Day to day – Page 14

No words, just an image #1

January 7, 2014 by Jes

Love and a little shameless self promotion

January 6, 2014 by Jes

It is beginning to sink in how much I love this new role in life of being an artist.

Only an artist.

Feeling like I have a bit more brain space again, time to plan, apply, create.

Having actual time for a hobby.

Feeling happy, and happy with the work I am doing…which I must get back to.

But first! A tiny bit of shameless self promotion to remind you that I do indeed have an Etsy shop where I sell all of the things I am creating. It is full of cards and prints currently. I have so much more that will be added soon. Also, for pottery fans, here is a link to the pottery shop I work on with my dad!

And, this is my studio today. I’m so happy to be working here!

Long days

January 3, 2014 by Jes

I know the days are shorter in the winter here, but the last couple have seemed quite long. Perhaps this is the reality of working from home every day? Or just a feeling I get from knowing I don’t have a car (with heat) readily available for me to leave on a whim? Yesterday and today I have plugged through, feeling like I wasn’t accomplishing much, but getting to the end of the day and realizing that I have accomplished way more than I thought.

Today was spent on applications. Nothing of much interest to tell you about, dear readers. It is one of the tedious aspects of being an artist, sending out applications to be in shows or get gallery shows to show your work, sending the same images to different places in slightly different formats, each one labeled in a different way. yada, yada, yada. But, what amazed me today is that I am already applying for and planning for events in May. MAY. It seems to me that is the reason the years seem to go by so fast. When so many things are planned so far in advance, it is hard to not feel like time is rushing away.

Oh well. Two applications done today. Fingers crossed.

Remembering warm

January 2, 2014 by Jes

While editing photos today, I came across this one.

Taken sometime in September (Impossible Project instant film, Polaroid Spectra camera).

It was warm, we had settled into a routine in our new home, and apples were in season. We rode our bikes to the local co-op to buy apples from a local farm to make apple sauce and apple butter. We packed our bag so full of apples that we couldn’t get my bike pack to close.

Winters in Minnesota have their own special beauty, when everything is still, the snow sparkles, and the air is crisp. When you can go skiing, or sledding, and return home to hot drinks and rosy cheeks. It is hard to remember all of this when the air stays in degrees below zero, when breathing outside is almost painful. But this is all temporary, just like every other season. I’m still looking forward to the next day it is warm enough to wander a bit with my camera.

New Year, new journals

December 31, 2013 by Jes

Yesterday was my last day as an intern in the preservation department at the Hennepin County Library. My last four months there have seemed like such a whirl wind, but it was a welcome change of pace. I have taken many photos of my work there, and developed most of the film (I had a bit of a stash to develop…) last week. I will share those photos soon!

I hate talking about the weather here. But, the days we have had of below zero temps seems unique this year. What I have been amazed by is my walk across the Hennepin Avenue bridge on the days I work at the library. I never realized the Mississippi River would freeze over so completely here. I never realized how awesome it can be to watch the steam rise from the St. Anthony falls just a little ways away from the bridge I cross. Now I know, and I am excited that I photographed the river every day I crossed it. Expect a new project on that coming soon!

I make New Year’s resolutions. I try to make realistic resolutions, and I am usually successful at sticking with them. I don’t make a big deal out of slipping though. This year, I am lacking in the resolution department. I usually try to focus on resolutions that will change the coming year, shape it a bit into something positive. This year, I am facing a year that is going to be so vastly different already without any help from a resolution or two from me. So, this year, I will be a bit vague in my resolutions.

I want to journal more, and give myself every day (realistically at least 3 days a week) to writing, journaling, and working in my sketchbook. I love the book I made in a recent class I took at MCBA with Timothy Ely, and I want to use that book as a jumping off point. I plan for that book to be the first of many volumes, and I plan to document it more here.

I want to try more meditation and yoga, to help train my brain to slow down a bit more.

That’s it. I am facing 2014 with an open mind, and an open heart, and I am ready to see where it takes me.

~Peace~

Life happens

December 20, 2013 by Jes

There are times when everything happens, and all you can do is keep running to keep up. In other words, life happens.

The last time I sat down to write a blog post was September 6th. In between then and now, a lot of life has happened.

My parent’s have closed their restaurant. They are working on fixing a few health problems and learning (quite well!) how to be home together.

My waitressing day job has now ended (after an extremely busy stretch). My library internship is coming to a close, but leading to (yes another) volunteer position there to work on a few more projects.

The last few months I have been simply trying to ride the waves and keep my head above water. That is a bit of a surfing reference…and yes I have tried surfing, and yes it is hard! I feel like I have finally landed on the beach, just in time for the holidays.

2013 was a hard year, I won’t lie. But I can’t write it all off. So many amazing things happened, and I have learned a lot.

I’m hoping that 2014 will be a bit calmer, and hopefully include a few new adventures for John and I.

I am really looking forward to concentrating on my artwork and finding my happy center again this coming year.

I will post more about my internship (it has been amazing!) and the sweet photo shoots I have worked on recently (like Oliver!) soon. In fact, I really hope to get into a blogging and journaling practice in 2014 and make writing here a part of my routine.

Wishing all reading this a happy holidays, no matter what you are celebrating.

~Peace~

Library architecture

New adventures

September 6, 2013 by Jes

Tuesday I started a new adventure. The day after a long, holiday weekend, I woke up early to head out to day one of an internship. I will spend the next four months working in the preservation department at the library. The work isn’t easy, but it is a wonderful challenge. I can finally see myself putting to use the skills I have learned in my classes at Minnesota Center for Book Arts. The books I get to work with, to look at, to touch, and protect are amazing. I am there twice a week, and each time brings so many new tasks and treasures. I’m so very lucky to have this experience! Even better, my supervisor loves chatting about photography, and doesn’t mind at all when I photograph what I’m working on!

My morning walk across the river to get to the library is pretty spectacular as well!

This Sunday I will have a booth at Art at Rice Creek – the annual art festival held at Banfill-Locke Center for the Arts! The event runs from 10am-4pm and includes live music, activities, and many artist vendors! I will be selling pottery and photos as usual. This time I will also have copies of the broadside I made in collaboration with Kathryn Kysar for sale as well!

I hope to see you there!

Boxes to make and miles to paddle

August 26, 2013 by Jes

I believe this week will be my last “non-crazy schedule” week for a while. Next week will start a new epic adventure. Tuesday, September 3rd I will be starting a part-time internship at the Hennepin County Public Library in their preservation department at the main branch in downtown Minneapolis. I’m so excited! I will being doing many jobs, some of which will include helping to repair old bindings and make new enclosure boxes to protect aging materials. So, like any nerdy over-achiever, I have been practicing my box making skills.
It is really nice to have my new studio space set up so I can make things!

The boxes that are made at the library are a style of clam shell box. I’m not exactly sure what their specifications will be, but I have made clam shell boxes before.

This one I made over a year ago in a class taught by Jana Pullman.

I found instructions from a workshop I took from Jodi Williams last winter and started figuring out what I needed to make a mini box.

Mini boxes are great, since the pieces are never too big, and you can usually use scraps from other projects to make them!

This past Saturday I decided John and I needed a break from yard works and house work. We took our kayaks down to Long Lake and had a lovely quiet afternoon paddling around. Somedays you need to just be somewhere quiet. Having a day like this helped a lot.

Film developing at its best

August 21, 2013 by Jes

Last week I developed my first rolls of film at my new studio set up in the basement of our new home. My studio set up sprawls across three rooms right now. A tiny room that is home to my enlargers and print developing sink (it does not currently have a water hook up), the laundry room with a nice tub sink, and another larger room that holds my printing press, type cases, cameras, and supplies. (More photos of the larger room in a future post.)

My first developing trial was a success! I’m am still missing my film drying cabinet (coming soon!) but was able to improvise. Now to get out and take more photos so I have more film to develop! I am hoping to take myself on a photo outing next week.

The film I developed this time was from the 2013 Back to the 50’s weekend. It is a large car show that takes place every year at the State Fair Grounds, not far from the restaurant my parents own. I think it is one of my dad’s favorite weekends! He and a number of his friends participate, showing off their old cars and trucks that they have lovingly restored. We have a breakfast celebration early the morning of car registration, and I always take lots of photos for my dad. Old cars look so good in black and white, in my opinion! This year I was photographing with an old Yashica twin lens camera.

My car is a bit too young for Back to the 50s (it is a ’76), but I get to have it in a few photos anyway ;)

More exciting news to come soon!