Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Rural Route Two Box Two Eight One
I'm finding myself once again stuck in the doldrums of February. The sky is gray, the snow is muddy and stained black, and since I've been sick for almost one month now, I haven't been able to enjoy my cold runs at night: my saving grace.
A well timed pick-me-up arrived in the mail, well actually it was sent to my parents address - but delivered nonetheless. I ordered it awhile back, then forgot, so it was a nice little surprise from the d o l d r u m s of February. This simple, straightforward bimonthly publication is from rural route two box two eight one http://rrtwo.wordpress.com/, deemed on their site, a photo zine, and that it truly is. The unassuming publication feels flimsy in your hands but don't be fooled, inside are well printed images and a simple layout, allowing the focus to remain on the work. You will find a short statement and bio from the two featured artists and quite refreshingly, nothing else. The longer I sit with it, the more impressed I am by this publication. You won't even find a bio on the folks who have created this Zine; to find out more, you must search a little deeper.
Volume One, Issue Two, features the work of James Luckett and Lydia Moyer. (Click on their names to visit their sites.)
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
An open love letter to my son on his birthday
Dear sweet baby boy,
Five years ago today we went through a journey that changed my life forever. It's late at night as I write this, and I can't help but think back on how magical and yet terrifying the night you were born was for me. Your older brother had a lovely birth at the hospital with a midwife, but I knew I'd never do that again, and so I chose to have you at home - I was anxious.
At this time five years ago I was in labor. Your papa was there and your older brother was in his room with his grandma, waiting for you to arrive. Our midwife was present, as was her lovely apprentice; these were two women I had grown to love and adore. They knew where I was (both having been there before) and that I was on a journey larger than any of us in that room.
You came into my life quiet and very alert. Just like both of your brothers, you were a very easy baby. When your baby brother arrived two and a half years ago, it didn't take long for you to find your voice. Since then, you have challenged me in many ways. Often, I wonder when we will move out of this stage and you've made me question many aspects of what I thought was a foolproof parenting style. Oh boy, I was a cocky mother of two. Three, really did change the dynamics of our family dramatically and it seemed to have the biggest affect on you. But recently I've noticed you rising above your frustrations and finding your own way in the world. It's so wonderful to watch you grow.
You are a beautiful boy. You love cooking, reading, drawing, and you are THE BEST five year old gardner that I've ever known. (Actually, you could seriously challenge most adults when it comes to your garden.) You love your Papa more than me, you tell me all of the time. You are smart and opinionated and could care less if you are the only boy wearing pink hello kitty gloves to school or a cute ladybug tutu for Halloween (see link). You inspire me. With each day that passes, I try to soak you in and hold you tight for just one second longer, knowing soon this will all just be a fading memory.
Happy 5th birthday... to my one and only.
Five years ago today we went through a journey that changed my life forever. It's late at night as I write this, and I can't help but think back on how magical and yet terrifying the night you were born was for me. Your older brother had a lovely birth at the hospital with a midwife, but I knew I'd never do that again, and so I chose to have you at home - I was anxious.
At this time five years ago I was in labor. Your papa was there and your older brother was in his room with his grandma, waiting for you to arrive. Our midwife was present, as was her lovely apprentice; these were two women I had grown to love and adore. They knew where I was (both having been there before) and that I was on a journey larger than any of us in that room.
You came into my life quiet and very alert. Just like both of your brothers, you were a very easy baby. When your baby brother arrived two and a half years ago, it didn't take long for you to find your voice. Since then, you have challenged me in many ways. Often, I wonder when we will move out of this stage and you've made me question many aspects of what I thought was a foolproof parenting style. Oh boy, I was a cocky mother of two. Three, really did change the dynamics of our family dramatically and it seemed to have the biggest affect on you. But recently I've noticed you rising above your frustrations and finding your own way in the world. It's so wonderful to watch you grow.
You are a beautiful boy. You love cooking, reading, drawing, and you are THE BEST five year old gardner that I've ever known. (Actually, you could seriously challenge most adults when it comes to your garden.) You love your Papa more than me, you tell me all of the time. You are smart and opinionated and could care less if you are the only boy wearing pink hello kitty gloves to school or a cute ladybug tutu for Halloween (see link). You inspire me. With each day that passes, I try to soak you in and hold you tight for just one second longer, knowing soon this will all just be a fading memory.
Happy 5th birthday... to my one and only.
You won't understand how much I love you for a very long time, and that's just fine.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Blake Andrews Blog
Please read Blake Andrews blog today; it's a good start to a deeper discussion on fine art portraits. Blake mentions greeting cards in his post, so I thought it fitting I post the card we sent out this year. The image in color below, is our most recent family portrait, which I intended to send out as change of address postcards...
Monday, January 24, 2011
Thursday, January 20, 2011
A look back.
Since my last post, I've been thinking about my oldest son's involvement in my work. Even though yesterday's image was just a "snapshot", it brought me back. He's almost ten now and has played a role since he was just able to stand. Below you will find one of the earliest images we made together. It was for a series I was working on when I was an undergraduate student. I stopped making the work when I went to graduate school and was given some... advice. But, that's a story for another day...
2002
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Mother and Son Dance.
My oldest son (9) and I are taking part in a mother and son dance at his school this February...
Let's just say, we've been practicing.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Thank you
Thank you to everyone who has emailed me lately, to send a note of appreciation for the contents of the blog, to share your story, or to submit for the call for entry I posted last week. I was in California for part of the week, and upon returning I haven't had a minute to post, trying to get through a few pressing deadlines.
December through February, there is a big push for those of us vying for tenure-track positions to meet the application deadlines for university and college positions listed to begin the following academic calendar. I'm sure many of our approaches to completing this daunting task vary, but for the most part, there is a collective understanding for the efforts put into obtaining such a position. The process begins in the fall, when the listings start to appear on various job boards in the community. The next step is to sit at the computer for weeks on end, often for me this means from morning till night, trying to write and organize my materials, which includes my portfolio. After the applications are sent off in the mail, you wait and hope for interviews. When the email or call comes in, you must then decide whether or not you will attend the conference, where many of the preliminary interviews are held. For me, this means the College Art Association conference, scheduled for early February, in New York. Then often comes second interviews, your third (or second) will be a campus interview, often in March or April and then finally the offer, you hope. This can often stretch into May or June and even later sometimes.
The year I was finishing my MFA, I decided I would send out applications to colleges and universities - this was in 2007. I was teaching two classes, finishing my MFA, preparing for my thesis show (why I scheduled it in February is beyond me) and trying to send 30 some applications out. All this was on top of having two young children. It was pure madness. It was pure stupidity on my part, actually. For the first time in my life I declared I was not superwoman. I'm the kind of person that does well under pressure with many things stacked on my plate. I'm a talented multi-tasker, but everyone has their limits and that year I hit mine. The biggest mistake was that in all of the chaos, I had sent out 30+ faulty CD's containing my portfolio. It was as if I had never applied that year.
The following year I was pregnant with my third child and decided only to send out a few applications to the jobs I was really, super excited about. My son was born May 22 and a few weeks later, I was offered a job in Georgia. I turned it down (under the influence of many hormones, I'm sure) and to this day, I have wondered, "what the hell I was thinking?"
Last year I made a bigger effort, I had been an adjunct for a few years and finally felt a level of confidence in the classroom I felt I deserved. I didn't feel though that my work (my art) had the time it needed to develop and I was not where I wanted to be. You see that is where having kids slows your progress down. I've learned I can't compare myself to those without kids, it just isn't the same...period. Your portfolio is everything in the application process and I wasn't there yet. I vowed last year to put more time and effort into my work and to face some demons that I was still holding onto from grad school.
This year though I wasn't sure I wanted to go through it all over again. I love love love teaching that's not the problem, it's the process I wasn't sure I wanted to go through again. Then in late December, something or someone sparked my desire and after some thought and the passing of the holidays, I decided to apply to some academic positions. At this point though, many deadlines have passed and so I'm moving at lightning fast speed to try and catch those later deadlines, because the academic community really is where my heart belongs.
And for those of you that follow this blog and happen to be former students, reading THIS has helped to focus me on my goal.
Thank you.
December through February, there is a big push for those of us vying for tenure-track positions to meet the application deadlines for university and college positions listed to begin the following academic calendar. I'm sure many of our approaches to completing this daunting task vary, but for the most part, there is a collective understanding for the efforts put into obtaining such a position. The process begins in the fall, when the listings start to appear on various job boards in the community. The next step is to sit at the computer for weeks on end, often for me this means from morning till night, trying to write and organize my materials, which includes my portfolio. After the applications are sent off in the mail, you wait and hope for interviews. When the email or call comes in, you must then decide whether or not you will attend the conference, where many of the preliminary interviews are held. For me, this means the College Art Association conference, scheduled for early February, in New York. Then often comes second interviews, your third (or second) will be a campus interview, often in March or April and then finally the offer, you hope. This can often stretch into May or June and even later sometimes.
The year I was finishing my MFA, I decided I would send out applications to colleges and universities - this was in 2007. I was teaching two classes, finishing my MFA, preparing for my thesis show (why I scheduled it in February is beyond me) and trying to send 30 some applications out. All this was on top of having two young children. It was pure madness. It was pure stupidity on my part, actually. For the first time in my life I declared I was not superwoman. I'm the kind of person that does well under pressure with many things stacked on my plate. I'm a talented multi-tasker, but everyone has their limits and that year I hit mine. The biggest mistake was that in all of the chaos, I had sent out 30+ faulty CD's containing my portfolio. It was as if I had never applied that year.
The following year I was pregnant with my third child and decided only to send out a few applications to the jobs I was really, super excited about. My son was born May 22 and a few weeks later, I was offered a job in Georgia. I turned it down (under the influence of many hormones, I'm sure) and to this day, I have wondered, "what the hell I was thinking?"
Last year I made a bigger effort, I had been an adjunct for a few years and finally felt a level of confidence in the classroom I felt I deserved. I didn't feel though that my work (my art) had the time it needed to develop and I was not where I wanted to be. You see that is where having kids slows your progress down. I've learned I can't compare myself to those without kids, it just isn't the same...period. Your portfolio is everything in the application process and I wasn't there yet. I vowed last year to put more time and effort into my work and to face some demons that I was still holding onto from grad school.
This year though I wasn't sure I wanted to go through it all over again. I love love love teaching that's not the problem, it's the process I wasn't sure I wanted to go through again. Then in late December, something or someone sparked my desire and after some thought and the passing of the holidays, I decided to apply to some academic positions. At this point though, many deadlines have passed and so I'm moving at lightning fast speed to try and catch those later deadlines, because the academic community really is where my heart belongs.
And for those of you that follow this blog and happen to be former students, reading THIS has helped to focus me on my goal.
Thank you.
Monday, January 10, 2011
Call for Artists
Recently, I adopted an old trick to begin shooting more regularly. I decided to use the take-one-great-shot-a-day method, as a means to a more consistent daily practice. (This is why you've seen so many more postings from me.) My process has been almost excusively limited to working on conceptual bodies, years in the making, and I think I stopped simply snapping photos for the shear joy of it, many years ago. I hope you've enjoyed looking at these images: the good, the bad, and the ugly.
A running coach I used to work with liked to say, "Somedays you'll run like Carl Lewis, and some days you'll run like Jerry Lewis."
I think that's true for a photographer too.
So... throughout the next year, my goal is to feature one or two photographers, other than myself, for a five day stretch every month. As the featured photographer, you will be asked to shoot and post one image a day, M-F. (The rule is, they must be shot that day.)
I'm hoping each of those featured will enjoy the assignment and that the audience will gain a unique insight into those participating artists. Honestly, I hope to see just as many amazing images as I see bad ones. We can all learn a lot from each other.
If you are interested, please send a link of your website to: mothervsartist@gmail.com
In the subject line write: one-shot-a-day
A running coach I used to work with liked to say, "Somedays you'll run like Carl Lewis, and some days you'll run like Jerry Lewis."
I think that's true for a photographer too.
So... throughout the next year, my goal is to feature one or two photographers, other than myself, for a five day stretch every month. As the featured photographer, you will be asked to shoot and post one image a day, M-F. (The rule is, they must be shot that day.)
I'm hoping each of those featured will enjoy the assignment and that the audience will gain a unique insight into those participating artists. Honestly, I hope to see just as many amazing images as I see bad ones. We can all learn a lot from each other.
If you are interested, please send a link of your website to: mothervsartist@gmail.com
In the subject line write: one-shot-a-day
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