Working out the Display and the Art Night Show

So… Having nothing pre-prepared to set up a display with or on, I cajoled Laurie into going with me to the Lowe’s for several hours of quality time and bonding.  We had in our minds that large plastic/rubber covered grid would be the ideal thing, but you see… they don’t seem to sell that as an item… or even in conjunction with something else.  The display space was to have been 2.5×4 feet… and I was thinking that there would be some space behind a table and then the table space itself… perception versus reality shall be broken down later.  Wandering around Lowe’s can be fun… but in this case, it really was just mentally fatiguing.  Finally, just when we were getting ready to go home empty-handed, we came across a cedar lattice that we figured that (in three sections) would stand and hold enough hanging pieces.  It was then on to find hooks that would hang over the lattice pieces, which ended up being the easy part of the whole thing– big old heavy S-rings were easy to find and ended up working out just fine.  It seems like it should not have been the ordeal that it was when you condense it down to a handful of sentences… but I suppose that without being able to verbalize it, I somehow had an idea of my requirements in my head and just needed to match it to what we found.

Art Night Cometh, or, How To Read and React Effectively In an Alien Environment

Having sorted out how we were going to set up the display, Laurie visited with the organizers of the event, describing our space needs.  It was decided that I would get a corner spot to setup the vertical aspect of the display and an amount of table space next to it… which would have worked out perfectly.  Framing, adding hanging hardware, matting photos for sale without frames… fast forward to arrival at the hall.  I get there and move in everything that there is to move in… remove stacks of chairs from the corner and begin searching for the table space on which I was going to display the 5×5 pieces (which I had not added hanging hardware to since I was going to have table space to put them on…). . . but there was no table space.  I set up the lattice (and to be honest, it was a good thing that I had a corner spot… the display stood well, but needs tweaking to be more secure) and hung the larger pieces… There was just enough space for the 9 pieces that I had framed.  I sent Laurie off to find something to rig a table in the other part of the corner that I was in for the 5×5s, and ended up with an old A/V cart that we stacked some cardboard boxes on top of, then draped some muslin cloth that we had taken for that purpose.  Read and react accomplished, and the display was ready in time for the beginning of the Art Night program.

In this much, it seemed like a nice victory.

The Art Night program was a very pleasant night, although it was slightly different than what I was anticipating so far as format.  I had known that there was going to be music, I had kind of thought that it would be subjugate to the art displays, a sort of ambience-type set of performances.  In actuality, it was more of a concert setting with a number of breaks in between during which people would wander around and look at the art that had been displayed.  All of the performances were from members of the Vet School or persons connected with the university, and they were very nice- although the overall flavor of the event was more of a museum-style viewing than an art show style browsing and purchasing kind of event.  Compound that with the fact that this was the first time that I had put up and designed a display, and it was a great opportunity for learning and growth    The evening did not pass without a sale, however… I had donated one of the 5×5 tiger pictures to a silent auction… and it did sell (for close to value!), although I did not end up seeing any of the money.  It’s something though!     So that is, in Cliff’s Notes, my first art show experience.  I somehow missed a couple of the larger pieces when I was photographing them yesterday, so be looking for them soon. . . also, I’ve got earth day images yet to deal with, and I hope to get out and see the garden and my herbs and all… more more more

 

It’s all over but the crying

All the planning and thinking is done– prints and business cards are here, now just time to execute.  Check back later- should have pics of finished pieces and the display

<edit> 18 pieces framed, still one more piece to frame and a bunch of 8×10s to matte… I’ll try to get photos up tomorrow and hopefully my display idea is going to work out!

 

Exciting Times!

Good times   I was taking out the trash, which contained a broken plate, earlier… and nine stitches later, here I am   A weekend just isn’t a weekend without a trip to the emergency room.

 

How I Spent My Summer Vacation, Part 2

Excellent.  So– when we last saw our heroes, they had set up camp at Deer Creek Campground in Lesterville.  In a weird flash-forward, we reached the Iron County Courthouse and Baylee Jo’s Barbecue. . . and now we return to your normal chronology. 

Early the morning following establishment of base camp, a fire (meager) was started for the purpose of a hearty campfire breakfast.  Bacon and eggs were cooked and consumed, and the first main destination beckoned.  Taum Sauk State Park houses the highest point in Missouri as well as the tallest wet-weather waterfall in Mina Sauk Falls among other claims to fame.  With no specific destination within the park, we decided to head for said falls, as it had rained quite a bit over the previous couple of days– hoping that it would be reaping the benefit of such weather.  The first omen of what was to come should have been the fact that you were requested to sign in at the trail head, just in case you fall in or something.  Hike hike hike, 300 vertical feet down is good.  There were a couple of nice places to take pictures on the way, which was nice:

And finally we’re there.  Not too much water there, really… so a bunch of effort for not much reward… or rather not the particular reward that we had in mind.  It was very pretty up there, though, to be sure.  We soaked up the atmosphere and wandered around a little bit, grabbed some photos and headed back to the car. . . for our first lunch at Baylee Jo’s BBQ as referenced in the previous post.  Here are the images from the "low point" of the Taum Sauk hike.

We barely survived the re-ascent to the trail head. . . it was not quite as gentle as the descent. . .  but we persevered and made it back up.  We actually ended up at a higher altitude than where we started, making it all the way to the certified highest point in Missouri!    muy excellente!  Here endeth the second portion of my Summer Vacation report.  Stay tuned for details of Part III.

 

Check your local listings:

Check your local listings:

 

I’m getting keyed up

I don’t have time to expound upon it tonight, but if you believe anything other than that we are living in a media controlled state, you’re living in a fantasy.

 

Photo Excursion Part II

True to my expectation, I haven’t had a lot of time to get out shooting again, so I had taken several of the shots I took downtown earlier in the week and worked them up.  I’ll post a couple more at the end of this.  It’s been a long, strange week thus far. . . tomorrow and Saturday left yet…. and then a day off and then I do it all over again. Today I went to a school that we’d been fired from already to finish up our last bit of sports photography.  Weird.  Anyway– La Plata sports tomorrow, Crocker Prom (Laurie and I get to go to another prom ) and then it resets.  Seems like I’ll be going for 6 days again next week… and again the next, then I might be able to take some time away before graduation season. 

ANYWAY

Earth day is next week.  The Earth day celebration in Columbia will be this Sunday.    I’m looking forward to it.  I’ve wanted to participate for a number of years, but haven’t been able to for a number of reasons.  Keep checking in, I’ll surely have some images up Sunday night.    Closer and closer to spiritual health

I wonder at the nearly identical framing of the church and the totem pole from Crocker… whether it has some sort of significance.  The other is a strange juxtaposition of man and nature… somewhat harmonious yet incongruous at the same time.  Have fun.  Peace out.

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The Promised Kitten Update

My blog is my connection to a group of people that I care about… and a connection to myself in many ways. I tend to neglect it sometimes, which unfairly excludes some people from what is going on with me, as well as deprives me of an avenue of self-expression which I don’t allow myself very often in my daily life. I feel guilty when I don’t update my blog, especially when I promise that I will. That all having been said, I do have a couple of images of the new boys that Laurie took, and I think that we’ve finally decided on names for the boys.

Kyla has been the forerunner in accepting the boys– late at night one can spy her occasionally punking about the house with the boys, and she’ll be the more likely to let the boys be in close proximity to her. It’s still relatively slow going, but I did witness firsthand Dharma licking one of the boys’ head… so that’s something. It lasted mere moments, but it’s better than the moment before, to be sure

The boys don’t tend to be shy, and they will freely lay all over each other and anybody who happens to be holding still at any particular moment. Kyla will frequently join the love-fest a little later.

This is a really good effort from Laurie. I’m really not asleep in either of these images, I promise. Though I am notorious for falling asleep at the first kitten visit, I am looking down at the cats in both of these images, so it only looks like I’m asleep. At any rate, I think that we’ve finally settled on names for the boys. Surya gets the better part of the deal, as his name will merely expand to “Surya Deva”, which is the Hindu personification of the sun. Kintaro will bcome “Savitar”, or “Savvy” for short, Savitar being a solar deity either identified or associated with Surya. It seems to be appropriate on more than one front… so I think that we’ve finally decided

I didn’t get out and shoot any tonight… maybe tomorrow. Were going to plant some onions, potatoes and some elephant testicle garlic, along with doing some much needed yard work, weather permitting. This will likely lend itself to some images, so maybe I’ll get something new up tomorrow before I go to the Linn High School Prom. Woo hoo.

 

In my world, Days are very long

Ok… Tomorrow… the next day– they’re all the same thing when you consider things in terms of the cosmos A quick drop in to show the other image of the boys that I promised– seeing as how the last group went over so well.

Hope you enjoy– this is what happens when you are trying to play with the kittens with one hand and take pictures with the other… multi-tasking never was my strong suit.

 

Testes part two

Just checking to see if this is working better.

Bah.