Self Contained~Online Gallery and Book

i received notification today that my work has been accepted for the exhibition Self Contained, curated by Philadelphia based photographer and writer Christopher Paquette.  Christopher is the creative force behind the excellent online magazine PHOTO/arts.

you can see the announcement here: www.photoartsmagazine.blogspot.com

Self Contained will open online in early November.  the exhibition is comprised of 68 images by 46 photographers from around the world.  the project will culminate in the publication of a photography book of the entire exhibition.

i am so honored and pleased to be a part of this exhibition.  more to come later...

Ekaterina Vasilyeva  Self Contained (2012)

Out Of My Comfort Zone

as you can tell, my post a day project bit the dust last week, but not for lack of trying.  last Friday, Lou and i headed to the shore, so he could officiate yet another wedding, and our wifi connection at the hotel was just awful, to say the least.  the weather was glorious, however, and i managed to spend two wonderful days photographing anything and everything that caught my eye.  absolute heaven.

then, i returned home Sunday to find my first ever artist/gallery talk at J&J staring me squarely in the face.  i went into complete panic mode.  i'm a terrible public speaker, consumed with anxiety, and i have never been very good at talking about myself or my art.  i'm a master at deflecting attention away from myself and on to others.  to have many sets of eyes staring at me, and lots of ears tuned to what i'm saying is one of my worst nightmares.

i'm happy to say my friends came out in force to support me... thank you all... and the talk went well, i think.  it's still a bit of a blur, not made any clearer by the stiff bourbon and ginger i popped once i arrived home from the talk.

as i told the folks who attended the talk, i'm glad i did it.  i learned so much about myself and my work by sitting quietly and analyzing what i do and why i do it.  i am usually so consumed with producing work... shooting, developing, printing, showing... that i  lose track of why i'm doing it all in the first place.  it felt good to take a deep breath, slow down and really look at my own images the way i look at the work of others.  it is good to honor your work in this way.  i discovered a lot, and i recommend that all you photographers out there take the time to do the same thing.  you'll be happy you did.

sacandaga light, 2012, oxidized gelatin silver print

A Good Night Picture

just have the time and the energy to post a picture before turning in for the night.  

sweet dreams.

watershed branch, 2012, oxidized gelatin silver print

Yesterday's Prints

busy, busy day today, so i just have time to post a couple images from yesterday's day in the darkroom, as promised.

these photographs were taken at a lovely watershed park off Saginaw Avenue in Lansing, MI.  i need to learn the official name of this park as i photograph there every chance i get.  a tiny oasis of natural beauty. 

i think the tree... surprise, surprise... is my favorite so far.

watershed tree, 2012, oxidized gelatin silver print

watershed Queen Anne's Lace, 2012, oxidized gelatin silver print

A Quick Update

i can't believe it!  the small image i had enlarged to 16"x20" looks fantastic.  i never thought i'd hear myself say i liked one of my images large.  i am such a devoted lover of small, intimate, hold-it-in-your-hands, get-up-close images.

in the modern world of contemporary art i think 16"x20" is still considered pretty small.  my amazing printer referred to it as "wallet size."  but it's gi-normous to me, and i love it.  i think i'll continue on with this project and try a few more sunflower images big.

sorry i can't show you here.  trust me, it looks sweet.

so... does this mean i now get to charge mega-bucks for my work?

on another front, the first few images i printed in the darkroom today from my old film developed in old developer turned out great.  as soon as they dry overnight i'll scan a couple and post them for you to see.

i'm so happy!  all and all, a smashing day of photographic play!

Yikes!

just about missed a day!

i've been in the darkroom developing old Tri-X film (circa 2002, but shot in 2012) with really old film developer (several half empty bottles of dark brown FG-7 combined into one, expiration dates circa 2006-2011).

i hate to throw anything away... especially now that i can no longer purchase FG-7.

early reports are fairly flat negatives with some strange anomalies and artifacts that i should be able to tease into interesting prints.

i'll get back to you with some samples from these negs in the near future.

i love a challenge!

Winter Weeds (1), 2010

didn't want another day to pass without posting a picture.

Firefly Letters

i can't post a picture today, so thought i'd tell you about a really interesting photography project now on display at the Lightroom Gallery in Philadelphia, PA, through Oct. 27th.

for over a year, in what is described as "a light and chemical correspondence," friends and photographers Scott McMahon and Ahmed Salvador have been mailing pieces of unexposed film or paper to each other in damaged packages to see what develops, so to speak.

you can view the correspondence on their website Firefly Letters.  There is a brief description of the project and a gallery for the film, the packaging and the prints.  the images are wonderful, and i absolutely love the serendipity of the work.

Kathan Kamps

this weekend Kathan Kamps, on Lake Sacandaga, closes for the season.  some lucky folks are right now enjoying a beautiful fall weekend before the cabins are put to bed for the winter. 

wish i was there. 

here's an image from my recent vacation on the lake.

Lake Sacandaga, 2012, gelatin silver contact print from paper negative

A Summer Day in October

Still (12), 2010

it is far too beautiful a day to be inside in front of a computer.  off to feel the sun on my face... and to take some pictures.

Egads!

i made it into the darkroom yesterday.  it took me awhile to get my groove on, but after an hour printing my work it began to feel right and natural once again.  i didn't wind up with anything i really loved, but i was happy and content.

this morning, when i went down to check if my prints were dry, i discovered the BRAND NEW box of 250 sheets of Ilford fiber paper ($256.50 + S&H) i had JUST OPENED was not what i had ordered.  the box was labelled correctly ~ Ilford Semi-Matte ~ but the paper inside was glossy, which i DO NOT WANT for my images.  and B&H, where i purchased the paper, is closed for the NEXT WEEK for Succoth.

OK, i'll stop with the capital and bold letters now.  this means i can't print my work, and that makes Patricia a very unhappy girl.  looks like i'll be forced to catch up on my contact sheets after all, which i print on RC.  so, maybe in the long run, this packaging mistake was a good thing.  but it doesn't feel that way right now.

Stairway to Heaven (2), 2011

Dancing in the Dark

today, at long last, i have a few hours to return to the darkroom.  events have conspired to keep me in the light for the past several months and i am craving a quick fix of fixer.

the cold water from my faucet is still not quite cool enough to start developing the 50+ rolls, and the 40+ sheets of 4x5 film i've accumulated over the summer.  just a few more crisp autumn nights and the cold water should finally drop below the 68 degree mark.  can't wait! 

the anticipation of what treasures, or trash await me in that undeveloped film is one of the great joys of analog photography.  it's like Christmas Eve all year long.  i could never give it up for the instant gratification of digital photography.

in the meantime, i'll have to scratch my darkroom itch by printing some older negatives.  i also have many, many, many contact sheets to develop, but i'm trying to ignore them.

will productive Patricia, or creative Patricia win out today?  either way, i'll be dancing in the dark with a big smile in my heart.

Ella, 2008

Going Big

this morning i took a couple images to master digital photographer and printer, Jim Roselli of Xact Studios in Hillsborough, NJ, to find out how they would look big... for me.  i normally print (in the darkroom) quite small ~ a 5"x7" image looks huge to me.  But this spring, my girls, the incredible les Femmes Photales, will be exhibiting at the newly renovated Reeves-Reed Arboretum in Summit, and the director and curator, Frank Juliano, would like to see big prints (16"x20") on the walls for the gala reopening.  i do not, let me repeat, do not, have to produce bigger work for this show ~ there is plenty of room for my small stuff ~ but i've always been curious about how my work would look large, so i've decided to find out.

here's one of the images i took to Jim...

Homestead Sunflowers (5), 2012

i'll let you know how it turns out...

Cleaning House... Really

i'm busy cleaning for house guests.  epic dislike... for the cleaning part, not the guests part.  this means i only have a second to put down my dust mop and post a quick image and quote.  bathrooms await...

Abandoned (9), 2010

"... if you do it with enough assurance and confidence, you're allowed to do whatever you like." ~ Neil Gaiman, in reference to writing, but it certainly applies to photography as well!