Time To Pack it In...

Linens, originally uploaded by sMacshot.

...get ready to start anew. Happy New Year to all who celebrate it!

Raaaaarrr!!

I think I need some strange creature to come and light the fire under me. It has come to my attention that I have a LOT to do before Christmas, and very little time in which to do it all. This evening I walked in a beautiful snow back and forth from the movies. I probably should have stayed in and worked on some things, but I didn't. Then, once home, despite being full from eating a large popcorn, I had more snacks, followed by painting. Now, though I sit at the computer with my list of To Do's before me, I busy my hands with a bag of candy and avoid them. Aware of my procrastination, I've ferreted out this nice beast from the many little publicly unseen artworks which fill files upon files of my many hard drives to help me out. This is a drawing I've scanned into my computer and digitally painted with color and texture, and if anyone needs me to send him over to help you get your things done, just give me a shout.

You Can't Go Back

Where the heck...where the heck did the year go? In fact, where did the time go....all the time...I'm thinking fifteen years ago, more- - it flew. My childhood, well, that doesn't feel recent. It doesn't even feel like it was me. But I have pictures. I saw them. It was me alright. Maybe everyone feels that way. We change so much from childhood to adult that really, no, you aren't the same person, so that 'child' from so long ago, feels more like the star of some television movie you remember (in snippets, but not in full) from seeing many, many moons ago. And I don't want to go back, (there's too much I would never want to relive) but if it could just slow down a little bit. It's December. It's really December.

Brain Scans

I think I'll be scanning film for eternity. It seems endless partly because it keeps being interrupted by my need to scan other odd bits, such as the pretty papers on the insides of the envelopes of my monthly bills, and work doodles. Piles and piles of things like these insist on documentation. And I always comply...not without delay, but eventually.

Two New Prints In My Shop!

It's been awhile since I've added new prints and these two work so well together - - as much as they do separately. One is taken with a plastic Diana camera, the other with an sx-70 Polaroid camera. Can you believe it's almost Thanksgiving time? On the one hand, January '08 feels like eons ago, on the other, however, I feel like 'where the heck did the year go?' So, in honor of the here and now have a great week, everyone!

Better Days Ahead

Better Days Ahead, originally uploaded by sMacshot.

Click the photo to read my caption. Hope all are well!

Whoosh

Whoosh, originally uploaded by sMacshot.

That darned (and wonderful) light-leaking plastic camera business again. It's perfect, I think, for presenting summertime memories the way they are in my mind. I was following my sister one evening after dinner down a seagrass path leading to the ocean. The sun was shining, the wind rippling across the tall grass, and butterflies....thousands of them, everywhere.

Crop Top

Crop Top, originally uploaded by sMacshot.

I am finally getting a start on the summer photos... scanning and potential post-processing takes so long, it's the part I dread. I shoot with so many lo-fi cameras that the majority of what I shoot never get seen by others, (still, I feel compelled to go through the steps to process and store them) and of the rest I actually do show, a certain kind of appreciation will be necessary if one is to see the beauty. They aren't everybody's cup of tea. You can click on the photo to read the humorous caption which explains this self portrait.

7 (More) Random Things About Me

I've been 'tagged' again...well, three times...oops, now make that four times since the last (and only) one I responded to. Here we go...

1. I forget how to drive. I keep my drivers license current for identification, and 'just in case' I do need to drive, but I've lived in Manhattan for so many years (and have never missed owning a car which I sold before moving here) that I have pretty much forgotten how to operate a vehicle. When I go to the beach house each year, Ann (my twin sister) drives us everywhere. Sometimes she lets me park.

2. I have never broken a bone or been a patient in a hospital, even for a minute.

3. I have shared a big hug with Smoky Robinson full-on. This was not a personal appearance or concert; I live in New York City- - anything can happen here. He is very warm and has kind eyes.

4. I have eaten at least one apple a day for at least the last 20 years. I love apples.

5. When I first moved here, before Giuliani cleaned up all the organized crime and there was an active 'crew' in my neighborhood, I was made an offer I was expected not to refuse. In exchange all my rent and bills would be paid. It's not what you're thinking, I mean it, in fact I basically had to do nothing. But such an offer to me would mean that they would own me; I didn't want that, so I refused, and then went weeks fearing I was on the Hit List for disrespecting or something. It was a long while before I felt in the clear. I sorta miss those days.

6. As a child, a recurring nightmare I would have whenever I was delirious from having the flu (oddly not when I was well, then I'd have other nightmares I suppose, but this one only came when I was sick) was being in a hospital bed in a room so full of beds you cannot see the end of them...beds to my left and right as far as I can see, beds foot to foot with mine and the others to my sides (so that if someone was in the bed foot-to-foot with mine, we'd be facing each other from our own beds.) And rows and rows of beds beyond those. Everything is white, and there is a nurse in the scene. It absolutely terrified me in unexplainable ways; terror beyond screaming; it made me silent, frozen. And I've often wondered if it's a dream of the neonatal ward from when I was born.

7. I talk to my toy collection. I don't want them to feel lonely. I'm not crazy, just extra polite.

Benny, Jack, and Moe Throw Down A Mad Line Dance

I'm still a little busy with a new consignment order, (84 items!) and my apartment looks like a victim of a massive printer explosion. My back is paying the price, but I've got a big smile on my face, why I daresay even my antique toy collection seems to be smiling. When I go off to work at my completely non-creative job, I continue to snag any scrap to doodle on. It's the itch I must scratch, and one day I will do it full time. I so hope.

UPDATE: it was not 84 items, but 108 items. Even better!

What Is Sleep?

I don’t get much anymore. Lately it’s in the 2 hours a night range. But between my day job, my creative work, and a dash of social life, all of a sudden I’m busy. My little online shop is slowly increasing. People are finding me, discovering me. I have just finished and sent off a pretty good sized consignment order to an arts organization outside of DC which had contacted me. Next, I m working on artwork for a new Underground Art Magazine (details later) which had discovered my work, and I have a personal project I have been chomping at the bit to get started. I’ve got to get back to scanning and processing my vacation photography; this is a huge, several-week job, but if I wait too long, suddenly it’s winter and they just don’t seem appropriate for uploading to my Flickr account. I was going to try to get a little more sleep tonight since my lower back is in such a spasm I really can’t do very much. But even though it’s so late, (too late) and I’m not likely to get more sleep than usual on this night, I feel so excited to have finished this latest order and for the prospects ahead.

As The World Flickrs

moonlight sail, originally uploaded by original_ann.

This is a photo my sister took of me on our recent stay at the beach house. We saw the full moon cast the brightest light upon the ocean, and danced in fields of blowy Queen Anne's Lace under the stars. Yes, that is a sailboat out there behind me.

I Am NOT Packing Up Any Bikinis!

At least, not yet. But it is sort of necessary to start putting some holiday items in my Etsy shop. I made a sneak preview collage of some of my illustrations and doodlings you might find over there.

Want a Free Bikini?

So I've taken the 8:30ish train out to Long Island where I can lay on the beach all day and jump in the waves; pretend the city doesn't exist for a bit, and that summer is not really 'done'. I'm minding my own business when a nice-looking beachy sort of guy comes up and says those very words to me. I sat up and responded with a "yes" spoken almost as one would a question, like when someone rings your doorbell, ala 'who is it?' You know. He plopped down and removed his backpack, fished around for my size, and voila! New black bikini. Mine now. Even better he asks if I'd like one for a friend as well! So Ann, (my twin sister) it's waiting for you when you visit me next!

Note: the above photo is one I'd taken a few summers ago while at the beach house with one of my Holga (plastic toy) cameras. It's in my Flickr stream.

My Sneaks

They'll be waiting for me at the beach house when I return next year. Boy, did summer ever go fast this year. I need a rewind button.

What I Did On My Summer Vacation

As I've mentioned, I am at the family beach house in New England, and I've brought a big collection of cameras to play with. My twin sister, who I feel is an incredibly amazing photographer, (though she thinks I'm looney in the nut about that) does the same but with better equipment suitable to her style. She develops her own black and white film and brought all the chemicals and equipment for us both to do that here while on vacation. After shooting medium format (120mm) Kodak TMax 100 film, (she with a Hasselblad, and I with a Holga) my sister walked me through every step until we ended up with wonderful long ribbons of developed negatives. We hung these with special hangers and weighted clips to make them dry straight and uncurled, and once dry, cut them into scan-able strips and used masking tape to adhere one of our cut strips to a window to take a photo of with our digital cameras. In Photoshop we inverted the digital shots so we could get an idea of what we had come up with. (The dark blue areas are from something outside the window, not the photo itself. Also note that once home, we will use our scanners to do this correctly...this window/inversion is called the 'poor man's scanner'.) Here's mine taken looking out of a room into a hallway of the beach house. Pretty neat.

Hows About a Little Smooch?

, originally uploaded by mia.in.the.sky.

I really love the work of this artist I discovered not too long ago on Flickr. Her name is Maya Bloch and I find her style speaks to me in my language. She calls herself mia.in.the.sky there on Flickr- - check her out!

Twin Time

When my twin sister and I are at the beach house we go around taking pictures of any and every thing. Up and about by 6 in morning, we'll often take a drive before breakfast when the shadows are stretched out long. Last Birthday, she gave me a Polaroid back for my Holga (which is a plastic toy camera.) This camera makes dreamy, nostalgia-styled photos, complete with lo-fi lens flares, light leaks, and soft, random focus. Combined with a Polaroid back, I am able to see results immediately, and with some of this very old, expired film (as Polaroid film is no longer made, and some types have not been made for a very long time) loaded in, it's a double-whammy of goodness. Once I am back in NYC and able to scan things I will upload them to my Flickr account, and maybe a few here. Have a great week, all!!

Down Time

I'll be painting and doodling more, and doing lots of creative things whenever the fog rolls in, or the sun stays hidden, and the air is filled with biting, salty, chilly spray. Like today. Happy Wednesday, everyone!

Gone to Another Place and Time

...at least that's how it feels everytime I go on vacation to the family beach house. This was taken there last year (I have another version of it on Flickr) and I just recently came across a bunch of digital files that I never processed. So I did get a few done, and brought them with me to New England to upload to my photo account, but the others will have to wait for my return to NYC. Meanwhile, I am on low-tech living here in the middle of nowhere, so forgive my lack of comments and visits to all of your wonderful blogs for a while!

As The World Flickrs

The Inescapable Scatter, originally uploaded by panic-embryo.

One of my very talented Flickr contacts uploaded this incredible image. It feels like the '40's to me. This needs to be hung on a wall to be sure!

Let’s See, Etsy!

Theme: Clean and Simple

(Etsy is a site where people who make things can sell them. It’s an online shopping mall. Hundreds of shops offer wares unlike any you might see offline, so from time to time I will feature some of the items which have caught my attention. Prices are very reasonable, and I encourage any who are interested to consider shopping at Etsy the next time you have a gift to buy.)

Back in May I made a trade with another Etsy seller who makes wonderful soaps. Her name is Amanda, and her shop name is Long Winter Farm. Trades between sellers are a great way to share what you make with someone while benefiting from their art or craft. My package arrived from Long Winter Farm revealing a collection of the most delicious smelling cakes with names like "Porridge", "Spiced Rice", and "Bloody Lumberjack", each in their own individually labeled muslin drawstring bags. They are the perfect gift or stocking stuffer for that person who has it all. (Great tip: I keep mine in my lingerie drawer and it makes everything smell so nice.) At $4.50 per bar, how can you say no? I doubt you’d ever consider store-bought soap again after giving these wonders a whirl!

Goodbye Danny

Goodbye Danny, originally uploaded by sMacshot.

On April 2 here on this blog I spoke about my trade with this wonderful artist. The world has lost a beautiful creative soul. I will miss you, Danny. :((

Beach Ball Kitty

I've been doing some illustration work the last few days; working on several ideas at once. I tend to do this; the result is a plethora of unfinished projects lying about. Here's a kitty you've seen before. I drew it on a scrap of heavy craft paper which lined the top of a shipment received at my job. (I've mentioned before how I grab any scrap of paper or cardboard to doodle on.) This rainy afternoon I painted it digitally, and added photographic textures to create I think 12 or 13 versions. It had started out bright and colorful. I think the one in the upper left is gonna be what will end up in my shop.

Independence Day

I hadn't intended to post, but it's never too late to hang out the red, white, and blue. Happy Birthday USA!! Here are a couple from my shop which are a little more festive than, oh... say, "Ghost Bed".

As The World Flickrs

white hearts on a string 6/27/08, originally uploaded by gary isaacs' photos.

My 'Flickr friend' Gary is a creative master of word and image. Not one thing I've seen him do fails to inspire and awe me. Please take the time to look at his work.

Bigger is Better?

It never occurred to me before to print out my best-selling Ghost Bed photo larger. Currently I sell an 8-inch square version, but tonight I've just listed a 12-inch square one in my shop. It is so lovely, I might hang it myself!

Great Googly-Moogly!

Today I turned on my computer and toyed around with Google’s wonderful photo editing and management software, Picasa. (I love this program and highly recommend it to those who do not have it.) I only open Adobe Bridge or Photoshop when I need to edit, but if I just want to view, I use Picasa. It does far more than just ‘show’ your photos, however that’s all I’ve ever used it for. One of the features of the program are a row of buttons at the bottom of the page which say things like “Email”, “Web Album”, “BlogThis!”, and “Collage” (among other options)….it was that last one I decided to click and see about.

The “Collage” button allows several functions. One such function calls for the creation of a multiple exposure of all photos you might at that moment have selected. So here’s my first one. There are six of my photos in this: two graffiti, two of me, two city scenes from my walking around. Hey, these are fun! Any of you have Picasa? Let me see your collages!

Comp Day Accomplishments

I took a Comp day today; a free pass from work. Oh, all the plans of things to get accomplished I had! Artwork, errands, cleaning and other chores, all on the agenda, and all, I felt certain would be check-marked as “done”. I even worked in a little leisure time by planning to lay out in the park after running one of the errands, and running another errand on my way back.

Unfortunately, my list remains largely undone. I am a bit frustrated by the need to get things completed which rely on the cooperation of others who seem to fail on their part….maybe there’s good reason, but it’s still frustrating. Even the weather balked at cooperating. 10 minutes after I got settled in on the lawn at the park a practical hurricane, (which insisted on flipping the back of my shirt up to the nape of my neck as I speed-walked home: extra attractive) lightening, and downpour ensued. I got to my neighborhood like a wet dog, my spirits feeling the same, and now that I am home, the skies have cleared into the most incredible solid blue beauty, too late for me to go back. Guess I’m just having another one of those days.

Fortunately, good things come in twos.....errr....is that even a saying?? What I mean is, I have another comp day tomorrow. All is not lost, then, and I’ve got my smile back. So, on that note, I must return to the tasks of the day, and see to turning around the setback from earlier events; I might just create a productive day yet.

The Homeplace

Exactly one week ago I had dinner at The Homeplace, a restaurant situated amidst the Blue Ridge Mountains in Catawba, Virginia. This wonderful old country house has a big porch with porch swing, a gazebo in a yard among beautiful shade trees, and sprawling land with a big creek, massive hills and valleys, all dotted with cattle. Once inside, you’re treated like family. In one room a group of older folks played country bluegrassy jazz. From there, expect to be led past the staircase to one of the other rooms where you’ll be seated for dinner.

It’s family style, here. That means pitchers, platters and bowls of food and drink placed on the table for you and the other members of your party to dive into. This is country-style home cooking. Everyone gets fried chicken, the second meat is then chosen, (we had country ham) and all the sides are the same: coleslaw, mashed potatoes, corn, green beans, pinto beans, homemade biscuits, out-of-this-world apple butter, pitchers of the sweetest lemonade, and unsweetened iced tea. Each night a different fruit cobbler with vanilla ice cream is served for dessert. Ours was blueberry, and as with everything that is served, it’s all-you-can-eat. Yes. Oh, and all that can be had for little more than the price of a NYC movie ticket. I recommend it to everyone.

(Pictured here is a photo [I played around with in Photoshop] which I took after dinner as we headed back to our car.)

7 Random Things About Me

In the blog-world there is an activity which occurs whereby one blogger tags several others (after they themselves have been ‘it’.) I was recently tagged twice, and though I’m not one to bend to pressure and continue the ‘chain letter’ aspect of it, I’ll play along with the other duty of a person who has been tagged, and that is to tell seven random facts about yourself that most people don’t really know.

1. In the ‘80s I had dinner with Hubert Givenchy. I actually don’t remember much by the way of details simply because back then this was not an unusual occurrence because of who I worked for and the lifestyle I lived. I do recall I had on long satin gloves, and a black gown. And the only other famous person I recall there was Cicely Tyson.

2. I have been hit by a car. As a child. (It was the whole ‘smash up on the windshield and fly through the air’ thing.) And now when I cross the street I sometimes change my mind and run back just in case that oncoming traffic is faster than I thought.

3. I love whole berry cranberry sauce from a can. I could eat an entire bowl of it — I don’t, but I could! It has to be cold because straight out of the cupboard, room temperature, tastes yucky. Therefore, I often keep one can in the fridge so that it will be cold when it’s time to be opened.

4. I’ve been lost in the woods. Like so bad that I truly thought this was ‘it’. No one found me….I just finally, by miracle, found my way back to where others were. By then the sun was nearly set, and no one even knew I was gone.

5. I have never seen a James Bond film. And it will probably stay that way.

6. Not including the family beach house, I’ve called 14 places my home, (most were not my choice.) I now have an aversion to moving, and have been where I live now for almost 20 years even though I could really use a lot more space.

7. I eat dinner really late. Normally between 10pm and midnight. Sometimes later.

In Awe and In-spired

So I have a small shop where I sell a small portion of my art and photography, and there’s so many other wonderful artists there who do the same. The temptation to spend as much or more than what you earn since we who sell there are surrounded by a plethora of wonders is great, but I have discovered that one way to have your cake and eat it too is to make a trade. Once established that a trade would be agreeable to both parties, items of similar values are swapped.

There is an amazingly creative artist on Etsy who goes by the name of Sushipot. Her name is Suzanna Scott, and I am just so moved by what arrived in the mail from her the other day that I simply must share. I traded my print called Porridge, for one of the items from her Petit Four Series, a camel figure on a block with the letter “C” on it and antique dictionary snippets. It arrived so beautifully packaged, every detail attended to from the round antique ephemera sticker on the envelope which held a thank you note, a vintage game card and two of her wonderful magnets, to the dainty kraft jewelry box tied up with simple black string. Even the way she ‘signs’ her work is beautiful!

And the whole thing was shipped in a nice, roomy box filled with plenty of white tissue. I swear, I feel like I’ve robbed a bank.

Order of the Day

I can’t believe it’s mid-May. The year is almost half over and there just never seems to be enough hours in a day to do all I ‘plan’. My list for Monday had over a dozen things on it. Most never got attended to but here are some of the tasks I did get to:

1) Print out and photograph my “Craggy” bush photo. The original is from a Polaroid, and the wonderful, lushy low contrast makes for a lovely depiction of dreams and nostalgia. This will be the newest item in my Etsy shop, and will be sold at a very reasonable price.

2) Giftwrap this ‘siamese triplet’ bud vase. I found it at a place in my neighborhood and will make a perfect gift for my friend.

3) Set about the massive task of documenting (photographically) my toy collection, even if one piece at a time. Das Osterhasenbuch is from the turn of the century and is filled with wonderful chromolithographs. I love the bunny on the cover, showing his little teeth. It came from an estate of another collector in Massachusetts, much of whose collection was on loan to a nearby Toy Museum …I can’t remember the name of the Museum. Sheesh

4) Made magnets. From some of my illustrations and photos. They’re fun to make.

As The World Flickrs

Episode 2: Brett Walker's Freak Show
(Flickr is an international photo-sharing site which is directly responsible for inspiring me to be better as a photographer, and to see things with new eyes. The source of impressive talent is vast and continues to show me how much more there is to learn. Each week I will be featuring one or more of my ‘faves’ or a specific artist.)

Entering Brett Walker’s Flickr stream is like being let into an exclusive fine art exhibit on another planet without having to pay the fare. You’ll feel honored. You’ll feel stunned, (often freaked out) in a very good way. You’ll never look at faces or photography the same way again. And you’ll want to keep coming back. [This last is easily accomplished by the sidebar link under my banner.]

Some of My Own

OK, so here I am with kitty cats on the brain, and I’ve been doodling them on the backs of my old business cards at work - - dozens of them -- on scraps of cardstock when no business cards were on hand, and then, on some heavy brown craft paper which I folded together and cut into small books I made even more of these kitties (those I’ll use multimedia and collage to finish up. Just for fun, not for sale.) Here are a few of my original sketches and some finished products of one kitty….these will be in my Etsy shop eventually.

Let’s See, Etsy!

Theme: What’s New, Pussycat?

(Etsy is a site where people who make things can sell them. It’s an online shopping mall. Hundreds of shops offer wares unlike any you might see offline. Each week I will feature some of the items which have caught my attention. Prices are very reasonable, and I encourage any who are interested to consider shopping at Etsy the next time you have a gift to buy.)

Today I am featuring some kitty cat items from my list of favorites for sale on Etsy. I’ve never considered myself a cat person most of my life, (and am, in fact, deathly allergic to them) but I am lately so fascinated by these creatures. I wish I could have one of my own. Perhaps that is why I’m drawn to these.

[from top to bottom: 1. Kitten with Scissors by Suspect Shoppe, 2. Little Kitty Aqua by Chet and Dot, 3. Cheeky Blue Cat by Anke Weckmann, 4. Cat Bird by boygirlparty, 5. The King of Swamps by Annejulie's Garden, 6. Cat’s Pyjamas by Yellow Monday, 7. Grumpy Blue Cat by Anke Weckmann, 8. Cleo by Suspect Shoppe.]

My Treasury Made the Front Page of Etsy.com

Ok, first of all I must explain what a Treasury is. When I first joined Etsy in order to set up a shop, I kept reading about them in the Forums. “I got a Treasury!!” was a common message along with the link to view it. I never really understood the big deal about them, and no one could really answer me succinctly when I asked.

Basically, Treasuries are thumbnail lists of items for sale on Etsy; like a contact sheet. You choose a title based on a theme you have in mind, and fill it with items available on Etsy (often from your own list of favorites.) There are 333 Treasuries at any given time on Etsy, and snagging one is actually difficult and cause for celebration. They last for 3 days, normally, then disappear for someone else to snag and set up.

The front page of Etsy is ‘made’ from one of these Treasuries and the mystery as to how one gets chosen by Etsy Administration for this honor is almost mythical among members. So, the other day I thought I’d try my hand at obtaining a Treasury, and I did it! Success at getting one was a huge excitement for me. But then today it was my Treasury which made it to the front page, (pictured here) and I can’t tell you the joy it feels to know I have helped all these wonderful artists get added to other members’ lists of favorites, and hopefully sales. I’ve been featured on the front page before, and resulting traffic and recognition is vastly significant. It’s a great way to be discovered out of the thousands of shops on Etsy.

As The World Flickrs

Episode 1: The Beautiful ‘Problem’ with Film

(Flickr is an international photo-sharing site which is directly responsible for inspiring me to be better as a photographer, and to see things with new eyes. The source of impressive talent is vast and continues to show me how much more there is to learn. Each week I will be featuring one or more of my ‘faves’ or a specific artist.)

This week I’m featuring three of my favorite examples of light entering the camera where it should not. The results could potentially ruin an entire photo, or even a roll of film, but in some cases, it actually works to become part of the composition in such a lovely way, either by leaving images of the actual film’s paper backing on the photo itself, or by leaving a simple light leak. These ‘problems’ happen quite commonly with plastic, or ‘toy’ as they are known, cameras. I have a few, myself, and some need lots of duct tape, while others I allow to leak. [top to bottom: Untitled, by Nicolai Morrisson, N°5, by RougeRouge, and Summer Dreams in Japan, by Jordi Gual.]

As many of you know, Polaroid has shut its doors, perhaps for good. There are plenty of reasons, as far as I’m concerned, that this is terribly wrong. Last summer while on vacation at the family beach house, I brought one of my Polaroid cameras (the SX-70) and a stack of various expired films (Time Zero, sx-70, and something I’ve never found since, called “700”.) The combination of the old camera, instant film, (expired, old and worn at that!) and a foggy location led to some of the most dreamy photos I have ever made. Most did not truly ‘come out’ beyond a very overly exposed, faint image amidst a sea of cream. But it was these which I worked with; doing what I call ‘scanning the heck outta them’ in order to drag out, kicking and screaming (some with ghosts of the past) any sort of detectable image; and one which often appeared frightening, surreal, or downright ancient. One of the photos is so hard to believe came from a camera at all...had I not taken it myself, I am sure I'd be completely skeptical.

I thought the processing for the web was difficult…heck no. The processing for something ready-to-print was another animal altogether, as much of what I have prepared to see online tends to print out quite darkly. So the necessary adjustments are what I’ve been working on, and it’s starting to come together. (These are printed out on 8.5x11 inch photo rag paper.) Eventually I am going to do some books of these spooky dreams. At least for myself, and in this small way, I am continuing to give reason and validity to this wonderful film I don't want to believe is really going away.

[These photos will soon all be for sale in the smacshop]

Reject

This chair was set out in the hallway of my building, (occasionally this is done when someone is moving, or doesn’t want something for one reason or another to give others the opportunity to just take it before it’s set out on the street for pickup.) I’d see it disappear and then reappear a few days later, over and over. Guess people were taking it in, then changing their mind; it never seemed to be accepted anywhere for long. Maybe the chair was rude.

Trading With The Bucketman

Danny Hoskinson is a wonderfully creative talent who I discovered accidentally while browsing Flickr (a photo-sharing site where I am a member.) His claim to fame (and he is well-renowned in the arena of folk art) is his medium, and his method of using and creating with it: I’m talking buckets. Yes, I said buckets. The big industrial plastic ones. He melts them down and creates wonderful, delightful, frightening, and wild creatures which decorate his home (even his truck!) and its surroundings. I imagine anyone visiting him deep in the woods of Polk County, Tennessee will wonder if they are dreaming. But you can see for yourself at his website that I am telling it like it is.

I am the proud owner of his lioness knife with sheath (pictured here) which I traded two prints of my photography to acquire (also pictured.) The photo does not do it enough justice, it has a lot of weight, and the smooth glossy, though wrinkly texture is beautiful! It hangs on my wall, and blows me kisses every time I look at her, and should I ever need protection, there is a knife hidden in that sheath, and I mean a KNIFE. Think Crocodile Dundee.