Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Today was Marty's birthday, although it has been more of a b.d. week. Yesterday morning we spent at the eye doctor and then he kept me company while I shopped for a car (still pending). He spent his birthday at the office and we ate leftovers tonight. But don't worry -- tomorrow, I am invited to a lunch party at the office that his employees are throwing for him. And Saturday night we are going to dinner with all six of our children and four spouses: my treat. I stayed home doing car research this morning and by the afternoon, I decided to make a gelatin plate and print on paper to amuse myself. I had the yucky plate left over from Friday's deal with the grands, so I melted it in the microwave, strained out the bits of paint and gunk, and added it to the last of the gelatin to make a strong, 9x13 plate. I used textile paint and it worked fine on the paper. Here are a couple of the prints.
The one I like best is the paper towel print.
Tonight, thinking I would do some collage, I unearthed my treasure trove of ephemera. I hadn't looked at it in so long that I had forgotten it contained some long-lost favorite inspirations. And I realized two things:
  1. All of these photos speak to me with a common voice.
  2. All, except the last one, predate 9/11.
1999
Shop window, Venice, Sept 1999
February 2000
2009
What do you see as a common voice in these photographs? And more to the point, why do they appeal to me so strongly? (I don't expect you to answer this). And now, after having stayed up till an ungodly hour last night, I am going to bed.

7 comments:

Unknown said...

Irregular grids. And the appeal becuase grids give us a sense of continuity and certainty with their repetition whilst the irregularity takes you just far enough from that to give a sense of excitement and variety - daring even - whilst still remeining within the bounds of saftey? (Say it with conviction and it sounds good!)

Eva said...

Menacing quietness. That's what they to me have in common. Exept the thread spools, maybe. And regularity with lost sense.
Yesterday I read a newspaper from 1944. There were ads like "typewriting assistant wanted" for offices in Hamburg. Which was in ruins since 1943. The address mentioned was in ruins. What jobs did they do and how?
The flip flops in the first picture -- maybe the women puts them in order, though the child isn't coming back... Sad pictures to me, even if there is no visible damage.

Eva said...

woman, I meant to type. -- The second print has an amazing photographic touch.

Petit Patch said...

Surprise:
http://smaranda-peticelul.blogspot.com/2009/02/rayna-gillman.html#links
amicalement, Smaranda

Anonymous said...

Architectural elements, grids...what's not to like? I love them too! And your gelatin print.

Lisa said...

To me they illustrate the organization of different elements in your life.

JaAnBe said...

The geometrical forms are all manmade and I started to think, that's what makes them relatable - the geometry marks them as manmade. But then I thought of crystal structures. So, are these forms manmade "crystals"? I personally think nature does the crystal thing better than we do. Thanks for an interesting exercise for the little grey cells.

soup weather in June and a little more

DISCLAIMER: Blogger is giving me grief tonight, which you will see by the varying sizes of the type. Ye p, soup weather and it's ...