DianaF+ and my london


DianaF+120Film0007
Originally uploaded by amandajaynecarmichael

My london is the one of quirks and greys and browns of all shades.... no whites and not quite black. I feel like the DianaF+ helps me capture my version and experience of London. The specific images and characteristics that make it London and nowhere else.

I start to realise that this is home. If only for a period of life, it has now worked it way into my veins and being.

breakthrough on my Diana F+

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I picked up these photos today and I feel like it is a breakthrough I am really starting to feel the magic of the Diana F+ I have had the training wheels on for a longtime. I am starting to wobble my way along the road.

Very excited.
See flickr for more of the photos taken on 120 film.

xx

the sketchbook project


I am currently waiting for the delivery of my sketchbook, to get cracking. Check it out www.thesketchbookproject.com a great concept and I love how these guys have grown their ideas of a gallery space.

I am being full of adventure and participating, are you?


Via Katie Armstrong i discovered Lauren DiCioccio.

A marvel in creating with stitch that which is disposable.

Lauren's artist statement
'
My work investigates the physical/tangible beauty of commonplace mass-produced media-objects, most recently: the newspaper, magazines, office papers and writing pads, plastic bags, 35 mm slides. These media are becoming obsolete, replaced by the invisible efficiency of various technologies. In some cases, this transition is a good thing- faster transmission and distribution of information, streamlined systems, openness to user input, less waste. But a hole is left behind by the disappearance of these everyday objects. What will happen when we no longer touch information? When newsprint does not rub off onto our fingertips? When we no longer write longhand?
The tedious handiwork and obsessive care I employ to create my work aims to remind the viewer of these simple but intimate pieces of everyday life and to provoke a pang of nostalgia for the familiar physicality of these objects'


somehow an angel

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Image: piccadilly line taken with my digital harezumi


somehow this image that I took on my journey on the tube reminded me of an angel about to take flight. Recently I have been tired, anxious I have had a few meltdowns. Generally just exhausted from life and my fight for a good one. So I need to see angels occasionally.

Bad things have happened again to good people in my life that has added to my understanding of how I have built my life, it has allowed me to embrace the good bits. And be kinder to myself about my life.
For me there has been a shift, I am starting to embrace who I am, where I am and the role I am good at playing.

SX-70 obsession





Oh my new to me but old SX70 vintage polaroid camera (purchased via the Impossible Project) is a love of mine. Still working out how it all works and exposure etc but this is my workings from last night. A good distraction from my current career crisis, creating images.

visual image of a brain fade

I am sure this is what it would look like when I have one of the brain freeze and reboot moments.

gapingvoid gallery

this pretty much sums up my life challenge, I love Gaping Void!
gapingvoid gallery

over my head - check out Katie Armstrong

I am over my head this week with stuff, finishing my animation, preparing for the end of the course and tutorial with course co-ordinator, work being frantic. and so for inspiration i visited Katie Armstrong's website and animations - well worthwhile take a look!

one of her masterpieces below and check her website out.

Goodbye Sorrow from Katie Armstrong on Vimeo.

Summer Sunday


On our one day of the week together the boy and I made the most of the British Summer Sunday in London.

drawing into the third dimension

thanks to of paper and things blog (wonderful by the way for art inspired and me with paper) I discovered Birgit Knoechl. She is just up my street, clear crisp definition of shape and form, pushing drawing into three dimensions.

described on her website
" The desire to find ways of making drawings outgrow the limits of the two
dimensional surface is the driving force of Birgit Knoechl’s practice. She draws
ever-new forms and patterns based on the shapes and structures of all manner of
vegetative life forms –- and then cuts these forms out and arranges the cut_outs
as sculptural objects in different spatial scenarios, or animates them by filming
them in close-up. Trying out these different scenarios for staging the cut_outs in
installations, Knoechl continuously explores how these drawings cut into space
and what the space would do to them, how their staging in the space could bring
them to life, and how the space could be brought to life through the drawings.
Knoechl thus shows installation and video to be media that can open up a space
(a real space as well as an imaginary one) around a drawing –- or more precisely,
that in space and video the immanent potential spatiality of drawings can be
unfolded. "

very inspiring, a worthy use of your time.

sketch crawl

image from Elizabeth Graeber and the Sketch Crawl supported by Worn Magazine


I stumbled on a 'sketch crawl', I didn't even know what it was. I was delighted and suprised and I wish I was in Washington DC on July 17th. I am inspired and maybe I can organise a few over the summer here in London town. Shout out to the inspiring and amazing Elizabeth Graber and the Sketch Crawl.

the moment of decision





the moment of decision captured
to remind myself
not to turn back
and how good it felt








interesting thoughts

'Blue-sky thinking, finding the inner you; if you look up ‘creativity’ on the internet you’ll be bombarded with sites to help you get in contact with your creative potential. I blame Joseph Beuys, that modern art guru of fat and felt, who claimed “everyone is an artist”. Now we all feel we have something to say. But do we? Of course Beuys didn’t mean everyone has the potential to be a Picasso. Motivated by utopian beliefs, culled from Romantic writers such as Novalis and the anthroposophy of Rudolf Steiner, he believed in the power of universal human creativity to bring about revolutionary change. '

from Sue Hubbard on Creativity -
full article here

I really found Sue Hubbard's article on creativity interesting in the Observer Magazine yesterday. That creativity can often be an outouring from a life that doesn't smell like roses. It also reminded me about how great the concept of the School of Life is.
The School of Life is a new social enterprise offering good ideas for everyday living. Check it out - www.schooloflife.com


lost in the abyss

At the moment I am lost in the abyss of not knowing what to do (which I also realise is a defence mechanism). I made a decision while in Glasgow to make a turn towards something I love and although desperate to do, I am finding it painful and super challenging.

I will show you photos of time of decision, I knew it was momentous, and I needed to stay committed to the clarity in that moment so took polaroids. I will post tonight.

In the meantime I am getting lost in completing my animation project ( which I must admit the boy is being incredibly helpful with).

straight from the sketchbook


As part of my CLFA at City Lit, today I spent 6hrs sketching in the Natural History Museum a stibrite - chief source of the mineral antimony - spray of bright lustrous crystals.


I felt wonderfully exhausted at the end, a day of arm soreness, concentration and frustration and then a sense of satisfaction and contentment.

hours animating

busy working away at my animation project, due to work I am going to miss one class so I need to make up for lost time. Wow don't the hours disappear when you are working in After Effects. Fingers crossed there will be something at the end that I will love to share. My fascination with the tube is getting another outlet. I am loving putting together a little cut out animation.

Sneak peek of one of the drawn images.

joy of my dark secrets



i am not shared my dark secret here, it is noisy, costly and somewhat ridiculous

I am in love with polaroid cameras. Yes that is right I am in love with outdated technology. Expensive as no one makes the film anymore well except the IMPOSSIBLE PROJECT who are still struggling to brings together a great new film to use with the good old polaroid cameras.

The cameras have started taking shelf space because there are so peculiar in shape they look like old artefacts. I am madly in love and they camera brings me much joy.

Evidence of their worth was this evening, I was working far too late in the office for a Friday night and so on leaving the light was good and I happen to have my big chunky OneStep with me and some PX 600 Silvershade. I captured two images of my unexplainable fascination of people and tubes and stations.

5 mins that brought me the most joy I have had all day, the camera wirred people stared and I quickly snuck the photo away not to over develop. When I got home, 2 sepia treasures in my journal.

ps. more photos at flickr photostream

pps. now you know where my last b&w came from, so I guess no real secret.

too many lemons


life is throwing a lot of lemons so I certainly need this awesome stand to make the lemonade!

courtesy of the great blog sfgirrlbybay
photo by jasfitz

grabbing bliss when you can


today I woke up to the bliss of blue skies and sunshine so I grabbed 30mins on the sofa in the bay window with a coffee in my hands and the sun streaming in. In a time of government efficiencies where I am making hard decisions in my day job, giving bad news to those who don't deserve it, seeing friends unfairly redundant and family members losing use of their body permanently. Today I grab the bliss where I can.