A Work in Progress

Black & White Wednesday: The Finale

noreply@blogger.com (Christine Edwards) — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 21:53:00 +0000

The black and white photo lab I've been doing wrapped up last week. I didn't shoot as many rolls of film as I would have liked to, but that about seems par for the course. I've never been much of a film shooter before, let alone developing my own film and making prints, so this was all new to me. My cameras of choice were the Diana (modeled after the 1960s classic medium-format plastic cameras), and some old cameras picked up at thrift stores and flea markets. They're pretty much basic point-and-shoots with minimal (if any) exposure and aperture settings, and result in soft lo-fi images with light leaks and edge vignetting.

Troy, who headed up the lab, worked with a guy who’s parents own a local wine shop. They offered up the wall in their shop to host our very own exhibit. So, we've spent these last few weeks making prints that we could hang at the show. I didn’t really have a lot of images to choose from, and ended up choosing some images from a roll that I shot out in the yard.

I didn't realize I had the number of exposures set for “16” rather than “12”, and I ended up with this funky overlapping on all of my images.

Troy convinced me that this was a feature, not a defect, and making it work to my advantage, I printed two images as diptychs showing the overlap.

My other print was just a normal cropped image.

Saturday night was our “Opening Reception” (photo courtesy of Troy Freund). The shop normally has a wine-tasting on the second Saturday of each month, so we already had a gathering for the show. Each of us were asked to give a little talk about out images, which I wasn't exactly thrilled about doing, but Denis said I did alright. We have an interesting assortment of subjects including a Civil War reenactment, nature shots, rainy night-time shots, barns, and Dia de los Muertos.

I think we’re all pleased with the the work that we have on display, and they’ll be there for at least the next month. Pretty good for a finale.

Something Really Scary

noreply@blogger.com (Christine Edwards) — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 14:40:00 +0000

For whatever reason, I did not go gang-busters with Halloween this year. (That is really scary!) I did, however, sign up for Val's Halloween swap, and this year's theme was Zombie Dolls. I got paired up with Little Messy Missy, whom I have done some very nice charm swaps with before.

Mmmm, a creepy Raggedy Anne? Maybe she should be called "Mauly". Definitely not the type of doll you snuggle up to for bedtime stories.

She also sent lots of sweet extras to accompany Mauly, although it appears she fed well before the trip.

I attempted to put together a nice creepy doll for Melissa, but after several failed attempts I ended up going with a pattern from the Zombie Felties book.

I tried to include some supplies for the potential of a Zombie Apopcalypse. It never hurts to be prepared, as even the CDC has put together a Zombie Survival Guide.

The truly scary thing, is that now that Halloween is over, Christmas is right around the corner, and I'm so not ready for that.

Sister's Weekend

noreply@blogger.com (Christine Edwards) — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 19:06:00 +0000

A couple of weeks ago, Carol, Karen and I had a long overdue Sister's weekend in NYC. And it was great...

Friday night after Karen and I got in, we hung out at Carol's catching up, ordering pizza, watching the boob tube. On Saturday morning we hit the diner for sustenance, and then headed into the city. Of course, we had to make a stop at Tinsel Trading, especially since I knew they would have their Halloween stuff out.

Afterwards we made our way to Times Square for the matinee of Follies. The story was not as light-hearted as we thought it would be, but it was still an enjoyable show. Our evening was also enjoyable as we met up with John for drinks and a fabulous steak dinner. My one wish for the weekend was to eat "good" food, and I certainly got that.

Sunday we did a small bit of shopping, as my sisters were gracious enough to indulge me in going to The Evolution Store and Obscura (from the SyFy channel Oddities show), to look for some unusual items for my upcoming Michael deMeng workshops.

I did bring my camera along, although you wouldn't know it based on the few photos I actually took. These were taken as we walked along the High Line on our way to brunch on Sunday.

We usually take a picture of the three of us, but when we remember it's usually when we're sitting down to eat. This time we remembered to take a non-eating picture along the High Line.

It's too bad that we live so far apart, as it's always a fun time getting together with them. Guess we just gotta plan that next Sister's weekend.

B&W Wednesday: Proof is in the Print

noreply@blogger.com (Christine Edwards) — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 02:41:00 +0000

I never realized how involved the whole process of making film prints is. Each week I've focused on trying to get one image printed decently. Last week I worked on an image that I took with an old Ansco Panda that I picked up at the flea market.

It's really nothing more than a plastic child's box camera from the 1950s. It has a TLR-style lens, and images are composed at waist level by looking down into the viewer. Of course, everything you view is in the reverse which makes composing quite interesting. In it I used some 620 film from the 1940s that I purchased on eBay.

So, my night's printing process ended up something like this:

10 seconds, straight print

Too flat looking, not enough contrast.

14 seconds with a #3 contrast filter added

A bit better, but still too flat.

20 seconds with a #4 contrast filter

Now we're getting somewhere, but almost too contrasty. Also, due to the age of the film, there are a lot of specs on the negative which really showed up in this print. The light leak along the bottom of the image is more evident as well.

21 seconds with #4 contrast filter. Additional 6-second burn to sky.

I wanted to fill in some of the sky by giving it a bit of extra time while trying to keep the building from getting too dark. Now the branches on the left no longer have the definition that was there from the previous print.

20 seconds with #4 contrast filter, and 3-second burn to sky.

My final print of the night, and I'm mostly happy with it. The branches still lack definition, but I think the blocks on the water tower show good contrast and definition.

And the crazy thing is that you pretty much have to go through this process with every single image you want to print. I suppose if you have a series of images that are taken similarly, you could use the image you were happy with as a starting point for the next images to be printed. Kinda tedious, but still interesting. This is why I'm lucky if I can get one decent print for the night.

B&W Wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (Christine Edwards) — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 23:12:00 +0000

For the past couple of weeks, I've been taking a B&W film printing lab. I've actually had to get out with the camera, and shoot some film. A few weeks back I thought the cemetery would be a good place to go. I shot these with a Canon AF35m 35mm point-and-shoot that I had gotten from my mother.

It looks like the film might not have seated properly, because some light leaks seem to appear along the sprocket edges. Or, I screwed up when I loaded the film into the developing reel. I've never developed my own film before, let alone try and make prints. So this is all a new and interesting experience for me. The fun (and aggravating) thing about film is that you don't know what you've got until the film is developed. I'm more okay with the images not being perfect than when I'm shooting film. Since I'm using low-tech cameras, I'm trying to embrace the imperfections.

Last week our instructor told us about an opportunity to have a small showing at a local wine shop. He told the owners of the shop that he would ask us if each of us would be interested in putting up 2-3 images. Everyone loved the idea, and now I have the dilemma of coming with some things that I think are not only print-worthy, but something I won't be embarrassed to hang in public. The guys in the class have been shooting for a lot longer than I have, and they're quite geeky about their cameras too. They'll usually come in to show-and-tell their latest acquisitions. It's pretty funny, and pretty interesting too, even if most of it goes over my head. I guess film's not quite as dead as most people thought.

Best-Laid Plans

noreply@blogger.com (Christine Edwards) — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 16:32:00 +0000

So, I've given up on the August Break daily photo.

I've really hated trying to come up with a decent picture every day, and most times I would procrastinate until later in the day, and then end up with a picture I wasn't totally thrilled with.

I've also been struggling with using the Instax, and getting the exposure setting right. Last Sunday we went downtown to see Jersey Boys and then walked a few blocks for a late lunch/early dinner at Water Buffalo. I snapped these two pics along the way, which one was over-exposed and the other under-exposed (same thing happened at the cemetery on Friday). At a buck a picture, it's getting to be a costly experiment.

But, I think I'm come up with a solution. Rather than trying to take a picture a day, I'm going to push myself to come up with a location or event to shot every week. If I use the Instax, hopefully I can figure the proper exposure setting for that location in one or two shots, and then shoot the rest of the pack at that time. I'm also taking a B&W film processing lab, so I've been using an old 35mm that was my mother's to shoot B&W film. This process should hopefully give me a roll to experiment with and develop each week, unless something else goes awry.

Reaching

noreply@blogger.com (Christine Edwards) — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 23:44:00 +0000

Even after gathering all that great inspiration for pictures, I'm coming up short in my images. I knew that little "I Voted" sticker wouldn't turn out, but I waited way too late to take anything else, and was at the point where I really didn't care too much anyway. Six Wisconsin state senators were up for recall elections yesterday, and the only thing I will comment is that I'm glad they're over and the commercials are off the television. I can only imagine how scathing the 2012 Presidential election advertisements will be—because it's always the other guys fault.

I took along three cameras with me today for any picture-taking opportunities. They all ended up staying in my bag, and so I quickly snapped some dappled sunlight on our freshly mowed lawn for today's last minute pic.

Mosaic Monday: Instax Inspiration

noreply@blogger.com (Christine Edwards) — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 02:44:00 +0000

I haven't been "in love" with the Instax photos that I've shot so far this month. It's a bit of a challenge for me because I can't zoom in close, and details don't show up all that well. I thought more pattern and texture would help, but it's not working so well. And I need to get better at determining shooting distance, up close isn't that close after all.

So I turned to Flickr for some Instax Inspiration:

1. mainliner, 2. 03-03-11-2010, 3. black hole sun, 4. polaroid donkey, 5. Imperial Beach Instax, 6. Scootahhh, 7. Untitled, 8. Untitled, 9. Fujifilm Instax, 10. under the stairs, 11. img125, 12. graffitti , 13. Amusement, 14. Green Door, 15. spring green, 16. Cafe Gratitude

I'm gonna keep the camera in the car, and keep my eyes peeled for more interesting photo ops than I seem to have around the house.

Blue Skies

noreply@blogger.com (Christine Edwards) — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 11:54:00 +0000

Whereas yesterday I was looking down, today I decided to look up...

Actually, I thought the cloud pattern was interesting this morning, so I grabbed the camera and stepped out quickly in my PJs to capture it. Only took 2 tries ;-) Starting the day off positively.

Path to Nowhere

noreply@blogger.com (Christine Edwards) — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 21:31:00 +0000

Did not do well with picture taking today. I burnt through 8 exposures before finally getting one that I was okay with.

The bad thing about the Instax is that it insists on flashing. So my indoor photos were getting blown out from the flash. I tried to soften the flash with some wax paper, but then the exposures were too dark. I went outside and shot in full sun...over exposed. Trying a shot in the shade, yeah, that seems to work. Grrr! I guess I get so aggravated because each shot costs money. Not like digital, which I think of as free. (At least I got the camera for cheap—$6 at Goodwill.) I know I need to embrace my mistakes, accept them, learn from them, and move on. And I guess that's what this daily process is for, taking me forward along the path.

"So easy even I could do it...."

noreply@blogger.com (Christine Edwards) — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 15:29:00 +0000

Didn't I just say that in my last post? Taking a picture a day for the month of August should be something even I could handle. Yet, this is pretty much the same thing that happened when I gave up on my Project 365 last year. I knew I needed to get a picture taken yesterday, but nothing was inspiring me. I waited until about 8:30 last night when I forced my butt up off the couch to take a picture of something. However, doing the whole analogue thing really requires more forethought, as evidenced by what I did shoot. Bleh!

So I cheated, and did a "do-over" this morning.

Denis had mentioned something about getting a croquet set, but I think it surprised him when I brought one home from the flea market a few weeks ago.

And I went ahead and got today's shot done and out of the way...

some Coneflowers and Queen Anne's Lace.

I'm kinda liking these mini Instax pics, that I think I'll do it for the entire month. I stocked up on film before going to Europe figuring I would take the camera along with me. As I was packing all my stuff, I asked myself if I really thought I would take it along in my daybag with my large dSLR. No, I didn't think I would, so it ended up staying home. Now I have lots of film to play with. Good thing since I wasted six exposures on my "experiment" last night. But then that's all part of the learning curve.

Taking a Break

noreply@blogger.com (Christine Edwards) — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 19:11:00 +0000

Yep, it's been nearly a two-month break since my last blog post. (In a funk, I suppose.)

But this is the break that I mean...

Susannah Conway hosts the August Break where you simply share one photo (or more) per day on your blog. Sounds easy enough that even I could handle it. Plus it will get me to post more frequently, even if I feel like it's a non-blogworthy day, and take more pictures. Although, I think I'm going to focus mostly on using film this month. I just shot my film for It's a Photo Swap!, so I'm in an analogue frame of mind. Plus I could use the practice in using these cameras to make every exposure count.

We were gone all of last week, and the dogs had to be boarded. Sure did miss those girls, and I think they're pretty happy to be home too (they haven't let me out of their sight for a minute), so I figured they would be good subjects for today.

Camera: Fuji Instax Mini 7
Film: Fujifilm Instax Mini Instant Film

La Dolce Vita

noreply@blogger.com (Christine Edwards) — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 15:01:00 +0000

The sweet life it's certainly been...

Denis had to go to Milan for a week, which means I got to go to Milan for a week. I have to say that Milan is fairly lost on me. I know there are a lot of people who would love to be in the Fashion Capital of the World, but then there's me, who's really not fashion forward in any way.

I did get to explore the sights, such as the impressive Gothic cathedral, the Duomo di Milano. It is the fourth largest cathedral in the world, with room for 40,000 people to fit comfortably inside. The cathedral took nearly six centuries to build and incorporates a number of contrasting styles, but, wow!, is it impressive. A recent cleaning has restored the exterior showing again the colors of the Candoglia marble.

Once you enter through the intricate bas-relief bronze doors, your eyes are immediately drawn up at the towering arches and pillars, and down at the exquisite inlaid marble floors.

Although the interior is rather dark, the sights are captured by the detailed stained glass windows depicting scenes from the life of the saints. The eight naves of the Cathedral are divided by 52—supposedly one for each week of the year—gigantic pillars topped by a series of niches with statues.

And some of the things that I thought were the coolest, are probably the creepiest (yeah, go figure). I thought the crypt was pretty amazing with so much incredible detail. There is a glass coffin of St Carlo Borromeo, once the archbishop of Milan, and later canonized as the patron saint of stomach diseases. A sculpture of St Bartholomew, who was skinned alive, shown wearing his skin around his neck. A small red light bulb in the dome above the apse marks the spot where one of the nails from the Crucifixion of Christ has been placed.

I can't believe that not once out of the three separate times I was at the Duomo did I remember you could go up to the roof! I'm really pretty bummed I didn't get up there. But then the cathedral is huge and amazing, and you discover something new each time you go.

Just outside of the Duomo is Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, a high-end shopping arcade, featuring a metal and glass roof and detailed mosaics. It's sort of a connector between the Duomo and La Scala, the world-famous opera house. A statue of Leonardo daVinci, who spent 17 years in Milan as artist and engineer to Francesco Sforza and created one of his most well-known masterpieces during his time in the city, is in the adjoining piazza .

The Sforza Castle was originally built by the Viscontis, and later reconstructed by the Sforzas. (This is the family that Rodrigo Borgia had his daughter, Lucrezia, marry into hoping to get the support and protection from the family in Milan, for any The Borgias watchers.) The castle used to be residence of the Duchy of Milan, but was turned over to the city of Milan in the late 1800's and now houses several art collections.

I mostly wandered around by myself, stopping in at the Brera Art Gallery, which houses one of Italy's finest collections of medieval and Renaissance art. Napoleon is to be credited with obtaining most of the masterpieces from the area churches and monasteries, as well as an exchange with the Louvre. It's still an operating art academy and students were hanging out in the piazza.

I did take a bus tour one morning just so I could get in to see DaVinci's Last Supper at Santa Maria delle Grazie (grrr, no pictures allowed). According to the hotel concierge, to try and get a single ticket on your own, you need to book about two months in advance (or maybe he gets kickbacks from the tour company for every sucker he books). Any way it was kinda nice getting driven around for a change. I had done so much walking over the past few weeks, that my blisters had blisters, and I finally gave up trying to be in any way fashionable, and broke out the sneakers. I did walk over to the Triennale Design Museum where they had an interesting exhibit on furniture design. A favorite artist of mine, Piero Fornasetti, is supposed to have a couple of his designs there, but I must have not purchased the proper ticket for the permanent collection. I did get to the Fornasetti store where they had all of the licensed items. I would love to have a collection of his Julia plates, which he designed from the enigmatic face of opera singer Lina Cavalieri, but settled for a pillow for now.

My wanderings also took me by the gigantic needle and thread, a tribute to Milan’s work in the fashion sector. The Arch of Peace, featuring a bronze statue on top, the “Chariot of Peace”. It's construction began under Napoleonic rule, and originally the chariot faced France, but after the fall of Napoleon at Waterloo, the chariot was turned around to face the city center. And Milan's aquarium, with exterior decorations based on aquatic themes, arranged around the god of the sea. I got there at just as they were closing for lunch, so I didn't go inside.

That pretty much wraps up my week in Milan. I still have two more places to write up, and hopefully they won't take me three weeks to get to.

Prague, Part Two

noreply@blogger.com (Christine Edwards) — Mon, 23 May 2011 04:22:00 +0000

Leaving the castle, we took a "shortcut" which took us down through the gardens of Wallenstein Palace. The top of the terraced garden afforded some spectacular views of the city.

The gardens cover a huge area that include a pavilion where concerts are held, a limestone grotto with artificial stalactites (some formed with “faces”), an aviary, peacocks (some albino—which seems rather ironic since they are known for the colorful iridescent plumage) roaming the grounds, and an artificial lake. Copies of bronze statues, such as Michael Slaying the Dragon, have been recreated for the garden after the originals were looted by the Swedish army.

Across the river heading into the Jewish Quarter and Old Town, is the National Theatre. We were told a funny story about how the building was used as Nazi headquarters during WWII. It was ordered that the statue of composer Mendelssohn be removed from the roof because he was a Jew. The Czech workers weren't sure which statue to remove, so they took down the one with the biggest nose, which accidentally was the statue of Richard Wagner, Hitler’s favourite composer.

Then we wandered our way into the Old Town Square, which was a flurry of activity because the Prague Marathon was being run that weekend. There were stages and booths set up all over the square, and there was even a Chihuahua event happening with some 50+ chihuahuas in attendance. I was shooting higher trying to crop out a lot of the displays, but the square was interesting in the varying architectural styles, from Gothic to Baroque.

Probably the most notable landmark in Prague, after the castle, is the Astronomical Clock which draws crowds from sunrise to sunset. As the clock strikes the hour, there is a procession of the twelve apostles. Even the figures on the sides of the clock (Death, a Turk—a symbol of Lust, Vanity and Greed) are animated, and at the end of the procession the cock crows and the clock chimes the hour. The Astronomical Clock below shows the orbits of the sun and moon, the blue portion representing daylight, Roman numerals indicating time as we know it, and the movement of the sun and moon through the 12 signs of the zodiac. Supposedly, after the clock was rebuilt in 1490, the councillors did not want the clockmaker recreating this clock for anybody else, so they blinded him. A nasty bunch these Czechs can be, as a recurring theme throughout the tour seemed to be people tossed from windows. Denis decided he would not go any higher than the ground level while there.

We finally concluded our walking tour with our guide, and we were exhausted! We both crashed when we got back to the room, but I did get up and attempt a few night pictures of the river, Charles Bridge, and Little Quarter towers.

The next morning, after sleeping in a bit, we decided we needed an easier day. Because of the marathon, the city was pretty crowded and a bit tricky to negotiate with roads being closed off for the runners. The one thing I definitely wanted to see was the Mucha Museum. I was actually a bit disappointed with it being on the small side, but there were some interesting sketches he had done for various publications, jewelry, menus and restaurant designs. I should have gone to the Municipal House where he did some murals on the walls.

The hotel we stayed at was next to the Vltava River and the Charles Bridge. It was an excellent location being very centrally located, allowing quick access to the castle, or across the bridge to Old Town.

The bridge itself is an attraction with thirty statues of various saints, Christ, and the Virgin Mary are lined up along the sides.

The whole city is visual overload, with so many amazing details to take in. I know I missed so many things, that it will definitely be necessary to go back again. Even though we covered a lot of ground with the guide, we didn't spend any length of time at the locations as he wanted to get in as much as possible.

If for no other reason to return to Prague, is to get a chance to try a trdelnik pastry.

You could find them from street vendors, and they're made by wrapping dough around a stick and roasting it over an open flame until it is golden brown, dusted with cinnamon, sugar, or nuts.

Next time...

Czech it Out

noreply@blogger.com (Christine Edwards) — Fri, 20 May 2011 04:30:00 +0000

My first weekend in Europe, we went to Prague, which has been on my list of places to visit for a while. We had planned on spending Friday, Saturday and Sunday, but I screwed up the flights and booked a 9pm flight, rather than a 9am flight, on Friday. I guess it worked out for the best since I had just arrived the day before, and still was not quite on Euro time, but it did cut out some time to sight-see. Fortunately, Denis had met up with a friend in London earlier that week, and he recommended a tour guide to take us around the sights of Prague. We spent five hours walking with him on Saturday and got a whirl-wind tour of the city.

One of our first stops was a pedestrian bridge filled with “love locks”. Legend has it that when you find your true love you carve your names on a lock and lock it onto the gate. You then throw the key in to the canal. This canal is referred to as Čertovka (The Devil's stream) where this little gremlin was perched next to the old Grand Priory Mill water wheel. Just beyond the canal is what is referred to as the Lennon Wall. Once an ordinary wall it was created in the 1980's after Lennon's death as a memorial to John Lennon and his ideas for peace, but also served as a monument to free speech and the rebellion of Czech youth against the Communist regime.

Onto the quaint cobblestone streets of the Little Quarter, it is one of the most picturesque and peaceful areas in the city. We passed the House at Golden Unicorn, where Beethoven had a stay in 1796, and the Grand Prior Palace which was the seat of the Knights of Malta. This area has been heavily affected by several floods over the years from the Vltava river, and along the walls of the buildings are marks showing how high the water reached, about 14 feet high in 2002.

A quick tram ride took us up to Belvedere, the Italian Renaissance style Royal Summer Palace built by Ferdinand I for his wife Anne. In the small geometrical garden in front of the palace stands the Singing Fountain for the sound the water makes as it hits the bronze bowl.

Through the Royal Gardens is Ball Game Hall. The building is covered in Renaissance sgraffito, a form of decoration created by cutting a design through the wet top layer of plaster on to a contrasting undercoat. The sgraffitoes on its walls represent the four elements (earth, fire, water and air), the virtues (forethought, modesty, mercy, hope, righteousness and bravery) and sciences (theology, astronomy, geometry, music, arithmetic, rhetoric, dialectics and grammar). Even the communists left their mark on the building by placing a hammer and sickle in the sgraffito. The gardens were spectacular as thousands of tulips were in bloom, as well as home a group of birds of prey that have been rehabilitated.

Another grand palace showing the eclectic mix of Italian influence with tradition Czech design is the Schwarzenberg Palace. Another amazing building covered in unique black-and-white sgraffito, which our guide referred to the design as “envelopes”.

Then we finally get to Prague Castle...

Despite periodic fires and invasions, Prague Castle has retained churches, chapels, halls and towers from every period of its history. The Castle became the seat of the Czechoslovak president in 1918, and even the current president has an office here, sorta like the White House. One of the most impressive buildings is St Vitus’s Cathedral with it's towering Gothic spirals, Golden Portal mosaic and exquisite stained glass windows, including one by one of my favorite artists, Alphonse Mucha.

And I still have much more to cover...

Up and Atom

noreply@blogger.com (Christine Edwards) — Sun, 15 May 2011 15:24:00 +0000

Built for the 1958 World Fair, the Atomium is probably the most identifiable symbol of Brussels.

The design is based on an atom magnified 165 billion times. Each of the nine spheres that make up the atom are 60 ft in diameter and linked by escalators and stairs. You reach the top sphere via elevator which takes you up the 120 meter (335 feet) at a speed of 5 meters per second. Once at the top, you have 360-degree view of Brussels, and even the port in Antwerp on a clear day.

I've also been spending some of my time visiting a couple of museums including the Magritte Museum. The surrealist painter is probably best known for his "man in the bowler hat" paintings. A new museum opened in 2009 which is a much larger exhibit space than the old museum I visited a few years back. This museum is next to the Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts, which I hope to get to before it's time to leave.

In All it's Grandeur

noreply@blogger.com (Christine Edwards) — Fri, 13 May 2011 17:41:00 +0000

The heart of the city, the Grand Place, this square is still the civic center and features beautiful ornate 17-century architecture.

The Hôtel de Ville, Brussels Town Hall, shows off it's Gothic splendor, complete with dozens of arched windows and sculptures. Its tower, 215 feet high, sprouts near the middle, yet it's not placed directly in the center. A colorful but untrue legend has it that when the architect realized his error, he jumped from the summit of the tower.

Just a few of the amazing details...

Maison du Roi was once the residence of ruling Spanish monarchs, but now is home to the Musée de Ville.

La Maison des Ducs de Brabant is a group of six guildhouses, and designed to look like an Italian Baroque palazzo.

This row of buildings includes Le Pigeon which was home to an exhiled Victor Hugo, and is said he wrote Les Misérables while staying there. Saint Barbara, the patroness of tailors, adorns the doorway next door at L'Ange which was once a guildhouse of tailors.

Trade guildhouses include Le Renard, guildhouse of haberdashers, Le Cornet, the Boatmen's Guildhouse with it's bow-shaped gable, and Le Maison des Boulangers built by the wealthy guild of bakers.

Of course no trip to Brussels is complete without a visit to Manneken Pis. On this particular day he was getting unveiled in his costume for the Fou du Festival du Rire de Rochefort, the opening of the comedy festival at Rochefort. A band and official spokespeople showed up for the big reveal. He has over 800 outfits which are kept at the Musée de Ville, and include a Santa suit and Elvis costume.

I know it may seem geeky, but I love finding out all of these little bits of trivia, and getting to know more about these amazing sites.

Out of Hibernation

noreply@blogger.com (Christine Edwards) — Thu, 12 May 2011 15:52:00 +0000

It's been so long since my last post that I've found it difficult to segue into starting up again. This spring has not been the burst of renewal that it should have been. The temps have been staying cool and damp, not encouraging any sort of activity. I've also been pretty busy with freelance projects, which is always a good thing, but tends to put personal projects on the back burner. And I just haven't had much free time for blogging, including visiting some of my favorite people.

Denis has some projects for work going on in Europe and instead of flying back and forth, he thought staying for an extended period would be beneficial. So I'm tagging along for the ride... Originally we had planned on spending three months over there and bringing the dogs, but it just seemed to work out better that Denis go over for a couple of weeks, I come over for a couple of weeks, and then he'll stay for a few more weeks before having to come back home in June anyway. Then depending on how much progress they make, he may go back again. As sort of a central point, he is currently basing himself out of Brussels. We had gone to Brussels for two days a few years ago, but I really don't remember much other than how cold and windy it was. So this is a great chance for a refresher and additional exploring.

The weather has been absolutely perfect, sunny and 70s, so unlike the weather I left in Wisconsin. One of my first discoveries was Place du Petit Sablon, a pretty park encircled by interesting ironwork, and along the top of the railings are 48 statues representing the medieval guilds of the day. The focal point of the gardens is a fountain featuring Counts Egmont and Hornes, who led a Dutch uprising against the tyrannical Spanish ruler, Phillip II, but later were beheaded in the Grand Place.

Across the street from the park is Notre Dame du Sablon, standing majestically is all of it's gothic glory. Legend is that a young girl from Antwerp had a vision from the Virgin Mary to take her statue to Brussels. The girl carried the statue down the Senne river and gave it to the crossbowman's chapel, which became a place of pilgrimage. Work started in 1400 to enlarge the church, but lack of funds delayed completion for another 150 years.

Making my way to the Grand Place, were the gardens of Place de l'Albertine, the carillion clock on the arch in the Mont des Arts (twelve figures from Belgian history move as the clock strikes the hour), buildings along Place de l'Albertine, Prince Albert, and statues in Mont des Arts.

The Cathédrale Sts Michel et Gudule, is the national church of Belgium and was only granted cathedral status in 1962. Work began in 1225 and continued over a period of 300 years. Even some of the modern architecture near the cathedral pays homage to the Gothic structure. One of the first shopping arcades in Europe are the Galeries St-Hubert. And interesting art finds include these dolls by Anna Heylen hanging in the window as well as a kitty cat cyclist.

Going through the hundreds of pictures I've taken is quite the daunting task. I guess that's why "real" photographers know their shot and don't have to waste time and shots trying to get the settings and composition. Maybe one day I'll figure it out so I don't have to wade through the rejects so much.

Good Things Come in Small Packages

noreply@blogger.com (Christine Edwards) — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 20:52:00 +0000

I finally caught one of Heather's Petite Inspiration box swaps before the sign-ups closed. And this was a good one too, with a Flea Market theme. I was paired with some spectacular partners that put together a couple of really fantastic boxes.

Jessica decorated the outside of her box with a Steampunk theme. Inside were so many wonderful photos, tags, buttons, gears, alphabet tiles, numbered ruler tape, and key.

My other box came so elegantly dressed from Jayme. Again so perfectly stuffed with all things that I adore like numbers, buttons, clock faces, jewelry pieces, velvet ribbon, glitter, metal trim pieces, tiny apothecary bottles, vintage ephemera.

They both sent things that I know I will put to good use in some future projects.

I made a pink "shabby chic" box for Jessica. Jayme's box was ripped off from one of the Advent Calendar tags by the 2 Gypsy Girls. They were a lot of fun to put together, and the best thing was that I already had all the fixin's, and didn't buy anything new. Good things definitely do come in small packages.

A Stitch in Time

noreply@blogger.com (Christine Edwards) — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 17:10:00 +0000

Or in my case adds about a hundred. I am not a sewer at all, but I've always liked the stitched collages that I've seen around. Linda from A Swap for All Seasons hosted a Mini Fabric Collage swap, and I thought this would be the perfect excuse to actually make one.

I was paired up with the lovely Hope, and she made such a stunning sampler for me. She did so much handstitching and embroidery, I am totally impressed. Plus all of the little elements that are so perfectly "me".

Some of the enchanting details like a glittered felt rose, crocheted "frame", mother-of-pearl buckle (swoon), sweet embroidered blue pearl flowers, and Hope's signature frozen Charlotte.

Hope told me that she liked creams and vintage sheet music and paper. At one of the local antique malls, a vendor had these old lace sample boards that I had been admiring for quite a while. I knew they would be perfect for this collage project, so I was glad to see that they were still there when I went back. I printed the sheet music and photo onto paper-backed fabric, which I ran through the laser printer. I stitched the sheet music fabric onto some burlap using my mother's old sewing machine. Poor thing never gets used, and now is stuck in sewing only in reverse. I really need to see if I can get it serviced if it won't cost an arm and a leg. Pearls from an old necklace surround the photo, and I added other bits as well. We didn't need to provide a hanger for the collage, but this old pearl sweater chain just worked so perfectly I had to include it. Since it just clips on, Hope can always do something else for a hanger if she chooses.

I didn't do as much sewing and embroidery as I had hoped, but it still was a lot of fun and I wouldn't mind doing some more stitching in time.

Curious Pharmacists

noreply@blogger.com (Christine Edwards) — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 20:39:00 +0000

I did mention that the purpose of this trip was an art workshop with Michael deMeng. Michael really does come up with the coolest stuff. This is his sample for the class made from an old dressing kit. The top is hinged and flips up where there was originally a mirror (more detailed pics at the link above). Love his medicinal bottles.

Michael doing the uszhhh!!! color wash demos. While he gets a lot of repeat students in his class, I think this class was about half with those who had never taken a workshop from him before. Of course Gary showed up because he has OCDD (Obsessive Compulsive deMeng Disorder).

Another trademark of Michael's workshop is the time on the last day of the workshop when the theme from "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly" gets played. Pencils down, times up... Everybody stops where they are at and Michael does a critique. The first time I heard this, my stomach lurched and I had heart palpitations. But Michael's critiques are wonderful, and he'll point out things that you didn't even realize were going on when you were working on the piece. You learn so much from all of the different pieces of artwork that is created, and how somebody else choose to design their version of the apothecary kit. And I have to saw that the art that was created these three days was really incredible. I felt so inadequate by the end of day two when I saw how everybody's boxes were shaping up.

The other thing that I like about attending the workshops is the collaboration with other artists. You can work all by yourself on the same piece in your studio, but to get a fresh perspective from somebody else walking by is great. To turn and ask the person next to you "What do you think?" and get reinforcement, or perhaps they say "I have this that would be perfect there" is something you don't get working alone. Truly a great group of artists.

My kit was originally an old first aid kit. I added cheese cloth to the front for some texture and to tone down the FIRST AID lettering on the front. But I was having difficulty incorporating the lettering that I ended up painting over it and adding a poison label. The photo is actually on a cigarette case that opens, so I hope to add some pieces to go inside for some more interactivity. While we were out shopping on Magazine street we came across a medical students journal in one of the shops, so Gary, Kelley and I split it and I've used it along the back interior of the kit. I also worked on a couple of miscellaneous bottles and test tubes as well. I'd like to make more deMeng-like bottles to put inside.

I work rather literally in my creations. I wish I could step it up and be more "outside of the box". Like Gary's piece...my brain just doesn't put a squirrel's skull onto a plastic doll's body with wings, and then a heart and snake lit up on the inside along with a shrine and skulls lined up like the catacombs. I wish I had a tenth of that "out-there" thinking. Ten percent is about it though, cause to me a squirrel's skull on a plastic doll's body is creepy. ;-)

And every workshop should end with a parade. This happened to be the weekend of the first Mardi Gras parade, the Krewe du Vieux, considered the raunchiest of the parades. I'm really surprised any of my photos turned out considering I was randomly shooting with my camera raised over my head. It was a fun time, and fairly crowded. I can't imagine what the parades on Fat Tuesday are like with wall-to-wall people. Claustrophobic, I'm sure.

What a shock it was to leave the 75-degree balmy breezes of New Orleans to return home to another foot of snow and 25 degrees in Wisconsin. (Is it Spring yet?) What a great trip and every moment was something fun and exciting.

Do do that Voodoo that You Do So Well

noreply@blogger.com (Christine Edwards) — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 00:26:00 +0000

As part of the workshop, Katherine booked some tours for us to get inspiration in creating our Apothecary kits. Our first event was a Meet and Greet Party at the Voodoo Museum. There was traditional New Orleans fare to dine upon including seafood gumbo, jambalaya, and a traditional Mardi Gras King cake. The person that gets the baby in their piece of cake is supposed to supply the cake for the next Mardi Gras party. We got to sit down with a voodoo priest who described the process of making a gris-gris bag for us. And Cinnamon, a voodoo queen, demonstrated the dancing and music of the traditional 19th century New Orleans Voodoo rituals.

The next morning was a tour of the New Orleans Pharmacy Museum. This is the site where Louis J. Dufilho, Jr., being the first to pass the licensing examination, made his pharmacy the first United States apothecary shop. This is normally a self-guided tour, but we were given some detailed descriptions of the contents of the cases on the lower level. It was very interesting hearing about the treatments that used to be considered standard to treat various ailments, such as blood-letting, injecting mercury, usage of heroin and cocaine. It was also common for the pharmacist to carry assorted voodoo potions, and people could come in and ask for them by number. Makes you wonder if that is the origin of "Love Potion #9"? A lot of the early drugstores had soda fountains, which often used lead pipes. Even the early makeup contained lead, and when they saw how bad it was, they switched to a paraffin wax. Wearing a wax-based makeup in New Orleans during the summer proved challenging, and led to the expression "Mind your own beeswax". (I've also seen it referred to colonial women who were in the process of making candles.)

The proprietor of the Voodoo Museum is a local New Orleans historian and he guided us on a Cemetery walking tour one afternoon. On our way to the cemetery we stopped at Congo Square and got some of the history about voodoo and jazz, jazz funerals, zombies, voodoo and the connection to Mardi Gras. At St. Louis Cemetery #1 is the tomb of Marie Laveau, a one-time reigning Voodoo Queen of New Orleans. Most voodoo queens are considered healers, and she is accredited with saving many lives during the yellow fever outbreaks that plagued the city. Even today, people will come to her tomb, and make their pleas for assistance. Although you are no longer allowed to mark on her tomb, people have taken to marking other tombs in the cemetery and leave offerings to her. In the Catholic church across the street is a statue of St. Expedite, and is said to represent Baron Samedi, the spirit of death in voodoo. However, he's known for providing fast solutions to imminent problems, and seems to have an affinity for pound cake.

We also went on a Ghost and Vampire tour (which probably is cooler at night, but scheduling just didn't work out to make that happen). Some of our haunted stops included the Bourbon Orleans hotel where a girl from one of the Quadroon balls is supposed to haunt, and there are reports of several childlike spirits cozying up to the guests. The Andrew Jackson sits on the site of a boarding school where five children lost their lives in a devastating fire in the late 1700's. Over the years, guests have reported hearing children playing in the courtyard in the middle of the night, despite the fact that the courtyard was deserted. And Muriels, where dinner is still served to the ghost of Pierre Antoine Lepardi Jourdan. There was also a stop at Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop where the infamous pirate is supposed to have hidden treasures. And the LaLaurie mansion, where a husband and wife cruelly treated their slaves, and were discovered chained to a wall in a secret attic. Since the house has passed onto new owners, something terrible has happened to those new owners, including Nicholas Cage who ended up declaring bankruptcy shortly after taking ownership.

So interesting to hear all of the tales of mystery and intrigue that surround this city. Certainly very rich inspiration for our creations.

"Yea...You Right, Alright!"

noreply@blogger.com (Christine Edwards) — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 22:05:00 +0000

What an amazing, fun-filled week I just had in New Orleans. Katherine from Valley Ridge put together a wonderful workshop with Michael DeMeng called A Place for Notions and Potions: An Apothecary Kit. How could I resist such an interesting workshop in such an interesting locale?

It was sensory overload with all of the sights, sounds, smells, and tastes that was experienced, and we certainly made the most of every minute. Even being there for a week, I only scratched the surface of all that New Orleans has to offer. Spending most of the time in the French Quarter, there was St. Louis Cathedral, buggies lined up at Jackson Square, a trip on the trolley, container ships on the Mississippi, residences decorated for Mardi Gras, colorful homes in the Bywater, and I was happy to see the Red Buds in bloom.

Plus there were all of the colorful and interesting things one will find along the streets in the Quarter.

Aside from walking everywhere, we seemed to eat and drink everything too, including Valentine's dinner at Emerils, praline bacon at Elizabeth's, shrimp po-boys, oysters, absinthe at Pravda, King Cake, redfish, bacon sundaes from The Green Goddess, bananas foster, gumbo, and of course beignets and cafe au lait at Cafe du Monde.

Phew! But there's still more to come...

Ten Things Tuesday: NOLA

noreply@blogger.com (Christine Edwards) — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 14:18:00 +0000

Outside my window...the streetcar is rustling by.
I am thinking...of the adventures for the day.
I am thankful for...the opportunity to take a wonderful workshop in a wonderful city with some wonderful people.
I am wearing...khakis and t-shirt.
I am creating...nothing yet, but big plans this week.
I am going...to breakfast at Elizabeth's, Thomas Mann's, Magazine Street Antique Mall, and as many other places we can possibly get to in one day.
I am reading...Black Heels to Tractor Wheels by The Pioneer Woman
I am looking forward to...our Meet and Greet party tonight at the Voodoo Museum
I am hearing...Kelley snoring ;-)
One of my favorite things...discovering new things.

Simple Woman's Daybook

My photo that I am sharing is truly terrible, but it's the only thing I have so far since I only had my iPhone camera with me last night. The Jazz Vipers at The Spotted Cat Music Club.

Strange Landscapes

noreply@blogger.com (Christine Edwards) — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 21:03:00 +0000

We went to bed last night with the wind whipping, pelting the snow against the windows and rattling the doors. It was interesting to wake up this morning and see the strange new landscapes that had been carved out.

There are several places with about four-foot drifts, while some places have been cleared completely.

Of course, it does make for difficult maneuvering...

I'm still waiting for Mr. Plow to show up so I can maneuver out of the driveway (although those drifts in front of the garage doors have been shoveled out).

The one good thing of all of this is that Punxsutawney Phil was unable to see his shadow (could he even see past his nose?) and Spring will soon be on it's way.