Day to day – Page 15

I can do this….

July 16, 2013 by Jes

There has been a lot of excitement around here over the last couple of weeks.

A few of you may already know this, but John and I are buying a house and moving out of our condo! And in fact, we are moving in two days.

Two. Days.

For quite awhile we hoped to be able to move mid-July like this. Then for quite a while we knew that wouldn’t happen and just hoped to be able to move before August 1st when our renters moved into our condo. Then, exactly 14 days ago, on my 31st birthday, we found out that mid-July could indeed work. Commence scramble-packing now.

I won’t even get into describing how many boxes we have packed and where they are all stashed. It feels like chaos, contained in cardboard and whatever kind of plastic Rubbermaid uses and that it is likely to explode at any minute.

The most work has taken place at my studio. Our new house has room for my darkroom, and space for my printing press and type cases. It’s amazing!!! To say that I was not prepared to be able to move my studio this fast is an understatement, and I have been working like mad to clean out, and box up my creative life so I can get back to creating as soon as possible! (There are already two art festivals scheduled for September…no big deal, right?!)

I could go on whining how the last thing I want to do today is go pack more boxes and how much I just want to sit on my couch with an ice pack and a snuggly bunny, but I’ll spare you all that.

Instead I will tell you that I had an amazing time at the opening reception for my Digital dreams of where you are show at Minnesota Center for Book Arts! I am truly thrilled with how the show turned out, and had such a great time celebrating with friends that night! I promise to post photos of the show here soon (yes, I am the gallery photographer at MCBA and I still haven’t gotten that photos done from my show!) My work will be up until August 4th, so there is still time to get over there if you haven’t yet! If you want me to tag along or meet you there for coffee after, let me know!

Also, this week is ‘Roid Week! For those of you that don’t know, ‘Roid Week happens for one week each year, where those of us who work with instant film post photos like mad on Flickr, post links to instant photos on Twitter, Facebook, and any social media we can. It is truly amazing and inspiring to see what so many people are creating with this unique medium! Go check out the group pool on Flickr. I guarantee you can lose a bit of time looking through the photos there!

I am mostly posting instant photos from my amazing Art-a-Whirl weekend (yeah, I still need to blog about that too!) There may be a new instant photo from me by the end of the week, but that will depend on how quickly I can get my scanner un-packed!

My ‘Roid Week submissions:

Day 1:

Metalworking – Dirk making a lawn ornament

Lampwork bead making

Day 2:

Glass-blowing

Metalworking – welding.

Off to packing I go…..

A relief

June 25, 2013June 19, 2013 by Jes

It has been a crazy spring. But I am finally starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel, and may even get back to blogging soon!
I have been in crunch mode for quite awhile getting the work done for this show, and it has finally paid off. My work is now on display at Minnesota Center for Book Arts in the Lerner Bindery Gallery through August 4th. My reception will be Tuesday, June 25th from 5-8pm. Please stop by if you can! Much of this work has taken me in a new direction artistically and I would love feedback! For my long distance friends, I promise to post photos of the exhibit and work soon.
I know this post is quite short, but I will be back soon!

Listening to the rain

April 28, 2013 by Jes

Another long ‘creating’ weekend is slowly ending. I’m a little nervous, because this is one of my last long weekends free before my show goes up, but I’m not going to dwell on that.

It was a great weekend! I have made more progress on my artwork than I could have hoped, and I have a pretty clear path to the end. I must keep focusing! I can do this!

Right now I am sitting by our deck, listening to the rain, and smelling the damp earth….my favorite scent is the smell of spring rain. There is nothing like the first one of the season.

I have of course kept up on the poetry this weekend. Both of these came from writing prompts that Kris Bigalk posted on her Facebook page. I love how many places you can find writing prompts during NaPoWriMo!

April 27th – What can you live without: (I’m on day 6 of no coffee….tomorrow morning marks one week! And Lynn, if you are reading this, I did just go to the Tea Source today to stock up, and picked up some of the Blueberry Fields tea you mentioned as well as two others! I think I’m set!)

I can live without….

I can live

without coffee

Strong

With almond milk

Whatever smooth flavor

Of Peace Coffee

was featured that week

Fresh ground

Fragrant

French press

I DONT HAVE A PROBLEM

I CAN GIVE IT UP

IVE GONE FOR A WEEK WITHOUT

I CAN KEEP GOING

Black tea

Is just as good

Loose leaf

Steeped in the French press

Fragrant

Almond milk

And just a bit of honey

But he drinks tea

Not coffee

And now I have to share

I never had to share my coffee

I can live without it…..

I can…..

April 28th – try writing a poem with the phrase ‘I remember’ repeated at the beginning of each stanza….

I remember

I remember
my granny’s collection of apples
she had because she was a teacher,
and teachers collect apples.

I remember
specifically her clear glass apple
filled with liquid
and flakes of shiny gold.

I remember
when it sprung a leak
liquid oozing out,
the gold flakes stopped floating.

I remember
her searching
through phone book pages
for the company named
on the apple’s gold sticker.

I remember
her writing down an address,
wrapping the apple while grinning
“We are going on an adventure”.

I remember
riding in her red Caddy through
the coolest area of town
filled with old buildings and train tracks,
and so many signs about art for sale.

I remember
walking inside
one of those buildings
with my granny and her apple.

I remember
we met a woman
who gave my granny a new glass apple
with floating gold flakes
and carefully she took
the leaky one away.

I remember
she gave us a tour
to see where they made
glass apples
before being filled with liquid
and gold.

I remember
watching many people hanging out,
listening to loud rock music,
wearing grungy clothes,
and turning liquid fire
into these amazing hollow glass objects.

I remember
the woman explaining
those were the artists
and they created the glass apples.

I remember
when I first decided
I wanted to become an artist.

It was right then.

I remember
thinking that being an artist
meant you could hang out with your friends,
listening to loud rock music,
and make amazing things.
That you could wear grungy clothes,
because no one cared what you wore!
You were an artist and you were awesome!

I remember
years later I realized
that was only partly right,
but I wanted to be an artist anyway.

And so I am. True story.

The potential for racing

April 23, 2013 by Jes

Another sunshine filled studio day.

Another day filled with the potential of taking crazy turns, with potential for adventure.

Ok, maybe I’m exaggerating that just a bit, but it is very sunny here today, and I feel like there is potential for today to be great. Or not. Either way, I will take the sunshine!

It was a busy weekend full of working shifts at my day job, and one amazing senior photo shoot that included snow and a giant metal number 5! (Yes, you can still take awesome photos in the snow!) This week it is back to working on artwork for my show, processing portraits, and getting ready for the upcoming art festivals. So much to be done!

I’m off for a date with my platen press at my studio today! I am working on printing the map blocks I have carved. I printed one linoleum block last week, but the wood block I was engraving still needed some work. I spent a bit of time on it last night, and I’m hoping it will print well today! Fingers crossed! I may do a bit of typesetting as well today. I’m very torn between making one last book, and making compilation photo prints with words typeset on them. We’ll see where I end up going with that.

In the mean time, here are the poems I have written over the weekend for the 30 poems in 30 days challenge. I’m still going! I’m also a bit sad that the end is close…I’m having a lot of fun with this!

April 21st

Three thrushes
Feathery, brown and white
Flew into the window today.
One did not fly again.
The reflection of more
Tall oak trees
Too much temptation
For their minds.

My uncle sat
Eating breakfast
Telling of their migration
How far they had come
And how tired
To meet a fate so cold and taunting.

He often makes me wish
I was a birder
And paid attention
To the tiny details
Their distinctive markings
And flight patterns
Where to find them on early morning walks.

But my attention seems to be the same
As the poor birds
Landing for just a second
Before flying off into the next reflection.

April 22nd (just a couple of silly sketches of poems – two haikus on the snow, and one other)

Snow ~

I wonder how far
one would have to drive away
to be out of snow.

where should i escape
to be allowed a bike ride
without icy winds?

New skin~

she drove fast
faster
floored it until
the car vibrations matched
her racing pulse
as if by driving fast
she could unzip herself
an old shell falling away
a brand new layer underneath.

April 23rd (First line inspired by a Dorothea Lange quote)

You are out there on the thin edge
between history and the future,
this thin line called the present.
A tight rope walk through a black hole;
don’t look down
the sound below will be deafening.
Hold my hand and smile
lets give them a show!

Paper

April 19, 2013 by Jes

Yes, I may have written my daily poem about the paper that I just purchased from Wet Paint today….so what?

Paper

Substantial,
like velvet to touch
deckled edges revealing the fibers
each sheet was formed from
water
pulp
dye.

one sheet a deep midnight
blue crossed with brown
thin lines making waves
all across
like a lake at night.

two sheet of gold
brown with just a touch
of green
patterns of leaves with delicate
veins patterned each way
edge to edge.

I realize I am buying paper
to make up for what nature
is missing.

One more

April 18, 2013 by Jes

One more long work day before a long weekend mostly spent at my day job, but with one photo shoot thrown in for good measure.

Today my goal is to see how far I can get binding books and making covers and colophons. Thanks to a studio day on Tuesday, I now have a set of prints from one linoleum block, and more to carve out of my wood block.

Everything keeps moving.

Poetry challenge:

April 17th – (I found a quote I wrote in my journal quite some time ago. It is a quote by Dorothea Lange, and I used part of it – “You’re right on the thin edge” as part of the inspiration for this poem. The rest of the inspiration came from another ‘Three Things’ edition from Hazel and Wren.)

1.
You’re right on the thin edge
of the threshold
a wooden beam
painted, sanded smooth
separating you
from a suffocating sea.
The door open wide
asking you to go out,
the sea to come in.

2.
The waves lap
with interest
a question in their rhythm
coyly wondering
how you might taste.

3.
Inside the tea party continues
tiny cucumber sandwiches
on whole wheat bread
with butter
and over sweetened tea
lace table cloth
and fine china
each tea cup staring
asking what it would take
to make you break.

April 18th – (no particular inspiration for this one, in fact it is kind of blah and short. I may write more later today.)

Wind
leaves and branches bend
the oak leaves still have not fallen.

I shiver
shut inside
turn away from the oak leaves
back to my work.

Summer

April 11, 2013 by Jes

An intriguing title for a blog post, especially if like me you live in Minnesota. We won’t talk about it beyond that, except to say that my title does have a reason. More on that in a bit.

Today was one more day in the ‘make all the things’ weekend! I felt quite distracted today though, and feel like I didn’t get as much done as I could have, even though I still accomplished a lot. Tomorrow is a new day, however, and even though I do have to work part of the day, I will still have a lot of time to devote to my artwork. We’ll see what that brings.

I did start work on my second triptych box!

I’m excited with where this box is going. It will be quite different from the first, though it will have the same form.

The most important thing to me today is the fact that I finally feel like I am pulling these pieces together into one show with one theme. I know it is easy for me to see the connections between the pieces, but not always that easy for someone else to see. I think I finally know how they will all be presented this time, and that I think will tie everything together quite nicely.

Part of my distraction today was caused by The Princess, who seemed a bit upset by the storm and needed help making a place to burrow. I helped her come up with this little set up, and she seemed to settle down.

She keeps life interesting around here.

I had a hard time getting started on a poem today. I finally ended up sort-of using a prompt from Hazel and Wren’s blog to write about a fireplace. My poem is about a bon fire instead of a fireplace, but it was a good prompt to use. It made me think about great summer nights spent with my cousins outside by the pool.

Summer

goldenrod flames reach towards
the oak and pine trees that stand
a tall guard around us
just far enough back
to not get burned.

sparks swirl up
joining a clear navy blue sky
full of as many tiny stars
as you can see from the city.

the smell of chlorine
burned marshmallow sugar
wine coolers
root beer
wet dog
and watermelon
mix together.

a little further out
the flicker of citronella
tiki torches spot the dark
stone path with light
the glow of the pool lights
casting a neon blue green beyond that.

we swim until we feel
like we will never ever be dry again
eat toasted marshmallows and s’mores
until we could explode
then eat a giant watermelon between us.

damp and sticky i bike home after
knowing we’ll do this all over again soon.

Day 8

April 8, 2013 by Jes

Among other things, today I worked a bit on the wood block I am engraving.

I also wrote another poem for NaPoWriMo. Actually, I wrote two today. The first one is really one I was working on to tie together a few elements in my show. I did write it all today, but wondered if it should count and weather it is really a poem, or more a descriptive string of words.

Either way, here is today’s contribution to the challenge:

Stunningly beautiful
things can happen in
very nondescript places.
Photos you love
could show scenes
that came
from any one
of a million locations.
But Digital knows
where they came from.
She can give you
a time stamp
weather report
and a map for each.
She can help you find them
again.

And the last one for today:

I need to have music
and the electric hum
of the air cleaner
to fall asleep.
I don’t always have to
see the moon
but I need to know
it is there.
I need to hear
him breathing
next to me.
I need to have
the perfect weight
of blankets
be the perfect
temperature
have a glass of water
my cell phone
and my glasses
right beside my bed
to fall asleep.
It is a wonder that
I ever get any
sleep at all.

I am not pretending…

April 7, 2013 by Jes

…that these poems are good, or finished. Many of them will never make it any farther than this blog, and that is ok. A few of them will be edited, and re-worked and added quite possibly added to something else farther along. These poems are first drafts. It isn’t easy posting first drafts here where anyone could read them, but it also isn’t easy writing a poem a day and for a week I have accomplished exactly that.

Day 1:

The urge to run
Still tastes new to me.
To go get my love
Jump in the car
And drive.
To pick a cardinal direction
At random
And see what it will eventually show.

My muscles tense as I drive
A sense of responsibility keeps me
To freeways and roads I know
As expected.
Always as expected.

It isn’t all that bad
Staying here.
The princess doesn’t like car rides anyway.
But the desire to escape
Only gets stronger.

Someday
I will just drive.

Day 2: (Writing about Digital and her latest persona. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, ask me! Or come see the artwork I will have up in June at MCBA!)

she makes maps
from the photos
plotting journeys
and adventures
making mementos
and journals
keepsakes
a human would treasure.
her treasure
is the raw data
the digital paths
left without knowing.

Day 3: (a long meandering poem)

She ticks off tasks
sets reminders
organizes
alphabatizes
everything she has been programmed to do
and more

long work days end
where i find myself
tired
brain dead
but there is relief
and a bit
of hope.

The urge to run is a little less today.
buckle down
instead
finish tasks
check mark
check mark
check.
maybe it was the sunshine today
the need to get paid
the need to complete something
the need for relief.

Tomorrow is new
and hopelessly hopefully incomplete
for now.

Day 4: (two short poems about Digital)

She wove stories for
Her human
Using resistors
Like thread
Delicate needlework
Her only hope
That her work was
Appreciated
And that she could
Be loved.
Trees built like train maps
Each branch scattering off
Junctions
Cross roads
The end of the line
The tip of a leaf
Routes meandering
Journeys to and from.

Day 5: (a haiku, just because)

Snowflakes in April
Seem not so uncommon here
As each spring day flees.

Day 6: (from inspiration on the NaPoWriMo blog: write a farewell to something)

farewell to the night
farewell the the skyline
lit up in millions of tiny lights
farewell to the atmosphere
with the billions of stars and planets
farewell to the moon
farewell to it’s shadowy face
and farewell to the river
the collector of reflections
gathering the lights in it’s watery layers
replicating the atmosphere
duplicating the skyline
and rocking it all to sleep with the waves.
farewell to the night
until tomorrow.

Day 7:

Today was work
nestled in between
two lovely drives spent
listening to music
blasted through car speakers.

Today was work
stuck in between
the not quite daylight hours
that exist at either end of the day.

Today was work
jammed in between
day dreams of trips
of long car rides with music
of finishing this day
this project this series
and floating away.

Today was work
but I am no longer in between.

Sunshine and studio days!

April 4, 2013 by Jes

Yes, I was up late last night, but I managed to finish all the photo jobs that had been waiting for me. Today will be a day full of completing art show applications, printer testing, and working on artwork for my bindery gallery show.

I love days like this, that are full of possibility!

This weekend I will be going to a small local tech conference, and hopefully learning a bit more about WordPress and a few other technologies I have used lately. I’m planning some major updates to my website and blog later this summer, and I’m hoping to learn a lot at this conference!

The 30 days of Poetry challenge has gone well! The poems I have written are nothing great, but I am writing. This has worked well for me (yes, I know, it has only been four days). I do plan on posting more of them here soon. Possibly when I hit #5…

In other news, my Christmas Cactus has a flower! …. Which is strange, because obviously it isn’t anywhere close to Christmas time. I will have to do a bit of research on this little plant soon I guess! For now, I’m just happy to have that bright color on my computer desk!

Have a great day everyone!