Michael Ajero - Fine Art, Experiments, Discoveries and Opinions

More pics

majero@voicenet.com (Michael Ajero) — Mon, 25 May 2009 15:10:18 PDT

Is it Ceramic or is it Bronze?

Success! Looks good!

majero@voicenet.com (Michael Ajero) — Mon, 25 May 2009 14:53:02 PDT

Just checked on the sealer layer over the patina and it looks great. The photo in the last post showed a matte greyish quality that was introduced to the piece as a result of the green patina solution. Now that the sealer layer has dried, the effect is more blue like patina over blackened bronze. Some areas retained more of the patina and some areas showed less effect which I what I had hoped for. I did not want it all blue-green. I just wanted it more subtle. Where the patina solution pooled on the piece , the blue is more prominent.

I touched up some areas with more sealer so I will wait before I take another pic. So in the meantime, I am watching Science Channel's geeky afternoon Star Wars technology TV programs. I always liked that scene in the Empire Strikes Back when Han Solo was encased in carbonite. I like that sort of relief that was made and the expression of his character when he was frozen. Also the recent news of the "missing link" that was found has my interest. Maybe I should make some "fossils" and try to age them.

This quest for a good patina has got me thinking of creating other work that is non-figurative as well that is more experimental that will allow me to explore effects of corrosion on metals that produce spectacular colors and create a look of aged materials. The resurgence of the toy ray gun interests me as well as weaponry in general. Brass, bronze, copper and wood seem to be materials that interest me. I should make a trip to the weekend Berlin Flea Market and scope out objects. Cheaply, of course.

2nd Coat, Green Patina

majero@voicenet.com (Michael Ajero) — Mon, 25 May 2009 11:15:49 PDT

I added the second coat of Blackened Bronze paint and then waited about 5-10 minutes. It was drying fast so I applied the Green Patina solution. Could not find the blue solution in the stores. My testing showed that this should work ok. When applied to a copper penny, the green patina is really nice. when applied to the bronze paint, the patina is greyish. On a test piece with blackened bronze paint, I applied the patina which turned greyish when dry. After applying the primer sealer over that layer, the patina was more blue/green and the bronze was darker in most places. So in the meantime, the picture shows the piece with the second coat and green patina layers. Next pic will show the effect of the sealer layer. I applied the sealer and it is a milky color that is turning bright blue at the moment. Hopefully it will be a more subtle blueish green.

First coating

majero@voicenet.com (Michael Ajero) — Sun, 17 May 2009 17:20:33 PDT

The Primer coat and the first "blackened bronze" coat is now on the ceramic sculpture. I tested the green patina on another ceramic piece which had some of the bronze paint and it yielded some not so great results. It seems I have the wrong patina as the manufacturer recommends to use the BLUE patina solution rather than the green because the green one results in more of a gray like quality. The blue one is supposed to produce a result more fitting for a patina normally on bronze. I went to a local Michael's craft place but they were out of the blue solution so I will have to find another Michael's or go to Pearl Paint since I know they usually sell it too.

Anyway, the bronze paint makes the piece look like it was cast in bronze. Applying the patina in a timely manner, how I apply it, and where I apply it will determine the results.

Pics of small figure sculpture, etc.

majero@voicenet.com (Michael Ajero) — Sat, 16 May 2009 21:10:52 PDT

I brought home the small fired clay sculpture and put some epoxy in some surface cracks. I used Loctite epoxy that came in a double syringe for $4. It should be paintable when it sets. I think next time I will try the PC-7 epoxy if I find it.
The sculpture was done from a quick drawing.

I am testing on some ceramic pieces to see the results and experiment. On the sculpture, I plan on using the primer/sealer as the first priming layer. It dries clear and glossy. The next coat will be the Sophisticated Finishes "Blackened Bronze."

I like this as a color on its own and I think it is more subtle than the copper color. I will then let that layer dry and apply a second coat. Before this layer dries completely, I plan to brush on the green patina when the bronze color paint is slightly tacky.

used up all my megabytes

majero@voicenet.com (Michael Ajero) — Sat, 09 May 2009 19:30:15 PDT

ok, seems like I have used up all my allotted storage on google's servers which is 100MB. So I think I'll stop updating the website for now.

Small ceramic figure test

majero@voicenet.com (Michael Ajero) — Sat, 09 May 2009 13:29:12 PDT

Fired a small ceramic figure at Cone 6 to test. I found a a quick 5 minute drawing of a figure and modeled it in my old white/gray clay from school. I fired it at work and the result was some cracking but it remained in one solid piece. It came out toward the yellow side maybe because it fired to Cone 6. I am not sure what kind of clay it is so it only my guess as to what it is. Forgot to bring it home this weekend, but I found my Sophisticated Finishes Patina kit. I need to find a way to fill in the cracks that occurred mostly on the arms of the figure. I read somewhere on the internet of an epoxy paste sold in hardware stores called PC-7. Need to find a bronze and iron metallic surfacer with good metal particles in the paint to create a good antique look. Will do some testing to see results. Will post pictures of the piece when I get the chance.

Also need to make a lot of figures and get busy.

Updates to Website - Drawings, About, CV, still life, portrait

majero@voicenet.com (Michael Ajero) — Sat, 09 May 2009 18:40:31 PDT

Decided to make additional changes to the website. Created a Drawings page with subpages for old cast drawings, figure drawings and Dr. Sketchy Philadelphia drawings.

Made minor changes to the about me page and CV . Added more still life paintings and one portrait.

Making minor webpage changes

majero@voicenet.com (Michael Ajero) — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 07:19:48 PDT

Feeling really sick and probably been working with a minor case of pneumonia for the past week. May have caught the bug from playing with nephew Riley. Seems to be getting worse. Got bored so I looked at my webpage and decided to make some adjustments. Nothing special, just working on organizing it a little better.Yeah, it is a sloppy website, but at least it is up there and needs no flash animation. Just a simple web site that exposes the art work. It still needs lots of work.

Need to make more work and bring new stuff to Riverbank Arts because it has been a while. Still going to make some small figures in clay and hopefully fire them and see what happens.

Let me rest now. no avatar this morning so I will watch Pineapple Express i got from netflix. beats watching suzuka, the dumbest anime ever.

Looking at what I have and need

majero@voicenet.com (Michael Ajero) — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 10:34:51 PST

It seems that I have a lot more white clay than I thought I had. I'll need time to break it up and reclaim it so that it is workable. I found my sculpture tools that were buried in a box. Now I just need to account for what I have and what I need.

I bought home the Vigor furnace but need to make sure I plug into a 20 amp line. I may need to call an electrician to make sure every thing is cool. I did some research and found out that it is a furnace that could be used for jewelry, dental uses as well as artists. I saw on eBay that someone was selling the same exact furnace for $600 and it looked beat up. Wow, I got this thing for free and it is in great shape. I powered it up at work and it smelled like it was firing, but I never fully tested it there. I was going to take it apart at work, but I am too busy there and was tired of finding time there to examine it so I took it home.

I will visit the library and bookstore to find some books on ceramics that could help me out. In the meantime, I have to try to recycle the terra cotta, wedge it then bag it tomorrow.

Also need:
- to fabricate a tiny peephole plug for the top of the Vigor since it didn't have one when I got it.
- to buy a pyro cone holder
- to organize sculpture tools

Cool, I got another check in the mail

majero@voicenet.com (Michael Ajero) — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 17:01:52 PST

I got another check in the mail from Riverbank Arts. It means another painting was sold recently. "Vessels" is now in someone else's possession.

Back in around October, I was a bit on a roll as the painting "Lemons" was sold at Riverbank Arts. In that month, I found out that all the pieces I submitted for the Dear Fleisher fundraiser sold. One of the pieces also appeared in reproduction in the Center City Weekly press as I was informed by a student/artist.

Later that month, another student/artist gave me a copy of a Philadelphia CityPaper article in which a drawing I was showing at Midwives Collective for the Dr. Sketchy Philadelphia exhibit was mentioned.

I found this all kind of funny because it was all pure luck and I was really just concentrating on my daytime job.

Then, Fleisher's spring 2009 catalogue arrived in the mail late last year and a reproduction of one of the Dear Fleisher postcards I made is featured on page 3. Good thing they published the one they did because the messages I put on the other postcards we a bit bizarre. Actually, I had to gesso over a couple of the messages because they were too bizarre.

Riverbank Arts is cool. All I have to do is bring some paintings or drawings and they have them available for the public to view with all the other artists they represent. No need for a one month "gallery show." The work is on display all year long or until I replace it with something else. I previously sold a painting there a few years ago the same way.

From Figure drawings to Clay forms

majero@voicenet.com (Michael Ajero) — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 14:34:51 PST

I haven't been exploring much of the computer experiments lately and trying to focus more on ways to move my studies of the figure into three dimensional forms. I have amassed a tremendous amount of source material by drawing the figure on a regular basis for about 10 years. I have so many figure drawings that I had to find ways to draw smaller for the sake of storage space.

My interest in moving three dimensionally has been inspired by the work of Euan Uglow, a painter ironically. Being introduced to his work during school by some artists and instructors, I found that his paintings grab my attention because of his understanding of how you could break things down into simple sculptural forms. He explored it so much that it is almost obsessive, yet his work is very beautiful.

My interest has also been spawned by being around clay at work everyday. I want to create figurative work in the ceramic medium. Recently, I had the great fortune of being given a old small Vigor electric "burnout furnace" that seems to work. I will need to test it out thoroughly. The woman who gave me the kiln also gave me 3 blocks of terra cotta, pyro cones and a box of old Amaco metal enamels that don't seem to be sold by them anymore.

I also have a 5 gallon bucket of terra cotta from my figure modeling classes at the Academy and also some dry white clay/gray clay from a head structure class in another 5 gallon bucket I could later use. The owner at my work gave me a chipped hydrobat that he can't sell so I could use it to wedge the old terra cotta.

I have to do some testing with the kiln to learn how to use it and find out how the clay and glazes behave. The Vigor needs 20 amps, so I need to probably replace a breaker depending on where I use it. Testing it will require lots of note taking and timing. I need to school myself on ceramics and proper kiln firing. The furnace is small about the size of a large microwave. It has two separate controls for the two elements and one thermocouple. It is not digital so I would need to "watch it".

Although I am the kiln loader at work, all I do is press the buttons to a set program, so I don't really know the process of how clay transforms itself to the final ceramic piece. Going to make a trip to the library to find a basic book or search the internet for free information.

I would prefer to have the final pieces be in bronze, but I don't have the resources or knowledge to do that. So Ceramics seems to enable me to have control of the whole process.

Learning Quartz Composer

majero@voicenet.com (Michael Ajero) — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 17:49:46 PST

I returned the projector which Staples took back without any trouble. Hehe, $800 return, my biggest return ever and no restocking fee!

I will concentrate on learning Quartz Composer since it seems to be the basis of some of the great effects in Apple's software (iChat, Keynote,iMovie) and also other companies software. It is included FREE with OSX Tiger and Leopard. You have to get the OSX DVD and load the development tools included in it. There are a lot of examples of how people are using QC on YouTube. The application is patch driven and very easy to use and learn. It will just take some time, but it was made for non programmer types like myself, who want to create and incorporate the powerful effects in the Quartz environment of the Mac.

Look here to get started.

Also in the meantime, I will be researching batteries, inverters, carts and keeping an eye out on projectors for the future. I will be getting familiar with the iLife 08 and iWork 08 software Xmas gifts I just installed. I could not get the iMovie 08 on my Powerbook, but I don't need it as I have Final Cut Express and iMovie 06 anyway.

Look for videos on my Quartz Composer experiments soon. I am looking for a good motion screen capture app. Possibly SnapzProX?

Videos of Laser Tag 2.0 test with projector

majero@voicenet.com (Michael Ajero) — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 18:40:08 PST

These are videos of the test indoors in a small room of Laser Tag. The software tracks the laser dot and draws lines where it has been. Enjoy the test.

Sharp DLP Projector and testing Laser Tag and Wiimote Whiteboard

majero@voicenet.com (Michael Ajero) — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 01:23:13 PST

I took the opportunity to test the Laser Tag application again, but this time with a projector. As I suspected, I got better results in tracking the laser pointer dot. Yet, I need to tweak the tracking parameters. I am "borrowing" a Sharp XR-32X DLP Projector temporarily from Staples for 14 days maximum. I've never used a projector before. It has over 2000 lumens and a 2000:1 contrast ratio. Seems simple to operate and very portable because it weighs so little. Staples had this on sale but it required a stupid rebate. So I decided to buy it with the full intention of testing it and then returning it. B & H Photo/Video has a good price and no rebate is needed for the price they sell it for.

I was projecting onto some vertical blinds from roughly 8 feet away and the image was about 60-70 inches diagonally. Nice clear picture. This projector could project an image that is about 25 feet diagonal from about 36 feet away according to the manual. That's pretty big but I don't know how bright it would be.

I'd be curious to see how this projects outdoors onto a wall at maximum distance. I opened the blinds up and had to quickly close them because it beamed at a neighbors house/windows about 25 yards away at 2am. Anyway, it is way to cold to test this outside. Plus I don't have an extension cord long enough to power the projector outside and the lens would fog in this cold. Another problem that may occur is that the longer the distance you project from would require additional tweaking and possible the need for a brighter green laser.

Maybe I can find a place that is indoors and large enough to test it. (Fleisher's Sanctuary seems ideal.)

I am sure the tracking of the dot would be easier on a large wall and easier to tag. I shot some video of the test and I'll post a video on YouTube and link it here after I edit it. As I said before, this is just a test and you can see that I need practice and also still need to tweak it.

I also tried the Wiimote Whiteboard application and only tested calibration. It did track better but the adjusting of Wiimote to a correct distance to calibrate was a pain. Just need some time to test it to get the best settings. It seems that some sort of mounting rig is needed for the wiimote to facilitate the calibration and usefulness.

As far as the projector goes, I'd like to own one as it has many advantages and uses. Not only could I experiment with it like I am doing now, but it makes a great tool for future fine art projects in which I would need to enlarge an image onto a canvas or projecting an image on any type of surface. Entertainment uses include using it as a traveling TV/monitor for slideshows and movies. I watched a little bit of the DVD from the "Freaks and Geeks" TV show I rented from NetFlix. Still, Guerilla Projection Bombing is the goal.

Video of testing coming soon.

Some Laser Tag notes

majero@voicenet.com (Michael Ajero) — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 17:52:30 PST

I tested the application again tonight and got similar results as the first time. It is very hard to control what I write because it is hard to draw without shaking. There are a lot of jaggy lines as a result. It takes a steady hand to just draw a line. Tracking may need less sensitivity.

Once Laser Tag is set to receive input from the camera, I need to connect the camera (via firewire) before launching the app. If you don't, then the application will never start because there is no camera connected. If I want to run the application without a camera connected, I have to change the settings before quitting the application and then save the settings.

After tracking is tweaked, remember to save the settings.

Ok, the rumors were wrong again

majero@voicenet.com (Michael Ajero) — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 22:44:27 PST

So no new Mac Mini was announced at the Macworld. Personally, I think a new one will come out at some point.

I went to the Apple Store this evening to test out the Mac Mini anyway. I downloaded the eMotion application to see if it was having the same problems on the iMac I was testing it on. Thought one of the store employees might question what I was doing on their computers. I launched the app and it seemed fine running on the intro example. The Mac Mini hasn't changed specs in a while. I think it shares the same specs as the iMac I was using except the Mac Mini had more RAM.

eMotion is still in early development and barely considered a beta app. Well, I crashed the Mac Mini at the store and had to figure out how to restart it before an Apple store employee would see what I was doing. I had to find the on/off button. Got my first experience of how the Time Capsule feature reverted everything back to what it was before I got there. It meant I had to re-download eMotion again. I was able to see the other examples and was more careful not to do something that may crash it again.

I only had time to try the examples and not actually use the app. Next time I hope to try the same app on one of those new MacBooks and see the results. I've also been trolling on eBay to see what projectors are out there. Too expensive for used stuff. Don't know a store that has projectors that you could test out at the store. I may do my patented move of going to a Circuit City/Best Buy/WalMart chain and purchase a projector, test it at home and return it if there is no 15% restocking fee if possible. I would like a projector that could beam onto the side of a building from across the street.

The projector is more of a priority than the Mac Mini because I could at least play/test the Wiimote Whiteboard and Laser Tag applications on my Powerbook. I need to school myself on projectors.

Possible upgrade to Mac Mini

majero@voicenet.com (Michael Ajero) — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 20:21:07 PST

Waiting to see what comes out in Macworld from Apple. Rumors of an updated Mac Mini are heavy. Just what I wanted. I want to use Adrien Mondot's eMotion application but the requirements are Mac OSX Leopard and an Intel Processor. A Mac Mini would be perfect in that it has all the requirements and costs very little in comparison to a new MacBook. Besides I already have a keyboard and mouse and will probably invest in a projector soon too. A Mac Mini and a projector would equal the cost of a new MacBook.

I am testing eMotion on an iMac and the examples are amazing.

Wiimote w/Nunchuk and OSCulator set up

majero@voicenet.com (Michael Ajero) — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 17:51:27 PST

Had trouble setting up the Wiimote with OSCulator because of bluetooth. Think I have it right. Here is the procedure:

(Bluetooth needs to be on)
1. open OSCulator
2. Press 1 and 2 buttons on Wiimote
3. an error occurs with bluetooth
4. open Bluetooth Preferences
7. in Bluetooth Prefernces, highlight the Nintendo device and then "Disconnect and delete"
8. go back to OSCulator and Press "Start Discovery"
9. Press 1 and 2 buttons on the Wiimote
10. Look for "Wii" Logo on bottom right

i think that is right... (I am using a Powerbook G4 with Mac OSX Tiger)

Anyway, the Nunchuk works and yes, there is accelerometer data being sent from it. I wonder what happens if a Nintendo Classic Controller for the Wii is attached and even the drum set and guitar from that Guitar Hero game.

Wiimote Whiteboard testing

majero@voicenet.com (Michael Ajero) — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 17:53:46 PST

I had some success and somethings didn't go so well. As before, I am using big screen LCD TV instead of a projector. Even though I cannot see the IR LED light by naked eye, I confirmed it was working by using a video camcorder which can see the Infrared light.

I noticed that the tracking was not perfect as I suspect it is due to reflections of the IR LED lightpen off of the screen of the TV which fools the camera(Wiimote) into thinking there are 2 light sources. Again, a projector beamed to a wall that is not reflective should yield far better results in the tracking of the light. Still, I was able to doodle on a paint app which is a good first step with the Whiteboard app.

Unlike using the camcorder with the capability to widen and zoom, the Wiimote (the IR camera) needs to be moved physically to a good spot to get proper range and tracking. It will take some time to tweak. The Wiimote could be calibrated from about 3.5 ft to 10 ft. from what I tried. Propping it up will also be a chore as it would be nice to somehow mount it on a tripod to keep it straight. I read of 2 online dealers who are fabricating tripod mounts for the Wiimote which I am interested in.

L.A.S.E.R. Tag 2.0

majero@voicenet.com (Michael Ajero) — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 11:08:05 PST

I ran the openframeworks app by Theo Watson called Laser Tag which is used by members of the Graffiti Research Lab. Instead of plugging into a projector, which I do not have yet, I plugged into a big screen Samsung LCD HDTV. I pointed my Sony camcorder at the TV and used a red laser pointer I use to play with Phoebe. After some calibration, success! I can simulate drawing wherever the laser points to in the area I designate. With a projector, one could simulate drawing on the side of buildings There were some issues of flaring causing unreliable results, but this could be corrected by using a projector pointed to a non reflective wall as opposed to the TV screen I was pointing the laser at.

I hope to post my results on video here, but in the meantime you could go to the Graffiti Research Lab's website to view their videos.

It seems that Johnny Chung Lee's Wiimote Whiteboard app operates similar to the Laser Tag app. The Wiimote Whiteboard app uses the Wii Remote as the camera and an infrared light pen instead of a laser. The big differences are that the WiiMote is wireless and for small areas. Yet the Laser Tag app is geared toward larger and longer distances (more of a "street" app).

I will experiment with the Mac version of the Wiimote Whiteboard app tonight, as I got my fabricated IR pen in the mail this afternoon.

Some things I would like to obtain are a more powerful green laser so the dot is easier to see from longer distances as my red laser pointer may be too dim. I also am researching computer projectors with a minimum of 2500 lumens in order to find what may suit my needs. Other items I am looking for include a deep cycle marine 12v battery, proper power inverter or a portable Honda generator. Also need to figure out some sort of rig to make it mobile like a hand truck or cart.

WiiMote and iPod Touch with OSCulator

majero@voicenet.com (Michael Ajero) — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 19:04:47 PST

I have successfully mapped my Wiimote and also my iPod Touch to the demo version of the Modul8 application by using OSCulator to recognize the Wiimote's controls and then translate the movements and buttons to control Modul8 via MIDI messages. Modul8 is a VJ software application for MacOS. I mapped the buttons of the Wiimote to change to different video/animated clips. I also was able to map the rolling motion recognized by the accelerometer on the WiiMote to dissolve clips between the A and B buses.

With my iPod Touch, I used the Touch OSC app and mapped the controls to do the same things and more on Modul8. Both the Wiimote and iPod Touch enable wireless control of software on the Mac.

Hope to try to map with the Nunchuk attached to the Wiimote and see what happens. I also want to try the Wiimote and iPod Touch at the same time which should work.

Experiments with technology for creative uses

majero@voicenet.com (Michael Ajero) — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 19:36:23 PST

This blog will record my progress using available and new technology for creative uses in audio and visual experiments. I will also use this blog to record other traditional art mediums like paint and clay for example, but for the most part, technology will be the focus.

Hardware I am using:

Powerbook G4 1.67gHz, 1.5 GB RAM
Sony Mini DV Camera
Canon 870IS Digital Still Camera
iPod Touch (2nd gen)
Korg Kaossilator
Korg Mini KP
Wii Remote (aka Wiimote) w/Nunchuk
IR LED Light pen
Phoebe's Red Laser Pointer

Software I am using and exploring:

Mac OSX Tiger
Quartz Composer
iLife Apps
OSCulator
Laser Tag 2.0
Touch OSC (iPod)
Wiimote Whiteboard