Journal

Welcome to my digital magazine! I post often from my adventures as I photograph, create and learn. Please enjoy these first three posts - commitment free! After that consider signing up for the opportunity to join me as I take images from the world around me.
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6/7/24

In June

8/3/24

Wednesday a good friend of mine asked me to respond to an old saying, "There will be difficulties in this world, but things don't have to always be difficult." Another way to put it is in the equally old phrase, "Tough times don't last, but tough people do." It caused me to think about how easy it is to become trapped by difficult circumstances even to the confining of the rest of our lives to that circumstance. This morning I came across the piano burn shoot that happened a few weeks ago at my dad's shop. As a result of four hours work, here is a visual representation of the conversation I had with my friend on Wednesday.

2/3/25

My nephew was turning 4 a few days from when I created this print. He was watching his older brother ride my grandfather's horse around the yard and I was able to capture this image.
As many little boys do, he would see dinosaurs playing everywhere he went. This altered cyanotype illustrates the wild dreams and thoughts of a very adventurous boy.
To add the dinosaurs to this cyanotype print I used vinegar, strong coffee and water to paint loose watery shapes. Each liquid affects the color of the print differently. Water simply clears away the emulsion to show the paper underneath. Vinegar reacts with the emulsion and leaves an intense blue trail. Coffee colors both paper and chemistry a nice VanDyke brown. All of these are very uncontrolled since the liquids spread creating sharp shapes because the paper is dry when it is worked. Another great complication is the fact that the image isn’t clear until it is rinsed. It makes it almost impossible to know if you are painting where you had in mind. If you are open to a little visual chaos, this is an interesting twist on the cyanotype. I made the dinosaurs more defined by adding details using colored pencils.