Uncategorized

Today begins the one weekend every year when I feel that I am being a hypocrite.

Why?

Because it is Back to the 50’s Weekend in Roseville, Minnesota. Because every other moment of the summer I am doing my best to ride my bike instead of driving any time I can. Because this weekend, no matter how gorgeous the weather is for biking, I will be driving my ’76 Volkswagen Beetle to work to part next to my dad’s ’62 Chevy Panel truck so it is there for all the other car people to see, to ask me how I painted it, and numerous other questions. For people to tell me “That’s cool!”

I fully believe that we need to work on not being dependent on oil, not being dependent on driving, all of that. I’ve visited places with awesome public transportation systems, where you hardly need to think about having a car, and certainly don’t need it for getting to work every day. I truly believe we need to work towards that without a doubt.

But for this one weekend every year, I’m right there with my dad and so many others being excited over cars, and engines, and paint jobs, and the sounds of motors revving. I can’t help it.

It does make me wonder though…

With all that needs to be done to change our habits with driving and what cars run on, etc. What would happen if the people in power asked more of these car people what they should do? I’ve listened to many of these people talk – many of them are geniuses when it comes to cars. Quite a few of them I know, when they need a special part and they can’t readily find it, they just machine it themselves. Make it out of nothing. What would happen if you had a bunch of people like that in on figuring out the mess we are in? Perhaps a motor that could run on something other than gasoline and could easily be swapped into any car on the road (when you hear how many different cars you can put a standard Chevy motor in, you can really believe this!) I know I would do quite a bit to make it so I could keep driving my little Beetle. I’m sure there are many that feel the same. 

Enough of my little soap box.

I just wanted to apologize for being a hypocrite this weekend. I hope you can forgive me. Also, if you’re in to that kind of thing, there will be photos of old cars up on my photo blog very soon I’m sure.

 

~Peace~

 

 

Every Saturday I have had off of work so far this summer, John and I have gone to the Mill City Farmer's Market. There are three places in this city that I automatically think of as my 'favorites'…places that constantly calm and inspire me. The Walker Art Center Sculpture Garden at night (especially the back garden walkway when the lights are on, and the wind chimes that were up for one of their latest shows…I haven't been there recently, but I really hope the chimes are still there!), The Open Book Building that houses Minnesota Center for Book Arts and The Loft Literary Center (being around all of MCBA's old presses is a favorite place to be) and walking around the Mill City Ruins. 

John and I were there this past Saturday, and I decided to try taking some photos with my SX-70, which I hadn't picked up in awhile. 

I'm sure I've mentioned here before that The Impossible Project was working their butts off making new instant film. They succeeded, but there have been many more challenges on all sides than anyone had hoped for. One of the challenges on the photographers part is that this film is very light and temperature sensitive. Many people got frustrated and gave up. Many more of us, realizing that this was new film, and that film in the first place had many challenges and set backs, pushed on, posted tips, and encouraged each other. You try, you learn, you figure out what you are doing wrong, and you fix it for the next image. No, it isn't cheap, but art isn't necessarily supposed to be cheap. Ok, rant over.

Saturday was the first time for me that 4 out of 4 photos I took came out to be something that I liked :) That feeling of success is pretty awesome! I've had a ton of fun recently just playing with my photos. Instead of worrying if they are perfect, or if they fit into the scope of my show, I just take them, and enjoy them. It is helping me work through all the stress with the finishing up process I'm working on right now. 

I had quite a bit of time to work in my studio today. I managed to get all of the edges trimmed on the prints for the Bloomington show, and managed to get my printing press area cleaned up. The next part of my project work involves printing dialogs I've written on some of the prints. I've been meaning to clean up that space, but I've been putting it off. 

Before….

After!

My plan is to start on the ink mixing and press set up next week. I'm kind of excited to be working on that part. I love my little press and I secretly love the smell of ink! Maybe that's why I enjoy being around MCBA's presses so much.

Until next time,

~Peace~

It really isn't summer yet. It feels like it though. The weather has been gorgeous, which of course makes it all the harder to stay inside working!

I've managed quite a bit of discipline though. Most of the images for my show in September are printed, the editing and framing process is definitely underway. A large part of what I am working on now is writing more dialogues that will be included with some of the images. Kind-of daunting, but I'm looking forward to working with my old printing press and mixing ink colors again. 

I have simplified since one of my last posts. Instead of carrying all of my cameras with me, I have actually left quite a few at my studio, and am carrying just a few small toy cameras with me for fun. It emphasized the fact for me that right now I am not shooting new things for this project, just looking for inspirations elsewhere in life. It reminds me that I need to play and have fun. 

The work doesn't seem quite so daunting anymore. Now if only I could concentrate on writing just a bit more!

It is hard with all of that sunshine!

Random street finds

Ice cream trips

Many bike rides

Until next time,

~Peace~

It surprised me this morning that May is already gone, and we are into June and well on our way to summer. 

John and I celebrated our anniversary just over a week ago. It has been 6 years since our second wedding ceremony…

The wedding ceremony after he got back from overseas where we actually had time to plan it to be like we wanted. 

 

John's hands – taken with PX100 first flush instant film

We celebrated by spending a whole day together, doing fun, normal little things, and being outside a lot. It isn't often it is this nice and warm here in May. Recently we have had a few more long days like that to spend together. It has been wonderful. He helps center me more than he will ever know.

Bike tires – taken with PX100 first flush film

Sometimes you need days like that to remember why you are working so hard on something….

remember what you are working towards.

Expired Polaroid Blue 100 peel apart film

Sometimes you also need people to remind you to take a break and have fun before summer is gone.

Splash – taken with a point-and-shoot digital Pentax camera that is waterproof

I feel like I am ready for June. I have more of a plan. 

Thank you to everyone who has reminded me what I'm doing, that it is ok to get a little extra sleep, that it is ok to leave more of my cameras at my studio (which makes biking easier!), that I still need to give myself time off once in awhile, and that it is ok to go back to taking pictures just for fun.

Happy summer!

~Peace~

It isn't easy working on putting together a large show, but it is fun. Seeing how the finished pieces will fit together, finalizing prints. You learn a lot; 

about yourself, about your work style, about your emotional breaking point…

I learned that I can fit full size sheets of matt board in my car and that they can lay flat. I can also fit at least 8 frames in there at the same time, though it doesn't leave any room for a passenger.

It does get stressful though. It isn't easy as spring is being wonderful and spring like to stay inside a tiny studio where you can't even take a full step without stepping on something.

I try and get out and play with cameras a bit when I'm feeling really down. Sometimes even that is hard though.

Will still have our home on the market to sell. It has been awhile, but not as long as the average 'on market' time for a place in our area. Until then, we keep only what we need at home, and the things we need that are most important are carried with every day so those things aren't at home when someone comes to look. That in a way makes you feel a bit like a turtle: no real home, just various places you go and set your stuff down at.

I try to get outside and forget about it. I biked to my studio today, one large backpack and a camera bag strapped to my back. Thankfully the ride to my studio is mostly downhill. 

It was during that ride that I realized I had 5 cameras with me. A bit too many, but where would I leave one?

You want things close in case you need them…

This morning my husband pulled a bucket out of our kitchen cupboard. It was one I have used to let bread dough raise in, though it has been awhile since I have made that bread. He asked me if we really  needed it in there, that it was taking up space. 

I cried. 

He looked at me, very puzzled, asking if the bucket was really possibly that important to me…

I cried harder. It isn't the bucket (no, the bucket really isn't that important), it is the feeling that I have no where that is truly my place to 'be'. To spread out the contents of my show, to leave a camera, knowing it will be there when I need it, and assessable at all times, and that I won't have to make a special trip in the car to go and get it. It is the physical exhaustion of taking things with you every morning. 

This past weekend was Art-a-Whirl. It is huge, and fun, and filled with so many creative people, it is hard not to be inspired. I had work in a photography group show that opened Friday night, and had a wonderful time at the reception, talking to visitors, friends, and family who came to see it. Saturday and Sunday I spent the day outside in a tent with my husband and a friend, selling creative things. The ladies at Dabble were selling my photography, so I didn't bring any of that with. Just pottery and some treasures made by friends. It is enjoyable sharing a booth with friends. I realized though I was selling more of 'other people's creative work' than my own. It made me sad. I hadn't bothered to bring any of my photography with – any why not?? Time I suppose. I love working on making and selling pottery with my dad, but at the same time, there is so much more I want to do with the pottery I am creating, that it is hard to see my pieces as 'finished' or even really that 'good'. So I sell more of my dad's work, which is pretty cool, but again, it isn't mine. The festival was fun, but exhausting.

So now we are nearing the end of May. I have a print I am donating that is due in a couple weeks, I need to decide what image will go on the postcard for my show in September (any suggestions would be awesome!), and I am feeling lost, and homeless, and am biking around the city with 5 cameras and a laptop strapped to my back (and at least 3 cups of coffee in my system).

I do believe this little freak out session is right about on schedule.

Hold on, it will be a bumpy ride!

Until next time,

~Peace~

I was playing with a few images, and created this last Wednesday.

It was created from three instant film images – one done with expired 600 film, and two with the new PX100 film. 

I'm not quite certain if it is finished or not, but it was nice to play with pictures again for a bit. You might find a framed print of this for sale at Dabble during Art-a-Whirl! Just saying :)

It's hard to keep focusing only on printing and framing. 

There will be more to post soon. I've been playing with a couple of toy cameras, and enjoying them quite a bit! 

For now though, I'm getting ready for the weekend. It will be a great weekend, filled with art and friends, and being part of what I love! I'll be at Johnstock selling pottery Saturday and Sunday, along with a couple of friends selling the great things they create.

Friday night the Around the World: A Photography Group Show opens at Gallery 122. I'll be there, enjoying meeting the other artists, seeing a bit of my work up on the wall, and hanging out with friends. I hope you can stop by! It will be a fun night!

Until next time,

~Peace~

When I was around 8 years old, my Granny had gotten a glass apple filled with liquid and gold flakes as a gift. Unfortunately, the seal was broken, and the apple leaked. One afternoon when I was hanging out with her (i.e. both my parent's were working) she told me that she had found where the apple was made, and we were going to go there and see if they could fix it. 

So off we went to Goldenflow Studio in NE Minneapolis. They were a bit surprised to see us, but quickly replaced her apple with a new one, and offered us a tour of the studio, including where they were blowing glass.

It was that day that I decided I wanted to be an artist.

I mean, here were all these people, listening to loud music, laughing, and making really awesome things. It looked like a blast, and quite possibly the most perfect job in the world to an 8 year old. 

So, I've realized since then that while being an artist is a totally awesome thing to be, it sometimes isn't your only job, and it sometimes isn't fun (like when there is framing involved), but it is awesome to create things and do something that makes you happy.

A few years ago when John and I were shopping around Art-a-Whirl looking for some new things to decorate our condo with, we came across Goldenflow's space. I knew I had to have one of their little gold baubles, and we picked out one we both liked.

Last week, when I was trying out the Impossible Project's new instant film, I shot this…

A snapshot of the little gold pyramid we still have out in our living room.

In a way it reminds me why I do what I do, and reminds me of that day when I decided what I wanted to be. 

Until next time,

~Peace~

Once again I'm way overdue for posting here….

I haven't said much here for awhile. Mostly because I haven't had much to post about except being overwhelmed with little details….

And I refuse to let this turn into a blog of whining….

This is what I have been seeing the most of lately. Working to finish prints for the show at Gallery 122 that opens in less than two weeks. This week I will be working on framing the pieces just as soon as my glass cutters come in the mail….

It has been a long time since I've spent most of the day outside taking pictures. I keep hoping to remedy that, but something is always un-cooperative. That isn't to say I haven't been taking pictures. They are just a bit more sparse right now. Monday marks the beginning of 'Roid Week on Flickr. That always means a fun time with quite a bit of inspiration. I'll be posting more photos then.

The rest of the time, my mind has been very scattered lately. I have plans for making a new pinhole camera (I swear this one will work!…unlike many of the others….) and I have two more toy cameras coming in the mail. I've been trying to write more dialogues to put on a few prints for my show at Bloomington, and I've been trying out the new instant PX100 film (results of that to be posted later).

I saw part of Wing Young Huie's University Avenue project this weekend. There is a lot more of it to see, and I'm going to enjoy going back to it many times over the summer to see all of it. I was lucky enough to take a workshop of his last summer while he was working on this, and got to see some of it in it's early stages. I don't know how to describe it. To say it is powerful doesn't do it justice. The number of people and organizations involved in this is astounding. To see the prints in person is incredible! 

In his workshop, he worked on teaching us how to record the details of a place. Most specifically to record the people in these places, and how to walk up to people and ask to take their picture (or not ask and just take the picture anyway). The workshop lasted 3 days. I honestly didn't take many photos of people. It isn't normally my thing. But I took a few. And when I look back on those, I like them. I'm taking a few more now. Not so much where I go up to random people on the street and ask to photograph them. But I take more photos of the people around me. My friends. My family. A way of documenting. I did more of this when we were in Hawaii. It is something I'm trying to keep up. 

I took this photo of him during the workshop. It was during our last day of shooting. We were out on University Avenue. He was going to do some shooting as well, gathering more material for his project. For the record, no I didn't ask if I could take this photo. I just took it. I think over 1/2 of the students took a photo of him standing like that talking to us. 

Where is this all going?

I'm not really sure. 

I've been realizing that there are more people in the images in my project than I realized. I guess they kind of snuck in. The train conductors in Japan, friends in Hawaii, my husband. I think my granny was the first person I deliberately put in one of my compilations a few years ago. I have scans of so many old photos of her. 

It is the old photos that tell the strangest stories though. 

Does film in general tell more of a story than digital photos do? Or does it have more to do with the print? The final image made with the negative – digital or film? Do the creases and stains on a print add more to the story? Are stories analog? As usual, there are more questions than answers. But that isn't necessarily a bad thing.

Until next time,

~Peace~

I know it has been quiet around this site. 

I've been working a lot on making full size prints of some of my new work. It is the best way to see what needs work still. It is a very intense process. It feels so final printing an image on good paper. It becomes less imagination and creativity and more supply inventory and costs now. Not always fun to figure out. Though, I do admit, it is cool seeing some of these images come together, and be printed pretty big! Everything at the Hang It show in May, and the Bloomington show in September will be for sale, so get ready! There will also be unframed prints for sale wherever I can swing it, for sale.

I've also been trying to add prints to my Etsy shop. If you have any suggestions or requests of things you would like to see there, please let me know!

Enough with the sales pitch! 

 

Dear Printer,

Thank you for continuing to work as I make prints for my show, and not barfing black ink on all of them.

 

Dear Internet,

I would really appreciate it if you stopped tempting me with new cameras for just a little bit.

 

Dear Friends who have kept me from losing my mind while I have been making prints for shows and framing,

Thank you!!

 

Dear Friends and Family who have become a fan of Jes Lee on Facebook,

THANK YOU! You make me feel loved :)

 

Dear Cameras,

Thank you for waiting for me. I haven't been taking many pictures lately, but I will again soon.

 

I do have a few more photos to post sometime soon. I haven't scanned in the polaroids I have taken with the new PX100 film. But that will come in time. 

 

 

Until next time,

~Peace~