So tonight, I get out my new rapidograph pens, load them up with black ink, get one of my bottles of Liquid Paper out and get to inking.
Here is the schedule:
* I need to get two rather large ads completely inked (actually, it is one ad but with a slight variation to it that gives it the illusion of being two ads)
* Six of the smaller pieces completely inked
* And a THIRD ad for the smaller pieces job, which was an idea I came up with last night and Lucky told them about it and they loved the idea, and of course, I am thrilled to be able to do it.
So that is 9 pieces to be completely inked and ready to convert to hard copy and send to my client. Hard copy you ask?
Yes, since I am "old school" all the way, I prefer making copies of my original artwork using an ANALOG copy machine, which makes beautiful, clean, crisp copies. I mount them on board, touch them up, put a nice cover on them and send them out.
Because everyone has their own way of scanning, I would rather send hard copy and have them make their own digital files they way they want, rather than me making and sending them, even though I know how (and I even know how to make and send PDFs but I prefer doing everything as "old school" as possible.
I keep getting requests for photos of me, and because I like my privacy I just don't like photos of myself floating about online. But while digging through my files looking for a specific image, I found this:
This is a photo shoot taken by the multi-talented Cam Garrett (photo copyright Cam Garrett) on February 22, 1991 in the SCUD haunted bathroom. SCUD (for those new to this blog) is where I once lived with about 12 other like-minded souls in the crotch of Belltown, Seattle. We lived in an Edwardian wooden 2-story old hotel building for about 12 years, and those of us who lived upstairs had to share bathrooms.
There were two community bathrooms and one shower room. For some reason, this particular bathroom was hardly used, no matter how many times it was redecorated. We later found out that a gruesome murder happened in this bathroom, a woman went berserk and knifed her boyfriend to death in here, he was found dead crammed as far behind the toilet as possible.
And directly on the other side of that wall was a closet, where another man was found dead in his closet with his throat slit. That room was absolutely haunted, the door would open and close rapidly, until it had to be either wedged open or closed.
All of this happened long before the SCUDDITES moved in (Scud: Subterranean Cooperative Urban Dreamers) but we always knew there was something not quite right about that room and this bathroom. I can't tell you how many times I would go in to use it and turn right around again and walk out, like eyeballs just bearing down on the back of my neck. The absolute worst feeling.
So - Cam was working on a photo series called "Dead Friends" which I thought was the coolest thing I had ever seen. Photos of his friends in different poses of death, I remember one young lady lying in a public park with an arrow sticking out of her back. He asked if I would participate and of course, I jumped at the chance.
I was wearing a long dress and the shoot took so long to set up, that when we were finally ready to shoot, the water was freezing to the point that my teeth were chattering.
I know the photo is small, but on the pedestal that is next to the tub is a straight edge razor with "blood" and on the floor is "blood" splashes as well as in the tub. I think it turned out rather nice. Lucky thinks this should be my official photo, heh - yeah right.
And since we are showing photos that Cam did, I had to post this one. Cam and I both came up with this idea, which is a magnificent photo of Wilum Hopfrog Pugmire, Esquire (photo copyright Cam Garrett). I strategically put my watermark over his dangly bits hoping no one will get all offended by such a beautiful creature such as a naked Wilum.
Getting that harp for the shoot was a pain in the ass but worth it. The one flower on the left hand side that is sticking up came off of Bruce Lee's grave (I asked him permission and thanked him). This photo was shot for my second book Discreet Ephemera, and probably one of my most favorite photos ever.
If anyone is into Joel-Peter Witkin, you can probably guess who we were trying to emulate when doing this photo shoot. From what I heard, the photo is going to be reprinted in a book that Wilum is working on and will be out soon.
One of my scout hunters found for me a rather truly gruesome set of Victorian era (1870s) medical tools, which I will post photos of as soon as they arrive. I have been searching for a set for a year now, and finally, finally a set showed up.
It consists of five instruments that were used in midwifery, when a stillborn took place and the Mothers life was in peril - well, something had to be done quickly and these are the tools that were used to remedy the situation. By the early twentieth century, these type of tools were no longer used, which makes them incredibly rare. I plan to use them in a framed curio, complete with graphic illustrations.
I will post again in a few days with more updates, again this will mostly just be freelance work blather and then after that, framed curios!!! OK, off to work now!
