Counting Time | Redeux | Self Portrait Artist

 "Counting Time"

I reedited a previous Covid art piece called "Counting Time" .

I originally created this piece in June 2020 to show the time passing of indoor lockdown and how much time we spent not doing "normal" activities. On Saturday our last mandate of wearing masks was lifted. My kids went to school today maskless for the first time in 2 years. 726 days into Covid. As this could be the last mandate as we return to daily life, I wanted to update this counting time piece to reflect the entire Covid journey. I must say all the tally marks really pop on this version!

Enjoy!

Flame

 Flame

"You find your best flame just before burn out."

Theme: Fire

This is one of my random type images. It has been awhile since I created an image with various elements and put them together to make an image. The elements I used were: Solid background, reaching, ladder, and fire. These lead to me coming up with a sketch for a woman climbing a ladder to light a candle. 

Emptiness

Emptiness
"And like the moon, we must go through phases of emptiness to feel full again" - Anon

Theme: Emptiness

Another in my Covid19 Series. I wanted to convey the mood of our hearts feeling empty during this time. When thinking about this theme, I came across the above quote and loved how it conveyed what I was feeling. We need to go through this hard time, have things taken away, to really appreciate what we love and what we want most from life.

Sidenote: I also want to add that I am terrible at titles for my artwork. I can finish a piece and sit here for a few days trying to figure out a title! It's another reason I love doing this project. If I can't figure out a title, I just use the theme. Sure its not original, but its better than sitting here for days without a title or coming up with one that really doesn't fit.

Time to Fly

Time to Fly
"Let go, release what you were never meant to carry"

Theme: Freedom

Freedom is a state of mind, the state of not being imprisoned or enslaved. I wanted to create an image symbolizing releasing all those things we all carry, representing freeing oneself. 

Key Holder

Key Holder
"You are the only one that holds the key to your own experiences"

Theme: Dreamy

I heard this quote (or a version that is very close) at some point in the last month. I cannot remember where I heard it. Probably from TV. Could be something someone said. I wrote it down quickly and started to sketch this out. I really loved the visual that we hold our own key.

I had sat on the dreamy theme for quite some time and just could not come up with anything. I love when you least expect it how something can spur an idea. I loved the idea that I could create this key image with a dreamy misty feel. This year has been really great for me creatively. It has really stretched how I come up with ideas.

Inner Peace

Inner Peace
"Nourish the inner landscape of your heart"

Theme: Inner Peace

Sometimes it's nice to create something simple. Many times I create images that are complex, surreal, or conceptual images. So it's nice to take a step back and create something more simple. I like the idea that we can find inner peace if we pay attention to our own heart.

Boundaries

Boundaries
"Boundaries are part of self care. They are healthy, normal, and necessary." - Doreen Virtue

Theme: Boundaries

Another for my Covid series. I wanted to create a piece about the boundaries we need now. Backing up from people. Keeping our distance. Being aware of being too close to someone. Respecting if someone would like be social distancing. I feel like I could have my arms up all the time telling others to back away. To give me space.  I wore the mask in the photo to represent these times with Covid and how this is the time we are currently living in. However, this could represent how many feel anytime of the year or in their lives. Not everyone is comfortable with people being very close or in their personal space.

Nurture

Nurture
"We cannot be a source for strength unless we nurture our own strength" - M. Scott Peck

Theme: Nurture

Nurture symbolizes self-growth, resilience, and the duality of care. The act of watering oneself suggests a cycle of self-nurturing and renewal. The dreamlike imagery, invites viewers to reflect on the balance between cycle of care, vulnerability, and growth.

I am really loving doing this weekly project where I am given word prompts each week. Word prompts are not a usual way I create work. Sure I have used a random word to inspire a piece, I have using a random word generator as one of my ways to stay creative. But nothing like what I have done this year.  I usually get my inspiration from props themselves or randomness. That randomness I hope to share sometime later this year. I call it randomness right now, because I don't want to fully reveal it yet. I have a plan for an entire YouTube series showing how I usually create and get my ideas. Probably something I should have done during quarantine, but things are tougher with the kids home and teaching them ;)

Anyway, I love when one word can spur an entire image and also a feeling. I feel like this is very important right now. Many of us are doing different things. We are taking care of others, kids are home from school, or we are out of our routines. We need to remember to take time for ourselves. We need to nurture ourselves with a little TLC.

Plus, this was a fun one to create. I always love the challenge of having more than one me in the piece.  I am sure my son loved it too. He was the one who got to pour the water on me while I was playing the left Angela. :)

Enjoy!

Counting Time

Counting Time
"Time flies over us but leaves its shadow behind" - Nathaniel Hawthorne

Theme: Time

Another in my Covid series. This number could be different for many of you. Some of you live in states where you didn't shut down for long. For us in Washington, we were one of the first to close everything and it wasn't until last week that my county could *start* to open. I've spent a long time inside. Almost three full months inside my house. Inside with my kids. Inside teaching them. Inside instead of outside running errands, going to baseball games, shooting photography sessions, or seeing friends. It has been quite the journey. Wish I could say I used that time to do everything I always put off, get fit, or do some major project. But I didn't. I spent it inside with my kids. Sure we took walks and bike rides. We spent time in our yard. We saw my parents while social distancing. But for the better part of three months we spent our time inside.

In my previous pieces, I created works that represented that we could no longer touch, that our calendar was clear, and how much my boys had given up this spring. One thing I hadn't created was something that represented just how long this quarantine was lasting. Seeing it marked off on paper. Seeing the days add up. Showing just how many days we spent inside.

*Note: For my family, Monday, March 16th was day 1. Although my husband worked the entire time and left the house frequently and I left a few times to shop and get food, we fully stayed in per the orders and maintained distance. However, there are a few key dates that I could have changed the number to.  My oldest went over to his grandparents for a few days on day 56. My youngest started baseball practices on day 63. We rented a house to get a new view for a few days on day 67. My first time getting groceries by myself on a weekday, like I would pre-covid, was day 72. The stay at home order was lifted in my state after 77 days. My county went into Phase 2 on day 82. Not exactly sure what number I want the wall to say. I may edit the number later. Right now I have it at 82. That represents the most concrete number I have to work with right now. But we are still social distancing. We are still wearing masks. I am still washing like crazy. We have not met back up with friends. I don't run errands. Life is not normal yet. For now I will keep it at the 82 to represent our county going to phase 2, but may edit to add more days when I feel like we make a more transition back into society and I can figure an exact number of days for that.

See my final image that uses tallies for the entire covid period of 726 days until the last orders were lifted. 

Vibrant

Vibrant

"A drawing is simply a line going for a walk" - Paul Klee

Theme: Vibrant

This is another idea from my idea binder. However, this may be the longest idea still in there, or very close to it. Probably in the binder for a minimum of 4 years. Could be longer honestly. It's an idea that is based off famous painter Paul Klee. He is an artist who uses abstract graphical elements to his paintings. He did this one painting called Senecio.  That painting is the inspiration for today's piece. I will attach it along the bottom. 

A quick google search will show that many have come up with their own idea of this basic concept. For my self portrait I choose to use the basic colors of the rainbow rather than just warm colors. I also wanted soft edges. The main inspiration is using different colors and shapes to color in my portrait. Thought that would fit perfectly with the theme Vibrant :)

Thank you!

I belong to a photographer group called the Lightbulb project. A group of creative people who each week come up with an art piece/poem/drawing/photography based on a group theme.

Many of us wanted to show our support for those who are dealing with Covid by making a mosaic.
Here is my piece and the entire piece together :)

Reach for the Stars

Reach for the Stars
"The sky is not the limit"

Theme: Celestial

This was the first image in quite some time I did with no deeper meaning and/or wasn't about the quarantine. Was nice to just create. Create for fun. Back to creating for me and without reason.

The theme was Celestial. Which of course conjures up thoughts of the night sky, moon, stars, and whimsy.

For this image I originally wanted to be gathering stars. I started 2.5 weeks ago cutting out stars and then painted them white. The originally idea would be that I was holding a basket of stars that I was collecting. Also including many that would end up being plucked and thrown on the ground.  I actually have many shots that include me holding a basket with stars in them. The image here with my hand back is actually one of the first images I took that day, it was to help set my focus and make sure I was in frame. [Quick side note and tip: When you go to set your focus and set up your self portrait, make the shot worth it. I could have just stood there forward, but I reached and wanted to make it look somewhat like what I was going to do in the final product to make sure everything looked good. Good thing, because I ended up changing my mind and didn't like the basket and used this shot instead!] So anyway, I cut out and painted 15 stars. That is because I wanted the basket full and the groud to have a bunch of stars. I ended up using 1. I literally could have cut out and painted one star and called it good and this image would look the exact same. Sometimes that happens. Although I am thinking I will use those images and/or stars for an upcoming theme or at the very least another image that would compliment this one. I still like the idea of the stars in a basket. And it might just be that I didn't like the basket. So maybe if I find or use a different basket I will try the original idea.

So why did my idea change? And how? Part of my process really. Once I got into editing I wasn't feeling it. I didn't like how it looked when the woman was standing on a stool on grass. I wasn't as inspired by it, and if you work in photoshop at all, you know that if you are not inspired by an image/collage/concept/photo it can sit on your computer unedited for eons just because it didn't sing to you.

Some background information sets the scene: I created an image of my son climbing to the moon. Since that is also a celestial type image, I pulled that PSD file and started from there. Usually I create a brand new PSD file for each fine art image, but this time I realized that many of the elements could be reused. And here is a funny part. I had this extra cloud/sky layer as a hidden layer on that PSD file. That's the clouds you see her climbing out of. Once I made that layer visible, I liked what I saw and felt inspired again. Then once I no longer had a "ground" I didn't need to use the photos of the stars I took at a park. And then I didn't quite like the basket, especially without the rest of the reason for the basket and this entire new image was born.

Bravely Broken

"Bravely Broken"
She was brave and strong and broken all at once. – Anna Funder

Theme: Willpower

I've had this quote written in my idea book for a few years. When I heard the theme of willpower it was a perfect time to use it to create an image. 

During this time of Covid19 we need the willpower to remain brave and strong, all while feeling broken at the same time. 

Letting Go

Letting Go
"Starting today, I need to let go of what's gone, appreciate what still remains, and look forward to what's coming next"

"Sometimes letting things go is an act of far greater power than defending or hanging on" - Eckhart Tollie

"Doing nothing is somethings one of the highest of duties of man" - G.K. Chesterton

Theme: Letting Go

This isn't a self portrait, but wanted to share it with my other fine art work. Over the last month my kids have had to let go of just about everything they had in their lives.  When I heard of this theme I wanted to highlight the things they have had to let go over this last month. It is a very unique time in their lives as we are usually very active people with activities every night of the week. Now it has been a month since they have had an activity and have no idea when and if things will resume.

This is what March and April look like. Their activities are just ghosts and memories.

Additional info:

What the photos represent from left to right:
*Brett was suppose to be in a local parade playing his trumpet on April 4th.
*The boys were 1 week into the flag football season. They only played on March 8th. The rest of the season was cancelled.
*All scout activities were cancelled. Alex was going to go to his first merit badge class and over night activity on March 21st.
*Baseball. Both boys made select teams this year. Games and tournaments have been cancelled.
* School is cancelled for the rest of their 5th and 7th grade years. That means Alex is done with elementary school and does not get a Jr high fun day or send off.
*Alex was going to have a project at the Puyallup Spring Fair on April 18th. He would get to stand with his project and answer questions from those visiting the fair.

Perseverance

Perseverance
"Doing something despite difficulty"

Theme: Perseverance

I've lost track of how many days/weeks we have been in at this point. Plus, we will be inside for another month. It takes patience, dedication and overall perseverance to maintain this quarantine.

We have an empty April calendar. Nothing to do. Nowhere to be. We are staying home to stay safe.

Not only is perseverance the theme for this week, its the theme for this time in our lives.

Do Not Touch

"Do Not Touch"
"Being brave isn't the absence of fear. Being brave is having that fear but finding a way through it." - Bear Grylls

Theme: Fear

**I already have a fear series started. It's an idea I have been working on since September 2018. So I was excited for this week's theme. However, originally I had a more light heartened idea, but I needed to be at my parent's house to the photo. Which of course isn't possible right now. But, it gave me a chance to explore more with the quarantine/covid/social distancing theme I have been working with lately while we are in the thick of this new life. **

Haphephobia is the fear of touch. While I do not have this phobia, touch is not my favorite thing. It's my last love language. I don't like when people are in "my space" or touch me out of nowhere.

That still hasn't prepared me for where we are right now in regards to touch. Right now touch can hurt us. A simple hug from a friend, handshake from a co-worker or a high five from student can be dangerous.  The best thing is to avoid touch. It's made many of us have a temporary fear of touch. 

Even as someone who doesn't care for touch, I have found myself missing it and needing more of it. Something I do not even like. It's weird how when something is taken away how you need it even more. I cannot wait to hug people again. Give high fives again. To not be fearful of someone touching me.

Once upon a time

Once upon a time...
"A dream is a wish your heart makes"

Theme: Fantasy

Not my favorite genre at all. In fact I usually do not like it at all. Couldn't even make it through Lord of the Rings. And I always at least make it through a movie.

I just don't care for I'm-going-to-make-something-out-of-nowhere-all-of-a-sudden-save-the-day type stuff. Which always seems to happen in the fantasy genre. I think I am just too logical of a person so it doesn't relate to me.

So to represent fantasy I went for fun. Creating something without deep meaning or purpose. It is purely for fun and silliness. Enjoy these images!

Quarantine

Quarantine
"Stay Home, Save Lives"

Theme: Trapped.

I'm a little late on this and it was not my first idea for this topic. But I'm glad life got in the way and delayed me. It has given a chance to record what is going on around the world. I was suppose to work on this theme the week of March 2nd. Instead I shot this image on March 29th. What a different world we live in now on March 29th than we did on March 2nd.

We now live in a world where we are all trapped in our homes. The last time I left my home was for non medical reasons was on March 11th. I went to purchase groceries. Since then I did have a bad kidney stone, surgery, overnight stay in the hospital, and a doctor appointment to remove a stent. But those were necessary. Other then that entire ordeal I have stayed away from people. I have disinfected. I have done laundry frequently. I have stayed at home. I have no plans to leave my home for the next month.

This is a crazy new world. A world where we stay in. A world where we stay in our homes. A world where events are cancelled and we have no where to go. We are an extremely busy family. We are out every night at sports, events, concerts, activities, scouts, and school functions. However, being home is my new normal.

Social Distancing

Social Distancing

"the practice of maintaining a greater than usual physical distance from other people or of avoiding direct contact with people or objects in public places during the outbreak of a contagious disease in order to minimize exposure and reduce the transmission of infection"

Theme: Distance

Another one I had a different idea for but felt I wanted to record our lives in this new world. Here is our March 2020 Family Portrait.

I usually like to create more fine art work for the lightbulb project or my self portraits,  but the theme was "distance" and that spurred this idea for me. And well since my family was on board to do it, I went for it :)

When I started this 52 week project back in January, I kept a notebook of dates and themes. Then broad ideas for some of the themes. It's really crazy how different my life is right now than I envisioned it to be back in January. Originally, I had an idea of me running toward a door in the distance. An idea I have had for awhile. In fact most of it is shot. Figured it would be a good chance to catch up on editing an idea I had back from 2018.

But here I am, two months forward. Living in a different world. Social Distancing is the new life. 6 feet away from people. This seemed more appropriate. I can always create that running door self portrait sometime else. But right now this felt like the right image to create for the theme distance. This is March 2020.

Adventure Awaits

Adventure Awaits

"The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page." - St. Augustine

Theme: Adventure

The idea behind this image is that I LOVE to travel and explore. If money and time were no object I'd rarely be home. I'd travel the entire the world going to all the different places. I am most at home when I am traveling.

Another idea I have written in my idea book for almost 2 years.....BUT it looked better on paper.  I will be honest I'm not exactly happy with how this final product looks, but it was still a fun idea to explore. The fun part of this Lightbulb Project, is that usually this would be the type of image that would go unseen, but because I created it for the theme, I'm still posting it. And I am glad that's the case. So many times I get 99% done with an image and don't like how its looking and it just sits there on my computer.