Scans again

So here are the tests I have made for the day. I have decided two things are certain, I love to expose the anthotypes without drying the paper completely and I really am attracted to the small tests. There is something about the size when making them that creates a more cellular and impressive print to me than me trying to compose on a larger sheet of paper. From this I will scan and my next step is to make some large prints of these smaller cellular scans and see how they look large. This type of detail is not obtainable through a larger print because this a very intimate scale. I have a love for the connection of the paper, juice, and produce on top and how it they all feed off each other. These images are done from three types a beet and wine mix and a beet and purple potato mix along with a sprayed beet mix. The type of absorbent effect I get from these wet prints did not happen completely on these because of the fact that I exposed the dry material that I  have had in the house from the last exposures that I wanted to use again to see what kind of images they would yield. This produce will then be composted and used to then create soil for the idea of growing my own beets in my house so that all my materials will be coming solely from my house. This will give me a larger connection with my material and images.
This is my set up from earlier today:
It is important to note that the images you saw yesterday on the glass that I was photographing in the basement that material was just tossed on the papers coated here ready to expose. I did not place them down strategically I simply dropped the glass down and let all the material fall off and left it at that. I am trying to step away from control for these images and making it more about process than anything.

These are just scanned and not edited at all.

These are from the sprayed beets:

These images are from the beet and purple potato mix:

This is a close up of this image scanned again because I thought it was interesting. 

These images are from the beet and wine mix:

Stepping into film again. I have spent some time meeting up with mentors and talking with advisors while trying to get myself acclimated back into the school setting and how I am going to utilize my time now that my daily schedule and routine has changed. Just finished my second paper for the residency and I feel a little more focused at this moment on the direction I am heading towards.

After meeting with Caleb we discussed documenting the work a little more. I have spent the morning setting up my basement again, although the other day I did not cleaning to create space again for another work area. Being behind the camera again was very exciting!! I also thought this work beautiful when I took the old "used" veggies and fruits I had photographed with an set them up almost like a framed image and photographed them. As I was photographing I realized that the material had started to fall off more and more from the glass and so I have left it set up downstairs to come and write this post and maybe document again the time lapse of this work and another form of deterioration of it. I am having a stonger sense of confidence this morning with this set up I have created and I look foward to producing more still lifes of the material I use for this whole process such as the remains of all the shredded produce that is used to juice.

The discussion has come about using only material from my house. There for Caleb and I discussed growing my own beets in my house. This is a thought for the winter time and a dear mentor of mine were discussing this as well and she said what about you compost all the material you are using currently and create your own soil to grow the beets in and then it would be again embracing this idea of life and death and death bringing us life. Just exactly my focus or want. I have a lot of work to do.....but based off my last paper I wrote I spoke about my work being about life and death and the use of sun to create life which also can take life and the circle that even when something dies, it may give life to something else. Such as the creation of soil. This reflects my desire to find a connection with my work and the loss of my father.

This is exciting.....here are some iphone images that are nothing of the real ones but a view of what was happening this morning. The film should be sent out this week and hopefully Ill have images up this weekend.

Enjoy!

Leaves again.....

Here is a corn leaf with corn laid out from that ear on top of it and exposed. I didnt have much luck with this times leaf exposures. I am still working on developing a set of leaves that I can print its own matter on. The grocery store and markets have become my best friend....maybe Ill find some gems this week. 

This corn leaf had the strands from the corn laid on top in a bunch to expose. 

These are all scans with different emulsions. Also when scanning these images I have been trying to crop inside the frame to show images that are interesting through texture and color and the forms of mark making in each one. I am in the process of documenting my garden and emulsions I have made along with the food that I have used in its state after exposure. 

Here are some scans that are not cropped:

My reproductions online seem to be looking slightly different than what I am seeing the program so my apologies for that. I will try to smooth this matter out. 

Here are scans that are crops from certain larger prints I did:

Tease

So I scanned all my work from yesterday and, well, the scans didnt come out good so I have to rescan them. Something I had wrong in the settings. I dont have enough time to explain the emulsion on each one right now because Im exhausted from working all day but I wanted to give you a tease of what I found. Nothing detailed and will be edited tomorrow, I hope.

These images are lighter than the last because of my careful way of coating them this time. But I like the effect, the subtle color and reaction they have to the paper is so delicate its inviting. Check them out.

This is one is made of grapes on purple cauliflower I believe. I pressed the grapes onto the paper and exposed the juices.

This is a beet mixture and grapes pressed on top. The paper was not dried. 

This is rhubarb onto a fennel concoction but the faint lines are really beautiful.

This image is a composed part of a beet mixture and rhubarb and a leaf of rainbow swiss chard in the center. 

This is a paper test of Epson Water color paper. Beautiful. 

This is again another non dried paper and rhubarb, potato, corn strands, and onion on top of a beet mix. 

Corin Hewitt

Worth the watch.... His play with materials and space is fascinating. He speaks well about his work and has a great sense of humor. This is not the video I wanted to show but if you look him up there is an Artist Lecture he did at Wake Forest University that is worth the hour watch. Just to hear about his process and why its important for him to document it or invite people to see while he produces his work. Interesting man, enjoy!

End lab now its time to read.

What you see here is......

a test of leaves on an anthotype to see about exposing one as the leaves fall in my backyard and see what kind of exposure it yields. This is a way of me accepting the change of season for my work currently and seeing what nature at its "unexpected" or "expected" can do to these sort of prints. 

This is a coated piece of paper that is just set to expose with nothing on it. Why? Because when I was setting my images up I saw that a fly was roaming around and I thought, wouldnt that be neat to see what the insects that are checking out the work can do on a wet surface. Not that I will get anything but its worth a shot, just another way for me to connect nature into itself. 

Here is array of images I have set up. They all have a number and belong to one of the concoctions I have made earlier. I have really tried to brush on the emulsion as smooth as I possibly could. These all came out really even and I was excited about that. I used remains from the rest of the veggies and fruits to expose for these images here. I am also trying to pay more attention to the composition.


These are some close ups of undried and coated paper with matter on them. These fruits and veggies have already started to absorb and release themselves onto the paper which is currently what I am fascinated with.


In this image below there is two small prints of new paper that was donated to me. We shall see what they yield and again they were set to expose while wet because I am really attracted to their reaction under those circumstances.

The leaves you see below are another test of some old watercolor paper that I used in college. Again coated and then matter was placed ontop. You can see how the grapes when I squished them what kind of reaction I get....this is really interesting to me because its all "natural". There are not chemicals involved it is simply a recording of one life onto another in two different forms.


These exposures should be done by the end of the day so tomorrow we shall wee what we get and I will post the results. I will also be coating some more paper like said, to keep dry and downstairs in preparation for an alternate weather pattern tomorrow. In the meantime I have completely re-organized my house again because I have a hard time working when something is not in its place. I feel like I am in a good place and most definitely will be after this weekend. Should be able to focus solely on my work this coming week to really get back into it after school and all.

I will also be experimenting with putting leaves into the enlarger as well. I have also set up my studio space downstairs for a possible photo shoot of my materials and color of my mixes that I have been using, just like what Caleb and I discussed being about to document my process a little more. I will also be outside in my garden maybe Tuesday taking pictures of flowers and veggies that I produced this year. This film will be in color and will need to be sent out.

Thats it for now!

Can't get enough veggies!

Ok so I have created my own emulsions based on my experimentations. And I have nine to try out and see what I get. I have set up a handful or leaf exposures outside and will be putting together a test for the fallen leaves when my papers dry. I should have some dry paper for tomorrow's expected rain and should be an experiment to walk out and expose and walk back in. Ill be coating some papers and using the remaining vegetables and fruits to expose the anthotypes. The corn really intrigued me. I'm also putting together one emulsion that is steeping flower pedals in distilled water to try and get their color.