New Printing and Old Photos

• November 20th, 2004 • 0 Comments • photography, screen printing •

Contrary to popular belief, I actually have been down in the garage working on art! My screen printing endeavor is going fairly well. Using drawing fluid and screen filler is devastatingly easy, though I have not done as well using the photo emulsion. I figure it could be three problems: 1) the photo emulsion and sensitizer are old. 2) my inkjet printout on denril is not solid/translucent enough to make a good exposure. 3) I am not exposing long enough with the lightbulbs I am using. Photo screen problems aside, I’ve made several solid prints on paper, as well as one on fabric. I’m pleased with all of my test results, and can’t wait until I am satisfied enough to get started on an edition of some sort!

Oh dear, speaking of editions, I really wish I could edition my prints I did in Scotland now. Last week I stopped by UNT and visited with both Justin Quinn and Catherine Chauvin, my former teachers/bosses. To my pleasure, I recieved high praise from both of them when they looked at my APs. The local community college is literally across the street from me and I have resolved to visit with the print teacher over there and see if I can buy some shop time. I very much wanted the Scotland prints to be an edition of 30 or so; this appears to be the best way to do it.

In art-related news, I am working on archiving the family fortune: scanning several thousand photographs, many dated back to the 1800s. My Uncle is the family historian, and has almost all of the family portraits and photos. Well, far be it from me to allow him to horde them all to himself! I believe that it is something of a rariety for a family to have such an enormous collection of visual history available in one place, especially with an historian that can identify 90% of the persons in the photos. Therefore, I am digitizing everything. Everything. I realize that this is an enormous undertaking, but firmly believe that the results will be well worth it. Who knew my job in the school slide library would be of some use? In addition to scanning and forcing my Uncle to type down whatever he knows, I am transferring many of the pictures to proper albums. Sadly, many of the photographs are in viciously acidic albums that are falling apart. (Yes, I already chewed out my Uncle.) The only thing I am unsure of how to handle is the old albums into which photos were glued. The acid in the paper is eating away at the photos, but there is no apparent way to separate the two. (Hence one of the reasons I am scanning them!) Surprisingly, some of the old photos are actually tin-types! Most of these are in very good condition; I am completely unaware of what sorts of factors could cause them damage, other than the obvious scratching or moisture. Here’s to good luck safely archiving and finishing the project!

New Printing!

• November 8th, 2004 • 0 Comments • screen printing, supplies •

Well, I went ahead and ate the cost of getting one of those starter kits for screen printing! It was about $44 for the cheapest kit, but it came with a screen, screen filler, and some other stuff I’ll apparently need. I’ve seen screen prints done before, both by hand and with a machine setup, but I’ve never actually tried to make them myself. THIS should be a little adventure! My need for reproductive art is great, as I mentioned in a previous post. Why starve myself when I have the opportunity to learn something new AND continue to make prints? I have no idea. Hopefully $44 will bring me some satisfaction.

The studio got a little upgrading as I recieved 1) Michael’s mother’s old easel and 2) Michael’s old drafting table. I’ve never actually owned an easel before–though I suppose you could technically count the collapsable art-box traveling easel I got many birthdays ago. Michael’s mother’s easel stands about seven feet high, and has a rest for both small and large paintings. Very nice! I can’t tell you how grateful I am to recieve such nice supplies. Especially the easel; I usually paint with my canvas/board/whatever flat on the ground. However with studio space at a premium, an easel really helps to clear up some space. Time to put all of those new supplies to work!

Finished!

• November 6th, 2004 • 0 Comments • jobs, painting •

Oh, I am so happy! I finished my first full painting in Studio 4A. It’s still slightly wet, but it’s up on the wall and ready to be photographed when the daylight hours appear again. Entitled “Planet,” the five-paneled piece I feel is quite successful. Though it’s not apparent to the casual observer it makes me quite glad to have used neglected canvases that were once doomed to never again see the light of day.

Painting is good, but I do miss printing. My last print pulled was when I was in Glasgow, Scotland for a week in the Summer. I desparately wanted to edition it upon returning home, but alas, life keeps getting in the way. Though there is a ray of hope: I visited PRINT Press in Denton, where I used to work part-time while I was in school. Currently, they are involved in a very alternative reproductive project that does not in any way involve the press as it is three-dimensional. My scheme involves visiting with the box of goodies I produced in Scotland and beg for some press time, since they love me ever so much. Please please please. . .! Life has a way of keeping me from printing; I could not for the LIFE of me get hired after I returned from Europe. It was the old “you have too much/too little” experience deal. I knew that the brand new BFA graduate would experience some trouble getting hired, but c’mon! Barns and Noble wouldn’t even take me!

Thus, I have been thrown into a crash course of what every art student needs to know, but was never taught in school. Networking. No, it’s not one of those crazy corprate buzzwords, it’s a simple way of saying you must talk yourself up to people you want a job from. Networking won’t work at retail stores because they don’t give a horses behind how much you bother them. Really, most retail managers want someone who is obedient and will do as told. You have to learn who to talk to, where to go, and what to do. Me, I’m shy to a certain degree, though I have no doubts about my abilities. It’s simply scary to go and ask someone “gimmie a job” while at the same time trying to impress them. It’s all who you know, right? Well, you have to go meet people so you’ll know them.

In the meantime, I plan to: be patient, make art, stay away from retail jobs that will gunk up my resume. I worked retail over summer semesters in school: retail is poison to independent thinkers. I would rather ask for financial help from family members and struggle with freelancing than work retail. I know, it sounds completely snobbish. But honestly, if I put the time and energy into working hard, I am going to work hard at finding a job that won’t cause my brain to whither into a raisin, rather than moving low-rise jeans from one side of Old Navy to the other.