The Sky Warning
Jun. 22nd, 2011 10:10 am
This one you might want to click through and find the large size to look at. It really wants to be 20x30 when finally printed.
The cloud did that, the whole hand thing. I didn't digitally put that in. Because when I put in my shot requests, even the weather gets with the program.
Red Knight, White Knight II
Feb. 28th, 2011 08:59 am
And we're back.
Or as the White Knight would say here, "It's a fair cop."
Love this series. Love.
Red Knight
Jan. 24th, 2011 08:27 am
And here is C in all his glory as the Red Knight. The portraits came out particularly good...
Cat & Knights
Sep. 23rd, 2010 09:34 am
More Alice Assassin.
This is why losing to the Red Knight is a *bad* thing.
* * *
Day late, because of yesterday's jury duty.
I'm tired. I ache. The weather is turning, no matter the Indian Summer in progress. I can feel it in my bones.
Yeah.
Brain just crashed. Enjoy the pretty picture!
And the other one I failed to post so long ago. *sigh*
But here it is!
* * *
I am full of wanderlust today.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
catvalente posted about wanting to live in a city for a month and write, make a book there, places that sing to me too. St. Petersburg. Others. Prague leaps out at me in my own head.I want the hotel room and the sidewalk cafe and the bite of cold on my face and hands as I fumble with my camera in the chill. The ache in my legs from having walked too far. The pain in my belly from having gone without breakfast and lunch because there was one more image to shoot, one more piece of light to catch before the sun shifted again and look, a different light, a different color, quick, hit the shutter before it too vanishes from sight.
But I'd miss my girls so much. I'd miss my husband. And the Ant. I'd miss my home and my too small shower and my cats.
Some days I feel practically torn in two. The urgent need for solitude and the equally urgent need to hold my girls before they are too big and too old and no longer wish me to hold them, too busy with their own lives. The Mouse already pushes me away. The Bean doesn't slow down often enough for me to get a cuddle.
One day, they'll be off. And the husband will be in projects and the Ant will be writing and I'll be able to steal off, maybe with a model or two to some place. Drape soft curves in public and private spaces, shoot the color and shape of light on skin.
One day.
Just not today.
Apparently I never posted this. *headdesk*
This is from The Red Shoes shoot a couple of years ago, of the Epic C, who was total game from minute one when we met. Wait, WAIT till you see him as the Red Knight. HEE!
I love men who do construction.
* * *
In other, equally epic news, Hunt Press passed its milestone of having sold over 1,000 books this week.
The hugeness of this for a micropress is entirely impossible to describe adequately in words. Epic. Huge. Enormous. Fantastic. Beyond wonderful.
When I look back on July of 2006 when I officially opened the doors of the press and thought, "Damn it, I'm smarter than the average bear, I can fucking do this..."
Well. You think those things, but you also doubt.
I do not personally know 1,000 people. The authors don't know 1,000 people. Which means that total strangers to us bought books. Total strangers have emailed me or the authors to tell us how much the book they bought meant to them.
It's the starfish story all over. Do these books matter to everyone?
No. But it mattered to 1,000 people.
Now let's get 2,500.
And to say I am pathetically, tearing up happy/grateful is to not even come close to how full my heart is today.
Pictures from the circus will be coming. Would have been yesterday, but I was down for the count for most of the day due to hardware issues. If not for my friend, Patrick, the day would have been a total loss, hard drive wise. His guidance helped me rescusitate the external and make sure it doesn't happen again. I've also got another 250 GB drive now on the external, which is most needed as the one that went down for the day is officially full. I'm not entirely certain that that didn't have something to do with the failure as well.
* * *
And then there's the news about Noah's father this morning. Not even two weeks after my co-worker's father also dying. And think what you will about Michael Jackson, he also was a father and leaves behind grieving children.
So, of course, I'm thinking of my own father. Especially this week.
My father's birthday is this Friday.
* * *
We went to the circus on Saturday. The Mouse melted down towards the end. There were no monkeys. She was convinced that she'd missed them, not that they didn't have them. After all, in her world, circuses have monkeys. Either way, it was about an hour too long for someone under the age of 5.
Bean, on the other hand, aside from startling at the fireworks just stared at *everything*. With her mouth open. Her expression was priceless.
I took a lot of photographs. Especially of the elephants. Elephants are just made of awesome.
The tiger tamer was frikken' insane.
The acrobatic acts were frankly true to the term death defying and scared the bejeezus out of me more than once. Tiger cage? No problem. Leap off of anything with no net? Holy crap, no.
We'll go again.
* * *
So, another leavened weekend. Joy and grief. The masks of theater in all their glory, tragic and comic.
Next weekend, in time for my father's birthday, I hopefully see my eldest sister. Who is going in for surgery today on her neck.
Gods.
Stop the world.
I want to get off for a few minutes.
The Dance II
Jul. 23rd, 2008 11:00 am
And here are my Dancers again...
* * *
The bankjob has inquired with my recruiter about keeping me. I am waiting to see if they took my request for pay or if they're going to counter offer. If it's not too heinous, I'm taking it. Silly, but they have a lactation room. A nice one. And considering I want another baby...
Anyway, that's the update on work.
Writing has been going great guns. Between The Artist's Way and all the quiet, I'm banging it out. Now if only I could get it transcribed...
Canvas is still laughing at me on my easel.
Photos also defy me.
As for everything else? Eh, I'm getting through. The cash flow sitch resolving shortly is a relief. It's not full time art, but hey. I'm attached to having a warm roof over my head. Sue me.
And weirdly, very urban spaces do something for my well. I love all the concrete and steel. And I've seen more public art downtown than I have in the last five years combined.
Steel sculpture.
Nom.
And a current favorite of many people...
I just dig it for all the texture and the way her hair falls on the floorboards.
* * *
Week three of bankjob. Jobhunt continues.
* * *
Have written a fair amount on Broken Rainbow, have gotten none of it transcribed. I'm losing my kitten mind.
Have also restarted The Artist's Way. Am getting my ass handed to me.
Put a new canvas on the easel yesterday. The blankness. It laughs at me.
Photo editing has slowed down due to bankjob eating my daylight hours. I am committed to getting a stack done this week, even if it kills me, as I need to start culling for the photochapbook.
Have I mentioned that I am very tired?
Seemed appropriate in honor of Labyrinth of Jareth coming up....
* * *
Bankjob is going well. That is all.
Signed the listing agreement for the house last night. We are officially on the market as of today/tomorrow. Open House is this Sunday. Think good house selling thoughts for us!
The Mouse is understandably stressed out about the whole situation and to be frank, so am I. I have no clue where we'll end up. I just know that we'll get through. We always do.
As I'm always muttering, this too, shall pass.
In the meantime, I have been banging away on Broken Rainbow on my lunches. Nine pages of wordcount/notes since Monday. Another 1K of words shaved off of Strange Weather from my frantic editing in the mornings. Slowly, but surely the work is getting into shape.
And of course, I managed to upload more photos.
Painting probably won't happen this week or weekend, as a result of LoJ. Gotta sew. And speaking of sewing, the petticoat on my gown is nearly complete. At which point, it's just trim, trim and more trim and did I mention trim? to get the gown finished.
Fingers, don't fail me now.
Actors at Work
Jul. 7th, 2008 06:49 am
Another from the Actor series. Again, dig the contrast and I like the feel of a scene in motion, being worked out.
* * *
Today's the new temp job, what I am jokingly referring to as the bankjob. Wish me luck.
* * *
Have finished basic construction and some trim on the robe portion of my gown for Labyrinth of Jareth Masquerade. Will I finish in time? It's anyone's guess. Considering that I've pulled off dresses before balls before, I probably will, but it's a drive to the finish now.
I will say that with the sleeves on now, I don't think it sucks. Improvement!
* * *
Managed some good work on both Strange Weather and Broken Rainbow. Also got some new pix uploaded to flickr, including in progress photos of my dress.
And now to throw something out there: Dear Lazyweb, where would be a good, kid-friendly venue for a book launch that was basically free? Don't suggest the park, anything over 25 people and I have to pay for a permit. I already checked. Chuck E. Cheese was a thought, but the noise makes it possibly difficult. Suggestions? At this point, I am utterly stumped.
And with that, I need to mosey to the new job.
Trapped in Wood
Jun. 30th, 2008 10:12 am
Something different.
The colors and skin tones make me very happy.
* * *
Tired.
However, did see Wall-E yesterday with the Mouse. OMG, wonderful, wonderful, wonderful. So damn clever and beautiful and wonderful, sweet story. Came out of there singing and the Mouse singing with me, to the point of that I now have to rent Hello, Dolly.
"There's a whole wide world out there..."
There's nothing cuter than a three-year-old singing her own words to a musical.
* * *
Have sent out gallery queries and gotten some good solid writing done. Finished the painting as well, which means I owe you all a finished photo.
4th of July is around the corner, and the neighborhood is already busting out the illegal fireworks, bless their hearts.
I'm looking forward to a short week. We go on the market next week. Which reminds me, I need to talk to the agents.
And that's me.
How's your Monday, world?
The Deed Done
Jun. 4th, 2008 02:38 pm
And at last, the dance is done.
Photographer's Note: again, no feet in the shot. Hee!!! Love it.
* * *
My day has been wobbly. Other freelancery fell through.
I did manage to get about 1,000 words written on Broken Rainbow though. Bonus. It's beginning to flow again, which is awesome. Out of it spawned an idea for two different short stories unrelated to the novel. I'll probably start The Night is an Adder tonight and start The Beauty of Uncertainty tomorrow.
In the meantime, I need to get more stories sent out. The Witch of Nob Hill and another story are still looking for homes, so I gotta schlep, which I haven't been.
I gotta paint tonight too. The canvas is yelling at me every time I look at the paint corner.
Oh bugger, I forgot to buy batteries... No in process photo of the painting yet. Sorry.
And yes, must edit more photos. Still a long way to go in sorting the April shoot.
* * *
House: still no word.
Jobhunt: nada. bupkiss. yeah.
Give Back the Red Shoes
Jun. 2nd, 2008 05:13 pm
And even so, the pull of the Red Shoes cannot be denied...
Photographer's Note: LOVE this one. Love. Right here, this is what the story of the Red Shoes has always been about. I've always felt like the Girl knew what she was getting into, put the Shoes on anyway and at the end, even dying, still wanted them. That feeling. Even if it killed her.
* * *
Today is Monday and feels like one. I am beat. It was an amazingly long and productive weekend.
Now to just figure out a launch party for Deschooling Gently...
Writing is coming along again. Tonight, I hope to get in some painting. Editing on photos continues.
Really, I would like to fall down now.
The Red Shoes Undone
May. 31st, 2008 11:04 am
And the Girl is undone from the Red Shoes...
Photographer's Note: it ended up being accidental that her feet are completely out of the frame here, implying him having severed the feet off. This was one of those moments where I saw the test image and went, "WHOOT!" and ran around like a mad thing. Viewfinder image is never quite the finished product and this was an awesome happy accident.
* * *
Also, I've been quietly putting up my paintings over at DeviantArt. Prints are for sale over there as well. Please take a peek:
http://quennessa.deviantart.com/
I'm quite pleased with the site. Is anyone interested in me putting photographs over there for print sale? These would be unlimited and unsigned editions, just FYI, and nothing over 11x14 in size.
Comment with feedback, please.
* * *
What else?
I've got a book party to go to tomorrow in Burbank for one of my authors, the wonderful Tammy Takahashi (http://justenough.wordpress.com), to celebrate the release of Deschooling Gently (http://www.lulu.com/content/2199986). I'm also working on the the official book launch and will have an update on that soon as well.
* * *
Jobhunt continues. Everything else still in Limbo. Today, I plan to sew, watch some TV and otherwise be a slug. Tomorrow looks to be an intensely long day.
And that's me.
End the Dance II
May. 26th, 2008 08:10 am
Too tired to go on...
* * *
Happy Memorial Day, everyone!
My hands are covered in paint this morning, even after the scrubbing I gave them last night. Like Jilly, I can't ever seem to clean it up off of my skin entirely, and I rather like that.
The pillars are in on the new painting and I'm waiting for the compound to dry. The downside of working with sculptural media is that it dries slower than just straight acrylics. I'll probably move on to the hills today and get those in instead. If the gods are good, the pillars will be dry by this evening and I'll be able to put in the shadows on the base color.
The sun appears to have come out for Memorial Day itself, which cheers me up. I've grilled in the rain before, but I was not looking forward to it. The plan is to take it as mellow as possible today and possibly watch really cheesy comedy. I'm thinking Danny Kaye and The Court Jester are in order. Something of that nature.
What else?
Hmm.
That's about it. Very happy with the painting.
Anyway, it looks to be a lovely day outside. Someone turn on Sheryl Crow and Soak Up The Sun... I'm going to go outside and drink some more coffee in all that gorgeous sunshine.
