a domestic life {05} + goings on

a domestic life :: 05 :: narcissus

ah. moleskines. how i do love thee.

my friend gave me a narcissus plant. so sweet and fragrant and so fleeting. the sepia hue in the polaroid was generated by a filter provided to me by annie bee - photo genius extraordinaire.

i'm finding this process meditative. take photo and then draw something in the photo, or re-draw the photo. sometimes i'm interested in doing it to scale - the same size as the photo, other times i want to change the scale. in a way the whole idea of doing something twice removed intrigues me. the photo is a frame - a glimpse into some other world - a removal from the "real" world while it simultaneously captures it. [there are so many theoretical stances on photography. sontag , barthes and the like can explain it better than i can here].

and then the drawing itself is another removal. it's my hand - my eye - my interpretation of something that is already "false" or "removed". it's interesting to think about how sometimes a photo or a drawing can be more real than reality - especially in terms of conveying an emotion or desire or mood. but then again they can be so fake. in how you set it up - meaning how you generate the image can be so easily manipulated. and in how you manufacture it. when painting or drawing you can use non-native colors or different kinds of mark-making to change the tenor of the piece. you can omit or add things at will. in life you can't will a red rose to be purple [you can imagine it so, but unless you have magic powers or have a strange kind of color blindness the red rose will still be red]. but in making you can alter things as much as you'd like. and even if you are a photorealist and try to copy "life" exactly - you can't... and that is part of where the magic lies in art, no?

i hope that isn't too much methodology for a late tuesday morning. i might have been inspired by all of bara's posts on methodology. the first one is here - and there are 4 total. they are really great.

sunsethouse

this weekend a print was featured in sunset magazine's idea house - they had a fair at their menlo park facilities. i think the best part is being on a wall with Rachel Austin :: Traci French :: Andrea Jenkins :: Sharon Montrose :: Eric Rewitzer :: Ian Dingman :: Lisa Congdon :: Leigh Wells :: Dana Robson. i love the wall color and that sofa. no idea who makes that sofa, but it's a beauty, no?

there are SO many june baby birthdays to celebrate... shari , wendy , gwen ... my dad.... ok - now i feel like i have to run to start getting june presents together.....

i'll be back later this week with another domestic life and a GIVEAWAY which round about relates to.....

hello ! to any readers coming from amy's blog.... thanks for the mention ms. chicken....

Comments

louise said…
I've been enjoying reading your thoughts on methodology while drinking my first morning coffee. It's a great way to ease into a Tuesday, or Wednesday as it is over here. xo lj
Camilla said…
I've just finished writing an assignment where i've referenced Barthes and Baudrillard, looking at the ideas of alienation and how we experience things more strongly through a filter. I can't say I enjoyed it all, but so much of it resonated with me. I often find that I need to photograph my work in order to 'see' it, and find viewing things on the monitor, once removed, helps me clarify my vision. I've also created a series of screen prints that are based on drawings I made from polaroids, I love the layers in that...
Esti said…
it's always interesting to spare some minutes here and follow your trail of thought. I like how our minds filter and reinterpret things. And how you put words to your process.
Anonymous said…
Not being an artist I found your discussion of photos and drawing to be a good opportunity to learn more about the process of creating. THANKS! Is your piece the doiley on the far right hand side of the photo?
shari said…
meditative sounds so good. i am happy to see you continuing with this project. thank you for the sweet birthday wishes. xox
wendy said…
i have been really attracted lately to the idea of repeating - coming back and seeing something again in a different way.
lovely.
& thank you for the birthday wishes!
gracia said…
Here's to meditative processes and drawing what the eye cannot actually see before it. Being able to draw or create what one can see in the mind's eye is perhaps why I love to collage so much. I never seem to tire of paper and its endless ability to both conceal and reveal through layering, cutting windows to show what lies underneath, and creating subtle slight of hand effects through photomontage.

Here's, as you say, to the magic that lies in art. Happy working, g xo
melissa s. said…
love your drawing and thought process. i agree - the magic in art for me is when the artistic creation takes on a life of its own
~Jill said…
i was one of those lucky ladies who was sent to your blog via ms. chicken.
congrats on the zine cover! i already purchased my copy:) hope you and your family are doing well! xo
babelfish said…
I love your thoughts, so true that something can be interpreted in so many ways, just as everyone has a different perspective on life. Transform...'repeat, repeat, repeat'.
(great polaroid, especially with the filter)
julie said…
i am always glad to here your thoughts on methodology. beautiful photo - the light..
oh and the green wall :) xx
Chase Clark said…
Wonderful to see your work popping up all over the place, love it all!

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