My daughter Zoe is generally a tomboy. She loves her bugs and spy gear and running around getting dirty. But every so often she pulls out her make up and her jewellery and gets all girly.
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Monday, December 29, 2008
The Art of Smoking
There is just something about the image of smoking that I find cool. I know how horribly, politically incorrect me. Maybe its because I'm a long time fan of James Dean - I love the iconic brooding, loner image and smoking just fits in with this. In reality it stinks and I hate it when people smoke around Zoe or close to shop entrances that I have to walk through but in my head the stereotypical smoker image is still cool - so shot me! I remember late one night when I was driving in my car and it was raining lightly and I was stopped at the traffic lights this man crossed the intersection hunched over with his jacket collar up around his ears, he drew on his cigerette and the smoke wafted up around him and all I could think was he looks so damn cool. He is proberly dead now from lung cancer or has a really bad smokers cough but for one moment he lived upto my stereotypical idealogies.
Friday, December 26, 2008
Monday, December 22, 2008
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
The Art of Christmas
The Christmas tree is up, St Nikolaus has been and filled Zoe's shoes with lollies (he comes on the 5th of December - children leave their best shoes out and if they have been good they get filled with lollies and if they have been bad they get a blackstick), the Christmas shopping is nearly done. Zoe and I are in the process of planning her act for Christmas Eve. Because my family is German we celebrate on Christmas Eve and get our pressies that evening and have a few traditions that have stemmed from this. One of those being 'The Act'. All school age children after our evening meal must do some sort of act - sing, recite a poem, do a play etc after the act the pressies are given out by the youngest child. The youngest child now is my nephew Evan but as he is still quite young I'm sure Zoe will be happy to help out. We go to my mum's house for Christmas Eve and this year because of the water restrictions mum's real life potted xmas tree isn't doing so well so she asked if I could bring my tree - already decorated!! The plan is to wrap it in a sheet and put it in the back of the station wagon!! Hahaha what fun this shall be. Fingers crossed.
Elves get Bossed around by Santa by Zoe Thomas (age 7)
Saturday, December 13, 2008
The Art of Friendship
Sometimes you just need to be silly with your best friends, no matter what age you are.
Friday, December 12, 2008
The Art of Edward Weston
“Anything that excites me for any reason, I will photograph; not searching for unusual subject matter, but making the commonplace unusual.” Edward Weston
This is sure to be the first post of many on the topic of Edward Weston. If the name is unfamiliar to you - shame on you! Haha, seriously if you haven't heard of him you should check him out. Weston is considered to be the most influential photographer of the twentieth century. Now I cannot tell you how accurate this statement is but I can tell you my own personal experience, so sit back, make a cuppa and let me tell you a story....
I cannot tell you when I knew I wanted to be a photographer, it was just something built in me, that just seemed completely natural. But what I can tell you about is the time it become an actualisation. I cannot tell you my age, because when I look back all I can see is the ray of light - but I am ahead of myself. I was a young girl I believe myself to be around 10 but this could be completely inaccurate. I am at an art gallery that is holding a photographic exhibition, I think on a school excursion - I was wandering around making notes of the photographs...when for the first time...I saw...Pepper no 30 by Edward Weston. I stopped in my tracks, stared with my mouth open for a very long time and excuse the cliche (but get used to it I'm full of them!) it was like a ray of light was shining on it and I could hear angels, ok I may have a tendency to over exaggerate, I admit I am abit of a drama queen but this is no embellishment. My life changed from this moment onwards. I stared at the piece for so long, I stepped back and looked, I got close up with my nose almost touching and I looked. You may go and google this image now and you may see it reproduced in books but it is not the same by a long long stretch. The image I saw in the gallery that day was a print done by Edward Weston himself, even at that age I remember the sensuality of it, the smoothness of the pepper, the curves...how to me it was reminiscent of a human body. The image seemed to have a silvery glow. The specifics of that day are so hazy, maybe it was a dream, either way that day and Edward Weston cemented my love of photography and started my long obsession with who is considered to be the most influential photographer of the twentieth century.
P.S I'm currently reading "Through Another Lens - My Years with Edward Weston" by Charis Wilson. They where together for 11 years and she was the subject of alot of his most famous nudes. I'm enjoying seeing him from another perspective and I'm sure to post more on this at a later date :)
This is sure to be the first post of many on the topic of Edward Weston. If the name is unfamiliar to you - shame on you! Haha, seriously if you haven't heard of him you should check him out. Weston is considered to be the most influential photographer of the twentieth century. Now I cannot tell you how accurate this statement is but I can tell you my own personal experience, so sit back, make a cuppa and let me tell you a story....
I cannot tell you when I knew I wanted to be a photographer, it was just something built in me, that just seemed completely natural. But what I can tell you about is the time it become an actualisation. I cannot tell you my age, because when I look back all I can see is the ray of light - but I am ahead of myself. I was a young girl I believe myself to be around 10 but this could be completely inaccurate. I am at an art gallery that is holding a photographic exhibition, I think on a school excursion - I was wandering around making notes of the photographs...when for the first time...I saw...Pepper no 30 by Edward Weston. I stopped in my tracks, stared with my mouth open for a very long time and excuse the cliche (but get used to it I'm full of them!) it was like a ray of light was shining on it and I could hear angels, ok I may have a tendency to over exaggerate, I admit I am abit of a drama queen but this is no embellishment. My life changed from this moment onwards. I stared at the piece for so long, I stepped back and looked, I got close up with my nose almost touching and I looked. You may go and google this image now and you may see it reproduced in books but it is not the same by a long long stretch. The image I saw in the gallery that day was a print done by Edward Weston himself, even at that age I remember the sensuality of it, the smoothness of the pepper, the curves...how to me it was reminiscent of a human body. The image seemed to have a silvery glow. The specifics of that day are so hazy, maybe it was a dream, either way that day and Edward Weston cemented my love of photography and started my long obsession with who is considered to be the most influential photographer of the twentieth century.
P.S I'm currently reading "Through Another Lens - My Years with Edward Weston" by Charis Wilson. They where together for 11 years and she was the subject of alot of his most famous nudes. I'm enjoying seeing him from another perspective and I'm sure to post more on this at a later date :)
Thursday, December 11, 2008
The Art of Zoe Thomas
All done by my daughter Zoe who has just turned 7. More of her artwork can be seen on my redbubble site http://www.redbubble.com/people/jewelstorm
The Art of Procrastination
pro·cras·ti·nate
v. pro·cras·ti·nat·ed, pro·cras·ti·nat·ing, pro·cras·ti·nates
To put off doing something, especially out of habitual carelessness or laziness.
To postpone or delay needlessly.
I'm the Queen of procrastination. I don't mean too but it always happens. I started a painting a few weeks ago and I was obsessed - any free moment I was sitting at my art table painting, I had it nearly finished in only a few days and then I stopped. Now it sits there staring at me and I want to finish it but another day keeps going by and then another....
v. pro·cras·ti·nat·ed, pro·cras·ti·nat·ing, pro·cras·ti·nates
To put off doing something, especially out of habitual carelessness or laziness.
To postpone or delay needlessly.
I'm the Queen of procrastination. I don't mean too but it always happens. I started a painting a few weeks ago and I was obsessed - any free moment I was sitting at my art table painting, I had it nearly finished in only a few days and then I stopped. Now it sits there staring at me and I want to finish it but another day keeps going by and then another....
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
The Art of Dying
To purchase a print or view more of my artwork please click go here - http://www.redbubble.com/people/jewelstorm
The Art of Freaking Out
I'm over analysing my artwork. Asking myself too many questions and not liking the answers I give. So instead of it twirling around my head and not getting anywhere I thought I would start this blog instead.
I have fear of dead things. An irrational fear I know but real nonetheless. I think it stems from finding a dead bird in the playground in primary school and I thought it was still alive because I could see it moving so I thought it was breathing. It turns out it was big juicy maggots eating and writhing. I have seen two dead people in my 30 years of life, both my grandfathers, but each time from a distance and I definitely didn't touch. The thing that amazed me when seeing them was that there was no mistaking that they were dead. In movies when someone dies, people think they are asleep and have to check their pulse to see if they are alive. But when you see a dead person, there is no doubt that they are dead. Now on with the point...as I do have one...
I found a dead bird in my backyard a few weeks ago. It was a baby bird that had been knocked out of its nest. I freaked out like a girly girl and screamed for my husband. Now bear in mind I'm abit of a tomboy, I'm fine with spiders, don't mind getting dirty but dead things turn me into a shrieking housewife. I begged him to put it in the bin and ran inside. I've been thinking about that dead bird since then, thinking about my fear of dead things and thinking how I wish I could photograph it because as much as there is that fear - there is also my curiosity. I noticed a week ago that it was still there. Normally I would nag him until he got rid of it but this time I didn't. I wanted to summon the courage to have a closer look. Early this evening when the sun had started to go down, one of my favourite times of the day to photograph, I ventured outside with a broom and my camera. It was covered with leaves so I had to move them but I stood at broom length. Deep breathing aided me a little as I put my camera up to my face and started taking pictures. They were to far away I needed to get in close and the background was the same colour as the dead thing so I had to move it to try and get a better shot, I put it on some newspaper squatted over it real close and finally got some photographs. I then picked it up in the newspaper and put it in the bin. I haven't looked at the pictures yet but I know what I'm going to do with them and the processes I will use. This is a turning point. I faced a major, major fear - but will it help me with my artwork? Time will tell....
I have fear of dead things. An irrational fear I know but real nonetheless. I think it stems from finding a dead bird in the playground in primary school and I thought it was still alive because I could see it moving so I thought it was breathing. It turns out it was big juicy maggots eating and writhing. I have seen two dead people in my 30 years of life, both my grandfathers, but each time from a distance and I definitely didn't touch. The thing that amazed me when seeing them was that there was no mistaking that they were dead. In movies when someone dies, people think they are asleep and have to check their pulse to see if they are alive. But when you see a dead person, there is no doubt that they are dead. Now on with the point...as I do have one...
I found a dead bird in my backyard a few weeks ago. It was a baby bird that had been knocked out of its nest. I freaked out like a girly girl and screamed for my husband. Now bear in mind I'm abit of a tomboy, I'm fine with spiders, don't mind getting dirty but dead things turn me into a shrieking housewife. I begged him to put it in the bin and ran inside. I've been thinking about that dead bird since then, thinking about my fear of dead things and thinking how I wish I could photograph it because as much as there is that fear - there is also my curiosity. I noticed a week ago that it was still there. Normally I would nag him until he got rid of it but this time I didn't. I wanted to summon the courage to have a closer look. Early this evening when the sun had started to go down, one of my favourite times of the day to photograph, I ventured outside with a broom and my camera. It was covered with leaves so I had to move them but I stood at broom length. Deep breathing aided me a little as I put my camera up to my face and started taking pictures. They were to far away I needed to get in close and the background was the same colour as the dead thing so I had to move it to try and get a better shot, I put it on some newspaper squatted over it real close and finally got some photographs. I then picked it up in the newspaper and put it in the bin. I haven't looked at the pictures yet but I know what I'm going to do with them and the processes I will use. This is a turning point. I faced a major, major fear - but will it help me with my artwork? Time will tell....
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