I thought for this week’s Foto Friday post I might share some fun gifts I have made for the man-friend. To celebrate our first Valentine’s Day together, I created a fake pulp novel cover based on an original 1950s-era book by Gale Wilhelm. The book entitled “The Strange Path” was first published in the late 30s as “Torchlight to Valhalla”. The lesbian-themed book was renamed and rereleased in 1953 with the updated title and a hot new cover:
Working from the original cover, I updated the title to something more appropriate (my man-friend is of the ginger species). I consider myself quite the expert when it comes to Photoshop, but you can see that my work is not necessarily seamless on screen. I knew that it wouldn’t really matter though, since I was going to print out the fake cover and wrap it around a pre-existing book.
I knew I had to create the spine of the book as well so that once inside the shadow box, it would look authentic. Okay, it would look as close to “authentic” as I could make it!
My gift was a surprise so I had to incorporate a photograph of the man-friend that I already had. That made choosing a starting point a bit more tricky. I had a ball Photoshopping my head onto this tiny little body. The following year I made another fake pulp novel incorporating aspects from our neighborhood. The Photoshopping in this one is really bad, but hopefully you will appreciate the humor in it.
The “Fishtown Nurse” book sits on a shelf with some of our other “old junk”. Please take some time to appreciate the fact that we have a 1970s limited edition Texas Chainsaw Massacre lunchbox!
What is Foto Friday? I post a photograph every Friday. Let me know what you think!
This past Sunday, my man friend asked me to marry him. I will have to come up with something new to call him once we’re married because I guess “man friend” won’t be appropriate anymore. The proposal was just perfect and now the wedding mania begins. The very next day, I received our first “engagement” gifts from my Mom. Everyone already wants to know where and when! After all of the dancing, eating and celebrating, the one thing that remains is the photographs. The images below are from weddings in which I played the part of photographer! Two of the couples are my close friends, so sharing in their wedding was such a wonderful experience.
I’ve teamed up with a buddy of mine to photograph weddings, events and portraits. Our mix of editorial and traditional styles is a really great match. Plus, we have so much fun working together – check out Just North Studio.
The photograph above is my absolute favorite from Mike and Jill’s wedding last October at The Yellow Barn at the Landis Valley Museum in Lancaster. Mike and Jill are my close friends, so I was equal parts nervous and excited to photograph their “big day”. I love this image because it captures the mood of the whole day. I had just photographed a more formal portrait of the couple in front of the yellow barn (you can see it below). As we were walking away, Jill pretended to dip Mike as if on the dance floor. I managed to turn around in time to get this one shot and I’m so glad I did. You can check out more images from Mike & Jill’s wedding here.
As the bride, you are the centerpiece of the entire event! So I think what’s really important is still looking like yourself. In the photograph above, my good friend Michele looks absolutely stunning with a lake in the Poconos as a pristine backdrop. I still can’t believe I convinced her to go out onto that little dock in her heels and dress. It’s a good thing no one fell in the lake. I believe that something like that might ruin a friendship…
What is Foto Friday? I post a photograph every Friday. Let me know what you think!
These images were taken during my time at the Ravensbruck Concentration camp. Just two hours outside of Berlin, the Ravensbruck camp was the largest all-female camp during the Nazi reign in Germany. Although only approximations are available, the camp is assumed to have imprisoned 130-132,000 women throughout its existence.
The camp itself was established as a memorial in 1959. I was interested in visiting this site partly because I was curious about what expectations people might have in visiting a site of such atrocities. What kind of experience might they hope to have? Do visitors want to learn? Or is there something about simply visiting a site like Ravensbruck that allows someone to feel that they understand it more fully? I’m not sure a correct answer exists, but I think there is something to learn in Maria Tumarkin’s description of a “traumascape”:
“The past is never quite over. Because trauma is not contained in an event as such but in the way this event is experienced, traumascapes become much more than the physical settings of tragedies: they emerge as spaces, where events are experienced and re-experienced across time… It is through these places that the past, whether buried or laid bare for all to see, continues to inhabit and refashion the present.”
- From “Traumascapes: The Power and Fate of Places Transformed by Tragedy
I tried to remove myself from everything I knew already about the trauma and focus on this place. How has it changed; how does it function now? For example, the hostel I stayed in was the former SS barracks that had been transformed into shared rooms, dining areas and even a game room for visitors. This type of transformation, which facilitates visitors to the area is intriguing. To function as a memorial, the space itself had to change and this became a focus in my imagery from the camp.
It has been over one year since I visited the camp and took these pictures. I’m still unsure how they function as images or within my larger body of work as an artist. I’ve been thinking a lot about these images and wanted to share a few for this belated Foto Friday post. I posted some other images from the camp in a previous post you can view here.
What is Foto Friday? I post a photograph every Friday. Let me know what you think!
If you’re an artist working in the Philadelphia-area, you’re bound to know of or perhaps be a member of InLiquid. Their art + design silent auction benefit is rapidly approaching! I’m unable to attend the event on September 30th, but I’m sure it will be a huge success. I’ve donated a 30″ x 40″ print of the image below from my “Buzz Bomb” series to be part of the silent auction. The silent auction benefit party takes place at the amazing Ice Box project space at the Crane Arts Building. I’m crazy in love with this space! Some of the food and drinks sponsors for the event include Rustica, Brendenbeck’s and Philadelphia Brewing Company. Can we say “yum”?
Please check out InLiquid’s art + design benefit! This benefit event is a major fundraiser for InLiquid and will allow them to continue their strong support and promotion of visual artists around the Philadelphia region.
