Testing out a new vintage camera and a maple bacon doughnut

I mentioned in Saturday's post that it's been raining a lot in Portland.  I normally don't mind the rain here, but it does become a hindrance when I want to take some pictures outdoors.  A drizzle I can handle, but a downpour is just no fun.

Earlier this month I got a vintage twin lens reflex camera, and I've been chomping at the bit to try it out.  This morning there was a glorious break in the weather, so I grabbed my new old camera and headed downtown.

Since there wasn't school today, my entire family tagged along, and we ended up stopping at Voodoo Doughnut first.  We had heard a lot about this place from other Portlanders, so we thought we'd finally try it out.  Normally I like cake doughnuts, but I had to go for the fan favorite- the maple bacon bar.  It was pretty darn good, but I have to say that the warm cinnamon doughnuts from Lee Farms are hard to beat. 

Now that I was all sugared up,  I was ready to snap some pictures.   Relying on the Sunny 16 Rule, I shot most of the black and white film at f5.6 and f8.  I was anxious to see the results, so I dropped the film off at a local photo lab.  Just a few hours later, voilá!

It's so good to be shooting with film again; I love it!  Now to get my darkroom up and running!

Nostalgic images of carnival fun

Growing up in Portland, I have a lot of memories of fairs and festivals.  Every spring, the city's scenic waterfront is overrun with carnival rides, food tents, and naval ships for a nearly month long celebration called the Rose Festival. 

As a child, one of my favorite rides was the Ferris wheel.  I loved being up so high in the open air, and it truly was a bird's eye view of Portland! Lately, a lot of these memories have flooded back while browsing artists' sites.  Here are a few carnival-themed art works that have recently caught my eye.

2010 Carnival Calendar. Urban Pink Photography

Aloft.  Cathy Nichols

Carousel.  Jenna Newton

A Night of Lights.  Don't Orbit Me

Another photo shoot with fabulous fashion line A Fortes Design

Janessa Bautista is the creative brains and hands behind clothing line A Fortes Design.  Her clothes are easy to wear and beautifully constructed.  She designs each style herself and uses only natural fibers like wool and hemp.  I have a couple of pieces from her line and get compliments all the time when I'm wearing them.

A few months ago, I shot A Fortes' spring/summer '10 collection in Portland, and I had a lot of fun working with Janessa and the model.  This morning, the three of us got together again for a photo shoot of the winter '10 collection that Janessa just completed.  Considering it has been raining nonstop for the last few days, I was very thankful for a two hour break during the shoot. 

Here are a few of my favorite shots from today.

My new mixed media work, plus my photos on Flickr

Tell me again how much you love me is the new work for the week.  I'm not a touchy-feely person, so it surprises me that I've been using hearts in my art lately.  For a couple of weeks, the piece was just the drab taupe color and the yellow heart.  I felt like it was missing something.  I woke up one morning and knew what it was- its dynamic counterpart.  So I painted the colorful, energetic little shapes on the side.



The piece is representative of relationships, particularly those of opposite attraction.  When two people work together to meet in the middle, it's a beautiful thing.  The title of the work is a message and reminder of how often we need to tell loved ones of their beauty and uniqueness. 

On another note, I just opened up a Flickr account.  I realized I needed to showcase all my creative works in one place, that is, paintings, drawings, and photography alike.  Most of the pictures I've uploaded into Flickr are from the last few months.  I've created seven different sets to browse, including portrait photography, fashion photography, and all my mixed media pieces. You can also see current uploaded photos in the sidebar to the right.

Amazing light shades from Yellena James and Schoolhouse Electric

I love it when local businesses and artists work together to create unique, beautiful products.  While setting up a new Flickr account (more on this tomorrow), I came across Yellena James' gallery of photos.  My jaw dropped when I saw these lights from her collaboration with Schoolhouse Electric.

I've been looking for new light shades for our old Craftsman home, and these are perfect!  And what a deal, the artist series shades run $35 - $95 each!



Find the entire collection here.

Aili Schmeltz' mixed media art, an harmonious display of nature's beauty

I love how Aili uses so many different mediums in her work and manages to make all of the varying elements in one piece come together beautifully.  The wall collage, Geode, is one of my favorites.  It would be so striking on a bedroom wall above a bed.  (Wishful thinking on my part.)

Geode.  Mixed media and collage on paper.  16' x 53".  2007.  

Santa Anna Print 1.  Digital print, waterless lithography, gouache and ink paper.  22" x 15".  2009.

Untitled.  Mixed media on paper mounted on panel.  20" x 17".  2008.

Goucher Glacier. Nails, string, wood.  2008.

Goodwill rivals famous auction house Christie's

I get nothing out of extreme sports.  In college, I went bridge jumping and all I came away with was a sore bum.  What gets my adrenaline going is bargain shopping.  I actually am not a huge shopper and try to avoid the mall at all costs, but I am fanatical about amazing finds at antique and resale shops.



The past several days I've been addicted to my new favorite e-marketplace- Shop Goodwill.  I discovered the web site while shopping around for a used vintage camera.  It's setup very much like eBay, where buyers make bids on items. Unlike eBay, however, all of the items on Shop Goodwill have been donated.  So there's minimal information posted about each item for sale and the product photos are fair at best. 



So, here I am, on Saturday morning, browsing the art section of Shop Goodwill.  I wasn't looking for anything in particular, just curious to see their selection of original art on auction.  Lo and behold my eyes stop at a title I couldn't believe.  It read: A pair of antique Goya etchings- Tauromaquia series.  Here's the photo that was included with the listing.

If you took Art History in school, then you have studied Francisco de Goya's art.  He is regarded as one of the great master artists of his time, and his art is hung in some of the finest museums like the Louvre. So naturally, you can imagine my surprise when I saw two of his etchings on Goodwill, with a current bid of $41!!



For most of the morning, I was in disbelief.  Then, as the shock wore off, sheer excitement took over.  (This is where the adrenaline part kicks in.) I started researching clues for authenticity and quickly became obsessed with the idea of owning an original Goya work.  Never mind that I really didn't have an art budget to work with!   



I ended up placing a bid just hours before the auction closed.  I felt like it was kinda wrong or insulting to place such a low bid and then completely stunned to find out that I was the highest bidder! Some people spend more on coffee each month with what I had bid! 



The world is sane after all, because the two pieces eventually sold a few hours later for $2,338.  As much as I wish I was the new owner of Goya's famous etchings, I can proudly say that I held that title for 20 minutes yesterday.  Maybe I'll have better luck with the Paul Cezanne piece on auction!

. . . doubt it.