Rock and Roll and Film and Iron

A few months ago, my husband and I found out that one of our favorite bands was playing with another one of our favorite bands along with another one of our favorite bands who I’d never gotten to see live before…in Birmingham, Alabama. So what would a normal, responsible adult couple do? Yes, fly from Washington DC to Birmingham for about 48 hours.

While there, we met up with some friends who took us for a walk around the Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark. Once a pig iron blast furnace, after closing it was preserved and restored and is now a museum, center for metal arts, and concert venue. It’s a beautiful site to wander around on a grey, drizzly day.

I’m sure we’ll be back at some point to actually explore more of what the city has to offer, eat more biscuits, and take more photos. (Oh, and the show was amazing.)

1460 Wallmountables at DCAC

Quick update: I have some work hanging at the District of Columbia Arts Center (DCAC) for their 1460 Wallmountables show. This show has been an annual event since 1989, and offers an opportunity for artists to show in an open, unjuried hanging. The gallery divides its wall space into 2 foot by 2 foot squares with string - all art must fit into a square, with no overlap. I'm showing (and selling!) a tryptich of metal prints and a cyanotype, and will be there for a Happy Hour reception on Wednesday, August 16 at 6:30 PM. If you're in DC come by and have a drink and support local art!

Darkroom Tricks

I had my last class (until fall) at the Art League darkroom last night. I didn't want to start any major new projects, so I decided to have some experimental fun with some older negatives. It was a small class, so I took over two enlargers and used one to "flash" my print with one second of light after about 30 seconds in the developer - a technique known as solarization, or the Sabattier Effect. Summer is going to be busy, but I am going to try to make time for photography - extra challenging with no class or Artomatic deadlines hanging over my head.

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Solarization on only the bottom half of the print:

Artomatic Update (and first London photos)

Artomatic has been open a few weeks now, and I've gotten some great feedback on my space and photos, plus over 200 business cards have been taken! If you're visiting this blog via Artomatic, please drop me a line and let me know what you think. It's a great event, and a rare chance for me to show photographs "IRL." You can find Opulent Tarnish Photography on on the 8th floor, space 8503/8504, and I'll be there for the next Meet the Artist's Night on April 29, from 7 to 9 PM.

I've been so busy I'm just now starting to scan the photos I took in London. I'll be posting a lot more of these, and am really looking forward to starting a new class and getting in The Art league darkroom again next week to do some printing.

Artomatic is Coming!

Artomatic has been a DC-area institution since 1999. (I attended my first one in 2000, and the first time I participated was in 2012.) It takes place not-quite-annually, or whenever a space becomes available - usually a building slated for demolition or re-development. An unjuried army of artists, performers, and volunteers takes over and creates a community and a space that's very special and hard to find in our political and wonk-filled city.

Spaces are first-come-first-served, and artists pay an entry fee and agree to work at least three volunteer shifts. As of today (March 5) there are still spots open. I'd encourage anyone in the area to participate or  visit. This year's site at 1800 S. Bell Street, Arlington is right next door to the Crystal City metro stop, and it's free to enter. There will be quiet spaces, seminars, bars, music, dance, and just about every form of visual art you can think of.

"Artomatic’s mission is to create community, build audience and expand economic development by transforming available space into a playground for artistic expression."

Artomatic opens March 24 and runs through May 6. Please look for Opulent Tarnish Photography on the 8th floor, space 8503/8504. I'm going to be going low-tech and showing a series of medium-format contact prints. Each print is only 2.25 inches square, and printed directly from the negative. I've posted a scanned print here, but very much hope you can come see it in person!