Elizabeth Carls: Works with paper, mostly

Updates and Changes

2012-02-03T08:44:06-06:00

I've made a few changes here on the website, including an update of the events page. I have opportunities this spring that I'm proud and honored to be a part of. I've got more news and changes in the works as well, so have a poke around and stay tuned.

Happy New Year

2012-01-01T09:11:29-06:00

As this new year dawns I find myself completely resolved that 2011 was exactly as it should be and that 2012 will have a brilliance all its own. I face the new year filled with the hope that each and everyone of us will have as much love as we need, all the happiness our hearts can stand, and that we can all find our way to being peaceful to one another.

Cheers!

Happy Holidays Y'all

2011-12-24T11:12:33-06:00

This photo was taken last year. We're not having a white Christmas this year. But rather an unseasonable warm and snow-free December. Doesn't much matter though, it's still Christmas and a new year is glistening brightly on the very near horizon...

Another Bit of Tricky Business

2011-11-15T08:09:18-06:00

As I stated in my previous post, my recent trip to Ireland was an opportunity, or series of opportunities, for me to take photographs I could not or would not have taken otherwise, and that has me feeling inspired.

Just as candid portraits are sometimes difficult photos to take, street photography is often even more daunting for me. It can be unnerving to shoot photos of strangers. After all, not all strangers want to have their photo taken.

As a tourist, street photography is a bit easier and here's why: First, as a tourist you will often find yourself in the presence of other tourists-we tend to go to the same places. Being in the presence of other tourists means you are also in the presence of other cameras. You and your camera are less conspicuous in this situation, and that makes it easier to shoot.

If you are shooting photos on crowded streets with lots of other tourists, it is a safe assumption that the non-tourists milling around have grown accustomed to and accepting of the fact that there are cameras about and they are less on edge about it. In fact, I noticed that they pretty much ignore you, which again, makes it easier to have the camera to your face.

Finally, like moths to the light, we as tourists, are attracted to the action. When travelling in a city of any significant size you will inevitably happen upon a performance of some kind - street performance or a parade perhaps. This is another opportunity to safely photograph. The buskers and the gawkers alike expect that there will be people taking photographs, it's just a part of the scene.

Ultimately it is worth the effort to find situations where you feel comfortable shooting on the street because street photography more often than not tells a great story.

Candid Portraits Are a Tricky Business

2011-11-08T17:23:15-06:00

This trip to Ireland was an opportunity, or series of opportunities, for me to take photographs I could not or would not have taken otherwise, and that has me feeling inspired. I'd like to share these photographs in the spirit of sharing how I was inspired and what I learned.

First, this trip was an opportunity for me to meet some really fabulous people. And I was inspired to take candid portraits of several of these people.

Candid portraits are a tricky business. I like to get people's approval before I point my camera in their face, but if they know your taking their photo, the portraits tend not to be all that candid. I learned that you can ask someone's permission to take their picture, and then continue to shoot after they have stopped posing and/or feeling self-conscious about the camera. This is when the best photos happen.

Ah Ireland!

2011-10-28T15:51:25-05:00

I'm back from my trip to Irleand and I must admit I am more than a bit smitten.

The best part of Ireland? The Irish. In general, the people are charming and spirited with a deep sense of tradition and a high regard for friendship. The countryside is rolling, green and lush. The weather is sublime.

I took a total of 863 photographs, a few of them good. I visited the Rock of Cashell, and rode a Jaunting cart through Killarney National Park. I watched a parade of High Nelly bikes in the town of Abbeyliex.

I chatted with several artists in their studios at Killkenny Design Center, and spent a couple hours with Philip Cushen at the woolen mill that's been in his family for 4 generations.

I had tea in a tiny yarn shop in the town of Naas and listened to music in a different pub every night. I walked about 100 miles a day. In Dublin City, I visited The National Gallery and The National Museum of Deocrative Arts.

I fell in love at least six times. And I am certain I will be making a return trip, probably within a year.

Ireland Adventure

2011-10-13T07:54:23-05:00

Irish Arts Adventure - My good friend Amy Sharpe - Weaver, Artist, and Co-Owner of Ripple River Gallery has organized a group trip to Ireland. Our itinerary is focused on the arts and traditional crafts of Ireland and includes, among other things; The Book of Kells, Donegal Craft Village, Kilkenny Design Center, Belleek Pottery, and the Museum of Decorative Arts in Dublin. I'll be away from October 14th - 23rd, 2011.

This means I won't be fulfilling any orders until I return. If it's a knitting pattern you seek, you can find them here in my Ravelry shop. (Ravelry takes care of delivery so you'll get your purcahsed pattern right away.) Thanks so much for visiting! I'll see you when I return.

Changing Landscapes

2011-09-21T12:41:32-05:00

My latest work Changing Landscapes is a series of 4 one-of-a-kind mixed media works designed to engage their audience and encourage a physical interaction between the viewer and the piece. On the surface the idea is simple—you can change the landscape. On another level, Changing Landscapes presents an un-sequenced narrative. A narrative about our individual sense of place and the ephemeral nature of the world we live in.

Each of the Changing Landscapes consists of cubes and trays built by hand from binder’s board. Each cube is collaged with original photographs printed on Arches paper with Epson Ultra-chrome pigment based inks. The cubes and trays were also painted with walnut ink and a beeswax medium.

Two of the Changing Landscapes are currently on display as a part of Beyond the Basic Box — an invitational exhibit at Ripple River Gallery from September 21 through October 31, 2011. From gallery owner, Amy Sharpe: "Consider the basic box — commonplace, functional, familiar. The basic box is meant to conceal and contain; to safeguard its contents. So useful, so commonplace, the basic box is a ubiquitous element in our daily lives. Now look beyond the basic box…"

An artist reception for “Beyond the Basic Box” will be held Saturday, October 1 in conjunction with Ripple River Gallery’s annual fall open house and raku firing.

Art for the Masses

2011-07-27T17:43:47-05:00

I'll be participating in a sweet little project put on by Papergirl SF. According to the Papergirl website; Papergirl SF is an "annual mail-art and delivery service systems art project that collects artwork from all over the world and, in the style of American paperboys, distributes the art freely by bicycle to people in the streets of San Francisco".

I love this idea and will definitely be participating. You can read more about mail art here, more about the idea of democratic multiples (an idea that comes to my mind when I think about free art for the masses) here, and about how to participate in the Papergirl SF project here.

And of course, stay tuned to this space for updates on what I submit to this project as well as other projects I have in the works.

One Year Ago Today

2011-07-01T11:29:38-05:00

One year ago today we moved into this old house in south Minneapolis. Which means one year ago yesterday we had finished our 1600 mile trek and were eating greek take-out in a hotel room with the three dogs. And one year ago Sunday we were here in MN to celebrate my Dad's 70th birthday.

Over the course of one year in this old house we have painted every room except the kitchen, we discovered that the foundation needs to be replaced, we planted a vegetable garden, revived the pond, had the dining room ceiling cave in spilling gallons of water on the dining room floor, and generally settled into the house quiet nicely.

We have also fallen completely and madly in love with our neighborhood. We've meet and become friends with some pretty awesome neighbors. We've enjoyed the creek and the lake, and the park in all four seasons. And generally settled into the neighborhood quiet nicely.

Over the course of this past year we have run, raced, and cross country skied. We have spent quality time with our families and been reunited with old friends. We've enjoyed our farmer's market, and joined a CSA. I got my old job back. We've returned to Austin to visit the friends we left there. We've shoveled snow. We've been to baseball games, a Pride Parade, the Zoo, and the Conservatory. Over the course of this year we have been thoroughly reminded and convinced that Minneapolis is a great city.

One year ago today, this old house with its fabulous front porch and its creaky floors became our home.