First lets talk about the Toning process.

Mixing the toning solution is probably the hardest part of the whole process. The water needs to be between 65 & 70 degrees. I've gotten a little smarter on the water part and started refrigerating some to use in mixing my chemicals v. using ice to cool the mixtures AFTER they've been mixed. It's a lot easier. You mix Part A with Part B (by the way the mixture color isn't dark brown like I thought it would be, it's blue!) there can be some crystallized sediment and you will need to warm up the bottles to melt them. But in addition, there is also some stringy sediment floating around once you mix it and you will need to strain the solution before you use it. That's what took so long. It kept clogging up my funnel strainer and it probably took about 15 minutes to get it done.

I made the test strips with various times: 30 seconds, 2 minutes, 6 minutes, 8 minutes, and 15 minutes, as well as a full image. I was going for the so-called 'copper' look. Well, it wasn't what I thought it was going to be. It's coppery-brown, but not metallic copper like I was thinking. However, I did like some of the results. I would probably stick with possibly 30 seconds and maybe even make it 45 seconds. That length of time is more of a very subtle sepia and still leaves some blacks/grays. I want to order some other toners, especially the selenium toner which adds to the life of your photographic image, as well as makes some of the blacks even blacker - so I hear. I'm not much into the blue toner.

On to the transfers. Instead of trying to come up with empty sheets of labels to use as the transfer paper, the instructions from Jill Enfield's Photo Imaging book said you could also use the dry mounting tissue protective sheets because they too are waxy. The first round using label sheets I was able to get one fairly good image. Using the dry mount sheets it got even better. BTW, I'm just using my old HP Office Jet because I don't want to ruin or clog up my Epson 2400. This is a great process for me because most transfers require Laser jet printers and I don't have one of those. I'm also having better results with 130 lb cold press water color paper. I tried different weights and types. You want a smooth surface for the transfer. I transferred some B&W photography as well as color. Also after the transfer you can take a wet paint brush and do some smoothing out of the image and/or add more water colors. I haven't had to add anything yet. I also made two of the same image and they came out different each time which is great! The same photo with two originals!

The only thing about both of these processes is that I don't want to leave my studio!! ; )

Darkroom Supplies

2011-08-07T08:42:00.000-07:00

Friday I felt like a squirrel out gathering my nuts for the winter! Translation: Buying supplies for my darkroom and studio. I'm finding that I will now have to purchase the ink for my Epson 2400 online most likely from Freestyle since the places I normally buy my supplies from in Sacramento are not carrying the ink anymore. I guess that would basically be easier for me anyway. I don't know what it was about the Epson 2400 it must have been a short-lived model because it seems to be left out of many printing conversations. I guess one of these days I'll have to replace it, but it's been a great printer for me and I've never had any issues. KNOCK ON WOOD!

I also bought a new camera bag for an upcoming trip to Europe. I needed one that would carry two cameras and accessories. I had seen a woman with a banana shaped sling bag recently. You could carry it on your back side, and then wehen you wanted to take a camera out, you could pull it around to the front of you, unzip it, and voila! I saw one and tried it out, however, it didn't have alot of padding so I could see me with a lot of bruises, and it could really only hold one camera. Nice thought though. So I found a canvas bag, with lots of padding, and the insides that the cameras go in actually pulls out as a bag, and you are left with a travel bag of sorts. So I got that one. That way I can also put my wallet in it and it too can sling to the back. It also has handles to carry like a heavy duty purse when my neck gets tired! ; ) The brand name is Giottos Group. I will try putting my cameras in it today and see how it feels. I haven't had time until now.

Darkroom Day

2011-08-04T15:28:00.000-07:00

Today I was able to stay in my studio without much interruption since my husband went fishing!! I worked on matting and framing a commissioned piece and that took me about an hour and a half, just because I kept getting flecks off the frame onto the matting and it took five tries to finally get it sealed without dust! Eeesh!

Then I mixed up some fresh chemicals as I was all out of Dektol or so I thought. Anyhoo, got that done and proceeded to make my five contact sheets for the film I developed the other day. Looks like I got some great shots of Bodie Ghost Town and Yosemite. I also worked on some digital prints for more cards and 5x7s for the High Hand Gallery.

I wanted to start on the using the copper toner process, but I need a couple more Datatainers to store it in, and possibly one more smaller developing tray just for the toner. I have a feeling it's gonna stain - hence it's own tray.

Here are a couple more pics. One of mountain climbers which is a very stark photo of the granite against the blue sky, and one of the sunset at Bridgeport!

Yosemite in Black and White

2011-08-03T15:58:00.000-07:00

Yesterday when I posted I was unable to add the photos right away to my blog for whatever reason?? My PC was scanning and/or the fact that we have satellite - take your pick! So I added them later in the day.

Yesterday I did get in the darkroom and developed the 5 rolls of film! Looks like I got some good ones - sweet! I already cut the negatives and put them in sleeves, so now I need to go back into the darkroom and make contact sheets. Some film photographers don't make contact sheets, but for me it's like a visual library. I don't have to guess or try to remember. So I'll do that next and go from there. And again I haven't worked with the brown/copper toner yet that I was talking about. We've just been busy - outside of my studio. But I already do have some prints I can try the toner out on. I will just need to soak them before I run them thru that process. (So many fun things to do, and so little time!) I would like to have something different to put into the High Hand Gallery for the holidays. If that is to happen, I need to present one for jurying first though.

When we went thru Yosemite last Friday, it was a gorgeous day for anyone to see - first time or not. There were happy little puffy clouds, blue skies, and later the thunder heads rolled in. We missed the actual rain and hail storm and we lucked out with the aftermath of bigger puffy, silver-lined clouds and great shadows with the sunshine. We must have stopped 20 times to get out and take photos and look thru the binoculars. It was a pretty awesome day to end our trip.

In the Darkroom!!

2011-08-02T12:08:00.000-07:00

We returned from a week's camping in Bridgeport, California. What a great trip that was. Because California has had so much rainfall this year it was so green and lush all along Highway 395 to our destination of Bridgeport. We chose that area because it was so close to a lot of places we wanted to visit: Devil's Post Pile, Mono Lake, Bodie Ghost Town, and Yosemite to name the bigger attractions! The weather was great although it ran the whole gamut from 40 degrees in the morning, warming up to 95+ in the afternoons and back down in the evenings. Needless to say we made several clothes changing - at least I did! And we gave BLOOD in Bridgeport. The mosquitoes were loving all the fresh blood in town! US!!

We really didn't have much down time as we were so busy checking out the sites! Rode our bikes one day into town and went to the Bridgeport Museum that is located in the Old School House. That had to be the BEST museum with the most memorabilia we had ever been to.

The main reason of the trip for me was going to see Bodie Ghost Town again. This time we went on the Stamping Mill Tour which is the best part of the whole Bodie State Park. The first time we visited Bodie, the tour wasn't open at the time. Today I'm posting a couple of color digital prints I took at Bodie.

Needless to say I have five rolls of film to develop: two from Oregon and three from Bodie and Yosemite. I just finished mixing the developing chemicals - that's my plan of attack for today for starters.

Brookings Kite Festival

2011-07-19T08:51:00.000-07:00

I wanted to share some more photos from the Kite Festival that we went to in Brookings, Oregon last Saturday. I took only my digital camera that morning since it was so drizzly. I had to keep it in my jacket and whip it out when I wanted to click off a shot. Maybe it's time I invest in a plastic camera jacket for both cameras.

My standard MO is that I don't manipulate my photos. I'm not saying there's not any room for improvement, it's just that I like the result of the photographic image to be what was actually seen by me. For instance, the one photo of the seagulls on the beach with the sunset mist that I posted yesterday, on that one I could have done a 'Levels auto fix', which I tried, however, it removes the 'mist' and it just looks like a more clear, stark photo of the beach at sunset, and that's not what I saw. The ethereal mist is what the photo is all about.

The black and whites I took that day at the kite festival came out mostly gray. But that's the way it was - it was misty and foggy - not clear. Now some of the B & W's were okay the way they were, some I used 'Levels auto fix', some it was a little contrast adjustment, and some needed an exposure adjustment, and some I made the adjustments manually. They weren't all the same, and sometimes none of the above did them any justice so I left those untouched.

As I mentioned, I also took a roll and a half of B&W film, so I'll need to develop those. Plus my son's been bugging me about developing the rest of his! He doesn't stay with the same film speed, so I've got to the change the timing every time for each single roll of film! I guess I'm just procrastinating on that one! Enjoy the photos today.

Brookings, Oregon

2011-07-18T15:57:00.000-07:00

Well I'm back! We went out of town on a week camping trip to Brookings, Oregon. When we planned the trip we thought we would be beating the heat here in Cool. However, it was low temperatures here. Oh, well! We had three sunny days with some happy little clouds, and then on Friday it was cloudy but dry, and on Saturday it was drizzly all day. Then it was a repeat on Sunday.

We had a great time walking down on the beach twice a day with our dog Chica. Cruised the town and checked out some galleries - not that many in town. Met some great folks in the RV park - one of the women was also a photographer who sometimes showed her work right there in Brookings. I carried my cameras down to the beach in Brookings Harbor. We also drove up to Gold Beach, and we also visited Harris State Beach a couple of times: one of them at sunset.

Read some more of my Canon T2i manual, and programmed it to also take B&W photos, so I could switch back and forth between black and white and color. However, I was also taking black and white film photography when we were there - always gotta do that!

On Saturday was the Kite Festival (that we didn't know was happening until we got in town) and that was a lot of fun. We thought it was just about keeping a kite up in the air, but no, it was more than that. They flew the kites to music! That's right, choreographed to music! Dancing kites! Sweet! We were there for a couple of hours in the morning and got soaked, but I did get some photos. We also had great clam chowder in a bread bowl - nice and hot and delicious I must say. Ron wanted to go ask the vendor for his recipe!

I just uploaded about 150 photos to my PC and am sharing some with you today. Before I left I ordered some books on alternative photography processes from Barnes & Noble. Received the big one titled "Alternative Photographic Processes" by Christopher James. Really am anxious to delve into that one!

Developing, Painting, Kayaking!!

2011-07-07T17:34:00.000-07:00

It's been a busy week to say the least and it's already Thursday. I painted some more on the acrylic Eiffel Tower at night. Maybe I'll share a photo of the painting. It's still a work in progress.

Also was in the darkroom developing some prints of negatives never developed on paper. Plus I am trying out the matt finish fiber base paper. I usually use the glossy, and it seems to show the blacks better, however, matt is alot of the time the preferred for museum quality, blah, blah, blah. I love the feel of the matt finish. The first negative in particular that I was developing was a small cypress in the fog. After I got the timing down, unfortunately there is either a twig or something in the negative that I am still unable to 'see' even with the aide of the light box, that is just too distracting for my taste. If I can see, someone else is going to see it. But it was pretty awesome. I have some others I can try too.

Then yesterday afternoon I had an appointment to do some 'product web shots' for a fellow candle artist. It was fun working with her down at the High Hand Gallery in the 'sheds' even if it was hotter than you know what! That took about 4 hrs including driving time. I set up a tri-fold back drop and draped it with an off white material for the background, and set up the lights and umbrellas. The lights were an added heater to say the least!

Then this morning my hubby and I went out kayaking. It was the first time for me in a long time. He built his kayak - Chesapeake Light Craft kit - and of course everyone wants to come over and admire his work of art, which it most definitely is. So it was a great day!

Happy 4th of July Weekend!

2011-07-03T09:12:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you, but this is a pretty hot weekend here in California. I took the dog out and it's already boiling!

Yesterday I worked on sorting out some framed photographic images. It's time to change out the artwork at the High Hand Gallery tomorrow. So I picked out a few more, and then cut a mat (because I still haven't cut any) for an 8x10 darkroom print of the Empire Mine Staircase. I had recently purchased on sale an antique looking frame and so it goes rather well with the print.

I would like to get to the point where all I display are gelatin silver prints. It's just that I have so many prints either developed by labs or digitally printed that I want to deplete that stock first. So I've been putting these matted prints out there at relatively reduced prices.

I finally broke down and started using my air conditioner out here in the studio, as it gets pretty dang hot and with the chemicals I need to keep this place cool. I hate using it because it jacks up our electric bill! And it was supposed to be an energy saving air conditioner. What country did that apply to??

This week my plan is to contact a couple of local establishments to see about hanging my artwork in. There is a local restaurant that allows artists to hang their work there, and some of my friends have said they've had sales there. So that's one, and then I plan on going over to another gallery that everyone raves about: Blue Line in Roseville.

Berg Brown and Copper Toning Solution

2011-06-30T08:26:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I pretty much laid low which is hard for me to do I must say. I watched a couple of movies, but in between I came out to my studio to do SOMETHING! Since I had a short range of motion with my head without getting really dizzy or nauseous, I could at least look straight ahead. So I sat at my PC and wrote out the process for the Brown/Copper Toner that I recently purchased. In regards to that process, you just develop a print in your normal fashion, then place the washed print in the toning solution for the desired length of time for the effect you want, wash one more time and dry at room temperature. Here is the scale for the 'effects':

Warm Tone - 5 - 30 mins.
Brown Tone - 1/2 to 2 mins.
Sepia Tone - 2 to 6 mins.
Flesh Tone - 6 to 8 mins.
Metallic Copper - 6 - 15 mins. or longer.

I'm going for the metallic copper effect first! Go for the dramatic one and try out the others later.

I also came back to my studio later in the evening and worked on an acrylic painting I've had sitting here since March. It's one of the Eiffel Tower I painted from a calendar. Being able to paint worked because I could sit and paint and look straight ahead. All I wanted to do was to add some modeling paste to build up the clouds and Eiffel Tower and paint out some stuff in the foreground that really didn't turn out. I will probably work a little more on that today. I'm actually feeling a little better, I have more range of motion for my head without getting too dizzy!

Darkroom Results

2011-06-29T07:52:00.000-07:00

Mixing chemicals in the summertime isn't as easy as it is in the wintertime. The water isn't as cool (68 degrees for developing, stop, fixing - and of course the washes at least under 75 degrees for TMAX film). So then you have to sit the chemicals in another container with ice and water in it to cool it down. The chemical mixing took me about half an hour to get it right.

I started out printing the Empire Mine Staircase picture that I posted a couple of weeks ago, only this time at 11x14 size. That only took one try and it came out beautiful I must say. The second image was from Canyon de Chelly which was a dead tree on the valley floor, which had never been developed before. It took about four tries to get that one where I liked it. By that time it was just about dinnertime so I thought I would pack it up - put the chemicals back in air tight containers. Well, I must have been tired as I had the fixer on the edge of the counter as I balanced it and bent down my head which brushed the tray and 'voila!' it spilled all over the top of my head! I finished up real quick and went and took a shower.

I am not posting a photo today, as I woke up in the middle of the night with vertigo. And again this morning it was there. So I'm trying to make this quick and wait for my hubby to wake up so he can go get me some Dramamine! I've had this a couple times before about 20 years ago, and it is NOT fun! Hope it goes away quickly!!

Darkroom Day

2011-06-28T10:12:00.000-07:00

Company has come and gone, garden has been taken care of, chores done, so now I am going back into the darkroom! My goal is to print negatives that were either my favorites or ones that have never been printed before. I want to increase my inventory on hand so that I have photographic images to 'select' from for upcoming months and shows.

Yesterday I did stop by the local acrylic shop (Tap Plastics). I'm looking for another way to display my matted smaller prints. Currently they are in baskets, which is okay, but if I had them displayed in a 'clear' container it wouldn't take away from the image itself, and hopefully draw in the eyes of the beholders! Well, can you believe they wanted almost $100 for two silly acrylic boxes!!??! I received a much lower quote from the display company for glass boxes! She said it takes them almost an hour to make a box! Well, something is wrong right there! My husband and I worked on an acrylic reptile cage for my son and it was huge!! It wasn't THAT hard.

Getting back in the darkroom is the plan for today and I'll let you know how everything goes!

Lenswork and Art Criticism

2011-06-23T10:30:00.000-07:00

I've been reading through some of the LensWork magazines my friend sent me. One particular issue had some pretty interesting interviews with various photographers - most I did not know. It's intriguing to hear what makes photographers pick up a camera in the first place. Remember, this is black and white photography, as in film.

Some photographers' inspiration and drive is to depict: their 'secrets', their own doubts - ??, that the photographic image contains 'dignity', another spoke of how he is totally consumed in the act of photographing that he loses all sense of time (I can totally relate to that one!), and then there's the photographer snob whose initials are Lord Snowden, who is just too full of himself to even say what he said (why pick up a camera Dude?), and then my fave was the statement from Elliott Erwitt, who I have no idea who he is - yet, who stated, "Good photography is not about Zone Printing or any other Ansel Adams nonsense. It's just about seeing. You either see or you don't see. The rest if academic. Photography is simply a function of noticing things. Nothing more."

I don't know if I agree with his irreverence to Ansel, but I'm thinking Elliott is not technical. Neither am I. I have people come up to me and say, so what did you shoot this at? Like I'm going to remember what settings I shoot every photographic image at?? I just say, 'So do you like it? Does it move you? Does it say something to you or evoke a feeling or a memory?' Then there you have it!

Photography Magazines

2011-06-20T21:29:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I worked at the High Hand Gallery which was Father's Day. We had our second day of the ArtFest going on. There were 15 artists performing live demonstrations of their particular medium. It was pretty busy inside the gallery as well. I took photos again of the ArtFest and this morning posted them on the High Hand Gallery's FB page. Plus the spell has been broken, in that I have sold a couple of larger pieces at the gallery and that's always a good incentive!

Today I received a package from a dear friend of mine in Washington state, who said he was going to send me a box of old black and white photography magazines. He didn't want to throw them away and he knew I would just LOVE to have them! I got about five copies of Lenswork magazine (from 2001 - 2004 editions); about 10 B&W Magazine copies, which I used to subscribe to but it's so pricey and they are online now too; about a dozen copies of Aperture publications; and a stack of miscellaneous photography magazines. They've already inspired me and I set up a back drop for some still life shots of roses in a vase that I had from the garden. I took some black and whites and some color digital shots. That was fun!

My mantra is to create in the field of photography in some way shape or form each day!! No matter how big or small to keep the vision alive!

Bodega Bay Para Sailers

2011-06-18T07:57:00.000-07:00

The last four days we went camping at Doran Beach in Bodega Bay. The first day and evening we had gale force winds! Yikes. But the rest of our stay was sunny, just a little breezy, and clear nights. A little fog bank would roll by in the mornings, but never came inland. We took our bikes and went for rides with our friends and a couple times with the grand kids. Went for walks on the beach and our dog Chica really loved the ocean - her first experience. She hated the kites though!

We also went into town to check out the three galleries there that we like. The Local Color Gallery had a new digital photographer who had a couple of his photographic images printed onto metal. He gave me the website of the company that does it, MagnaChrome.com. The image is infused into and not onto the special coating, has an archival value and durability, are scratch resistant and waterproof, and have a high gloss finish. They talk about the 'color' being vivid - I'm curious about what it would do with black and whites. I'm wondering if it would have the same effect as printing on metallic paper. I'll have to email the company and find out.

In the evenings at Bodega the winds would come up across the inland bay and then the people on para sails would come out on the bay. I don't know the technical lingo here, so bear with me. They would start out the small surfboard, let the wind catch the sail while the board is attached to their feet, come off the water, and some would do flips and land again. It was pretty crazy to watch. Obviously a 'young' sport!

Collaboration of Artists

2011-06-12T13:57:00.000-07:00

I truly enjoy working at the gallery with the other artists. It's great to bounce off ideas with others who see things differently. You can come up with some great ideas, makes you think outside of your own box! I guess we all tend to stay within our safe confines of doing what we always do. So it is definitely a good thing to get one's self out of that rut, so to speak.

I worked last Thursday at High Hand Gallery with another artist, Kim, who makes jewelry out of actual 'hardware' pieces (i.e., washers, lock nuts, chain, etc.) and it looks fabulous. And Thursday was her day for sales. It just seemed as though people would walk in and head straight to her jewelry. She also makes artwork out of discarded computer pieces incorporating them into a picture with some visual effects (photos) manipulated on the computer. She is also a 'teaching artist' working at various schools who receive grants for art. So she was bouncing off ideas for me that I could possibly do. Toning my Black and Whites is something I'm anxious to try out for one, and possibly layering of multiple photos as she had suggested for me.

There are so many options to experiment with: papers, toners, transfers - I hope I have enough time for all of them!

More Supplies

2011-06-07T09:12:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I headed out to Sacramento for lunch with my friend Rochelle. Her daughter recently got married and I took photos at her wedding. I wasn't the official photographer, though they had asked, I just don't want that responsibility. I had made them as a gift, a DVD of photos related to just the marriage portion of their wedding: walking down the aisle, the ceremony, the attendants, leaving the wedding, the first dance, the cake, the bouquet and garter throwing portions. They loved it, and even mentioned that they liked my photos better than the official. So yesterday Rochelle needed one more DVD for the mother-in-law. I made it at Walgreen's!! If you're a budding photographer, or if you want to make a DVD from an 'event', that's the place to go. All you do is select the photos in the order sequence, select the music, and the kiosk does the rest! It came out beautiful - unbelievable.

I also made a trip over to Delta Mat & Moulding for some mat board that I was completely out of. They had some really nice gold frames for sale. I ended up buying five of them for a project I am planning on doing. Making small B&W prints and these frames were 11x14, which would be perfect for them. For some reason small is sometimes better than large for sales at the gallery. It's more affordable for art lovers who don't have a lot of money.

Back to Photography Business

2011-06-06T09:40:00.000-07:00

Okay, who did the Indian Rain Dance? I want names, numbers!! Egads, it poured all night long! I hope my veggies didn't sink in and the gophers got 'em! So it's supposed to clear up after today. Today is 'supposed' to be 70, and by the end of the week 85. Time will tell.

So I finally got back in the darkroom. I mentioned that I had developed two rolls of film, however, I didn't print any of those - yet. I was on a mission on finding negatives that had not been printed by me in the darkroom. Yesterday I got all my chemicals mixed and poured and ended up printing out three 8x10s of one of my top favorites of all time: The Empire Mine Staircase. I made three prints at different exposure times which I could probably do another one and increase some of the dodging on some of the dark areas and lighten it up even more. But I liked the darker vesion, as it really makes the little girl in the white dress running up the stairs 'pop' out! Hhhhhmmmm. The one I'm posting here is not the print from the darkroom, just a digital one I had on file.

I was looking for one set of negatives yesterday for a particular photographic image I took in the SF Golden Gate Park Conservatory. So that was a little bit of an hour side track. I ended up organizing even more some of the photo boxes as they were not in order by year and the tagging was much to be desired. I never found the one I was looking for, but I was thinking: what would happen to or who would even want all these boxes of photos that I have arranged by year. What about my artwork?? Oh, well, I guess I better just make the most of it while I'm here. I told my husband, if people come to my funeral, there are enough prints for everyone - they could even have two!! ; )

I also did a lot of reading up on alternative processes over the weekend. I placed an order with Freestyle for some Brown/Copper Toning chemical to try out. Something different!

Rain, Rain, Go Away!

2011-06-02T12:48:00.000-07:00

So last night it continued to rain, I mean, POUR, and pour it did! This is crazy weather. How the heck are my vegetables going to grow??

Yesterday afternoon I went into the darkroom to develop two rolls of film from our camping trip and from my outing yesterday morning. I might as well have had both hands tied behind my back and tried to develop the film with my teeth!! Egads! What a start! Usually I can load the film onto the reels in 4 minutes. Not so yesterday, it took me almost a half hour to load 2 rolls of film. Crazy - no, frustrating. Must be the weather! ;) I think the results were good. I checked out the negatives with the light box and I see some pretty good ones in there. I need to make a contact print of the negatives and go from there.

I have two enlargers. I've been using the Beseler dichroic color head enlarger. The other one is a Vivitar that I've actually never used. I may have to try that one out. Might be a small learning curve, but it's strictly for B&W developing. Something else for me to work on.

I'm cleaning up around here at the same time. So now I'm going to spend a little time cutting mats, that way I'll know what else I may need in that regard, as I see I'm going to need some more chemicals for developing too. Boy, those supplies went fast!

Summer? Wherefore art thou?

2011-06-01T12:38:00.000-07:00

It's June 1st and it's still raining, hailing up here in the foothills. Some sunshine streaming thru now and then. I went out this morning with both cameras (film and digital) after watching the fabulous dark and light gray clouds go by. I couldn't stand it any more so I grabbed the cameras and the dog and drove down to the No Hands Bridge. Quite a while ago, I had gone into the art supply store in town and saw another photographer's handiwork - he caught the No Hands Bridge in a tremendous storm and I've been envious ever since! I want to capture some of that action too!!

I clicked off some shots with the film camera of the NO Hands Bridge, the Forest Hill Bridge, and the North Fork of the American River with some great clouds overhead. Then I drove back into town and took the dog for a walk behind the fire station with the hopes of capturing some of the large oaks and the fabulous clouds. Well, I forgot that I had taken out the SD disk the day before and hadn't returned it to the camera - it was back in the car! Dangit!! I'm an idiot! So that was my morning. Now I'm going to go in the darkroom this afternoon. I'll have 2 rolls of film to develop and see what I captured!

Memorial Day

2011-05-30T14:07:00.000-07:00

I'm having a hard time trying to get back in the groove. I need to go back into the darkroom, I am in dire need of mats, and I need to make additional cards and smaller prints for the gallery, which means digital printing...I think what I need to do is put some Louie Prima in and get going! I used to put in a Louie Prima CD whenever I was doing housework - it makes you go really fast! Very motivational. So I think that's what I will do and get going here.

I hope you are having a great Memorial Day Weekend. My Dad, Bill Jackson, a Korean War veteran, was a devout supporter of veterans for many years, and continued to do so until the day he passed away in the hospital which was just before Veterans Day. Just to give you an idea of what his life consisted of, this is an excerpt from a fellow 'brother' who wrote, "...On Flag Day, Memorial Day, Fourth of July, and Armistice Day, Brother Bill will perform four or five ceremonies for the occasion. He and the Color Guard, rifleman and the bugler from the American Legion will perform at any service when they are asked. In the last five months he has participated in over 45 events, covering more than 5,000 miles which has taken some 400 hours of his time. And what does he ask in return? Just that if someone in need asks for your help, that you give it to him."

I was perusing thru his paper memoirs and found one of his scribbled notes on an envelope for an upcoming military ceremony. It reads in part, "...It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us - that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave their last full measure of devotion - that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain - that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom and that the government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the Earth."

Samuel P. Taylor Campground

2011-05-26T08:34:00.000-07:00

Well the Artful Bra III show was a success and it's over and I was done to say the least! ;) We left town on a spur of the moment with our friends Sheila & Jerry and headed out to the Samuel P. Taylor State Park. We were so impressed - it's the most beautiful campground we'd ever been too so far. Lush grounds with huge redwoods and oaks. Samuel Taylor was from back east I think Minnesota or Missouri, came out to California to strike it rich with gold, did just that and started up a lumber mill. It campsite is located about 12+ miles to Point Reyes and the beach area. We had great weather until the morning we left and then it poured from there all the way home! So we picked two perfect days to go.

I finally had picked up my two film Minolta's (SRT 201) that had been in the shop and loaded one with film, and also took my Canon T2i with me. Spent a little time figuring out the manual settings on the digital. Digital cameras as probably you all know, when you put it on manual you get a picture that is somewhat 'perfect' - in other words the whole thing is lightened and doesn't really depict what is actually there. Learning to use it in the manual mode you capture the scene with the actual shadows and lighting. This photo I'm posting was taken on our way out while it was raining.

Artful Bra III Show

2011-05-20T07:18:00.000-07:00

Well the work is still going but there is light at the end of the tunnel! There has to be because the show is this Saturday!! Yesterday I went down to High Hand Gallery and took all the bid sheets down that have the photo on each one identifying the entrant, and also, the little title sheets to be tacked up to the wall next to the bras/artwork.

I ended up making a bra myself at the last minute dedicated to my friend Joy who just went thru reconstructive surgery, and also dedicated to a friend who went thru breast cancer treatment several years ago and survived, as well as my sister-in-law Nancy who is a cancer survivor as recent as a year and a half ago.

I titled it, "Woman Reconstructed" and made it out of a bra - one cup covered in sliced corks, the other in clear glass beads, outlined with gold/black binding. I sprayed a cloth hanger and then added some shiny gold netting around it.

Last night I stayed up to finish the program and spread sheet. The program came out pretty nice. Thank goodness I had my husband proof it - I had the cover sheet on the wrong end of the page! It's a 2 fold sheet, so there will be some back to back copying to be done. Here's my bra!

Artful Bra III Show

2011-05-13T15:29:00.000-07:00

I've been really busy on the computer resizing photos from my camera, then creating bid sheets with the entry photo on it, and then uploading to Facebook for the High Hand Gallery!! I mean, I don't even upload these many photos to FB!! I'm only half done on that chore. Then I have a spreadsheet to do...and do...and do. ; ) But I guess I'm having fun!

I did sneak out to the garden this morning and finished planting another pony pack of walla walla onions! Gotta have those in my garden. Everything is in bloom out there and I just love walking around. We need to get busy and start entertaining - life is just too short for everything you want to do.

I can't really post any photos since they're not my property, but you can go check the first day's entries at: https://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/ArtfulBraShow

Barstow Weekend

2011-05-09T12:03:00.000-07:00

The last four days we were in Barstow, California, for my brother-in-law's memorial. The weather was at least sunny and not so hot which made it quite pleasant. However, there was the wind and we just couldn't remember if this was the month for wind, or whether it was always windy in Barstow. Bring out the allergy meds!! I didn't take any 'scenic' photos except for on our way out of the desert floor up thru the Tehachapi mountains. As you can see they have oaks in them thar hills and I have stopped and taken photos in this area before. I took these on the fly as my husband was driving. It was a beautiful ride I must say.

So now it's back into the art world and tonite is a general meeting at High Hand Gallery. Then for the next two days I will be onsite at the gallery photographing the entries, as they arrive, for the Artful Bra III Show & Auction, which is scheduled for Saturday, May 21st. That date is also our Third Saturday Show which is featuring Kim Grace (mixed media/jewelry); Anne Bradley (mixed media/painting), Unni Stevens (painting), and Jay Malone (jewelry).

Photographing Plein Air Artists

2011-05-03T08:37:00.000-07:00

Sunday was a great day weather wise with just maybe a little too much 'breeze', but the artists were having a great time. The High Hand Nursery is a great place to paint and/or photograph because of all the lush plants they have on the grounds. Plus they have archways and statues. It would also be a great place to photograph portraits. Just an idea if you live here locally.

I took numerous photographs of the ten entries as they were painting. I don't normally do this type of photography, but it's part of my duties at the High Hand Gallery. So in this instance, because of the time - middle of the day - and the shadows that the trees and shrubs cast, I used my larger flash attachment. I think I got some fairly good shots for the High Hand Gallery Facebook page. I immediately came home and uploaded them to the page, which isn't an easy feat because we have satellite. But it went pretty fast for some strange reason. The picture I decided on to post here, is of one artist painting another artist.

Monday I was busy finishing up getting my photos ready for the gallery. The artwork gets changed out every two months. This round I went with 'trees'. I have numerous photograhic images of trees in various locations of the country: New York City, Carmel and Point Lobos, Oregon, etc., to choose from. I just had to frame them and cut one mat. I delivered them to the gallery yesterday.

Photographing Plein Air Painting

2011-04-30T09:40:00.000-07:00

This afternoon I am heading down to the High Hand Gallery in Loomis to photograph the Plein Air Painting event. Artists were invited to participate painting in the fruit sheds which also coincides with the Iris Festival. Since I am the official photographer for the High Hand Gallery, it's upon me to capture these events and place on the High Hand Facebook page! You can find our page under High Hand Gallery, naturally. In a couple of weeks, we will be receiving entries for the Artful Bra III show, which is a fundraiser benefitting the American Cancer Society. Again, I will be photographing all the entries for two days. But more about that later.

Secondly, I have to get busy and select the photos that I will be hanging in the High Hand Gallery for the upcoming next two months. I kind of have an idea that the photographic images will be ones I already have framed that haven't been shown at High Hand yet. Today's going to be a busy day!!

Day of Excitement

2011-04-29T09:04:00.000-07:00

I subscribe to Freestyle Photographic Supplies magazine and also order from them. For some reason, yesterday I received the magazine and was totally rejuvenated artistically!! I don't think anything changed in their format, but for some reason all the various photographic processes intrigued me. I'm stoked! So much that I can hardly wait to order from them. Right on the front cover is a platinum over gold leaf photo that I am really wanting to try that process! Another thing is I've never used a Holga camera. The images come out with a softness and vignetting, and apparently the 'light leaks' in this camera create an intriguing result to the photographic images. And then there's Lith printing that looks even more intriguing. I remember in one of my classes, one 'kid' was developing a print with a paint brush, so only the parts that he touched were developed leaving uneven edges and I thought wow that looks like fun! You know, work outside the box!

And I think I found the perfect graduation present for my granddaughter! Fujifilm Instax Mini 7S Instant Print film camera. It's like a Polaroid with 2.13 x 3.4" images! Heck, I might even buy me one! That looks like fun. I'm still excited, but I've got to get busy. Just wanted to share all of this with you. Also, if you don't subscribe to the magazine, you can always go online at: www.freestylephoto.biz.

Day before, I spent some time cutting some much needed mats for prints to take to the gallery. What I need to do is spend a whole day cutting mats so that I have some on hand in times of emergency or when I just don't feel like doing it. Cutting mats can be very soothing - just put on some great music and cut away!

Bodega Bay Cypress

2011-04-24T13:23:00.000-07:00

I've been away having some fun with family this past week. What a blast! My son and his family came out to Bodega Bay and so the rest of family all drove out to them which was a great idea. My sons took my husband and I clamming which was a first for both us. Well, I watched and took pictures since I didn't have a fishing license. It was windy but sunny and if you've never been clamming you are in for a treat! My son Mitch really gets into whatever he does - I mean pretty much laying down and digging the hole to find the goose neck clams! We even got some Washington clams which have a smaller neck but just as tasty.

I was able to go for a short drive by myself and my cameras while the 'boys' went fishing at Tomales Bay. My son Mitch caught not one, but two sting rays. He kept one but let the other one go. And I was able to capture some cypress with my digital camera. My film cameras are both currently in the shop getting fine tuned. We had one sunny day - a little windy, but still a great day. Hey, what day isn't great. It's all about making the most of every single one!

B&W Prints

2011-04-18T10:03:00.000-07:00

Sunday I worked at High Hand Gallery - all day. At least it's not so freezing cold in there. Me with my 'warmer' body due to age appreciates a little cooler weather, so we didn't have to light the heater. It was fairly busy on Sunday. The owner of the building is putting on a new 'Victorian' front to the gallery - the entrance within the sheds. This will allow the gallery to have two smaller rooms in the front, and then the whole gallery itself will be closed off from the fruit sheds, hopefully keeping the dust down. We'll just have to see how that works with the temperature of the inside of the gallery, once it's closed off.

A young 'just-married' couple of one day came in. They were perusing thru my black and white matted prints and found two that meant something to them personally. One was a B&W print of Latrobe Road looking thru a barb wire fence at a Valley Oak. They take that road fairly often for wine tasting. The other one was of a Carmel walkway from one of my Carmel series. They both said it was their best trip so far together! They also liked one of a surfer standing in front of 3 long boards in the early morning with the sun streaming through the cypress. So I gave them that one in card size as a congratulations on their marriage!

B & W Photographer Lewis W. Hine

2011-04-13T09:01:00.000-07:00

So I know you've probably seen those old photographs of the working men on a structural beam suspended in the air, right? Those were the works of Lewis W. Hine, homegrown in Wisconsin right here in the US of A. He was considered one of the 'fathers of investigative photojournalism' known for his portraits of immigrants on Ellis Island and especially of child workers in factories and coal mines. He, himself, worked in a factory for 13 hours a day, taking over for his father who died at an early age. He spent a large portion of his life fighting child labor.

He traveled through many of the states on the East Coast sometimes under the premise of a fire inspector in order to gain access to document the use of child labor, and used his photojournalism to expose the mistreatment and protect the children. He traveled to Europe to document war refugees for the American Red Cross. Not until the late 1980's were these photographic images identified as his in the Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

Getting back to the suspended photos, Lewis Hine took on the assignment of documenting the steelworkers building the Empire State Building. After that huge undertaking, he continued his pursuit of social documentary type themes.

When I was a young girl, though I was 'attracted' to photography, I didn't pursue that interest as it were. Looking back, I wished someone would have told me to follow my dreams. My sisters and I were encouraged, but more toward the business field in order to support ourselves, which was a good thing. But I guess I'll always wonder what I could or would have done if I'd pursued that one particular dream. It would have been a good time - the 60's - I mean I could have been a contender! I could have been Linda McCartney!!

Darkroom Day

2011-04-11T21:10:00.001-07:00

I was in the darkroom day before yesterday, and again today, finishing the last print of the iris. Now it's the same quality as the one I posted! I also printed out a rose that was among that B&W series of photos taken at the Sunset Garden somewhere in the bay area, can't remember for sure where. Then I also started some prints of oaks and I found one that wasn't visible as a 'viable' photo from the negative, but 'wow' after I printed it - it revealed great possibilities! I'm anxious to try that one at a larger size.

Also, just as an fyi, my original thermometer wasn't broken after all. So if you're in the darkroom and your thermometer accidentally gets submerged and filled with water, and the needle acts like it is stuck - try letting it dry out first, then maybe gently hit it against the counter too, and it may very well come back to life. Well, at least that's what mine did. So now I have two which is a good thing as I needed a backup!

I also went down to the camera store late this afternoon. Took in two Minolta SRT 201 bodies that I have that needed to be worked on. The felt in the first one was falling apart and it shows up on the mirror and eventually the photo; the second one I think it had gotten dropped and the shutter release button was stuck! I have four bodies of the 201, and two of the 101s. My original camera is now just a 'knick knack' of wonderful days gone by, and the others I've bought and/or friends have given me as they moved up to digital. I also looked for and found a 50 mm lens for the Minolta, as the one I have is still good, but not as clean as it used to be. This new one I bought was used, but in pretty pristine condition. I also have a 55mm lens that came with one of the SRT 101s, but it's made out of heavy metal and doesn't really have a good connection with the 201s. So, yeah, I'm keeping busy!

Darkroom Development

2011-04-05T08:18:00.000-07:00

I worked in the darkroom after dinner for a few hours. Set the room up before dinner with all the chemicals in the trays. I did not do a test strip. I don't always do one. I did in the beginning, but am thinking that once you become familiar with the settings you use to take the photographic image, then you know pretty much which way to go on the settings you will use for developing in the darkroom. At least that's what I am finding out. I keep a log out in the field when I'm exposing numerous rolls of film at a time (i.e., on a travel trip), but I don't always write down the settings.

I made three prints last night and will try a few more. I like what came out last night, but may try to make the background even more dark for emphasis. However, I don't want it too contrasty. Then I will move on to the negatives I have of the oaks in the area. The iris really isn't as dark as it is shown here - close though. This is the way I'd like it to be.

I just have to say that I love being in the darkroom. It's so scientific and so much fun. I'm thinking I need another clock, however, one with florescent hands and seconds. The one I have is white with black lettering and I can't see it that well in the dark for when I'm overlapping development times (processing two prints at the same time).

More Famous Photographers

2011-04-04T15:36:00.000-07:00

Josef Sudek was not only a photographer, but a poet as well. Now here's a man who spent his whole life in one city - Prague. He took alot of his photos within his own studio and documented simple subjects with light. So one doesn't have to travel the world extensively if you don't want to. What's even more mind boggling is the fact that he lost his right arm in World War I. He doesn't give up his passion for art; he perseveres and continues with his work his whole life. He was considered a "light painter": he documented changing light. One example was right in his own studio window, which goes to show you that there's art every where and in any 'thing'. You just make it happen.

Now here's a photographer who really caught my attention: Robert Hausser. I had never heard of him. He was born in Germany in 1924 and took his first photo at the age of 16. He used abstract titles for his photography, went thru an architectural period, as well as a realism period that sounded more macabre to me. However, what stood out the most to me was that he referred to his works as "photograhic images" so as not to be confused with just random snapshots!!! I like it! I'm going to start referring to my works of art as "photographic images". It actually encompasses the whole frame of what you have captured in just two words.

Now I am heading into the darkroom to start work on developing that iris I previously mentioned, as well as some other oaks from this area. I have several B&W floral photos. This is one of my first 'hits' with photography.

Organization

2011-04-02T20:38:00.000-07:00

Today my husband was able to help me put together some of the items I purchased last week from Ikea. First was the under the table slide out keyboard for my computer. That was pretty easy. Requiring a little more exertion was the CD tower I bought to house all my CDs - Hah! that's a laugh - that we put together and then he secured it to my wall shelving units. It actually looks like it's part of the shelving, however, I definitely could have used another one.

I had also purchased some additional storage boxes and so I ended up putting the remaining 40 or so CDs in those two boxes for now. And then housed my art magazines in the two of the flat matching boxes. Makes it look tidy! I really need to get rid of the futon I have in here. I mean I love it and it was a present to myself purchased with a tax refund some years ago, but I really need more space.

Later this afternoon we went down to Barnes & Noble and I bought a book titled, "50 Photographers You Should Know". I just read thru half of it and it was extremely interesting. It's a good idea to read up on your passion every now and then to get yourself 'motivated' or more like 're-inspired'. Now I want to go out and take some pictures of new places I haven't been. I really enjoy taking photos of people in their own environment. Every now and then I'll think about how and where to arrive at that certain place in order to capture what I'm imagining. I read about Robert Doiseneau and how he took photos of street life - alot of the time he arranged his photos but also as he put it, '...left the door open for whatever comes along'. He photographed street life of Paris day and night. And Brassai who was a night owl also took photos of the night life in the streets of Paris! How lucky can you get. And how come I wasn't born Dorothea Lange? Even though times today are somewhat of another depression, people have changed and it would be harder now to take photographs of people in dire straights. It just wouldn't be easy.

Darkroom Chemicals

2011-03-31T09:46:00.000-07:00

Today I'm mixing up a fresh batch of darkroom chemicals. The last batch was mixed in December or January. They are supposed to last for six months in closed containers, but I'm going to start fresh. Only two more days and it will be April and I've promised myself I would develop that iris picture, and there are numerous oak tree photos taken here in Cool that I have never developed - other than making contact sheets. There are some I took right after a storm and I have to say they're pretty awesome.

Yesterday I went shopping at Ikea and I bought some storage boxes for photos and other photography items. Trying to make the studio a little more tidy. I also purchased a keyboard tray to attach under the work space counter. I think I can get my hubby to install that for me.

If you've read my blog of late, then you'll remember that credit card issue with Light Impressions. My credit union has already credited my account and are still investigating the transaction. So it pays to fight for your rights, and in this case my coveted money.

One last mention of an upcoming show. My friend Janie is having an Open House for her Midtown Art, Meeting & Event Complex, as she has updated her spaces and has a new client, Fitness Rehab. Her mother Minta Ricketts is the featured artist (oils), and Mike Abbey, stained glass artist, as well as myself, photographer, will be on display. It is all part of Sacramento's Second Saturday Artwalk for April, from 5:00to 9:00 p.m. at 1925 U Street and 1924 T Street.

Matting & Framing & Painting

2011-03-29T09:19:00.000-07:00

So I got a little side tracked on Sunday late afternoon. I started an acrylic painting of the Eiffel Tower from a calendar picture I had saved. That wasn't the one I wanted to start with, but that's what came about. It's only the first layer basically, it is a work in progress. At first my husband was 'wow' that's great. Then later, 'hhmmm'.

Then on Friday I brought home the large framed photo of Banyon Roots (from my Hawaii in B&W Series) to repair. It gets so cold in the High Hand Gallery in the winter that it made the matting buckle at the top of the photo. So I took the picture apart, placed heavy objects on it for two days to flatten it. I also cut the 4-ply extra backing just a tad smaller, as that seemed to be too tight, possibly adding to the cause of the buckling. I put the whole thing back together and it looks good. Hope it stays that way. I'll drop it off today and re-hang it for the show. The gallery was closed yesterday so it was only out of the gallery for one day.

As an aside, Loomis is having their annual Iris Show, and the High Hand Nursery is joining in with that event displaying iris for sale. The artists at High Hand Gallery are bringing out their works of iris art too. I remembered I had a B&W photo I took years ago of an iris in the Sunset Magazine's Garden in the Bay Area. I'm going to develop that one in the darkroom just for the show.

Photography in Encaustic

2011-03-25T09:44:00.000-07:00

Here are photos of the two encaustic pieces my friend and I worked on. These are the ones I did, and she also has two. We will put these in the High Hand Gallery's Collaborative show later this summer.

Light Impressions! Anyone know or use this company?? I've ordered from them over the years - not that much, but never had a problem until this year. I don't even know why I'm giving them this space on my blog other than to spare others the hardship and stress and loss of money! I'll try to make this short: I ordered from them in January. Waited for the product - nothing after a week and a half. I call them, 'it's on back order for 3 months'. What? You weren't even going to send me an email to this effect?? I need these products! Give me my money back! It will take 10-14 days. 3 weeks later, no refund. I call again. Oh, I see you called, but the refund wasn't processed. GRRR! I'll process it today and have a supervisor call you. That's right, no phone call. I call again, two weeks later. She will definitely have the supervisor call me. No phone call. Now it's 2 1/2 months later no phone call, no refund, I call again. It will take 16 days for your refund - that's business days. Honey, it's been 2 months worth of business days. So I call again today, I'm in the waiting loop as it's called. While I'm waiting I get online and type in Light Impressions customer service...WHOA, NELLIE!! Look out!! The list goes on and on. Even the Better Business Bureau gives up on their quest to solve a problemo! So now I've called my bank to file a complaint against the company in hopes of getting my money back. I'll let you know how that goes. Light Impressions is off my list of suppliers. Buyers be ware!

Transient Keepsake Photography

2011-03-23T09:05:00.000-07:00

Bought the frame for my replacement photo for the Keepsake's show at High Hand. Normally I cut my own mats, but I went ahead and purchased a double mat for the giclee print I made of a new 'leaf' photo. I'll be putting that together this morning, as well as cutting a piece of non-glare glass for the frame. Here's a photo of the new leaf picture.

Yesterday I was still working on photography, but in a different medium: encaustic. A fellow artist and I joined forces for our collaborative show which is scheduled for later this summer. She works in encaustic which is beeswax and/or resin painting. Well, we wanted to incorporate the photography into the process as other artists do. You can look it up online and even watch videos of this process on YouTube. Most of the time Charlotte uses canvas, but one can use other mediums: acrylic panels, board, you name it. We ended up using acrylic panels - just small 8x8s. We printed out some of my color photos from my series of Monet's Garden in France, onto transfer paper called 'Sheer Heaven' from cre8it.com.

Then we painted two layers of beeswax onto the acrylic panel, heating it up with a commercial heat gun in between layers. While that was cooling, we sprayed the print with rubbing alcohol, turned the wet side to the rice paper and rubbed the back side of the transfer paper, transferring the photo onto the rice paper. It's different everytime! It's not necessarily a clear precise print, it's more muted and artistic looking. Then again coating the rice paper with another layer of wax, heating it with the heat gun. We also added some additional touches with oil sticks, making an abstract design over the transferred photo, and again another layer of beeswax. And voila! Another piece of artwork! That was alot of fun.

Gallery Life

2011-03-21T12:52:00.000-07:00

Trying hard to get back in the flow of life here at home. We've lost a dear family member, so it's going to take some time. In addition, we were in the middle of the kitchen remodel and that project is just about done too.

Last weekend at the High Hand Gallery was the Third Saturday Artists Reception and though the weather was storming with heavy rain, there were plenty of visitors. In addition there were three live artist demonstrations: Pauline Amerine drawing her fruit and vegetable with pastels; Ann Bowns painting a silk scarf; and Unni Stevens making block prints! So it was quite lively to say the least. We also had some live music for the evening - a gentleman was playing the electric guitar with some soothing sounds. And the really good news was that I sold one of my framed photos specifically hung for the 'Keepsakes' show titled, "Autumn Leaves". So that was pretty cool for moi! What that means now is that I need to replace it - PDQ!! I've already decided to frame another fall leaf theme type photo, and I'll need a frame for that too. And I need to do it tonite! So, I'm off to get that done and it's also raining again today.

Here's the picture that sold this weekend!

Raymond Bigelow

2011-03-15T09:54:00.001-07:00

It's been a very sad week as my husband Ron's twin brother Raymond passed away unexpectedly on Sunday. He had suffered a massive heart attack - cause unknown for now. He also leaves behind his sister Cheryl. One never expects death as we're busy living life, so when it does happen we are taken aback and return to the real life. Life is birth, living and dying. Raymond did alot of living. He raised his son, Jason, and they were best buddies. Ray had just moved to Florida the very first week in December to be closer to his son. So I guess this is where 'quality v. quantity' comes in. What better way to leave this world than to be living your dream.

Being a twin, however, makes the loss even greater I think. Ron was strong for his nephew, but when it was all said and done, it was his turn to mourn the loss of his brother and friend. They called each other 'Uncle Ray' and 'Uncle Ronnie'. They were very humorous together and it was always great to hear their laughter. Ray had a way with words, quick witted, and could make you laugh about even the most trivial things - everyday happenings. He made friends easily and had many in Barstow, Las Vegas, and now Florida. We will miss you Ray. I'll miss your phone calls. Thank you for being my brother-in-law...

Digital Prints with an Overlay

2011-03-10T10:41:00.000-08:00

Been busy this week. Already been to the gallery twice - yesterday I was able to finally hang my works for the March and April show: Keepsakes. Kat did a great job hanging all the artwork. People may not realize how hard it is to hang artwork to make it look pleasing to one's eye and to group the art according to colors. It's a knack and she certainly has it. Today I will be going back to take photos for the person who sends out the High Hand Gallery's emails for the monthly shows.

Yesterday when Kat was hanging the artwork - she needed one more photo to hang next to some blue-green felted scarves and wall hanging. We hung a Bodie picture but it just wasn't working. So she asked me if I could bring in something 'blue'. This morning I searched my files and found a sailboat picture from Tiburon Bay. I've learned that if I have a photo that I'm not really happy about as far as clarity goes - it already has substance - if I put a layer on it I can turn it into a great piece of artwork. Manipulated photos...something I never really liked to do but now it's kind of fun. I've done this mostly for cards. So I put a layer of 'Chalk' on it and it came out fabulous! I printed it on Smooth Fine Art Paper and made it a giclee (very large file with archival K3 inks). I've already matted it and put it in a frame. I tried my hand again at cutting glass, after practicing the other day, and was able to cut the non-glare glass the first time! I'll finish off the back, make a label, and head out to the gallery to hang it and finish taking photos of the featured artists, of which I am one!

High Hand Gallery

2011-03-07T08:59:00.000-08:00

This weekend the show ended at Blue Moon Gallery in Sacramento and so it was time to pick up my photos. Sadly there were no sales at this show - just cards. As I was discussing this with the owner of the gallery, she commented that photography is a good way to display art for the price! (So true!) When you see or watch design shows it's always B&W photography that is on the walls. I think it is the economy right now and of course we had alot of bad rainy days in February which didn't help either. I'm not one to cry in my gin, so it's off to High Hand!!

The theme for this month's show is 'Keepsakes' which I've mentioned before. I have already selected the photos and will deliver them to High Hand Gallery tomorrow as that is when the gallery gets changed out. It's always exciting to see the new art on the walls. This morning I sent three photos of the work I am putting in this show to the person who is doing the press release.

This weekend I also found out about a local art show right here in my neighborhood!! A fellow artist is putting this show together with local artists in this area. We live in a very rural area, so once I get the particulars I will post it on my blog here. And of course I will also send out information on the new High Hand show as well.