Juliana's Art Studio & Gallery First Friday Reception

I hope you're starting to get the idea that there is a lot going on this First Friday, February 4th! Another email just came in letting me know that Juliana's Art Studio & Gallery will be featuring the work of jewelry designers, gallery artists, and a photographer with an exhibit opening from 5-8 pm on Friday. Juliana's is located at 501 18th Street, near Mill Creek Park. If you haven't been to this often-overlooked, but delightfully different gallery, I recommend that you stop by!

And speaking of First Friday exhibits, here's an update on my gnome progress (albeit with poor quality iPhone pics): 

My dreamy little fellow is coming along!

Crime Scene Barbie and "Once Upon a Fantasy"

Another show opening on First Friday, February 4th is the "Once Upon a Fantasy" show which will be on concurrent display with "The Gnome Project" at Spotlight Theatre. This exhibit will feature artwork from BECA (Bakersfield Emerging Contemporary Artists), in various mediums, and will run through February 28th. I was hoping to submit work to this show also, but I just ran out of time. The one photo I would have loved to include might be a bit too much to work within the family-friendly theme...

The shot is of an abandoned doll found in an old construction site in the northeast part of town. I didn't disturb the scene--just took the shot where she was discovered. An obvious crime of passion.

Sword play and WordPlay

I was lucky enough to go photo hunting this afternoon and to go "Shutter Clique-ing" tonight. This is a late post because I was out shooting later than is typical for me. 

Scouting out locations, earlier in the day, I came across some recent bridge construction near Lake Truxtun and the bike path. These posts rather look like a mirrored optical illusion to me.

Tonight some of the photographers from the photography club Shutter Clique got together and shot a fun and interesting show at The Gate. The all-ages show featured the heavy metal band Heralds of the Sword, and there were quite a few swords also in attendance! 

Speaking of the Shutter Clique: "WordPlay," a new exhibit of work by SC photographers will be on display beginning First Friday, February 4th at The Foundry. The idea for the photographs began with each member randomly choosing two words--a negative one and a positive one--then creating an image to express both. I'm excited to be part of this group and hope you'll stop by to check out the show!

The Gnome Project is coming...

I got a press release from Nyoka Jameson, the president of BECA (Bakersfield Emerging Contemporary Artists) who is also in charge of promotions/marketing at Maya Cinemas. Maya is hosting a joint art project with The Spotlight Theatre and BECA to celebrate the opening of Touchstone Pictures animated release "Gnomeo & Juliet." On display, and available for purchase by silent auction, will be select ceramic gnomes designed by local artists. You can catch the exhibit February 11-13th at the Maya or from February 4th-28th at The Spotlight Theatre, 1622 19th St. Along with the auction, other family-friendly activities will be held at the Maya on February 12th from 1-5 p.m. More details to come about this and more new art exhibits opening on First Friday.

For now, check out this cutie (and his booties):

Stay tuned to see his transformation!

Industrial Glow

Am I the only one who's missing summer already? Okay, not necessarily Bakersfield's summer, but the idea of summer. Warmth, romance, and sunset's glow. Ahhhh.... I'm already looking forward to lunches on the porch, driving with the windows down, and reading on a sun-kissed beach.

The dark has come for another night and the fog may be creeping in, but the above photo is straight out of July's hazy days. (If you haven't already guessed, I am a summer baby!!)

Pause to reflect.

Day 26. Where is the year going? I hope that your year so far has been one of learning and growth, peace and love, seeking and finding. Even though it does seem to race by, the year still holds great, hopeful promise. I hope that we make the most of it.

Tonight's offering:

A little reflection; a little distance; a little perspective. For me.. and you.

Origins.

Maybe it's all the studying in Anthropology about origins; perhaps it's just all the studying in general--and the not having the time for sit-and-chats; or it could be the nagging thoughts that wander about my brain late at night...whatever it is, I've lately found myself thinking more and more about my parents. I'm truly blessed to know these warm, wonderful humans at all, let alone to have been born to and raised by them. Virtually everyone I know who has met my parents has had positive things to say about this dynamic, generous, and talented couple. And why should I not do the same?

I took the above photos for my parents 46th anniversary. This year will be 48! Much love M & D!!

Dumpster diving

I'm really glad I got this post-a-day challenge into a habit by the time this week hit because I find myself getting sleepy earlier in the evenings now that I'm busier. Too much cramming thoughts into every cranny of my brain--it wants a retreat among the pillows where it shall refuse any further figuring or furtive contemplation.

Today's pic is another from the vaults, circa 2009, but this one is far from random: I searched high and low for the file because I knew I could find no better way to sum up the day.

If today you had "a case of the Mondays," here's hoping your Tuesday (and mine) is brighter....

Launch

A photo jaunt through the neighborhood bagged this shot of a mini-mart that I have been wanting to capture for awhile now. I'm hoping it will motivate my long-delayed but oft-pondered neighborhood market series.

Short post tonight as yet more homework awaits.. as does laundry... and that thing called sleep.

Saturday Night Special

Some days I get to create, other days I get to be inspired.

Today was one to savor the atmosphere of art and find some inspiration...downtown. Jen Raven had another delightful opening for her solo show "Dine-in, Take-out" at The Foundry and afterward, Phillip and I, plus my son and his date, ventured over to the beautiful Fox Theater to catch the Banksy film, "Exit through the Gift Shop." It was a nice, cultured evening for us and the teenagers! I hope to do a little shooting tomorrow and be back with something new to share next post. For now, I leave you with a sample of my evening:

The Fox Theater

Jen Raven

Congratulations! It's been a good day.

A good day, and a long day.

1) The "Literary Lush"Book Club got off to a great start and chose "Big Sur" by Jack Kerouac as the first title to read.  I had a super fun time with friends and family, met some cool new people,  had some wine and far too many cream puffs... Join us 02/04/11 from 6 - 8 p.m. at The Foundry to discuss the book.

2) We do it again tomorrow at The Foundry for Jen Raven's "2nd opening" of Dine-in Take-out at 6 p.m. followed by Flics at The Fox at 7:30 p.m. (Tomorrow night's feature is "Exit through the Gift Shop.") Check it out!

3) After a long search and lots of prayer, Phillip was offered a job today!! Congratulations babe!!

And now here's a picture:

Just to be different, I thought I'd post a non-photo.  Actually this is a photo of a "doodle" I drew. It's not a great photo nor a great drawing, but it was a fun use of time...

And one more thing: I've heard it said that it takes 21 days to make a habit. Well, congratulations to me too--it has been 21 days since I started this blog--I believe the habit has formed!

Thirsty Thursday

In honor of the upcoming "Literary Lush" Book Club's first meeting tomorrow night, I am posting a few photos taken not long after last year's opening of The Padre Hotel. A friend and I were lucky enough to sample a few of their scrumptious cocktails and I, of course, had to get a few "shots!"

The "Literary Lush" Book Club is made for those who want to stimulate their intellect, enjoy a beverage, and hang out with other like minds on a Friday night.  The name implies that we will be "overindulging in literature!" At the first meeting, tomorrow from 5:30 - 8:00 p.m. at The Foundry (corner of Chester & Truxtun), we'll be deciding on which book or books the group is going to read. Wine and light refreshments will be available. I am so excited that many people have already RSVPd for the meeting; I think it's going to be a lot of fun!!

Random Stress Relief

Back to school, once again, for a new semester. I only have another year or so at BC but it has already been a long process.  Looking over my homework tonight I am reminded of how these weeks will stretch out with busyness and yet fly by before I can blink.

Tonight I felt like I needed a little relief so I dug way back into my vault of photos. Although it has only been three years since I began classes, so much has been packed in along the way. I am a different person than the "youthful 36 year old" from the Spring of 2008. 

Looking back through these photos reminds me of a time when experimenting was fun and discovering was play. I like that--and needed the reminder!

Senior Year: Fall

As Daniel approaches the end of his high school days, I find no better chronicle of his life than his senior picture. But the senior year of high school is so rich and filled with changes that I feel it deserves to be captured more than once. Therefore, I am planning a special shoot with him for the fall, winter, and spring of this school year.

The winter shoot will be scheduled soon so tonight I share with you a few of my favorite photos from Daniel's fall session.

Even in the few short months since these were taken, it is amazing to me that I already notice differences in my son. What a bittersweet journey this life is! On one hand, I want to make time freeze so that he can stay a child forever; on the other, I can't wait to see what his next chapter brings.

Photo hunting

A holiday afternoon of scouting locations turned into a picnic date with Phillip on this Martin Luther King, Jr Day. Heading east, we took the road to Caliente and did some exploring. Some of the roads in that area have taken a serious hit from the recent storms, yet road crews were out clearing debris, making it able for us to roam safely and freely through some beautiful scenery.

Wordplay--Sneak Peek

Ahhh.. what a day. It was a blast, but I am tired!

I finally got a chance to shoot some photos for my entry in an upcoming photography exhibit. In February, The Foundry will be hosting the show titled, "Wordplay."

After brainstorming, prop shopping, wardrobe, make-up, staging, shooting, and clean up, it's no joke saying photography is hard work. But with the help of my son and some of his friends, a few borrowed items from family, and the assistance of the best fiance ever, the shoot went off beautifully.  My only regret was the light--it turned out to be a gloomy day after all--but we did the best we could with what we had.












Enjoy the sneak peek and stay tuned for next month's exhibit info.

Creating the mood

When in need, Goodwill to the rescue! Today I had a great time "prop shopping" for items and costumes which I hope will create a mood for the photo project I will be shooting sometime tomorrow afternoon. The above picture is a very small sneak peek into some of the objects which will play a role in the shoot.

Although I said I would have fresh photos today, other obligations unfortunately swallowed up my time. Besides, it was overcast all day; tomorrow we are expecting good light here in California! 

Pocketbooth

My new toy, the Pocketbooth app for iPhone has been amusing me tonight, so I thought I'd share:

As you can see, Pocketbooth is an app that mimics old-time photo booths and creates strips of four photos. Lots of fun, though the shots automatically snap less than two seconds apart--sometimes not long enough to position the next shot--and there's also no option for color, or a choice of three shots instead of four. But for $.99 I'm really not complaining.  Anyway, these are just a few precious pieces of my life--Phillip, home, LOVE, and my job.

Tomorrow I'm going on a serious photo hunt, so I will bring back fresh pictures! See you then!

P.S. Above portions are crossed through because... I am a dork. Thanks to a helpful tip from "Anonymous" (see comments), I was able to open my eyes enough to find the settings button in Pocketbooth! Through the settings I have actually been able to set options such as strip size (3 or 4 poses), photo effect (antique, black and white, color, or sepia), time between shots, border color, and even paper stock (matte or glossy).
Way cool.

Chuck that photo!

You've heard of a "Hail Mary pass," in football? This is a Hail Mary post.

It has been a week of long evenings and tonight my lack of sleep caught up with me. After an inadvertent nap, I wake to find myself staring at my daily deadline for posting a photo. So back to the favorites I go!

Actually this one is a shot I took, in downtown Bakersfield, which I have always liked but have not used for anything. For this particular edit I was testing a logo for "LissaFudge Photography." I like the way the colors give a vintage vibe.

Why?

Whoa. Big question. I don't know, to tell you the truth. There's a lot of mysteries in this life and many days I have a whole lot of Whys? Hows? What ifs? and Whens? jumping around in my head. That's when the "please"s start. Please, Lord--let this be okay. Let this too pass. Please. Please. Give me grace. Please help. Please make everything work out the way it should.

Granted, these aren't the most eloquent or sophisticated prayers.

But like a child asking a forever string of, "Whhhhyyy?"s, I believe there's Someone who knows the answers, and even better, understands the questions. And most of the time, that's enough.

I like being a kid and not having to know everything. Makes it possible to just have fun.

Broken glass memoir

Phillip, my fiance, broke a bowl tonight while washing dishes; I was reminded of a time recently when I did the same thing with a drinking glass. Not wanting to waste this vessel I had owned for roughly 17 years, I decided to take some pictures!

Broken glass is pretty,

Even if its sharp edges,

and tiny shards,

are like shears

against my fingertips

[A reason to take photos of it all:

even the mundane and easily forgotten,

can often be employed as beauty--

a useful memory--on a dull day.]

Hello sunshine!

More favorites!

I'm hoping to post new photos soon but, with a full work day and a sun that goes down too early, I haven't been able to get much time to shoot. So instead I'm continuing my series of favorites.

I recently reworked some photos by converting them to black and white and fiddling with the brightness and contrast. Here are some of the results:

Ahhh.... sunshine, remember that? With the cold weather still months from changing to Spring, at least these photos offer me a little warmth! Hope they do for you too.