Artful Obsession: An Art Students Endeavors

Harrell Fletcher and my Family photos

2011-02-07T11:03:00.000-08:00

Alright so last week Harrell Fletcher came to WSU for a lecture and studio visits. At first I wasn't sure how the studio visit would go because of the work he does in comparison to my work. Harrell Fletcher uses a lot of found objects in his projects and explores the full story of people or at least informs you of more than meets the eye. I on the other hand have been primarily working on the Dollhouse which is far more abstracted. He said he "liked it" but was far more interested by the contact sheets of family photos I had pinned to my "extra" wall. Honestly for 40 mins we talked about the family photos and maybe 10 mins were dedicated to the dollhouse! He is great though and helped me start thinking about pushing my comfort zone.

I came into Grad school thinking I was going to work with my family photos but didn't know how to make them my own. I'm still not sure. However Fletcher inspired me to take more time investigating the topic.

I have a lot of my grandpa because I got them from his storage but there are also photos of people I don't know, letters and report cards!

So I've been going through my own photos of my family and I'll go back through these and try to figure out how to arrange and display these images in a way that makes it insightful and uniquely my work rather than just a family album.

I am getting all kinds of crazy ideas but I am not ready to share them yet.

For now I'll share the things I'm thinking about for this project...

Uncovering family history
Having to pull out info that is not freely given (or just not talked about)
My family is pretty private so what does it say to make our story public?
These images would have all but disappeared if I hadn't uncovered them
What does bringing the past to the present do?
Speak about the mystery behind these photos
Use objects too... some that appear in photos and we still have
The photos were in storage along with many family heirlooms... what does that say that we wont part with them and yet don't put them on display?

Those are just a few things I've been thinking about for this project... issues to be addressed within the work.

....................................................................................................................................

I am reminded to mention I will have a show up April 18-22 in Gallery 2 here at WSU in the Fine Arts Building. I am showing with Brett Lysne who is a great printmaker. I will let you know when we line up an opening for that but please keep it in mind so that you can make out here for the show! Thank you!

Also I now manage the WSU Photography Blog so you can find some interesting things there, student work, visiting artists, resources ect.

The infamous Dolhouse

2011-01-18T06:30:00.000-08:00

Well I fell off the face of the blogosphere for a few months but I am back in action now.

So I thought for today I would put together a little gallery of images from the Dollhouse.
I spent months building the house from painting the walls to getting working electricity in it so I can actually light up mini lamps and ceiling lights! Even collecting all the little furniture, food and decor bits was an interesting (and time consuming) task. I don't think the dollhouse will ever be done just as the homes we live in always seem to be flux. However the basic building out of the house is 80% completed. I will eventually build out the attic/3rd floor when I decide what it should be and put in the dormer windows up there. Plus the shingles need to be stained and placed!

Anyways enough about construction since that isn't what this project is about... here is the gallery of images!

These photographs are representations of the loss I feel about my mother and father being absent for most of life.

Please feel free to leave constructive comments! While I will continue to develop this project I have also started another one which I will unveil as soon as possible. It is great to get feedback though to see general response, find out where I am missing the mark and where I am succeeding!

Thank you!

Mini Mania

2010-10-06T22:43:00.000-07:00

Ok so the once a week posting didn't happen but I'm sure that I can keep up once a month... hopefully!

Anyways so I have been building a Dollhouse 1:12 scale. Me and Ebay have a love hate relationship ... I hate how much time I loose looking endlessly for things to fill my tiny house and yet I love to get things in the mail and potentially use them in the house!

This was the beginning stages of building and painting the house.... thats right bright blue baby!

And since I am still waiting for my electrical stuff to show up (which prevents me from laying down the carpeting and wood flooring) I am doing some studies and story boarding for the house.

Now if anyone knows me... they know I SERIOUSLY dislike bugs.... So I flipped when I saw this visitor

Then I finally threw out all my trash :)

Getting in the groove

2010-09-09T08:00:00.000-07:00

Well being a brand new teacher is its own challenge but actually doing my own work has been an entirely different battle.
(plus I'll show you pics of my studio in the next post)

Doing my lesson plans ect is a day to day basis kind of thing but Im learning!

It's nice that the building always has interesting things going on wether it is someone being creative in their studio, being able to peek into classes or see a piece of art work (a destroyed cake) in the middle of the art building being sketched by a class! The people are great!

So now I'm finally in the groove and starting my own work. I am of course taking on another big project. As we go along I will begin to describe to you why I'm doing this but for now... just know it's all about my revisiting my childhood via dollhouses.

So I bought a dollhouse that is in route to my house as I type. Funny enough the name of the house is "Lancaster" which is a road I grew up off of. So when that gets here I will assemble it. I've read it takes about 60 hours to build... lets hope I survive! Anyways that is just the construction of the house. I also get to paint the interior and exterior however I like. Here are a few screen shots of the house though.

I have also gone EBAY CRAZY with all this dollhouse stuff. So here are some pics of a few things I got on ebay to start setting up scenes.

gotta love the japanese dollhouse stuff!

my dollhouse needs a view camera... duh

Part of my dish set

I am REALLY liking silly things like this that I don't think most people picture being in a dollhouse. I have this spilt paint, rolls of toilet paper, modern food containers, a mouse trap, a cigarette ect. that I think are SO clever!

I also bought a doll for my dollhouse. So far just the one lady "with and unusual face"... it's just painted different than most doll faces but I liked it! I think it is the blank stare that I just LOVE. I still have to track down some clothing for her though!

But of course all of this is still on its way in the mail so I am kind of twiddling my thumbs till it gets here!

Anyways after a long stint away from the blog I am BACK! I will be posting at least once a week... maybe smaller ones occasionally as well. You can also catch what I am up to on thegoodeyknot.blogspot.com ... that blog is all about my wedding plans and Nathan and I adventuring into the land of refurbished goods. I am keeping this blog just about Grad school, art and other closely related topics!

If you have any inspiration ideas for me please comment!

Peoples Choice Award - Photography Book Now

2010-08-03T23:56:00.000-07:00

Alrighty, so now is the time to show your support!

I entered the Photography Book Now contest a bit ago and now the judges are hard and fast at work going through over 2,000 submissions! In the mean time they open the books up to a public vote. I would love your support by voting for my book "Things I Forgot to Show You" so I may have a chance at winning the "Public Choice Award"!

Please check it out... and do the right thing!

The new Studio

2010-07-28T05:00:00.000-07:00

Thus far the studio in its empty uninhabited state has no name... that shall change in time.

For now though let me show you my new lair.

Upon walking in you are greeted by... nothing. However I should mention a board used for cutting was left behind on the desk... which should come in handy. The big white squares attached to the walls are also great for putting up push pin idea boards!

To the right of the door we have the living area... or so it was. I'm told that many grad students spend so much time in their studios many of them have mini fridges, kitchenette like setups and something to sleep on! Who needs to pay rent right?

I have my own private little dark room with some shelving spaces. Now I just need my own enlarger or light box (i'd prefer a light box). This little dark room has been made light tight by previous tenants and there are also some safety lights ect left behind!

Speaking of goodies left behind...

I was left a huge old TV which I conveniently lugged out to the hall for someone else to pick up! Also some screens for the windows I'm guessing, a box with wires and some chemicals for processing that might be too old to use... I'm not sure they are safe!

However the best left behind gift is the fruit loops box...

Priceless

Oh and I have a pretty good view which is a nice change from the basements they usually lock us photo kids up into!

On the downside being a grad student/TA gives me the responsibility of carrying 8 more keys for all the different labs ect. So far they have given me six of them. I may need to start carrying two different key chains because this isn't working so well.

I'm not a janitor and who else honestly carries 14 keys?

A+ for the F+

2010-07-17T18:51:00.000-07:00

As I promised here is a post about my latest work I just submitted to a contest.

These are all done with my wonderful Toy Diana F+ with the Instant back!

Before we get to the goodies though I want to show of the tools!

The wonderful film that has exploded on the american market finally!

Look it even has instructions on it!!!

This is the lovely that spits out jems!

The little round bubble on the right that has yellow in it means the film is loaded... make sure the switch is clicked over to on or it wont work. The little blue bubble on the left lit up shows it is on and how many shots you've taken. By the way the blue rimmed button on the left is what you press after taking the shot inorder to process the film and have it come out on the side.

The film processes out like this. The first one is blank like this as a protection slide. The rest come out white at first as the image slowly appears.

Just a side shot showing the instant back attachment and a front beauty shot.

I like to lay everything out first when going through my images. I knew many of these would get cut quickly but I think comparison is key when having to choose the top five images!

Nathan helped me out choosing images which is always a help because as the photographer I find myself biased!

So here are my beauties... out of 40 slides these are my top 5 that I am seriously proud of.

Please tell me what you think!

Permit

Slide Along

Storage Shed

The Back Acre

The Gully

Now the shame in this is that I submitted a great artist statement and didn't save it. Currently I am not happy with how I have tried to recreate it so I bid you adue for now. I will let you know when I have refinished the statement for now I will leave you with this. When we return to the places we hold so dearly in our hearts we often find the harsh realization that we have grown out of this place. We cannot relive the precious memories for we no longer physically, mentally or emotionally fit them. Memories are best left in the past.

Alternative Contests

2010-07-10T10:05:00.000-07:00

So I've never really been one to enter photo contests even though I promote them! Honestly it's just because I didn't think my work would stand a chance. Much of my work is very abstract and when looking through past winners I see work that is more photojournalistic. So I've avoided entering contests thus far. However two major contests have caught my eye

Photography Book Now
Since I created my photobooks through blurb it is really easy for me to enter and one of my old teachers actually suggested I enter it with my "Things I forgot to show you" series.

Things I Forgot to Show You... by Kaitlin Phillips | Make Your Own Book

and
The Center for Fine Art Photography's Low Tech contest

Specimen 5 © Galina Kurlat, Print from Ambrotype

I just started taking images with my Diana that I actually REALLY LIKE! I'll post them once I scan them in which will hopefully be monday. I might actually enter this contest twice with the images I worked on in my Alternative Processing class (I will also post these after scanning them in!).

Anyways check these contest out I highly recommend them!

*In other news my posting is limited since I just moved and don't officially get the internet till the 19th :)

Spotlight Artist - Hailey Potter

2010-06-30T05:00:00.000-07:00

I am constantly inspired by the things around me including my very own friends!

Hailey Potter (aka Boognish or Haydizzle) always has fun little projects she is working on for school and I love seeing how she progresses with them! So here are two of my favorite recent projects she completed!

"Anonymous Bag Guy" - wire and tissue paper. This creation came from a project where she had to make something that she could wear. She says "I chose my bag guy because he's something i put into a lot of my graffitis and I hadn't done any graffiti projects during the class. He is supposed to symbolize anyone, or anything but at the same time the red splash or outline around him is showing that even though he is no one or anyone he is still there.". This project took her about 35 hours to create. A lot of it was experimenting with different types of glue to hold the tissue and wire together!

This is the original graffiti drawing she pulled the wire from.

So here is the walk around of Hailey's "Anonymous Bag Guy"

Then there is "The Egg Thing". This project was based on lines. Hailey says "the main shape looks like and egg but was originally the Circa logo. After putting the whole thing together it was completely elongated, but thats ok. The second element of the project was the spacers in-between the longer lines which make up the outside shape. With the spacers I wanted the negative space and the positive space to work together almost like a lava lamp effect... the third and last element was what you could do with the middle so I decided to make the middle part as a spiral sticking with the round theme." If you are slightly confused by her project don't worry... I still am! Basically she had to combined three shape elements into one form using lines! I think it is a really interesting and dynamic piece.

Hailey is so fun to talk to about art in general but I definitely love hearing about all her projects and I can't wait to see where she goes with all of this!

Packing Mania

2010-06-29T10:26:00.000-07:00

Things have been a little crazy around here... and by a little I mean a lot!

Nathan and I have been getting in all our "lasts" such as our last trip into Easy Street Records and to Red Mill for burgers... yum!
We have two lasts left... my last Bacon Waffle for our anniversary breakfast and our last trip into Pike Place. These of course are just our "lasts before we move" no way I could never do theses things again!

However the biggest time spender lately has been PACKING!!
So much so that I think it has driven Nathan and I a little crazy.

While I was cleaning out the infamous junk drawer Nathan was watching soccer so when I found a hidden gem I decided to give him a surprise!

I pretty much used the entire can on him :)

Then a few days later when we were kind of tired of packing we busted out this coloring thing that a friend gave me forever ago! Can't let it go to waist! We spent the evening coloring it in together!

So we are missing some marbles now... they've been packed away in various boxes but we are almost done. Party on the 4th and then moving on the 5th!!! I'm excited to have some time where I have NO responsibilities besides working out, creating, experimenting and building a syllabus!

WSU here I come!

Portfolio Books

2010-06-22T16:18:00.000-07:00

I created two books for my BFA portfolio. There is one for each of the photo series I had in my thesis expect for the bottle caps. I am still trying to figure out how to rephotograph those.

So please check out my portfolio books and enjoy!

Dream Me Some Meaning By Kaitlin Phillips by Kaitlin Phillips | Make Your Own Book

Things I Forgot to Show You... by Kaitlin Phillips | Make Your Own Book

If there are issues with the widgets I apologize they are new to
blurb and I don't think are working that well. However you can
click the link below and it sends you to the website where you
can preview the book!

DONE... and starting

2010-06-21T11:31:00.000-07:00

I finally finished my BFA in photography last friday!

It was a great graduation at Benaroya Hall with a ton of family and friends. Luckily it wasn't too long but they did have all the grads get there crazy early for no real reason.

Waiting till they opened the doors.

One of my Fav teachers and I after graduation! (my cheeks hurt so bad from smiling so much but it was a good day!)

So now I am packing to move in two weeks out to pullman. I will settle in there for a month of solitude. College towns like Pullman seem to empty out in the summer. Finally in the middle of August people should start returning to WSU. I'll have a good orientation week and then start classes and start TEACHING a class on the 23rd!

Thesis series

2010-05-10T20:20:00.000-07:00

So with my thesis I created three series that all boil down to the use of memories in photography...

Dream Me Some Meaning

Dreams are iconic representations of what the mind is processing. Through dream studies I have learned that these images in dreams are not to be taken at face value but to be interpreted by the meaning of the icon. This series is a reflection of fragmented dreams and how certain elements stick with the dreamer upon waking in relation to what they may mean.

Things I Forgot To Show You

The mind records human life in memories. When physical objects are lost memories are all that is left of experiences and objects. When these experiences are later recalled what was viewed in constant motion is now broken down into fragmented parts. This is an exploration of what these moments look like while surrendering control to my camera in order to capture the honest view of a moment in my life.

Restoration Icon

Icons can last for decades but each generation changes its meaning and look to fit their worldview. This mixed media series is an exploration of how I made the Soda Pop icons of the past relevant today.

(these circles are actually placed inside bottle tops filled with resin and then glued to black plexiglass but I finished them just in time to hang in the gallery so I haven't had time to rephotograph it)

Now I just have to finish writing my 12 page thesis paper!!

My First Opening!

2010-05-03T22:31:00.000-07:00

One of my BFA graduation requirements is to exhibit my thesis! So for the last nine months I have been shooting, editing, selecting, printing, matting and mounting my thesis.

So finally on April 30th I got to hang my show at Art/Not Terminal...

We used 63" as our middle height.

However when it came to hanging the salon style images measuring this out became a little tough!!

Luckily I had my Fiance, best-friend and teacher to help me arrange the images, hang them and set up the lighting. Even with all this help it took us three hours to hang 25 images!!!

So finally on May 1st from 7-10pm we had our opening. (By the way "we" is Yukari Isa and I. We shared the Sub-T room of Art/Not Terminal)

It went great!!! We had a lot of family and friends come through. I sold a few images which was a great surprise for my first show!

I had my books out for people to look at and see the full series. (Things I Forgot to Show You and Dream Me Some Meaning)

My first red dot!!!!!

Overall it was a GREAT show. I was super happy with the turn out. It will hang for the rest of this month so if you haven't gone to see it yet... don't miss your chance!

Leave of Absense

2010-04-26T21:49:00.000-07:00

Hello All,

Yes as you can see I haven't posted anything in a bit and this will likely be my only post for another week!!!

Why you ask... as it turns out I am preparing for a Gallery Exhibition at Art/Not Terminal Gallery (Saturday May 1st, 7-10pm) and will be matting and framing all my images up until the last moment. So fare well for now but I will post next week for sure with results of the opening and about putting it all together!

Nevercenter's CameraBag for iPhone, iPad and Desktop

2010-04-18T17:05:00.000-07:00

Growing up as a kid I remember always trying to do the three degrees of separation to famous people, so I was overjoyed when I found out new friends of mine were the creators of Camerbag!

I had heard from so many iPhone users that it was the best camera app so I was thrilled when I finally got an iPhone and started using it only to realize I knew the Creators! I have also used their desktop Camerabag which gives ordinary snapshots creative flair.

I am going to demo this app with my favorite photo of my fiance and I!

So you start with an original (which you can pull from your iPhone camera albums or you can take one instantly)

Then you slide the image to the left and "Helga" comes up

Slide again and you get your image in "Colorcross"

"Lolo"

"Magazine"

"Instant"

"Silver" (This is the newest filter and I LOVE it)

"Mono"

"1962"

"1974"

"Cinema" (which obviously crops the images)

"Infrared"

"Fisheye"

So as you can see this app has a lot of creative freedom but there are definitely certain photos that look better with different filters. Also you can save the photo with one filter and then reopen it to add another filter on top of that (which I do a lot). You can also customize this app to use borders or not, output size and even turn certain filters on or off.

So go check out more about Nevercenter and their app Camerabag! It is more than worth the $1.99. If you don't have an iphone the Camerabag desktop is only $19 and so worth it!

Call for Entries - Strange Beauty

2010-04-09T12:19:00.000-07:00

The Center for Fine Art Photography has a new contest almost every month with themes to get really inspired by! Fees tend to be between $35-50 for non-members and $5-10 dollars cheaper for members!

"Strange Beauty

It is through the ordinary that we are able to recognize the extraordinary or strange. Break down the conventions of beauty and look beyond the traditional to the unusual. Strange Beauty is found in the unfamiliar, evoking wonder and awe. Beauty is found in the unexpected."

Entry Deadline is May 18th 2010
Entry Fee for nonmembers is $35 for three images!
Jurors are Darren Ching and Debra Klomp Ching who are co-owners of Klompching Gallery.
Exhibition and Awards range from $100 Honorable Mention to a liveBooks Website valued at $399.

For more details on this Call for Entries check out their webpage!

iPhone camera app reviewed - Hipstamatic

2010-04-01T10:24:00.000-07:00

I have a handful of iphone camera apps that I will review in due time but this weekend I became a little obsessed with the Hipstamatic on my road trip out to WSU.

(By the way I officially excepted the TA position in the WSU Grad program! I am excited to start my Masters in Fine Arts in August!)

Ok so the Hipstamatic cost $1.99 but it comes with three lens options, two films and a flash. You can buy more options which I haven't done yet but I'm sure eventually I will.

Lens: John S
Film: Kodot Verichrome
Flash: Off

Cons: It costs money :P , the images have a kind of cheesy border, you have to go back to a main screen to change any options thus the moment may pass you by but really the big draw back is just the one inch viewfinder that doesn't actually show you the entire picture you are going to capture!

Pros: The three lenses it comes with are very diverse, it makes everything look cooler, it loads fast, its not about adding layers but about letting the camera surprise you, there is a lot of creative freedom and I love always being surprised and entertained by the camera!

Lens: Kaimal Mark II

Film: Kodot Verichrome

Flash: Off

I used this camera all weekend from the road trip out to WSU to a wedding and then back to Seattle! It was great and I am seriously impressed by some of the images I got.... however I have a question.

Can you really create Fine Art Photography with an iPhone? Are these iPhone apps like digital toy cameras (for example the Holga or Diana F+) or are they just a point and shoot meant only for amateurs?

Lens: John S

Film: Kodot Verichrome

Flash: Off

Music Muse

2010-03-24T11:28:00.000-07:00

Today's inspiration comes from a band I just discovered Freelance Whales.

This Pop/Experimental group is from Queens, NY and releasing their new CD "Weathervanes" on April 13th. The best description I've heard of them is on their own myspace page "Sounds Like: Somebody wired their heart to a synthesizer".

I wont lie I don't know how to put music in here yet but you should checkout their myspace page and take a listen to their songs!

Generator^1st Floor

We getup early just to start cranking the generator

Our limbs have been asleep we need to get the blood back in 'em

We're finding every day several ways that we could be friends

We keep on churning and the lights inside the house turned on

And in our native language we are chanting ancient songs

And when we quiet down the house chants on without us

Freelance Whales will soon be in Seattle TWICE:
March 28th at the Crocodile Cafe with Bear in Heaven and High Places
May 15th at Neumos with Shout out Louds

Other bands that I like who have a similar sound:
Cloud Cult
The Polyphonic Spree

Brainstorming in the gallery

2010-03-24T00:08:00.000-07:00

I went to Art Not Terminal today with Yukari and my teacher Ramey to start looking at where we might hang things. Finding out how to allocate space for a group show is harder than I thought... but we'll figure it out.

A few pictures of the SubT room with Jenna Johnson's work up! It looks great but I'm definitely excited to see my own show up!

It's time to get cracking on production of my three series.

Hey, Hot Shot! Photography Competition

2010-03-22T15:25:00.000-07:00

Hey, Hot Shot! is now open for 2010 entries! This will be the only session this year!

The deadline for submissions is August 22, 2010. However as it gets closer to time the entry fee gets more expensive. So get your five images from one body of work together today and submit while it only costs $60!!

For more information go to www.heyhotshot.com

Getting ready for my Exhibition

2010-03-16T12:57:00.000-07:00

In order for me to graduate in June with my BFA in photography I am required to have a gallery exhibition of my photographs and participate in the portfolio day.

So here I am six weeks out from my gallery show starting to feel the full court press to get it all done! Yukari Isa and I are going to have a joint show in May (opening night May 1st) at Art Not Terminal in the SubT room (downstairs).

I suggest checking out the current show by Jenna Johnson who is going to be the first BFA student to graduate from Ais!

Anyways I am preparing three different series for this exhibition. Two are fine art photography while the 3rd is a mixed media series with a photography base.

I made two portfolio books through Blurb for my two photo series.

A graphic design student helped me with my first attempt to make one of these portfolios. I bought the 6"x6" book. You can see the difference between the small first attempt and my new one at 12"x12".

Most photographers love to see their work bigger and I have to admit I am now one of them. The larger portfolios are great! I am really impressed with the quality and am happy that by following the clear guidelines that Blurb provided my first attempt was a success!

The two series that got portfolios are "Dream me some meaning" (left) and "Things I forgot to show you"(right). You can see more images from these series on my photography website under Fine Art and then the series title.

Intro to an Art Student

2010-03-16T12:03:00.000-07:00

Well hello all!

I seriously am obsessed with art! So I decided to share my inspiration and personal projects with you! I hope you enjoy, maybe learn a little or at least find some inspiration in what I have to share.

A little info about where I am with my artistic life right now...

-I go to school at the Art Institute of Seattle where I will be graduating with a BFA in June.
At which time I will then be heading off to get a masters somewhere else still TBD.

-Last summer I had a booth at the Fremont Sunday Market where I sold my hand made jewelry and photography.

-I have taken a handful of jewelry classes from Fusion Beads (great store!).

-Plus I'm a fidgetter which means I always have to have a project to work on.

Well now I should get back to work... scanning images for my boss!