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I discovered a kaleidoscope app for my ipod touch that was free over at itunes a couple of months ago. I had played with it a bit but it couldn't take snapshots of the screen itself and I kind of lost interest but then I took that enamel class with Richard Salley and the other day the light bulb went on for me and I got so excited about the app that I was just sitting there for about a half hour taking photos with my camera of the screen of my ipod. I only had that free version so I thought I would go check and see if any more had been added because I found I had this unlimited resource for patterns in the photos I have taken of MY ARTWORK and loaded onto my ipod. YEAH, you can get photos of your artwork and bring them into the app and let go with the kaleidoscope mechanism and it is mesmerizing!I took more than 600 photos. I'm going to use them for patterns in my new exploration in enamel work.
Then I decided I had to have all the kaleidoscope apps for my ipod from itunes and... THEY ARE ALL DIFFERENT! Some are like mandalas, some have different shapes moving and changing and I haven't even tried them all. I think I only spent about $16 and I keep having to charge my ipod because I've been using it so much. With the other apps that I have tried you can take photos by clicking on the screen and saving. Then you can load them back onto the computer and do anything you can think of. YOU CAN ALTER THEM. Patterns! I'm obssessed.
Look at some more (you don't know how hard it is to choose from the many - maybe I need to make it a movie) :
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These two above and below are my favorites today even though the black and white ones have been most interesting to me before this
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and I really like the flower shape in the center of this next one.
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So now I have to unpack my new enamels, which came today, and start sifting! ... as soon as I finish cleaning out the garage. I am almost done.
AND then I have been taking part in a Wrecked Journal group roughly inspired by Keri Smith's book "Wreck this Journal".
I had three of them to work on at once by some weird twist of events but it turned out to be a good thing.
my cover:
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and some of the beginnings of the inside:
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Real life dialog at my house:
husband: what time did you finally come to bed?
me: 5 am
husband: you're insane!
me: I was in a zone. I wasn't tired and I was having fun and making art.
husband: Yeah, I can see that would be fun.
me: You know the birds start chirping around 5 am?
(whew!)
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It's supposed to look wrecked and it is going to go all over the US to 9 other artists before I get it back a few months from now. I shipped mine off in some plastic saran wrap and a big label. I wonder how it's doing now? My back cover ⬇
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And here are a couple of my spreads in the other two books I had:
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Blick had a big surprise close-out sale on PMC and I got some of the syringe kind! Not nearly a lifetime supply but 8 packages will do for now.
My son Jack graduated from middle school, 8th grade to be exact. He was so handsome in his sport coat!
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This year I swear he grew 6 inches. I was standing next to him and he was a giant. He even grew taller than my daughter and she is 5'11". Can you believe it?
So among a few small gifts I got him a little pile of jelly lenses (this is what they look like):
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We found them on ebay and have been messing with our cell phones and cameras with them. You can use them on anything with a camera lens. Here is a shot of him and I through the 6x lens attached to the little photo booth hole of my Mac.
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They come in sparkle, starburst, 6x, 3x (that is like a little kaleido - told you I was obsessed), heart/blue filter, star/antique filter, wide angle, close-up, polarizing... I think there were 12 in all.
And then here is my daughter Grace at the end of the year at one of the high school swim meets. This is her, strong and capable.
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She is at a swim meet down the hill from our house at the community pool right now swimming hard and working as a junior coach. Her social life has taken off big time and all we do is keep handing her $20's so she can go out for food with the other coaches, and to birthday breakfasts and to the movies. We have been keeping in touch by phone. She's getting a paycheck every two weeks!
I'm thinking about going off to Journalfest because it is happening after my kids get back to school. It is being held at the end of October. I can't really decide yet. Are any of you going to go?
Also, I was thinking about having another class here at my house because I have had a number of inquiries. I was thinking maybe the middle of September once it gets cooler so our clay doesn't dry out too fast. What do you think? If you are interested, email me and I will work on getting it all together.
The latest quote I have been mulling over:
Follow your inner moonlight; don't hide the madness.
~Allen Ginsberg
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