Wesley Academy 8th graders Auction Project

I had a great time with the eighth grade class yesterday, documenting them with their wax designs, which will soon be hand cast by Greg Jensen, into sterling silver charms.
Once cast and hand polished, the hearts and crosses will be mounted onto a ONE OF A KIND necklace, which will be featured at their schools fundraiser.....an Identification chart comes with the necklace, so you can tell who made which charm.
Can you imagine the bidding wars over this one?

I love interacting with the kids, and I truly love the magic they bring to these little waxes. When the charms are cast, the details of their fingerprints are captured in the silver. This is the yummy stuff that great lives are made of.....

creative surprise

Imagine my surprise, when I peeled open the pages, and this is the image that Citra-Solv "gave" me.....all I did was rotate the image 180 degrees, and saturate the color, a bit....she feels like spring!
I will be teaching a Citra- Solv workshop/ class in Walnut Creek, Cal. on March 10th.
Will be posting further info soon.

Who are these sappy people?

Love, love, love....wanted to share this infrared photograph by my photo sista', Laurie Klein. Laurie made this on our honeymoon, in New Orleans. If I didn't know better, I'd think these kids were in their 20's??? Good thing is, love knows no age. Happy Valentines weekend, ya'll. Lots of love,
Carol and Greg

Ink Spots?

Imagine my surprise, when I unfolded these two pages, and this is the altered inks image that "happened". I feel rhythms in the markings.

Also has a feeling of bird wings.....Abstract images hold surprises for each viewer....what do you see?

Beauty unfolds....

Many people think I"m just a bit "off".... how do I see what I see when photographing simple flowers?Its not hard at all, truth is,the camera is on a tripod.

Makes me SLOW down... I start out by seeing, then by thinking, but I finally "drop down" into feeling...once I can hit that level of connection to my creativity, THEN I make an exposure. Of course I check it, refine it, and do it again....but there "ain't none of this 2000 images" stuff going on.

Enough said. True Confession: I just went into a rant about inexperience and quality vs. quantity....hit delete, cause ya'll really must be tired of this rampant misuse too!

I adopt an artist, once a year....and in that year, I dedicate to studying their work, their lives, their techniques, etc. I saturate myself into a learning state, 15 minutes a day. It generally leads me to study about their friends, their families, their communities....I remember my friend, Gabe Alonzo, taught me about the photographic secessionsists... do you know about them? Its amazing who these guys were (yea, one or two girls...) and their running buddies....their struggles and their successes...Steichen, Steiglitz, J.M. Cameron, an unknown guy named Picasso.

By expanding my art knowledge base, I expand my curiosity, leading me to expand my creative vision.....see, I'm not quite as crazy as you thought....hahah, or am I ?????

What the heck?

Old dog, new tricks...God knows I'm trying to learn all this new stuff....whatever...am I totally sold that you can build a truly profitable long term business from the seat of your desk, without ever venturing out into the world, face to face, ojo y ojo to truly forge business and personal relationships???
I will embrace, and adapt and fuse into what works for me. Selfish, yea.
Authentic? Hell yea.....
I'm here to help you too.... looking for lots of help and support, and I am blessed in this here ole Universe to have a lot of friends....so....
Bring it on.
Why not?
I'm back.
Simply C.