michelle
Sunday, August 30, 2009
'all things femenine'
last semester, the majority of my work dealt with the domestic and feminine realm. most of my work seems to gravitate towards that area. here are a few untouched digital images that were going to be used for a project, but i later decided to use film instead (you can see two of those images at Club Soda for another week or so). many thanks to my lovely hand model, jessica. you rock the domestic/feminine realm. let me know what you think of the images...i have many more.
michelle
michelle
Thursday, August 27, 2009
'Andrea's Adventures'
a loveliest of friends is leaving for Neuchatel, Switzerland today. this little step she has waited nearly three years for, in addition to another seven, in addition to at least another five, but officially three. ever since i have known her, she has been in this state of waiting. knowing that she never quite 'fit' here, waiting for release, direction, affirmation, and support, that 'feels like home' kind of place.
i've learned a lot over the past few years from andrea. two words specifically she helped me better understand: patience & simplicity. in this time of waiting, she has been nothing but patient. even when expressing thoughts and feelings to a close friend, she could have never been misconstrued as being impatient. simplicity comes from her life starting as an mk (missionary kid) in the D.R. always using what you have, not worrying about what you don't have. enjoying the simple things in life. a good cup of tea, a piece of DeBrand dark chocolate, a little flower beckoning attention, a postcard sent via snail mail.
i have high hopes of being able to visit andrea while in Europe (as you know it's one of my favorite places to be). if not, Africa does sound pretty adventurous (where she'll be working for a few years). if nothing else, i'll be looking forward to her postcards and emails as we continue our friendship over the span of the sea. i'm already thinking of interesting things to send her, not in a box, but open postage. get excited.
these next photos are from our last breakfast together in her empty (almost-empty) apartment. it was a lovely morning.
missing you already andrea,
michelle
michelle
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
my nephew turns one
HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY BABY BOY!!!
this calls for a birthday hiku.
my cutest little man-boy
you are to me [love]
your smile, Blue Eyes, full [life]
your favorite aunt,
michelle
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
to school i return
day two of the fall semester almost over and i'm down for the count. more overwhelmed than anticipated, currently naming it syllabus shock. let's take a look at the schedule.
monday/wednesday:
work 8:30-12 noon
experimental photography 2-3:45
work out
zone out
study
tuesday/thrusday:
work out
study
philosophy of religion 2-3:15 (how did i get myself into a 400 level philosophy course???)
high renaissance art history 3:30-4:45
4th level printmaking 6:30-9:15
zone out
friday:
work 9-5
saturday:
work 9-3 (alternating)
sunday:
corporate worship in the am
work out
study
zone out
*schedule subject to change...and probably will change due to the fact that as the semester progresses, so does my level of stress and all of the projects/papers that need to be completed. working out has been the first thing to go in the past...this semester i'm going to try my best to make it to the gym about three times a week. exercise = endorphins = less stress & more productivity.
my schedule may look simple on paper, but i have actually left out quite a bit that happens in the course of a week. multiple meetings at school, Artlink, etc., coffee dates i try to squeeze in with friends (so they don't think i hate them and also for my sanity), time spent with family, time putting together work for upcoming shows, openings i'm required to attend, openings i'm not required to attend, time spent reeling film and processing photos in the darkroom, brainstorming for projects, babysitting the niece and nephew (for my baby fix & their parent's sanity), lending a hand when someone needs it, lending an ear when someone needs it, baking for stress relief as well as for my taste buds, taking/editing photos for people...
when i'm in school, it is usually a tough time for me. i like you. i want to spend time with you, and yet i have so many other things demanding my time and energy. this semester and next are going to be particularly challenging, as they are the last of my studio art degree. i must create cohesive work. good...no, Amazing work. kind of puts the pressure on. so, do bear with me as i will be trying very hard to balance everything.
once my projects get underway, i'll be posting images and what-nots for your viewing pleasure.
for now, enjoy the fact that you are currently not in school.
until you return again,
michelle
Friday, August 21, 2009
Thursday, August 20, 2009
on summer reading...
during the school year, i don't allow myself to read books for leisure. it's a big no-no. mostly because i should be studying art history (high renaissance this semester!) or reading for some terrible gen-ed class which requires way too much reading, or tediously working on the many projects due (my address really should be changed to that of the art building). school=no reading for fun.
so, when crafting my rather large "summer to-do list," i include a book list. i have lots of unread books on my shelf...mostly due to school, which are patiently waiting as they occasionally get pulled off the shelf, flipped through, a paragraph or two read to pique my interest, and begrudgingly placed back on the shelf after a tinge of guilt has hit me for even picking up the book in the first place. back to summer. after i got back from Europe this year, i went to the library to borrow a few movies and walked past their new fiction section. The Way Through Doors by Jesse Ball jumped into my arms and became my first summer read. poor books on shelf at home.
It was a most interesting read, written in prose. a small excerpt:
"First, you go out into the world. This is not a simple matter of going outside one's door. No, that is simply going out. That's what one does when one is on the way to the store to buy a loaf of bread, some cheese, and a bottle of wine. When one goes out into the world, one is shedding preconceptions of past paths and ideas of past paths, and trying to move freely through an unsubstantiated and new geography. So, one goes out into the world, and then one wanders about."
summer reads 2, 3, and 4 are being read simultaneously. not purposefully, it just happens sometimes. Recollections of a Hamburger: Growing up German 1941-1962 by Christel Behnke Gehlert is the second book i picked up (and had to dust off) this summer. this particular book has only been in the waiting line for about a year, seeing as i bought a signed copy from the author last summer. it has been a very interesting, eye-opening read. i'm so far removed from the situation/s the author describes, but i find it lovely. not very eloquent of a writer, but i've found lots of little gems so far in her writing. The first paragraph reads as
follows:
"The year was 1941. Germany was stretching itself to its limits, starting a war and killing many people. Still, this is not a story about Germany at war but rather about how my family and I coped with the enormity of events that befell us. There are lots of history books about the war, but this is my personal story about my twenty years in Germany."
i'm almost halfway through Recollections of a Hamburger. this book is much more enjoyed when i am able to sit down without distraction and read at least a chapter at a time.
the third summer read is Here's to Hindsight by Tara Leigh Cobble. this book made it's way into my arms and to the front of the line when i found it for 75% off at Anchor Room. i first heard about this book two years ago and thought, "i think i would really like that book." i saved an add for the book out of a magazine that i've stumbled upon at random intervals, so when i found the book...and for only a couple of bucks, you can imagine my excitement. and i really am enjoying it. the author's writing is beautiful, exposing and expressing herself to her readers.
"I've learned and grown up so much from the things I was taught in the blank white walls of a strict Christian academy and in the pews of an independent, fundamentalist Baptist church. But i've always challenged (and changed) many of the beliefs I grew up with. The school we attended was very small, despite the fact that it encompassed all grades. Things that were pretty much unacceptable there included shorts, pants (for women), dancing, or any mention of going to the movies. When I switched to public school, I was shocked to find out that some of the kids had cable television because, according to my former teachers at the private school, cable television was "nothing but filth." I honestly believed though that HBO stood for "Hell's Box Office" until I saw an ad for it on television when I was twelve."
the fourth book i have started to read this summer just recently came in the mail. The Valley of Vision: A collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions is a lovely little book. my friend Pierce first quoted an excerpt from it last semester. it was beautiful and poetic and i loved it. so when i ordered a few books for class online, this book somehow found its way to my house. i'm sure this particular book will take a while to get through, as each prayer requires an initial read, some thought and subsequent reads/meditation after that. No need to rush this book.
The Valley of Vision
LORD, HIGH AND HOLY, MEEK AND LOWLY,
Thou hast brought me to the valley of vision,
where i live in the depths but see thee in the heights;
hemmed in by mountains of sin I behold thy glory.
Let me learn by paradox
that the way down is the way up,
that to be low is to be high,
that the broken heart is the healed heart,
that the contrite spirit is the rejoicing spirit,
that the repenting soul is the victorious soul,
that to have nothing is to possess all,
that to bear the cross is to wear the crown,
that to give is to receive,
that the valley is the place of vision.
Lord, in the daytime stars can be seen from deepest wells,
and the deeper the wells the brighter thy stars shine;
Let me find thy light in my darkness,
thy life in my death,
thy joy in my sorrow,
thy grace in my sin,
thy riches in my poverty,
thy glory in my valley.
so, as school nears and my summer reading privileges dissipate, i am glad for the reading that i have been able to soak up thus far. Here's to Hindsight will continue to be a lunch break read, The Valley of Vision a portion of my devotional time. although a long post, i hope you found some enjoyment in it. the next i promise will be one of more 'creativity' and artistic imagery.
until you read again,
michelle
so, when crafting my rather large "summer to-do list," i include a book list. i have lots of unread books on my shelf...mostly due to school, which are patiently waiting as they occasionally get pulled off the shelf, flipped through, a paragraph or two read to pique my interest, and begrudgingly placed back on the shelf after a tinge of guilt has hit me for even picking up the book in the first place. back to summer. after i got back from Europe this year, i went to the library to borrow a few movies and walked past their new fiction section. The Way Through Doors by Jesse Ball jumped into my arms and became my first summer read. poor books on shelf at home.
It was a most interesting read, written in prose. a small excerpt:"First, you go out into the world. This is not a simple matter of going outside one's door. No, that is simply going out. That's what one does when one is on the way to the store to buy a loaf of bread, some cheese, and a bottle of wine. When one goes out into the world, one is shedding preconceptions of past paths and ideas of past paths, and trying to move freely through an unsubstantiated and new geography. So, one goes out into the world, and then one wanders about."
summer reads 2, 3, and 4 are being read simultaneously. not purposefully, it just happens sometimes. Recollections of a Hamburger: Growing up German 1941-1962 by Christel Behnke Gehlert is the second book i picked up (and had to dust off) this summer. this particular book has only been in the waiting line for about a year, seeing as i bought a signed copy from the author last summer. it has been a very interesting, eye-opening read. i'm so far removed from the situation/s the author describes, but i find it lovely. not very eloquent of a writer, but i've found lots of little gems so far in her writing. The first paragraph reads as
follows:"The year was 1941. Germany was stretching itself to its limits, starting a war and killing many people. Still, this is not a story about Germany at war but rather about how my family and I coped with the enormity of events that befell us. There are lots of history books about the war, but this is my personal story about my twenty years in Germany."
i'm almost halfway through Recollections of a Hamburger. this book is much more enjoyed when i am able to sit down without distraction and read at least a chapter at a time.
the third summer read is Here's to Hindsight by Tara Leigh Cobble. this book made it's way into my arms and to the front of the line when i found it for 75% off at Anchor Room. i first heard about this book two years ago and thought, "i think i would really like that book." i saved an add for the book out of a magazine that i've stumbled upon at random intervals, so when i found the book...and for only a couple of bucks, you can imagine my excitement. and i really am enjoying it. the author's writing is beautiful, exposing and expressing herself to her readers.
"I've learned and grown up so much from the things I was taught in the blank white walls of a strict Christian academy and in the pews of an independent, fundamentalist Baptist church. But i've always challenged (and changed) many of the beliefs I grew up with. The school we attended was very small, despite the fact that it encompassed all grades. Things that were pretty much unacceptable there included shorts, pants (for women), dancing, or any mention of going to the movies. When I switched to public school, I was shocked to find out that some of the kids had cable television because, according to my former teachers at the private school, cable television was "nothing but filth." I honestly believed though that HBO stood for "Hell's Box Office" until I saw an ad for it on television when I was twelve."
the fourth book i have started to read this summer just recently came in the mail. The Valley of Vision: A collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions is a lovely little book. my friend Pierce first quoted an excerpt from it last semester. it was beautiful and poetic and i loved it. so when i ordered a few books for class online, this book somehow found its way to my house. i'm sure this particular book will take a while to get through, as each prayer requires an initial read, some thought and subsequent reads/meditation after that. No need to rush this book.
The Valley of Vision
LORD, HIGH AND HOLY, MEEK AND LOWLY,
Thou hast brought me to the valley of vision,
where i live in the depths but see thee in the heights;
hemmed in by mountains of sin I behold thy glory.
Let me learn by paradox
that the way down is the way up,
that to be low is to be high,
that the broken heart is the healed heart,
that the contrite spirit is the rejoicing spirit,
that the repenting soul is the victorious soul,
that to have nothing is to possess all,
that to bear the cross is to wear the crown,
that to give is to receive,
that the valley is the place of vision.
Lord, in the daytime stars can be seen from deepest wells,
and the deeper the wells the brighter thy stars shine;
Let me find thy light in my darkness,
thy life in my death,
thy joy in my sorrow,
thy grace in my sin,
thy riches in my poverty,
thy glory in my valley.
so, as school nears and my summer reading privileges dissipate, i am glad for the reading that i have been able to soak up thus far. Here's to Hindsight will continue to be a lunch break read, The Valley of Vision a portion of my devotional time. although a long post, i hope you found some enjoyment in it. the next i promise will be one of more 'creativity' and artistic imagery.
until you read again,
michelle
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
i do not photograph flowers...
Fort Wayne has this thing, this unhealthy liking towards art containing flowers.
why do i write such harsh words about your beloved flowers? i must hate flowers, and stomp on them/squish them every chance i get. but the reality is, i love flowers. love the way they look, smell and feel. the way that a small lonely yellow flower wanting to be picked and appreciated can brighten the day, or how a bucket of twenty variations of flowers picked by a friend can make many rooms happy. i love flowers. this thing, this unhealthy liking towards art containing flowers is the problem. not that all art involving flowers is bad or that every photograph of a flower has no value. the truth is that i'm an artist living in fort wayne, trying to sell my own art, and all people want to buy are images of "bugs on flowers." how sad. the lack of content hurts my photographic heart. the market here to sell art is so small and specific and suffocating.
so what does an artist who feels led to create imagery with content other than flowers do? leave fort wayne? hold the mayor hostage until he passes a law that everyone must buy michelle diller's artwork instead of bugs on flowers?...interesting idea. as i and fellow artists facing the same problem trudge onward, trying to break down the barriers of this silly market, i encourage you to buy local. buy good, local, content-filled art. yes.
and to those of you who stopped reading paragraphs ago because i insulted you, no need to go home, feeling ashamed of your flower art purchases. don't tear them off the wall in a fury. i'm just on my soap box...getting down now. and although i sometimes even despise photos of flowers, they can sometimes be beautiful and lovely and have their own special meaning to you.
so here are a few of my own photographs of flowers, although "i do not photograph flowers," taken in Giverny, France at Monet's Gardens.
until you read again,
michelle
- "bugs on flowers"
- "babies with/on/in flowers"
- "flowers in vases on tables"
- "bugs on flowers with babies"
why do i write such harsh words about your beloved flowers? i must hate flowers, and stomp on them/squish them every chance i get. but the reality is, i love flowers. love the way they look, smell and feel. the way that a small lonely yellow flower wanting to be picked and appreciated can brighten the day, or how a bucket of twenty variations of flowers picked by a friend can make many rooms happy. i love flowers. this thing, this unhealthy liking towards art containing flowers is the problem. not that all art involving flowers is bad or that every photograph of a flower has no value. the truth is that i'm an artist living in fort wayne, trying to sell my own art, and all people want to buy are images of "bugs on flowers." how sad. the lack of content hurts my photographic heart. the market here to sell art is so small and specific and suffocating.
so what does an artist who feels led to create imagery with content other than flowers do? leave fort wayne? hold the mayor hostage until he passes a law that everyone must buy michelle diller's artwork instead of bugs on flowers?...interesting idea. as i and fellow artists facing the same problem trudge onward, trying to break down the barriers of this silly market, i encourage you to buy local. buy good, local, content-filled art. yes.
and to those of you who stopped reading paragraphs ago because i insulted you, no need to go home, feeling ashamed of your flower art purchases. don't tear them off the wall in a fury. i'm just on my soap box...getting down now. and although i sometimes even despise photos of flowers, they can sometimes be beautiful and lovely and have their own special meaning to you.
so here are a few of my own photographs of flowers, although "i do not photograph flowers," taken in Giverny, France at Monet's Gardens.
until you read again,
michelle
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Hello.
A fresh space to create. I like it. I don't like the lack of customization involved in creating a free blog, but I like the space nonetheless.
And now, welcome. I plan on using this space for my thoughts as well as to share photos and current projects I'm working on. My hopes are that this proverbial space is one of creativity and interaction with friends, family and fellow artists.
And now, enjoy.
And now, welcome. I plan on using this space for my thoughts as well as to share photos and current projects I'm working on. My hopes are that this proverbial space is one of creativity and interaction with friends, family and fellow artists.
And now, enjoy.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)