Idea Post -- Elco Color Printing and Mounting

So after my meeting with Tom we discussed size and presentation for my work.  While I think that 18"x12" is a nice size, I would like to see these images bigger and he mentioned the ongoing poster print sale at Elco Color.  Here is the price listing:

I'm thinking that the 30"x20" prints are looking like my best bet. Not because they're cheaper, but because they're more of the size I want -- just slightly bigger than what I originally presented.  Tom had also mentioned that another student, Zack Concepcion, had gotten his Elco prints mounted there as well. So, I looked into this:

While I don't have a problem with foamcore, and it would be nice to do a one stop shopping kind of thing, these prices are just way too high.  For the critique, I went to Main Art and got 5 prints mounted for I think $28, which is a really great deal especially considering the turn around time (I got them back same day).

I think my best bet is going to be to get my prints made at Elco and then have them mounted at Main Art. I just have to make sure I give myself enough time to get everything taken care of.

All images are screenshots from the Elco website.

Idea Post -- Word Association? pt 2

Last time I did one of these, it was things that I was considering putting in my images.  This time, I'm going to put down words that I want my work to embody and communicate. Or rather, these are words that I want to be associated with my work as a whole, not necessarily only in this piece.  Some of these words may not even be expressed in my work thus far.


cold
despondent
numb
feigning
pressure
loneliness
fear
anxiety
reluctance
distress
chill
weight
hopeless
trembling
exquisite
somnambulation
solitary
confined
aching
hesitation
separation
fading
falling
distress
lost
discarnate
dissolving
silence
reflection
restlessness
disassociation
haunting
isolation
futility
fey (as explained in this definition: Magical or fairylike; Strange or otherworldly; Spellbound; Doomed to die)
creeping
decay
fallen
sickness
gnawing
fright
exhausted
worn
drowning
unashamed
resolute
clarity
rebirth
calm
freezing
blue
grey
black
bleak
icy
surreal
shattered
jagged
lucidity
dreaming
erased
frail
freezing
frozen
stripped
pale
abject
hidden
weeping
crying
seeping
rotting
choking
fragmented
sorrow
pain
seclusion
flawed
discontent
binding
desperation
displacement (from this definition: In psychology, displacement is an unconscious defense mechanism whereby the mind redirects effects from an object felt to be dangerous or unacceptable to an object felt to be safe or acceptable.)
abandoned
echoing
cutting
isolation
somber
hollow
longing
pleading
tainted
impure
crawling


Sorry for any repeats, they were just flowing out like water.

Idea Post -- Display Ideas

This is still in it's early stages but I think it's about time that I start considering how I'm going to present my final pieces. I'm wondering if maybe I should have sounds as part of my installation (if I choose to do an installation) but my concern is that any sound I want to use is going to be clichéd.  I want to create a monologue with sound (not words, per se) that would accent my work and help lend to the mood.  I think within the confined space where I plan to show my work, it would lend to a personal moment that you are experiencing because a moment, a memory, is a compilation of sights and sounds and maybe even smells.  My concern though in needing a specific space for my work is that when picking out a gallery space, I would need a small in which to present my work.  I know that I can build something, but I'm a) not confident in my building skills and b) I really just don't have the money for building.  I've still got a lot of thinking to do here, but the wheels are certainly turning.

Personal Critique - 10/20

I was actually pretty impressed with myself when I played back the critique tape.  For the most part, I thought I spoke clearly, although when I was reading I thought that it was a little too obvious that I was reading in the way that I spoke. I think I stammered a little much for my liking, sometimes my words all jumble together before they come out and since we're on a time limit I find it difficult to answer coherently especially when I don't understand the question and then I feel a little dumb having to re-ask but I guess I have to get over that. I read an interview with Robert Smith from the Cure once and he said that a lot of times in interviews he will pause for a moment before answering a question so he can think and that a lot of times people think he's a bit dim for it.  I definitely understood that sentiment standing up there because I would stop and think but then I felt like I was taking too long and I could only imagine what was crossing everyone's minds. I did feel pretty dim. But really, aside from collecting my thoughts a little better I did well in addressing the questions that I understood.

Idea Post -- A Revelation

I was in the shower this morning, thinking about my project.  I was thinking about my shoot for later in the day and considering images that I would be making and suddenly I found that my concept had a complete makeover.  Actually, the real change was the fact that I'd thought of a concept.

Up until this point I had an idea and I didn't know the why. Why am I making this? But now I think I know.  I was thinking about how I was trying to make a connection with the people in my images but how it wasn't working.  My thoughts for the topic weren't cohesive and they didn't really make sense. That's when I thought, I'm not really trying to make a connection with other people, I want other people to make a connection with me.

Because of everything that happened with my step-dad, I found myself feeling very alone.  I don't feel like I can really relate to anyone who has been through what I've been through. It seems as though the majority of people who have been molested go through some crazy drug binge or something and I never found that to be appealing or an answer to my problems.  Also, because this isn't really a topic that people bring up for casual conversation it's hard to know who's dealt with what.  This is why I need people to connect with me. I feel like sometimes the connections I make with people aren't what they're supposed to be, or perhaps I do most of the reaching out.  Something that I'd like to experience, and perhaps this is why I make art, is for a person to reach out and pursue a connection with me, whether that be me the person or me the art.

Here is the final direction that my project is going in. I'm really confident in this subject and I feel very confident pursuing it.  I'm photographing the feelings I had going through the ordeal with my step-father as well as the after effects of it.  Rather than using myself as I have in the past, I'll be using someone else in order to look at my experience from the outside. I think it will be therapeutic to separate myself from the situation.

I know this is long winded, but I hope it makes sense.  I felt like I was having an epiphany today and it felt wonderful.

Idea Post -- Word Association?

bird cages
meat
mold
cat tails
hard boiled eggs
oversized things
shadowy figures
altars
candles
flowers
long exposures?
darker lighting?
reflections
disconnect
eye contact
no eye contact
porcelain dolls -- full and in parts
baby doll parts (hands)
cats cats cats cats cats
record player/victrola
monocle
opera glasses
gloves
feathers
gears
keys
antlers
teeth -- anatomical dental models and smaller teeth
milk
light bulbs hanging from cords
antique cutlery
dead pan
candid
posed
lower camera angle
hourglass
playing cards
top hat
long cigarette filter
knives
meticulous placement of items
ABC blocks
virgin mary candles
horse bit
reins
ribbons
bruises
orb mirrors
palm reader's hand diagram
cameras
old images (victorian, memento mori)
x rays



I really felt like I needed to sit down and do that.  With that said, I think it was very helpful.  I prefer to do a lot of thinking before I actually DO things, which includes the sketches that Jeff suggested I do before reshooting the pictures. Today I went with Ms. Hobson to the library and I made out with a nice stack I think, so hopefully this will satisfy the idea requirement for now. I really like posting in here I think it's helping me sort my thoughts out which is a good thing.