Adiemus

Making a Bedlah vii

2010-04-03T18:23:00.000-07:00

Now I'm well on the way to making the belt. It's quite a fiddly design with the silver ruching drape, so it's taken quite a bit of pinning and pressing to get it to this point.

The back of the belt is still 'under development'. I'm redesigning it a little, trying to get a deeper dip and raising the sides up a bit higher, so that at the front I can create more of a dip. Initially I'd thought I'd only dip at the back and come around up higher in the front, but I liked the lines across the hips better this way.

This is before I started to pin the pleating down - I'd originally just stitched the pleats every 10 cm or so, but had to unpick several of them so I could drape the back. I have pressed them, which in retrospect I don't think I should have. So I'll have to wet them a little and steam them into ruching rather than pleating.

This shows you how I pinned the ruching so that it fits - stretching it out for the dip, then bringing them in tight over the hip. I've now stitched underneath and along each fold (so you can't see the stitching) to hold the ruching in place. It's not usual to do this with ruching, but given that they're really more like soft pleats, it holds them in place better.

Detail of the pinning. Don't do this unless you're feeling particularly picky! If I was doing this again I'd probably revert to the old gathering stitching and forget about the pleating - but hey, what's a little time spent doing something you enjoy?!

Making a Bedlah vi

2010-03-27T17:57:00.000-07:00

The bra is 90% finished now, so before I completely finish it I'm moving onto the skirt and belt. The reason I'm not quite finishing the bra is that I may want to change something after I've designed the belt, so it's in my best interests to leave some unfinished ends. But how I'd change it I do not know!

Anyway, the skirt is a straight skirt with a slightly dipped and flared back hem and slightly raised and definitely split front. It's white velvet (a teeny bit see-thru much to Manly Jack's disgust!) so I'll need to wear skintone knickers underneath or maybe line it. I haven't completed the stitching because I'm not entirely sure whether I'll attach the belt to it or have the belt separate. It's a bit more versatile to have a skirt that can be worn alone, but given that I'm putting silver on it, I doubt I'll wear it with much else. I'm not really a silver girl - gimme gold!!

The belt is shaped, and is constructed fairly lightly because I'm not adding a lot of heavy beading to it. You'll see the shape below, but what I've done is used a darker grey fabric and layered the sequinned mesh on top. This is to match the bra, and yes, I'll be adding more silver drape to it!

This shot illustrates the bra front and the skirt and belt - my infamous duct tape dummy! Made with much hilarity by my ever-patient Manly Jack. He did enjoy the process of layering duct tape and smoothing it across my torso...perhaps a little too much?

Anyway, although it's a bit larger than I am, it works really well when I'm designing 'in the round'. It means I can adjust fit easily and accommodate my rather sway back and generous hips!

I'm really pleased with the bra, especially now that I've added the front sparkle drape to it. The belt will have a similar amount of sparklies too, although I'm not yet sure how I'm going to do the drape. I'd thought the front would be a little wider but when I actually draped it on, if it had been wider I would have looked shorter - and I need no help with that!

You can see the back of the skirt and belt here.
To construct the belt, I simply draped the fabric around the dummy and pinned it. Then I drew a line on the fabric to form the shape I wanted, then cut it. I did pin the fabric to the skirt at side seams, centre back and where the split is slightly to the left in the front.

Then I unpinned the belt fabric and folded it to make sure it was symmetrical (and by golly it was, I do not know how!), so I cut the first layer out, then a further one to act as the lining, and finally another out of the sequinned fabric to form the top. Do not cut out sequinned fabric with your GOOD sewing shears - they will be blunted in an instant! And you'll need to vacuum up all the bits after you've cut that fabric because each time you cut across a sequin the half that's been cut falls off, littering the floor with sparklies.

I then pinned and stitched the belt, leaving one end unstitched and a gap along the bottom big enough to pull the thing through. In these pictures I haven't yet got around to ironing it, which is my next step - then it will be time to position the silver draping! Don't hold your breath - it could be a wee while before the silver gets done, but eventually I'll post it on here.

Making a Bedlah v

2010-03-06T14:59:00.000-08:00

After a break of a bit longer than I intended, I've started back on this bedlah.
I've now attached the ruched front which will extend into a halter-style strap. Actually it's not truly ruched, it's more pleated, and this was a bit unintentional - I did originally intend to ruch, but once I started to pleat it I really liked the effect, so it's here to stay. This is one of the joys of sewing - while I might start with an idea, it rarely ends up the way I first envisage!

To recap, this is a long piece of fabric, attached at the top by turning under a small hem and blind stitching so the stitches don't show. Then I pleated the fabric into several pleats by pinning it, then ran running stitches through the folded layers working from the back (underside) of the bra and making sure the stitches didn't show through on the front. I made about four sets of stitching to anchor the pleats in place, making sure the whole piece draped around the shape of the bra. If you just pin it on without following the curve it will look strange as you bring the gathered/pleated straps up into a halter style.

This photo shows the stitching at the bottom of the ruching. I haven't completed the straps, so this is just held together with a pin.

A better shot of the under-cup part - if you look closely to the left of the shot, and then again in the middle, you can just spot the rows of stitching that hold the pleats in place.

Completed ruching - I ran about four rows quite close together in the middle, underneath the bling. BTW the bling thing started life as a ring from one of those costume jewellery stores. Manly Jack was kind enough to hacksaw the ring part off (and off two other pieces that will end up in a similar way!) so I then stitched it on. To make it more secure I could put some fabric glue or gem glue on it, but it seems to be OK with two rounds of very tiny stitches looped around the diamante anchors.

I'm now going to add in some more beading and sequins along both the top and the bottom of the ruched area. This will just define it a bit more and save me from doing too much to the sequinned fabric of the top half of the bra. I'm not yet sure about adding any dangly bits to the bottom of the bra. I originally wanted to, but now I'm not so sure. It always looks great when you shimmy, but I'm just not sure what I want to do. I have another couple of bling earrings I can hang in the centre which would look quite cool - so stay tuned and see what I end up doing!

Making a Bedlah iv

2010-01-14T17:07:00.000-08:00

Well...being slightly adventurous, I decided to bead the neckline to give it more vavoom (if that's the word!) - definitely more sparkle. I knew it would take a while, but I've been pleasantly surprised at how quickly it has taken to get it done. That's what happens when TV is boring!
Only two shots of it so far, but more will get done today.

The beading is one sequin, one 4mm bead, and five seed beads, on a diagonal across the top of the neckline. Spacing each one has taken a little trial and error, and I even started to mark in little dots as an aid, until I found I was able to judge it by eye. It's not so much the distance from each other, more how far to go through on the other side. You can see some detail in this shot.

And in this shot you get a bit of an idea of how the whole neckline will look.

I'm really pleased with the way the sequins sparkle with the small bead on top. Tell you what though, picking those tiny seed beads up is a task fraught with fear - I am sure I'll upend my wee tray (a child's paint mixing tray) and lose the lot down between the arms of my chair! You also need fingernails and handcream. I find the sequins get a lot of static on them, and it's difficult to separate them so you only pick up one, while the nails are good for selecting just one seed bead!

Making a Bedlah iii

2010-01-12T13:32:00.000-08:00

Several shots of how I covered the bottom half of the bra and strap, and a detail of the beading.
Stitching the covering on the front was a real fiddle, and I know I said it wasn't going to be too tidy, but in fact I lied and ended up stitching it almost invisibly. It was tricky to get the sides the same because I'd stretched and pulled on it to get a nice curve - but it's done now after several needle-stabs to the fingers.

I've tidied up the ends as shown above, but not finished them because I'm going to have to try the whole thing on to ensure the straps are adjusted and when I add the shoulder straps on.
Here's the front, to show you how the stitching on the curve went.

It's not critical to have this stitched so neatly, because I'm covering it with ruching anyway, but it's always nice to have it neat so that if I change my mind I don't have to re-do that area. I may yet put a line of beads along here to give the dividing line more szoosh.

Once again I gave into temptation and did some more beading on the front. I finished (well, maybe...) the sequinned area and added some 6mm and 4mm beads scattered over it, plus some beads that look like rice grains, to try and give some direction to the starburst effect. I'm really pleased with the effect of the silver and iridescent sequins, it's bright and shiny and will glitter well under lights.

This is just a quick shot to show how I've done the sequins - two sequins and a seed bead on top. The thread goes up through all three, then leaves the seed bead and goes back in through the sequins, holding the whole lot tight. It's a good way to hide the thread, and it adds lots of sparkle.

Making a Bedlah ii

2010-01-11T16:33:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I showed you the start of covering a bra for my new silver bedlah. Today I've progressed just a little further with covering the lower part of the bra and the back, and started the beading on the front.I reinforce, and stabilise the strap with grosgrain ribbon. (NB this is pronounced 'growgrain'!). I'll machine stitch this into place before covering it with the silver fabric (that is underneath the bra in this shot).
Turning the bra over, I pin this to cover the lower half of the bra and the strap. I'll hand-stitch this, but because most of the upper portion of this silver fabric will be covered with ruching, I'm not going to be too fussy with the stitching....and because one of my favourite parts of making a bra and belt is doing the beading, I couldn't wait and started to bead the front. You can't see this very well in this shot below, but I've used two sequins - a silver one on the bottom, and an iridescent one on top, and an iridescent seed bead on top to finish it. I'm aiming for a starburst effect, and don't worry - there will be much more beading than this by the time I'm finished!

Making a Bedlah

2010-01-10T21:21:00.000-08:00

A bedlah is only one of several costumes used in Middle Eastern Dancing, but it's one of the most recognisable. I'm going to show you the steps I've taken to cover a bra and make a belt and skirt.
I've spent some time reviewing some of the designs, but what I start with and what I end up with is a little unknown!

Firstly, I choose a well-fitting bra that has moulded cups (that is, they support themselves and retain their shape when you lie them down). In this case I've used a strapless bra, but if you do use a bra with straps, mostly you'll need to remove the straps and replace them with straps with no stretch.
I've sketched several designs, but as I mentioned, I'm open to what happens as I start to play with the fabric.

There will be two different skirts for this costume. A white velvet slim-fitting trumpet-shaped one (velvet not shown), and a swirl skirt with alternating mauve and silver stretch-dot fabric (the piece on the far left, and the second from right).

I've used dark silver fabric to act as an underlayer for the top half of the bra. This will be overlaid with the silver sequinned mesh fabric (on the right in the picture above).

I've used a rough square of fabric, pinning it to the bra and taking in two darts to help shape the fabric. I've then stitched along the edge, and over the dart, to flatten and secure this layer.

Next I laid the silver sequin mesh over, and stitched it down. Because the mesh is a little stretchy, I've tortured it a little and pulled it into shape, as well as taking tiny tucks along the bottom edge to help it fit the bra shape.

You can see how I've chosen the selvedged edge to reduce the number of sequins I have to remove to make the inside of the bra just a little more comfortable. I'll be lining it, and using silver satin bias binding to ensure there are no irritating scratchy bits.

Here's a final close-up of the stitching on the front of this layer, where you can see the small tucks I've taken.

I'll post more when I've done the next part of this bra. There will be loads of beading, a central detail, and ruching that will be echoed on the belt as well.

Skeletal remains for ewe...

2007-12-03T00:32:00.000-08:00

I cannot resist a pun!!!
Spotted on a hillside overlooking Christchurch, this poor old ewe expired some time ago. I processed this shot in a Dragan style - I am such a fan!!

Skies in the evening...

2007-11-24T21:57:00.000-08:00

Aaaaahhh! the end of a long, hot day - and the sky is glowing. Got to be a wonderful thing...
Don't forget my blog for health professionals!

A new take on a classic kiwi image

2007-11-13T00:43:00.000-08:00

Aaaaahhh! the koru, symbol of growth - draganised. Andriez Dragan developed this particular style of photography for portraits - but wow, it makes a stunning impact on certain other images, especially where a gritty or textured surface needs to be emphasised to evoke a mood.

If you're visiting here - take a minute to visit my HealthSkills blog href="http://healthskills.wordpress.com/ - a place for health professionals to find resources and commentary on therapies to help people with chronic pain (and other chronic illnesses) live life well.

Dandelion

2007-11-05T00:18:00.000-08:00

Hey! Dandelions are wonderful - not particularly if you like a weed-free lawn, but there is something about their cheerful proliferation, that yellow starburst, and the wonderful fluffy seedhead. Just gorgeous, and one of the things that remains of childhood wonder years and years after...!

Coming soon: a new blog for health care providers - Healthskills for healthy living! Details soon...

Simple

2007-10-10T01:01:00.000-07:00

Some things need no further description...

beauty

2007-09-30T01:53:00.000-07:00

Ahhh! She's beautiful...
I had to share this shot of my lovely daughter, she's gorgeous!

Kiwi architecture

2007-09-20T02:01:00.000-07:00

Now something kiwi's are not known for is their architecture. Being pragmatists (and probably calvinists) early settlers built basic boxes. Made of timber usually, because it was portable, probably local, and relatively easy to manufacture.
Four walls, a roof. Possibly one or two windows. A door.
Not much more!
And definitely no insulation, central heating, not much in the way of creature comforts, not even built towards the sun!

But there is something quintessential about the kiwi building. It works. And it ages well - even decades after it was first built!

This example apparently was used as committee rooms for the local Roading Board, which is why it survived when others didn't. When going inside, the building consists of two rooms, one with an old coal or wood range, two windows and nothing much else. The other room had one window - and nothing else.

From the outside, someone had cared enough to plant a tree - and now it seems it's a photographer's playground. Wonderful light, textures, colours - and a view that can't be beaten!!

This is located on the road towards Lake Coleridge, Canterbury.

Seeing when you look

2007-09-13T19:09:00.000-07:00

It's been said so often that it's probably a truism that once a person has a camera, all of a sudden everything they see is a photograph. With the lack of limits of a digital camera it's oh so easy to snap away without having to spend time on an image.
It was so different when 24 little exposures was all that was available - I can get 250 something on my 2GB card!! And some of them are even worth keeping! I don't know, but I think my 'hit rate' is much better with digital, or is it that I've learned to take risks and be creative?

I'm not sure of the process that happens when I've got my camera out, but something switches on and suddenly what I am looking at becomes something else. All colours and angles and textures...
I love this process - the little motifs, the scenes, that moment, that story, NOW that happens...now that's zen...

And for me it doesn't stop then either - going back home, downloading (like Christmas goodies!), then spending time pondering and considering and playing with that image to bring out what it can say. Often the end image says something completely different from what it communicated the moment I released the shutter.
The time spent doing this is totally meditative for me - no words, no rules, just appreciating tone, colour, texture and form.
That's seeing when you look.

old things

2007-09-10T14:26:00.000-07:00

I love the old kiwi farming buildings... here is a shot of an old brick woolshed, still partially in use, but long past its heyday. Gorgeous old building, and for NZ, quite rare, as it's not wooden but brick, and the bricks were made in the nearby township of Glentunnel or Windwhistle (sorry can't remember which one!!).

Really sexist cartoons

2007-09-01T19:25:00.000-07:00

Barbed wire

2007-08-27T12:10:00.000-07:00

There is something about barbed wire. I'm not sure what it is, but it makes an incredible photographic subject! I love the fluid lines, and the rust and the way it's wrapped around all sorts of places in the New Zealand countryside. I'm not so keen on it in the city, it seems cruel and out of place. Even in the country it seems to be one of those things that is ubiquitous but not quite 'right'. An attempt by humans to capture or tame or entrap the natural environment - but for photographs? Stunning!

Serenity and poise

2007-08-19T18:39:00.000-07:00

I am not known for serenity and detachment - I think I'm one of the world's more reactive people! I like to BE in the moment and feel and express my emotions.
To touch another person with my passion -
To be fully present - involved

While I love the concept of zen and simplicity and maintaining eternal poise and serenity, I think I am more like a willow whip or bamboo or even silk, something that moves and bends and gets energised by things.

To remain detached must I think mean a loss of involvement somehow.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but even while I'm taking photographs, something of the moment must touch me - my emotions are engaged, my sense of who I am is heightened by recognising the element in that particular scene that touched something of me.

Resilience, wellness, balance and flexibility

2007-07-30T21:43:00.000-07:00

I'm embarking on a study of people who experience persistent pain, but live 'well'. This is somewhat ironic given that I'm still working through a rehabilitation process relating to my post-concussion syndrome dating from the end of February this year!

As I ponder what defines a person who is 'well', a number of concepts keep coming up - relevant to me as well as to the people I work with each day.

What is 'resilience'? Is it the ability to withstand problems as they occur each day? Weathering the normal daily troubles without being bothered by them? Is resilience about being 'rock-like', stable, enduring despite the odds, 'keeping the faith'?
The people around me who seem 'well' don't seem all that rock-like! Instead they seem to flow along with troubles - choosing when to bend and sway, and when to hold steady, developing and growing flexibly as events happen and then pass. Is resilience then about being flexible?
Is being 'well' about the ability to choose when to balance resistance with acceptance? Is resilience about knowing that 'I' still am despite changing my goals, my choices, my actions, but holding on to my values?

I work daily with people seeking help to live despite having persistent pain. Their pain invades everything in their lives - they tell me 'I just want to have 'me' back!'

Traditional medical management has focused on reducing pain - so that 'normal' is available again. For many this works but equally many can't achieve pain relief despite the best efforts of the health care team.
Traditional pain management has focused on helping people develop coping skills - withstanding the onslaught of pain by 'resisting', 'coping', 'doing despite'. Cognitive therapy teaches people to 'challenge' their 'maladaptive' thinking.
What if their thinking reflects reality? What if their pain is unexpected? If their pain means they can't think straight? If they can no longer work in the manual work they love?

Recently 'acceptance' has become a popularised concept - meaning instead of fighting against pain, people choose to live to their important values.
This requires looking at how we go about activities differently. How can we live according to important values despite having limitations as to how much we can do at any one time?

Now this doesn't seem any different from what all of us do - none of us can do 'everything', we all have 'limitations', and we all make choices about what values and goals are important.

In a round-about way I guess I’m thinking that learning to be flexible about what we do, provided that we live in line with the ‘compass’ of our values may lead us to become resilient. Hopefully less judgmental of ourselves and others, more tolerant of ambiguity, more able to be appreciated for who we are rather than what we do.

Resilience requires flexibility and balance, a delicate dance of wellness.

Chilled

2007-07-18T00:21:00.000-07:00

While I'm not mad keen on the chill of winter, especially the bleak, grim grey of an overcast Canterbury day, there are parts of it that I love. I love the crisp blue of a frosty morning; I love wrapping up in layers of sensual, soft fabric; the comfort food and red wine; fires and warm beds - yes there is plenty to love!
These shots are from our trip to Cromwell, which is in the middle/lower half of the South Island, NZ. A whole countryside of contrasts! These two shots, however, display that hard, deep cold that slows the mind and body and makes me dream of indoor pursuits and tropical holidays...

Winter

2007-07-16T02:04:00.000-07:00

The crisp blue-white of snow and sky is snap-frozen in the Mackenzie Country and Otago. This is not the land of milk and honey dreamed of by the English, but rather the grim and chilling landscape of deep and harsh Scots. Awesome for being reminded of the power of our world.

Blue sea

2007-06-26T22:06:00.000-07:00

Mid-winter does not seem to stop some people from leaping without thought (well perhaps a little thought) deep into the ocean blue...
Despite the chill, the shortest day last week brought out a few who just could not pass up an opportunity to show (nearly) all and get in the water. I stayed safely on-shore, wrapped up warm, and shot a few photographs.

No matter what the weather the sea is a temperamental mistress, restless and merciless to those who don't respect her. I've never lived far from the sea - couldn't bear not to be able to get out to smell the brine (or the ozone), touch the sand, feel the endless variety of textures, and enjoy the changing patterns across the sand and water. Something rather peaceful despite the restlessness of the water and wind.

I don't know what it is about a beach, but even when the wind is blowing and the waves are crashing there is a peace and an insulation from 'the world' for me. Something about being involved in the energy and change that is constant and permanent...

Very zen.

winter, water and the blues

2007-06-21T01:11:00.000-07:00

It's winter. That means cold temperatures, wet weather, frost, and blue, blue, blue.
Fabulous for wearing lots of layers, snuggling under warm duvets, and the fire!
And for looking, but not getting into - the sea. Cold, heartless, restless mistress.
The blues - awesome music, crying from the heart...

Pretty in Pink

2007-06-06T02:45:00.000-07:00

Cyclamen are a wonderful Mother's Day gift...

Colours of Autumn

2007-05-23T22:21:00.001-07:00

Wonderful colours this year - enjoy!

fall

2007-05-16T02:47:00.000-07:00

cling
to branch and twig
leaf
fall
flutter in air
glow
falling
to dark and dampened
ground
fallen

musing

2007-05-10T15:43:00.000-07:00

Today is grey - so I've been playing with black and white (and grey) photography. Sometimes colour distracts from the essence of an image - puts a cheerful tone on a sombre story, takes away from form and substance, moves the eye from texture.
Herewith a couple of B&W shots...

Zen

2007-05-02T12:15:00.000-07:00

Zen is a strange concept. For me it's more than 'simplicity' which seems to be what most europeans view it as, it's much more like being timeless/now/suspended...
Here are some photographs that feel zen-like for me.

Wonderful rocks

2007-04-30T01:43:00.000-07:00

Here is an amazing place to visit - not for the reasons that many people go - but for an incredible sense of the timelessness of the place. It's called Kura Tawhiti in Maori, but usually called Castle Hill. I think I prefer the maori which means 'treasure from afar'!
Great place for climbers I'm told - but I think photographers probably have a ball too. I certainly did!

Timeless

2007-04-09T00:40:00.000-07:00

Some things go on forever. The roar of the sea, on and on - to lull you to sleep.

If ever you want a good night's sleep - just go to a nice beach, and stop for a while. Listen to that endless, timeless surge.

Stumbleupon and other things

2007-04-03T00:23:00.000-07:00

I did a wonderful stumble today - can't remember exactly how I found it, but I found a really good web site on composition and other photographic basics. It's http://www.prime-junta.net/pont/Photography_lessons/a_about/_Teaching_composition.html and has some really great things on it.

I'd had a crappy photo-taking day, no 'inspiration', photos looked horrid - I think what's happening is that I'm miles more critical than I used to be, so what I used to think was 'ok' I'm not satisfied with, and I'm trying to be more creative and discriminating, and of course, it's harder. So this was a refreshing place to find. Back to basics.

And as for Stumbleupon - I suppose I've forgotten to go back and visit - I have to say I love SU, it has some GREAT ways to find interesting sites, and when I'm in the mood and lacking inspiration, lots of ways to generate the spark again!

Cool.

This, by the way, is my son. He needs no modification to look devilish, the cat, however, did.

Podcasts

2007-03-25T17:21:00.000-07:00

There are heaps of ways to learn new things on the 'net.

One of them is to find podcasts - and once again, there are heaps of them!

Two that I would really recommend are:

http://www.radiantvista.com/

tutorials and reviews and a daily critique! brilliant stuff...

and the second:

http://www.photowalkthrough.com/

Excellent podcasts going from raw image/camera shot through the post-processing and on to the completed product.

The thing that makes this special for me is the relationship between John Arnold and 'us' as viewers - through Flickr it's possible to have some of your pix critiqued, on occasion see your work featured on a podcast - and it's a very friendly (although with robust discussion) group.

And the other place I like to visit for thoughtful commentary and inspiration/motivation is

http://howardgrill.blogspot.com/2007/01/motivation.html

Howard's commentary and links to other places are thought-provoking, and inspirational, and have a great spread of topics. He posts almost daily, so always something new to read.

Having said all this, and after reading/watching - there is nothing like actually grabbing the camera and taking some shots and putting them up for discussion and critique (critique that provides solutions, not just points out the problems!). To help the reviewers it does help to give some idea of what you are trying to achieve or communicate in your shot - sometimes I forget this!

But the photo attached to this post is quite simple: humour.

Patriotic!

2007-03-21T12:10:00.000-07:00

Well, I haven't thought of myself as a patriotic sort of person, certainly not a flag-waving 'New Zild' type of girl. I've got a real pride though when I go through the internet and view things that kiwi's have done - such a range of endeavours! and whenever there is a photo, that incredible light.

It's just a shame that the current flag, pictured above waving from the flagpole at the RSA, just doesn't cut it for me. Where is that gorgeous green of the bush? Where is the amazing curve of the sea and the shoreline? Where is the authentic voice of the new New Zealand?

I have been a fan of the Hundertwasser koru flag for years - my only version is a tiny flag I hand in my office at work.

I've tried to post an image of it above - not a great image - but how much more the green koru shows how proud I am of my country!

Black and white

2007-03-19T01:54:00.000-07:00

Reducing the impact of colour on our eyes has the effect of simplifying our world into texture. I really like this at times - such as when I look at the light on water...

This image was taken during the day but the light was weird... no green or yellow or red, just blue and grey. So it made an excellent day for black and white on water.

Limitations force creativity, limitations of colour, or equipment, or movement - whatever. We can impose our own limitations, or we can accept limitations that equipment imposes on us by instead of trying to acquire all the latest gadgets, we just make the very best images we can with the equipment we have....

Concussion and art

2007-03-11T15:58:00.000-07:00

For the past fortnight (just over) I have been recovering from concussion.
It's been a challenging experience for someone like me who doesn't like to slow up much, and for whom 'pacing' is a hard-learned concept.
I hit my head in a seemingly trivial accident when I tried to leap with much gusto into the 4WD. All very well except I didn't duck my head, and hit it with a thud on the doorframe. At the time I saw quite a few stars, had to sit still for a while until the shock wore off, and gingerly drove home. Laughed about it, had a headache and didn't really think much more of it. The next day I could hardly stay awake! And I thought I'd take it easy for a day or two, and then all would be well.

Well, I had one whole week off work, having wee nana naps twice a day - and sometimes sleeping fine at night, sometimes not sleeping well at all, thumping headache, yawning, irritable and couldn't concentrate on reading or doing anything much.
Then I started back to work the next week, made it for two hours - then just HAD to stop. Couldn't concentrate, needed SLEEP... Carried on like this for another week...
Had a lovely relaxing weekend away from it all, returned to work today - lasted just on three hours, and had to go home to SLEEP!

Gggggrrr!

So, what has this to do with art?

Well, I write many reports each week, talk with people, analyse quite complex problems - and I am struggling with each one. I lose words, can't remember details, have trouble stringing sentences together (yes, even these...takes a long, long time to write what normally is a quick 5 minute ditty) - BUT - I can spend an hour touching up a photograph! I can spend an hour taking photographs! I can spend ages looking at photographs!

Why?

Well, my take on it is that there are different parts of my brain being active when I use the visual processing parts of my brain - and probably even more importantly, I am relaxed, there is no 'end' result, the process is more important than the outcome (although I like to have a nice outcome!)...

So despite the contradiction, I can spend ages concentrating on artistic things, when writing, talking and planning - even shopping at the supermarket - just defeat me.

I just can't do the arty things with music on...

And what else does this have to do with art?
Well, something about being lost in the moment is, to me anyway, one of the most replenishing things about creating something artistic. As if this may well be something missing from everyday life too - perhaps a concussion is one way of reinforcing to me the necessity of taking time out from 'thinking' on a regular basis, so as to just 'be' immersed in the moment of colour, shape, texture, mass - rather than words?

So, I'll be taking home this message - time out to just 'be' replenishes more than depletes, and may be helpful for me when I'm well as well as when I'm not.

New Toy

2007-03-06T18:14:00.000-08:00

I've just got a wacom graphic tablet! Wow, what fun. At last something that means I can paint and draw without mess on the photo's I do.

I've been a painter since I was a little girl, recently converting to acrylic and having a lot of fun with textures and embedding things and layering and so on. There is something magical about not quite knowing how the work will eventually turn out, starting from somewhere and not worrying about where it will go, ending up with something that has the essence of the original, but not necessarily the detail.

Well, Photoshop (no advertising!!) is that for me with photography. And the wacom is one of the tools that helps. Like using a pen or paintbrush, but less messy (and there is always 'undo'), the pen means I can delicately touch up areas that need a wee bit of definition, erase areas that don't work, tidy up bits that need it, and work much more intuitively than with either a touch pad (which is what I had been using) or a mouse (which I had dumped a couple of years ago).

Oh, and why wacom? Well, I shopped around, tried a few out - and for me, the wacom's size and flexibility and lack of additional and unnecessary bundled software worked for me the best. Perhaps not everyone would want these attributes, but they worked for me.

Looking up the valley

2007-02-28T14:27:00.000-08:00

A less adulterated version of the one that is on my photoblog http://adiemus.aminus3.com/. Enlarge to get the detail that is very clear in this one.

Feeling good - it's just a thought

2007-02-27T15:00:00.000-08:00

A wonderful artist Peter Donnelly frequents New Brighton beach. This isn't the most wonderful shot of his work, you can see more images in my photoblog http://adiemus.aminus3.com/ but this is an example of a completed work (well, nearly completed) for those who can't manage the suspense!

A real kiwi bach

2007-02-24T21:10:00.000-08:00

Below is a real kiwi bach. Located far from sealed roads (about 20 minutes on winding, hilly, gravel road) out towards the coast on the Banks Peninsula. This is a wee cottage snuggled down in Little Pigeon Bay, on a working farm, on a small bay with chilly waters (and lots of fish).

There are lots of these little places dotted around the more remote parts of the coast. Unfortunately they are being replaced by homes that are more grand than our normal home, so the old 'make-do' attitude of mismatching spoons, and tattered old curtains, and the old wooden loo seat and no sound system is fast disappearing!

But this wee place remains, and hopefully this photo will remind us of the simple pleasures of sitting by the sea, sipping on a beer or a wine and watching the seagulls glide and swoop.

Another pet hate

2007-02-20T22:41:00.000-08:00

Just a quick one - RIGHT NOW I HATE the cellophane wrapping around CD's and DVD's!!
end of rant.

I'm bored... the chant of the noncreative

2007-02-18T20:29:00.000-08:00

I have a pet hate - well I've got more than one, but today this one is my bugbear.

I do not understand how anyone with free access to books, pen and paper, time and/or music or art or things that make a mark can possibly become bored.

I have two kids, you've met one of them already. The other is 16 and full of testosterone and loves to ride a motorbike and write and do things on the net. I have encountered a couple of other kids at close quarters, about the same age. They all say without a moment's hesitation that they are 'bored'. This is despite free access to all the entertainment of TV, internet, video, DVD, music, plus the Great Outdoors - and all that I have listed above.

Yet, they are B O R E D.

How on EARTH can you be bored when there is all THIS to be engaged with?? I don't understand!

I can remember when I was about 12 my mother said to someone 'I don't know how kids can be bored, my two are never bored' - well apart from the hours we seemed to spend doing housework and going to church, I can't actually remember being bored. There were always things to do - read a book, draw a picture, write a story, listen to music, talk to a friend, dance, play the piano - is there a theme happening here?

What I notice is that all of these things require a sense of curiosity, can be done alone, demand concentration, involve creativity and imagination - and don't involve a computer cable!

Here is my thought for the day: It is impossible to be bored unless you lack the ability to be creative. Or to put it another way, a bored mind is a boring mind.

Chopping

2007-02-14T16:11:00.000-08:00

Shot one is exposed for the sky, but underexposes the poppies
Shot two overexposes the sky, but does the poppies OK

This is the chopped image.

I did quite a lot of fiddling with burn and dodge, on a 50% grey overlay.

I also played with shadows and highlights, and colour balance and saturation.

This is the final result of a blended image. First time I've tried it, not entirely happy with it, but that's more about not having the tripod and not having a particularly good image to start with.

It definitely looks better than the original!!

How big???!!!

2007-02-12T09:49:00.000-08:00

For those of you who think that ALL fisherfolk exaggerate the size of the one that got away... here's one that didn't! My first ever kahawai catch, and it didn't even fight that much. Take a good look at it the birds behind, and you'll guess why I have about 40 seagull photo's in my portfolio!

Chasing those crayfish critters

2007-02-04T23:15:00.000-08:00

Thought you might like to look at what we're chasing tomorrow when we take the new (but rather elderly) boat out for a spin!!

2007-02-01T11:45:00.000-08:00

Recuperating in Kaikoura

2007-02-01T11:16:00.000-08:00

One of my favourite places in the world is Kaikoura. Tourists flock there to view the seals, dolphins, whales - but I go there to watch the tourists, climb the hill overlooking the seal colony, get seasick on the boat, dive and watch my man catch crayfish...

There are heaps of photo opportunities there - so far I've focused mainly on the natural landscape and wildlife, but soon I'll be ready to find human subjects.

In the meantime, two of my recent shots for enjoyment.

Gullibility and skepticism

2007-01-16T09:49:00.000-08:00

I watched one of those 'ghost' programmes last night - you the type, several people are convinced they have a spirit in their house, a TV crew calls in a medium, a paranormal investigator and a skeptic, a whole bunch of gadgets, and they all 'investigate'. A pity no psychologist is included, becau'se with the lights off, the medium using a number of hypnotic techniques, and the combined effect of an aging house and 'group-think', everyone except the instruments and the skeptic are completely convinced that they have 'experienced' a ghostly phenomenon.

Shame on you! Even when the instruments fail to show any signs of change that are usually meant to indicate that a 'presence' is present, this is explained away by the medium who says 'the spirit is taking care not to reveal itself today'. So even lack of evidence is evidence to confirm the 'spirit realm'.

And the answer to the family's distress? A so-called 'clearing' where the medium and a bunch of candles are arranged in a decorative fashion around a table, the lights are off and both a wonderful hypnotic voice and the use of latin (why do ghosts understand latin??) are used to 'remove' the spirit and - off it goes, and off the family goes saying 'the house feels so much lighter and cleaner now'.

When there is soooooo much in the world here and now that we can wonder over, why oh why do we need to have this sort of rubbish on TV?!!!

Thank goodness for photoshop

2007-01-12T13:20:00.000-08:00

The photo of Michelle in an earlier post was 'touched' by photoshop. Here is the original (and she'll kill me for posting it!!)

So, there was a bit of editing, but the expression was all hers from the start.

Losing weight

2007-01-09T22:40:00.000-08:00

It's the post-Christmas bulge reality check - Yuk.

Soooo, how to? Well I still think it's a matter of less in, more out - and I'm not thinking of laxatives! So I'm working on eating more healthily, and actually going to the gym rather than thinking about it...

So this photo is a bit of inspiration - of course, the reason for wanting to lose weight is about wanting to fit into the wetsuit, and seeing as the weather has been so bad that there has been no diving for HOW long???? there really is no reason. Sigh.

And no, I'm not obsessing - I would like to stop the gain rather than actually get skinny! I like curves, I just don't like bulges! Oh for a life in the years before fitness and slimness became the ideal!

Natural beauty and don't grow up too soon

2007-01-06T15:03:00.000-08:00

I read an interesting article in the Sunday Star Times today, about skinny women styled by 'Zoe' (say 'Zo' to rhyme with 'No').

Then I took a look at my daughter - 13 years old, slim - and despite her attempts at sophistication, still a young girl.

Please, please - let her stay this way!

I also thought long and hard about the criticism of people like Lindsay Lohan and other young stars who have moved from the naivete (well, perhaps our belief in their innocence) in their early teens to the trash clash of their late teens and early twenties. Is it that we can't just let them grow up? Our ideal seems to be to hold onto the age at which they first hit the screens (and hence our attention) and then to leave them in a time-warp, while criticising their every move towards 'normal' defining of themselves. Of course, some court the attention of the media deliberately - but some find their privacy invaded by intrusive interference with normal activities like going shopping...

Rather than haranguing them for their lack of restraint, perhaps we could consider restraining our desire to know every detail of their growing up?

Long live the youthfulness of my daughter.

Decay in the cemetery

2007-01-03T20:03:00.000-08:00

It seems that time, weather and louts have had their effect on the headstones in this cemetery. It's quite an old one - the old Bromley cemetery in Christchurch (well, old for New Zealand, OK?). And unfortunately, the weather and vandals have had a good go at the old headstones, smashing them up and tossing them over. Thankfully some kind people have attempted to reassemble the pieces, but it's like a giant jigsaw puzzle without a picture on the box to follow. Not only that, but once together again, what's to say the pieces won't be scattered again?
Wandering through the cemetery I am always struck by the degree of passion that is locked into the stone - lovers parted, sons gone forever, wee babies mourned, daughters dying in childbirth, whole families disrupted by car smash, boat sinking - and still many others with a rich and rewarding life who now go unremembered because their kin have slipped away...

The back of the refrigerator

2007-01-03T10:04:00.000-08:00

Why oh why do we put left-overs in the fridge?
Yesterday I ventured into the wilds, not the great outdoors, but into the dark regions of The Back of the Fridge. There, I have been conducting a biohazardous experiment, where leftovers have been incarcerated and allowed to mutate. I think perhaps I am trying to create mutant lifeforms.
Why is it that I put anything in there anyway?
I think it's guilt. Well, perhaps partly guilt.
We can't just 'throw out' the left-overs. That would be greedy, and show our disregard for all the hungry people in the world (my mother, bless her, would always say we should think of the starving - well, perhaps the starving would have enjoyed boiled cabbage, so well-cooked that it was GREY and STRETCHY, so SEND IT TO THEM!).
So that we don't feel guilty for throwing out perfectly good food, we put it into gladwrapped bowls and place it lovingly into the Dark Regions of the Fridge. Then, conscience relieved, we forget about it.
Days, weeks, sometimes even longer, we decide there is Too Much Junk in the Fridge. With gloves (and sometimes gas masks), we reach towards the Back of the Fridge. With trepidation, we drag the bowls out, sometimes kicking and screaming, at the very least slowly writhing and twisting, and, conscience assuaged, decide that now it is Time to Throw it Out. I think it's because by now the mutant life-forms have decided that it is time to breed in the compost heap, and because no-one could possibly eat it, we can without qualm, hiff it.
Well, that's my take on it - and my NewYear's Resolution? To try to chuck the stuff out before it hits the refrigerator, so that any mutations can occur directly in the compost rather than in the Depths of the Refrigerator.
Well...one can but try.

Mornings

2007-01-02T10:44:00.000-08:00

I don't like mornings. Even fuelled by good coffee, mornings are hard work. I prefer to lounge in bed, reading and gently getting to the point where a nice hot shower would be helpful. But this morning, for some strange reason I am somewhat energised. So energised I feel like putting something into this blog even!
I've been enjoying my time online today, listening to national radio while I skim through pictures and writings by other people - so many people who correspond online! From so many backgrounds, (although the range is limited to technologically savvy people who are both articulate and able to access internet) and from so many countries and opinions!
The time and creativity brought to bear on the postings and webpages are just incredible.
I wonder what would happen if we put some of this energy into life rather than cyberlife?

Pix

2007-01-02T01:04:00.000-08:00

I have been spending an inordinate amount of time taking pictures, - a new camera has made the job a lot more interesting, so much so that my man is calling me 'nik', short for 'nikon', because that's all he sees nowadays!

Anyway, thought I'd add this wee one in for fun today - but there WILL be more!