In search of the seriously beautiful…
“Stay firmly in your path and dare; be wild two hours a day.” ― Paul Gauguin
Maybe a little of both?
I’m in Idyllwild! It’s a beautiful little mountain town, with rock climbing, hiking, shopping, and lots of restaurants. It’s also a bit like Snow White’s Forrest – squirrels and chipmunks and blue jays all play together, with an occasional rabbit or deer joining in. I’ve actually seen five deer in the nearly two months I’ve been here. It’s a magical place!
So much to say, and so little time!
First, I’m moving! It’s time. I love Fallbrook, but I belong closer to Los Angeles – at least for now – so I’m packing and I’ll be there by the end of this month. Change can be tough, scary, and all that jazz, but sometimes it just feels so right, that none of the negatives apply. This move feels RIGHT.
Second, I did a big session a couple of weeks ago, and I think the first images may be debuting soon. It was a lot of fun, and the images are really striking, so I can’t wait to share them here and everywhere! If you’re curious, just think really really hard, and you may be able to guess…
Third, I think I shot 14 headshots in one week. I’ll be able to share at least a few of them soon. Lot’s of actors and models and other film people!
Fourth, I have another special project I can’t talk about yet – but it’s great!
So yeah, really really busy, and really really happy! More later…
Bunch of little things to report today!
First one actually isn’t so little… I got to shoot backstage at MTV’s Rock the Cradle last night – and it was amazing! It’s going to take me a few days to process all the images, but I’ve posted a sneak preview on RBL, at:
http://www.rockbandlounge.com/forum/topic.asp?topic_id=6436
Second, one of my images is being used on the poster for a show Marty Casey is doing in Cleveland at the Roc Bar on May 9th. If you’re anywhere in Ohio, or in a neighboring state, you should find a way to get there – he’s amazing live – and this will be an acoustic show in an intimate setting – it sounds like a great show!
Third, two of my images from the film festival were published in our local newspaper alongside a great article by Nathalie Taylor. It doesn’t appear to be online yet – just in the printed newspaper – but hopefully it will be soon.
And last but not least, I get to go to a concert tonight! It’s going to be a good weekend!
Edited to Add: Link to the Village News article…
http://www.thevillagenews.com/story.php?story_id=29950
According to National Geographic, Spring officially arrives on the vernal equinox, which this year occurred today at 1:48 am Eastern time. I am soooo ready for it this year! Longer days, more sunshine, warm soft breezes… It’s my second favorite time of year, right behind summer.
I shot a special project today – I can’t talk about it yet, but soon! The image above may be a little hint…
I’m still working my way through all the images I shot in Chicago – two concerts and one portrait session, and four more mini-portrait sessions – it’s a lot. But yesterday I got a series posted of Bobby Kourelis at Hammerfest. Seeing the images all together in one spot, you really get just how passionately he plays – he’s something else! I also have some engagement shots to post tomorrow that I shot on Monday here in California – beautiful, beautiful couple!
Oh, and I met a photographer in Chicago – totally random – you just never know who you’ll bump into! I checked out his portfolio today and he’s good – his work is really modern and clean. If you need a headshot in Chicago, he’s definitely worth checking out! Hans Rosemond at hansrosemond.com.
Isn’t Spring just the best?
I got some more painting done this week, so I figured it was time to finally shoot some pictures of the interior of the studio. It’s not officially done yet – there are still little tasks I want to complete – but it’s pretty close! Close enough for photos, anyway…
This is my favorite part of the whole studio – and it’s what you see when you first walk in the door. The big images are gallery wrap canvases – exactly the same as painters use – only these are a photographic image. Canvases like this are really hot right now – and I can have them made in just about any size you can imagine. More on those on another day!
The couch is over a hundred years old – I bought it last summer from a family in Point Loma – their great aunt had brought it with her from the East Coast, and it was custom made for her family in 1904. I’m totally in love with it, and at some point I plan to get it reupholstered in white Matelasse – but for now I’m enjoying the green. It’s not a color I would have chosen, but I really like it!
The one thing I don’t like is that outlet right in the middle of the wall – but you know, it’s awfully convenient at times… I’d like it better though if it was lower on the wall – like low enough for the couch to hide it? Maybe someday!
Backing up a little, here’s a wide view – and you can see one of my skylights. The table in the foreground is also over a hundred years old. The grandfather clock was made by my grandfather, for my grandmother and as the oldest grandchild I inherited it. It needs to make a trip to a clock doctor – it’s not working right now – but if you walk by it, the chimes shimmy in it, and it’s a pretty sound.
From this view you can see the front door – and the backside of my cute little sign. And the LCD TV where I show my work…
Another view of the LCD TV and the fireplace – and yes, I’d love to hide those two cords… Give it time, and it’ll happen!
And this is my work area. I designed and made the desk and the black table in the corner – they both use legs from tablelegs.com and from there it was just a matter of doing the math, to get the size and shape and mass I wanted. I had a very specific picture in my head, and couldn’t find a desk that fit – so I made my own!
And this elegant sideboard – circa 1885, or earlier – is my favorite purchase in the past year! I actually designed the whole studio around it. It doesn’t look it in this image, but it’s absolutely massive – taller than I am, with a nice high counter perfect for wrapping up packages and doing other tasks you need a counter for. I would love to get all the clutter off it, and let it just sit there, elegant and beautiful, but the truth is I use it and work at it and it’s very functional. Some of that clutter is going away in a week or two, but it will never be just a pretty piece of furniture – it’s a working counter and storage area!
And here’s the final corner. I can and do shoot inside – with natural light from all the windows or with studio lights. So I’ve hung a rod between two antique cloak hooks, and I’m able to hang fabric to use as a background. Right now I’ve got five different fabrics I can use, and I plan to replace them occasionally – so I have something new and fun to use!
And finally just my desk – with some sun flair! The rest of the images in this post are so straight and documentary in feel – can you blame me for wanting to have a little fun? And the light and the colors reflect how I feel about my desk and computer. I feel like I make magic here at times – so why not shoot it the way I feel it?
So that’s the studio part of the studio! If that’s all you’re interested in you can stop reading now. But if you’re like me, and you like seeing how other people live, I have a few more images you might be interested in…
Whenever I go to a show at an art colony or anytime I’m in an artist’s loft, I’m mostly interested in the art, but I’ll admit it – I also love to see how they live. I want to see where the bed is, and what the kitchen is like. Because it’s usually not like your average house – it’s a chic loft with paint on the floor and interesting people wandering in and out, and it’s intriguing! I don’t live in a loft – it’s just an old farm house – but I do have some paint on the floor still, and interesting people do wander through occasionally…
The bedroom…
The bathroom, complete with the famous red clawfoot tub!
And my tiny kitchen, which I designed and built myself. I have a dishwasher, a great toaster over, one burner, a crock pot, and a refrigerator/freezer – but no microwave. And I don’t miss it at all! And I do plan to call an electrician at some point and hide those cords too.
And to end the tour, I’ll include this photo of my front door at sunset. If you come to visit me in the early evening, this is what it looks like!
After painting my front door, I installed my new signs, and compared to the painting, hanging signs was a breeze. And I think they look lovely. I’m VERY pleased!
You can see both of my new signs in this shot – the main sign at the foot of the stairs, and at the top of the stairs, you can see my front door and tiny little sign…
Another angle of the main sign.
And my tiny sign on the door. It’s only ten inches across, but for this door and this logo it’s the perfect size! I designed it myself, printed it out, and lived with it for a few days before ordering it, to be sure it was just right – and it is. In fact, it’s even better since it’s installed.
Thank you to Jim’s Sign Shop for all your help – you rock!
Couple of things on mind today! First, it’s been an entire month since I gave up Diet Coke and it feels wonderful to no longer be in the clutches of that monster addiction. Okay, maybe it’s not a monster addiction compared to cigarettes or heroin, but since I’ve never done either of those two things, caffeine was my monster – and it’s official – I’ve slayed it.
So since it’s February first, I figured I was ready for a new goal, but I couldn’t decide which one to go for – so I’m picking two. One is simple, straight-forward and easy to determine if I’m sticking to it or not. The other is a bit more ethereal and harder to define if or when I’ve truly achieved it – but that’s okay, just the attempt is worth doing! So my goals for February are no more junk food unless it’s a special and social occasion. A hot dog at the fair, chips at a party, ice cream at a friends house – all good! Hitting the drive-through window for dinner because I’m so busy? Not so good.
The second, more ethereal goal is to catch more of the opportunities that flutter by… You know, the thought you have and never act on? I want to act on a few more than normal this month. I think as a rule, artists tend to grab more of those slippery little opportunities than the rest of the population – but hey, there’s always more, more, more!
This was in my fortune cookie last night – I’ll take is as a sign I’m on the right track!
On another topic, we named our Ultimate Rock Star at RBL – and the winner is also my personal favorite – Marty Casey. It’s been a fun ride the last few weeks, and the ending was great! David Goffin, executive producer of Rock Star stopped by to let us in some news about his next project – which sounds very cool! And then later, our Ultimate Rock Star himself, Marty Casey, stopped by to give a very funny and yes, heartfelt acceptance speech. Perfect ending to a really fun couple of months!
Edited to Add: Here’s a screenshot of the front of Marty Casey’s official site, with a mention of the win.
It’s raining. I guess hanging my sign will have to wait for another day…
I’ve added a map to my new studio, on my website – it’s a pdf file and it’s very pretty! So if you’ve ever wondered where I’m located? Or if you need to know how to get here, it’s a simple as clicking on this link!
It’s official! ROCKBANDLOUNGE.COM just hit one million posts.
We have 7000 members – with 4700 participating and the rest only reading. And we’ve been going strong for a little over two years now, so that’s an average of about 1350 posts a day. It’s a lot! Last summer we were getting 100,000 unique visitors a day – all coming to read about Rock Star: Supernova. It was a heady time!
But reaching our one-millionth post is also a big milestone. Over 400,000 of those posts still exist.
